BEREA, Ky. — The Berea Arts Council (BAC) is inviting the community to Churchill’s on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. for Chili Night Out, a benefit dinner and concert featuring live music by Mud Pi and a chili dinner catered by Honeysuckle (with vegan options available). 🎟️ Tickets & Details 💡 Where…

BEREA, Ky. — Pirate Pride was on full display this week as the Berea Community Elementary School Academic Team earned 1st place overall at the District Governor’s Cup, according to an announcement posted by Berea Independent School District. The district also recognized individual first-place winners who helped secure the team victory: Source: Berea Independent Schools…

BEREA, Ky. — Farristown Middle School has been named a Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School after completing an extensive evaluation through Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, a process designed to identify a school’s strengths and build a practical plan for improvement. Madison County Schools said Farristown went through the evaluation during the 2024–2025 school year, which…

BEREA, Ky. — As the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) continues its transition away from the chemical weapons destruction era, local and state officials say a new mission is taking shape that could help stabilize employment in southern Madison County. The most concrete public step so far is federal funding for the planning and design…

BEREA, Ky. — Hutchins Library is marking Black History Month with month-long displays and related events in collaboration with Special Collections and Archives, inviting the public to explore materials that connect Berea’s local story to national Black history. A central thread this month is the legacy of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the Berea College alumnus…

BEREA, Ky. — Berea Mayor Bruce Fraley’s annual State of the City message put the spotlight on finances, with the City of Berea emphasizing budget savings and reserves as evidence the city is on steady footing. In the city’s recap, officials reported Berea finished the 2023–2024 fiscal year having spent $1.75 million less than budgeted.…

BEREA, Ky. — The legal fight between Berea College and East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) is headed toward a major court hearing. According to reporting by The Edge, Madison County Circuit Court Judge Kristin Clouse has set a hearing for Feb. 26, 2026, in EKPC’s case seeking the right to take about one mile of…

BEREA, Ky. — Berea gets a two-part Louisville Orchestra visit on Wednesday, Feb. 25, with an intimate afternoon performance downtown and a full orchestra concert that evening. First, a string quintet from the orchestra will perform at the Berea Arts Council at 2:30 p.m. Later the same day, the full Louisville Orchestra will present a…

BEREA, Ky. — Berea’s cultural DNA has always included the unamplified kind of music—the kind passed hand-to-hand, voice-to-voice, where the story matters as much as the sound. That tradition gets a spotlight on Friday, Feb. 13, when the Berea College Folk Roots Ensemble hosts Ballad Night at 7:30 p.m. in the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center.…

BEREA, Ky. — A survivor-support project years in the making is nearing a major milestone. In a recent public update, Redeeming Hope confirmed that its new facility is now “under roof” and debt-free—a key step toward opening a safe, trauma-informed home for girls who have survived trafficking and sexual exploitation. Plans described in prior updates…

BEREA, Ky. — If you’re looking for a simple “what are we doing this weekend?” answer, The Spotlight Playhouse has a strong late-winter run lined up: a Valentine’s-weekend murder mystery dinner, a youth “Lion King” double-cast run, and a teen-led Shakespeare comedy. Here’s the full preview—with a little more about what each show actually is.…

BEREA, Ky. — If you want a snapshot of how fast “agentic AI” is moving from demo to disruption, look at what happened this week: Anthropic shipped new Claude “Cowork” plug-ins aimed at legal, sales, marketing, and data work—and markets reacted immediately. In U.S. trading, Thomson Reuters fell nearly 18% in a single session, while…

BEREA, Ky. — The Madison County Sports Hall of Fame, a volunteer-led organization with its public exhibit housed inside the Madison County Public Library in Richmond, has announced its Class of 2026—a group that includes former NFL players Damien Harris and Luke Stocker. Even if you’re not a sports fan, the Hall’s purpose is easy…

There’s no shortage of controversy around AI right now—some of it deserved. We argue about job loss, deepfakes, privacy, and whether we’re building systems faster than we can understand or regulate them. But this is the part worth holding onto: when AI is built for a narrow job, tested in the real world, and kept…

BEREA, Ky. — For a lot of families, “Wheel of Fortune” is background noise at the end of the day. This month, it wasn’t background at all. Berea resident Samantha Thomas appeared on the long-running game show recently, and suddenly the familiar routine turned into something else: neighbors messaging neighbors, friends texting screenshots, and the…

BEREA, Ky. — Looking for a Valentine’s plan that isn’t dinner-and-a-movie? Fire & Fern Glass Studio is leaning into the season with a slate of hands-on experiences designed for couples, friends, and anyone who’d rather make something memorable than buy it. The studio’s February schedule features two offerings available throughout the month—plus a special event…

BEREA, Ky. — After nearly five years of detours, the Menelaus Road / KY 1983 bridge in Farristown is entering the “no turning back” phase: demolition of the old one-lane wooden bridge is expected soon, and a new two-lane steel girder bridge is targeted to open by Nov. 1, 2026, according to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet…

BEREA, Ky. — A new community learning initiative called FreeSkool is launching in Berea this weekend at HomeGrown HideAways, starting with an orientation and site tour on Saturday and a garden planning session with a seed swap on Sunday. FreeSkool is being promoted as a grassroots, place-based learning series where community members can share skills…

BEREA, Ky. — When the lights flicker or water pressure drops, the fastest way to cut through rumor is to know where your utility posts updates. Berea Municipal Utilities (BMU) says its customer notification system can send alerts about scheduled power outages, major service interruptions, and boil water advisories by text or automated voice calls.…

BEREA, Ky. — As Berea’s housing growth continues north of town, residents in the Stoney Creek subdivision are raising a concern that’s easy to summarize and hard to ignore: if there’s an emergency, one way in and out doesn’t feel like enough. At a recent public meeting, residents urged city officials to pause new approvals…