daily304 – Episode 09.21.2026
Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
Today is Monday, Sept. 21, 2026.
…and now for the rest of the stories…on today’s daily304.com!
#1 – From GROUND UP GATHERING – Building opportunity from the ground up
Good ideas can start at the ground level. That’s the idea behind Coalfield Development Corporation’s fourth annual Ground Up Gathering, coming to Huntington on Sept. 26.
The event will be held at 1040 Vernon Street and is designed to bring people together around Coalfield Development’s work in community and economic development. General admission is free, with table sponsorships also available.
Coalfield Development’s model has long focused on building opportunity from within Appalachian communities, combining workforce development, social enterprise and community revitalization. The Ground Up Gathering gives people a place to connect around that work.
Register now:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/ground-up-gathering-2026-draft?utm_source=chatgpt.com
#2 – From GAZETTE-MAIL – Goldenrod Kitchen serves up something awesomely Appalachian
Food writer Steven Keith calls Goldenrod Kitchen on Charleston’s West Side “awesomely Appalachian” and a gem worth experiencing. The colorful breakfast and lunch café opened this spring at 611 Tennessee Avenue in the former Vandalia Company space.
At the center of it is 22-year-old Charleston native Nola Todd, who started Goldenrod as a pop-up before making the jump to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. The menu includes stuffed breakfast burritos, sandwiches, melts, granola, breakfast breads and plenty more. Keith highlights the Sunnyside Sourdough Stack, the Mountain Breakfast Melt with sweet cornbread and hot honey, and a cinnamon roll he ranks among the best he’s had.
Most of the food is made to order, and Todd has been open about the growing pains that come with launching a restaurant. She’s already adjusted the service model, upgraded equipment and hired and trained new staff.
#3 – From WV EXPLORER – A new vision for the communities of the New River Gorge
Millions of people are coming to the New River Gorge. A new proposal asks an important question: How can more of the economic opportunity those visitors create stay in the communities surrounding it?
The proposed New River Gorge Artisan Corridor would connect communities from Hinton to Montgomery through arts, outdoor recreation, historic preservation, workforce development, entrepreneurship and tourism.
The plan was developed by a team led by Jennings Berry, president of the New River Gorge Historical Society. And despite the word “artisan,” the vision goes well beyond arts and crafts.
The proposed corridor includes Hinton, Prince, Thurmond, Glen Jean, Mount Hope, Fayetteville, Ansted, Gauley Bridge and Montgomery, with Beckley serving as a regional center. Each community could build on its own history, character and strengths rather than trying to become the same kind of destination.
The plan remains a proposal, and Berry says its individual projects and community roles would need to evolve with local participation, funding and feasibility.
Read more:
https://wvexplorer.com/new-river-gorge-nrg-towns-artisan-corridor
Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304.
The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty, and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.
That’s all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.
