Best Flock Pod Podcasts (2025)

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The POD: Spokane's Spiciest Segment (District 2) 57:28

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5d ago57:28

57:28

This week, we’re back with two segments! The first segment is from Spokane's Spiciest candidate forum, featuring District 2 candidates Kate Tellis and Alejandro Barrientos. Reporter Erin Sellers asked them questions as they all powered through some spicy wings! (Keep an eye out for the District 3 segment!) The second segment includes a conversation…

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The POD: Spokane’s Spiciest Segment (District 1) 28:50

9d ago28:50

28:50

This week, we’re playing audio from our city council candidate forum, Spokane’s Spiciest! This episode features candidate Sarah Dixit as reporter Erin Sellers asks her questions! Current council member Jonathan Bingle – who is running for re-election – had a prior commitment, so he wasn’t able to participate. You can hear from him in our July 25th …

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The POD: The Long Saga of “Forever Chemicals” 47:01

27d ago47:01

47:01

This week, Aaron Hedge flew solo and revisited two of his articles on the “forever chemicals” contamination on the West Plains. You can read the articles – which were originally published in 2024 – at the links below: Airport CEO: Lawmakers should ‘wait and see’ before banning toxic PFAS Community demands solutions as Fairchild reckons with new PFA…

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The POD: All the FLOCK things 55:50

1M ago55:50

55:50

As Erin works on an upcoming story about FLOCK cameras — aka Automated License Plate Readers — they and Val talked about all things FLOCK-related. These aren’t the red-light or speeding cameras that issue tickets, these are recording and logging vehicles throughout Spokane County at all times. From the costs to the concerns, these cameras are causi…

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The Pod: Protest Safety 101 and holding the cops accountable for state violence at protests 50:10

1M ago50:10

50:10

This week, Erin and Val sat down with local organizer hadley morrow to talk about their thoughts on protest safety, filing a complaint with the Office of Police Ombuds (OPO) and community organizing in Spokane. If you witnessed law enforcement violence at protests in June and want to file an OPO complaint but don’t know where to start, you can emai…

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The Pod: (Another) City Council Candidate Forum, Debate Style 36:35

2M ago36:35

36:35

This week, we’re playing audio from a City Council District 3 candidate forum that was hosted recently by Spokane Braver Angels. Incumbent Zack Zappone and challenger Christopher Savage were asked questions about law enforcement, homelessness, housing, neighborhood infrastructure, political division and leadership styles. Cody Arguelles, a third ca…

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POD: A (Conservative) City Council Candidate Forum 1:37:14

2M ago1:37:14

1:37:14

This week, Aaron Hedge and intern Clarinne Kirk attended a candidate forum hosted by the East Washington Freedom Alliance at Calvary Spokane, at which conservatives running for city council — District 1 incumbent Jonathan Bingle and District 3 challengers Christopher Savage and Cody Arguelles — pitched the audience on their visions for the directio…

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The Pod: A Human Rights Commissioner on the events of this week 51:11

2M ago51:11

51:11

Anwar Peace, a police accountability expert, former chair of the Spokane Human Rights Commission and a current HRC commissioner joined Hedge to discuss the US Marshals arrests of several Spokanites who participated in the June 11 ICE protests.By Range

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POD: How to help local Haitian immigrants 44:15

3M ago44:15

44:15

This week, Luke and Val talked to Katia Jasmin and Thamar Sauveuer of Creole Resources, an organization supporting Haitian immigrants in Spokane, about an emergency fundraiser they launched this week. According to the organization, dozens of Spokane Haitian immigrants with legal work permits were fired from their jobs this week because of the Trump…

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POD: The questions we're all asking about the Spokane protests w/ Police Chief Hall 52:07

3M ago52:07

52:07

The use of force by law enforcement during the June 11 and 14 protests in Spokane has left our community with lots of questions regarding protesting and immigration rights: what recourse do people have to report excessive uses of force? How does it work when Kootenai County Sheriffs — who explicitly collaborate with ICE — answer a call for aid from…

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POD: A simple, seductive narrative 53:41

3M ago53:41

53:41

This week, Erin and Aaron talk about Erin’s deeply-reported story on a study that implied most unhoused people living on the streets of Spokane shouldn’t be here, and why we need to push back on narratives that undermine community care. Read the full analysis here.By Range

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POD: Protest to Politics 1:00:18

3M ago1:00:18

1:00:18

This week we have a convo between Luke Baumgarten and former City Council President Ben Stuckart, focusing on the June 11 protest at the Spokane Immigration and Customs Enforcement Facility. The protest was sparked by the detention of two young refugees, Cesar Alexander Alvarez Perez and Joswar Slater Rodriguez Torres during a routine check-in with…

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POD: About Last ICE (protest) 1:02:29

3M ago1:02:29

1:02:29

This week we talk about the marathon protests in Spokane this week against the ICE detention of two migrants. Luke pops in for a cameo because it was all hands on deck — even unpaid ones.By Range

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POD: Opioid overdose in rural WA & ID 47:25

4M ago47:25

47:25

This week we had a visit from our WSU Murrow Fellow in Newport, Sophia Mattice-Aldous. She and Aaron Hedge discussed her deeply-reported piece on the landscape of opioid overdose in the rural areas of North Idaho and Northwest Washington, highlighted by the tragic story of Jasmine Martin, a 23-year-old who died from an overdose in 2024 while trying…

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POD: The Spokane connections to the Seattle Christian nationalist event 53:41

4M ago53:41

53:41

Val and Aaron explore the networking and marketing tactics — including those of at least one church in Spokane — of the Christian nationalist movement that staged an event in the Cal Anderson Park (named for a gay legislator) in Capitol Hill, Seattle’s historically queer neighborhood, where 23 protesters were arrested last weekend. The incident, wh…

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POD: How to be a journalist from prison + union-busting updates 56:32

4M ago56:32

56:32

This week Erin was flying solo on the radio, but Val and Hedge were there in spirit. We have an interview with Christopher Blackwell, an incarcerated journalist in Washington discussing with Val and Hedge the challenges and dynamics of reporting from prison. The conversation covers a lot of ground: the limited technology available to even type and …

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POD: The story of migrant arrests in the Spokane area 48:30

5M ago48:30

48:30

This week, Valerie Osier and Aaron Hedge go through many (though certainly not all) of the prominent immigrant arrests carried out by federal agents in the Spokane area since the Trump administration took power and embarked on a dramatic and widespread immigration crackdown. They also chat about the many ethical and journalistic considerations we m…

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POD: A fun fund drive week + all about the LGBTQIA2S+ ordinance 42:15

5M ago42:15

42:15

It's the KYRS Fund Drive this week (go support community radio!), so things were a little wild in the studio! Erin was flying solo, but was joined by two guests. First up was Maeve Griffith, who runs the show Out and About on KYRS and made headlines herself when she transitioned late in her career as a Spokane firefighter. Then, we were joined by C…

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POD: 'A Christmas joint' 46:05

5M ago46:05

46:05

Erin and Aaron chatted through three segments: an in-depth discussion on Aaron's recent story with incarcerated writer Kevin Light-Roth on a treatment program for incarcerated individuals seeking early release, a rapidfire "We Doomscroll So You Don't Have to" segment listing some big headlines from this week, and an update on the case of Teresa Bor…

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STORY: Want out of prison early? Navigate the drug treatment labyrinth. 24:15

5M ago24:15

24:15

Dept. of Corrections says people who tested positive for illicit substances decades ago still require treatment if they want early release. A private behavioral health contractor stands to make millions of dollars by referring more patients into their treatment program — even if they don't need it.By Range

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POD: We Doomscroll so you don't have to 52:14

5M ago52:14

52:14

Luke and Erin got together for what might become a regular segment: “I Doomscroll so you don’t have to,” where Erin caught Luke up on all the big local news from this week. The Washington Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Spokane’s voter-approved Prop 1, which made camping illegal in most of the city, new safe streets measures and an ordinance t…

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POD: Bike parking and Planned Parenthood union updates 52:08

6M ago52:08

52:08

Erin and Val talked urbanism and city bike parking + an update on our reporting about the local Planned Parenthood's anti-union actions. Relevant reading: 50 new bike racks coming to a spot near you, by Lauren Pangborn at RANGE Media Request a location for a bike rack Submit an existing bike rack to the community-generated list of racks across the …

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Police accountability, dead legislation and SpoVal's competing(?) desires 48:49

6M ago48:49

48:49

This week Aaron Hedge and Val flew solo and learned how to use the KYRS sound board, and talked police accountability from a few different angles. The first story centers on death of Donald Hagle, who was killed by Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies in 2024. We delved into him sister’s ongoing quest for answers and transparency, the complicated legi…

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POD: What you missed last week on Glee 48:12

6M ago48:12

48:12

Val was out of town last week, so Erin and Aaron filled her in on the biggest stories she missed: A Ghanaian immigrant detained by ICE who has been allowed to return home to await trial, the scoop on Congressman Michael Baumgartner's first Town Hall in Spokane since Trump's inauguration, a political drama out of Spokane Valley that could impact sta…

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STORY: What we know after three months of reporting on the local Planned Parenthood 34:34

6M ago34:34

34:34

A track record of poor labor conditions, a deep dive into executive compensation, ghosted donors, an upcoming merger that could spell trouble for unionization efforts and a 20-year-old discrimination case that shows tactics similar to the ones described by our sources have been happening for a long time.…

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POD: Good cop, bad cop, Baumgartner 49:23

6M ago49:23

49:23

It was a classic Luke/Erin messaround as they talked about two political, pro-business newsletters and the stories they spawned this week + Congressman Michael Baumgartner's Town Hall.By Range

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STORY: The 5 am Crisis walks will continue until conditions improve 29:23

7M ago29:23

29:23

Erin Seller's reads their latest story on varying responses to downtown Spokane homelessness.By Range

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Federal cuts to Spokane refugee resettlement + religion reporting 49:11

7M ago49:11

49:11

FāVS News reporter and editor Cassy Benefield joined Luke and Aaron Hedge on the pod this week to talk about her story about World Relief Spokane, which partly focused on the story of Ukrainian immigrant Julie Horbenko, who thinks President Donald Trump might, with the flick of a pen, make it illegal for her to be here. Refugees in Spokane at risk …

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Rural news, homelessness stats and an arrest at city council 50:45

7M ago50:45

50:45

Luke is back and a rare RANGE reporter appearance unlocked! Our split-custody Murrow Fellow who works out of Newport, WA came to talk shop on the pod about rural journalism in a border community. And our City Hall reporter Erin dove in to homelessness statistics and an arrest at council.By Range

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The big leagues are calling; Local news gone national! 48:35

7M ago48:35

48:35

Former crime reporter Valerie Osier interviewed two of RANGE’s reporters about local news gone national. She talked to Erin Sellers about their story on a restrictive Idaho law and the future of gender-affirming care nationwide, and the other Aaron about his easy-to-digest breakdown on the now viral Coeur d’Alene Town Hall that ended with men in bl…

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Two incredibly sexy topics: IUD insertions and fiscal notes 52:34

7M ago52:34

52:34

Erin and Aaron practiced one of a journalist’s most important skills — interviewing — by asking questions about each other’s coverage of the 2025 Washington State Legislative Session. Erin talked about a bill that would require doctors to give patients increased information about pain management options before IUD procedures, and Aaron talked about…

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Solidarity and creativity in supporting Spokane's vulnerable 51:33

7M ago51:33

51:33

Erin and Aaron welcomed on guest Eliza Billingham, The Inlander’s City Hall reporter, for an hour of Journos on Journos, interviewing each other about some of the biggest stories of the week: Billingham’s piece on Community Court and Sellers’ story on a City Council resolution in solidarity with undocumented immigrants, recommitting the city to fol…

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Local deportations, the 'Trump Bump' and a PFAS pledge 45:10

8M ago45:10

45:10

The whole RANGE team sat down to discuss how they're approaching news coverage during the Trump administration, ongoing immigration cases they're following and County Commissioner Al French's commitment to divesting his stocks in PFAS chemical manufacturers. Relevant reading linked below! Know your immigration rights: Spokane is within 100 miles of…

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Where RANGE stands, know your immigration rights and a little bit of hopecore. 1:01:44

8M ago1:01:44

1:01:44

On this week’s episode of the pod, Luke, Erin and Aaron Hedge sat down with Sam Smith of Manzanita House to do a civics-for-adults training on your immigration rights and how to exercise them. Then, we played a pre-made package by Erin on a group of local teens who traveled to Olympia to lobby the state legislature for policies to shield transgende…

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Faith in Flux: Deconstruction, TikTok & Community 51:16

8M ago51:16

51:16

Val, Luke and Aaron Hedge talked about deconstructing from Christianity, TikTok (and the potential ban) and how those two wildly different things relate — and the lessons on community that these reflections can give us. 03:49 Brief overview of the latest TikTok news 07:16 Defining Deconstruction in Christianity 13:26 Personal Stories of Faith and D…

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Behind the scenes of a story that didn't get written 51:34

8M ago51:34

51:34

This week on Free RANGE, Luke and both Erin/Aarons discussed an unexpected nationalist rabbit hole Hedge dove down, the contours of a new bike box program for people biking to City Hall (Spoiler alert, it's not all it's cracked up to be) and a Sellers deep-dive into numbers for the city's new homeless scatter sites, focusing on one that's opened be…

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Deescalation and Spokane's Police force 44:44

9M ago44:44

44:44

Luke was out doing ~boss-coded things~ so co-host Erin interviewed fellow RANGE reporter Aaron Hedge on his newest big story: “A burning question for police: Does ‘deescalation’ mean ‘up to lethal force’? If you’re not a big fan of reading 4k word stories, but you want to know about how Spokane’s police force — the third deadliest per capita in the…

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RANGE's NEWS Year Resolutions 53:24

9M ago53:24

53:24

The whole gang discusses our news year resolutions, including but not limited to: striving for better work-life balance, engaging more deeply with community, and doing more labor, rural and culture reporting. 00:00 Intro 01:03 Holiday Break Recap 04:33 Personal and Team Goals for the Year 06:39 Labor Reporting and Community Engagement 21:05 Connect…

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The Right To Choose (To Unionize) 53:43

9M ago53:43

53:43

Luke was out sick, so Audience Editor Valerie Osier joined Erin to talk about RANGE’s newest labor story: a timely expose on union-busting at the local Planned Parenthood affiliate. If you’re not a big fan of reading 4,000 word stories, but you want to know about the CEO’s crazy-high salary, the high cost of union-busting ($425 an hour) and the emp…

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2024 RANGE Wrapped 54:23

10M ago54:23

54:23

Luke and Erin did a 2024 Wrapped, running through the interesting (and often depressing) coverage RANGE did in the last year. You can find all of our coverage here! And, shameless plug, we just launched a merch line, which you should shop! Help us get sustainable, show your commitment to civic engagement, and look hot doing it. Do you have question…

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City Council rules, Library boards and more 50:12

10M ago50:12

50:12

Luke, Erin and guest Aaron Hedge — the environmentalism and County reporter at RANGE Media — chatted Spokane City Council rule changes (and the consequences for conservatives), the continued saga of Liberty Lake City Council’s growing control over their library and a grab-bag of other local news items! If you listened to our episode and want to lea…

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Free RANGE 11.28 — Friends, rent protections, community-connected journalism and other reasons to be thankful 54:37

10M ago54:37

54:37

Welcome to our very special Thanksgiving episode of Free RANGE, where Luke and Erin convened a panel of local notables Joni Harris, Sara Dixit and Kai Teo — a cook, an organizer and a data journalist, respectively, to discuss the political disconnection felt right now by working people in Spokane and one idea the nerds at RANGE have had to try to h…

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FreeRANGE: COPS, Krauter and CIVICS 52:03

10M ago52:03

52:03

Luke, Erin and guest Aaron Hedge — the environmentalism and County reporter at RANGE Media — talked about the city’s will-they-won’t-they relationship with the C.O.P.S. contract, CEO Larry Krauter’s departure from the Spokane Airport and a short Civics round-up of all the biggest pieces of news that came out of local municipal meetings this week. I…

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City Hall closure, Queer in Idaho, Election results & what they mean - Free RANGE 49:47

10M ago49:47

49:47

RANGE Media’s Luke Baumgarten and Erin Sellers pay attention to news in Spokane and the Inland Northwest so you don’t have to. Join them Thursdays at 3 pm on KYRS Thin Air Community Radio for a round-up of the serious (and not so serious) local news of the week, behind the scenes drama at public meetings and deeper dives on important stories with t…

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Free RANGE: Elections, Fentanyl and Use of Force 48:01

11M ago48:01

48:01

Behold the first episode of RANGE's new radio show, Free RANGE, produced at KYRS Thin Air Community Radio. Hosts Luke Baumgarten and Erin Sellers are joined by Aaron Hedge to talk about the week in news.By Range

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What private opioid treatment services means for SRHD employees 21:02

11M ago21:02

21:02

Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD) is amid a months long process to determine if it should privatize its treatment services division, which currently serves 1,000 patients, connecting them with methadone and mental health services to manage opioid addiction. The process, which began last spring has been a tense one led by SRHD Administrative O…

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The Flock Pod #175 "Ohio St Breakdown and Purdue Preview" 1:15:47

11M ago1:15:47

1:15:47

#175 #3 Oregon 32 #2 Ohio St 31 Gameday was awesome. McAfee was hilarious and the Duck continues to win. Oregon fan makes 100k field goal Game script went almost exactly how I predicted Catch that should have been a pick on first drive. Bassa rips it’s away before Kazmerik has possession. Should have been a pick for sure. Leads to opening TD. Harmo…

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The Flock Pod #174 "Michigan St Breakdown and Ohio St Preview" 57:45

12M ago57:45

57:45

#174 Oregon handles Michigan St 31-10 Defense once again dominant Struggle on first drive but the forced a fumble on the goaline 5 sacks, lots of pressures (Burch with 2.5 himself) Only gave up 250 yards total Held Spartans to 2/11 on 3rd down Offense still has work to do Gabriel throws two RZ picks First one was his fault, second one was on Will S…

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The Flock Pod #173 "UCLA Breakdown & Michigan St Preview" 1:01:55

12M ago1:01:55

1:01:55

#173 Oregon handles business against UCLA in the Rose Bowl 34-13 4-0 1-0 in Big10 Move up to #6 in the Ap Poll. Behind 1 loss Georgia Game was not as close as the score Defense only gives up 172 total yards Holds UCLA to 1-10 on 3rd down Forced 2 picks and got 4 sacks Burch, Harmon and Caldwell lived in the backfield Bruins tried to pick on Nikko R…

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The Flock Pod #172 "UCLA Preview, Pac 2 vs Mountain West & Uber Stories" 51:13

1y ago51:13

51:13

#172 First Big 10 Conference game…. Against UCLA (1-2) 8pm kickoff @ The Rose Bowl Oregon -24 OU 55.5 Lone win was against Hawaii 16-13 Lost to Indiana 42-13 at home Lost to LSU 34-17 on the road (looked good in first half) Injuries? Bedford had “a setback” in practice during the bye week. Jahlil Florence still not ready to go Familiar Foes Moliki …