Since 2015, Ari Shapiro has guided us through All Things Considered. But well before becoming a host of NPR’s pioneer news magazine show, he provided listeners a front-row seat to some of the most pressing and interesting stories around the world. From a London-based international correspondent to covering the White House and the Justice Department Ari has joined us from the Arctic Circle and Air Force One. And for a different experience of Ari’s creative talents, you might have caught him singing with the music group The Pink Martini or even performing Cabaret with actor Alan Cummings. At 44 years old, Ari has more than enough experiences to write a book, so he did. Insight spoke with Ari Shapiro about his new book “The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening.” 

This week is the first week of Spring, even though it might not feel like it yet. Many of us might be eager and ready to say goodbye to the seemingly endless winter weather.  But in addition to easing drought conditions, there is also some buzz in the air that this year’s wildflower season could be epic. In past years with torrential rains, stunning “super blooms” have attracted huge crowds in California. But Nevada could also see one of its best wildflower seasons in years. Jerry Tiehm, Curator of the Herbarium at the University of Nevada, Reno, and Tiffany Pereira, an ecologist with the Desert Research Institute, joined Insight to tell us more about the potential super blooms in the Silver State, where some of the best spots might be, and how you can see them responsibly. 

Insight’s Concert Connect showcases talented musicians and their latest concerts to check out locally in the Sacramento region and nearby. With the help of CapRadio’s Nick Brunner and Andrew Garcia, they have searched the many amazing venue concert calendars that bless Sacramento’s music scene. You might call them, “experience curators” for the work they've done to share their concert picks. They did the heavy listening so you can show up to these concerts with the knowledge of a fan and impress your friends.