In this episode of On the Edge, Dotson discusses what led him away from his roots in Eastern Kentucky, why he became an Evangelical-Pentecostal pastor, what he thinks might happen before the actualization of a popular American Evangelical perspective that a war in Iran is among the final steps preceding the second coming of Christ, and what matters most to him about US relations with Israel. Plus, he counters a current controversy that has been attached to his name. 

It's a conversation you won't want to miss.  

Reporting from The Edge of Appalachia in Berea, Kentucky.

In this episode, Stevenson also discusses her own bad experience with healthcare in the US, and how fear of costs nearly took her husband's life. What does she see happening to change how Americans access healthcare?

Thank you for listening to On the Edge!

Reporting from The Edge of Appalachia in Berea, Kentucky.

Listen as Kloiber describes his innovative ideas for how to immediately reform our healthcare system, bring about housing affordability, and considers whether our current slate of Congressional members are too old to understand how AI has and will continue to change our world. Also, do we need to start discussing an universal income as AI increasingly puts people out of work?

Reporting from The Edge of Appalachia in Berea, Kentucky.

In this episode, Combs and host and producer, Whitney McKnight, discuss County land use generally, with Combs saying that even though he is opposed to sprawl, it is permissible by the Constitution. For more on that, see The Edge's op-ed, "What if we tax land more, buildings less?"

Thanks to Magistrate Combs for taking the time to be On the Edge.

For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact The Edge at

editor at theedgebereaky dot com

Reporting from The Edge of Appalachia in Berea, Kentucky.

Ralph Alvarado, MD, refers to himself as a "country doctor". Double-boarded as a pediatrician and an internal medicine physician, Alvarado got his start working in politics two decades ago while practicing medicine in Winchester, Ky. 

It was his frustration with how things were in Frankfort that eventually led Alvarado there about 10 years ago where he passed multiple bills aimed at improving healthcare costs and delivery in the Commonwealth.  

After his recent stint as Tennessee's health commissioner from 2023-2025, Alvarado is now running to represent Kentucky in fellow Republican Andy Barr's current Congressional seat. 

Alvarado leads with "America First" but at a time when ratings are dropping over our America First president, how does Alvarado interpret that sentiment? Also, how does the son of Latin and Central American immigrants view this administration's approach to immigration? And what kind of reforms to our healthcare system does Dr. Alvarado believe are necessary at the federal level? 

All that, and more on this week's On The Edge!

Reporting from The Edge of Appalachia in Berea, Kentucky.

On this episode, Whitney speaks with Kentucky 6th Congressional District candidate, Erin Petrey, a progressive Democrat, originally from Lawrenceburg, now living in Lexington. 

Petrey has worked as a sustainability specialist inside of Amazon Web Services, the operations manager for the Libyan Embassy in Washington, and as a program manager on several capital projects large firm that turns biomass into energy.

All these experiences working within systems informs how Petrey analyzes her view of Congress's current performance. In her opinion, there are multiple system failures in Washington, and she believes her experiences can help her fix them. 

In this episode of the podcast, Petrey and I discuss the impact of billionaires on US policies, including artificial intelligence, the affordability crisis, and how she plans to represent Kentucky's 6th should she be elected. 

Reporting from The Edge of Appalachia in Berea, Kentucky.

It’s election season. And you’re listening to The Edge’s election coverage. It is still early, but with so many candidates, I am going to need a lot of time to get them all on the podcast! There are at least 8 candidates alone in the race to fill Andy Barr’s 6th district Congressional seat.

We’ll kick off our coverage with Zach Dembo, a Lexington-based attorney and former federal prosecutor who is entering politics for the first time, to run as a Democrat for the 6th Congressional district.

Dembo and I recorded this interview in early December, which means the US still had not invaded Venezuela. Instead, we talk about the veracity of claims Venezuelans are fentanyl traffickers. We muse why Democrats allowed themselves to become elitists, although they haven’t been alone in that. We also tackle corruption at all levels of government, as stopping it is the key to why Dembo says he has entered the race. 

We also discuss whether politics attracts corrupt people, or if politics corrupts people. 

Thank you for listening. Here’s my interview with Congressional candidate, Zach Dembo.

Reporting from The Edge of Appalachia in Berea, Kentucky.

First, we make a visit to the Berea Urban Farm to learn about their Pharmacy program. Then we're in conversation with Alysia Mora, board president of Room in the Inn, an all-volunteer, emergency housing program operated in Berea during the winter. Lastly, we attend the third annual Appalachian Writer's Conference and speak with its founder, Melissa Newman, and others. 

Let us know what you think! Send your comments to editor@theedgebereaky.com

Thanks!

Reporting from The Edge of Appalachia in Berea, Kentucky.