Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
Today is Friday, Sept. 11, 2026.
…and now for the rest of the stories…on today’s daily304.com!
#1 – From WV PRESS – State Parks Foundation announces photo contest winners
Sometimes the best way to show off West Virginia is simply to take a picture.
The West Virginia State Parks Foundation has announced the winners of its spring and summer “Mountains Are Always Free” Photo Contest, which drew hundreds of submissions from West Virginia and beyond.
Professional and amateur photographers submitted warm-weather images taken in West Virginia state parks, state forests and rail trails. And the winners show off plenty of Almost Heaven.
Leslie Carpenter of Martinsburg won two categories, capturing a summer night at Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park and a Magnolia Warbler at Watoga State Park. Jessica Poling of Salem won the plants category with mushrooms at Holly River State Park. Stasha Ray of Morgantown picked up two wins: Jemma Jolene enjoying a bath at Coopers Rock State Forest and a hiking scene at Audra State Park.
Foundation Executive Director Brad Reed said there were so many outstanding photographs that choosing the winners wasn’t easy. Each winner receives an overnight stay at a West Virginia State Park of their choice, along with State Parks and Foundation gear.
#2 – From WV GOVERNOR – West Virginia reaches $96 billion in announced investment
Here’s a number that gets your attention: $96 billion.
Governor Patrick Morrisey announced more than $81 billion in new private-sector investment during the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Business Summit at The Greenbrier. Those projects bring total private-sector investment announced since October 2025 to approximately $96 billion, with more than 19,000 projected jobs.
The latest round is led by major projects from NScale and Starwood Digital Ventures.
The announcement also includes High Impact Data Center certification for NScale, as West Virginia continues pursuing energy-intensive technology and data infrastructure projects.
#3 – From WVNS-TV – Taking medicine into the wild
No exam room. No hospital hallway. This medical training happens outdoors.
Students from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine are putting their skills to the test through rigorous wilderness medicine training. The experience takes future physicians beyond conventional clinical settings and challenges them to think about what happens when medical care is needed far from the resources of a hospital.
Wilderness medicine requires students to assess a situation, work with what they have and make decisions in environments where terrain, weather and distance can become part of the emergency. For medical students training in a state filled with mountains, trails, rivers and remote communities, that’s practical experience with a distinctly West Virginia connection.
Watch now:
https://www.wvnstv.com/news/wvsom-send-students-on-rigorous-wilderness-medicine-training-camp
Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304.
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That’s all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.
