Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
Today is Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026.
…and now for the rest of the stories…on today’s daily304.com!
#1 – From HUNTINGTON CHAMBER – Stitch AI asks: Why not West Virginia?
Artificial intelligence is changing fast. But Huntington-based Stitch AI says the bigger question for businesses isn’t simply how to get access to AI. It’s what they should actually do with it.
Stitch AI works with organizational leaders to identify where artificial intelligence can create a real business advantage, what work may need to change and where human judgment remains essential. Co-founder and CEO Rich O’Brien believes that creates an opportunity for West Virginia.
“Why not West Virginia?” O’Brien asks, arguing that AI innovation doesn’t have to be concentrated in major metropolitan areas. His vision includes developing local talent, building technology companies here and helping existing West Virginia businesses put AI to work.
Co-founder and CTO Josh Spence brings more than two decades of cyber operations experience in the Air National Guard, along with experience as West Virginia’s former Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Information Officer.
“If you’re an organization that recognizes AI is going to be transformational in your industry, we’re there to help you navigate that transition,” Spence said.
Read more:
https://www.huntingtonchamber.org/2026/09/07/stitch-ai/
#2 – From WV PRESS ASSOCIATION – Meet Metro 911’s first canine employee
Some employees start the day by checking their email. Pip starts his by pawing at an office door. The 2-year-old shelter dog is Metro 911’s first canine employee and public safety mascot, working alongside dispatchers at the Ned Chilton 911 Center in Charleston.
And Pip has quite a story. The Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association took him in after he was hit by a car. Around the same time, Metro 911 was looking for a shelter dog to join the center. Adoption, Deputy Director of Operations Rick McElhaney says, “was always the plan.”
After recovering, Pip received training from Charleston-based Follow Our Lead. Today, he knows when it’s time to work. Put on his vest, and Pip settles into his role. Dispatchers deal with stressful and sometimes heartbreaking calls. Staff members say Pip seems to recognize when someone needs a little extra attention and will stay close during difficult moments.
Pip also appears at public events and on Metro 911’s social media to help share safety and weather information and even assist with recruiting new dispatchers.
#3 – From WV EXPLORER – He got lost and found his movie in West Virginia
Filmmaker Bob Ahmed was scouting rural Virginia for the setting of his feature film “Adam’s Fire” when his phone died and he kept driving. Eventually, he found himself at a secluded mountain farm in West Virginia. And he’d found his movie.
Ahmed, a Pakistani-American writer and director based near Washington, D.C., ultimately filmed “Adam’s Fire” in Lost Creek and other locations across north-central West Virginia. The farm’s rolling pastures, mountain ridges and generations-old cemetery became an important part of the film’s visual identity.
The movie follows 12-year-old Adam as he deals with tragedy and the death of his mother. His friendship with a Pakistani-American girl skilled in taekwondo helps bring together two different American experiences in a story about grief, forgiveness and human connection.
Producer Tom Ohmer says West Virginia became more than scenery.
The filmmakers wanted to portray a side of America they believe international audiences don’t always see: people who are hospitable, thoughtful and compassionate.
“Adam’s Fire” opens Oct. 9 in select theaters, including AMC Morgantown 12.
Read more:
https://wvexplorer.com/adams-fire-west-virginia-movie-lost-creek/
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.