Spokane Public Radio

Artist L.R. Montgomery joined host Henry McNulty in the studio to talk about his exhibition at the MAC featuring works that highlight nature conservancy efforts around the region. Listen to the full interview at SpokanePublicRadio.org/FTS.

Stop by Spokane Public Radio's booth at the Millwood Farmers Market tomorrow, June 24th, from 3 to 7 p.m. to meet SPR staff and volunteers! We'll have Spokane Public Radio branded fans, window clings, and stickers, program guides, and more. We hope to see you there!

Tune in to SPR News tomorrow at 4 p.m. for "Public Radio Showcase" featuring "Ahead of His Time: The Story of Charles Sumner," a "Humankind" special.

We examine the remarkable life story of Charles Sumner, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts who boldly championed the abolition of slavery. He dedicated his life to the principle that "all men are created equal" as proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence. His unusual childhood in Boston laid the foundation for Sumner's lifelong commitment to racial equality. It fired up his moral imagination — and willingness to take on tough fights he was told he could not win. But he paid a high price, when a slave owning congressman savagely assaulted Sumner in the U.S. Senate. He was a close confidant of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and sat at the foot of the president’s bed for seven hours the night Lincoln died from an assassin’s bullet.

Today, June 19th, Spokane Public Radio's business office will be closed in observance of Juneteenth. Our lobby will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Tune in to SPR News tomorrow at 4 p.m. for "Public Radio Showcase" featuring "Witness History: Pride Month," A BBC World Service Special.

From the BBC's Witness History, this is a special episode to mark June as Pride Month. We're looking back at some of the major moments that changed the lives of LGBT people and communities. It’s history told through the people who were there.

Concert of the Week presents another outstanding double bill as we will hear the festive season-closing Masters of Brass XXV concert of the Spokane British Brass Band, honoring the 250th birthday of the USA,followed by an encore of three pieces from the Spokane Symphony's 2025-26 Masterworks season. In that part of the program we'll hear music of Hamish MacCunn ad Claude Debussy, and, with Mateusz Wolski as soloist, Edouard Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole. Concert of the Week airs and streams at noon Saturdays on KSFC, FM 91.9, and spokanepublicradio.org. Join us!

Tune in to SPR News tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. for a special edition of "Inland Journal," where you’ll hear the broad outlines of the recently released Safe and Healthy Spokane Task Force results and the some of the voices of people who participated in the discussions. We will also be re-airing this special at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, June 15th in place of the BBC Newshour.

Spokane Public Radio will be at the Spokane Pride Parade and Festival today, June 12th, from 4 to 7 p.m. and tomorrow, June 13th, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Riverfront Park. Stop by the SPR booth to pick up SPR stickers and fans, meet some of our staff, board members, and volunteers, and say hello.

Reminder that Spokane Public Radio will be at the Fairwood Farmers Market later today! Stop by between 3 and 7 p.m. to chat with us and pick up some swag!

Tune in to SPR News tomorrow at 4 p.m. for "Public Radio Showcase" featuring "Outside/In: The Repair Mindset" from NHPR.

In 1989, writer and activist Bill McKibben penned his first book, “The End of Nature.” It was one of the first books about climate change for the general public, and he wrote that continuing to burn fossil fuels would “lead us, if not straight to hell, then straight to a place with a similar temperature.”

Which makes it surprising to hear that nearly forty years later, as the U.S. is rolling back climate regulations, Bill is striking a decidedly more optimistic tone.

In “The Repair Mindset,” "Outside/In" host Nate Hegyi looks at the state of climate action at both the collective and individual level. He paints a nuanced portrait of how long-time activist Bill McKibben has changed, how he’s stayed the same, and what his story tells us about the state of the climate crisis. Plus, a practical look at one way you can help lower carbon emissions, save money, and hang on to your favorite duds for a little longer.