daily304 – Episode 09.16.2026

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia. Today is Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. …and now for the rest of the stories…on today's daily304.com! #1 – From BUSINESS FACILITIES MAGAZINE – Why West Virginia? Business Facilities takes a closer look When companies decide where to invest, the questions are pretty straightforward: Is the site ready? Can we get the power? Can we find and keep the workforce? And can we get our product to market? Business Facilities recently put those questions to Christine Davies, Deputy Secretary of the West Virginia Division of Economic Development & Workforce Participation, for a national Q&A on the Mountain State's business advantages. Davies points to energy certainty, site readiness and workforce loyalty as key pieces of West Virginia's pitch. The state's targeted growth sectors include high-capacity data centers, advanced manufacturing and materials, and aerospace manufacturing and maintenance. Workforce programs include customized training grants, apprenticeship support and partnerships with West Virginia's community and technical colleges. Read more: https://businessfacilities.com/why-west-virginia/ #2 – From FEDERAL RESERVE – Small business owners: The Fed wants to hear from you The Federal Reserve's 2026 Small Business Credit Survey gathers information from businesses with fewer than 500 employees about their financial conditions, financing and debt needs and experiences. The resulting data are used by the Federal Reserve and others to better understand what's happening on Main Street. The West Virginia Small Business Development Center is a partner in this year's survey and is encouraging owners and key financial decision-makers of for-profit businesses to participate. Businesses currently operating, recently closed or preparing to launch can take part. Responses are confidential, and the survey takes about 12 minutes. Take the survey: https://fedreserveboard.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_38k9xZy8ayEERue?orgID=20261020 #3 – From WV EXPLORER – Now THAT'S a big fish Tyler Harmon decided to take his son fishing on the Ohio River near Ravenswood and invited his father along. About 20 minutes after they started fishing, three generations of the Harmon family were sharing a boat with the heaviest blue catfish ever recorded in West Virginia. The fish weighed 72.75 pounds and measured 48.15 inches long, breaking a state weight record that had stood for less than four months. After the measurements, Harmon released the fish alive back into the Ohio River. There's an even bigger story behind the catch. Blue catfish had disappeared from West Virginia waters before the Division of Natural Resources began restoring the native species in the Ohio and Kanawha rivers in the early 2000s. Since then, the fishery has grown and state records have continued to fall. Read more: https://wvexplorer.com/west-virginia-blue-catfish-record-ohio-river/ 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.