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.
Helping Idaho refugees find a sense of place through birding
May 20, 2024
Show notes Erica Hermsen is passionate about getting kids outside and learning about their environment.(EverWild Forest School)
Moving to a new place means new experiences and new ideas and if you’re moving to Idaho from a different country you may not be familiar with the wildlife of the Gem State.
Thanks to a grant from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Outdoor Learning Alliance is helping young refugees learn about the birds that live in and around Boise while giving them a chance to find out more about their new home.
It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets you up to date on all the news that made headlines this past week.
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
University of Idaho to open new center focusing on women's health and nutrition
May 16, 2024
Show notes(High Quality Fertility Centers / Flickr)
For more than a year, the topic of women's health in Idaho has been a reoccurring headline.
And as the state continues to face a shortage of health care providers, reports of OB-GYN specialists leaving have many worried, especially as other resources tracking women's health have been discontinued.
But now, thanks to the University of Idaho, the Gem State will soon have a new biomedical center focusing strictly on women's health and nutrition.
New exhibit at the Idaho State Museum sheds light on the experiences of Japanese Americans
May 16, 2024
Show notes A photo of the Minidoka National Historic Site. ( Eugene Tagawa)
After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor during World War II, the lives of Japanese Americans changed dramatically.
Some people were taken from their homes and held in places like the Minidoka War Relocation Center, others in inland states faced discrimination and hardship and still others were serving their country in the war.
Nicole Inghilterra, curator of collections and exhibitions with the Idaho State Museum, and Mitch Maki with the Go For Broke National Education Center spoke with Idaho Matters about the exhibit.
Weddings are big business in Las Vegas, and could be more so during some April 'specialty dates'
May 16, 2024
Show notes A "Shelvis" — Elvis impersonator dressed in drag — officiates a wedding at the Little While Chapel on New Year's Eve 2023 in Las Vegas. New Year's Eve 2023 was a date with a repeating pattern — 12/31/23 — and a popular wedding date. There are other "palindromic" dates coming up in April, such as 4/20/24 and 4/22/24 that could prove to be popular as well.(Courtesy The Little White Chapel)
Elvis-themed weddings are always popular in Vegas. After all, it’s where the King of Rock and Roll married Priscilla in 1967.
More than a half-century later, Anamarie Popoca and Michelle Antonio were on leave from the military and looking for something fun and different for their wedding. So, they chose a ceremony at the Little White Wedding Chapel featuring a “Shelvis” or “She-Elvis” — an Elvis impersonator in drag.
"They said, 'Oh you want a “shelvis” wedding?' We said yeah, lets do it. It'll be unique," Popoca said.
Having unique qualities is important even to Shelvis — a huge black wig, gold boots and a shiny, high cut jumper with a cape. Shelvis, aka Mark Melton, said it’s a unique experience.
"I love it. It combines the best of both worlds when you think of Vegas," Melton said. "Like, showgirl and Elvis. And I love that I get to sing and marry people every day. It's a lot of fun!"
Weddings are a significant industry in Clark County, adding almost $2 billion to the local economy in 2023. There are more than 70 standalone chapels. Most are near the Strip. The Little White Wedding Chapel offers classic Las Vegas amenities, including a drive-thru wedding option. It's also a celebrity magnet — it's the same chapel where Elvis got married, and more recently, Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez.
Getting married in Las Vegas is also quick and easy. There’s no waiting period, no blood tests and the entire process can be completed in a couple of hours. There’s even a pop-up marriage license office at the airport.
These conveniences allow couples like Tim and Jessica Kennedy of North Carolina, to focus on the qualities that make their day extra special. And recently, there’s been some special significance with the calendar.
"We really like the day 1,2,3, 1,2,3, for 12/31/23," said Tim Kennedy.
"And, for New Year's Eve I thought it would be amazing that we get to end the year together and start the new one," said Jessica Kennedy.
Couples usually choose a “specialty date” for practical reasons, said Clark County Clerk Lynn Marie Goya.
“Well, the number one thing we hear is that it helps the husbands remember their anniversary,” she joked.
On average, there are about 200 weddings a day in the county. On New Year's Eve, about 500 weddings. But palindromes — dates with the same sequence of numbers backwards and forwards — draw huge numbers. Goya said “Lucky 7” – July 7, 2007 – was a record-setting date.
"We had almost 4,500 people married on the same day," Goya said. "It was seven, seven, seven. And then the second highest was 11, 11, 11 (November 11, 2011).”
Several dates in April may come close to setting new records, and chapels are filling. There are several palindrome dates coming up, starting with 4/20/24 and including several dates in the 20s, such as 4/22/24.
But Goya says ultimately, there's more to it than just picking lucky numbers.
"We kind of have a Vegas wedding club where couples love to talk to each other about their Vegas wedding, and they feel like it's a unique experience," she said. "And I don't think that that whole crowd experience is really available anywhere else in the world.”
Once April ends, the next palindrome dates won’t happen until 2025. But couples can always opt for special wedding theme dates. Like the “cannabis” themed weddings on April 20. Or “Star Wars” themed weddings on May the Fourth.
And of course, there’s always the walk-up wedding for couples who don’t like to plan ahead.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio (KNPR) in Las Vegas, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Owyhee Elementary could soon become an Early Childhood Learning Center
May 16, 2024
Show notes(Adam Cottrell / Boise State Public Radio )
The Boise School District wants to expand its early learning program for kids three to five years of age and is considering converting an elementary school on the Bench into a new learning center for 300 kids.
The district provides early childhood education at more than 11 sites, and the demand for this kind of learning is growing in the Treasure Valley.
Converting Owyhee Elementary would mean moving students and redrawing school boundaries, but officials say it would give the district's youngest learners a better chance to benefit from this kind of education.
Cherise Longoria, administrator of student support services with the Boise School District, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 15, 2024
May 15, 2024
Show notes( AP Images)
There's a new COVID-19 variant, and experts are saying we could see a rise in cases this summer. Not to mention some folks under 65 are reporting they can't get a COVID booster shot.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these issues and answer your listener questions.
Special Olympics Idaho athletes to compete in 2024 State Summer Games
May 15, 2024
Show notesThe 2024 State Summer Games kick off on June 7th. ( Special Olympics Idaho)
For more than 50 years, Special Olympics Idaho has been empowering those with intellectual disabilities to take part in competition and hone their skills as athletes.
And next month, the organization will be hosting one of its biggest events of the year as people from across the state come together to take part in the 2024 State Summer Games.
Noelle Lyon, Director of Development for Special Olympics Idaho, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the games.
Coming in Clutch: Amidst anti-trans laws, Nampa club shows up for LGBTQ+ youth
May 15, 2024
Show notes(Julie Luchetta / Boise State Public Radio )
The word Clutch has a lot of different definitions: it can mean a fancy purse, the number of eggs in a nest or to hold something - or someone - tightly. It’s also the name of a club for queer kids looking for a safe place to hang out in the Treasure Valley.
Once a week, Clutch opens its doors to teens and young adults looking for a queer friendly space to hang out. As Idaho continues to advance anti-LGBTQ legislation, participants and volunteers at the LGBTQ+ youth club celebrated the group’s two year anniversary.
Clutch recently celebrated its two year anniversary with music, rainbow swag and a colorful cake.(Julie Luchetta / Boise State Public Radio )
Clutch sets up inside a small church each week in downtown Nampa and welcomes young people after school, ranging anywhere from 14 to 20 years old. One Thursday evening this spring, about a dozen teens chatted around tables, played cards, helped each other put make-up on while eating slices of a rainbow colored cake.
One participant, 18-year-old Rachel Lynn had just drawn a thick pointy cat eye on her lids and was wearing black lipstick.
“I'm going for something like, I don't know, emo, gothic type,” she said. “I just kind of want to be, like, dark and edgy.”
Some people in her life have been struggling with her transition. Rachel discovered Clutch a few weeks ago after being kicked out by her family. She said she walked outside for a while and chanced upon the group.
The staff welcomed her and helped her reach out to housing services. She’s been trying to get back on her feet ever since and coming back to the group regularly for support. Clutch is one of the few places she said she can kick back and have some fun.
“It takes a huge weight off your shoulders to not always have to be thinking about what people might think of you, because everyone in the room accepts you and understands,” Rachel said.
Each week, Clutch organizes activities and outings, like a workshop to learn how to 3D print or scavenger hunts around the neighborhood. One time, a lizard guy came and showed them a bunch of lizards. Karaoke night seems to be everyone’s favorite.
Mindy OldenKamp and her wife started Clutch two years ago because when they were growing up in Nampa, they didn’t know where to find community.
“Thirty years ago, it just wasn't as safe,” she said. “There wasn't a group that we could go to where there were other people that we knew we shared things with, like our sexuality, our gender, our fluidity, our very selves.”
A 2019 study from the Trevor Project shows that young LGBTQ+ people with accepting adults in their lives are less likely to attempt suicide. Research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services also shows gay, lesbian and bisexual people face higher instances of mental health and substance use struggle, because of the stress related to stigma, discrimination and harassment.
So having a place where people are being accepted as they are can make a bug impact, Oldenkamp said.
“We really just wanted to show the kids in Nampa that there are people who love them just as they are, and there's a place for them just as they are,” she added.
For the last several years, Republican lawmakers in the state have pushed several pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation. Last year, Gov. Brad Little signed into law a bill prohibiting students from using the bathrooms of their preferred gender, currently under injunction. Idaho also banned doctors from providing gender affirming care to minors.
Clutch attendee 18-year-old Marshall is a senior at Nampa High School. His family has been supportive of him figuring out his gender identity, but not everyone understands what it’s like to be transgender.
“It's difficult to try and explain gender dysphoria to someone who has never felt it before. Being in a body, you do not see yourself as,” he said.
This spring, the governor signed a law protecting teachers who do not want to use students’ preferred pronouns. The state is also currently suing the federal government for its revamping of Title IX which now prohibits discrimination in Education against LGBTQ+ students and employees.
It's sad that we're going backwards at this point with these sorts of laws going into place” Marshall said. “It’s infuriating. I feel like I can't do anything because I'm just one person against politicians who have all the power.”
Last June, the Nampa School Board also prohibited gender or sexual identity from being taught or discussed in schools in the district. That week, Pride Director Scott Mocaby and the other Clutch volunteers stood ready to show support.
“It was kind of like a somber night for our kids,” he said describing the mood at Clutch. “We made sure to bring extra light and positivity that day.”
Mocaby said that week highlighted how important the Clutch space is for queer kids.
(Julie Luchetta / Boise State Public Radio)
He said at Clutch, they can always expect something to eat, a smile, a game or anything to keep their minds off what is happening in the world.
“It can be scary,” he added and Clutch offers a place free of fear or judgment.
He hopes Clutch can also help others understand what it’s like to be LGBTQ.
“We’re just like everybody else. We're not trying to force an agenda on anybody. We're just trying to exist just like them,” Mocaby added.
Marshall agreed, saying while he can’t always be himself at school or in the outside world, but here, he gets to experience and see a lot of queer joy.
“It's really nice just not having to hide anything. It’s very freeing,” he said. “Seeing things like clutch pop up makes me really happy. And it does make me feel hopeful that we can change things if we all stick together.”
Clutch has steadily grown since it first launched a couple of years ago. As kids continue to show up each week, the team hopes more community members will volunteer to make them feel welcomed and loved.
City Club event explores issue of access through storytelling
May 14, 2024
Show notes(iStockphoto.com)
A group of high school students is studying the idea of access as a human right, pairing up with storytellers between the ages of 75 and 88, with the task of finding out about a time that they lost access.
The questions the students were hoping to answer was "who has access, who doesn't and what do those answers mean for the community we live in?"
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