Rick Steves donates $1 million to Edmonds, Wash., arts center

Globe-roaming pubcaster Rick Steves has donated $1 million to his hometown arts center — the amount he has saved in tax breaks since President Clinton left office, he said in a press release. "I see it as a civic duty for businessmen like me, who've directly benefited from our vibrant communities, to do our fair share," Steves said. The money goes to support and expand the Edmonds Center for the Arts' performances and community programs. A portion also will underwrite all facility costs for the next decade for the Edmonds' Cascade Symphony Orchestra. Steves also said that to celebrate the donation, he will perform "Rick Steves' Europe: A Symphonic Journey" with the Cascade Symphony Orchestra on Oct. 23 and 24 at the center, which will be filmed for a pubTV special.

KERA to honor contributions of Bob Wilson in documentary

In honor of its 50th anniversary, KERA is premiering the documentary Bob Wilson and the Early Years of KERA, focusing on a defining era in the Dallas station's history, the impact of one of its early chief executives (right), and its national influence on pubcasting. Interviews include KERA veteran Jim Lehrer (Wilson gave him his first TV news job) as well as Wilson. The doc will run in conjunction with a historic episode of the station's Newsroom series from Aug. 3, 1971, focusing on the federal court order to desegregate the Dallas Independent School District. Both shows air Sept. 21 with a repeat Sept. 25.