Special agents with the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control last week seized more than 200 gallons of illegal liquor and two active stills from a Roanoke County home.

Four criminal charges against a Roanoke man — including attempted robbery and attempted malicious wounding — were dropped by a judge Thursday after the man who reported him failed to cooperate with prosecutors.

Two constrictor-like snakes were among the animals discovered by maintenance workers.

BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech police are looking for leads on a cache of exotic pets found Thursday in a section of the university's underground steam tunnel network.

A woman being held in the Shenandoah County jail faces 20 charges, the majority felonies, filed by the Blacksburg Police Department, Lt. Steve Taylor said in a news release.

The state could pay a family without determining whether an officer died on duty.

RICHMOND — It's been 15 months since Dawn Decker had to bury her husband, Norfolk police Officer Victor Edward Decker, after someone shot him to death while he was off duty early one morning by the side of Oceana Boulevard in Virginia Beach.

The former secretary of defense discussed torture and the war on terrorism during a visit to Roanoke.

Donald Rumsfeld mused on the future while defending his past during a sprawling, one-hour conversation in Roanoke on Thursday.

A tractor-trailer veered off the road near Buchanan, spilling a hazardous chemical on the median.

A tractor-trailer careened off Interstate81 in Botetourt County about 2a.m. Thursday, spilling a toxic chemical that displaced nearby residents and closed the highway for more than 12 hours.

Functions such as a call center, billing and collections are part of the $8 million effort in Roanoke.

Advance Auto Parts Inc., the corporate powerhouse that flourished during the recession by selling replacement auto parts to a new-vehicle-shy American public, on Thursday announced an $8 million expansion of its Roanoke headquarters and 75 new jobs.

A lawyer said dust and lead paint chips may be causing problems at the school.

Concerns about possible health risks from dust and lead paint chips generated by construction at Highland Park Elementary School have prompted a state investigation.

Draft legislation working its way through the state House would give home-schooled athletes a chance to try out for public school teams, but it's facing staunch opposition.

It is 8 p.m. Thursday and the Conquerors varsity boys basketball team practice is about to begin at the Salvation Army center in southeast Roanoke.