A move to bring speedway back to Birmingham after a 22-year absence has been thrown out amid claims that noisy motor-bikes would disrupt the studies of students.
City Council planners have rejected an application to construct a speedway track and pits at the Perry Barr Stadium, claiming that the noise from night-time meetings would drown out lectures at the nearby University of Central England.
There were also concerns about the impact on homes, although only 14 people objected to the application.
The decision to refuse was taken on the casting vote of the committee chairman, Councillor David Roy, after members were split 5-5 on a recommendation to turn down the application.
Promoter Tony Mole, the man behind the proposed speedway revival, said he was bitterly disappointed.
People opposed to the idea based their views on a "fear of the unknown", he added.
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Most motorists dislike bus lanes, but probably regard them as a necessary evil.
The effectiveness of bus priority measures in Birmingham, however, has prompted an angry clash between the city council and the region's largest bus company.
Read the arguments for and against bus lanes in Friday's Birmingham Post
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Plans to build a new hospital in Moseley for patients suffering from mental illnesses have suffered another setback amid threats of legal action from protesters.
Birmingham Planning Committee decided against making a decision on an application for a 63-bed building and out patient's facility at Moseley Hall Hospital.
Members will visit the Alcester Road site to hear first hand from both sides - residents who oppose the scale of the proposed building, and representatives from Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust.
The proposal has already been the subject of one High Court hearing, where Moseley residents succeeded in obtaining a judicial review against Birmingham City Council's decision to grant planning permission.
The court's verdict means that the council must start the planning process afresh and reconsider the application.
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Tony Blair's religious beliefs have come under scrutiny again after a Labour backbencher accused him of giving faith groups "disproportionate influence" in Government.
Birmingham MP Lynne Jones (Lab Selly Oak) said it was "undemocratic" for religious beliefs to affect policy.
She demanded the abolition of a little-known working group, set up by Mr Blair to give religions a say in every Government department, whose members include Redditch MP Jacqui Smith (Lab).
Other members of the body include representatives of the Christian Evangelical Alliance and the Muslim Council of Britain, as well as the Chief Rabbi.
Mr Blair's personal religious beliefs have come under the spotlight in a way that was previously unknown in modern British politics.
Last month another Labour colleague, Midland MP Ken Purchase (Lab Wolverhampton North East), claimed Mr Blair had allowed his faith to influence education policy.
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To some, they are guardian angels.
Dressed in fluorescent yellow, they play a vital role making sure our children get to and from school safely.
But lollipop men and women are increasingly becoming an endangered species.
Every authority in the country bar one has a shortage of them, a study has found, and in some areas more than half of posts are currently unfilled.
The report by petrol service station Jet found Telford and Wrekin to have among the biggest difficulty recruiting school crossing patrols in the UK.
Nearly 30 per cent of posts in the area are empty, compared to a national average of 17.5 per cent.
See Friday's Birmingham Post for more on these stories
