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.
The creative process of author V.E. Schwab
Sep 28, 2023
Show notes(Jenna Maurice / Tor Books)
Vampires, magic, faustian bargains author Victoria Schwab has written about it all. She's penned more than 20 books and has an incredible following of readers.
The Cabin is bringing Victoria to the Egyptian theater on Oct. 2 and Idaho Matters wanted to chat with her before the visit.
What to Watch: An update on the writers strike and a popular tv reboot
Sep 28, 2023
Show notes(louisevichie / Flickr)
The writers strike may be finally over, so what does that mean for new movies and shows? Our resident movie critic George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to help answer that question and give us a few recommendations on what to watch.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: September 27, 2023
Sep 27, 2023
Show notesA nurse fills a syringe with COVID-19 vaccine. (Orlin Wagner / AP)
The rollout of the latest COVID-19 vaccine has been running into some obstacles. There's high demand, insurance headaches and supply delays from coast to coast.
The CDC signed off on the latest vaccine almost two weeks ago for everyone ages six months and up after cases started rising again in late summer. Health experts are hoping these new shots will help protect people during the upcoming respiratory virus season.
So, why are people having a hard time finding the vaccine? Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help answer this question.
As more cases are reported in Idaho, here's how to protect yourself from measles
Sep 27, 2023
Show notesA dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is displayed at a clinic.(Elaine Thompson / AP)
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced Wednesday morning that four children in Nampa have been diagnosed with Measles. They were unvaccinated and got the disease after being exposed in the home of someone who was infected while traveling internationally.
Dr. Christine Hahn, the Medical Director of the Division of Public Health at Health and Welfare and the Idaho State Epidemiologist, said she was concerned, but not surprised to see that more people were coming down with this highly infectious disease.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice got a chance to sit down with Dr. Hahn to talk about measles, this years flu season and the CDC's messaging this year with their Wild to Mild campaign.
Invasive mussels discovered in Idaho's Snake River
Sep 27, 2023
Show notesQuagga Mussels infesting an Idaho license plate.(Sen. Michelle Stennett<br/> / Jeremy J. Gugino)
The confirmation of quagga mussel larvae in the Snake River last week is a discovery that's long been dreaded for the Pacific Northwest. By last Tuesday, the popular waterfront park in the Snake River Canyon was shut down and nearby lakes and river access points were closed to recreationists with boats, kayaks, paddle boards and canoes.
Adult quagga mussels are smaller than a human thumbnail. A single female can produce more than one million eggs in a year. Within a month of hatching, they latch onto surfaces, quickly coating and clogging irrigation pipes, drinking water intakes and hydropower equipment.
Boise State Public Radio's Rachel Cohen reports on the possible implications for the region.
How to protect your home from wildfires
Sep 26, 2023
Show notes(Ogedn / Flickr)
It may feel a bit cooler out there, but it's still wildfire season in Idaho and as more houses are built in the wildland urban interface it's important to know how to protect our homes from fires.
Boise State's Hazard and Climate Resilience Institute is hosting a free workshop on just this topic and Dr. Brittany Brand, Professor and Director for the Institute, joined Idaho Matters to give us a few safety tips.
Idaho Food blogger Natasha Kravchuk unveils her new cookbook
Sep 26, 2023
Show notes Natasha and three of the dishes from her new cookbook - shrimp scampi alfredo, classic greek salad, and turkey meatball soup.(Vadim Kravchuk and Kristin Casemore)
“I'm going to show you how to make baked apples and wait till you see what's inside. We'll start with the filling in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and grated nutmeg.” That’s food blogger Natasha Kravchuk sharing her recipe for easy baked apples on her website Natasha's kitchen.
“Then add some dried cranberries. You can also use raisins or craisins. Next, wash and core the apples. You can use a melon baller to scoop out the core or a small paring knife. Set those in a casserole dish and stuff them with the filling,” Natasha continues as though she’s been cooking all her life. But she says that’s not the case.
“Actually, when I first got married, I didn't know how to cook very well, and that was 20 years ago,” she says.
Natasha came to America from Ukraine as a refugee in 1989 with her parents and her four sisters when she was just four years old.
“We left Ukraine escaping Christian persecution because it was the former USSR then…And it was definitely a tough start for our family. We basically came here with nothing but a stack of suitcases,” she remembers.
Natasha calls this Thank-You-Mom Chicken Schnitzel because the first time she made it her six-year-old daughter thanked her for making it.(Vadim Kravchuk)
Eventually, she and her husband made Idaho their home and when she started learning how to cook she says “we wanted to recreate the things that we grew up loving, you know, the classic Ukrainian dishes that our moms made.”
Now she creates all sorts of delicious foods, like blueberry scones, turkey meatball soup, crispy bacon jalapeno poppers, and chicken schnitzel.
“Chicken Schnitzel is kind of a play on Pork Schnitzel, and it's basically meat that you pound thinly, which tenderizes it and makes it cook more evenly. And then it's breaded with a simple flour, egg, breadcrumb batter that's seasoned to perfection and then it is sautéed in oil. It's super simple and I love that.”
When she decided to write her first cookbook "Natasha's Kitchen,” she had to include chicken schnitzel.
“It really portrays what's in the book, you know, simple recipes that people will love, that they'll make over and over that they know will succeed.”
Her cookbook comes out Oct. 3 and she says she’s very excited to share it with her millions of followers. She says her goal is to share good food that’s easy to make.
“That's really important to me to make sure that those recipes are, you know, accessible for everyday families.”
Natasha will be at the Boise Barnes and Noble to help launch her new cookbook Oct. 11.
A conversation with Idaho's Sam Hunter
Sep 26, 2023
Show notes Samuel D. Hunter (left) talks about authoring The Whale, starring Brendan Fraser (right).( Josiah Bania, A24)
It's been a busy year for Sam Hunter, the writer and playwright who grew up in Moscow, Idaho. His award-winning play "The Whale" came out on the big screen starring Brendan Fraser, who took home the Oscar for the role of Charlie.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Hunter to talk more about his roots and how his work is inspiring new generations of writers.
Remembering Idaho's J.J. Saldaña
Sep 25, 2023
Show notesJ.J. Saldaña and Rebecca De León( Rebecca De León)
It was this weekend when we first heard the devastating news that J.J. Saldaña, a leader in Idaho's Hispanic community, passed away in his sleep late last week.
J.J. was more than just a non-stop advocate for Idaho's Latino community, he was warm and genuine and a truly beautiful person.
Once we heard of his passing, our Morning Edition Host George Prentice reached out to his friend and colleague Rebecca De León to talk about J.J.'s life and legacy in Idaho and we wanted to share that entire conversation on Idaho Matters.
Remembering Harriet Beecher Stowe and Harriet Tubman
Sep 25, 2023
Show notes A statue of Harriet Tubman at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Maryland.(Craig James)
When it comes to American history, especially around the 1850s, two women stand out as lightning rods for dramatic change in society.
Harriet Beecher Stowe's best-selling anti-slavery novel had a profound effect on how White people saw African Americans that some say helped lead to the Civil War.
Harriet Tubman rescued dozens of black people from slavery through the “Underground Railroad” and never stopped fighting for the rights of African Americans and women.
“The Two Harriets” is the title of an upcoming talk at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Boise by history professor Dr. Richard Bell from the University of Maryland and we asked him back on Idaho Matters to talk about these two amazing women.
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