Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia. 

Today is Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.

West Virginia’s giant salamander population serves as a monitor to the Mountain State’s water quality…West Virginia Northern Community College receives a federal grant to support manufacturing education…and Weirton residents gear up for the tastiest event of the year: Weirton Restaurant Week…on today’s daily304.

#1 – From WV EXPLORER – Beneath the surface of clean-flowing streams in West Virginia, a multitude of strange creatures lurk, but none is perhaps more shocking to encounter than the hellbender.

Also known as the devil dog, the mud devil, and the Allegheny alligator, its names testify to the strangeness of what turns out to be a giant aquatic salamander. These strange creatures thrive in only the most healthy streams. They are thus indicators of poor water quality, a concern in parts of West Virginia where the hellbender lives.

Due to the impact of disease and habitat loss, the animal is listed as a vulnerable species though groups like the New River Conservancy. The conservancy is urging people in the New River watershed and beyond to comment on a proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to designate it as endangered.

“Not only does the presence of hellbenders indicate the rivers we rely on for drinking water are clean,” says Andrew Downs, executive director of the conservancy, “but this sometimes-strange-looking and beautiful creature is part of the identity of our region.

https://wvexplorer.com/2025/01/07/monster-hellbenders-hiding-west-virginia-streams/

#2 – From WEIRTON DAILY TIMES – West Virginia Northern Community College has been awarded $1.5 million as part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s $65 million Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant initiative. WVNCC is one of only 18 institutions nationwide, and the only recipient in West Virginia, to receive this funding.

The grant will fund WVNCC’s M.A.P.S. 2.0: Manufacturing and Production Skills Pathway for the 21st Century. The program is a next-generation, industry-aligned skills pathway designed to support the revitalized manufacturing and production industries in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.

This initiative aims to build workforce education and training capacity in the Ohio River Valley region, focusing on sustainable and scalable change to prepare students for careers in advanced manufacturing and next generation energy.

https://www.weirtondailytimes.com/news/local-news/2025/01/west-virginia-northern-community-college-receives-1-5-million-federal-grant/

#3 – From WEIRTON DAILY TIMES – Area residents are encouraged to seek out some local flavor during Weirton Restaurant Week.

Scheduled from Feb. 2-8, Weirton Restaurant Week is being organized by the Top of West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Weirton Area Chamber of Commerce as a way to celebrate the local dining scene.

Representatives of the CVB and Chamber are in the process of contacting eateries who are members of either of the two organizations to participate, with a goal of having at least 10 set to take part.

https://www.weirtondailytimes.com/news/local-news/2025/01/cvb-chamber-team-up-for-restaurant-week/

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.

daily304 - Episode 01.18.2025