Idaho Matters

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**Idaho Matters**

Idaho Matters is a wonderful way to stay up to date, meet people and understand there’s much more to this great state. Hosted by Gemma Gaudette on Boise State Public Radio News, it features arts and politics, growth and education, and the interesting stories that make Idaho unique. Send us your questions, comments or story ideas by emailing idahomatters@boisestate.edu or sending us a voicemail using the “Talk To Us” feature on the free Boise State Public Radio app.

Latest Episodes:

two red and white for rent signs are posted in a grassy strip next to a grey brick wall. — **Idaho nonprofit helps provide affordable housing in Nampa and Caldwell** Jun 29, 2023
Show notes

(Ashley Brown / Flickr)
The high price of housing in the Treasure Valley continues to leave many families out of reach of an affordable place to live. Even finding an apartment to rent can be hard, let alone one that working families can afford.
One Idaho nonprofit is working to build and preserve affordable housing in places like Nampa and Caldwell. The Housing Company just unveiled a new affordable apartment complex in Caldwell and after reading about it in the Idaho Capital Sun we wanted to know more.
Erin Anderson, the Director of The Housing Company, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.

**Turning wastewater into drinking water** Jun 29, 2023
Show notes

(iStockphoto)
Though historic snowfall eased drought conditions, threats of extended dry periods don’t let up in the arid west. That is why water managers across our region are working on creating sustainable water supplies.
That includes turning the water that flushes down people’s toilets into drinking water from their taps. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel reports.

**New school brings hope to students of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation** Jun 29, 2023
Show notes

Tribal members and students of the Owyhee Combined School joined Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo for a ceremonial signing on the steps of the capitol on June 13, 2023, in Carson City, Nev.(Maria Palma / KUNR Public Radio)
Many native students go to class in schools that are old and deteriorating, but one tribe in our region fought hard to improve a school plagued by a bat infestation and other problems. They secured $65 million from the state of Nevada to build a new school that would serve more than 300 students living on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Idaho and Nevada.
KUNR's Maria Palma reports on their campaign for the Mountain West News Bureau.

Shoshone Falls on a sunny day. — **Now is the time to check out Shoshone Falls** Jun 29, 2023
Show notes

(J. Stephen Conn / Flickr)
The waterfall known as the The Niagara of the West is showing off right now, as large amounts of water flow over Shoshone Falls.
The falls, which were quiet for a few weeks, are getting a boost as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation releases more water over Milner Dam to help push fish downstream.
Now is the time to check out the falls at Shoshone Falls Park just east of Twin Falls. John Hildreth, the principal engineer in Idaho Power's water resources group joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

**Idaho group fights against food insecurity** Jun 29, 2023
Show notes

Food stamps kept the carts rolling during the recession.(iStockphoto.com)
When the pandemic hit in 2020 many families across Idaho found themselves dealing with food insecurity and that's when the idea for City of Good took hold. Creator and recent James Beard Award winner Kris Komori saw this unprecedented need and he decided to take action.
Fast forward three years and City of Good has distributed nearly 100,000 meals and 8,000 pounds of local produce to food insecure Idahoans. City of Good Executive Director Britt Udesen joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the nonprofit's latest undertaking, the Monthly Giving Circle.

A mosquito sits on a human. — **Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 28, 2023** Jun 28, 2023
Show notes

(Andy Langager / Flickr)
The United States has seen five cases of Malaria spread by mosquitos in the past two months, the first time there has been local spread in 20 years. This has prompted authorities to issue a public health alert warning to doctors and public health authorities about the risk.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this.

Young Idaho inventors win big at national competition Jun 28, 2023

Show notes

Each year, over 166,000 kids from across the country dream up new ways to solve everyday problems.

These budding inventors, from grades K through 12, compete in the Raytheon Technologies Invention Convention program as they try to get a spot in the U.S. National Competition.

This year, two young Idaho inventors made it to Nationals and won prizes for their unique inventions. Inventors Gus and Allison, and Beth Brubaker, the co-founder and state director of Invent Idaho, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

A photo of Gilmore, Idaho. — **A legacy of lead in Gilmore, Idaho** Jun 28, 2023
Show notes

( Idaho Department of Environmental Quality)
A hundred years ago, Gilmore, Idaho was a thriving mining town in eastern Idaho, But once the silver played out, most people left, leaving behind a ghost town.
The mines also left behind a deadly legacy, with high levels of lead and arsenic in the soil. In some spots, the lead level is 50 times higher than what is considered safe.
Now the Idaho Departments of Environmental Quality and Health and Welfare are trying to work with local landowners to offer safety tips and to figure out the next steps. Gilmore is west of West Yellowstone and south of Salmon. Property owners do a lot of camping and recreating on their land and are worried about the safety of their land and what a cleanup might mean for the area.
DEQ is holding a public meeting Wednesday night in Idaho Falls, the third in a series of public outreach events. Kevin Kostka, the preliminary assessment program coordinator with Idaho DEQ and Drew Pendleton, a toxicologist with Health and Welfare joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

**'What an Owl Knows:' An author interview with Jennifer Ackerman** Jun 28, 2023
Show notes

Jennifer Ackerman next to an owl.( Sofia Runarsdotter)
When it comes to science, nature and birds, Jennifer Ackerman can tell you a thing or two.
For over thirty years, she's been exploring mysteries of the natural world and breaking them down for people to understand. And if all that wasn't enough, she's also a New York Times bestselling author.
Ackerman joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her latest book "What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds."

Aaron von Ehlinger ethics trial — **The victim in Aaron von Ehlinger's rape case speaks out** Jun 27, 2023
Show notes

Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger (R-Lewiston) during the first day of an ethics hearing into allegations he raped a volunteer staff member. (James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
Jane Doe, the woman who was raped by former Republican State Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger, has told her story to the radio program "This American Life."
In the May episode, Doe talked about her life and about what happened to her when she was an intern at the Idaho legislature. Von Ehlinger was convicted of rape last year and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Boise State Public Radio reporter James Dawson has covered the von Ehlinger case since the beginning and joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

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