Good morning, Roanoke.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach J.J.

Redick returned Wednesday to Summit Sportsplex to speak with over 500 Roanoke County students, sharing his journey from Cave Spring to the NBA and urging them to work hard and embrace failure as a path to success.

A repurposed church will open as the new Grace Period Free Food Pantry this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1201 Hardy Road near Vinton & will offer free food and essentials monthly, according to organizer Chuck Miller.

Hope to Walk, a Blacksburg nonprofit offering free prosthetic legs overseas, was named a finalist for the 2026 DOT-ORG Impact Awards and is guaranteed a $2,500 prize + competes with 35 groups for a $50,000 award.

The organization has grown from 3 clinics to 7 clinics in 11 years.

Tiny Cargo opened a $1.5 million manufacturing plant in Roanoke in February to produce milk exosomes that might carry drugs.

The company now runs its quality-control lab at new RoVa Labs & advances preclinical tests on its lead treatment, XOlacta.

AccessU marks 30 years in Roanoke and continues to deliver digital, print, and video services from its historic Double Cola Bottling Co. building.

CEO Tony Pearman credits a strong office culture & balanced business skills for the company’s success.

Wawa at 1941 W Main Street in Salem opens today at 8 a.m. with free T-shirts for the first 250 customers.

After a VIP tasting Wednesday, Salem Mayor Renee Turk joined a hoagie-building contest as the store announced a food insecurity partnership with Feeding Southwest Virginia.

Local activists and artists completed a series of public murals this summer to brighten neglected walls and boost community safety.

The projects, funded with public development dollars, transformed spots like (Elm Avenue) and downtown, inviting residents back onto the streets.

Nicole Gray — a massage therapist turned muralist — painted a Blue Ridge Mountain scene on the side of Ayres Hall at Roanoke College in Salem just before students returned, adding color to the college’s Main Street corridor renovation aimed at building a life-learn-work-play hub.

Friday at 5pm, the Taubman Museum of Art hosts the Artemis Journal 50th anniversary launch— a ticketed event featuring a poetry reading and discussion with US Poet Laureate Arthur Zee from 6 to 7pm.

In Fincastle, youth plays 'Puffs' and 'Something Rotten JR.' run Thursday and Friday through Sunday respectively.

The RVRA launched an online resource with a free safety checklist to help residents spot and store hazardous items during National Preparedness Month.

Also, families can book appointments for monthly hazardous waste collection at Tinker Creek Transfer Station (every third Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.).

On Sep. 1, local health leaders announced that video-guided ONEboxes—purple cabinets providing naloxone kits—are being installed in public spaces like schools and gas stations to boost emergency overdose response.

The rollout offers another tool to help save lives.

Radford University received a $100,000 grant from the Appalachian Power Foundation on Wednesday to expand rural healthcare plus support its CARES Mobile Health Clinic where students gain hands-on training.

The grant marks a growing partnership that benefits community health and student learning.