SALEM, Va. – Instead of receiving gifts, a soon-to-be 10-year-old is going to be the one giving out presents this year to a good cause. They safely scooped the bird up in a bucket and took it to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center in Roanoke, where staff were able to help it fly again. Now instead of gifts for himself, this year for his birthday he’s asking for donations to help other animals like Toby at the center. They’re asking you to purchase a gift from the SWVA wildlife center needs list. Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke Wish List:

I need to either come in at the moment they open or just wait,” said Susan Shullman, a customer. USPS Appalachian District Communications Programs Specialist Tad Kelley said at this time, they are seeing about a 10 to 15 percent increase in mail volume compared to last year. “You have the regular holiday volumes, you have the impacts from the pandemic and now you have the potential for a storm.”To beat the storm, postal workers started delivering mail early Tuesday and will make extra deliveries this evening. Tuesday was the last day to send packages through ground shipping to assure it will arrive by Christmas Day. The next USPS shipping deadline is Dec. 18 for first-class mail to arrive in time for Christmas.

ROANOKE, Va. – Just in time for the holiday travel season, Roanoke’s airport opened its new car rental facility on Tuesday. The airport’s marketing and air service development director Bradley Boettcher said that before the new development, getting a rental car seemed disjointed as the cars were parked in the long-term lot and the rental counters were in the terminal. The more than $6 million project includes a vestibule, a lobby with four rental car counters, restrooms and a new reconfigured parking lot, which can hold up nearly 200 rental cars. He said with less business travel and the pandemic, their traffic numbers are cut in half, although hopes traffic will pick back up to reach those numbers again. The year and a half construction project was funded by car rental customer facility charges.

ROANOKE, Va. – Women can now serve in every brand of the military, but that wasn’t always the case. 10 News sat down with the first woman from Roanoke who signed up to serve in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. She was 18-years-old and unsure about what she wanted to do after graduating from Jefferson High School in Roanoke. “During World War II, my mother’s cousin came to visit us and she was in the Army and I thought ‘That uniform really looks nice,'" Ridenhour recalls. Regarding her time in the Navy, Ridenhour said she didn’t think too much about it when she first joined, but that soon changed.

ROANOKE, Va. – One man is dead after a motorcycle crash on Thursday evening. At about 5:45 p.m., Roanoke police responded to the intersection of 17th Street NW and Loudon Avenue NW for a crash involving a motorcycle. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and police are investigating what happened as a traffic fatality. One vehicle was going east, approaching the intersection, while the motorcycle was approaching from the west. Police said that either at or near the intersection the motorcycle entered the vehicle’s lane of travel and was hit.

ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke restaurant has temporarily closed after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus. Taste of Asia, on Franklin Road, announced the closure late Wednesday morning on Facebook. Taste of Asia is temporarily closed after an employee tested positive for Covid-19. In accordance with CDC guidelines... Posted by Taste of Asia Franklin Road on Wednesday, June 10, 2020In accordance with CDC guidelines and the Virginia Department of Health, the restaurant will conduct another deep cleaning, which includes air-quality testing and disinfectingAs soon as the restaurant learned about its employee’s test result, it immediately closed and sent staff to be tested. Taste of Asia is now working with the Virginia Department of Health to determine when it is safe to reopen.

The nonprofit connects people to local produce, supports local farmers and offers discounts so the community can afford fresh fruits and veggies. “I think it’s really valuable for people to know where their food comes from,” said Lev. "And to be able to take part in that, is hugely powerful.”That’s why he said the four community gardens in Roanoke are so beneficial. When LEAP discovered that the Roanoke Community Garden Association—which has run the gardens in the city for the past 11 years—would have to shut its doors, they leaped into action. The need for these community gardens is there.