This holiday season, the Roanoke Valley SPCA is reaching out to the community to ensure no shelter pet is left behind. The annual Home for the Holidays foster program is back but with a sense of urgency this year.

There is an urgent need for families to foster children in Roanoke County.

The Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Lynchburg has determined that one officer’s use of deadly force in a December officer-involved shooting was not excessive.

Bean saw the best sales in nearly a decade during pandemic. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)FREEPORT, Maine – With Americans hunkering down and hankering to get outdoors during the pandemic, L.L. Bean recorded its best annual sales growth in nearly a decade, the company said Friday. During the pandemic, L.L. Bean closed all of its stores for 100 days but online and catalog sales remained strong.

ROANOKE, Va. – One man is on a mission to give foster children something in which to carry their belongings other than a trash bag. Pastor Sean Burch came up with the idea for Suitcases with Hope from his own experience in the foster care system. Their life is more valuable than what they thought,” explained Pastor Sean Burch at Spirit of Unity Baptist Church. So far, the church has collected about 400 suitcases for local children, while the goal remains 600. If you would like to give, you can drop off your donation Saturday, September 26, at Spirit of Unity Baptist Church.

ROANOKE, Va. There are many ways to provide hope to children, but one pastor said it can come in a popular shape. Sean Burch is hosting the Suitcases with Hope Drive to give children in foster care more than just something to carry clothes in. What he is certain of is that it has been a long road through the foster care system to leading a congregation. He said it is common for children in foster care to live out of a trash bag. The drive is Saturday, September 5, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Spirit of Unity Baptist Church at 193 Updike Lane.

Foster has been an assistant at Virginia Tech since 1987. Copyright 2019 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.

The day half of my heart stopped beating and the other half left with my daughter," said Pamela Foster, the mother of Ashlynne Mike. The day half of my heart stopped beating and the other half left with my daughter," said Pamela Foster, the mother of Ashlynne Mike. It was then that Foster found out there was no way to quickly alert everyone else on the Navajo reservation. The following day an Amber Alert was issued just hours before Ashlynne's body was found in the desert. Even though that Amber Alert went out to many New Mexicans, many on the Navajo reservation didn't get it.