daily304 – Episode 09.01.2026

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia. Today is Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. …and now for the rest of the stories…on today's daily304.com! #1 – From WVU – WVU students learn what it takes to put on the show The crowd sees the performers. WVU students are learning everything it takes to get them onstage. Students in West Virginia University's Music Business and Industry Program are gaining real-world experience working Morgantown's Ruby Summer Concert Series, which has grown to attract more than 50,000 music fans each season. The series itself started as an idea sketched on a napkin in 2020. By 2022, performers including Don McLean and Charles Wesley Godwin were taking the stage at the Ruby Amphitheater. Today, WVU students help load equipment, manage merchandise, operate cameras and video boards, direct traffic and work live sound. Student Olivia Martens worked her way from event staffer to production assistant, coordinating directly with opening acts before they arrive. And sometimes the biggest lesson is learning to adapt. When wildfire smoke forced the cancellation of a Switchfoot and Hello June concert this summer, students got a real-world lesson in managing an unexpected event disruption.For these Mountaineers, summer concerts aren't just entertainment. They're preparation for careers in a multibillion-dollar music industry. Read more: https://stories.wvu.edu/songs-of-summer #2 – From WV LIVING – Building what he loves in Barboursville Music. Food. Beer. Art. For Barboursville entrepreneur Jason Beter, they're all different ways of building community. Beter opened Oscar's Breakfast, Burgers & Brews in 2017. Since then, his passion for independent local businesses has grown into 1861 Public House, Köerber Beer Company, Orbit's Record Shop and Outer Orbit Records. The businesses reflect Beter's own interests, but there's a bigger idea connecting them. He believes restaurants, breweries, record stores and other gathering places give communities their identity. They're where people meet friends, hear music, celebrate milestones and make memories. And he credits a team of family members, managers, cooks, servers, bartenders, brewers and others for turning those ideas into places people want to visit. It's a collection of businesses built around the things Beter loves. But maybe more importantly, they're built around a place he loves: Barboursville. Read more: https://wvliving.com/building-what-he-loves #3 – From WORKFORCE WEST VIRGINIA – Your next job could be a click away Looking for a new opportunity? You don't even have to leave home to meet your next employer. WorkForce West Virginia's Statewide Virtual Job Fairs connect job seekers with employers from across the Mountain State through an online platform. Job seekers can explore participating employers and opportunities while making connections from a computer, tablet or smartphone. The virtual format helps remove geography from the equation, giving West Virginians another way to explore career opportunities throughout the state. Whether you're looking for your first job, a better fit or your next career move, WorkForce West Virginia is helping employers and potential employees find each other. Read more: https://workforcewv.org/statewide-virtual-job-fairs 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.