Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
Today is Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026.
#1 – From WV GAZETTE-MAIL – Putting West Virginia’s film industry in focus
West Virginia’s growing film industry is getting a new monthly spotlight.
The West Virginia Film Team’s “Lights, Camera” column will highlight the people, productions and opportunities helping build the state’s film economy.
As more filmmakers discover West Virginia’s locations, talent and production resources, the new feature offers readers a behind-the-scenes look at an industry creating new opportunities across the Mountain State.
Follow the series and learn more about what’s happening in West Virginia film.
#2 – From WV TOURISM – Put some SWINGO in your West Virginia road trip
Ready to see some of the best views in Almost Heaven?
The West Virginia Department of Tourism’s Almost Heaven SWINGO Challenge puts a Mountain State spin on BINGO.
Travel West Virginia’s country roads, visit the state’s iconic Almost Heaven Swings and check each stop off your digital SWINGO card. Complete five spaces in a row to earn a superfan sticker. Cover the entire card and you’ll earn a seasonal magnetic photo frame.
The swings stretch across the state, from Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley to Pipestem, Summersville Lake, Oglebay and dozens of other destinations.
And there’s an even bigger prize for completing the challenge: the opportunity to help choose where the next Almost Heaven Swing will call home.
Start your SWINGO adventure today.
Read more:
https://wvtourism.com/west-virginias-most-instagrammable-views/
#3 – From WV EXPLORER – 320 miles. One trail. A changing West Virginia.
Most hikers know the Appalachian Trail.
Far fewer know about the Allegheny Trail, a roughly 320-mile route running entirely through West Virginia from near the Pennsylvania state line to the Virginia border.
Filmmaker and former NASA planetary scientist Emma Crow-Willard is hiking every mile of it as part of her Allegheny Trail Economies Expedition.
During the 25-day journey, she’s interviewing business owners, tourism officials, nonprofit leaders and residents to understand how communities once dependent on industries like coal, timber and manufacturing are adapting to economic change.
Her interviews will become part of a documentary and economic report examining the role outdoor recreation can play in a more diversified West Virginia economy.
Along the way, Crow-Willard says she’s discovered something just as important as the scenery: the people and communities connected by the trail.
Read more:
https://wvexplorer.com/allegheny-trail-west-virginia-emma-crow-willard/
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.