The Regulators Are Coming – and the AI Industry Asked for Them 🧭
The regulators are coming. And this time, the industry itself asked for them. For years, the big AI labs had a simple answer when anyone asked about safety: trust us. We are the ones building this. We know the risks. We have internal safety teams. We will figure it out as we go. That era…
Seussical Opens Spotlight Acting School’s 24th Season With Two Casts and a Senior Send-Off 🎭
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” That simple idea sits at the heart of Seussical the Musical. It also fits the work Spotlight Acting School has been doing in Berea for more than two decades: every student matters, every role matters, and every young person deserves an opportunity to be heard. Spotlight Acting…
Bluegrass Players Seek the Living and the Undead for Zombie Night! The Musical 🧟
Some people join community theater because they love to sing, some want to act, and others simply want to meet new people or try something they have not done since high school. There is, however, a unique group of people who may have a strange talent for walking slowly, groaning loudly, and looking as if…
OpenAI Is Building a Smart Speaker. Would I Leave Alexa for It? 🔊
OpenAI is reportedly working on a portable, screenless smart speaker designed to bring ChatGPT out of the browser and into the home. The device is being developed with the hardware team led by former Apple designer Jony Ive. Reports describe a rechargeable speaker with cameras, environmental sensors, moving mechanical parts, and a more expressive personality…
Wolves of Sherwood Brings Robin Hood’s Next Generation to the Spotlight Stage 🐺
Most Robin Hood stories end while Robin is still the center of the legend. He remains the fearless outlaw in Sherwood Forest, forever frustrating the Sheriff of Nottingham, protecting the public, and gathering loyal followers around him. Chelsea Frandsen’s action-filled drama Wolves of Sherwood asks a more interesting question: What happens after the legend grows…
Apple Is Finally Joining the AI Race Where It Matters: In Your Pocket 📱
For the past few years, artificial intelligence has mostly lived somewhere else. Users typically opened a browser tab or downloaded a dedicated application to visit services like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to complete tasks. Apple’s core bet is that AI should not feel like a separate digital destination. Instead, it should simply be a native…
Business Brew: Where Berea’s Local Entrepreneurs Meet Over Coffee ☕️
Business Brew brings Berea-area entrepreneurs together over coffee at Just Love, offering a simple monthly place to trade leads, solve problems, and build local business connections.
Mid-Week Pickups: Tuesday Evenings at the Berea Farmers Market 🥕
The Berea Farmers Market runs a quieter Tuesday evening market from 4 to 7 p.m., giving local shoppers a mid-week way to buy fresh food, artisan goods, and Kentucky Double Dollars-eligible staples.
Budget AI: You Don’t Need One Good Model. You Need Three Decent Ones Working Together 🤖
I have been working with computers since before most of you had computers in your homes. I built CH Business Systems in a barn, then grew it to serve NASA, MIT, and hospital networks across the country. I hosted “Tech Talk with Chad Hembree” across 18 AM radio stations. I have seen a lot of…
When the Studio Meets the Street: Berea’s Interdependence Art Parade Brings Art Into Motion 🎭
Berea’s Interdependence Art Parade brings giant puppets, costumes, brass music, and collaborative neighborhood creativity into the street on Sunday, July 5.
When AI Gives Dead-End Medical Cases Another Look 🩺
AI helped doctors revisit 376 unsolved rare-disease cases and surface 18 confirmed diagnoses, showing where careful medical AI can genuinely help.
We Can Gate the Danger in AI Without Gating the Benefit 🚧
We can keep the most dangerous AI capabilities behind a fence without freezing the broad everyday progress that still benefits everybody else.
Sometimes the Fix Is a Face-to-Face Conversation 💬
Anthropic’s latest AI standoff is a reminder that sometimes the fastest path through a complicated problem is still a face-to-face conversation.
Why Amazon Says Human-in-the-Loop AI Oversight Is Failing 🧠
Amazon says human-in-the-loop AI oversight breaks down under repetition, raising bigger questions about accountability, automation, and what replaces the old safety model.
Apple’s Design Team Lost Its Way. Now Its New CEO Has to Fix It. 🍎
Apple’s design studio no longer sets the agenda, and incoming CEO John Ternus now has to decide whether the company can still rebuild a real design culture.
Who Gets the AI Money? 💸
Washington is floating big ideas about sharing AI wealth with the public, but the questions around ownership, risk, and control are only getting bigger.
Film Acting Camp Gives Berea Students a Chance to Step in Front of the Camera 🎬
The Spotlight Playhouse’s Film Acting Camp gives Berea students a practical introduction to on-camera performance, self-tapes, and digital acting reels before the June 29 start date.
Ubisoft Co-Founder Claude Guillemot Dies in Plane Crash at 69 🕹️
Ubisoft co-founder Claude Guillemot has died in a plane crash, marking the loss of one of the early builders who helped shape modern gaming and digital culture.
Community Wealth and Hand-Drums: Looking Back at the Junebug Festival 🥁
The Junebug Festival brought music, vendors, food, and community connection to Old Town Berea, showing how local events keep both civic trust and neighborhood spending alive.
The $228.7 Million Question: What Berea College Actually Means for Madison County 💰
Berea College generated an estimated $228.7 million in annual economic impact for Madison County, supporting jobs, local spending, and civic life well beyond campus.