Military Dogs ("War Dogs") have served warriors and soldiers since ancient times; their loyalty and bravery have made them invaluable assets on the battlefield.

As communities settle into the summer season, local libraries continue serving as welcoming spaces for learning, creativity and connection. In this edition of Alabama Out Loud, APR’s Aydan Conchin highlights free library programs, summer reading events and community activities happening across Alabama.

The Stonewall National Monument, the President's House Site and the Women's Rights National Historic Park are among 11 sites on this year's annual list of the most endangered historic places in the United States compiled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A hotel in Montgomery made the list.

Hurricane season has technically already started on Pacific Ocean side of the country, but the Atlantic side (that's our side btw) will be heating up very soon. Scientists say 97% percent of hurricanes occur from June to November, as Alabamians and their southeastern neighbors know all too well. Our guest today has been interviewed by national news entities on this topic, and if he's good enough for NPR, he's certainly good enough for us- Dr. Jason Senkbeil is a professor in the department of geography at The University of Alabama. His research has focused on atmospheric hazards and applied climatology with weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes and climate change trends. He joins Lacey to break down the how, when, and where of every step of these dangerous storms.

Alabama will get a rematch between two high-profile nominees for governor while candidates of both major parties will head to runoff elections next month for an open U.S. Senate seat, and Attorney General.

What happens when you mix forensic engineering with abstract art? Ask Dr. Raymond Thompson. The first-gen college student turned engineering legend has spent more than 60 years looking at the hidden beauty inside metals. On this episode of Quick-Fire Quips, he joins APR's Baillee Majors to talk about the evolution of Alabama tech, his "love letter" to the city that launched his business career—and how he's turning industrial steel into stunning public art at Sloss Furnaces.

The NAACP is calling on Black athletes and fans to boycott the athletic programs of public universities in states that are taking steps that the nation's oldest civil rights group says are restricting Black voting rights. The “Out of Bounds” campaign urges prospective Black athletes, their families, alumni and fans to “withhold athletic and financial support” from major public universities in states that “have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation.”

This week on StoryCorps, Ty Cramer and her spouse Steve Romein discuss their early involvement with the organization called Common Power and how it has impacted their careers and lives.

It was on May 20, 1961 when a group of civil rights activists known as the Freedom Riders arrived by bus in Montgomery. An angry white mob was waiting for them at the Greyhound Bus Station in Alabama’s Capitol city. The attackers used baseball bats and iron pipes to beat the Freedom Riders, which included future Georgia Congressman John Lewis. The Montgomery attack followed similar violence in Birmingham and Anniston earlier in the month.

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the environmental group Mobile Baykeeper has standing to sue Alabama Power over how the utility company handles a twenty million ton coal ash pond on the banks of the Mobile River. APR Gulf coast correspondent Cori Yonge’s story on a trio of elderly women who banded together to warn of the potential threat of coal ash helped inspire the documentary “Sallie’s Ashes,” which premiered last year at the Telluride Film Festival.

Only three of Alabama’s seven congressional districts will hold binding primaries Tuesday in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that prompted Republicans in a handful of southern states to throw out their congressional maps.

This week, Don reviews Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.