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.
City planning simplified: Nampa creates a Citizens Guide
Nov 21, 2024
Nampa's 100-food-tall water tower was built in the 1970's.(City of Nampa)
The City of Boise recently adopted a new comprehensive plan, a long-term set of guiding principles that cities use when building, growing and deciding where to put everything. Caldwell also announced this week that it’s rewriting its plan.
City planning is actually required by state law in Idaho, but the process can be mysterious, confusing, and complicated for residents.
Over the past year, Nampa has been creating videos on everything from zoning to density to open space to why cities plan ahead. They’ve completed their Citizen’s Guide to Planning, and they’re hoping it will help residents better understand this process.
Rodney Ashby, Nampa’s Planning & Zoning Director, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
New plastics can now be recycled in Boise
Nov 21, 2024
(iStockphoto.com)
Boise has recently taken a step towards a greener city as they expand their recycling program.
The change comes thanks to improvements made by Republic Services Idaho Recycling Center, which has made it possible for residents to fill their blue carts with two new types of plastic.
Rachele Klein, the Municipal Director for Republic Services, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this change.
The art of making cowboy boots
Nov 21, 2024
Earlier this year Morgan Buckert was the recipient of the "2024 Nest Heritage Craft Prize: Women of the West" for her "Cosmic Cowboy" boots. (Morgan Buckert Custom Boots)
For more than a century, cowboy boots have been an iconic part of American Western culture. And in recent years they’ve had a resurgence in mainstream fashion thanks to musical artists like Beyonce and popular shows like "Yellowstone."
Which for craftsman Morgan Buckert is a good thing. She’s a custom bootmaker based out of Hailey, Idaho and makes gear so beautiful that it's literally been displayed in museums.
Buckert joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her craft.
What to Watch: Wicked and the Oscars!
Nov 21, 2024
Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande arrive at the premiere of "Wicked" on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. (Jordan Strauss / Invision/AP)
As we reported a while back, the Sun Valley Film Festival has moved to December, and now they have announced their full line-up for this year’s star-studded extravaganza.
“Wicked” is coming to the big screen. Plus it’s time for the Oscars! Well, not all the Oscars, it's time for some of them.
Our resident movie critic, and Morning Edition host, George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to explain everything and help us figure out “What to Watch.”
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: November 20, 2024
Nov 20, 2024
A new strain of mpox has hit the U.S., there’s troubling news about a human case of bird flu and contaminated carrots have made people sick in 18 states.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these issues.
Idaho's abortion trial enters second week
Nov 20, 2024
FILE - John Adkins, left to right, and his wife Jennifer, along with family physician Julie Lyons, talk to the media outside the Ada County Courthouse, Dec. 14, 2023, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, File)(Kyle Green/AP / FR171837 AP)
This is the second week of a trial in Idaho where four women are challenging the state’s abortion laws.
Tuesday, a doctor for the plaintiffs testified the language of the laws is narrow and unclear, something the state disputes. Much of the testimony in court has been emotional and hard to listen to.
Sarah Varney, a special correspondent with KFF Health News, was in the courtroom last week during the trial and joined Idaho Matters for an update.
Exploring Lincoln's strategy to abolish slavery
Nov 20, 2024
Freeing the slaves in America was not done with the stroke of a pen. President Abraham Lincoln and other anti-slavery politicians of the time used the constitution, which did not condemn slavery, in a very deliberate and strategic way to make their arguments.
College of Southern Idaho professor Justin Vipperman will be exploring this topic at the Idaho State Archives in Boise; he joined Idaho Matters for a preview, along with Angie Davis from the Idaho State Archives.
'Story Story Night' returns for 15th season
Nov 20, 2024
(Darren McEvilly / Flickr)
This month, Story Story Night is back for their 15th season, and it will be full of strategy.
In the game of chess, much like in life, it’s important to know when to make a move and when to be patient. Which is something that this year’s storytellers are experts at.
Jodi Eichelberger, artistic director of Story Story Night, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this flagship season.
Idaho-Phoenix deal: Will the purchase still happen?
Nov 19, 2024
The University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho.(Geoffrey von Zastrow Photography / Flickr)
The $685 million deal to buy the for-profit online university got off to a rocky start with Idaho lawmakers and is still in the middle of a Supreme Court lawsuit.
As far as we know, Idaho's Board of Education and the University of Idaho are still talking to Phoenix, but details are vague. And the November election may play a part in the chance that sale goes through.
Idaho Education News has been tracking the proposed phoenix sale since the beginning. Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News, has a new story out about whether the phoenix sale will rise from the ashes.
How a new project is keeping birds safe with art
Nov 19, 2024
Eryn Pierce submitted her own design for the Scrap to Sculpture Challenge. Her piece, “Birds of a Feather Fall Together,” is a delicate lattice of feathers. In her artist statement she wrote, ” This work serves as both a tribute to these birds and a call to action, encouraging us to rethink how we design and interact with our surroundings to create safer spaces for the natural world.”( Eryn Pierce)
Wild birds often fly straight into windows, not realizing there’s a pane of glass between them and the light or reflection they see inside, which can be a dangerous and often deadly problem, especially for large buildings with lots of windows.
At Boise State University for example, some buildings see 20 birds a day crash into windows and die.
So students teamed up with the Intermountain Bird Observatory to find ways to save the birds, including designing special decals to put on windows to keep the birds from trying to fly in.
Heidi Carlisle, the Education and Outreach Director at the Intermountain Bird Observatory at Boise State, and Eryn Pierce, an assistant professor of graphic design, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about how they are addressing this problem.
How studying Grouse DNA, and a kinder approach to research, may help declining birds survive
Nov 19, 2024
A Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse displaying its feathers and performing a rhythmic mating ritual. (Stephanie Galla / Boise State )
Many bird species around the world are struggling, trying to adapt to a world that’s changing around them, as humans encroach on their homes. The West is seeing this happen with the Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse, where birds can only be found on 5% of the habitat where they once roamed.
Meanwhile in the Arctic, Gyrfalcons are getting more bird flu, as warmer weather brings more insects and disease in Alaska and Greenland. Are birds like these able to adapt to change? How can we predict if they’ll be resilient enough to survive?
Conservation Genetics Lab at Boise State University is made up of researchers who are using DNA to map the story of bird decline.
“Our lab group uses many different genetic and genomic tools to better understand the story of the diversity of birds and how they may be adapting to a changing world,” said Galla.
She’s been studying Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse and says they are a very colorful and rhythmic species.
Grouse leave footprints in the snow after their mating dance.(Stephanie Galla / Boise State )
“The male grouse will stomp their feet on the ground, put their wings out wide, rattle their tail, and inflate air sacs on the sides of their necks that are bright purple,” said Galla. “They also have eye combs, sort of like eyebrows, that are bright yellow. So these are incredibly charismatic birds that are found here in Idaho and one of the best dancers that you'll see.”
Galla said that the grouse has seen significant decline in Idaho and Washington and it’s important to study them now.
“We have a really precious resource here that we can manage, and we can make sure that they stick around for as long as they can.”
Stephanie Galla uses Grouse poop to identify DNA for her research.(Stephanie Galla / Boise State)
Avian researchers are utilizing DNA to identify diversity in different grouse populations.
"We often use DNA to understand what diversity looks like to identify populations that have lower diversity and may be less resilient and in need of conservation prioritization in a changing world,” Galla explained.
She said grouse DNA can be painlessly sampled through their poop.
“Within a single fecal pellet, we can understand the diversity of what birds are eating and how they're responding to changing habitats over time. We can also get a good idea of their gut microbiome, or all of the diversity of microbes that live in their gut.”
Galla calls it a noninvasive approach to research.
“You don't need to catch a bird to find their poop. You can find it by looking at the areas where they congregate or the areas where they sleep at night, their roosting spots.”
Stephanie Galla also creates illustrations many of the birds she studies.(Stephanie Galla / Boise State )
Galla built a diet database of what the birds eat in Idaho and Washington.
“We're really interested in seeing what the diet looks like across space and time,” she said. “We've discovered roughly 120 different plant species across their range so far.”
That’s important because “if we know what populations are doing well and what they're eating and how that might compare to populations that aren't doing well. We can figure out whether or not food might be a contributor to population success, or population decline, or fitness of birds over time.”
Gyrfalcon chicks in Iceland.(Stephanie Galla / Boise State)
Stephanie Galla and her Conservation Genetics Lab at Boise State are also studying Gyrfalcons in the Arctic and how they’re adapting to a warming climate. And she’s a co-founder of the Kindness in Science project, a project that started when she was in Aotearoa, New Zealand as a PhD student.
“We started this initiative to define a culture where we are prioritizing diversity and maintaining diversity of people and science over space and time. Where maybe we have single individuals that are prioritized more than a group,” Galla explained.
Although Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse are not federally threatened or endangered yet, they are currently experiencing a steep decline.
“We have an opportunity here to step in and actually make a difference, make a difference so that we don't end up with just a few hundred left. If there are tens of thousands of them here in Idaho, we have an opportunity to characterize their diversity, understand it better, and work with conservation practitioners,” Galla said.
Galla says studying birds in three different parts of the world can bring not only conservation efforts together, but people as well.
“They give us a really great sense of wonder and connection and home,” she said. “The great part about studying DNA is that every bird has it, no matter where in the world you are, so we can take lessons learned from other countries, from other systems.”
She said researchers and resource managers can apply those lessons locally in Idaho.
“The more we come together as a global community with these different approaches, the better we can be equipped to address these big challenges and biodiversity loss that we're seeing around the world.”
Illustration by Stephanie Galla(Stephanie Galla / Boise State )
Thousands turn out for Boise’s first Open Streets event, highlighting the appeal of a global car-free movement
Nov 19, 2024
Cyclists and pedestrians take over Latah near the railroad crossing. (Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
Right around noon on a bluebird September Sunday in Boise, a pack of cyclists dozens strong turned south onto Latah Street, a chorus of bike bells sounding.
A large group of cyclists cruises south on Latah around noon on Sunday, Sept 22, when Boise held its first Open Streets event.(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
They cruised past a barricade, where police and volunteers were turning motorists away. Several hundred yards in, the Boise Good Times Street Band welcomed riders with a jaunty rendition of Give My Regards to Broadway. Wide, business-lined Latah is soon packed with bikers, walkers, roller skaters and at least one person on stilts.
Food trucks and other stands line the one-mile segment of the street, and long lines stretch out of the cafes and restaurants on the route.
Long lines stretched out of the cafes and restaurants on Latah during the event.(Murphy Woodhouse)
Lindsey Lind and her family – husband Eric, their two young children, and two dogs – had walked from their nearby home. They’re standing in line for some birria tacos.
“It's kind of weird,” she said, standing in the middle of the road. “Like, I feel like I keep needing to move over to the side.”
Eric described Latah on a normal day.
“It's busy, and usually people aren't doing 30 miles an hour,” he said. “It's, you know, 35, 40.”
“Or more,” Lindsey interjected.
They loved the vibrant sense of community surrounding them, and the promotion of green alternatives to driving.
“I think it helps people slow down a little bit and see kind of what's out here as far as businesses and, you know, it kind of puts maybe some of these businesses on the map,” Eric said.
Austin Clark, owner of Primal Coffee on Latah, plays fiddle with his friend Matt Hopper's band The Roman Candles in front of his cafe during the Open Streets event. "I think I knew it would be a good coordinated event, so I was happy to be a part of it and see where it goes," he said.(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
“I think it's really awesome for Latah’s business, this kind of exposure,” said Austin Clark, owner of Primal Coffee, located on the street. “Maybe a lot of people don't come up onto Latah ever, you know, because there's no reason to. But now they've got a reason to come.”
Sending a message
These are exactly the sorts of sentiments organizers of Boise’s first Open Streets event were hoping to inspire.
“All the chips fell into place. It worked out really well. And here we are today with close to, I would say like 3000 people,” said Nina Pienaar, advocacy director at the Boise Bicycle Project (BBP). Several days after the event, organizers later provided an updated figure of over 6,000.
Bike racks were packed tight on Latah Street during the event.(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
BBP worked closely with Ada County, Boise, and other local officials to develop location criteria, then surveyed neighborhoods to find a spot with local buy-in. They ultimately landed on Latah.
Pienaar said the strong turnout “sends the message loud and clear that like, ‘Hey, the Boise community, we're out biking, we're out walking. We want to see more infrastructure. We want to be able to choose to bike and to walk rather than choosing to get into our vehicles.’”
The second Open Streets event is already planned for next year, according to an official with the City of Boise, which sponsored the event. But with thousands in the street for the first event, Pienaar said there’s huge potential for a more regular schedule, perhaps even biweekly during the summer, adding: “The more the better.”
Social animals
“The concept is really, really simple. You open streets to people and you close them to cars. And the magic happens,” said Gil Penalosa. “You get young and old and rich and poor and fat and skinny, and you get everybody.”
Penalosa is an urban planner who now lives in Toronto, where he was the runner-up in the 2022 mayoral election. But as an official in the Colombian capital of Bogotá in the late 1990s, he helped dramatically expand the city’s weekly ciclovía program, credited as the seed of the global Open Streets movement. Every Sunday some 1.5 million Bogotanos cruise around 80 miles of car-free roads.
“Why is it spreading?” he asked. “I think because humans are social animals, and we want to be with other people.”
A winged stilt walker makes their way down Latah. (Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
The many benefits of Open Streets are best achieved with frequent repetition, especially the health benefits, Penalosa argued. But in a time of often ugly divisiveness, he said anything that brings a diverse swath of a community together is good.
“The possibility of people meeting as equals is really, really, really important,” he said.
He acknowledges that some officials and businesses can blanch at shutting down significant stretches of roadways to cars, but encourages cities that haven’t tried it to be gutsy.
“I've seen it [be] successful … in cities of 50,000 people or 500,000 or 5 million, 20 million. It works everywhere,” Penalosa said. “I've seen it in poor cities, in wealthy cities, and it makes everybody happier and healthier. And also to keep in mind that this is low-risk, this is low-cost and has very high benefits.”
Terra Reed, an organizer of the Albuquerque Open Streets event Ciclovía – now in its 10th year – similarly encouraged other cities to give it a go, saying that it doesn’t have to be huge to be a success. From their experience, she said “having strong ties” with local governments is especially important to start and maintain such efforts.
“Try to build those relationships early,” she advised.
Just keep pedaling
In a parking lot off Latah, young kids are buzzing around a bicycle skills course.
6-and-a-half-year-old Margot Mace makes her way around a bicycle skills course.(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
Margot Mace, who’s 6-and-a-half years old, is getting frustrated trying to ride her bike over a teeter-totter obstacle.
“You can do it, keep pedaling,” her mom, Beth Edwards, encouraged.
“It doesn't let me do it,” Margot shouted in frustration after another failed attempt.
Beth said they had ridden to Latah with dozens of others – and got a taste of the danger cyclists face in the city.
“We were trying to get across Orchard (Street) and a car almost ran us down,” she recounted. “We were a big group of bikers, so we weren't just one cycling family or one person. There was 40 of us and a car still almost ran us down.”
Edwards had heard of Open Streets, but didn’t really know much about the idea until that Sunday. She loved its emphasis on safety for all road users.
“We are just kinda constantly living with that ‘Llook out! Look out!’” she said. “Coming here and being free and seeing her just riding safely and freely is a pretty awesome feeling.”
After three failed attempts, Margot backed up to give it one more go. She rolled up and over to the applause of spectators.
“I just love how she never gives up,” Beth said. “That's all it takes.”
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, 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.
Best Places to Retire: Boise climbs the list
Nov 18, 2024
Last year, Boise was number 80 on the list of 150 cities. The new numbers have just come out, and Boise has jumped to number five!
Dawn Bradbury, Senior Real Estate Editor with U.S. News, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this year's list.
How U of I students are helping farmers in Bolivia
Nov 18, 2024
U of I students gather data on water flowing through a spring in Bolivia.(University of Idaho)
Thousands of miles from Idaho, in a small, rural community in Bolivia, people struggle to get irrigation water to their crops during a very long dry season.
Because it often doesn’t rain for six months of the year farmers rely on dams and pipes to move water around, pipes that often clog up, putting crops and even drinking water in jeopardy.
The University of Idaho’s College of Engineering’s Humanitarian Engineering Corps traveled to Potreros to help farmers find ways to get the water where they need it.
The Corps is run by students whose goal is to make real, lasting change in the communities it partners with.
U of I students arrive in La Paz Bolivia before heading to the rural community of Potreros.( University of Idaho)
“It's to help those in need and use our skill set as engineering students to to bring that service to them,” said Dr. Michael Lowry, a professor of civil engineering at U of I.
Angelica Vazquez Martinez is a Civil Engineering senior who went to Potreros.
“It's an arid region, very mountainous, very rural, and we worked with about 200 people, maybe 100 families, to get clean water yearlong to them.”
The area around Potreros.( University of Idaho)
The community only gets about three months of rain, which it has to survive on for the rest of the year.
“It's really unfortunate and very different than we have here,” said Korvin Jones, another Civil Engineering senior who is part of the project.
The U of I team hiked to four different streams to take measurements, including a three-mile hike to find the first water source.
“They did measurements and calculations. They did water quality tests and gathered information about potential at each of the springs,” said Lowry.
Getting to mountain springs required a lot of hiking in the rugged landscape.( University of Idaho)
Working with the people who live in Potreros is key to finding solutions that will work for them.
“If we don't have a very clear understanding of what the community needs, we may not be helping them at all,” said Martinez.
U of I students sit down for lunch with residents of Potreros.( University of Idaho)
Jones said the community welcomed the students with open arms and lots of food.
“It felt like we were helping the community out and we were learning from them while doing it. It was a fantastic experience,” said Jones.
One of the valve boxes that the farmers of Potreros, Bolivia use to get water from mountain streams to their homes and crops.( University of Idaho)
“They all seemed very excited to have us there and collaborate with us on this project. That could be life changing to them,” said Martinez.
Jones said it was his first trip abroad.
“I really enjoyed being able to immerse myself in this culture that was unlike anything I've ever been in before,” said Jones.
Martinez says she’s always been passionate about working abroad and it was a great way to get hands-on experience.
“I think it not only reinforced my engineering skills, but also reinforced the vision for my future.”
Jones also said it was a good way to hone his engineering skills.
“So beyond just helping others, it was helping myself grow as an engineer,” Jones said.
Dr. Lowry says it’s a multi-year process. This was the first trip to Potreros to gather data and start finding ways to help. The Corps is working throughout the year with a group called Engineers in Action on the ground in Bolivia and plans to go back to Potreros in 2025.
60 years wild: celebrating the Wilderness Act
Nov 18, 2024
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, the law that gives Congress the authority to establish wilderness areas. Some of the most beloved outdoor recreation spots in our region are wilderness areas. Decades later, land managers and advocates say it’s still a valuable tool to protect landscapes and hope to expand its legacy.
Aspen Public Radio’s Caroline Llanes, reporting for the Mountain West News Bureau, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the Wilderness Act and what it means 60 years later.
'Pickleballers:' An author interview with Ilana Long
Nov 18, 2024
(Dennis Amith / Flickr)
Pickleball is our nation’s fastest-growing sport; in fact, pickleball courts seem to be popping up everywhere. Even major pro athletes, like Lebron James and Tom Brady, have invested in the growth of major league pickleball.
Author Ilana Long has taken on this latest craze and made it a main character in her debut novel, “Pickleballers.” She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her book and the growing sport.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: November 15, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
FILE - Jennifer Adkins and her husband, John, from Caldwell, Idaho talk to the media outside the Ada County Courthouse, Dec. 14, 2023, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, File)(Kyle Green/AP / FR171837 AP)
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.
Tragedy exposes flaws in Idaho's coroner system
Nov 14, 2024
Taylor’s office doubles as the county morgue. The property is flanked by rental houses. Next to the building is a trailer-sized garage where Taylor parks the Chevrolet Suburban that he and his employees use to transport bodies.(Natalie Behring / <a href="https://www.propublica.org/" target="_blank" link-data="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000176-cd8c-dd4d-a7f6-fdbc82e80000","_type":"ae3387cc-b875-31b7-b82d-63fd8d758c20"},"cms.content.publishDate":1731608406439,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000192-d3d5-d08a-ad9a-f3f571c30000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"cms.content.updateDate":1731608406439,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000192-d3d5-d08a-ad9a-f3f571c30000","_type":"6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc"},"cms.directory.paths":[],"anchorable.showAnchor":false,"link":{"attributes":[],"cms.directory.paths":[],"linkText":"ProPublica","target":"NEW","attachSourceUrl":false,"url":"https://www.propublica.org/","_id":"00000193-2be7-d5fd-a7fb-bbf753400000","_type":"ff658216-e70f-39d0-b660-bdfe57a5599a"},"_id":"00000193-2be7-d5fd-a7fb-bbf7533f0000","_type":"809caec9-30e2-3666-8b71-b32ddbffc288"}">ProPublica</a>)
It was a cold morning in February when mom Alexis Cooley woke up to find her newborn baby wasn’t breathing; he was pronounced dead a short while later at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
His parents wanted to know why Onyxx, who seemed to be a healthy baby, had died suddenly in the night, yet the Bonneville County Coroner did not order an autopsy.
Audrey Dutton is the Idaho-based reporter for ProPublica in the Northwest. She did a deep dive into this case and into Idaho’s coroner system.
She found that Idaho coroners are elected to office, do not have to have any medical or legal background, and have very few rules they have to follow in Idaho when it comes to investigating deaths like this. She also found that coroners’ responses to cases vary widely from county to county in the Gem State.
Dutton joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this story.
Standard ITD road project turns into cultural discovery
Nov 14, 2024
McArthur Lake Cultural Discovery project.( Idaho Transportation Department)
It was a standard road project in Northern Idaho. Take US Highway 95 near McArthur Lake and straighten out the curves to make it safer, and also add a small bridge so animals could travel under the roadway instead of over the busy highway.
But when crews began digging on the project, they ran into something unexpected, hundreds of cultural artifacts that may change our idea of how long people have lived in this area of Idaho.
The Idaho Transportation Department brought in a team of experts and partnered with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho to gather and catalog the artifacts, which can now be studied.
Jyl Wheaton-Abraham, an archaeologist and member of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, and Carrie Ann Hewitt, project manager with Idaho Transportation Department joined Idaho Matters to talk about the discovery.
City of Boise calls on creative community for feedback in new survey
Nov 14, 2024
Here in Boise there is no shortage of art—from traffic boxes to sculptures to murals, there is a splash of color on almost every corner of the community, and that’s not by mistake.
The Boise City Department of Arts & History has made it their mission to add value to our public spaces, and part of that includes planning for the future. Which is why they’re asking for your feedback in a new survey that will help to update the city's 2017 Cultural Master Plan.
Cultural planner Tilley Bubb, with the Boise City Department of Arts and History, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: November 13, 2024
Nov 13, 2024
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arrives before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Macomb Community College.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / AP)
With Robert F. Kennedy Junior on the short list for the next head of the Department of Health and Human Services, big changes could be coming to our our country’s health care system.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these possible changes along with other public health issues.
Medicaid Expansion: Idahoans share their stories
Nov 13, 2024
(Boise State Public Radio)
It was six years ago when Idaho voters approved Medicaid expansion, which opened up health insurance to many who could not afford it.
Since then, advocates of expansion say the 100,000 or so people who are currently part of the program have benefited greatly from Medicaid, and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare says Idaho hospitals have saved $42 million in charity care.
Some Idaho lawmakers have tried to curb or overturn Medicaid expansion as recently as the 2024 legislative session, and supporters of the program have been lobbying diligently to keep going.
Randy Johnson, the Idaho Government Relations Director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and Ayla Birch with Idaho Supports Medicaid joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
A fight for restoration: Bringing salmon back to Idaho rivers
Nov 13, 2024
(Jeff T. Green / Getty Images)
Idaho rivers were once home to one of the country’s largest salmon runs. Today, however, those same salmon are headed towards extinction.
For more than fifty years this decline has had far-reaching effects on the state's ecosystem and cultural identity, which is why many groups are fighting to bring these fish back to our waterways.
Healing the site of the Bear River Massacre
Nov 13, 2024
Hundreds of volunteers from Utah and Idaho gathered recently to help the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation heal the site of the Bear River Massacre.
The Mountain West News Bureau, Clarissa Casper of the Salt Lake Tribune and Utah Public Radio has the story.
Idaho Decision 2024: Breaking voting records
Nov 12, 2024
( Creative Commons CC0)
How many people voted in Idaho on Election Day? How many people registered Nov. 5? Were there any issues at the voting booth?
Because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level.
To answer the questions that have come up this election season, we asked Idaho’s Secretary of State, Phil McGrane, to join Idaho Matters for a breakdown.
New project helps to restore Boise River habitat
Nov 12, 2024
Drone photo of the river channel restoration site.( Boise State University)
Along the Boise River, between the Barber Dam and the Highway 21 bridge, sits 700 acres of land that supports more than 300 native species.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hoping to restore some of the land at Barber Pool for fish, wildlife, water quality and people, and Boise State University is sponsoring a project to restore several side channels of the river.
Greg Kaltenecker, director of the Intermountain Bird Observatory at Boise State, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
Reclaiming Palmyra Atoll: A history of conservation efforts
Nov 12, 2024
If you start at Hawaii and travel 1,000 miles south, you’ll run into a cluster of tiny islands known as islets that make up the Palmyra Atoll.
There’s just around 600 acres of land above the sea, but below it there are 15,000 acres of some of the most diverse coral reef systems on the planet.
Palmyra was decimated during World War II by deforestation and rats , which ate pretty much everything — crabs, insects, seabird eggs, chicks ... even the trees.
For more than ten years, there’s been an effort to reclaim Palmyra, and it’s succeeding — restoring the landscape and the reef and providing a blueprint for other conservation efforts.
Matt Miller lives in Boise and is the editor of the Nature Conservancy’s online blog "Cool Green Science" and author of the book, "Fishing Through the Apocalypse." Three years ago, he got to go fishing on Palmyra Atoll as part of the Fishing for Science Research Program and he’s going to share his story at the Boise Public Library on Tuesday, Nov. 19. He joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
What will Donald Trump’s return to the White House mean for the Colorado River?
Nov 12, 2024
The Colorado River is shrinking, and leaders from the states that use it are on the hook to come up with a new plan for managing its water. They have to submit that plan to the federal government by 2026, when the current rules for sharing water expire.
KUNC’s Alex Hager reports those state leaders do not think President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House will change their strategy.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: November 8, 2024
Nov 08, 2024
The Idaho state flag hangs in the State Capitol in Boise, Idaho.(Kyle Green / AP)
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.
Mayor McLean shares her thoughts post-election
Nov 08, 2024
The Capitol is framed by American flags at the Washington Monument.(J. Scott Applewhite / AP)
After Tuesday’s election results, Boises Mayor Lauren McLean sent out a statement about the privilege we have in Idaho to vote in a “safe, free, and secure” election.
She said it was a tough election but that Boiseans should "move forward with the knowledge that we have each other."
The mayor sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about her statement and how she’s feeling after Tuesday.
Surveillance: What role does it play in public safety?
Nov 07, 2024
A traffic camera points down at a road.(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/davedugdale/">Dave Dugdale</a> / Flickr)
In today's world, cameras have become commonplace. They’re used in our stores, on our roadways, even in our parks.
And while this kind of monitoring may unsettle some, others say that it's an important part of our public safety.
Retired detective Mike Miraglia will be talking more about the role of surveillance in our lives this Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Volcano on Mars: Researcher uncovers exciting discovery
Nov 07, 2024
A volcanic feature on Mars, left, and a spatter cone in Iceland.( Ian T.W. Flynn)
You may remember the small volcanic eruption in Iceland three years ago when lava began burping its way out of a fissure. It created a few new craters while hot molten rock flowed around the rugged landscape.
Those craters caught the eye of Ian T.W. Flynn, who noticed they looked a little like a crater on the surface of Mars. As he looked closer, he found they were almost a perfect match.
Flynn was working at the University of Idaho at the time, and he realized that the similarity of these spatter cones meant Mars at one time had volcanoes like those found on Earth. To find out what this means for the red planet, Flynn joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Are there similarities between Mars and the canyons of Colorado?
Nov 07, 2024
Put a picture of the Grand Canyon next to one of Mars, and it’s easy to see some similarities. Red rock formations dominate both landscapes. But just how closely related are the places carved by the Colorado River and the surface of the red planet? KUNC’s Rae Solomon talked to scientists trying to figure that out.
What to Watch: Election results and holiday classics
Nov 07, 2024
Spooky season may be over, but that doesn't mean we're done with scary movies!
Morning Edition host George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to give us some recommendations on What to Watch. And we take a look at how the world of entertainment is coping with election results.
Presidential and local election results: A breakdown with Idaho Matters
Nov 06, 2024
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally, July 31, 2024.(Alex Brandon / AP)
Donald J. Trump has been named President-elect. Idaho Matters takes a look at what this win will mean for our state, as well as what voters had to say in local elections.
Our panel today:
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
McKay Cunningham, constitutional scholar and graduate professor at the College of Idaho
Idaho Decision 2024: Election Day
Nov 05, 2024
FILE - "I voted" stickers are seen in the Polk County Election Office during early voting, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)(Charlie Neibergall/AP / AP)
More than 380,000 people in Idaho cast their votes before election day; that’s more than all the votes cast in the primary election last May.
So what are officials expecting in regard to turnout? How are things going this election day? And what happens after all the votes are in?
2024 marks an historic election year in November. Voters will decide the future of our country for the next four years as well as many key state and local races.
Because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level.
To answer the questions that have come up this election season, we asked Idaho’s Secretary of State, Phil McGrane, to join Idaho Matters for a breakdown.
Plastic waste: What hospitals are doing to reduce their impact
Nov 05, 2024
(Kevin Morris / Flickr Creative Commons)
Think back to the last time you were in a hospital. How much plastic did you see? Doctors and nurses use a lot of plastic syringes, which are only used once and come in a plastic sleeve that is thrown away, and that’s just one example.
Hospitals produce 14,000 tons of trash every day, and up to a quarter of that is plastic—the same plastics that release harmful chemicals into our bodies and our environment.
Dr. Hilary Ong is an assistant professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and she’s on a mission to reduce plastic in hospitals. She joins Idaho Matters along with Dr. Campen to talk more about this issue.
Sacajawea: How one woman left her mark on history
Nov 05, 2024
In 1804, a young Shoshone woman joined the Lewis and Clark expedition across the U.S. and stepped into history.
Over the years, many myths and legends have grown up around Sacajawea, and many of her real-life experiences have been overlooked.
Randy'L Teton is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock tribes of Fort Hall and has been researching Sacajawea. She’s written a children's book titled “It's Her Story: Sacajawea,” and she’s coming to the Idaho State Museum in Boise Saturday to talk about it.
She joined Idaho Matters along with Sarah Phillips, the director of the Idaho State Museum.
Idaho law says rape victims are entitled to a timely police report for abortion care, but that doesn’t always happen
Nov 04, 2024
The text of Idaho's criminal abortion statute(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
In Idaho, women who become pregnant following a sexual assault are legally allowed to get an abortion under the law’s few exceptions. But, they first have to report their assault to a law enforcement agency and produce a police report to medical providers.
Those who do report to law enforcement and request copies of the document required by the statute may find barriers in authorities’ failure to understand their role in the process and lack of consistent protocols to assist victims.
“Most survivors opt out”
Victims advocates say requiring women to report to law enforcement prevents many from seeking the help they need.
Kelly Miller, the former head of the Idaho Coalition against Sexual and Domestic Violence said rape and sexual assault are some of the most underreported crimes in the state.
“Sexual assault and its various manifestations happens at extraordinarily high numbers that are not captured in most of the national or state data,” she said. Fear of not being believed by authorities and retaliation from their aggressor who they may know are a few of the reasons women don't report their assault to the police, she added.
In 2023, law enforcement agencies in Idaho processed 594 cases of rapes, a figure she said does not reflect the reality of sexual violence in the state.
“Often, sexual assault survivors just want it to be over and so having to go through the trauma of reporting, the trauma of a forensic interview, most survivors opt out,” she said.
A woman who has been raped and wants an abortion in Idaho first has to report her assault to the authorities, then has to request a copy of her report from the police. Only then can a medical provider perform an abortion.
“Those barriers are just going to be too much for some of those victims,” said Dr. Samuel Dickman, an abortion provider in Montana. “And they will have to continue pregnancies as a result. I think that’s just incredibly tragic.”
Dickman co-authored a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that estimates in the 16 months following Idaho’s abortion ban, around 11,000 women were sexually assaulted in the state, a much higher number than what is reported to the authorities. Of those assaults, the study estimates more than a thousand resulted in a pregnancy.
“And the rape exceptions are doing virtually nothing to help those victims,” Dickman said, adding about 50% of rape survivors who become pregnant as a result of their assault look to terminate the pregnancy.
“What that means is that the vast majority of survivors of sexual assault who become pregnant are not able to get legal care in state in Idaho, despite the fact that technically it ought to be available to them,” he said.
Miller said the legal system is not centered around the needs of victims. No other type of medical intervention appears to require patients to interact with law enforcement as a precondition for care.
“This is a such a personal and deep and profound trauma when someone's sexually assaulted that asking them to report is taking away agency and choice, which was taken away from the first place in the sexual assault,” Miller said. “So it's retraumatizing to require anyone to have to report to anybody.”
The 72-hour amendment
Idaho banned abortions in 2022, with exceptions in cases of rape or incest, and when the life of the mother is threatened. Victim advocates quickly pointed out that police do not release copies of records during an ongoing investigation, potentially preventing women from receiving timely abortion care. In 2023, the legislature amended the law, entitling victims of rape to receive their police report within 72 hours of it being made.
More than a year after the updated amendment went into effect, a Boise State Public Radio investigation shows law enforcement agencies and public records departments in Idaho are unevenly complying with its requirements, which could prevent victims of rape or incest from easily accessing the documentation they need for a legal abortion.
“It doesn’t work that way.”
“We're treating this notion of a police report like it's a receipt in a store,” Sen. Melissa Wintrow said while debating the amendment before it passed on the floor in 2023.
“You get raped, you experience trauma, you go to the police, you get your receipt, and you come back to the physician, and then you ask for the abortion. It doesn't work that way.”
“Police reports are intricate and complicated, and police just don't take that lightly,” she added.
Sergeant Bryan Lovell from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office explained the process once police receive a request for a record.
“If it's an active investigation, then, they're not going to give it to you. And chances are, we wouldn't even know if you're the victim or a witness to it, or just someone that's curious. Right?”
Idaho’s public records law says agencies can’t ask why people want a copy of a file, but under the amendment, a victim has to identify themselves as such to receive their report. Without specific protocols to differentiate requests from victims versus the general public, victims going through standard public records portals may be denied up front.
“It just runs through that same process and we wouldn't know,” Lovell said.
Police do not usually release files pertaining to an open investigation because they may contain sensitive information. When records are requested, they aren’t released immediately.
“We'll get the request in for a particular report, and then it'll go to the prosecutor's office for approval, and they'll come back and say, ‘this can be released or it can't be released, or it can be released with redactions,’” he added.
Lovell said an option for victims whose initial request is denied would be to directly contact their prosecuting attorney’s office, something they might not know to do.
Agencies across the state comply with the requirement unevenly
Depending on where they report their assault, victims of rape may have more or less difficulty getting the documentation they need.
Boise State Public Radio contacted 56 agencies across Idaho and asked about their protocols to help rape victims access their reports.
Many did not answer. Others did not mention the 72-hour amendment and said they’d follow public records law requirements. Some said they’d defer any special cases to their prosecuting attorney’s office.
Agencies like the Meridian Police Department, Garden City Police Department and Fremont County Sheriff said they comply with the 72-hour amendment and have in-house advocates to assist victims.
As a victim witness coordinator with the Caldwell Police Department, Liz Godina said if a victim needed help getting a copy of her report, she could walk them through the system step-by-step.
“I would talk to them and kind of explain to them like, ‘this is what you are able to do, if you need me to help you, I can go with you to the records department and do that with you,’” she said, adding she could then make sure records custodians know about the updated 72-hour amendment.
"When we're working with victims of crime, it's very important for them to feel heard, " Godina said. Accompanying them through that journey, she said, can make them feel respected and empowered.
Godina said she knew about the rape exemption’s 72-hour requirement because she read about it online and feels it’s important in her position to stay updated with law changes.
But not all victims across the state may be so lucky to have someone like Godina assisting them in getting a copy of their record.
Open investigation policies confuse the process
Some agencies contacted by Boise State Public Radio didn't appear to have any streamlined way to provide victims their report, in particular during an open case. Others seemed unaware of the updated law altogether.
In July 2024, a year after the amendment went into effect, Rexburg’s Police Department wrote in an email that in order to get a copy of a report, victims had to go through the city’s website.
“There they can search for Public Records Request and fill out a form to obtain a copy of the report. It is then forwarded to our office and we proceed with the process of handling the request,” the email reads.
“If the investigation is complete and there are no pending charges or court action, the victim can receive a copy of the report. If the rape is still under investigation, a copy is not released until the investigation is complete, per our Madison County Prosecutor’s Office, and the victim is advised of this.”
Idaho’s amended abortion law says that if an act of rape or incest is reported to a law enforcement agency or child protective services, “then the person who made the report shall, upon request, be entitled to receive a copy of such report within seventy-two (72) hours of the report being made, provided that the report may be redacted as necessary to avoid interference with an investigation.”
In Clearwater County, Sheriff Chris Goetz also said his office generally only releases records when an investigation is complete.
“An example for this type of case would be a victim reporting a rape and wanting a report from us that she had reported a rape so that she could get an abortion,” he wrote in an email. “If we have not yet done an investigation how would we know if a rape had actually occurred or if she just wanted an abortion.”
Goetz wrote that if a preliminary investigation showed a rape occurred, the agency would provide the report to the victim.
“An example of that would be that we have done all of the interviews and collected the physical evidence but are waiting on results from a lab before we could actually complete the investigation. We may not yet be able to file charges because the case is not complete but I would support the victim any way possible,” he added.
Denied Requests
At the Nampa Police, Detective Troy Hale, an investigator at their Office of Professional Standards, said their department realized it hadn’t been complying with the 72-hour requirement, and unknowingly denied records to rape victims in 2023.
“We found four that should have under the new law been released that weren't and it was kind of more of a training issue at that point for our records division,” he said. “So it was just an oversight,” he added.
“Since then we've changed that procedure obviously in our records department to where within that 72-hour time frame from when they want that report, then we supply that now.”
The four victims were not notified of the department’s mistake in handling their request.
“To my knowledge, I don't know that we contacted them at all,” Hale said. The reason for their initial request is unknown.
The Department of Health and Welfare reports five abortions were legally provided in 2023 in Idaho. There is no way of knowing if any were granted under the state’s rape exception.
How American cities have changed over time
Nov 04, 2024
For years now, Treasure Valley cities have been among some of the fastest-growing urban areas in the country. And Idaho's not alone; since the late 1700s, there have been identifiable growth spurts in America's population that have sometimes lasted for decades.
However, have you ever wondered why population shifts like this suddenly take place?
That's a question that Tom Baerwald will be answering in his upcoming lecture with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He’s been studying how and why America's metropolitan regions have changed over time, and he's joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Looking ahead: The election in Idaho
Nov 04, 2024
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio)
Election Day is just one day away, and while we have seen unprecedented early voting in Idaho to date, officials are expecting even bigger numbers on Tuesday.
We wanted to get a preview of tomorrow’s election, so we turned to Boise State political science professor Jaclyn Kettler. She sat down with our Morning Edition host, George Prentice, to break down what the election might look like in Idaho.
Colorado jails are holding in-person voting this election, after change in state law
Nov 04, 2024
People incarcerated at the Jefferson County jail vote in the 2024 general election. All Colorado jails are holding at least six hours of in-person voting as a result of a new state law. (Rachel Cohen / KUNC )
In a waiting room inside the Jefferson County Jail, in the foothills West of Denver, a few incarcerated people in gray uniforms are filling out paperwork to vote.
A sheriff’s deputy brings them to a neighboring room to check in with election volunteers. Behind a folding table, Kyle Giddings looks up their case history on a laptop and asks for their home addresses to determine what ballots they should get.
“He is good and eligible to vote,” said Giddings, the civic engagement coordinator at the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, as he looks over one voter’s forms.
However, most of the roughly half a million people in jails across the country have not lost the right to vote. They’re awaiting trial, meaning they haven’t been found guilty of a crime, or they're serving misdemeanor sentences. But very few people in jail cast ballots.
About 900 people in the Jefferson County Jail were allowed to vote in the 2022 midterms, yet only three actually did.
Nine years ago, Giddings was incarcerated in this very jail.
“I dealt with addiction for years and finally it all caught up to me,” he said.
It was the lead up to the 2016 election, and he was talking about it with others in his pod.
“They just assumed they could never vote again,” he said. “It was kind of in that moment that I realized that this is work that needs to be done.”
Kyle Giddings was formerly incarcerated at the Jefferson County Jail. Now he's helping the jail run its first-ever in-person polling place. (Rachel Cohen / KUNC )
Aside from misinformation about eligibility, there are numerous other barriers to voting from jail. Often, you need to switch your home address to the jail to receive an absentee ballot, which can be further complicated if you’ve never registered to vote before. To fill out the ballot you might need to ask permission to use a pen – considered contraband. Then, you need to navigate the jail mail system to return your ballot on time. The rules and protocols can differ in each jail.
That’s why The Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition helped pass a state law this year to reduce those obstacles. The law requires all county jails in the state to stand up in-person voting for at least six hours. This is the first election it’s in effect.
An election volunteer checks people in to vote at the Jefferson County Jail. (Rachel Cohen / KUNC )
In his pod, Jesus Rodriguez studied Colorado’s information booklet on ballot measures. He even recited it to a neighbor who isn't able to read. But when he woke up on the morning of election day inside the jail, he wasn’t sure if he was going to vote. He didn’t know whether he was eligible to cast a ballot.
“Somebody was like, ‘Why don’t you just go check,?’” Rodriguez said.
It turned out he was eligible. Rodriguez had never voted before.
“I felt like my voice didn't matter because I've been incarcerated multiple times; I've lived a hectic lifestyle,” he said.
When Rodriguez entered the voting room, an election volunteer handed him a ballot. He sat down at a gray desk with partitions on both sides. When he was done, he stuffed the ballot in a yellow bag, and a deputy escorted him out of the room. He said he’s proud he voted.
Election volunteers facilitate the first in-person voting inside the Jefferson County Jail.(Rachel Cohen / KUNC )
“It made me feel really good to know my opinion matters in this situation,” Rodriguez said.
Many consider jail-based polling places the best way to eliminate the hurdles people in jail face to voting. Yet just a handful of jails around the country offer in-person voting. Colorado is the first state to require it in all counties.
However, not everyone was initially on board. The state sheriffs’ association opposed the law in the legislature. Sam Zordel, the Prowers County Sheriff and the president of the association, said the group wasn’t trying to block anyone from voting, but it thought the old system was working and the new one could mean more work and money, especially for smaller counties.
“We felt that it may create undue stress on certain agencies that didn’t need it because they were probably already allowing inmates to vote,” he said.
Yet advocates say the extremely low voter participation in jails across the country leaves room for improvement. In Arizona, they’re working to help people navigate their eligibility and polling them on whether they’ve received accurate voting information from elections offices.
An election volunteer helps voters in the Jefferson County Jail submit their ballots. (Rachel Cohen / KUNC )
In Nevada, a new state law requires jails to put into writing a plan to ensure that qualified inmates can register to vote and cast a ballot. As a result of the law, the Clark County Detention Center set up a polling place for the first time during the June primary. During the general election, it’s holding two days of early voting and election day voting inside the jail.
In Jefferson County, Colo., Clerk Amanda Gonzalez, who oversees elections, has already noticed a difference. More than 300 people incarcerated in the jail have voted so far in this election – a mix of those who cast ballots in-person and who voted as part of a separate initiative where elections officials drop off ballots and sheriff's deputies return them.
“This is just one more step in making sure that everyone who’s eligible to vote actually gets to vote,” said Gonzalez. “Our democracy is just so much stronger when we have everyone’s voices.”
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, 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.
Food in the Treasure Valley: New and closing restaurants
Nov 04, 2024
( Boise Soul Food Organization)
Are you hungry? Because BoiseDev Eats is serving up some great recommendations on where to get your next meal!
Whether you're looking for dinner, snacks or drinks, they've got a spot for you to try.
BoiseDev Eats editor Kara Jackson joined Idaho Matters to set the table for Idaho's local food scene.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: November 1, 2024
Nov 01, 2024
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.
As people prepare for an evening of candy and frights, we thought we’d help set the mood with a look at one of America's most dark and melancholic writers, Edgar Allan Poe.
Known as the “father of horror,” Poe’s work not only evoked dread but also helped to pave the way for detective fiction, leaving a lasting impact on today's popular culture.
Steven Olsen-Smith is a professor of English literature, and he joined Idaho Matters for a look into this important figure's life.
A haunted history: Boise's scariest ghost stories
Oct 31, 2024
Haunted houses have been busy this month as they do their best to provide chills and thrills to the many people who pay to be scared this time of year.
But did you know there's lots of places here in Boise that don’t have to put on a production at all? That’s right, they're actually haunted.
We wanted to find out more about these spots, so we invited U.S. Ghost Adventures tour guide Hilarie Goodnight to tell us more.
Ghost stories from the Old Idaho Penitentiary
Oct 31, 2024
(Madelyn Beck / Mountain West News Bureau)
During its time of operation, the Old Idaho Penitentiary had thousands of people pass through its gates; however, not everyone who arrived got to leave.
This could be why the prison is now considered one of the most haunted spots in the Gem State, prompting visits from paranormal investigators and plenty of curious tourists.
Anthony Parry, historic sites administrator, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the eerie site.
Take a trip to Idaho’s ghost towns
Oct 31, 2024
A ghost town in Caribou County, Idaho.(Brent Watkins / Flickr)
Idahoe has a large number of abandoned towns, many of which have grown from mining operations that went bust.
One local blog, The Traveling Spud, is a one-stop-shop for travel adventures, and it has a great list of Idaho ghost towns that you can visit — including one or two that might be haunted!
Katie Williams joined Idaho Matters to talk more about ghostly destinations.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 30, 2024
Oct 30, 2024
Protestors stand in front of the Supreme Court while Idaho v. United States is argued.(Victoria Pickering / Flickr)
A new study has found that in the wake of the recent Roe v. Wade decision infant mortality rates are on the rise in the U.S. as states implement stricter abortion bans.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this study along with other public health issues.
Idahoans raise awareness of crisis in Gaza
Oct 30, 2024
Israeli soldiers stand near trucks carrying humanitarian aid just before they cross into the Gaza Strip at Erez crossing in southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Tsafrir Abayov / AP)
On October 7, one year after Hamas attacked Israel, we had a conversation with the regional director of the American Jewish Committee. This individual gave her thoughts on the attack as well as the war that continues almost 13 months later.
Today we wanted to hear another perspective on the war and the humanitarian crisis still going on in Gaza.
Aisha Kayed, a Brazilian Palestinian American community leader and founder of Boise to Palestine, as well as Nathanial Hoffman, a former journalist and co-founder of IfNotNow, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How is climate change impacting our health?
Oct 30, 2024
It’s no secret that climate change is impacting our landscapes, but did you know it’s also affecting our health?
As extreme weather events become more common, so do threats to our air, water and food quality — all of which create a domino effect.
Understanding the consequences of these stressors is more important than ever, which is why St. Luke's Director of Sustainability, Dr. Ethan Sims, will be hosting a lecture on the topic next week at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Here’s the real ‘News of the Universe.’ La Luz will light up Boise Halloween night
Oct 30, 2024
(La Luz / Wyndham Garrett )
Create a word cloud from reviews of "News of the World" or the current world tour of La Luz, and you’ll see the larger-than-life words: “Solid,” “Sweet,” “Weighty,” and “Easy to Love.”
To be sure, "News of the World" songs, and particularly the lyrics, reflect how lead Shana Cleveland’s off-stage life was blown apart (spoiler alert: she’s doing amazing now).
“It was something that really caused a lot of changes in my life and caused me to have to come to a new sort of acceptance of the reality of change,” said Cleveland.
Meanwhile, La Luz has spent the better part of 2024 lighting up stages around the world; and come Halloween night, they’ll be coming to Boise to perform at the Knitting Factory.
“I want to have a costume contest. I want to do a ‘Soul Train line’ with everybody in their costume,” said Cleveland. “I do really enjoy Halloween … just the idea that everybody can just express themselves in way that they don’t feel comfortable normally.”
Cleveland visits with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about their Halloween visit to Boise, how, post-"blown apart," her life changes informed some of her most inspired art, and even how she’s a bit of a “snake charmer” with her guitar cable.
Idaho Decision 2024: Preparing for the November election
Oct 29, 2024
(Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images)
It’s exactly one week until Election Day, but tens of thousands of people have already voted in Idaho, either in early voting or by mail with an absentee ballot.
We’ll find out more, plus how does the state test our voting system? And can you wear your campaign t-shirt to the polls next week?
Because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level.
To answer the questions that have come up this election season, we asked Idaho’s Secretary of State, Phil McGrane, to join Idaho Matters for a breakdown.
Read the full transcript below:
GAUDETTE: From the studios of Boise State Public Radio News. I'm Gemma Gaudette. This is Idaho Matters. It's exactly one week until Election Day, but tens of thousands of people have already voted here in Idaho, either in early voting or by mail with an absentee ballot. We'll find out more today. Plus, how does the state test our voting system? And here's another question. Can you wear your campaign t shirt to the polls next week? Well, because it is a presidential election year, there has been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected, but also on how our election system works, in particular the national and local level. So to answer those questions that have come up this election cycle, we asked Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane to join us every Tuesday to take a closer look at these issues. And he's joining us once again. Hi, Phil.
MCGRANE: Hey, Gemma.
GAUDETTE: Okay, so where are we with early and absentee voting? Are you seeing a historic turnout so far this year?
MCGRANE: We really are. Especially in person early voting. It's been awesome to see. Today happens to be vote early day. So it's just a national day to encourage people to vote in person and early. I took advantage of it myself today, but many, many other Idahoans have done the same. I know talking to Trent Tripple, the Ada County clerk, as well as other clerks throughout the state, they've seen huge numbers and lines at each of the early voting locations because so many people are turning out. And honestly, we're watching it closely today because we think we might eclipse the number of people who voted total in the primary election by today. So between absentee and early votes, we're already at 267,000 people having voted and seeing a lot more as we head into this final week of early voting.
GAUDETTE: Okay, that is a big number there. So I want to talk next Phil, about how you go about testing Idaho's election system. I mean, this is something where there has been such rhetoric about elections not being safe, not being secure, you know, all of that. So we want folks to understand and know that our election system is vetted, it is tested. So what kind of test do you do to make sure everything's working properly and that it is safe and secure?
MCGRANE: Yeah. You know, we've talked about security in the past, but it really is a timely question this week that all of the counties. So in addition to the testing and the safety measures we've put in place leading up to the election this week, the counties will be doing testing. It's their public logic and accuracy testing to make sure that the machines are all working properly, leading into Election Day. It gives the public and candidates an opportunity to see how the machines are working, and part of this process is just ensuring that, you know, a vote cast for President Trump goes to President Trump. A vote cast for Vice President Kamala Harris goes to Kamala Harris, and so on, really proving out that the systems are ready and working, and then they will zero out the machines, get everything set so that next Tuesday we're all ready to go for big Election Day.
GAUDETTE: So the next thing I want to discuss is electioneering very quickly. For maybe folks who aren't familiar, electioneering is basically like a it's called a kind of like a passive form of campaigning, right? Wearing, um, uh, you know, a shirt, something like that. However, my understanding, Phil, is we've got a new rule about, um, campaign signs or wearing, you know, a certain type of candidate's hat to the polls when you vote.
MCGRANE: You know, I think it really this all boils down to this is a major election. Obviously, we've got president on the ballot. We have proposition one, other things that have garnered attention and really everyone just being respectful of one another when it comes to actually voting at the polls. We know we're going to see a wide variety of opinions and thoughts in terms of voters headed there. And so part of it, our electioneering laws are really to just create a safe bubble for everybody to be able to go cast their vote without interruption. So this is what prevents people from handing out fliers or having big signs or anything else at any of the polling locations, and it really does extend all the way down to the individual voters. You know, I know for all of the clerks and the poll workers, we ask voters just to be mindful when they head to their polls not to bring their their campaign signs, their campaign literature, their shirts or other things with them. Um, if someone sees someone with a t shirt, most likely they're just going to be asked to vote and get in and get out quickly so that they don't disrupt other voters. Um, you can appreciate Gemma from all our conversations, we're not looking for conflict at any of the polls. We really are trying to help facilitate everyone having the opportunity to cast their ballot and have their voice heard, regardless of what their opinions are on any given issue. And so, you know, I'm really hoping that voters will be mindful and respectful of each other as we gear up, whether it's for early voting this week or for Election Day next week.
GAUDETTE: So you mentioned Trent Tripple and our Morning Edition George Prentice actually spoke with uh, with Trent recently. Again, he is the county clerk, and he said a lot of people actually don't even understand that electioneering is illegal. So let's take a listen to this.
TRIPPLE: It's just common sense approach to folks as they walk in. Most citizens, if not all of them, they're proud of who they are and what they represent and the parties. And they just want to be, you know, representing properly. Many of them don't know that they can't even do that. And so when they show up, we're not accosting them or calling the police. We want them to come in and vote. But we also want to maintain a safe space within the precinct for people to feel like they can vote without feeling pressure from from anybody else.
GAUDETTE: And bottom line, Phil, is that exactly it? Right? Is it? It is. You don't want anyone to feel intimidated about being able to vote.
MCGRANE: Yeah, that's exactly it. We don't we want everybody, regardless of their opinions, to be able to cast their ballot in peace. And you know, we did expand our electioneering space. It used to be 100ft from the polling location. Now it's 250ft from the door that voters enter. And really that's to create a space that, you know, anybody, whether it's you or me or our grandma, they can pull up, get out of their car, go vote and do so uninterrupted. And so hopefully we'll have a very peaceful election day. Everyone will get to have their voice heard, and then we'll all be watching closely when we see the news and see what the results are as they come in.
GAUDETTE: So have you heard of any electioneering concerns so far this campaign cycle?
MCGRANE: Um, we've seen, uh, little things. They always pop up a little bit. But so far, I think you've been talking to Trent and some of the other clerks. It's gone really smoothly for this election. You know, last about a year ago, we had some incidents in some local elections that really triggered us to update our laws. We haven't seen anything like that this cycle. I mean, every now and then you'll get someone pull up with a truck with a giant sign and try to park it near a early voting location. But we're pretty quick to remedy those situations, so I really expect most voters aren't going to see anything like this when they head to the polls, and hopefully it'll go smooth for everyone.
GAUDETTE: One other question that has come up in regards to voting. A Treasure Valley restaurant has put up a post on X that is offering a free beer for anyone who voted for Donald Trump. Um, is this legal?
MCGRANE: You know, I think it raises an important question for anybody is there are laws that prohibit, uh, incentives to either incentivize somebody to vote or to not vote. Doesn't really matter what direction. Um, you know, our country has had a long history going back to the 1800s of bribes and beer for voting. We've stopped that over the years. And so I want to encourage, whether it's a business owner or anybody else, not to incentivize voting for this election. I mean, we all want to encourage people. Of course, I've been doing that going around the state. Um, but there in offering somebody anything of value, it becomes problematic whenever we see situations. You know, our approach is really just to reach out to people, to let them know so that they don't find themselves in a position they don't intend to be, because I think most people are really trying to encourage voting. Um, but that doesn't mean they always understand the environment that they're doing it in. And we don't want anybody to face any issues, whether it's a business owner or, like you said, somebody wearing a shirt at the polls.
GAUDETTE: Mhm. Uh, a couple of other quick questions. Uh, early voting ends this week. Yes.
MCGRANE: Yes. It uh for Friday at five will be the end of early voting. So if you want to get in before Election Day, now is the time to do it.
GAUDETTE: Okay. And then what about absentee ballots? When are they due.
MCGRANE: Absentee ballots are due at 8 p.m. on Election Day. The polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. Absentee all voting stops in Idaho. Then there is no postmark or delays afterwards in terms of Idaho. So especially for people who've moved from other states, it's important to know now is the time to get your absentee ballot in if you have one, especially if you're going to be mailing it. I know the Postal Service is monitoring, but it takes time for many ballots to travel around the state. So I really encourage anybody who has an absentee ballot get it in now. Get it in the mail. There are drop boxes throughout the state, or you can drop it off at your local elections office or alternatively, visit early voting sites. I will caution the last day of early voting Friday is always the busiest day, so if you want to wait in line, Friday is probably the day to do it. Otherwise, go to your polling location on Election day. We don't expect huge lines on Election Day. I think we've got everything well in place for a huge turnout. I mean, really with early voting and absentee so far, we should have record setting turnout for the state of Idaho for this election.
GAUDETTE: Wow. So what about when ballots start being counted? Phil and I asked this question because we have two time zones in Idaho. So even though the polls close at 8 p.m., they close 8 p.m. local time. So in the Treasure Valley, you know, they close. They close at 8 p.m.. But if you're in North Idaho, it's 9 p.m. when the polls close up in Coeur d'Alene. I mean, here in Boise. So how does that work?
MCGRANE: There's so many layers to the question you asked. I think that you're right. All of the time, standards are applied wherever you live. So if you live in the Panhandle, it's an hour different than it is here down in Boise. Um, one of the things that voters will note is on Election day, we won't release results until 8 p.m. Pacific time. So 9 p.m. Mountain time, 8 p.m. Pacific time. And that's so that we wait until all voting is finished in the Panhandle. It's interesting doing this in a state that crosses 2 time zones. Um, so we've got all that in terms of, you know, really for the election, absentees are all still sealed up nicely in their envelopes. All the early voting votes have not been tallied at this point. All of that will be reserved for Election Day. And the first results will be known even to the election officials following 8 p.m. on Election Day. So there's a lot of processes in place that we're working on to make sure that everyone can vote, and no one's influenced by trying to know, like, who's ahead or how are things trending. Um, we make sure everything is level for everybody, no matter where you are in the state of Idaho.
GAUDETTE: And when do polls open? Next Tuesday. If folks have an absentee ballot or they haven't voted early?
MCGRANE: Yeah. One of the big things we are encouraging is visit Idaho Gov. So you can make a plan, see your sample ballot and then know when to vote. So early. Voting is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout this week until five on Friday, and then next Tuesday. Voting will begin at 8 a.m. and the polls close at 8 p.m. so if you need to find your polling place, vote Idaho is a great site to visit to get ready.
GAUDETTE: Well, as always, Phil, we so appreciate you coming on and talking with us about all of this. We've been talking with Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane on how our state is getting ready for the November election. He will, of course, be back next Tuesday to answer more questions about the process. Thanks so much for listening to Idaho Matters. Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Matters are members of the NPR network. It's an independent coalition of public media podcasters. You can find more shows in the network wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Gemma Gaudette. We'll see you tomorrow.
Idaho has a constitutional amendment on the ballot about noncitizen voting
Oct 29, 2024
In the past few weeks, we’ve been doing a lot of reporting on Proposition One - the citizens initiative that would open Idaho's primaries and establish a ranked choice voting system in Idaho.
You’ll see it on the ballot labeled as “Proposed Idaho Constitutional Amendment SJR 102” and here to help break it down for Idaho Matters is McKay Cunningham, constitutional scholar and graduate professor at the College of Idaho.
Read the full transcript below.
GAUDETTE: More Idaho Matters now from the studios of Boise State Public Radio News. I'm Gemma Gaudette. In the past few weeks, we've been doing a lot of reporting on proposition one. This is the citizen's initiative that would open Idaho's primaries and also establish a ranked choice voting system here in Idaho. However, there is another statewide question on the ballot this year. It has to do with whether non-citizens should be allowed to vote in Idaho. Now you will see it on the ballot labeled as proposed Idaho Constitutional Amendment, SJR 102. And here to help break it down for us today is McKay Cunningham, constitutional scholar and graduate professor at the College of Idaho. Mckay. Nice to have you back on the program.
CUNNINGHAM: Hi, Gemma. Nice to be here.
GAUDETTE: So, McKay, tell us about the amendment. What exactly would it do?
CUNNINGHAM: It's a pretty simple amendment. It's just one sentence to be added to Idaho's constitution, and it would essentially make certain that non-citizens cannot vote in an election here in Idaho.
GAUDETTE: Okay. This is the part that that confuses me as to why this is even on the ballot. And that is. Isn't this already in Idaho's constitution? I mean, what's the difference between what's now in our state constitution and what is in this amendment?
CUNNINGHAM: Yeah, that's a great point. Yes. It's all I mean, non-citizens are already barred from voting in Idaho as our Constitution stands today without this proposed language. And so a lot of opponents are questioning why we need to do this. If the law, even in our Constitution, already prohibits non-citizens from voting. Um, one of the arguments that the proponents have put forward is that we need to clarify or to be extra direct, and making sure that everyone knows that non-citizens can't vote in Idaho's elections. But I'll read for you if you like what our current constitution states without this amendment as it relates to to non-citizens. It says every male or female citizen of the United States, 18 years old, who's resided in the state, etc., is a qualified elector. So yes, Gemma it's already prohibited in our Constitution already.
GAUDETTE: And to clarify, this is also federal law. I mean, non-citizens cannot vote.
CUNNINGHAM: Yeah. I mean, I'm glad that you brought that up. Um, there's a federal statute that prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections, for example, for the president of the United States. Now that federal statute only prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections. In other words, there's nothing in the US Constitution and there's nothing in the federal statutes that prohibits states or local governments from allowing non-citizens to vote. Now, to be clear, every state, all 50 of them, disallow non-citizens to vote in their state elections as well. But one of the things that not a lot of people know is that's not always been the case. I mean, during the 1800s and early 1900s, at least 40 states had provisions in their constitutions specifically allowing non-citizens to vote. Isn't that interesting? In Pennsylvania, for example, their constitution in the 1800s said this, quote, all free men. That's something there to all free men. I mean.
GAUDETTE: There there's that.
CUNNINGHAM: Mackay having a sufficient evident common interest with and attachment to the community, have a right to elect officers and be elected in office. Alabama had a constitutional provision like that. Massachusetts. Massachusetts. Illinois. Ohio. Lots of states before World War One had constitutional provisions that specifically allowed non-citizens to vote. It's really only since World War One that that has completely flipped. Mhm.
GAUDETTE: Okay. I want to look at what supporters and opponents are saying about this constitutional amendment. So according to the Idaho Secretary of State website. Supporters of the amendment say it's needed, quote, because the current language does not expressly prohibit non-citizens from voting, unquote. Can you speak on that a bit more? Because you literally read us the statute and it seems fairly clear.
CUNNINGHAM: Yeah, I have trouble with that, quite frankly. Gemma. Um, I guess technically the the Idaho Constitution does not prohibit. It just says the same things, one in an affirmative way and one in a negative way. So what we currently have is an affirmative postulation. It says these people can vote and it says you have to be a citizen to vote. This this proposed constitutional amendment says the same thing but from a negative affect, saying, uh, non-citizens cannot vote in Idaho. So I guess technically, um, there is a difference there, but practically there's not one. The argument Gemma that they have, um, that proponents have forwarded that may have a little more, um, uh, um, uh, justification is that it is true that there are a small number of local governments of cities, typically, that have allowed non-citizens to vote in them, that definitely not in Idaho. Um, but that has occurred in other places in the United States. And so there is an argument that this provision would make it clear that no state here or no city, excuse me, no city or local government within Idaho could change their specific election provisions to allow non-citizens to vote. Um.
GAUDETTE: Well, in fact, um, as you mentioned, there are some places that do this. The Idaho Capital Sun actually reported and found that, uh, found that to actually be true in places like Maryland, Vermont and San Francisco. So with supporters wanting to make sure that doesn't happen here in Idaho. Um, again, for clarification, that doesn't happen in Idaho as right now, but is this a growing concern? Mckay.
CUNNINGHAM: Well, I don't know if it's a growing concern in Idaho. I mean, Secretary of State Phil McGrane has said it has never occurred in any municipality, any city, any local government, and that Idaho has never even considered allowing non-citizens to vote in any local elections. So I guess the argument is that this proposal would preemptively block any Idaho localities from potentially allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections. I mean, you say, is this a trend? And I think a lot of it stems from the the immigration debate that we are having as a as a country right now. And some of the suggestions that immigrants are are flooding into the country. And so I think this kind of provision, even though practically it will have little consequence, is really, um, uh, forwarded for that kind of a purpose.
GAUDETTE: So I want to talk about what opponents of this constitutional amendment are saying. So one of their arguments is, is that, uh, in the state of Idaho, we already have to provide, quote, citizenship and proof of residency, unquote, to register to vote in Idaho. Opponents also say that this amendment would, quote, foreclose any opportunity in the future, unquote, to allow non-citizens to vote in certain elections. So, McKay, can you talk about those two issues as well, in particular, uh, needing to already show proof of citizenship and residency to vote?
CUNNINGHAM: Yeah, yeah, for sure. I think opponents are, first of all, saying this is a solution in search of a problem. We already outlaw, um, non-citizens from voting. And to your point or your question about the processes that are put in place, such as voter registration, which requires, upon penalty of perjury, uh, attestation that you are, in fact, a citizen of the United States. Um, Senator McGrane has stressed that Idaho election officials have a lot of processes in place to make sure that only citizens can vote. These processes have been in place for a long time now. They are double checked with regard to the information that we have on individuals through the Department of Motor Vehicles, through Social Security Administration, through the Idaho State Police, and even with interactions with the United States Department of Homeland Security. So, yeah, we already have a prohibition against non-citizens voting, and we already have a very robust system to ensure that that doesn't take place. I mean, the next question is in my mind, like, does it happen? Do we have a lot of non-citizens voting historically, uh, in Idaho? And I haven't seen that data. Again, Secretary of State Phil McGrane and elected republic Republican, has suggested there is a handful of such instances. Um, but that's that's as far as I've been able to tell with regard to what has happened in Idaho. There are some nationwide surveys, one done by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that said that they found only 77 times that a non-citizen has voted over a four year span. That's from 1999 to 2023. And that was a study done by the Heritage Foundation, all of which to say, um, I don't think that there is a lot of proof or any proof really, that there's widespread voting by by non-citizens. And part of the reason is because you can go to jail and or be deported. Um.
GAUDETTE: So, right, right. And we should note that, um, that the Secretary of State did say that, um, in past elections in Idaho, 36 very likely non-citizens are being removed from the rolls this year. Uh, now, Secretary McCrane was on was on our program every Tuesday right now, I believe last week or the week before when this number came up, he did say, well, actually, one person was put back on the voter roll because they are a citizen. So even with that, that is a significantly small number, um, of non-citizens trying to vote in elections. Um, with that, said McKay, several states have a question like this on the ballot to ban non-citizens from voting. So is that a growing trend in the United States? I've got about two minutes left with you.
CUNNINGHAM: Yeah, it is a growing trend. I mean, we've heard a lot, um, nationally about the vote being rigged or it cannot be trusted. And I think some of this trend that you're talking about is responsive to that rhetoric of, of our elections being insecure or rigged. Um, those eight states, including Idaho, that are currently considering ballot measures just like Idaho in each of those eight states, it's already illegal for non-citizens to vote. So it's a very similar process that these other eight states, which are Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin are going through right now.
GAUDETTE: So I want to ask you two more quick questions. This is a constitutional amendment, not a proposition. Does that require more votes to pass in the election or is it still a simple majority?
CUNNINGHAM: It's still a simple majority.
GAUDETTE: Okay. And finally, if this amendment fails, I want people to understand this. Will this allow non-citizens to vote.
CUNNINGHAM: No if this amendment fails? Non-citizens can still no can still not vote in Idaho, either a city or a local or state or federal election. Non-citizens can still not vote even if this proposition fails.
GAUDETTE: All right. Really appreciate the conversation about this because, um, you know, just having more understanding of what's on the ballot is always helpful for all of us. So appreciate your time.
CUNNINGHAM: Yeah. It's also nice to get a break from proposition one.
GAUDETTE: Oh my goodness. Right. Thanks, McKay. We've been speaking with McKay. Cutting with McKay Cunningham, constitutional scholar and graduate professor at the College of Idaho. Talking about the proposed constitutional amendment, which will be on the ballot. The amendment is to keep noncitizens from voting in Idaho. Thanks so much for listening to Idaho Matters. Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Matters are members of the NPR network. It's an independent coalition of public media podcasters. You can find more shows in the network wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Gemma Gaudette. We'll see you tomorrow.
What might voters learn from Idaho government students? ‘The decorum has been great’
Oct 29, 2024
Morning Edition host George Prentice is joined by Todd Simis, Ella Houston and Carter Maness(Boise State Public Radio)
In what has become a jaw-dropping election season, including more than a few inappropriate moments, what should America’s next generation of voters think of our electoral system?
“This [election] is more interesting,” said Todd Simis, veteran educator and teacher of American Government and Advanced Placement Government and Political at Boise’s Capital High School. “Yes, there’s a convergence this year. It’s exciting. I will say that elections have changed.”
But he’s quick to add how proud parents would be of the respectful nature of those classes.
“The decorum has been great,” said Simis. “The students have been awesome; and as we get closer, it’s exciting for sure.”
And while a good many voters may be targeted by agenda-driven social media, these students really don’t want any part of that.
“Recently I stopped using social media … purposely,” said Carter Maness, Capital High senior. “I don’t think anyone wants to really have a fight … or something.”
And these students also have more than a few ideas about how to engage more voters, particularly
“I think, at a base level, the Electoral College is unrepresented,” said Tessa Houston, Capital High junior. “I think it is furthered and empowered by the winner-take-all method. It can erase nearly half of a state population’s votes.”
With days before the marathon election season comes to a climax, the students and educator visit with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about what it’s like to consider the concepts of American politics in the shadow of a contest for the ages.
New system makes voting more accessible to tribal communities
Oct 29, 2024
In the Mountain West battleground state of Nevada, the first votes of the 2024 general election have already been cast. Earlier this month, tribal members living in the state’s 28 tribal communities gained access to the state’s digital absentee voting system. It’s part of an effort to improve access to the ballot for indigenous voters across the state.
KNPR’s Paul Boger reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Treasure Valley task force works to reduce rise in drunk driving
Oct 28, 2024
In the last five years, the Treasure Valley has seen a 26% increase in drunk driving, and 42% of fatal car crashes were related to someone driving while impaired.
Valley law enforcement agencies want to bring those numbers down, so they’ve created the new Treasure Valley DUI Task Force.
A similar task force in north Idaho has seen a big drop in fatal car crashes due to impaired driving, so now agencies from Garden City to Meridian to Canyon County are joining together to educate the public about the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
Lt. Crapo and Lt. Horst from the Idaho State Police joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
New resource reveals how your state and local tax dollars are being spent
Oct 28, 2024
Did you know that Caldwell’s mayor makes $40 an hour? Or that Boise spent more last year on sewer and wastewater costs than it did for its police department? Or that you can make $17 an hour as a seasonal golf clubhouse worker in McCall?
Well, now you can know all that and more thanks to a new addition to the Transparent Idaho website, your one-stop-shop for how your state and local tax dollars are spent, that now includes financial data from Idaho’s 198 cities.
The website is the brainchild of Brandon Woolf, Idaho’s state controller, who has been making transparency in government a central theme of his administration. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'A Good Guy:' Revisiting the January 6 insurrection
Oct 28, 2024
The U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th, 2021. (Jose Luis Magana / AP)
A new podcast titled "A Good Guy" tells the story of active-duty marine sergeant, Joshua Abbott. He was part of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. What was he doing there? That’s the question the podcast wanted to answer.
It’s hosted by NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and reporter and co-host Lauren Hodges. The podcast dropped last week morning edition host George Prentice sat down with Bowman and Hodges to find out more about it.
Timberline Wind Symphony fundraises for chance to play at national festival
Oct 28, 2024
The 2023 Timberline Wind Symphony Band. ( Timberline High School)
Now they’re trying to raise enough money for the trip. Band Director, José Rodríguez II, along with Timberline High students Matias Vidal-Russel and Grant Cardoza, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this opportunity.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: October 25, 2024
Oct 25, 2024
A wooden gavel. (<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/115595130@N03/">Paul and Kami McGuire</a> / Flickr)
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.
Federal affordable housing program for agricultural workers falls short in Colorado
Oct 25, 2024
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The tight housing market means many people struggle to find an affordable place to live, and that includes farmworkers. So the U.S. Department of Agriculture funds a national network of workforce housing, which sounds good. But, as Rae Solomon of KUNC and Harvest Public Media reports, the federal government blocks many farmworkers from using it.
RAE SOLOMON, BYLINE: A tidy apartment complex sits on the industrial edge of rural Fort Morgan, Colo. There are solar panels on the roof, a couple of playgrounds for the kids and a sign out front welcoming you to Sol Naciente, an agricultural labor housing community. Seems like the perfect place for meatpacker Abdoul Aziz Diallo, who's originally from the West African country of Mauritania.
ABDOUL AZIZ DIALLO: (Speaking French).
SOLOMON: Diallo says, he's been looking for a place to live since he moved to the area last spring. But when he approached Sol Naciente about an open unit, they said he might be an ag worker, but he couldn't live there because at $23 an hour, his income was too high. He says, apart from Sol Naciente, housing here is in short supply and very, very expensive. And according to Arturo Alvarado, who heads the nonprofit that manages Sol Naciente, Diallo's experience is common.
ARTURO ALVARADO: We're finding, in the Fort Morgan area, a lot of the agriculture workers are making over the income that qualifies to live in the properties.
SOLOMON: Sol Naciente is part of the USDA's Off-Farm Labor Housing Program that funds affordable rentals for very low- to moderate-income ag workers. That means the federal government dictates who can live there. Tenants have to work in agriculture. They need documentation, and there are strict caps on household income based on the area's median income, or AMI. At Sol Naciente, the cap is about $37,000 a year for one person. Alvarado says in practice, those restrictions disqualify most of the local ag workforce the program is designed to help.
ALVARADO: The income restrictions are making it hard for us to fill all the units.
SOLOMON: That's because the AMI-linked income restrictions have not kept pace with ag worker earnings. Richard Stup is an agricultural workforce specialist at Cornell University.
RICHARD STUP: We're definitely seeing an upward trend. Farm wages have been going up faster than non-farm wages.
SOLOMON: He says that trend is likely to continue, meaning more and more ag workers will lose eligibility for housing. The USDA did not respond to questions, but officials at other Off-Farm Labor Housing properties in Colorado and Minnesota say they can't find enough qualifying tenants for their vacancies. Marty Miller is executive director of the Washington state nonprofit Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing.
MARTY MILLER: When we're in the middle of a housing crisis, people can't afford places to live, there can be good-quality available units, but they have a hard time finding someone eligible to live there.
SOLOMON: He says ag workers in other states - like Washington, Oregon, California and Texas - have the same problem. He hopes the federal government will adjust the income rules so housing remains available for the ag workers who so desperately need it. Instead, last fall, the ag department gave Sol Naciente a waiver to accept non-farmworker tenants who do meet the income restrictions. That solved their vacancy problem, but it didn't help ag worker Abdoul Diallo, who never found a home in Fort Morgan. For months, he bounced around, staying with acquaintances and friends of friends.
DIALLO: (Speaking French).
SOLOMON: He says it's been too stressful, so he's leaving Fort Morgan, quitting the agriculture workforce for a restaurant job in Denver. It won't pay as well as the meatpacking gig, but at least he'll be able to find a home in the city. For NPR News, I'm Rae Solomon in Fort Morgan.
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Boise Bicycle Project prepares for holiday giveaway
Oct 24, 2024
Bikes from the 2023 Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway.( Boise Bicycle Project)
Seven storytellers from seven parts of Idaho are coming together next week to tell the intensely personal stories of their lives.
It's "Story Story Night’s" latest production, and it’s called Starry Story Night: The Big Dipper because there are seven major stars in the dipper, just like there are seven storytellers offering ‘a point of life’ from across Idaho.
We wanted to hear some of those stories, so we invited Jodi Eichelberger, the artistic director of Story Story Night; Michael Riley, a retired teacher who lives in Potlatch; Blair Williams, the owner of the Art Spirit Gallery; and Jessica Joy, a musician and creator of "Classical Queens: Our Time," to join Idaho Matters.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 23, 2024
Oct 23, 2024
A nurse fills a syringe with COVID-19 vaccine. (Orlin Wagner / AP)
After a board of directors meeting Tuesday with more than 300 public comments against the vaccine, as well as presentations from well-known doctors, including Dr. Ryan Cole, who spread misinformation about vaccines, the board voted 4-3 against administering the vaccine.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this decision.
Expanding coverage for 3D mammograms in Idaho
Oct 23, 2024
A doctor shows what a 3D image of the breast using tomosynthesis (3D mammography) looks like on a screen.(South China Morning Post/South China Morning Post / Getty Images)
When it comes to cancer diagnosis among women, breast cancer is the second most common.
In recent years we’ve seen a spike in the disease, particularly in people 50 years and younger, which makes early detection critical. Luckily, that’s something that's becoming easier with technology like 3D mammograms.
Not everyone has the kind of health insurance to receive this kind of preventative care, though, which is why Idaho House Representative Brooke Green plans to bring forth legislation to expand breast imaging coverage.
She joined Idaho Matters along with breast radiologist Dr. Barbara White, founder of Lyra Total Breast Health, and Dr. Rhiana Menen, fellowship trained breast surgeon and medical director of Mountain State Breast and General Surgery.
Understanding autism: A new PBS series provides representation for kids
Oct 23, 2024
Legos and other interlocking toys are only one kind of blocks that remain popular with kids.(iStockphoto.com)
The CDC has found that the earlier kids can be diagnosed, the sooner they can get the treatment they need to navigate their world.
A new PBS series called "Carl the Collector" features a young boy diagnosed with autism who likes to collect things, line them up neatly in his room, and count objects repeatedly, and it provides a bridge for both kids and parents to learn more about ASD.
Kari Wardle, the director of education at Idaho Public Television, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the new series.
Idaho Decision 2024: Early voting
Oct 22, 2024
(Jens Alfke / Flickr)
Early voting is underway in Idaho and will continue into November. Its a popular way to cast your ballot, but what are the rules?
Because it’s a presidential election year there’s been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level.
To answer the questions that have come up this election season, particularly about early voting, we asked Idaho’s Secretary of State, Phil McGrane, to join Idaho Matters for a breakdown.
Idaho Elections: A breakdown of ranked-choice voting
Oct 22, 2024
( Canva)
In November, voters will be faced with Proposition 1. It’s a citizen initiative that will do two things if passed: it would open up all primaries in Idaho and it would create a new voting system known as ranked choice voting.
Last week, we looked at the open primary side of Prop 1, and this week we’ll tackle ranked choice voting, diving into how it works as well as the possible pros and cons.
Our panel today:
McKay Cunningham, constitutional scholar and graduate professor at the College of Idaho
Dr. Stephanie Witt, Public Policy, Administration and Political Science Professor with Boise State University
GAUDETTE: More Idaho Matters right now, I'm Gemma Gaudette. In November, voters will be faced with proposition one. It's a citizen's initiative that will do two things. If passed, it would open up all primaries in Idaho, and it would create a new voting system known as ranked choice voting. Now, last week if you joined us, we looked at the open primary side of prop one. This week we're going to tackle ranked choice voting. So here to explain how RVC would work if prop one passes are McKay Cunningham, constitutional scholar and graduate professor at the College of Idaho, as well as Doctor Stephanie Witt in the School of Public Service with Boise State University. I want to welcome both of you to the program.
CUNNINGHAM: Hi, Gemma.
WITT: Hi, Gemma. Good to be here.
GAUDETTE: Really good to have both of you here. So who would like to tackle a very quick definition of what ranked choice voting is?
CUNNINGHAM: Yeah. You know the silence. I like how I know.
GAUDETTE: I'm kind of like anyone, anyone.
CUNNINGHAM: I can give a very general description of it. And then maybe we can get into, like, a hypothetical because Gemma. Yeah. You know, I've been talking about ranked choice voting across Idaho in the past two weeks. Um, and what I found is, like, when you describe it just orally, um, it's a little difficult to get your mind around, but when the audience sees a sample ballot, the light bulbs go off. So I want to just put that as a disclaimer. It's kind of hard to do verbally, but very generally speaking.
GAUDETTE: Well, why don't we do this? McKay. Sorry to interrupt you. Why don't we just go then? Right to a, um, a try to do some ranked choice voting on the radio? Because we did send out a sample ballot on Facebook and Instagram, and it came from the Veterans for Veterans for Idaho and, and on this sample ballot. So if you want to if you're listening right now and you have access to social media folks, you can go on and find this sample ballot. But what it is is they have four candidates. They have apple pie, ice cream, berry cobbler and birthday cake. Okay, so my first question then how do I know if apple pie is a Republican or a Democrat?
( Veterans for Idaho Voters)
CUNNINGHAM: Um, yeah. Well, um, the the candidates can identify as a Republican or a Democrat. Doctor Witt, what do you have on that?
WITT: Well, that's a great question. I actually don't don't know the answer for sure. I believe it would be marked next to their name, wouldn't it, on the ballot the same way it is now.
GAUDETTE: Just like it normally is right now you have the R or the D okay. So my next. So my next question Doctor Witt can all these candidates, um as I said the apple pie, the blueberry, the the ice cream, the berry cobbler, the birthday cake, can they all be from the same party? Let's say all of the desserts are Republican.
WITT: I believe that is the case. If those are the top vote getters in the open primary part that you talked about last week.
GAUDETTE: Okay. And so then if oh, go ahead. McKay.
CUNNINGHAM: Oh, sorry. Gemma. Yeah, I was just. I was just going to weigh in. So if we if we posit a hypothetical, maybe not with regard to desserts, but with regard to, like, a Senate seat next election, if prop one passes, let's say it's just one seat that six candidates are all vying for. Let's say that four of those candidates are Republican. One identifies as a Democrat and one identifies as an independent. The first thing we do, of course, is we go to the primaries. And you guys have already talked about this on Idaho Matters, but it bears repeating. And that is the primaries don't don't function to just identify one Republican and identify one Democrat for the general election. Instead, an open primary as it's envisioned by prop one, just whittles down the top four vote getters. And that's all it does.
So we go to the primary with this hypothetical again, four Republicans, one Democrat, one independent, all vying for the same seat. You go to the primary and it widows down to the four top vote getters. In this hypothetical, let's say that three are Republicans and one is independent. And that's it for the primary. Then we move to the general election. And it's just one vote, like always. It's not like voters have to come in two and three and four times. It's just one vote. And that's when ranked choice voting kicks in. Voters go into the general election and they can vote for their preferred candidate, or they can vote for their preferred candidate and then rank the remaining candidates. So after that, general election occurs instantaneously, that's why it's called an instant runoff. You will know whether or not one of those four candidates received a majority, 50% plus one vote. And if one of those four candidates does, then that's the winner and we're done. Um, but if none of the four candidates receives a majority, but the instant runoff kicks in such that the candidate who received the fewest amount of votes, the fourth placed candidate, that candidate is removed, and every voter who voted for that first place candidate.
If they then ranked their second and third preference, then those preferences, or at least their second preference, would be distributed among the remaining three candidates, and that process would continue until you have at least one candidate who has a majority. And that's at least descriptively, how ranked choice voting is is going to work if prop one succeeds.
GAUDETTE: So here's my question then. So let's say that you've got these three Republicans, one independent in a Senate race, and go into the general election. I'm at the ballot box and I'm like, you know what? I really only like Republican a and I don't want to. I don't want to rank anybody else. I can do that. Right?
WITT: Oh, absolutely. Okay. Yeah. There's no you do not have to rank all of the choices if you don't want to.
GAUDETTE: Okay. So then, doctor, let's say I'm like, all right, I'm going to rank them because I like Republican a best. But I like the independent second. And then I like Republican B but I really do not like Republican C but I decide to rank it. If Republicans C you know, gets a certain number of votes. Let let's say, you know, the independent got knocked out. Does that mean that even though I don't like Republican C but I ranked Republican C that that candidate may actually get my vote?
WITT: I guess it would in the way that you describe it. And um, it is a little hard to follow live on the radio, but I. Yeah, I think so. Unless I misunderstood what you were giving as an example, if you really don't want someone to get your vote ever under any circumstance, the solution, I think, would be to not include them in your ranking at all.
GAUDETTE: So. So vote for your number one if if that is really, truly who you want to get that position.
WITT: Yes. But and then, uh, don't don't rank the candidate you just can't stand. Now, I'm sure there's a mathematician out there getting ready to tell me I've just told you wrong, but I think that's the solution.
GAUDETTE: Look, I'm no mathematician, so this is difficult for me. Um, so. So, McKay, that's, I think, where sometimes I think this seems to get a little tricky for folks to wrap their brains around is it's not the ranking. Like, I understand the ranking. It's the part about the okay, let like that that bottom vote getter is thrown out. Okay, that makes sense. Then all of a sudden it's like, but we're going to take those votes and we're going to disperse them. How how do you disperse them? Like does candidate does the does the candidate with the the you know who right now maybe had like 38% of the vote. Let's say that's the highest vote getter. Do do they get all those votes that got that that that candidate that was thrown out got I mean, I don't even know if I'm making sense at this point.
CUNNINGHAM: Yeah. Yeah. No, I'm following back to our hypothetical. If we have those three Republicans and that one independent candidate all in the general election. In our hypothetical, we suggested that that one independent got the least amount of votes. So that candidate is eliminated. Now we focus on the voters who voted for that independent, that candidate who was eliminated. And we look at those voters to see whether or not they had a second place preference, and if they had a second place preference, um, then those second place preferences are distributed, um, accordingly to that, that voter's preference. So let's just use one, one voter who, who originally voted for the independent. And then they said, well, okay, if my independent, uh, favored candidate doesn't win, the second candidate that I would like would be Republican A and in that instance, the independent lost. And therefore that voter's second choice is then transferred to the Republican that they wanted as their second choice.
GAUDETTE: Okay. Before I let the two of you go, what is the best way to get educated about how ranked choice voting might work in Idaho?
WITT: Well, both sides have put out a lot of good information. Um, there are also third party, uh, groups that that you can look at. I before I Talk to you this morning I was looking at the Council of State Governments, a nonpartisan group that has some descriptions of how ranked choice voting works in different places there. There are those kinds of links that I can share with you. You can share it out to your audience.
GAUDETTE: What we'll do is we'll get those links from you and put them on our website. I want to thank both of you for chatting with us today about this. We've been talking with McKay Cunningham, constitutional scholar and graduate professor at the College of Idaho, as well as Doctor Stephanie Witt in the School of Public Service with Boise State Public University. Boise State University have a lot to say today. Anyway, we've been talking about ranked choice voting. We're going to continue that conversation next.
[Music Break]
GAUDETTE: Let's continue our discussion about proposition one and ranked choice voting with Luke Mayville with Idahoans for Open Primaries Coalition. This is the group that gathered enough signatures to put prop one on the ballot. Luke, welcome back to the show.
MAYVILLE: Thanks for having me. Gemma.
GAUDETTE: So why did you want to put ranked choice voting before Idaho voters?
MAYVILLE: Well, the core problem that we're taking on with this initiative is that Idaho currently has a closed primary system. The best possible way to counter that and open the primary system back up so that all voters, including unaffiliated voters, really have a voice. The best way to open the primary is to have a top four primary with ranked choice voting. These two reforms, the open primary and ranked choice voting, really fit together hand in glove, and we can talk more about why they go together so nicely.
GAUDETTE: So do you believe that ranked choice voting will make Idaho elections more fair?
MAYVILLE: Absolutely. Um, currently in our closed primary election system, candidates are winning elections and then making our laws for our state based on just winning support from about 9% of the public. That's not right. People, every citizen in Idaho should really have a voice, and we should have elected officials who are accountable to all of the voters, to the broader public, not just to one small group of about 9% of the voters. Opening up the primary makes our elected officials accountable to the broader community, including all the independents who will now get to vote in the primary. And ranked choice voting really does the same thing, because ranked choice voting guarantees that the winner of the election has broad support from the community.
GAUDETTE: So look, some critics of prop one have said that by putting both ranked choice voting and open primaries on the same ballot, it's really created confusion among voters. I don't know if you heard our last segment, I think we got a little bit in the weeds with it. It can. I think it really can be a little bit confusing once you get to that last part of, you know, when you're trying to whittle down who wins that race, but how do you respond to that potential confusion among voters?
MAYVILLE: Look, I listened to the last segment and I thought things got a little over complicated there. There's a really simple way to understand this. Imagine you're a voter and you there's four candidates on your ballot. You're voting for governor, say, and and you rank candidates one through four. My first choice, second choice. Third choice. Fourth choice. Um, all that happens when the votes are counted is the very first thing is that the first choices are counted up. If anyone gets a majority, then they're they're declared the winner. If no one gets a majority, the key thing you need to understand is that the last place candidate gets eliminated. If you voted for that candidate as your first choice, your vote now goes to your second choice. That's the that's it. That's the heart of it. So I'm going to repeat that. If you, the last place candidate, gets eliminated from the race, if that was your favorite candidate, your vote now goes to your second choice. That's the whole thing. If you understand that that that's the whole process of how the votes are tallied up. And once a candidate gets up over 50% support, they're declared the winner. And so the heart of it really is making sure that the winner of our elections has broad support from the community. Unlike now where we had we're choosing winners in restricted closed primaries where barely anyone votes. And we're getting leaders who really only represent about 9% of the public.
GAUDETTE: Well, we're getting we're and our elections because of this closed primary, is that we are basically being in a state that tends to be, you know, I mean, it's a Republican majority. I mean, we tend to make those decisions in the closed primary. I mean, for example, you can take former Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin. She won that her primary to become lieutenant governor with about 28% of the primary vote.
MAYVILLE: Yes. So that. So let's walk through that. The former lieutenant governor won the closed primary election with 20, 28% or whatever. That was just of the voters who participated in the closed primary. And that was only about 20% of the total voters. So when you really drill down, it turns out that the lieutenant governor won that election with support from probably something between 5 and 7% of the voters. And then, as you said, Gemma. She then went on to a general election where she's just head to head with a Democratic opponent. And because we are in an overwhelmingly Republican state, she sailed to victory. So it's a broken system. We're electing people who don't truly represent the broader community and aren't really in a position to solve the problems of the larger community, because they get elected and reelected with just a tiny sliver of the population supporting them.
GAUDETTE: Mhm. A recent Boise State University poll found support for an open for an open primary, but not for ranked choice voting. The poll found 34% of Idahoans in favor of ranked choice voting and 50% opposed to it. I mean, Luke, again, do you attribute this to that confusion over how this system would work?
MAYVILLE: I personally, I was very critical of the way that poll was designed, and we have not seen that same kind of opposition to ranked choice voting, either in the in the private polling that we've done for our own campaign or when we've knocked, we've now knocked over 150,000 doors across the state of Idaho. We have over 2000 volunteers working on this and generally it on on ranked choice voting. It's closer to 50 over 50 in terms of support and opposition. And and generally, once people hear a simple explanation of how it works, they really warm up to it. And they like the idea that this is a way of guaranteeing that the winner has broad support from the community, and doesn't just represent one small sliver of the of the community.
GAUDETTE: Luke, I only have about a minute and a half left with you, and I do want to quickly get to this question. The Secretary of State joined us earlier in the program today, and we did ask him about his estimate of what ranked choice voting would cost the state to switch over to new voting machines. He put it somewhere between 25 to $40 million. You told the Idaho Capital Sun, there's a cheaper way to do this with voting software. Um, what is your response to that?
MAYVILLE: Well, in the time since the Secretary of state did his analysis, uh, there's been some follow up research done by national experts, including a county clerk, a former county clerk in Utah who actually oversaw ranked choice voting in his county. So he really knows his stuff here. Um, and what they concluded was that it could be done in a very fiscally conservative way, um, by just using simple software upgrades. And that software has, in fact, the the Secretary of State has pointed to it not being certified by a certain federal agency, but in fact, that software has been approved in federally accredited labs. And therefore, what the what our experts in Utah and elsewhere have concluded is that it is ready for use in Idaho. And if we can make those basic software upgrades, the cost of this will be much closer to what it cost in the state of Maine, which was about $500,000 total, or which which amounts to about $0.50 per voter. And we think whether it's $0.50 per voter or whether it's a little more than that, that's a very worthwhile investment for making sure that we're securing the right of every Idaho citizen to participate in our elections.
GAUDETTE: Well, Luke, as always, appreciate you coming on the program and talking about this. We've been speaking with Luke Mayville. He is with the Idahoans for Open Primaries Coalition talking about proposition one, but in particular ranked choice voting. We're going to continue our discussion about ranked choice voting in Idaho right after this quick break.
[Music Break]
GAUDETTE: More Idaho Matters. Right now I'm Gemma Gaudette and we are continuing our discussion about proposition one and ranked choice voting with Trent England, the founder and Executive Director of Save Our States, as well as Jake Ball, chairman of Idaho Fair Elections political Action Committee. I want to welcome both of you to the program.
ENGLAND: Glad to be here. Thank you.
BALL: Yeah. Thanks.
GAUDETTE: Jake. Let me start with you. For folks who aren't familiar, what is the Idaho Fair Elections PAC?
BALL: Oh, we're just a little, uh, political action committee that was formed in July. And our purpose is to educate Idaho voters with regard to what prop one actually is. And our main thesis is that, um, prop one is bad for Republicans, Democrats. It's really bad for independents. And it is essentially a system that decreases voter choice and is not, uh, doesn't work in other parts of the country where it's been tried. And it's just a bad policy altogether.
GAUDETTE: And Trent, what is Save our States?
ENGLAND: Yeah. So we're an organization. We've been around about 15 years, originally created to defend the Electoral College. And we also have taken on this issue of ranked choice voting, because we think it's a real threat to just simple, fair, honest elections.
GAUDETTE: Um, Jake, you've called ranked choice voting confusing and expensive, Inexpensive and quote. Absolutely wrong for the state of Idaho end quote. Can you tell us a little bit more about why you you believe that?
BALL: Well, let me tell you, in Idaho, we have a really great electoral system. Right now, we have four legal political parties Republican, Democrat, Constitution and libertarian. All four political parties have a guaranteed slot on the general election ballot, which I believe is great for democracy and also helps all voters have a choice in the general election. Another thing that is important is that Idaho has direct ballot access for independent candidates, which means if you are an independent candidate not affiliated with a party, you don't have to compete in that primary election. You go directly to the general election ballot. So in any given Partisan election in the state of Idaho, there are slots for those four political parties and independent candidates with ranked choice voting you could end up in a scenario with some some places in the state of Idaho where you have all Democrats on the ballot and no Republicans, for example. Or on the converse, some areas where you have all Republicans and no Democrats to vote for. It's the same system that the jungle primary creates in California, where in many statewide races, you only have candidates from one political party to vote for. And in the end, that simply decreases voter choice. When I show up to to a general election, I'm a Partisan Republican, and I have no problem saying that. But I appreciate seeing, uh, candidates from the other other political parties and independent candidates on that ballot.
GAUDETTE: Jake, Can I can I just can I just push back a little bit on that, though? And that is that there is an argument out there, though, that when we have a closed primary, which the Republicans have a closed primary, we are a supermajority Republican state. It's nice to say, well, in the general election, everyone has a choice. You can have a Republican and a Democrat and and an independent, you know, on the ballot. You make your choice. In Idaho, a lot of times that choice has already been made in the primary. It's closed. It's closed.
BALL: I push back on that.
GAUDETTE: It's closed. No. Go ahead. But I'd love to hear your thoughts on that because it is a closed primary. So if we really want a democratic system, shouldn't we have our primaries open to anyone who is, who is, who has the ability, the legal ability to vote?
BALL: Yeah, well, the primary is open to anybody who has the legal ability to vote.
GAUDETTE: But, but, but but the Republican primary is not.
BALL: It is open to.
ENGLAND: Anybody who registers as a Republican.
GAUDETTE: True. Anyone who registers a Republican candidates.
ENGLAND: That's that's correct. Just like you can only vote in Boise if you live in Boise. You can only help choose the Republican candidates or the Democrat candidates if you actually affiliate with that party. That's a been a very basic democratic principle in the United States, going back for more than more than a century, going back beyond even the history of primaries where party members chose their own, their own candidates for the political party. I mean, people should get involved. I think what we're really you know, what you're really saying is that we need people to care enough to get involved with the political parties that nominate candidates. And, you know, maybe in states like Idaho, the Democrats need to nominate candidates that are more palatable to more Idaho voters.
GAUDETTE: And can I just say that Trent, I know your group says that that ranked choice voting does make it harder to vote and harder to count the votes. And you and you say it also makes it less transparent. Can you talk a little bit about that?
ENGLAND: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, this this is really what struck me when I first started looking at ranked choice voting, is that it is. It's sort of relatively easy to describe in theory, right, when we're talking about ice cream flavors or, you know, animals or something. But when you talk to actual voters in the ranked choice voting experience, it is. It's simply a more demanding system. Right now, people might say, that's good. They might say that's bad, but it is a more demanding system because you're expected to know not just who you want to win, but who your second and third and fourth choice is, which is a lot more information about the candidates. It takes a lot more time to vote, but it's really a big challenge on the the sort of post voting side, right? The the counting of those votes, making sure that it's done in a transparent way, and then being able to prove to voters that the system is actually honest and fair because it's so dependent on technology. I mean, the only practical way to to run a ranked choice voting election at at large scale is to feed it all into a computer and then trust what the computer tells you. Uh, I just have real concerns that in 2024, in the United States of America, in Idaho, right, or anywhere else, this is not the direction we want to take our elections to make it harder for voters, and just a lot harder for everybody to understand and trust what the results are from that, that process.
GAUDETTE: Trent, do you think it would be more palatable for folks who might be on the side of voting no on this, if these two issues had been separated, if there had been something for open primaries, which in Idaho, when when you look at surveys in Idaho, the majority is is open to open primaries. The sticking point is this ranked choice voting. So is that, in your opinion, a larger issue than an open primary?
ENGLAND: I think that's I think that's right. I think it's very telling that as much as the folks pushing prop one want to talk about open primaries, that's not really what this is. It's not a closed primary. Right. But but when when we in the election policy space talk about open primaries, we typically mean a primary election that's open to all voters, not a top four. You know, people call this a. California style all candidate primary or a jungle primary. Um, this is not what Idaho used to have. And and I think you're right, Gemma. I mean, I understand the argument, even though I pushed back on it. Right? I get it that we have a lot of people who, for whatever reason, feel like they don't want to participate with the parties except to to help choose the party nominees. Um, I mean, I think it would be a lot better for Idaho voters and frankly, just a lot more honest if the folks pushing this were just pushing that an open primary, a return to the open primary system and having a debate about that, because, I mean, ranked choice voting is is a big election change, and it shouldn't be lost in the conversation about who gets to vote in the primary election. I mean, this is, you know, as the secretary of state talked about, I mean, this is a potential $40 million, very complex transformation. Uh, and it means that that voters have to learn to to think about their votes in a different way and try to understand what the process means in a, I think, a very different way.
GAUDETTE: So this is for either of you, Jake or Trent, because, you know, in Idaho we have a very large independent electorate. And and I have lived in Idaho for a very long time. And it is I think there is a pride in being an independent in Idaho. And there is an argument to be made that that independent voters don't want to to register Republican, but they do want to be able to vote in an open primary. So are we disenfranchising a large majority of our electorate when you know, the the issue is, will then go register as a Republican. And I hate to cut you off, but I only have about two minutes left.
BALL: Yeah. Gemma. I you know, I sympathize with that. And I think that if you were to if proposition one were to return, actually return Idaho primaries to they to the way they were prior to 2012, I think you would have broad support. What's happened here is that prop one does not return Idaho primaries to an open primary system like we used to have, that did not require pre-registration with a party to participate in all but the Democrat primary. And that's been kind of the, I guess you would call it even a bait and switch in terms of what this actually is, is that it is not an open primary, it's an all candidate. Jungle primary is what I call it. And if it were a system that did return us back to the prior to to to the prior, uh, electoral system, I think you would have broad support, but this is not the same thing, first of all. And when you put ranked choice voting on top of it, it just becomes it's it's confusing, it's overwhelming. And it is a radical change to our entire election system. It's not just an open primary initiative. It is a complete transformation of our entire election system from tip to tail.
GAUDETTE: I want to thank both of you so very much for a lively conversation. Thank you. We've been talking with Trent England, the founder and executive director of Save Our States, as well as Jake Ball, chairman of Idaho for Fair Elections political Action Committee. Thanks so much for listening to Idaho Matters. Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Matters are members of the NPR network. It's an independent coalition of public media podcasters. You can find more shows in the network wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Gemma Gaudette. We'll see you tomorrow.
Mining our energy: What sacrifices are we willing to make?
Oct 21, 2024
Antonio Espinoza, a supervisor with the Gras Lawn landscaping company, uses a gasoline-powered leaf blower to clean up around a housing development in Brick, N.J. on June 18, 2024. New Jersey is one of many states either considering or already having banned gasoline-powered leaf blowers on environmental and health grounds, but the landscaping industry says the battery-powered devices favored by environmentalists and some governments are costlier and less effective than the ones they currently use. (Wayne Parry / AP)
It’s a catch-22: if we want to get away from fossil fuels and use more green energy, then we need more critical minerals, like copper and lithium. These minerals, however, have to be dug up from mines, which can threaten natural ecosystems, holy sites, and even where we go camping in Idaho.
He’s coming to Boise at the invitation of the James A. and Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research at the University of Idaho to talk about Idaho’s minerals and how they fit into this equation. He’ll sit down with leaders from Micron Technology, the Idaho National Laboratory, and the Nature Conservancy on Oct. 29.
Ernest along with McClure Center Director Dr. Katherine Himes joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Climate justice: How Native American youth are making a difference
Oct 21, 2024
(Linda Owen / Flickr)
For the past three years, the Center for Native American Youth has been offering kids the Brave Heart Fellowship. It’s a chance for native youth voices to be heard as they look for ways to help preserve our environment.
Ten kids in the Pacific Northwest will get grant money and support to make their own climate projects a reality. Katy Stewart with the Center for Native American Youth joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How beavers are assisting in wildfire crisis
Oct 21, 2024
One of the beaver ponds along Bear Creek, with signs of the 2020 Mullen Fire clear on the horizon.(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
Increasingly destructive wildfires are a major issue in the American West. However, some researchers say that land managers have an unlikely ally in their efforts to confront the crisis: the beaver.
When words fail us, there's Peter Cole: ‘One needs to face this brutal moment.’
Oct 21, 2024
The MFA Reading Series presents renowned poet and translator Peter Cole, winner of a MacArthur Fellowship.( Boise State Creative Writing MFA Program)
Honored as a “major poet-translator,” Peter Cole’s scholarship includes the translations of medieval and modern Hebrew and Arabic. His honors and awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, plus a genius grant from the MacArthur Foundation.
And Boise State’s acclaimed MFA Creative Writing Program will be hosting the world-class poet on Oct. 24 and 25. Prior to his visit, Cole spoke to Morning Edition host George Prentice from Yale University where he spends part of his year, splitting his time there with another home in Jerusalem. To that end, Cole views the “hell on earth” that is the Middle East crisis:
“I think one needs to face this extremely, extremely difficult, painful, brutal moment. And one has to just face it down right now,” said Cole. “It's a challenging time to do that for a lot of people across the spectrum here.”
Cole was also kind enough to read from two of his more recent works.
Read the full transcrip9t below:
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Good morning. I'm George Prentice. One of our absolute pleasures is tapping into inspiration and thought provoking, often challenging works of ar;, and the Boise State MFA Creative Writing program continues to bring to the university… and to us… some of the finest poets on the planet. And this morning, we are honored to spend some time with one of the best. Peter Cole is a MacArthur winning poet and is affiliated with Yale University, where he joins us this morning from New Haven. He is the author of six collections of poems. His most recent, “Draw Me After,” has garnered wide acclaim. We are very happy to report that he is coming to Boise State this month, and for all of us, there will be a public event on Friday, October 25th at the Hemingway Center. Peter Cole, good morning.
PETER COLE: Good morning.
PRENTICE: You spend so much of your time with students… and I'm curious about the experience of when you do get the opportunity to visit a different campus - different than Yale. I'm curious about that experience… and what you look forward to in that engagement… and quite frankly, how you inspire those who someday will probably inspire us.
COLE: Interesting. Interesting way to frame...poetry. Period. I love teaching, I consider the occasion of teaching… the space of teaching… to be a kind of adjacent activity to poetry, a similar kind of concentrations involved. And I approach readings very much in the way with students, the same way I approach readings in the public. So it doesn't really matter where, where I'm teaching and maybe whether it's a place like Yale or Boise the I look forward to that, that the engagement with whoever happens to be in the room at a given time and try to turn that into something of a learning experience makes it sound a little too didactic, although didactic is not a not a bad word in relation to poetry in the way some people think it is. I suppose the difference is that when I'm teaching at a place like Yale, I'm building a relationship from week to week, and we're building a kind of collective relationship. And it has its own dynamic. Whereas when you're giving a reading, you come onto a campus that you've never been to before. The people are new. People wander in, sometimes randomly. That's kind of got its own set of constraints and dynamics and expectations and surprises. But I think structurally there are a lot of similarities and a lot of pleasures that they have in common.
PRENTICE: With your permission, I have asked you to share something with us this morning. I'm not certain what it will be, but… can you tell us what it will be?
COLE: Sure. I'll read a poem or two. And I thought of first to read a poem called “Eden Songs,” which is the first poem in "Draw Me After." And it is very much a poem about this kind of sort of connectivity when we start talking about with teaching. It was born out of a commission, which is, you know, not the way we think of…. You mentioned inspiration early on. We think of inspiration maybe as something that comes spontaneously. And it does, of course, when it comes. But commissions sometimes can be helpful. And I was asked to write a libretto for an oratorio for a composer named Aaron Jay Kernis. And we decided to build this work around a notion of Eden, of Gardens of Eden, broadly construed. Eden, as I think of it, is a kind of place of first response and responsibility. The poem is a kind of Edenic situation. Emily Dickinson said that “Eden is always eligible.” She's writing to a friend one summer. She said “Eden is always eligible.” And so that kind of place in consciousness that is always available, but which we have locked ourselves out of in many cases a place of, as I say, first response and responsibility. So, “Eden Song” goes like this:
I should also say that one of the interesting things that part of the connectivity of poetry, the sort of essential valence of poetry, is that it's born in one situation and then wanders on its own without, you know, sort of uncontrollably, in a certain sense, to providential addressees, to other situations. So, when I wrote this poem, it was the height of the Covid….the first COVID outbreak. That was the kind of interconnectivity gone haywire, right? Starting from some wet market in China, and then reaching out and collapsing the lungs of the world in a certain sense. And now, as I think about it… October 7th, a year into this awful war, in the second part, the other part of the world where I live, Jerusalem, it seems to apply to this situation as much as to the situation that was born in. So… “Eden song” :
“Wanting song in the beginning, beginning to end.
Now we are falling through. What's to come. Needing Eden.
Now we are drifting Eden undone. As if from the ends of earth.
Hearing Eden's calling to tend and attend.
Now we are sprawling through what we've done.
Through what we're losing. As what we've won as we are.
Falling as Eden is calling.
Earth and heaven. Wanting.”.
PRENTICE: “Needing Eden. And we are drifting…”
COLE: Yeah. There's a sense here that I have of you know that,Eden is not a thing in the past. Eden is a thing in the present. Eden is a thing in the future. The fall, which is not necessarily a theological kind of position that I identify with, but sort of in terms of mythic consciousness. It is something I think we all feel. The fall is not behind us. The fall is now. The fall is ahead of us. It's always so. It was a kind of recuperation of that, that the power of, of the and the possibility of Eden that I was getting at. And there's a kind of catastrophe here, I think, that gave rise to the poem, the sense of that we all had in COVID, and certainly we have it now, whether it's climate change, whether it's these wars, um, whether it's the American election. It seems it seems to recur.
PRENTICE: Thank you for that. May I ask for another?
COLE: So, the other poem I thought I would share with our listeners is a poem called “Vav”. Vav is the sixth Hebrew letter.
PRENTICE: I'm sorry…Vav?
COLE: Vav. V A V. to spell it in English. And one of the challenges I set for myself in this book was you mentioned, um, translation as, as something I do. So, a lot of I deal with Arabic and I deal with Hebrew, and I get tremendous pleasure from both the literatures of both of those languages, but also just from the materiality of them, from the letters, from the sounds, but writing the letters in Hebrew is particularly potent. Well, so is Arabic. But on that material level, the sort of value that's seen, that's recognized in individual letters and then how they're strung together. And it's something I grew up with and, and I thought, mm. Can I, can I translate the pleasure, the richness that I get out of a foreign language. It could be any other language. And, and so I set myself that task over a couple of years to try to do that. And I wrote poems for each of the 22 Hebrew letters, which in Jewish mysticism, are considered the sort of building blocks of the world, the kind of DNA of the world. The world is built not in the beginning. God created the heaven and the earth that came. That's already a later story. The earlier story is out of the 22 letters and some other things. God made the universe. So, I tried to get some of that in and this poem that I'm going to read. Sometimes I would look at the letters, the Hebrew letter I've chosen and describe it visually. Sometimes I would just riff on some sort of associative thing that I had in mind, but the idea was that it should be accessible to an English, a reader of English, without knowing anything about the Hebrew or Hebrew culture or anything like that. So, this poem started out as the… I'll just say that the letter of Vav… when it's written out, looks a bit like an index finger held up in the air, with the top joint, maybe a little arthritic, just pointing down a little bit. So I'm describing that, but it really ended up being in the. This is the epigraph of the poem for Geoffrey Hartman. In Memoriam. Geoffrey Hartman was one of the great readers of the 20th century. It was a literary critic, a scholar of Wordsworth, and a man who could look at texts and see things that most of us didn't see and then sort of open worlds within it. So, it started out as being a portrait of the letter above the six letter Hebrew letter, and it ended up being a portrait of Geoffrey Hartman, much to my surprise, and really ended up being a portrait of, or an evocation of something much larger than either one of them.
“Above this upright letter bows its head ever so slightly
out of humility, much like Geoffrey toward the page it's fixed itself to
as though by a hook or being hooked, really a summoning from within it, or him
to listen hard to what's barely there
and maybe not quite yet between the lines
to sit, taking a stand and read.
Learning straightness and when to bend.
So, we come not to the end, but once again and again to end.”
PRENTICE: My takeaway there is..."...to listen hard to what is barely there."
COLE: Exactly. Which is one of the things that poetry is very good for. It focuses you, it brings you. It takes us into a kind of another level of listening. And that's what Geoffrey did. Geoffrey Hartman did. As a reader, I think that's what poems help us do, is to hear things that are barely there. And where they there before we heard them, is one of the questions that comes up.
PRENTICE: Peter Cole, your work… your extensive work in translation of medieval and modern Hebrew and Arabic work, I'd be remiss if I did not note… and I think you referred to it earlier… that you do spend time between New Haven and Jerusalem. So, I. I be remiss if I did not ask about the lens…that very particular lens that you look through when you see the hell on Earth that is currently the Middle East?
COLE: Hell on Earth is…if you wanted to make a portrait of hell on Earth, that would certainly give you the images right now. It’s a catastrophe. It's a disaster. It's not a surprise. People who have been paying attention… who've been listening to the text of what that place, the various texts that place has to offer, could see this coming for a long time. I'm speaking as someone who is both a very proud Jew and someone who is deep into Arabic culture and loves Arabic literature and has friends all around the ethnic spectrum in Israel-Palestine. But it is a disaster. It's a disaster. It's crushing. It's crushing in terms of buildings and places and the people being crushed. It's crushing for the cultures and for the cultural legacies and just the existential possibilities. And it's hard to be optimistic. I mean, I think one needs to face this extremely, extremely difficult, painful, brutal moment. And one has to just face it down right now. To, in terms of literature, one tries to do what one does best and put it to the extent that seems right and seems natural to one in the service of the things you believe in, the values you hold dearest, It's a challenging time to do that for a lot of people across the spectrum here. We people have stopped listening to each other. We talked about that already, about listening to what's barely there. That's one of the real victims here is and one of the greatest tragedies here and the war that's just seems to kind of mushroom keeps on mushrooming in the south…in the north… threatening to go all over the Middle East. These are very, very, very tough times.
PRENTICE: I wish you safe journey always…in particular, and probably more recently to Idaho. Peter Cole will visit Boise State University on October 24th and 25th. Safe journey to you. Great good luck. It has been an honor to spend some time with you this morning. Thank you so very much.
COLE: Likewise, George. Thank you. And I look forward to being in Boise.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: October 18, 2024
Oct 18, 2024
A prison officer patrols near the entrance to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution near Kuna, Idaho on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. (Kyle Green / Associated Press)
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.
The center offers 24/7 assistance to those impacted by interpersonal violence, providing access to crucial resources like forensic medical exams, safety planning, counseling and more—all in one place.
Trina Allen, executive director of the Ada County Victim Services Center, as well as Anne Wardle, supervising nurse manager with the Ada County Community Safe Team at St. Luke's, and Molly Kaczmarek, practice manager with St. Luke's Cares/DVSA Clinics, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the center and the important work they are doing.
What to Watch: Love on the screen
Oct 17, 2024
( Kelsey Thomson)
As the weather turns colder, it's the perfect time to curl up with a good film or TV show.
Resident movie critic George Prentice joins Idaho Matters to give us some recommendations on what to watch this fall. Plus, we take a look at some of the best scary movies to watch on Halloween.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 16, 2024
Oct 16, 2024
This combination of photos shows Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during an ABC News presidential debate at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Alex Brandon / AP)
With just 20 days to go until this year’s presidential election, questions are swirling about the candidates’ health.
Over the weekend, the White House released the medical records for Vice President Kamala Harris, with her physicians describing her health as excellent.
In the meantime, former president Donald Trump has not released his medical records in spite of promising numerous times to do so.
However, how important or newsworthy are these medical reports, and what information can we actually gather from them?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and co-author of the book "Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak," joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Pace for Peace: Running for a cause
Oct 16, 2024
Gem State Joggers and the Pace for Peace team.( Pace for Peace)
Many of the refugees who have come to Idaho in the past few years came from the Congo, a war-torn African country facing a humanitarian crisis caused by violence and natural disasters that have forced millions of people out of their homes.
After fleeing their home country, these refugees still face challenges as they adjust to a very different life in Idaho, and a group of dedicated people are hoping a new 5-k run in Boise will help build bridges between our community and its newest members.
Samuel Bisoka is the founder of "Gem State Joggers" and is an organizer of this Saturday's Pace for Peace 5k, but he says it’s more than just a run or a fundraiser. He calls it a "powerful call to action for solidarity, understanding, and community building."
He joined Idaho Matters along with Pace for Peace organizer Sayed Mirbacha.
'Beyond the Buzz:' The role Idaho bees play in our environment
Oct 16, 2024
( Samantha Wright)
Bees are all around us during the summer months, but we don’t always pay much attention to them.
However, as pollinators, they’re essential when it comes to the food we eat. They’re in trouble though, both in Idaho and around the world, and everyone from scientists to backyard gardeners are trying to help them.
Producer and director, Forrest Burger, and bee expert Dr. Ron Bitner joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How a local bookstore is connecting writers to readers
Oct 16, 2024
The Shared Stories bookstore. (Michael Martin / George Decker)
We’ve done a lot of stories at Boise State Public Radio about local bookstores closing down. Independent bookstores have struggled in recent years and had to close their doors, including three in Nampa and one in Caldwell.
And as each store closed, local authors lost another space where they could find new readers, making it harder to continue to write what they love.
But a new bookstore has opened in Caldwell, and it’s trying to create a home for area writers with its “local authors showcase." George Decker, manager of the Shared Stories Bookstore, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Decision 2024: Election security
Oct 15, 2024
( Ada County Elections)
For more than 20 years, when a Florida recount full of hanging chads led a U.S. Supreme Court battle over who would be president, questions have been raised about the security of our election system.
Since then, accusations of Russian interference and computer hacking have not increased confidence in the security of how we vote, and according to Boise State’s Public Policy survey, 23% of Idahoans have concerns about the security of Idaho’s elections.
2024 marks a historic election year in November. Voters will decide the future of our country for the next four years, as well as many key state and local races.
Because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level.
To answer the questions that have come up this election season and to discuss how secure our ballot system really is, we asked Idaho’s Secretary of State, Phil McGrane, to join Idaho Matters to take a closer look at these issues.
Idaho Elections: How Prop 1 might change our voting system
Oct 15, 2024
(Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images)
Since 2011, political parties in Idaho have been able to choose to close their primary to voters who are not affiliated with their party. For example, only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary. The Constitution Party and libertarian primaries are also closed; only the Democratic primary is open to any voter.
Some say that disenfranchises a lot of people. About one million Idahoans are registered to vote, but almost 300,000 of them are not affiliated with any political party, which means right now they can only vote in the democratic primary.
In November, voters will be faced with Proposition 1. It’s a citizen initiative that will do two things if passed: it would open up all primaries in Idaho, and it would create a new voting system known as ranked choice voting.
This week, we’re looking at the open primary side of Prop 1. Next week we’ll tackle ranked choice voting.
Luke Mayville with the Idahoans for Open Primaries Coalition and Jason Mercier, the Vice President and Director of Research at the Mountain States Policy Center, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about Proposition 1.
Read the full transcript below
GAUDETTE: More Idaho Matters now from the studios of Boise State Public Radio News. I'm Gemma Gaudette. Since 2011, political parties in Idaho can choose to close their primary to voters who are not affiliated with their party. For example, only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary. The Constitution Party and the libertarian primaries are also closed. Only the Democratic primary is open to any voter. Now, some say this disenfranchizes a lot of people, about 1 million Idahoans are registered to vote, but almost 300,000 of them are not affiliated with any political party. Which means right now they can only vote in the Democratic primary. In November, though, voters will be faced with proposition one. It's a citizen's initiative that will do two things. If passed, it would open up all primaries in Idaho, and it would create a new voting system known as ranked choice voting. So this week we're going to only look at one part of proposition one. We are going to look at the open primary side of proposition one. Next week we will tackle ranked choice voting. So be sure you tune in then. So here to talk about prop one is Luke Mayville with the Idahoans for Open Primaries Coalition. This is the group that gathered enough signatures to put proposition one on the ballot. Welcome back to the show, Luke.
MAYVILLE: So good to be with you, Gemma.
GAUDETTE: So, Luke, how did the idea to open up Idaho's primaries come to pass in your organization?
MAYVILLE: Well, it's important to understand that we've only had closed primaries for the last 12 years. Prior to 2011, Idaho had an open primary system for over 40 years, and really, ever since the system was closed back in 2011, a lot of people have been very dissatisfied with it all across the political spectrum. And the idea for this current initiative really bubbled up when a number of community leaders around the state came together across the political spectrum, including the former speaker of the House, Republican Bruce Newcomb, who was, you know, one of the founders of this campaign, who really who came together with me and others and really started thinking about how could we restore everyone's right to vote in primaries, how can we open up the system and make sure that everyone has a voice?
GAUDETTE: So as I mentioned, Luke, right now since 2011, we have closed primaries. So if you are a registered Democrat, um, you can you vote in the Democratic primary. If you are a registered Republican, you you vote in the primary as a Republican, you cannot vote. Only Republicans can vote in the Republican primary. And as I said, we have hundreds of thousands of Idahoans who don't affiliate with any party. So therefore, the only primary they can vote in is is the Democrat primary. So under proposition one, how would our state's close primary system change?
MAYVILLE: Proposition one would create a nonpartisan, open primary where all voters have a right to participate. So anyone who is legally eligible to vote would be free to participate, no matter how you're registered. Uh, all candidates would appear on the same ballot. So it would no longer be separate party primaries, where you have to figure out which party to register for in advance of the election. You just show up. And if you are legally eligible to vote, uh, you can and you can make sure that you're registered to vote and you vote in the primary and that's it. And, um, all candidates would appear on on that same ballot. Uh, and, and we'll talk more about this, uh, in the future. But, but the, uh, the top four candidates from that primary would go on to the general election. And it doesn't matter what party they come from, it's just whichever four candidates receive the most votes will go on to the general election.
GAUDETTE: So basically, the primary ballot would look the same as the general election ballot looks currently if proposition one were to pass.
MAYVILLE: Not quite, because, uh, there could be there won't just be, you know, one Republican running and one Democrat running. Um, a typical primary election ballot, say, if you're voting for governor, could be four Republicans, two Democrats, two independents. All on the same ballot as a as a voter. And this is really important because we talk a lot about ranked choice voting in the primary. There's no ranking in the proposal. In this proposal, in the primary, you just show up and choose your favorite candidate. So say you're voting for governor. There might be several Republicans, a few Democrats, a few independents. You just choose. You just show up and you and you pick your favorite candidate. It's really about the simplest type of primary election that you could imagine.
GAUDETTE: So I want to talk about being disenfranchized, because you have said that a quarter of Idaho's registered voters are being left out of three of our left out of our primaries, at least three of our primaries. Because because they're closed. Why can't folks just register for whatever primary they want to vote in?
MAYVILLE: What we're hearing from voters all across the state is that it is just not right. That if you're an independent voter, you're an independent minded citizen, and, uh, and you want to be an independent, you should not be forced to join a political party just to exercise your right to vote. You should be free to participate in that primary election. And now I know opponents will come back and say, well, if they don't want to vote in the primary, they can still just come back and vote in the general election. Well, that's really not good enough for for people across the state who have this complaint, because we all know that it is the primary elections that really matter in Idaho. Um, because in Idaho we are, you know, mostly a one party state where where one party dominates. And that means that whoever wins the primary and in this case, the Republican primary, uh, almost always wins the general election. So we have a situation where there are these 270,000 independent voters who are being shut out from voting in the election. That really matters, which is the primary election. And it's not good enough to tell them, oh, you can just come back and vote in November. They want they want to be able to freely participate in the election that really matters.
GAUDETTE: So, Luke, there has been concern by some that proposition one might be unconstitutional because some say it puts two different issues on one ballot. You have open primaries and you have ranked choice voting. We are going to talk more in our next segment with another guest about that. But I'm curious about how you respond to those concerns about this being unconstitutional, because given there could be deemed two separate issues on the ballot. I mean, on this initiative.
MAYVILLE: Well, there are a number of there are a number of different claims that are made of how proposition one could be unconstitutional. We're not we're not concerned about those claims, because the fact is that in both federal courts and state courts around the country, those claims have been taken up and rejected by the courts. And these reforms have been upheld over and over again in court. When it comes to the single subject rule and the claim that proposition one is two separate subjects and therefore might be unconstitutional. There's a long history in Idaho of the Idaho Supreme Court looking closely at cases like this and finding as long as there's one broad, unifying subject, a proposal is perfectly constitutional. So in this case, whether it's open primaries or ranked choice voting, everything falls under the subject of elections. So the broad subject of elections is the single subject. And it's perfectly okay to have two different reforms of elections in one initiative. The courts have made that very clear. So we are 100% confident that if the voters passed proposition one in November, it will be upheld by the Idaho Supreme Court.
GAUDETTE: So, Luke, um, for folks who may not be familiar, you helped lead a successful citizen campaign to put the question of Medicaid expansion on the ballot. You have a history with Idaho Citizen Initiative process. What are you hearing? What have you seen on the ground from folks about Idaho's closed primaries? Because I will just anecdotally say this. When I walk around my neighborhood, I see vote yes and I see vote no signs.
MAYVILLE: We're seeing more excitement and engagement around this initiative than any of the previous initiatives. I think people believe strongly that the stakes are high, that that this initiative really matters. And it's not that. Previous campaigns. Previous campaigns we did that were about really important issues as well. Um, but one way to think about proposition one and this whole issue of open primaries, it's really getting all the way to the root of the problem. Uh, other issues we've taken on have been, you know, you could you could talk about them more as like, you know, we're we're trying to hack away at some of the rotten branches in the system. With this initiative, we're really going to the root and we're going to the root cause of so many problems in Idaho, because the root of the problem is that so many voters do not have a voice in our current political process because of the closed primary elections that shut out so many independent voters. And it's not just that voters are denied a voice. It's that when so many people are shut out, we end up electing officials who don't represent the broader community and don't respond to the needs of a broader group of voters in the state. And that means we end up with politicians getting elected who aren't accountable to every voter. Instead, they're only accountable to a small slice of the population that participates in one closed primary election. That's part of why people are so excited about this opportunity to vote yes on proposition one.
GAUDETTE: Well, I want to thank you for taking time to talk with us, Luke. We've been speaking with Luke Mayville with Idahoans for Open primaries coalition about proposition one and open primaries. And we're continuing our discussion about proposition one and open primaries with Jason Mercier. He is the vice president and director of research at the Mountain States Policy Center. Jason, welcome to the program.
MERCIER: Good afternoon. Thank you for having me on.
GAUDETTE: So for folks who aren't familiar, can you briefly tell us what the Mountain States Policy Center is?
MERCIER: Yes. Mountain States Policy Center is a nonpartisan public policy research organization were headquartered in Idaho. We have a regional focus. We cover Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Washington and providing analysis on legislation and in this case, ballot measures in those states.
GAUDETTE: So you said you're a nonpartisan organization. So does that mean you do or do not take a stand or a side on initiatives like proposition one?
MERCIER: Yeah. We are not in the business of telling voters how they should vote. That's up to them to do after doing their research and analysis. Well, the role that we play in this example of proposition one is we reviewed the review, the ballot language. We looked at how primaries and ranked choice voting occurs nationally, dug into some of the case law, and then looked at some of the fiscal thing and then tried to put all that information in one resource for voters. So as they go through it, they can decide what's best for them.
GAUDETTE: So I want to talk about open primaries specifically. Right now, all primaries in Idaho are closed with the exception of the Democratic primary. Does that system work right now?
MERCIER: Every state is a little bit different. So Idaho is one of nine states right now with those closed primaries. And I was actually partially closed because it's up to the private parties if they want to accept those nonaffiliated ballots, as you indicated, the Democrats do. The Republicans don't. There are states with open primaries that are Partizan, and then there are just a handful of states, examples being Washington, California, Alaska, Nebraska, and Maine that have what are truly open primaries. They're nonpartisan multi party primaries. And those are kind of the options you have across the country.
GAUDETTE: So according to Boise State's Public Policy survey, 57% of people either somewhat or strongly favor a top four primary system. However, many members of political parties say the parties should be able to decide who votes in their primary. And I know that your policy center has a discussion online about proposition one and how it covers two issues. Open primaries and ranked choice. Ranked choice voting. In your center's opinion, are those two distinct issues?
MERCIER: They are. And in fact, the ballot summary itself indicates that when you look at the official ballot summary for proposition one, it says the measure is to replace voter selection of party nominees with a top four primary. Number two require ranked choice voting for general elections. And then it says this measure proposes two distinct changes. So the summary itself already kind of tips the hat that these are two different issues that are being combined into one proposal. And I think that's somewhat of a frustration as we analyze this, because there's a lot of arguments to be made for open primaries, in our opinion. There's a lot of arguments against ranked choice voting, but Idaho voters don't get an option with them being combined into one. And I think when you look across the country, there's a similar debate happening right now in Montana. They're also having a debate about top four primaries and what happens if you enact that type of system. But they have two separate ballot measures. They have one ballot measure for a top four, and then they have one ballot measure about requiring 50% to win an election. And I think the reason why they've done that is because Montana's Supreme Court has consistently struck down ballot measures for single subject violations.
GAUDETTE: Okay, so with that said, though, our Supreme Court here in Idaho did not strike that down. And as Luke Mayville mentioned in our last segment, you know, our Supreme Court has basically said it's it's it's about voting. So it's it's one issue.
MERCIER: Yeah. So the Supreme Court ruling earlier this year was not on the merits of single section. It was on it being a pre-election challenge. And in my opinion, the court got it right. Three election challenges before the voters get to weigh in on something are disfavored nationally. And the reason being you don't stop the legislature from voting on a bill that might be unconstitutional. You let them go through their process, and then if they're standing, the court weighs in. So I don't disagree at all that the court had earlier this year dismissing the pre-election challenge. But that opinion made it very clear that if this were to pass, then it would be right for legal review to see if it violates single subject.
GAUDETTE: So do you think there are concerns about the constitutionality, constitutionality, then, of prop one. And because. Can you talk a little bit about Idaho's single subject rule?
MERCIER: Yes. So single subject restrictions are in almost every state constitution across the country, because they're supposed to keep from what's called the log rule, where you combine different issues, maybe a really popular issue with something that's unpopular. And they're supposed to apply both to legislation passed by lawmakers and to ballot measures. Sometimes, however, we've seen courts treat ballot measures a little more stringently than they do legislation passed by the legislature. And we have some examples. Recently I mentioned the Montana one and why I think those are two separate ballot measures right now in Montana, because Montana Supreme Court has struck down tax. Ballot measures. There was a property tax, one that would have restricted property tax increases. But the court struck it down because it also capped the taxable value. Now that seemed related. But the court said they were two different deals. Same thing happens in South Dakota a few years ago on on marijuana legalization court struck that down because it dealt with recreational marijuana, medical marijuana and hemp. And in the court's determination that was three different subjects. And to the West in Washington, they consistently have tax restriction ballot measures struck down. Most recently, there was one on transportation fees because they had to do with local transportation fees and state transportation fees. And the court said those were two separate subjects. So when you look at proposition one and the ballot summary itself is saying these are two distinct policies. I think that's a kind of a red flag for the court that you're combining two different issues into one proposal.
GAUDETTE: Mhm. So if proposition one passes, um, what does your center think will happen in regards to lawsuits over its constitutionality? Could we see that happen even though, you know, our Supreme Court made the decision that they made?
MERCIER: Yeah. Again, if you go back to the decisions they made, they were not ruling on the single subject. They were ruling on the pre-election challenge. And they said that, okay, this is not right for legal review until after the election, but after the election, then those arguments can be made. And based upon the fact that the attorney general did a pre-election challenge, I think it's 100% certainty he would do a post-election challenge if it were to pass. And at that point, it is ripe for review because then you actually have a passed proposal. So I think we just need to be careful that what the court did earlier was not on the merits of single subject. It was on the procedural pre-election challenge.
GAUDETTE: Okay. So then if proposition one were to pass and let's say there is a lawsuit that is brought forward saying it is unconstitutional because of Idaho single subject rule, do you think there is a possibility then, that even though proposition one passed, it could be overturned by by the courts?
MERCIER: Most definitely. That's a possibility. And because again, we have those examples from across the country of how courts look at ballot measures, they're supposed to do the same thing with legislation. You know, we had another example earlier this year on the state's transportation budget. And the court didn't quite get to the single subject ruling because they said nobody had standing to bring that lawsuit. But, you know, those apply both for ballot measures and legislation. If you got two different topics in there, it's a possibility they could be struck down.
GAUDETTE: Do you think there's confusion out there among voters about what a vote for proposition one will do?
MERCIER: Well, when we started hearing about proposition one, it sounded like it was geared toward restoring Idaho back to the the open primary that had been in existence a decade ago. When you start digging into the text, though, you realize this is a different type of primary being proposed. The top four. And you combine it with ranked choice voting. So I don't know if you could be confused if you've actually read the ballot packs and read the ballot measure, and that's incumbent upon a voter to do to actually know what they're voting on. But it does feel like a little bit differently of a proposal than what was initially advertised.
GAUDETTE: So with that said, Jason, if, um, if proposition one had been put on the ballot, but there were or it was separated. So you have open primary, you have ranked choice voting, or maybe you just have open primary on the ballot. There couldn't be. I mean, you can always bring a lawsuit. However, it would seem to me that it would be more difficult to say to argue this single subject rule.
MERCIER: Yeah, 100%. These were two separate ballot measures. There would be no single subject argument, because then you'd have two different proposals before you, just like you have in Montana. And I think that when it comes back to the issue of the open primaries, was a little bit of a surprise to me in looking at this. It it. Modeled this after the brand new proposal in Alaska that just went into effect in 2022, which was a top four ranked choice voting. Alaska is the only state in the country that has a top four. I think that the safer route. The opponents of an open primary could have done is to use the Washington top two, because that already has the stamp of approval from the US Supreme Court. When this passed in the early 2000, the top two in Washington, the Republicans and the Democratic Party sued, saying it violated the First Amendment rights, went to the US Supreme Court. And in a 7 to 2 opinion opinion, Justice Thomas upheld that top two primary because, he said, the political parties can still do whatever they want as far as communicating who their, uh, advocate for their number one position is. But in doing a top two, this is no longer a party nominating process. This is a process of determining who has the most support and moving them forward to the general election. So I think it's just a little bit of surprise that the opponents of this didn't go that tried and true route, and instead with the new novel Alaska approach that arguably could be repealed by voters this year in Alaska.
GAUDETTE: So I only have a minute left with you because of how this proposition is written. It sounds to me that there is a concern from your end, from your center that we're going to we are inevitably going to see a lawsuit if prop one passes.
MERCIER: Yeah, I think it's a certainty. If this passes, you'll see a lawsuit, whether it comes from the attorney general or it comes from private political parties. I think that going back to the Washington example and the other examples across the country of an open primary, when they when the proponents decided to go with the top four and combine it with RCP and put those together to where the voters couldn't pick and choose, I think it set it up for this, this frustrating debate that we're having right now.
GAUDETTE: I really appreciate you taking time to talk with us about this and to really go through this process. We've been speaking with Jason Mercier. He is the vice president and director of research at the Mountain States Policy Center. We've been discussing proposition one and open primaries in Idaho. Don't forget, next Tuesday, we will be talking about the other half of proposition one, which is known as ranked choice voting. So make sure you tune in then as we break that down as well. Thanks so much for listening to Idaho Matters. Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Matters are members of the NPR network. It's an independent coalition of public media podcasters. You can find more shows in the network wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Gemma Gaudette. We'll see you tomorrow.
Supporting at-risk dogs with the Meridian Canine Rescue, Boise Bully Breed Rescue
Oct 15, 2024
For years, Meridian Canine Rescue has been working to help at-risk dogs, providing important community education and resources to caregivers.
Like many animal nonprofits though they're in need of support, which is why they've partnered with the Boise Bully Breed Rescue to host an evening of music bingo that will not only help to make a difference but also be a lot of fun.
Karinna Lozano, the Board President of Meridian Canine Rescue, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.
New community radio station joins the airwaves in Boise
Oct 14, 2024
(DT / Flickr)
A new community radio station recently joined Boise's airwaves.
It is Tropico FM and their mission is to uplift diverse voices through music, where you can find everything from salsa, samba, disco and Tejano music on the dial.
Kyle Scheffler is the founder and president of Tropico FM and he joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'What the Constitution Means to Me' comes to BCT stage
Oct 14, 2024
Jessica Morris is the star of the show, and she sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice for a preview.
Growth in McCall: Why residents are creating a space for the community
Oct 14, 2024
An artist rendering of the Ponderosa Center(The Ponderosa Center)
McCall, like the rest of Idaho, has seen skyrocketing growth, and open parcels of land are being snapped up at record prices for future development.
But one piece of lakefront real estate remains undeveloped between the marina and hotel McCall. The property is potentially worth millions, and a group of residents is hoping to turn the land into a combination community space and arts center.
But first they have to raise enough money to buy the property.
Hayley Johnson, the Executive Director of the Ponderosa Center, and David Carey, the owner of Hotel McCall, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Supporting Boise neighborhoods through community
Oct 14, 2024
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.
Art, healing and hope: Wassmuth Center opens up a new education center in Boise
Oct 11, 2024
The new education building covers 6,000 square feet and cost $6.4 million to build.( The Wassmuth Center for Human Rights)
Nestled between the Anne Frank Memorial and the library in downtown Boise sits the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights. It was founded 22 years ago to build the only memorial on U.S. soil dedicated to Anne Frank.
Since then, the Memorial has continued to expand, and Thursday it opened a new 6,000 square foot education center.
Wassmuth Center for Human Rights opens its doors in downtown Boise
Oct 10, 2024
The mural "Defenders of Dignity" by Addie Boswell is one of the artwork featured at the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights. In the center, with arm raised, is the late Marilyn Schuler, a prominent human rights activist in Idaho. (Julie Luchetta / Boise State Public Radio)
The education nonprofit behind Boise’s Anne Frank Memorial is getting its own building in downtown Boise. The Wassmuth Center for Human Rights will now reside in a brand new space downtown.
The center was first founded 22 years ago to build the only monument on U.S. soil dedicated to the young victim of the Holocaust. Since then, the center has been offering classes, lectures and trainings in the community.
“As the demand for programming grew, it really became apparent that having a space ideally adjacent to the memorial was kind of the dream,” said Director Christina Bruce-Bennion ahead of the grand opening on Thursday. “And here we are.”
(Wassmuth Center for Human Rights / Boise)
Bruce-Bennion said the center’s goal is to promote human dignity through education. The new space will be a place for the public — both adults and children — to engage with local artists, attend classes and reflect on Idaho’s history of human rights. It offers access to a library collection, an interactive display featuring testimonies of holocaust survivors and various reflective art pieces.
But the center does not focus on particular human violations, Bruce-Bennion added.
“It's really more about, 'how do we give people the information, how do we learn from history and connect it to today? How can that lead to informed action?'” she said. Instead the center offers programming to identify what it calls the “Spiral of Injustice.”
“That spiral looks like a tornado,” Bruce-Bennion explained. “The top level is language. And that's where it starts, right? It's how we begin with othering, how we talk about other groups. And then if we don't interrupt the spiral at that point, it can continue to avoidance, discrimination, violence and elimination.”
The center was funded by roughly 650 donors and cost $6.4 million. It opens its doors to the public on Thursday.
A Colorado Springs school is making students ditch cell phones. It's a trend in the Mountain West.
Oct 10, 2024
Students at Doherty High School in Colorado Springs show their IDs and their phones inside Yondr pouches to security guard Lonny Barrett. The school district started a new policy this year banning cell phones for middle and high schoolers.(Rachel Cohen / KUNC )
It's the third day of school at Doherty High in Colorado Springs. 1,700 teenagers file through the doors as security guard Lonny Barrett checks IDs.
This year, he’s also inspecting cell phones. According to a new policy, students need to put their phones away all day inside special pouches.
Barrett checks each one. Only a few minutes into the morning rush, he’s found a pouch that’s suspicious.
“What is this?” Barrett asks a student. “This isn't a phone. This is a box of Extra gum.”
He hands the student the gum stuffed inside in place of a phone. Barrett said this happens a few times each morning.
"They'll put like empty cases, or even like an old broken phone that doesn't even work anymore, they'll try to put that in there and sneak it past us,” he said. “It's been entertaining."
Many kids simply tell him they left their phones at home. He has his doubts. He reminds them there are consequences if they're caught with their phones – starting with getting them confiscated, up through suspension.
Standing near the entrance is the principal, Hillary Hienton.
At the end of the school day, administrative staff rolls out carts of Yondr magnets to unlock the phone pouches.(Rachel Cohen / KUNC )
She explains how the system works. The gray fabric pouches are designed by a company called Yondr. Buying one for each middle and high school student cost the district more than $300,000. The pouches magnetically lock so the phones are trapped all day. At the end of the day, students pass through special magnet stations by the front office to unlock their pouches.
Hienton said after students returned from learning at home during the pandemic, rampant cell phone use in schools reached a new level. Doing something felt necessary.
"They’ve just been so glued to them,” she said. “In classrooms, it turned into a lot of power struggles. Students didn't want to put their phones away or give up their phones."
A Pew survey last year found 72% of high school teachers nationwide said students being distracted by cell phones was a major problem in their classes.
When making the decision to implement a cell phone policy this summer, district leaders in Colorado Springs also cited a plethora of research showing phones and social media can be harmful for young people’s mental health, and can lead to cyberbullying and poor sleep.
Principal Hillary Hienton said the Colorado Springs district felt it necessary to address cell phone use in schools. “In classrooms, it turned into a lot of power struggles," she said.(Rachel Cohen / KUNC )
Lots of districts around the region arrived at a similar conclusion. This year, schools in the Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Boise areas are declaring campuses or classrooms phone-free.
Others ditched them last year.
"This is the best policy change we've ever made in my career of 28 years," said Jim Foudy, a superintendent of the Blaine County School District in Idaho, which banned cell phones in classrooms last year, though without the pouches.
He said the first year went smoothly. The district didn’t have to confiscate as many phones as expected and situations where the schools had to get involved in cyberbullying issues declined. Teachers reported higher classroom engagement.
“We actually had hired a teacher who had a few different job offers and said that he chose to work for Blaine County because this policy was in place,” Foudy said.
At Doherty High, students in Erin Ahnfeld's English class passed around a ball of yarn for a lesson about connections -— between each other and books they'll read.
Ahnfeld said he feels like he did when he began teaching, before smartphones were everywhere.
"I think it's a courageous move,” he said.
In the first week, he said he’s already noticed a difference. Last year, when he gave students a break between lessons, they'd pick up their phones. This year, it’s different.
“They just talk to each other,” he said. “That makes the feel and community in a classroom way more powerful."
District 11 in Colorado Springs is one of several school districts in the region implementing no-cell phone policies for the first time this school year.(Rachel Cohen / KUNC )
Some students feel differently.
"I hate this new phone system a lot,” said Eli Howard, a junior. He doesn’t think the policy will prompt students to pay more attention in class — those who were distracted by phones before are putting their heads down on their desks.
Howard also worries about safety. Earlier in the morning, the school was put on a "hold" during a potential emergency. That means students are asked to stay in their classrooms and clear the halls to limit commotion, typically during a medical situation. It turned out to be fine, but in the moment, Howard was scared.
"I was like, ‘Dude what if there's someone in here and I can’t — my mom and dad — I can't talk to them,” he said.
Many parents opposed to cell phone bans say they have similar concerns about reaching their kids in an emergency. Doherty High said staff are extensively trained in emergency protocols and that the district will continue to communicate with parents via mass communication systems.
On the other hand, some students, such as Dante Click, say they understand where the school is coming from by limiting cell phone use.
"I don't think adults are crazy for this one. Kids are definitely on their phone too much,” Click said. “But I think it's going to backfire on them."
Click said some kids are frustrated and are breaking the pouches.
Many ask Principal Hienton why the school is doing this.
"I say, ‘I care about you, and I care about your education, and I want to make sure that you have the tools and the skills and the competencies that are going to make you successful in life,’" she said.
Hienton said phones are a distraction from that success, so, for now, the solution is to remove them from the equation.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, 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.
Tribes advocate for the rights of those exposed to radiation
Oct 10, 2024
Since the atomic bomb program began during WWII, countless Americans have been exposed to radiation — either from mining uranium or from the tests themselves.
But compensation for the cancers caused by this exposure has been limited, and this summer, Congress allowed the main way of paying for treatment to expire that’s been especially harmful to Native Americans and Mexican Americans living in the southwest.
Late last month, members of several tribes and others affected by exposure went by bus to Washington -- to persuade lawmakers to revive and expand the cancer treatment program.
The Mountain West News Bureau's Yvette Fernandez met up with them and has this report.
'How to Hide in Plain Sight:' An author interview with Emma Noyes
Oct 10, 2024
It's a story about Eliot, a 21-year-old woman who's spent years building up walls, separating herself from her family, so she can try and control her struggle with OCD.
However, when she returns home for a wedding, the reappearance of her childhood love threatens to bring down the barriers she's so carefully constructed.
Noyes joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book.
Improving your experience on the Boise Foothills trail system
Oct 10, 2024
The Boise Foothills trail system sees a lot of traffic throughout the year. Which is why the folks over at Ridge to Rivers are constantly working to improve people's experience.
In order to do that, though, they need feedback. So they're asking you to share your experience on the trails in an annual survey.
Lisa Duplessie, Foothills and Open Space Superintendent with the Parks and Recreation Department, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 9, 2024
Oct 09, 2024
(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/drlisamariecannon/">Lisa Marie Cannon</a> / Flickr)
As Mpox continues to hit African nations hard, here at home we are dealing with bird flu and a rise whooping cough.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these issues.
In the shadow of trauma, Stephanie Foo still finds ‘exquisite beauty’
Oct 09, 2024
Acclaimed journalist Stephanie Foo is the author of 'What My Bones Know'( Penguin Random House, Stephanie Foo)
By the time she was a teenager, Stephanie Foo had been abused and abandoned by both parents. She spiraled into trauma, and the feeling of, ‘‘Why didn’t anybody want me?’
Diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, years later, Foo was able to look at that teenager and think, "Oh my God, the strength that you have … the power that you have … to have gone through all of that and to keep going and to succeed."
“I have a lot of love and empathy for that girl now,” she said.
Prior to her being the keynote at the Idaho Office for Refugees’ Northwest Conference on Resettlement, Foo, author of "What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma" visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about CPTSD and how she went from victim to survivor to understanding that “along with the losses are the triumphs.”
Read the full transcript below:
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Good morning, I'm George Prentice. Because we will be talking about PTSD and more specifically, CPTSD, you should know that yes, we will be considering trauma for the next few minutes; but you should also know that our guest reminds us that while a life can be full of anger and pain, at the same time, it is very possible to have that life also include peace and exquisite beauty. And these are some of her words in her amazing book. She is Stephanie Foo, an acclaimed radio producer for This American Life and Snap Judgment. Most of us know her New York Times bestseller, “What My Bones Know: a Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma.” And we are thrilled to report that she is to be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Northwest Conference on Resettlement, put together by the Idaho Office for Refugees. Stephanie Foo, good morning.
STEPHANIE FOO: Thank you so much for that wonderful introduction. Good morning.
PRENTICE: With your permission, I'm going to ask you to share with us a couple of passages from your book. By the way, how do you best explain to most of us what is CPTSD?
FOO: Yeah, I think we're all familiar with PTSD. You can get PTSD from a single traumatic event. Let's say you're in a car accident. You can get PTSD from that. Complex PTSD occurs when the trauma happens over and over and over again for an extended period of time. So that could be survivors of war, of domestic violence, of child abuse. That's very frequent. My CPTSD comes from child abuse. It's kind of like if you were in a car accident every week for several years. The toll that takes on your brain is very different than Complex PTSD. And it's more complex to heal.
PRENTICE: On social media, pretty early on you threw a question out: “Do I know anybody who was diagnosed with CPTSD? And one of the responses came back from someone that you call Lacey. And in chapter 11 of your book….could you read a bit beginning with…beginning with the words “Lacey said the road…” Could you share that with us?
FOO: Sure.
“Lacey said the road would be long and difficult. That sounded about right, considering I was endeavoring to relearn how to be a person. I wanted to learn to be happy and strong and independent so I could support others instead of letting my own depression always take center stage. I wanted to learn how to be a better friend, partner, family member to invest in permanent relationships. I wanted to be the kind of woman people didn't leave. I had to find out what was salvageable. If I had good qualities underneath all of those layers of trauma and hurt and workaholism.”
PRENTICE: And you do caution us early on that the first part of your book is detailed about trauma… the trauma that you grew up with. And I have to tell you… and my guess is that this is not the first time a reader has told you this: I had to wince as I was reading …more than a few times. I also had to decide whether I needed to put the book down for a few minutes, or whether it would be better to power through. Because you do promise us a happy ending.
FOO: And I do say in the beginning too…that it's totally okay if you need to just skip a few pages. I recognize that books on trauma are really difficult… and I really wanted to make sure that survivors were protected in reading this book. And so, I tried to keep the real ugly, nasty trauma stuff from my childhood to 50 pages or less.
PRENTICE: With the success of this book, you have been asked…as I'm asking today…probably countless times in interviews or events that you're speaking at… about these horrible, visceral memories. And I truly want to know: How you do that without this not being triggering.
FOO: Well, see, CPTSD is sort of a curse and a blessing. One of the advantages, or what I kind of call superhero talents of having CPTSD, is that it makes us excellent at dissociation. I sort of leave my body and shut off all of my sadness and anxiety and all of that, whenever I talk about my childhood and I just don't feel anything. So, I it's pretty easy for me to talk about some of the hardest things that have ever happened to me. That can happen in moments of crisis. It happened during the pandemic. I wrote this book during the pandemic which pretty much completely dissociated in one of the most traumatizing moments for our society, I guess living with CPTSD is kind of like being used to always feeling like you're going to die at any moment. And so, at a certain point, you do kind of get dulled to it, and it can be both a terrible thing and a wonderful thing.
PRENTICE: Is it learned? Is it through professional help?
FOO: My dissociation?
PRENTICE: Yeah.
FOO: It's actually a symptom of how people who are very traumatized. I think that they sometimes have a hard time accessing their feelings… particularly difficult feelings. But all feelings, like when you numb the sadness, you can also numb the happiness. I think that it can be pathologized as something that's really debilitating for some people. And it certainly exists on a spectrum, But in moments of extreme distress, in moments of where you really need to stay calm in order to survive, we can be the calmest ones in the room. You know, it is a survival mechanism from having to stay calm in dangerous moments where our lives were threatened. You know, if you have a tiger… if a tiger ate your wife, you can't just, like, sit there and freak out about it and grieve. You have to feed your children. If you're living in a jungle, you have to find a way to survive. And so, you have to shut down all of those feelings and keep going. And I think the harder thing has been to tap into some of those rough feelings and feel grief and sadness and anger over what happened to me as a child.
PRENTICE: Can I assume that when you are invited for readings or a speaking engagement… do countless people come up to you when you're done and want to share their stories? I'm wondering what that experience has been like.
FOO: I feel like the language around trauma has actually been improving a lot with the help of social media and awareness and books. So, I think people understand more about the concept of trauma dumping. And the toll that it can take on people. So, I don't frequently get people coming up and dumping all their trauma on me. But what I do get a lot of is people coming to me and saying, ‘My story is your story.” And I always say, thank you so much. And I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry that you have to be part of this club. But I always say, “This is the crappiest club with the best people in it.” Because I feel like survivors… when they come up to me, they're always so empathetic. They're so kind, they're so gracious, they're so thoughtful. And it's really taught me that survivors of CPTSD are really powerful and loving… and lovable individuals.
PRENTICE: As a point of personal privilege, I have to tell you that my connection was that I worked with foster kids… pretty high risk foster kids…close to 100 before I returned to journalism. And I found your story to be their story. What I learned from your book, and what you've reminded me of more than a few times, is that you never know that you are learning to survive, But only on the other side, where there's any amount of daylight do you consider yourself a survivor. Because the process of surviving is so… just… awful sometimes… even though you are surviving.
FOO: It's all encompassing. And I think a lot of times the process of surviving is so sad that there is a lot of self-hatred in there. For me, being abused and abandoned by both of my parents by the time I was a teenager, there was a lot of self-loathing and feeling like, “Why didn't anybody want me? Why must I be unlovable?” And only years later, really, was I able to look at that teenage girl and think, “Oh my God, the strength that you have, the power that you have to have gone through all of that and to keep going and to succeed. I mean,” I have a lot of love and empathy for that girl now.
PRENTICE: I'm next going to ask you to read from your book again: Chapter 43, if it's okay? Beginning with the words, “But there are two main differences…”
FOO: Okay.
“But there are two main differences. Now I have hope, and I have agency. I know my feelings, no matter how disconsolate they are, they are temporary. I know that regardless of how unruly it is, I am the Beast's master, and at the end of each battle I stand strong and plant my flag. I am alive, I am proud, I am joyful still. So, this is healing, then. The opposite of the ambiguous dread fullness. I am full of anger, pain, peace, love of horrible shards and exquisite beauty and the lifelong challenge will be to balance all of those things while keeping them in the circle. Healing is never final. It is never perfection. But along with the losses are the triumphs. I accept the lifelong battle and its limitations now, even though I must always carry the weight of grief on my back. I have become strong. My legs and shoulders are long, hard bundles of muscle. The burden is lighter than it was. I no longer cower and crawl my way through this world. Now I hitch my pack up. And as I wait for the beast to come, I dance.”
PRENTICE: Stephanie Foo will be the much-anticipated keynote speaker at the upcoming Northwest Conference on Resettlement, sponsored by the Idaho Office for Refugees. Stephanie, great good luck to you. Safe journey. I can't thank you enough for giving me some time today.
Why eighth graders are naming ITD's snowplows
Oct 09, 2024
(Idaho Transportation Department)
Contests to name a snowplow are becoming more common around Idaho. It’s a great way to involve and educate kids about what road departments do each year to get ready for winter weather.
For the past two years we’ve told you about Nampa's name that plow contest where elementary school kids came up with names like "Darth Blader" and "Frosty the Snowplow."
Now the Idaho Transportation Department is joining in with its first name a snowplow contest targeted at eighth grade students who are just about the right age to start drivers training.
Ellen Mattila, public information officer with the Idaho Transportation Department, and transportation program manager Vincent Trimboli join Idaho Matters to talk more about the contest and how ITD prepares for winter road conditions.
Split by politics: The experience of one mountain town
Oct 09, 2024
The partisan division in national politics in recent years has also come to define much of local politics. Candidates up and down the ballot regularly tap into fears that their opponents threaten the way people live their lives. In Colorado, that political schism has split one rural country in half. KUNC's Lucas Brady Woods reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Idaho Decision 2024: Voter ID requirements
Oct 08, 2024
(Otto Kitsinger / AP Images)
What happens when you go to vote and you don’t have a driver’s license? Can you still vote? What kind of identification do you need, and how do you get one?
Voters will decide the future of our country for the next four years as well as many key state and local races in the upcoming November election. Because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level.
Idaho's Secretary of State Phil McGrane joined Idaho Matters to take a closer look at these issues and answer the questions that have come up this election season.
The impact of uncommitted voters in the November election
Oct 08, 2024
(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)
One of the things that seems to be missing from the upcoming November election is civility on all sides, and we wanted to find out more about the tenor of the campaigns.
Dr. Sam Martin is a professor and political scientist at Boise State University. She sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the reliability of polls and whether there truly are uncommitted voters.
Why landlocked foodies are buying wild Alaskan salmon in bulk
Oct 08, 2024
(Hanna Merzbach / Wyoming Public Media )
Excitement was in the air as people spent one of the last Saturdays of summer lined up in a coffee shop parking lot in Teton Valley in Eastern Idaho. They were there for fresh Alaskan salmon — 10-, 20- and 40-pound boxes of fillets and ground sockeye.
“This is it right here,” said Carlen Hervig, standing at the front of the line under a blue tent “So, see. It just looks so beautiful.”
Hervig pointed to the vacuum-sealed bag of bright red-orange ground-up salmon.
She was picking up for a neighbor and getting herself some foot-long fillets to serve at dinner parties.
“It's a pretty big piece, so once you're going to thaw one out you kind of want to know, 'OK, I'm having friends over. I can serve this many portions,'” she explained.
( Courtesy of Kirstyn Sterling)
Hervig has been coming back for this wild salmon for years. It comes from Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska. Fed by six major rivers, the bay is home to the largest wild salmon run on the planet, and it’s sustainably managed.
Hervig said the fish from there just tastes better than the farm-raised stuff you find in the grocery store. Plus, wild salmon is hard to come by in this part of Idaho since many varieties are endangered and illegal to fish.
“I think the first year we delivered seven boxes and we thought that was a huge deal,” said Amanda Wlaysewski with Kvichak Fish Company. “And, now, it's grown into, what, 70 people.”
That’s 3,600 pounds of salmon today.
(Hanna Merzbach / Wyoming Public Media )
Wlaysewski first got hooked on Alaskan salmon after spending a summer at a cannery in Naknek, Alaska after high school.
Now, she and a friend from the cannery run this company, working with fishermen on the Kvichak River in Bristol Bay.
“When we first were starting out we just assumed that we were gonna be a company that put fish in a box and shipped it all over the country, and right away, we stopped doing that,” she said.
Instead, they opted to keep operations small. They now ship the salmon by barge and truck to Bozeman, Montana — where Wlaysewski lives — and load it all into a bright blue freezer-cold trailer. Then, once a year, Wlaysewski, her sister and her business partner haul it to different pickup spots in Montana and Idaho.
(Hanna Merzbach / Wyoming Public Media )
They started serving this small community in Driggs, Idaho, in 2016. Wlaysewski was friends with a fisherman who used to deliver here, and when he retired, she helped locals continue to have access to wild fish.
“They care about knowing where it comes from because the economy around here is focused around agriculture and food,” said Wlaysewski, “and just a desire to support small producers because a lot of them are small producers themselves.”
In recent years, at least three other companies have started bringing wild salmon here and across the state line in Jackson Hole.
(Hanna Merzbach / Wyoming Public Media )
In Salt Lake City, Kirstyn Sterling runs a similar company.
“We all started out with this because it was like, ‘Oh, you're a fisherman in Alaska. So how do we get fish?’” Sterling said.
She fishes every summer in Bristol Bay, living in a 700-square-foot cabin with her husband and two kids. For the rest of the year, she sells salmon in the Mountain West.
“If you're an expecting mother, this is like the most perfect food for you ever,” she said. ‘If you are a little baby that’s just starting out eating, this is the most perfect food for you ever. If you're a dog, this is the most perfect food for you ever.”
(Courtesy of Kirstyn Sterling)
Sterling’s business has been growing, but part of her job is still convincing people that wild sockeye is healthier than fish raised on farms, which are fed pellets, antibiotics and dyes. But her fish is ruby red from eating plankton and krill in the open ocean.
“You're paying a little bit more, but it's so much better for you and it tastes so much better,” she said.
A single piece of wild salmon can be about $18 a pound — about twice as much as the farm-raised grocery stuff. But the Alaskan fish can be cheaper if you buy in bulk or ahead of the season, like folks in Teton Valley, Idaho.
Back at the pick-up, local resident Kyle Barrus is cramming 15 boxes into his Subaru Outback. He works at a nearby ranch. Some of the fish is for him, but he’s also picking up for family and neighbors.
(Hanna Merzbach / Wyoming Public Media)
“I've come to just really like these guys,” Barrus said. “I like supporting Amanda [Wlaysewski], and I like supporting small business.”
And just like having a deer or elk in the freezer, Barrus said he’s excited to have all this wild salmon stored up for the long winter ahead.
Can he taste the difference from grocery store salmon?
“I don’t know,” Barrus said. “It’s delicious. I know that.”
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, 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.
Electricity: Why doctors say it's critical for your health
Oct 08, 2024
(iStockphoto)
Doctors prescribe a lot of things every day, like medications and advice to help their patients feel better.
Now some doctors are prescribing electricity to their patients. They believe not having access to reliable power can have a direct impact on the health of their patients.
Marking one year since the Hamas attack on Israel
Oct 07, 2024
People carry flags as members of the Jewish community gather at a park in Sydney, Australia, on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, as mourners marked the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)(Rick Rycroft/AP / AP)
Today marks one year since Hamas launched its surprise terrorist attack in Israel, the deadliest attack ever on Israeli soil, taking 1,200 lives.
Since then Israel has responded by declaring war against Hamas. In the aftermath of the growing conflict, Gaza has been left in a humanitarian crisis, and thousands more have been killed.
Shockwaves of the war have been felt across the nation, and according to the Anti-Defamation League, there have been more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States since the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel, making it the highest number of incidents ever recorded in any single year since the ADL started tracking in 1979.
American Jewish Committee regional director for the region that include Idaho Regina Sassoon Friedland joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
New program works to keep food waste out of the landfill
Oct 07, 2024
( Boise City)
Many Boise homeowners have three trash cans: a gray one for trash, a blue one for recycling and a green one for compost.
The compost program started in 2017 and has been very successful, turning one-third of the waste that used to go into the landfill into compost. Now, Boise is expanding that program for people who live in apartments and condos who might not have the green compost cart.
Lisa Knapp, who runs Boise's compost program, and Catherine Milner, who runs the reduce and reuse programs, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Comet of the Century' to appear in Idaho sky
Oct 07, 2024
October is a great month to look up into the night sky and see some of the wonders of the universe including “the comet of the century,” the northern lights and a second moon.
Dr. Irwin Horowitz is a mathematics professor at the College of Western Idaho and past president of the Boise Astronomical Society and he sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to take a look at the night sky.
Remembering Idaho's veterans through wreath project
Oct 07, 2024
The 2021 Memorial Day commemoration will be a full in-person ceremony.( Idaho State Veterans Cemetery / Facebook)
Every December, wreaths are placed at each headstone at the Idaho Veterans Cemetery. The program was recently taken over by the Idaho Veterans Network, and they need community support to ensure that every grave gets a wreath this year.
Ron Bowers and Jake Faulkner, State Veterans Cemetery Bureau Chief, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: October 4, 2024
Oct 04, 2024
Smoke from the Valley Fire in southeast Boise.( Michael Martin)
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
Samantha Wright, senior producer of Idaho Matters on Boise State Public Radio
Ten states will vote on abortion legislation in November - what does that mean for Idaho?
Oct 03, 2024
The Missouri Capitol is shown on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)(David A. Lieb/AP / AP)
After months of gathering signatures, filing petitions, and navigating lawsuits, constitutional amendments that will protect or expand abortion rights will appear on the ballot in ten states in November.
These states include blue-leaning, red-leaning, even swing states as voters go to the polls and cast their ballot for reproductive rights. But what could these outcomes mean for Idaho?
Joining us now to talk more are Melanie Folwell, lead organizer for Idahoans United for Women and Families, McKay Cunningham, a constitutional scholar and a graduate professor at College of Idaho and Dr. Loren Colson, a Boise-based family physician and president of the Idaho Coalition for Safe Healthcare.
What to Watch: A British awards shocker
Oct 03, 2024
FILE - Actor Alec Baldwin, center, reacts as he sits between his attorneys Alex Spiro, left, and Luke Nikas after the judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during filming of the Western movie "Rust," Friday, July 12, 2024, in Santa Fe, N.M. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, a movie armorer has asked a judge to dismiss her involuntary manslaughter conviction, Tuesday, July 16, 2024 or offer her a new trial in the shooting death of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin. (Ramsay de Give/Pool Photo via AP, File)(RAMSAY DE GIVE/AP / Pool AFP)
If you thought award shows were a little dull, have we got a story for you! There was a big shocker at a recent British awards show and we have the update. Plus we have all the latest TV and movie news.
Our resident movie critic and Morning Edition host George Prentice is here with another edition of "What to Watch" on Idaho Matters.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 2, 2024
Oct 02, 2024
(Indiana Public Media / Flickr)
The number of children dying from influenza in the 2023-2024 flu season has unfortunately set a new record - 200 children have lost their lives to flu this year - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and co-author of the book "Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak," joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this report along with other public health issues.
Boise BPD Chief visits Morning Edition, talks trust, finding peace and 'struggling well' in the shadow of a shooting
Oct 02, 2024
Boise Police Chief Chris Dennison( City of Boise)
A greater focus on mental health. More transparency. Gaining trust. Those are just a few items on Boise Police Chief Chris Dennison’s to-do list. It has only been a matter of days since he officially took the job, after the city hired Dennison, a 20-plus veteran of the Tucson, Arizona police department.
“There were three things, growing up, I wanted to be: a baseball player, an astronaut, and a cop,” said Dennison. “It ended up being a copy. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
Dennison sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice for a wide-ranging conversation, where they discussed some specifics on how Dennison hopes to earn the community’s trust. Plus Dennison recounted the first time he had to fire a weapon in the line of duty … and how something called “Struggle Well” helped him and might help his fellow officers.
Read the full transcript below:
GEORGE PRENTICE: Chief, is being in law enforcement… is this in your family? Is this in your DNA? Where does this come from?
CHRISTOPHER DENNISON: Oh, it's not my family. I'm the first in my family to join law enforcement. It is in my DNA. There were three things growing up I wanted to be: a baseball player, an astronaut and a cop and ended up as a cop. So it has been a little over 20 years in law enforcement, and I couldn't imagine doing anything else.
PRENTICE: Where'd you grow up?
DENNISON: In Tucson, Arizona.
PRENTICE: Brothers? Sisters?
DENNISON: I am the oldest of five. I have three brothers and a sister.
PRENTICE: And are they scattered?
DENNISON: No. We all stayed pretty close to Tucson, around the surrounding communities there. So, I'm the first one to have moved away.
PRENTICE: Uh, tell me when this is none of my business. Did you bring family with you?
DENNISON: My wife and daughter will be joining me. So, we're in the final stages of looking for a home. I'm definitely excited to get them up here.
PRENTICE: What did the mayor tell you that we needed in a police chief?
DENNISON: Looking for stability for the agency. Focus on employee wellness officer wellness. Making sure we're taking care of the officers to take care of the community. Transparency is obviously important to make sure that the community trusts the police department. We need the community to actually be effective at doing the job. Uh, some of the other conversations talked about is, you know, City of Boise is growing, and we're going to have to make sure that the department is prepared to grow with it and building the infrastructure around the department to be able to sustain that growth and move with it.
PRENTICE: So, let's talk about trust. I'm certain this is no surprise to you that our community has struggled with trust in general, but with this department in particular for a couple of reasons. That said, have you ever had an experience where you had to win or gain someone's trust? I'm wondering what works to gain someone's trust, because it's hard.
DENNISON: Yeah, just being authentic. I wanted to be authentic in all my interviews here. This is the person I am. This is who I'm going to be. This is how I'm going to lead. This is how I'm going to manage. I didn't want to pretend to be somebody else. I think that goes a long way to where you can just sit down with somebody, you can have a conversation, and you don't feel like they're playing games with you. They're just upfront with their answers and upfront with their views. And I think that that's what needs to build trust and being able to put yourself out there a little bit. You know, for me, putting myself out there and not necessarily expecting that to be reciprocated and that's okay. I mean.
PRENTICE: Some of this comes with the job, but do you expect to be quite visible?
DENNISON: I don't think there's a way around not being visible. That's just part of the job.
PRENTICE: But you can also be a little bit more visible too. In other words, through neighborhood engagement, right?
DENNISON: It's important. As a patrol captain, when I worked on our West Side Patrol division, it was during Covid. It was coming out of Covid and during the George Floyd protests in 2020. And I went from being responsible for the significant parts of the Tucson Police Department's response to those riots and protests, to having to actively engage with communities who didn't trust the police. So, it was being visible. It was going to neighborhood events, bringing officers with me, engaging with parents and kids. And then, you know, eventually, for one, one community in particular had a pretty significant history of not trusting the police and didn't really want us in their community to before I had left that division and was promoted, we were actually doing neighborhood parties on weekends at the substation. You know, they were kind enough to let us come into their home and be a part of their community there. We wanted them to come and be a part of us. So we invited them to the, you know, to the substation. We opened up to them. They had live music. Um, they always fed us so well. I was so excited to go to any of those events, but that was part of it is just building that trust. Sounds like a good idea.
PRENTICE: We have the “Night Out’s,” and things like that that are a little bit more formal, but maybe a little bit more of that. Sounds like a pretty good idea too.
DENNISON: Yeah. You know, that's how you build trust. It's the, you know, going out and just meeting with people. And, you know, police departments do this. You know, it's coffee with a cop coming. Come and talk to your officers, going to the neighborhood meetings, you know, National Night Out thing, those things. But it's also being willing to be out in the community and engage with folks as much as possible. And that is something I absolutely will do.
PRENTICE: Every department is different when a new chief comes in. Certainly not right away. Maybe years and years go by. Do you have a hope for how you might make this department a little different….or certainly a little better?
DENNISON: You know, obviously employee wellness is going to incredibly important to me. And making sure that we're taking care of those who are tasked to take care of the community. So, you know, looking at what's already been done in wellness and how to expand that infrastructure for the department and the ability to grow. Everything I read about the city of Boise is it's a growing city. It's expected to grow pretty rapidly over the next several years.
PRENTICE: Do you like the idea of precincts?
DENNISON: Yeah, we called them substations in Tucson. But yes, absolutely. Having forward facing locations that the that the community members could go to in their area to engage with the police, I think is helpful. Um, so building out some of those, especially on the east side of the city where that is definitely lacking, and we want to see expansion there. Yeah. So, I think, you know, looking at over the next several years, how do we increase that footprint and that, um, access for police services and ability to come to the, to the police station if they need to file a report or seek services or help.
PRENTICE: Every presentation I've heard for the last couple of years is that we need more cops. Your predecessor says, hey, we need something like 129 new officers sooner than later based on our growth.
DENNISON: Yeah, I think absolutely. The department's going to going to have to, uh, it's going to have to grow. We're going to need more officers to just for the resources that are needed to ensure that we're providing effective police services for the city.
PRENTICE: You think that you can make that happen?
DENNISON: Absolutely. I think the city is in a great place for it. Uh, the discussions I've had with the mayor and some of the council members, uh, definitely lend to that. Absolutely. For the infrastructure, the expansion of the agency, um, as needed and required to make sure that it continues to be an effective police department.
PRENTICE: And how do we get a force that is truly reflective of our community? Demographics-wise? Now, obviously you want the best of the best, right? And that's priority number one. That said, there's something to be said for a reflection of our community.
DENNISON: Yeah, that goes just to recruiting efforts and officers. Officers being out in the community, being out in the community. There's a lot of folks who live in and around the city of Boise who may have never considered a career in law enforcement. It just, you know, it never it never occurred to them. And I think our officers are great ambassadors for the profession. I in my short time here, I've received numerous compliments coming in from the community about just how engaging the officers were and how appreciative just them being there and the energy that they, um, that they were showing toward the community at different events. So I think that's how you do, you know. Absolutely. You want the best. Um, you know, don't want to decrease the standards for what we accept as a police officer, but within the within communities that haven't considered it, those people exist. Absolutely. And how do you reach them? How do you reach them? Is being out in the community at different events, talking to them and letting them see that police officers are people, too? We have, you know, yeah, you know, hopes and fears like everybody else. We have worries like everybody else and, you know, seeing themselves in the uniform so they can see themselves in the uniform because it's not foreign to them.
PRENTICE: Chief, have you ever had to fire your weapon in the line of duty?
DENNISON: I have.
PRENTICE: And at what point in your career did that happen?
DENNISON: I believe that was in 2014. I was a supervisor for a plainclothes street squad. We did a lot of work in the area of prostitution… narcotics. A lot of it was significant. A lot of narcotics work.
PRENTICE: Night or day?
DENNISON: This was during the day that this occurred. So, it's kind of a kind of an involved story, but a gentleman… a vehicle parks… a gentleman gets out and he looks down the road at the toward the officers where I'm at with some other officers. And he looks at my officer, who, like I said, he's in a plainclothes car and he pulls out a gun, waves around and says, “I'm a cop killer.” We were getting information. He was basically terrorizing this small apartment complex, And we also had info from the FBI at that time that he had been tasked to do a hit on a rival gang member. While SWAT was getting their equipment in place and prepping to get briefed. We were still on surveillance. The suspect left on foot, obviously with a lot of the info we had, the propensity for the threats to violence and the fact that he was supposed to potentially kill a rival gang member. We had absolute belief he was armed. Um, an officer myself and I was a sergeant at the time, so I was supervising the squad. We stopped. We stopped to make contact with him. Ended in a foot chase. As we were chasing, he turned and fired at myself and another officer. We returned fire, striking him. We rendered medical aid, got him to the hospital. He's still alive today. He's sitting in prison. When he was interviewed by detectives, he had told him he believed it was his chance to kill a cop. And then he pled guilty to two counts of attempted murder.
PRENTICE: So how do you train a young man or woman for the psychological after-effect of something like that.
DENNISON: It is…. It's a terrible position to be in. I remember that night…the emotions that were going through me, just how I felt about the incident, um, struggling with my faith and how that was at conflict with what had just happened. But what I've learned and, you know, and to some, we had done such a tremendous job of engaging our officers and working on, on ways to give them tools to deal with it. And whether it's, you know, sometimes the littlest things, it's keeping a journal. It's, uh, doing a gratitude. What are you thankful for? It's disclosure. It's talking to people about things that you've been through. You know, you’re 3 to 5 trusted people that you can talk to and, and, uh, and work through things. Um, there's other things that I had gone through that helped me at you know, Whether, you know, it's, you know, having a better diet. It's consistent exercise, meditation, just things that you can, you can do to, to build your, to build some resiliency. So when you know, if something, God forbid, like this happens, that you have some of those tools to fall back on to help walk you through that.
PRENTICE: I have to assume that you bring that with you when you come into this job.
DENNISON: Yes. I have been very fortunate. I got to go through a great program. Tucson police allowed me to go through a nonprofit program. And it was super helpful. And the department actually brought elements from that nonprofit into the department to work on. It’s called “Struggle Well.” And really, it is just working with folks who, you know, we all go through things in our life. It doesn't mean just law enforcement or not. And it's building those mechanisms, those tools that you have to help unload some of that baggage so you can be more present and engaged.
PRENTICE: Again, tell me if it's none of my business, but where do you find peace in your life?
DENNISON: I find peace in my life with my wife and my daughter and my family… my parents, my brothers, my sister. And…..you know, I find peace in my life driving my Jeep. I just… I enjoy getting in my Jeep. So, you know, things like that are important. But my family.
PRENTICE: The last question I'll ask is about the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders. To the person, every public official that I talked to at the council level and also at ACHD uses the word “crisis.” Way too many people have been hit and way too many people have been killed. We've got a problem. We have a significant problem of vehicles versus pedestrian versus cyclist. How do you get your arms around that? Are there things we can change sooner than later?
DENNISON: Yeah. I wish to say this was a super easy answer. This is not something…
PRENTICE: This may be the issue of our times, right?
DENNISON: Absolutely. It's not unique to the city of Boise. We've seen this across the country. The city I just came from last year, I believe we touched 100 vehicle related fatalities from collisions, both vehicle versus vehicle, vehicle versus motorcycle, single vehicle collision, pedestrians. All the things that the city of Boise is seeing. And it's okay. How do you how do you fix it?
PRENTICE: Because there's a good many people who say enforcement, that's the first thing out of their mouth is enforcement of the law. But it's got to be bigger than that.
DENNISON: Yeah, I think it's going to be technological. They're distracted. Driving is definitely an issue. How many people you drive by where you look around at a streetlight and their heads buried in their phone, that is, you know, it's paying attention when you're on the road, realizing it's not just you in the car by yourself. You have people who have families and loved ones that are also using these streets. So, education is a component of it. It's technology. It's infrastructure. What can we design? Can we make, can we design things within the city and with the infrastructure that makes it safer and enforcement is a part of it, but it's not the answer for everything. It needs to be a real holistic look at what we can do through education, technology, infrastructure and enforcement to drive those numbers down and make it safer to be on the street. I drive these streets, my family's going to be driving these streets. We you know, a good.
PRENTICE: Part of it is what's going on between our ears, right? I mean, obviously it's awareness. But it's just the fact that there's a lot of vulnerable people out there.
DENNISON: There is a lot of people driving that distracted driving is a is a concern. So, it's, you know, like again, education I think is an important part of that. You have a lot of young drivers on the road and people are easily distracted. Um, I would like to say I'm impervious to that. I'm not. There's a lot of things occurring in our world. Um, so it's understanding when we just need to put the phone down and focus on getting from point A to point B and making sure we get there safely for not just ourselves and our family, but for everybody else's family.
These are just some of the questions we’re looking at today. Because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level.
Idaho's Secretary of State Phil McGrane joined Idaho Matters again to talk more about the absentee ballots, campaign finance laws and answer more questions about the upcoming election.
Counting down to the 2024 Election
Oct 01, 2024
In this combination of photos taken in Pennsylvania, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event, Aug. 18, 2024, in Rochester, left, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event, Aug. 19, 2024, in York. (AP Photo)(AP / AP)
We are a few weeks away from what many political scholars are calling an historic election. On November 5, our country will elect a new president - either former president Donald Trump or current vice president Kamala Harris - with some scholars and pundits saying Democracy is on the line.
We wanted to dive deeper into these questions, so we asked Dr. David Adler, a constitutional scholar and the president of the Alturas Institute, to join Idaho Matters.
He’ll dive into these issues at his next Constitutional Conversation “Countdown to the Historic Election of 2024 - Implications for Democracy and the Rule of Law” Oct. 3 at the Yanke Center in Boise.
Creating art: A behind the scenes look with BOSCO
Oct 01, 2024
The event gives people a behind-the-scenes look at how local artists make their pieces and the inspiration that goes into them.
Deborra Marshall Bohrer, president of Bosco, and events chair Cindi Walton joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 27, 2024
Sep 27, 2024
Ammon Bundy speaks to the media in front of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters on Jan. 6 near Burns, Ore. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
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.
'Scandalized:' Unpacking Americas political scandals
Sep 26, 2024
Scandalized hosts Charlie Hunt and Jaci Kettler. ( James Dawson)
Political scandals are nothing new, some memorable others not, yet many have had a significant impact on the United States.
Which is exactly what the new podcast "Scandalized" is looking at as political scientists Charles Hunt and Jaci Kettler dive into moments in history that have changed our political landscape.
Taking flight: California condors to be released
Sep 26, 2024
(Nancy Arehart / California Condor Reproduction Program )
On Saturday in Arizona, four California condors that were born and raised in captivity will take their first flight into the wild.
Since the 1980s, when there were only 22 of the birds left in the world, the Peregrine Fund has been working to restore condor populations.
One of the birds to be released is Milagra, Spanish for miracle, because she was just an egg when her mother died of bird flu and biologists rescued her from her cliffside nest. She wasn’t expected to live, but she did and she grew up at the Peregrine Fund’s Boise facility.
Jessica Schlarbaum, public information officer with the Peregrine Fund and propagation director Leah Esquivel, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about the birds.
The Idaho Renaissance Faire returns
Sep 26, 2024
The Idaho Renaissance Faire.(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobminton/">Bob Minton</a> / Flickr)
Every year at the Idaho Renaissance Faire, hundreds of people gather for some unforgettable dancing, jousting and sword fighting.
This year is not different, and along with having lots of fun, people will also get to learn a little bit about history.
Kathlean Danes, president of the Idaho Renaissance Faire; Tyson Stuki, vice president of human resources; and Denice King, who plays the Duchess of Milan, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: September 25, 2024
Sep 25, 2024
False-color transmission electron micrograph of a field of whooping cough bacteria, <em>Bordetella pertussis</em>.(A. Barry Dowsett / Science Source)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pertussis is on the rise.
Here in the Gem State, we're seeing an outbreak in North Idaho and the Boise State Broncos almost had the home opener against Portland State canceled due to the disease.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this report along with other public health issues.
Providing healthcare to Idaho's rural communities
Sep 25, 2024
(Rasande Tyskar / Flickr)
More than 50 years ago, Terry Reilly was sent to Nampa by the Catholic Church to help the farmworker community. He started a small health clinic, which over the years grew exponentially.
Today, Terry Reilly Health Services operates clinics across southwest Idaho that do all they can to provide medical, dental, and behavioral health care to anyone who needs it regardless of their ability to pay.
We want to learn more about Terry Reilly because they have clinics in a lot of rural areas like Marsing, which is where Boise State Public Radio is holding our second panel on mental health Thursday night. Our goal is to help build connections between teens, families, and their support networks.
Britney Journee, the assistant director of behavioral health for Terry Reilly, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A Bondurant summer camp that has it all: work, play and possibly Wyoming’s future outdoor leaders
Sep 25, 2024
(Caitlin Tan / Wyoming Public Media)
Summer is wrapping up, so we’re taking a look back at something that was likely a part of many of our childhoods: summer camp. But this one is a little different. It's a partnership between a ranch in Bondurant, a wildlife non-profit and the state of Wyoming geared toward kids across the country who wouldn’t otherwise have these kinds of outdoor opportunities. The ‘Inspire a Kid’ camp attempts to live out the state’s vision for teaching youth about the outdoors.
Ice cold showers and hot coffee
It was mid-summer at the base of Bondurant’s Gros Ventre Mountains. And 17 boys were living their best lives – reeling in fish, playing in the mud and running through the willows and pine trees.
Colten Christianson, a 13-year-old of Kinnear, Wyoming, had dirt on his cheeks. He took a break from helping restore a nearby beaver pond to explain a typical morning.
“We wake up, some of us get hot chocolate,” he said, adding they wake up at 6 a.m. “You can also go to the sluice box.”
Sluice boxes were used over a 150 years ago to separate gold from water. But here at camp, they funnel ice cold, mountain stream water off a hillside.
Zach Cortez, a 12-year-old of Riverton, explained it’s a shower.
“I do it in the morning to get waked up. It’s way better than coffee,” Cortez said. When questioned about drinking coffee at his age, Cortez pointed to his buddies and said frankly, “Yeah. Because somebody decided to drink all the hot cocoa.”
Hooking and reeling them in
The weeklong camp is spent fully outside. Working. Playing. And learning about future outdoor careers.
Which is the whole point, said Chris McBarnes. He runs the Wyoming Wyldlife Fund, the non-profit arm for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), and helped get the camp off the ground for its first summer in 2022.
“The hook are the mountains, the fly fishing and the horseback riding,” McBarnes said, gesturing to the camp’s nearby mountains, river and forest. “That's what gets the kids here.”
And once they’re hooked, McBarnes hopes that excitement reels some of these kids back one day.
“If we don't do this, we won't have the future conservationists and leaders that will continue to make Wyoming all it is today,” he said.
It’s out of a larger WGFD and Gov. Mark Gordon initiative also called ‘Inspire a Kid’, along with a partnership with the Little Jennie Ranch in Bondurant.
The campers write thank you letters on one of the last days of camp.(<b>Caitlin Tan / Wyoming public media</b>)
McBarnes added that the influence is tangible – even just in a few years. He recently heard from a camper from last summer.
“This young man has completely changed his career goals,” he said proudly. “He wants to be a conservation officer. That is his dream. That is his passion now.”
McBarnes sees this kid’s experience as proof of concept for the camp. He’d like to see it replicated across the state.
It’s part of a multipronged effort to attract and keep more young people in Wyoming, which has seen the majority of people born in the state leave by their 30s.
“It’s up to you”
It's a lofty goal for a little camp. But McBarnes and instructor Chris Story said starting down a career path and appreciation of the outdoors begins with learning basic skills, like how to feed the camp's horses.
The boys try to move the 90-pound bales by each taking an end.(<b>Caitlin Tan / Wyoming public media</b>)
“There's enough hay on this truck that we needed to unload and stack that everybody's responsible for one bale,” Story said to the group of boys.
Green, square hay bales on the truck towered over the kiddos. One bale probably weighed more than each boy. Story pointed to an area about 40 feet away where they needed to move the hay to.
“It's up to you guys how you want to come up with the strategy,” Story said, emphasizing the need to work together.
He pitched a few bales off the truck for the kids to start on.
“It's gonna bounce guys, so you gotta stay back,” Story said, as a 90-pound bale thumped to the ground.
The boys partnered in pairs of two and each took an end of a bale. They awkwardly shuffled along, breathing heavily.
And sure – not all these kids need to know how to move hay bales in the future. But it’s more than that. It’s problem solving. Teamwork. Leadership. Physical movement. A sense of accomplishment. And, of course, a love of Wyoming’s outdoors.
Campers sit around a campfire morning and night while eating their meals.(<b>Caitlin Tan / Wyoming public media</b>)
“I think I've kind of fallen in love with the mountains here,” said 15-year-old William Johnston of New Jersey. “That's the biggest thing, is that I want to try to come back.”
Johnston lives in a city, and this is the first time he’s really been in the mountains. He sat on a stump by a campfire.
It was the second to last morning, and Johnston reflected on the week of camp. Learning to fly-fish was his favorite. But his other takeaway? Bring layers.
“Sleeping is pretty cold,” said Johnston, adorning a wool balaclava on his head.
Because in Wyoming, even during summer camp, winter is always coming.
Campers tromp around by the beaver pond they’re helping restore.(<b>Caitlin Tan / Wyoming public media</b>)
Copyright 2024 Wyoming Public Radio
Morning Edition goes a little 'Crazy' for ‘Always… Patsy Cline.’
Sep 25, 2024
Christina Rose Hall stars in 'Always... Patsy Cline' at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.(Idaho Shakespeare Festival)
Where do you begin with Patsy Cline? Well, for one, you go a bit “Crazy,” as in the 1961 song that turned pop and country music on its proverbial ear. It is likely that there are not many people in the Western World who don’t sing along when they hear the four-bar piano introduction.
The original record rocketed up the Billboard charts and before the year was out, Patsy Cline performed it at the Grand Ole Opry and Carnegie Hall.
Sad to say, Cline’s legend was also solidified in her way-too-early passing when she died in a plane crash at the age of 30.
Its star, Christina Rose Hall visits with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the legend … and much more.
Read the full transcript below:
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Hi. I'm George Prentice. It is a given that the voice and style of Patsy Cline was among the very best. It is also fair to say that she quickly became a legend. She did leave this world too soon. She was only 30 when she was killed in a plane crash. “Walkin After Midnight.” “I Fall to Pieces.” “Crazy.” She is certainly, more than just part of the American songbook. She was the first female to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Grand Ole Opry. And here comes the show, “Always… Patsy Cline,” a theatrical event about Patsy Cline and her close friendship with Louise Seeger. Christina Rose Hall is here, and she has toured in the national company of Les Miserables, and her theatrical resume includes the classics Wonderful Town, Kinky Boots, The Little Mermaid, Sweeney Todd, and so much more, and now this is her first season with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Hi.
CHRISTINA ROSE HALL: Hi. Thank you so much for having me.
PRENTICE: Um, and I want to make sure I get this right, because, as you say on social media.
“Dear everyone. My first name has an A on the end of it. It has three syllables, the last of which is pronounced, ‘ah” like Miss Ricci, as in Christina Ricci. Miss Applegate as Christina or Miss Aguilera. Christina. . Has that been.an issue?
HALL: My whole life. You know, and no shade to anybody, because there's so many of us around my age who are named Christina, Christine, Kristen, Kirsten, Christian, my little brother's name. So, I have sympathy for it, but it also is, you know, my brand as an actor. So, getting that last little letter in there matters.
PRENTICE: I see a lot of your work in and around Chicago, but where did you grow up?
HALL: I grew up in, the Houston area. In Texas.
PRENTICE: Was this always your dream? Were you always going to do this?
HALL: Yes. I really wish I, you know, I consider myself a creative. I've wanted to be a performer, a singer, since I was 2 or 3. I started singing before I really regularly spoke, so it's kind of always been there. That drive and just desire to share with people and delight people. And you know, I got the bug early and she just keeps, you know, you got to keep scratching.
PRENTICE: Let's talk about Patsy Cline.
HALL: Mhm.
PRENTICE: This is not your first relationship with this production.
HALL: This is actually my fourth time.
PRENTICE: Oh, my goodness. Do you grow into Patsy Cline?
HALL: Yeah. I mean, something that is really remarkable about Patsy in general is the emotional availability in her voice. She taps into something really special and haunting, and it just touches people in a way. And she. She died so young at 30 years old., I started playing the part at that age. Now, more than a decade later, the amount of living I have done and life experience, particularly heartbreak that has, uh, I guess would, I would say, enriched my overall human experience, I think has actually opened up a lot more in terms of the storytelling. I feel able to tell the heartbreak that I'm trying to convey. Like, I actually really know what that feels like now
PRENTICE: In life and so personal and professional?
HALL; Yes. Yeah. Yes.
PRENTICE: Wow. And so, it is amazing that these particular songs were a reflection of her life. And I think if I remember someone asked her about how she sings or what she sings, and I think she once said something like, “I…, I sing what's inside me or what I'm feeling.” When I hear “Crazy,”. I mean…who doesn't go there?
HALL: There is nobody who I've ever heard…and I grew up in the 90s where this was a big thing in vocalizing…, but nobody can work a vocal break like Patsy Cline. I mean, she just knows how to make it. That vocal break will break your heart. It's really incredible. You know, I do feel in this production, especially having done the show so many times now, that I really have kind of allowed myself to surrender thinking about that. I do think I've just sort of been able to find it in my body, and I just kind of drop into it. And so, I do very much try to honor her vocal mannerisms. I very much try to honor the spirit of her being someone who… while she made it in country music… she really is like the original crossover star, you know? And so, I feel like as long as I'm tapping into the roots of country music, which I have, in my background, just growing up in the South, I try to honor that and, just really try to like…there are tones that people are looking for. There are sounds. Luckily, she does have more of, like, a classical kind of crooner sound. And as someone who grew up listening to her and Judy Garland …there's actually a lot of vocal space that is similar. So, yeah, just accessing that sort of back of the vocal chambers.
PRENTICE: And when are you, Christina? And when are you Christina Rose?
HALL: Ah, my middle name that I never had in my name professionally up until I went through some pretty tremendous hardship. I had always thought of it in a wonderful way of this homage to my great grandmother, Mama Rosa. My niece: her middle name is Rose. My dear friend named her child. I just have loved like the blooming thought of it. But when coming out of some tremendous hardship, I actually started to hear it differently, as though, like “Christina rose up,” “Christina got back up.” And so, I put Rose in my professional name as a way to forever imbue myself in a “dust yourself off, girl. Get back up. Get back out there.”
PRENTICE: Yeah. That's working.
HALL: Thank you. Okay.
PRENTICE: I am so glad I asked. She is Christina Rose Hall, and the show is, “:Always… Patsy Cline.” And at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival until the end of September, specifically September 29th. Thank you so very much. And all the best to you and to your costar and safe journey.
You may have seen it in your mailbox in the last few days: a bright, red, white and blue little newspaper called the Vote Idaho Voter Pamphlet, and it’s full of everything you need to know to vote before the November election.
We wanted to know more, and because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level.
Idaho's Secretary of State Phil McGrane joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the pamphlet, sample ballots, and answer questions about the upcoming election.
Read the full transcript below:
GAUDETTE: From the studios of Boise State Public Radio News. I'm Gemma Gaudette. This is Idaho Matters. You may have seen it in your mailbox in the last few days. A bright red, white and blue little newspaper called The Vote idaho Voter pamphlet, and it is full of everything you need to know to vote before the November election. So we wanted to know more. And because it is a presidential election year, there's been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected, but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level. So to answer those questions that have come up this election season and to talk about the pamphlet and about sample ballots, we asked Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane to join us each Tuesday leading up to the election to take a look at these issues. And he is joining us now. Hi, Phil.
McGRANE: Hey, Gemma. It's great to be with you again.
GAUDETTE: Okay, so let's talk about the voter pamphlet. It's sitting on my kitchen counter right now. Nice. First off, I write, I know. What is it and what's in it?
McGRANE: Uh, as you can probably appreciate, this is a really exciting week for our office as we're gearing up for the election. Really, the election is underway, and the voter pamphlet is a key part of that process. We our office mailed out 850,000 copies. Um, roughly 17 million pages, but who's counting? And this is headed out to all Idahoans to give them, just like you had said in the introduction, all of the information they need to know about voting here in Idaho for the November election coming up. So touching on things like voter registration, how to do that, touching on what the voting process is in terms of our options between absentee voting, early voting in person voting, some of the key dates, and then I think most notably, and what really why we send this out is it contains the text of the constitutional amendment that's being proposed, as well as arguments for and against it, and the text of Proposition 1 and arguments for and against it. So trying to get out as much information as we can so that voters not only know that they need to vote, but that they have the tools they need to go do that.
GAUDETTE: So who actually puts the pamphlet together? McGRANE: It's a team of folks here in the Secretary of State's office. We've been working on it since July, getting all the information in terms of the submissions for the pamphlet, really combining the resources. You and I have talked about the VoteIdaho.Gov website in the past. That's really become our one stop shop and a resource for voters. And so we compiled all the information and put it together. The office has been doing it for a while. We just kind of took a new twist on it, providing more tools and more information. And I think you noted one of the big things is the introduction of the sample ballots that are now available online. That's one of the things we're really excited to highlight for voters.
GAUDETTE: I want to before we go to the sample ballot, I do want to talk a little bit more about the constitutional amendment. As you mentioned, you have the whole text of it, but then you also have, as you said, arguments for and against this amendment. Why do you do it this way? And really making it more of a bipartisan look at this issue?
McGRANE: Um, really, it's because that's the task the legislature has given our office is we're responsible for election information. So we will be sending out publications highlighting that there's a constitutional amendment. It's noteworthy that any time you actually go in and amend the Constitution, that's a big thing. It requires a two thirds vote of the legislature to put this amendment on the ballot. And now it's up to voters in order to determine its passage. Um, the legislature, it is interesting, Legislative Council, uh, which is bipartisan. It's made up by both the majority and the minority. They're the ones who wrote the the arguments in the constitutional amendment case. So they just tried to provide kind of a, a factual look at here's, you know, what people are saying this why they're doing it, and here's why people say you shouldn't vote for it, but really giving voters the tools to make an informed decision and most noteworthy, to see it themselves. So any voter interested this is a great resource.
GAUDETTE: So go back again and tell us who writes the pro and con arguments. And this is, I would assume, for any constitutional amendment this this committee does this.
McGRANE: Yeah. It's worth noting there's two different processes when we look at the voter pamphlet. So a constitutional amendment, the arguments for and against are provided by legislative counsel. That is made up of leadership members from both the majority and the minority parties in the legislature. So it's actually the legislature that both put the text on the ballot. And they're also the ones that provided the arguments for and against, whereas proposition one is a citizen's initiative. You guys have talked about that over the course of the last year. Yeah. It was put on the ballot by citizens circulating petitions, getting signatures. They put it on the ballot. And then once that was on the ballot, we accepted submissions back in July for arguments for and against proposition one. And we had to select what are by statute. What are the best arguments provided? And so we have two different looks. We have both the group Idahoans for open primaries who provided they're the ones who circulated the petitions. They provided the pro argument. And then interestingly enough, it was the Republican caucus from the legislature that provided the con arguments. We got multiple submissions on both sides, but we're tasked with selecting the best one.
GAUDETTE: So with that, um, do you then at your office put a committee together to figure out which which pro and which con argument will go into this pamphlet? Because, as you said, you got quite a few submissions.
McGRANE: Uh, we do we have our leadership team as well as our communications team read through all of the submissions. Many of them were pretty easy to filter through because people would put one line comments. And, uh, certainly the legislature has given more word space and just really the articulation. And thankfully, in this case, I don't think it was too difficult for us to discern kind of which ones had both put the argument together best and made it cleanest. The legislature also gave us a hierarchy, so the petitioner certainly deserved a right to have their voice heard in the process. They did all the work to put it on the ballot, so we knew that they would be selected. It was really the con argument that we had to filter through a couple. Um, but I think, you know, from what we've heard from voters who've gotten their voter pamphlets, we've had a lot of positive feedback. It's been a really nice boost for the elections team in our office because we, you know, aren't frequently getting lots of really positive emails and calls and other things. But people seeing this as a great resource headed to the election. It's really been a hit for our team.
GAUDETTE: And as we mentioned at the top of our conversation, you do have a new sample ballot tool on your website. Um, so let's talk about that. What exactly does this do?
McGRANE: You know, one of the things I've been a strong advocate for ever since stepping into this role is just getting more information to voters. The pamphlet is a great example of that. It's why it's why we did the new Look and Feel for the Vote Idaho website and tried to put more information there. It's also where we tried to pack more information into the voter pamphlet. And it really kind of culminated with the introduction of the sample ballots. In the past, there have been very generic sample ballots available that the counties produce. But this election is the first time statewide everywhere from Clark County to Camas County. And in between that you can actually go to vote Idaho. Gov. Look up your voter records so you can confirm your registered. See your information and see the actual ballot you'll be voting on. So anybody who wants to do their research at home, you know, Google the candidates, people who know that they're going to vote for president but aren't really sure what else is going to appear on their ballot, whether that's, you know, looking at the constitutional amendment and the proposition or like local school levies, county candidates, those kind of things, they can now actually go through and see the actual image of the ballot they'll be voting on, do their research, and then make a plan for where they're going to vote on Election Day.
GAUDETTE: Okay, so I'm on the website right now and right on the home page. It I mean, it literally says, you know, find your sample ballot. So you go in there, you put your name in, as you said, and then it should really pop up the ballot that you'll see at the polls on Election Day.
McGRANE: Yep. It'll it'll down to the granular level most voters don't even know about. We call it ballot rotation, but the candidate, the order of the candidates names appear differently on different ballots depending on what precinct you're in. That's just to give candidates a fair shake in the election, and you'll see it exactly the same way. You'll see it on Election Day on this tool. And you'll notice, too, when you look yourself up right below it. In addition to seeing the sample ballot, you can also see where your polling location is and you know your district information and all the other information you might need to be prepared for when you vote.
GAUDETTE: And why is it important? Do you, Phil, do you think, to actually let people see a sample ballot? Because I'm thinking about this election in particular. I mean, a presidential Election is always a big election, but we also have every legislative district up for election. So this is a big ballot. I mean, there's a lot to to digest. Was that part of it too to start it this year because of that?
McGRANE: I'll give you a really concrete example of it. The we need more information out there because local government impacts our lives every day in a variety of ways, whether that's your school district, the city, others. And as I've talked about a couple of times, when we have an election like this, everyone's focused on the presidential election. We see that in the news. We see all the coverage, but it's harder to really connect with that. If we look back to the 2020 election, there's a lot of focus on the presidential election. But here locally, we had a race for Ada County Highway District commissioner that was razor thin. It was two votes apart out of 40,000 ballots Cast. So that's less than five thousandths of a percent difference. And not only was it close and we went through the recount and thankfully the process confirmed the results. All the things that we would expect in an election and how the process should work. But what was really interesting was when we went through that recount, despite, you know, I'm sure Gemma on your show, you've talked about plowing the roads or you've talked about road construction from time to time. ACHD is kind of ever present throughout the Treasure Valley. Um, in this case, of the 40,000 ballots cast, 10,000 voters skipped that race. They didn't know probably that race was going to be on their ballot. They didn't really know who the candidates were. And so those candidates worked really hard. And it was a razor thin race. But there was a whole bunch of people in a voting booth with a pen and a ballot, and they just didn't know. And so I'm hopeful that by providing the new sample ballot tool, this really will give the resources to voters who are interested to be informed and to find out some of that information so that when they do get to the ballot box, they can vote not just on president, but vote on the legislature, on the county candidates, on the local issues that they're going to see.
GAUDETTE: And I would assume that during a presidential election cycle, we also see more people come out to the polls and vote in Idaho. So again, who does having that sample ballot maybe help with people being more informed before Election Day?
McGRANE: We'll definitely see way more people vote in this presidential election. President drives out more people than any other issue possible. We are really anticipating record turnout for this election. We're gearing up for it. The county clerks are gearing up for it. I mean this while it may not always feel as competitive in Idaho, it's still a very important election, and we see that it motivates people to show up. So we want to give them the tools to make sure they can look at it. You know, we hear stories from time to time where people will request an absentee ballot, not because they want to vote absentee. They just wanted to get the ballot in advance so they could do their research. And so rather than have to go through all that work to get a ballot you didn't necessarily want, instead you can just visit, VoteIdaho.Gov And find the information you need.
GAUDETTE: Before I let you go, what other online voter resources are out there for folks right now?
McGRANE: Yeah, leading up to this election, there are a lot of great tools on our website. If you're not registered to vote. You and I have talked about this right now is a great time to register. You can go to VoteIdaho.Gov and do that also for anybody who's not going to be around on election day. November is often a time some people snowbirds will head south. Um, you can request your absentee ballot to be mailed to you on the website. Beyond that, we're working on getting some of the results and other information up there. And for the people who are election nerds like me, I want to point out one awesome resource that we have, and that's under the election info and results. There's our Data and dashboards page for the election nerds who want to see how much money is traveling through Idaho elections or see the makeup of our voters. We have some cool maps and other cool tools that voters can check out.
GAUDETTE: You know, I'm on this website right now and I went right to that site. I have to say, this is pretty cool. I mean, you have something on here. Voters moving to Idaho. I mean, it's demographics on on voters new to Idaho. Um, you know, of course, you have campaign finance data. I mean, this whether you're an election nerd or not. I mean, this is just really good information.
McGRANE: I think we've really tried just to consolidate things and make it easy for everybody. So it doesn't matter if you're a candidate and a campaign, you know, really intimately involved in the process, or you're just a casual voter or someone who's turning 18 for the first time. Um, this really is a great resource I should note to, just as we kind of wrap up, one of the cool things, we will be at the Boise State game this weekend, uh, doing a voter registration drive, trying to get all the local students registered to vote, and hopefully get all the Bronco fans out there to participate in the November 5th election.
GAUDETTE: Well, as always, we really appreciate you taking time to come on our program as we are. According to your website, I think 41 days to to to Election day. You have it down to the hour here, Phil. 41 days, 20 hours, 39 minutes and 27 seconds to Election Day. So we know how busy.
McGRANE: I'm feeling all of those.
GAUDETTE: Yeah, right. I was going to say we know how busy you are. So we really appreciate you taking time to talk with us.
McGRANE: Thank you, Gemma.
GAUDETTE: Thanks so much for listening to Idaho Matters. Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Matters are members of the NPR network. It's an independent coalition of public media podcasters. You can find more shows in the network wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Gemma Gaudette. We'll see you tomorrow.
Uncovering history: Artifacts found at Assay Office
Sep 24, 2024
Earlier this year, renovations on Boise's historic Assay Office began.
However, as the construction crew broke ground, they discovered they were digging up more than just dirt. Artifacts were buried around the building, some dating back more than 100 years.
Archeologist Chris Shaver and outreach historian Dan Everhart, both with the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this exciting discovery.
Why is the craft beer industry slowing down?
Sep 24, 2024
(Troy Oppie / Boise State Public Radio )
There are nearly 100 active craft breweries in Idaho — about four times as many as in 2012. But the industry is facing challenges. Changing tastes, discerning drinkers and rising costs have many local breweries on a financial razor’s edge — and tough times are spilling into Idaho’s hop fields, too.
Exploring Idaho rivers with Sun Valley Museum of Art
Sep 24, 2024
<i>Empty Skies and Full Creeks (South Fork of the Palouse River), Gouache & casein,</i> 2024 by Aaron Cordell Johnson.( Aaron Cordell Johnson)
Throughout Idaho flows over 100,000 miles of river.
It's a resource that helps to shape our economy, communities and most recently the latest exhibit at the Sun Valley Museum of Art, where artists are sharing their experiences with some of the state's most important waterways.
Courtney Gilbert, assistant director and curator at the Sun Valley Museum of Art, as well as artists Aaron Cordell Johnson and Jill Lear, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Wild and Distant Seas:' An author interview with Idaho author Tara Karr Roberts
Sep 23, 2024
( W. W. Norton & Company)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 14, 2024.
Imagine a minor character in the classic novel Moby Dick getting her own voice and her own story. That's exactly what happens in Idaho author Tara Karr Roberts debut novel, "Wild and Distant Seas."
She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her recent release.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 20, 2024
Sep 20, 2024
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.
Tips for supporting your kids mental health
Sep 19, 2024
(RenoCdZ / iStockphoto)
One in six children faces some kind of mental health concern each year, and 50% of mental health issues start to emerge before a child is 14 years old, that’s according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
There has been more focus on kids and mental health, especially after COVID-19 school lockdowns, but help is too often in short supply, and parents are left struggling to find ways to help their kids.
Dr. Christine M. Crawford is the associate medical director with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and she decided to put together a guide that can provide support for our kids as they navigate these challengers. The book is called “You Are Not Alone for Parents and Caregivers." Dr. Crawford joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Next Thursday we're holding a special event in Marsing to talk about rural mental health issues and how to build connections between teens, families, and their support network.
Climate change is making Colorado mountain streams more acidic and polluted
Sep 19, 2024
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Now to a story from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where climate change is having a subtle but serious impact on streams and rivers. As member station KUNC's Rae Solomon reports, they're becoming more acidic and polluted with heavy metals like zinc, iron and copper.
RAE SOLOMON, BYLINE: It's a bright summer day in the mountains. Research geologist Andrew Manning and some colleagues are hauling sensors, buckets and other scientific equipment through thick scrub willow at the edge of a rushing mountain stream.
ANDREW MANNING: We are on the upper Snake River in the Colorado Rockies here at about 11,000 feet.
SOLOMON: The upper Snake doesn't look like a clear mountain stream. Instead, it has a distinct reddish hue. That's because the water is depositing iron onto the river bed.
MANNING: This is kind of a unique stream in that it has unusually high metal concentrations and high acidity.
SOLOMON: Manning, who works for the U.S. Geological Survey, is here to keep tabs on those unusually high metals and acidity, a phenomenon known as acid rock drainage. His research points to sharp increases.
MANNING: We look specifically at zinc and copper. It amounts to about a doubling of concentrations over the past three decades, and that's substantial.
SOLOMON: Manning says it's all happening because of changes in the climate. Ground that is normally frozen year-round is now thawing and the water table dropping.
MANNING: You have large zones of the subsurface that never saw any water or oxygen because they're armored off by a frozen ground layer or under the water table.
SOLOMON: But when the ground thaws or the water table drops, new rock high in sulfates is exposed to the elements. That makes the water acidic and allows heavy metals to leach out and flow into the waterways. That can kill plants, insects and fish.
ASHLEY RUST: Of the water quality problems I deal with, this is the largest scale and the most daunting.
SOLOMON: Ashley Rust is a water quality specialist with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She says acid rock drainage is devastating to river ecosystems.
RUST: It can dissolve tissue. It can dissolve shells. Like, the exoskeleton or the outside of an insect's body is made of, like, calcium carbonate material, and so the low pH will dissolve it, and so the insects can't live.
SOLOMON: As the effects intensify, Rust worries about a future with more silent waters stripped of life. And it's not just in Colorado. Researchers in Alaska have been seeing similar issues in waterways near thawing permafrost, the Arctic's so-called rusting rivers. Research chemist Amanda Barker is with the Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab.
AMANDA BARKER: Literally the water looks orange. You're seeing, you know, impaired waterways that are just bright orange, and that's oxidized iron.
SOLOMON: She says they don't know yet how widespread this problem is. But...
BARKER: Anywhere you have permafrost that is thawing, you're likely going to see the waterways being impacted because you're exposing fresh mineral surfaces to weathering reactions.
(SOUNDBITE OF WATER SPLASHING)
SOLOMON: On the upper Snake, Andrew Manning and his colleague Sara Warix crouch at the river's edge, dropping a probe that measures acidity into the swirling water.
SARA WARIX: So our pH is 3.88.
SOLOMON: They also collect water samples in plastic bottles. They'll take those back to the lab to analyze the metal content. Manning says beyond ecosystem damage, if levels continue to rise, that could mean problems for drinking water.
MANNING: A lot of our mountain communities get their water resources from these streams. And if you begin to increase the metals enough high up and you can't dilute it very well anymore, now they may have to start treating that water or taking it out in a different place.
SOLOMON: He says municipal water managers would be wise to take note. For NPR News, I'm Rae Solomon in Summit County, Colo.
(SOUNDBITE OF FUGEES SONG, "READY OR NOT" ) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
New collaboration shows way to get help with ‘insatiable’ prescribed fire need
Sep 19, 2024
A low-intensity burn on the recent Crawford prescribed fire near Cascade, Idaho(Steve Vigil / The Nature Conservancy )
On a Thursday morning in May, Forest Service staff and crew leaders gathered in the Cascade Ranger District Office for a briefing. They were putting a plan together for the nearby, nearly 100-acre Crawford burn on the Boise National Forest.
Matt Haupt, the district’s senior fuels technician, read out the weather: sunny, 70-75, relative humidity in the upper 20s to lower 30s, low winds.
“Today is looking fairly good, a little hotter and drier,” he summarized.
The burning has already taken place earlier in the week, and this day’s work would be mostly mopping up and checking lines. After crew members got their marching orders in the parking lot below, they headed east toward the burn. I jumped in with Haupt, who’s overseeing it.
“The last time it was burned was the spring of 2018,” he said, driving to the project site. “It's mostly ponderosa pine, which typically needs five- to 15-year fire intervals.”
Many ecosystems and species — like the ponderosa pine — are dependent on regular fire. Prescribed fire can bring a number of ecological benefits, as well as significantly reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
Haupt is with the Forest Service, but that day everyone else was working for The Nature Conservancy — or TNC — an environmental nonprofit.
A Nature Conservancy fire crew gets ready to head out to check the Crawford prescribed fire's lines.(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
“The Forest Service still has their overhead structure,” he explained. “The supervision still needs to be there, but it's a lot of the manpower could be taken care of with TNC coming in.”
Federal agencies have committed to dramatically accelerating the pace of prescribed fire. In its 2022 Wildfire Crisis Strategy document, the Forest Service set a goal of treating 50 million additional acres of federal, state, tribal and private land. But last year, a major federal wildfire commission said that the current federal fire workforce — some 19,000 strong — is “not sufficient for the scale of wildfire risk reduction, response, and post-fire recovery work required now, let alone into the future.”
“Federal investment is urgently needed to create new and expanded workforce capacity that is focused on, and tailored to, mitigation, planning, and post-fire response and recovery for communities and landscapes,” the commission’s report read. Efforts to build that workforce, it recommended, should include the public, private and non-governmental sectors.
‘Insatiable need’
Jeremy Bailey, TNC’s North America prescribed fire training director, said forests and grasslands’ need for fire is insatiable.
A day after burning operations on this section of the Crawford prescribed fire, the ground is a clean black, and some smoke is visible from the line. (Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
“And so is the need for a workforce that can do that work,” he said. “Back of the envelope, I estimate we need 10,000 employees nationwide.”
Last year, his organization received $45 million over five years from the Forest Service — money he said came out of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. They hired some 50 people on top of existing fire staff, and they have 20 to 30 folks out on Forest Service priority projects — like the Crawford burn — on any given day. His TNC colleague Matt Ward said workforce constraints are probably “biggest issue that is complicating everybody's ability to do more projects.”
“We’re adding needed capacity,” Ward said.
‘Instantaneous effect’
In a video shared by TNC crew boss Steve Vigil, you can see a snaking line of short flame burning steadily through pine needle duff earlier in the week, the sort of low-intensity fire that prescribed burns often try to create. When I visited, some smoking stumps were still visible from the fireline, but it was mostly clean, blackened forest floor.
“So we are looking at a post-burn landscape,” said TNC crewmember Slug Kaltenbach, my guide on the burn. “This was actually burned yesterday, if you can believe it.”
Kaltenbach, who uses they/them pronouns, is from Eugene, Oregon and is in their fifth year of fire, much of which has been suppression work. But for Kaltenbach, prescribed fire hits different.
“I think that prescription fire is one of the best feelings in the world to have as a job,” they said. “In one day of burning … you're going to have a larger effect than maybe like two weeks of work doing other kinds of initiatives, like thinning or piling. Fire is such an instantaneous effect on the ecosystem.”
TNC crewmember Slug Kaltenbach(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
They’re also drawn to the way TNC operates. Wildland fire has a reputation for brutal work schedules and long, unpredictable stretches away from friends and family. Poor work-life balance was one of the barriers to recruitment and retention in the federal fire workforce identified by the Government Accountability Office in 2022. TNC gives its workers fixed schedules, meaning they know exactly when they’ll be home.
That’s allowed Kaltenbach to be an active part of the Moon Mountain String Band back in Eugene, hard to imagine in other corners of fire.
Kaltenbach identifies as non-binary, and said they appreciate the near gender parity and diversity they see in their TNC colleagues, which contrasts sharply with federal counterparts. In fiscal year 2021, 84% of federal firefighters identified as men, and 72% identified as white. Limited workforce diversity was another challenge faced by federal fire agencies cited in the GAO report.
“We're super excited to have 50% of our workforce represented by women because that is not that is not the norm in the wildfire workforce,” TNC’s Bailey said.
Slug and their colleagues are also able to complete trainings and get professional qualifications on burns. All of these things together, they said, point toward a more sustainable, attractive way to do fire. And there’s always the most basic draw.
“Playing with fire is fun,” Kaltenbach said. “In a controlled way, of course.”
‘We need help’
Back at the district headquarters, Ranger Chris Bentley said that the TNC partnership is “exactly the direction we need to go.”
Chris Bentley, ranger on the Boise National Forest's Cascade District, explains how TNC crews fit into his agency's goals for prescribed fire. "It's just absolutely vital that we bring in these types of agreements and these types of partnerships. We can't do it on our own. We wouldn't want to even if we could."(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
“We're still going to try to attract the traditional firefighter workforce for ourselves, for the Forest Service,” he added. “But we need help. We're not going to be able to do the work on our own. We're just not. There's too much work to be done, it’s too important that we succeed.”
He readily acknowledged that the TNC crews are a drop in the bucket compared to the needed workforce.
“But, you know, every drop counts,” he said.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, 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.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: September 18, 2024
Sep 18, 2024
(Jamie Grill / Tetra images RF/Getty Images)
According to a new report from the March of Dimes, more than 5.5 million women in the U.S. live in counties that are experiencing limited to no access to maternity care resources.
Here in our state, three facilities have shuttered their maternity services since Idaho enacted its near total abortion ban in August 2022. With these closures, health experts at the March of Dimes are calling this a growing maternal and infant health crisis.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this report along with other public health issues.
Reporter resigns after using AI to make up quotes
Sep 18, 2024
Newsrooms around the country are talking about how to use AI in the wake of a recent journalism scandal in our region. A reporter in Cody, Wyoming resigned after he was caught using the technology to write stories and make up quotes. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Hanna Merzbach has more.
Idaho decision 2024: Breaking down voter registration
Sep 17, 2024
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio)
Tuesday, Sept. 17 is National Voter Registration Day, and 2024 marks a historic election year. In November, voters will decide the future of our country for the next four years, as well as many key state and local races.
Because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level.
To answer the questions that have come up this election season, we asked Idaho's secretary of state, Phil McGrane, to join Idaho Matters each Tuesday to take a closer look at these issues.
Read the full transcript below.
GAUDETTE: From the studios of Boise State Public Radio News. I'm Gemma Gaudette. This is Idaho Matters. Today is National Voter Registration Day, and 2024 marks an historic election year. In November, voters will decide the future of our country, at least for the next four years, as well as numerous key state and local races. Now, because it is a presidential election year, there has been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected, but also on how our election system works at both a national as well as a state and local level. So to answer the questions that have come up this election season, we've asked Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane to join us each Tuesday leading up to Election Day to take a closer look at these issues. And Phil is joining us now to chat more. Always nice to have you on the program.
McGRANE: Thank you. Gemma. It's always great to be with you.
GAUDETTE: Okay, so as I mentioned, it is National Voter Registration Day today and the whole month of September is devoted to to registration, is that correct? I mean, how did this idea come about?
McGRANE: Yeah. National Voter Registration Day has been going on for a while, and it kind of varies each year. Um, earlier, as you know, we, uh, had a proclamation declaring September voter registration month here for the state of Idaho. And really, this is the opportunity for Idaho voters to update their registration. So if someone say, is turning 18 and they need to register to vote for the first time, right now is a wonderful opportunity to do it. If they've just moved to Idaho, it's a good time to register. But one of the areas I really want to just focus on is for all of the voters who voted in elections in the past. Right now is a great time to make sure your registration is current. Uh, a large percent of Idahoans move between presidential elections, and we want to make sure everybody's ready to go so that as the presidential election comes up, they have everything in place and are going to be able to easily vote, whether absentee, early or in person.
GAUDETTE: Okay, before we get into the nitty gritty of all of that, um, Phil, voter registration rules are different in every state, aren't they?
McGRANE: They are. You know, one of the things that makes our elections unique and it really kind of fits our federalist system, is all 50 states run their elections according to their state, and just each state has a little different makeup, so the rules can be slightly different. Um, voter registration exists in almost every state, so it's pretty common. Voters are familiar with it, but there are some things that make it unique, whether, you know, for us in Idaho, uh, showing photo identification and proof of residence in order to register to vote, or as I know you and I will probably talk about it a little bit more, is we have same day registration, which is one of the really cool things in Idaho, to make sure that anybody can register to vote, even when it comes all the way up to Election Day.
GAUDETTE: Okay. So I want to talk about the rules here in Idaho and and what you need to register to vote. So number one, um, even though there might be misnomers about this. You must be a US citizen. So how do you prove that?
McGRANE: That's true. So you must be a US citizen. You must be 18 years old, and you do actually have to go through the process of registering. One of the changes that we've had over the past couple of years, that's of note is the requirement to show photo ID, so you must have a state issued photo ID, could be driver's license or an ID card, or your passport, military ID, concealed weapons permit or tribal ID, uh, each of those. So something just basically to prove you are who you say you are. So one of those official forms of identification. And then in addition, you need something that proves your residence to show that you are an Idahoan and you are eligible at the address you're at. Um, usually. So that citizenship question is proved. Most often people use their driver's license overwhelmingly. That's what we see. And often the driver's license also has people's current address. So most common people will have everything they need in one stop. Um, beyond that for residency, things like a utility bill, a rental agreement. Often insurance in your glove box for your car is one of the easiest things for people to access and show their residence address. But we do have to. The person has to prove they are who they say they are, and they live where they say they live in order to be able to register to vote.
GAUDETTE: Okay, let's talk about someone who is 18 and they're registering to vote for the very first time. This is going to happen in our house in a couple of years.
McGRANE: That's exciting.
GAUDETTE: I know right. So my my son has a driver's license, but I mean, the utility bills are not in his name, nor is the mortgage. Be nice if it was, it is not. So how then would someone who's 18, living at home or maybe even going to college and maybe in a different part of the state would register to vote?
McGRANE: Yeah, I think, you know, you're touching on a really important question. First and foremost, most instances, just like your son, they're going to have a driver's license. That driver's license is going to have their address because it's where they've lived that's going to be the easiest. And anybody who has an Idaho driver's license or Idaho ID card can do all of this online at VoteIdaho.gov. It's really easy. We actually, in real time, as someone goes in and registers, we go and compare the information they provide us with what driver's license records have to validate someone's identification. So it's a really slick, easy process. So that that's the safest and easiest way. But we are on Boise State Public Radio. And so for all those students who are considering registering for the first time, I think one of the things to emphasize is someone we want people to vote first and foremost. And really the first question is just where do you live? Is Boise now your home? And that's where you consider your residence? Or is there another part of the state of Idaho or another state that's your home? One of the common questions we get is, say someone has a Wyoming driver's license, but they want to register to vote here. That actually raises a question. They have to decide whether they're from Wyoming or they're from Idaho. You can't have a driver's license of a different state and claim residency and vote in another state. You have to pick basically which state you consider home and get the same documentation in all forms. Now, every state has some form of absentee voting, and in Idaho it's really important. Doesn't matter if a student goes off to school somewhere else or overseas, they are eligible to vote in our elections, and our office and the county clerk's offices can easily assist anybody who needs help navigating that process.
GAUDETTE: Okay, so you mentioned registering online. Is there a deadline Phil, on on how long you can register online.
McGRANE: There is a deadline that'll be coming up. Um, the pre-registration deadline for this election is October 11th. Uh, that will be the cutoff prior to Election Day that people need to get their registration in. So that's part of why we've emphasized voter registration month here in September is this is the best time to do it? However, if someone doesn't get their registration done by that October 11th date, they can still do it when they vote in person, either early voting or on election day through same day registration.
GAUDETTE: So let's talk about this registration on Election Day. This is highly unique to Idaho. I've lived in other states and I don't remember there being another state I've lived in where you can actually register to vote on Election Day. So first off, why is that so important and why does Idaho do it?
McGRANE: Yeah, there's kind of two systems out there largely. So I believe there's ten states right now that do same day registration. Idaho was an early adopter back in 1994. This is all part of the National Voter Registration Act. Um, most states people are familiar with motor voter. It's where when you go get your driver's license, they automatically try to register you to vote through that process. We don't do that here in Idaho. You actually have to go choose to register to vote here in our state. But an advantage that we have with it is on election day we have same day registration. So if someone didn't get their information updated or they just haven't forgot to get their registration in before the deadline, they can still show up on election day. Bring photo ID, bring proof of residence. They can fill out the registration form there with the election officials and get a ballot and vote at the same time.
GAUDETTE: Okay, so they need to make sure they have that proper identification..
McGRANE: They do need ID, yes to register. I think this is an important question for listeners to register to vote, you do have to have photo ID and proof of residence for Election Day. If you're already registered, you'll be asked for ID and there is an affidavit, but the affidavit does not apply to the registration process itself.
GAUDETTE: Okay, so what about if on Election day you want to register and you maybe because you haven't registered to vote before, you don't know where your polling location is, or you see one down the street, but maybe that's actually not your polling location. Does that matter when you go to register on Election Day?
McGRANE: In terms of the registration, it doesn't. But you want to get to your polling location. Everybody's polling location is specific to where they live. And just like you said, we've all driven down the street and seen vote here signs. You can't just go to any vote here sign. And I'm sure we'll talk about this more. As you get closer to election, you need to go to your polling place. The easiest thing for everybody. It doesn't matter what part of the state you're in is visit voteIdaho.gov There. Not only can you register to vote, but you can also look up your registration information, find out where your polling location is. And one of the things we'll be talking about more here coming up is we for the first time, we'll have sample ballots that people will be able to view at Vote Idaho.Gov so they can see what races they're voting on, what candidates and what issues they're going to be being asked when they get their ballot.
GAUDETTE: So what about folks who might think they're registered to vote? Um, or they want to check? How do they do that?
McGRANE: Yep. Easiest thing. VoteIdaho gov. Um, you can look up your voter record and you can see double check that you're registered and make sure your address is current on your registration as well as see, you know, what legislative district, what congressional district and other things you're registered to vote in.
GAUDETTE: What about polling locations, Phil. Because I've lived in the same house for going on. I mean, going on eight years. In that time, our polling location has changed. Um, and, and that's, I think, kind of typical, right, with growth and all of that. So let's say I want to go and make sure I know where my polling location is. Do I go to the same website?
McGRANE: Yep. You know, one of the things our office has worked really hard on over the last year is the new VoteIdaho.Gov website. We launched it back in February, and it really is meant to be a one stop shop for all Idahoans. So whether you're someone registering for the very first time. Or like you Gemma, you're trying to look up to make sure you know your polling location or say, you're like me and you're an election nerd, and you want to see campaign finance data and some of the other cool tools about people moving to Idaho. All of that information is all available at the same location, Voteidaho.gov. Similarly, as the election gets close and we get to Election Day, we'll have all of our results posted statewide uh, at Voteidaho.gov. So really trying to make it a simple, memorable space for Idaho voters to go to. I think that's one of the really important things that our office is focused on, is trying to make it easy for Idahoans to exercise their vote and have a voice in this election that is so important, both nationally and here in the state of Idaho.
GAUDETTE: There's been a push in a lot of states to check voter rolls for people who should not be registered. The the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, recently announced that he actually took more than a million ineligible voters off the rolls. Does Idaho have a system to check this sort of thing.
McGRANE: Yeah. With voter registration, I think it's an important part of the process is that we're always actively maintaining our voter rolls, trying to keep them as current as we possibly can. So, you know, one of the great things I've had the cool opportunity to share is just the voters moving to Idaho. Part of that process is when someone registers to vote, we actually ask for your last known address, and that's so we can share information between the 50 states. So say someone moves here from California, they register to vote here in Idaho, it's important that our office notifies the California Secretary of State's office that somebody has moved so that they can keep their rolls clean. Beyond that, we're on a monthly basis doing checks against vital statistics for death records, against Department of Corrections for people who have been incarcerated. Um, there's numerous other checks. Citizenship is one of the big things. There was an executive order from Governor Little back in July, and our office has been working with both the Idaho Department of Transportation as well as Department of Homeland Security, just to verify that our rolls are current and that everybody who's on our voter rolls is eligible to vote in this upcoming election.
GAUDETTE: I want to go back to two things that you mentioned, and this is people moving in and out of state, or even if someone passes away. So let's start with, um, if someone does die, how do you know and how do you take their name off the rolls? I'm assuming it's the one thing you do is like, you, you check, uh, very often.
McGRANE: Yeah, that's one of the things. So working with all of the counties, we do vital records, checks all of the time. So we have processes in place, and our systems are all connected so that we can easily do validation. So as vital statistics is notified of deaths, um, we get that information. We're also working on a process with the Social Security Administration to keep those records current as well. I think, you know, in this day and age, with the way that technology works, we're more networked and able to share information between government entities. And I think that's really important for voters. And both makes the process simpler. But it also keeps things more accurate. And that's certainly one of the things our office is focused on as we head towards November, is making sure everyone can have confidence that they're registered and the process is working, just like we talked about earlier, but also to make sure that there isn't any records that are stale or old on our voter registration rolls as well. And so it's a very active process that we're doing all of the time for a variety of different searches, because we want people to have confidence in the process.
GAUDETTE: So you mentioned that when someone moves into Idaho and you've asked for that previous address, you then notify the state they just moved from. Is that process reversed if someone moves out of Idaho?
McGRANE: It is. Yep. We routinely get information from other states updating us on people that moved. I think that's one of the things. It's one of the things talking with my peers, the other secretaries of state. We're always trying to come up with better processes for sharing that information. That's been a big national conversation over the past couple of years that we participate in is just how do we share information better across the country. And that's just one of many steps that we're doing to keep things up to date. You know, I think the biggest focus right now, though, with the presidential election is just helping people get their information updated. And hopefully the the new Vote Idaho website is going to make it as easy as possible for people. And we can get people there both updating the registration, registering for the first time. And as you and I talked about last week, being able to recruit a few of those folks to even become poll workers as we head into this important election.
GAUDETTE: You know, there has been a lot of controversy over non-U.S. citizens being registered to vote. You know, this as secretary of state. And again, I want to mention Texas, because the governor there, Greg Abbott, also said he took 6500 non-U.S. citizens off the rolls, and he accused some of them of voting illegally. Um, this is a hot button issue, but I think it's necessary that we talk about it. In your opinion, how big of an issue is this and is it happening as often as, you know, we are hearing about?
McGRANE: You know, it's a really timely question. As I mentioned, Governor Little and I participated in an executive order back in July highlighting the importance of citizens are the only ones eligible to vote to vote. It's both federal law as well as state law requiring citizenship to vote. And our office has been going through a process, I would say similar to other states, I don't think it's fair to compare to those that have made, you know, the the splashy headlines in the same way. But we've been working with our partners, both federally and here in the state, to review our roles, to make sure that everything is working. And one of the things I can say, we've already validated that in our process. Anyone who goes to vote Idaho and registers, or anyone who fills out a paper card, we have safeguards in place in the system not to allow a citizen to go through the process and register. That said, we're still going through and validating our information, and I think one of the things that's really highlighted is both ensuring that non-citizens can't register, but also ensuring that we have a clean, smooth process for those people who become citizens. Naturalization ceremonies happen routinely. And we really, you know, one of the biggest things for our new citizens to be able to participate in is to vote in an election. That's one of the things they really work hard for. And so we've been working with Department of Homeland Security to validate our roles. Um, to your ultimate question, we do not see any high numbers of non-citizens trying to register to vote or and definitely not voting. There are cases that have happened in Idaho and ones that we've pursued, both of non-citizens registering and voting. But those numbers are limited, and we're really making sure that we have the safeguards in place. I think we've had a good system, but we can always make it better. And that's one of the things our office is actually currently working on.
GAUDETTE: One of the things I wanted to talk with you about before we go is you are really saluting military and veteran voters this week. Can you talk about what's going to be happening? Because I believe in just a couple of hours. There's going to be an event.
McGRANE: Yes. In addition, today being national voter registration, today, we are also having this is our salute to military and veteran voters week's voter week. Um, this afternoon, Governor Little and I will be out at Gowen Field. Our office is doing a voter registration drive there, and we'll also be having a proclamation just encouraging our military members to participate in the upcoming election. And then also, we're partnering this week with some organizations. So one in particular is Vet the Vote. It's a national organization that is encouraging veteran participation in the process and most notably, becoming poll workers. You and I talked about poll workers last time. Um, mission 43, as well as Vet the vote are recruiting veterans to get trained. So later this week, we'll be doing a training for new poll workers among veterans. Trent Tripple, the Ada County clerk, is a vet himself. He and I have worked closely together, both when I was at Ada County and now in this role. And so we're really excited to celebrate our military members and to have people who've already given a lot to our country to give a little bit more as we get into this presidential election and help serve as poll workers in this important process.
GAUDETTE: Okay. Really quick, as you said, we talked about poll workers last week and that you still needed volunteers. I know you're going to try to get some military and vets to do that. You still need regular citizens to to potentially be poll workers.
McGRANE: Yes we do. We are always looking for poll workers. And right now, as we talked last week, presidential election is really big. So we takes a lot of people in the community to pull this off. So anyone listening who's interested visit VoteIdaho.Gov. And under the resources tab you can see the information about becoming an election worker.
GAUDETTE: And that's the same website. If you need to register to vote.
McGRANE: Correct. It's all it's our one stop shop.
GAUDETTE: All right. Well, as always, so nice to have you on the program. And thank you for talking with us about these really important issues as we continue to head towards Election Day. Thanks so much for your time.
McGRANE: Thank you. Gemma look forward to next week.
GAUDETTE: Thanks so much for listening to Idaho Matters. Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Matters are members of the NPR network. It's an independent coalition of public media podcasters. You can find more shows in the network wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Gemma Gaudette. We'll see you tomorrow.
Celebrating Latino Conservation Week
Sep 17, 2024
(Latino Conservation Week / Traci Swift)
Protecting our environment is important, especially if we want to continue to enjoy it, which is something that many people will be doing as they take part in Latino Conservation Week.
The national celebration kicked off earlier this weekend and puts focus on the conservation goals of our Latino community while also providing lots of opportunities to get out in nature.
Melisa Rodriguez, one of the week's organizers and an urban ranger with Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.
'Telling the stories of women's lives' with Elizabeth Gilbert
Sep 17, 2024
Elizabeth Gilbert greets and talks with students from the Oregon Youth Challenge program.(Deschutes Public Library/The Penguin Group / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on Month 13, 2024.
Maybe you saw the movie starring Julia Roberts or read the book "Eat, Pray, Love," which was an international bestseller and sold more than 12 million copies.
Author Elizabeth Gilbert has written 10 books, including her latest, "City of Girls." She is writer-at-large for GQ and joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her journey as an author.
Idaho mom fights to improve dyslexia legislation and literacy in Idaho
Sep 16, 2024
(f_ / iStockphoto.com)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 30, 2024.
Idaho Mom Robin Zikmund knew her son was different at an early age. While his peers were reading by the third grade, her son was still struggling.
Eventually her son was diagnosed with dyslexia, but Robin wanted to do more than just have a diagnosis for her son.
So she founded the Idaho chapter of Decoding Dyslexia, which has helped make a significant impact on dyslexia legislation and literacy in Idaho through the science of reading.
Robin joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 13, 2024
Sep 13, 2024
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.
'Preconceived:' An inside look at crisis pregnancy centers
Sep 13, 2024
( ROCO Films)
Since Roe v. Wade was effectively overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, putting abortion laws in the hands of states, crisis pregnancy centers have gotten a lot of attention around the country.
A new movie called Preconceived takes an inside look at these centers, including Stanton Health Care in Idaho and its founder, Brandi Swindell.
Kate Dumke is an Idaho native and the co-director of the film, and she sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice.
Why Idaho pet rescues need your support
Sep 13, 2024
(Cosmos Photo / Flickr)
Across the country, animal shelters are finding themselves in need of support as they continue to deal with overcrowding, a problem that many pet rescues in Idaho are familiar with.
Tackling the issue can be hard, though, especially if you don’t have enough resources or volunteers. Which is why one organization is working to connect the community with local rescue groups at a special event later this month.
Jen Willet with Bark n' Purr and co-organizer of the event; Gwen Hernandez, co-founder of SNARF; and Gina Day-Price, president of Moonsong Malamute Rescue, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
How farmers are implementing climate-smart practices in Idaho
Sep 13, 2024
(Dawn Evans / Flickr)
NPR is spending this week looking at climate solutions and how food and agricultural systems are tackling climate pollution and adapting to a changing planet.
So Idaho Matters wanted to bring together a panel of local farmers and organizations implementing climate-smart practices in the Gem State. Specifically, we wanted to know how they are adapting to changes in climate and what they are doing to become more earth-friendly.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: September 11, 2024
Sep 11, 2024
This colorized electron microscope image shows avian influenza A virus (bird flu) particles, red/yellow, grown in cultured cells. (CDC, NIAID via AP)(AP / CDC, NIAID)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a new human case of avian influenza has been reported in the state of Missouri. And here in Idaho, we are seeing a rise in whooping cough.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these issues.
Using less of the Colorado River takes a willing farmer and $45 million in federal funds
Sep 11, 2024
Leslie Hagenstein indicates where the New Fork River flows through her property on Mar. 27, 2024. She signed up for a program that pays her to pause irrigation on her land in order to save Colorado River water. Some experts say the System Conservation Pilot Program, or SCPP, is costly and may not be the most effective way to save Colorado River water.(Alex Hager / KUNC )
Wyoming native Leslie Hagenstein lives on the ranch where she grew up and remembers her grandmother and father delivering milk in glass bottles from the family’s Mount Airy Dairy.
The cottonwood-lined property, at the foot of the Wind River Mountains south of Pinedale, is not only home to Hagenstein, her older sister and their dogs, but to bald eagles and moose. But this summer, for the second year in a row, water from Pine Creek will not turn 600 acres of grass and alfalfa a lush green.
On a blustery day in late March, Hagenstein stood in her fields, now brown and weed-choked, and explained why she cried after she chose to participate in a program that pays ranchers in the Upper Colorado River basin to leave their water in the river.
“You have these very lush grasses, and you have a canal or a ditch that's full of this beautiful clear, gorgeous water that comes out of these beautiful mountains. It’s nirvana,” Hagenstein said. “And then last year, it looks like Armageddon. I mean, it's nothing, it's very sad, there's just no growth at all. There's no green.”
The Colorado River basin has endured decades of drier-than-normal conditions, and steady demand. That imbalance is draining its largest reservoirs, and making it nearly impossible for them to recover, putting the region’s water security in jeopardy. Reining in demand throughout the vast western watershed has become a drumbeat among policymakers at both the state and federal level. Hagenstein’s ranch is an example of what that intentional reduction in water use looks like.
In Sublette County, Hagenstein said it’s rare for people to make a living solely on raising livestock and growing hay anymore. In addition to ranching, she worked as a nurse practitioner for more than 40 years before retiring. And when she looked at her bank accounts, she realized she needed a better way to meet expenses if she was going to keep the ranch afloat in the future. Hagenstein said it was a no-brainer. She signed up for the System Conservation Pilot Program (SCPP) in 2023. Through the federally funded program, she was able to make 13 times more than she would have by leasing it out to grow hay.
Since its inception as a mass experiment in water use reduction, the program has divided farmers and ranchers. Concerns over the high cost, the limited water savings, the difficulty in measuring and tracking conserved water, and the potential damage to local agricultural economies still linger. But without fully overhauling the West’s water rights system, few tools exist to get farmers and ranchers — the Colorado River’s majority users — to conserve voluntarily.
“I’m a Wyoming native,” Hagenstein said. “I don’t want to push our water downstream. I don’t want to disregard it. But I also have to survive in this landscape. And to survive in this landscape, you have to get creative.”
SCPP participation doubles in 2024
Driven by overuse, drought and climate change, water levels in Lake Powell fell to their lowest point ever in 2022. The nation’s second-largest reservoir provided a stark visual indicator of the Colorado River’s supply-demand imbalance. Those falling levels also threatened the ability to produce hydroelectric power and prompted officials from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to call on states for an unprecedented level of water conservation. The agency gave the seven states that use the Colorado River a tight deadline to save an additional 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water. (An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to fill 1 acre of land to a height of 1 foot. One acre-foot generally provides enough water for one to two households for a year.)
States gave the federal government no plans to save that much water in one fell swoop, instead proposing a patchwork of smaller conservation measures aimed at boosting the reservoirs and avoiding infrastructural damage.
The Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC), an agency that brings together water leaders from Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, offered up the “5-Point Plan," one arm of which was restarting the SCPP.
In 2023, after the federal government announced it would spend $4 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on Colorado River programs, the Upper Colorado River Commission decided to reboot the SCPP, which was first tested from 2015 to 2018. The program pays eligible water users in the four Upper Basin states to leave their fields dry for the irrigation season and let that water flow downstream.
But a hasty rollout to the SCPP in 2023 meant low participation numbers. Only 64 water-saving projects were approved, and about 38,000 acre-feet of water was conserved across the four states, which cost nearly $16 million. Water users complained about not having enough time to plan for the upcoming growing season and said an initial lowball offer from the UCRC of $150 per acre-foot was insulting and came with a complicated haggling process to get a higher payment. UCRC officials said the short notice and challenges with getting the word out about the program contributed to low participation numbers in 2023.
A University of Wyoming study surveyed the region’s growers about water conservation between November 2022 and March 2023. Eighty-eight percent of respondents in the Upper Basin were not even aware that the SCPP existed.
UCRC commissioners voted to run the program again in 2024, but said this time projects should focus on local drought resiliency on a longer-term basis. UCRC officials tweaked the program based on lessons learned in 2023, and the 2024 program had nearly double the participation, with 109 projects and nearly 64,000 acre-feet of water expected to be conserved.
“I view the doubling of interest and participation from one year to the next as a significant success,” UCRC Executive Director Chuck Cullom said.
What happens to conserved water?
Despite one of its stated intentions — protecting critical reservoir levels — water being left in streams by SCPP-participating irrigators is not tracked to Lake Powell, the storage bucket for the Upper Basin.
In total, across 2023 and 2024, the program spent $45 million to save a little more than 1% of the Colorado River water allocated to Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.
Although engineers have calculated how much water is saved by individual projects, known as conserved consumptive use, officials are not measuring how much of that conserved water ends up in Lake Powell. And the laws that govern water rights allow downstream users to simply take the water that an upstream user participating in the SCPP leaves in the river, potentially canceling out the attempt at banking that water.
These types of temporary, voluntary and compensated conservation programs aren’t new to the Upper Basin. In addition to the pilot program from 2015 to 2018, the state of Colorado undertook a two-year study of the idea of a demand management program by convening nine work groups to examine the issue.
System conservation and demand management, while conceptually the same, have one big difference: A demand management program would track the water so that downstream users don’t grab it and create a special pool to store the conserved water in Lake Powell. With system conservation, the water simply becomes part of the Colorado River system, with no certainty about where it ends up.
This lack of accounting for the water has some asking whether the SCPP is accomplishing what it set out to do and whether it is worth the high cost to taxpayers.
Even if all the roughly 64,000 acre-feet from the SCPP in 2024 makes it to Lake Powell, it’s still a drop in the bucket for the reservoir; last year, 13.4 million acre-feet flowed into Lake Powell. The reservoir currently holds about 8.2 million acre-feet and has a capacity of about 25 million acre-feet.
“I still haven’t really seen evidence of total water savings or anything like that,” said Elizabeth Koebele, a professor of political science and director of the graduate program of hydrologic sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno. Koebele wrote her doctoral dissertation on the first iteration of the SCPP. “As far as getting water to reservoirs, I’m not sure that we’ve seen a lot of success from the System Conservation Pilot Program so far.”
And the program has been expensive. For the 2024 iteration of the program, UCRC officials offered a fixed price per acre-foot that applicants could take or leave — no haggling this time. Colorado, Utah and Wyoming paid agricultural water users about $500 an acre-foot; the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, New Mexico’s sole participant in 2023 and 2024, received $300 an acre-foot. Projects that involved municipal or industrial water use were compensated on a case-by-case basis, and those that involved leaving water in reservoirs were paid $150 an acre-foot. The majority of projects in both years involved taking water off fields for the whole season or part of the season, known as fallowing.
The UCRC doled out nearly $29 million in payments to water users in 2024. The program paid about $45 million to participants in 2023 and 2024 combined. Some participants are using these payments to upgrade their irrigation systems, Cullom said, which helps maintain the vitality of local agriculture.
But even with this amount of money spent, Koebele said it may still not cover the costs to participants for things such as long term impacts to soil health that come with taking water off fields for a season or two. After the infusion of IRA money runs out, it’s unclear how such a program would be funded in the future.
“I also worry that we don’t have an endless supply of money to compensate users for conservation in the basin,” Koebele said. “And perhaps we need to be thinking about — rather than doing temporary conservation — investments in longer-term conservation beyond what we’re already doing.”
Western Slope water managers critical of SCPP
Some groups have concerns with the SCPP beyond its issues with accounting for how much water ends up in Lake Powell.
The Glenwood Springs-based Colorado River Water Conservation District represents 15 counties on Colorado’s Western Slope. Their mission is to protect, conserve, use and develop the water within its boundaries, which has often meant fighting Front Range entities that want to take more from the headwaters of the Colorado River in the form of transmountain diversions. Sometimes, that means voicing concerns about conservation programs that it thinks have the potential to harm Western Slope water users.
River District officials have been vocal critics of the SCPP, pointing out the ways that it could, if not done carefully, harm certain water users and rural agricultural communities. Because of the way water left in the stream by participants in the SCPP can be picked up by the next water user in line, some of which are Front Range cities, at least two of the projects this year could result in less — not more — water in the Colorado River, according to comments that the River District submitted to the state of Colorado. (One of these projects dropped out in 2024.)
“Without significant improvements, it would be hard for the River District to support additional expenditures on system conservation,” said Peter Fleming, the district’s general counsel.
The River District had also wanted a say in the SCPP process in 2023, going as far as creating their own checklist for deciding project approval, but UCRC officials said the commission had sole authority to approve projects.
Water users from all sectors — including agriculture, cities and industry — are allowed to participate in the program, but, in practice, all of the 2023 and 2024 projects in Colorado involve Western Slope agricultural water users. That’s partly because the price that the SCPP offered was less than the market value of water on the Front Range.
“If you’re simply basing it on a set dollar value per acre-foot, you’re going to result in disproportionate impacts to areas of the state where the economic value of water is not as high as others,” Fleming said. “You’re going to end up with all the water coming from the Western Slope. … You shouldn’t create sacrificial lambs.”
Upper Basin facing increased pressure
The Upper Basin’s conservation program is playing out against the backdrop of watershedwide negotiations with the Lower Basin states (California, Arizona and Nevada) about how to share the river after the current guidelines governing river operations expire in 2026.
After failing to come to an agreement, the Upper and Lower basins submitted competing proposals to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Lower Basin officials committed to a baseline of 1.5 million acre-feet in cuts, plus more when conditions warrant. They also called for the Upper Basin to share in those additional cuts when reservoirs dip below a certain level.
Upper Basin officials have balked at the notion that their water users should share in any cuts, saying they already suffer shortages in dry years. The source of the problem, they say, is overuse by the Lower Basin.
Plus, without ever having violated the 1922 Colorado River Compact by using more than the 7.5 million acre-feet allotted to them, they say there’s no way to enforce mandatory cuts on the Upper Basin.
But under increased pressure from the Lower Basin, and facing a drier future as climate change continues to rob the Colorado River of flows, Upper Basin water managers have made one small concession. In their proposal, they have offered to continue “parallel activities” like the SCPP, but said these programs will be separate from any post-2026 agreement with the Lower Basin. The congressional authorization for the SCPP expires at the end of 2024, and it’s unclear whether water managers will implement a program in 2025 or beyond.
Inherent in the Upper Basin’s stance is a contradiction: Why maintain that both the source of the problem and responsibility for a solution rest with the Lower Basin, but then agree to do the SCPP or a conservation program like it?
“I think that they're basically saying that the Lower Basin needs to get their act together before we actually really need to come to the table in a realistic way,” said Drew Bennett, a University of Wyoming professor of private-lands stewardship. “I think they feel like, ‘We don't actually really need to do anything.’ That the SCPP is actually above and beyond what they need to be doing. Is that reality? I don't know. But I think that’s sort of the message they're trying to send in negotiations.”
Grower attitudes key to program success
Some experts say the program’s real value is not getting water into depleted reservoirs. It is testing out a potential tool to help farmers and ranchers adapt to a future with less water. They frame it as an experiment that provides crucial information and lessons on how an Upper Basin conservation program could be scaled up. It also continues to ease water users into the concept of using less should a more permanent water conservation program come to pass.
“This program kind of, I think, helps grease the skids for that process that gets people comfortable for how it operates,” said Alex Funk, who worked for the Colorado Water Conservation Board in 2019 and helped to guide the state’s demand management study with regard to agricultural impacts. “Just seeing the doubling of the amount of acre-feet conserved under the second year and then the interest shows that, yeah, I think there could be some longevity to the program. … I think one has to be optimistic because I don’t see how the Upper Basin navigates a post-2026 future without such a program.”
Funk now works as senior counsel and director of water resources at the nonprofit Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. The group receives funding from the Walton Family Foundation, which also funds a portion of Colorado River coverage from KUNC and The Water Desk.
Cullom, executive director of the agency that runs the SCPP, pushed back on the idea that it is intended to help correct the supply/demand imbalance on the river, which he said is the fault of the Lower Basin.
“The intent of the program is to develop new tools for the upper division water users to adapt to a drier future,” he said. “We’re trying to develop tools that benefit the local communities and producers and water users in the four upper division states through drought resiliency, new tools, the ability to explore crop switching and irrigation efficiencies.”
Of all the challenges in setting up a program such as this — funding, pricing, calculating water saved, getting the word out — the biggest may be the attitudes of water users themselves, some of whom have a deep-seated mistrust of the federal government. Like Hagenstein, all of the water users that Aspen Journalism and KUNC interviewed for this story said financial reasons were the biggest driver behind their participation in the SCPP.
Bennett’s research also explained some of the reasons why growers may be hesitant to enroll in conservation programs such as the SCPP. It found that farmers and ranchers trusted local organizations to administer conservation programs significantly more than state or federal ones.
If demand management strategies were deployed, 74% of survey respondents said they’d prefer to have a local agency manage the program, as opposed to a state or federal agency. Only about 14% of growers said there is a high level of trust between water users and water management agencies in their states. The same percentage said their state’s planning process was adequate for dealing with water supply issues.
These findings point to a stumbling block that the UCRC and other agencies must overcome if they hope to create a longer-term conservation program.
Hagenstein, the Wyoming rancher, has experienced those attitudes firsthand. She has been on the receiving end of insults and name-calling because of her participation in the SCPP.
But Hagenstein says the SCPP has allowed her to have money in her pocket to continue ranching long term.
“I didn't anticipate it would be so beneficial,” she said. “It bought us time to stay in ranching is the long and the short of it. So, I’m most grateful for the abundance that the federal government offered us. … You know, some would call it a golden goose.”
This story was reported and produced collaboratively by Aspen Journalism, a nonprofit, investigative news organization, and Northern Colorado-based public radio station KUNC, and is a part of KUNC’s ongoing coverage of the Colorado River supported by the Walton Family Foundation. Additional editing resources and other support for this story came from The Water Desk, an independent initiative of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism.
Nevada conservationists work to protect rare wildflower losing habitat to development
Sep 11, 2024
Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity, finds a small cluster of Carson Valley monkeyflowers outside of Carson City, Nev., on Thursday, May 2, 2024.(Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau )
It’s a sun-soaked afternoon in Carson City, Nev., and Patrick Donnelly is walking down a brush-covered slope between a highway and a large shopping center.
Just over a decade ago, these grocery stores, retail shops, and restaurants weren’t here. The area was 86 acres of untouched desertland.
It also served as a habitat for a rare Nevada wildflower: the Carson Valley monkeyflower.
“This was documented monkeyflower habitat 12 years ago,” says Donnelly, the Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity. “And now it’s covered in trash, there's the Trader Joe's and the Dollar Loan Center. This is ultimately what will drive the species extinct; habitat loss is what's going to push it over the edge.”
The Carson Valley monkeyflower faces more threats than any rare plant in Nevada, according to state researchers.(Patrick Donnelly / Center for Biological Diversity )
Earlier this year, Donnelly and the conservation group petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to add the Carson Valley monkeyflower to the endangered species list. The tiny flower, ranging from 1 to 3 inches tall, has bright yellow blossoms, freckled with red dots.
“They have this beautiful patterning – these red dots,” Donnelly says. “And those dots are an indicator to bees to come on in.”
But they provide more than nectar to bees, and a pretty sight to Donnelly. They play a critical role in the biodiversity that gives people clean air and water and need federal protections as the Carson City area expands, he says.
“It doesn't mean that we can't have Trader Joe's and we can't have Walmart, it just means there needs to be some limits on our growth,” he adds.
In fact, more than 40% of the Carson Valley monkeyflower’s habitat has already been destroyed, and they grow on only 1,000 acres in northern Nevada and a corner of California, according to a 2018 report by the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage.
Report author Janel Johnson, now a researcher for national nonprofit NatureServe, says threats to monkeyflower’s terrain are mounting.
“Unfortunately, those places that are gentle slopes with sandy soils also happen to be good places to build city parks and housing developments and freeways and all the other things that make a city,” she says.
Carson Valley monkeyflowers had a strong bloom last year (seen here), but the rare plant is losing habitat to the development of roads and buildings.(Patrick Donnelly / Center for Biological Diversity)
In recent decades, the greater Carson City area has expanded rapidly. New homes, roads and warehouses continue to unfold across this desert like a growing pop-up book.
Johnson says that doesn’t mean imperiled plants like the monkeyflower should be ignored, adding that “it’s kind of arrogant of humans to decide what gets to live and what doesn't, just on a whim of where do we want to build our next warehouse or subdivision.”
That’s a rising conflict in the fast-growing Mountain West: Developers targeting land and people trying to conserve it for plants and animals.
Back in Carson City, Donnelly, sporting an Indiana Jones-like hat and using a rustic walking stick, is now hiking in an area of monkeyflower habitat that isn’t threatened by development – at least not yet.
Last spring, blankets of the yellow wildflower covered these hills.
“We had just thousands and thousands of them everywhere you looked,” Donnelly says.
But that’s not the case this year, which is why he’s searching high and low to find some sprouting from the sandy soil. After a lengthy search for the elusive flower, Donnelly breaks into giddy laughter as he spots tiny yellow blossoms with red dots.
“I can't believe you could wander around Carson City for three hours looking for plants, and this is what you find. That's the Carson Valley monkeyflower,” Donnelly says as he leans in to get a close look at the plant, which is barely an inch tall and slightly wilting. “That is a struggling wildflower right there – it is not living to its full potential.”
Carson Valley monkeyflowers, like this inch-tall plant, are struggling to sprout and survive amid hotter and drier conditions. (Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau)
Donnelly says a lot of the blame goes to another increasing threat to the monkeyflower: climate change. Rising temperatures, declining precipitation, and drought make it difficult for them to know if and when to sprout.
“Some of them will adapt every year, no matter how crazy it is,” he says. “Maybe it's one out of millions. But that resiliency is the only chance these plants have at surviving climate change.”
He says that’s why it’s more important than ever to protect the Carson Valley monkeyflower, which is also threatened by wildfires, livestock farming and ranching, and invasive species.
But federal protections won’t happen anytime soon. The average time it takes the U.S. government to list a species after a petition is filed? More than a decade, Donnelly says.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, 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.
Exploring space: One astronauts experience
Sep 11, 2024
NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, Expedition 37 backup crew member, attired in a Russian Sokol launch and entry suit, takes a break from training in Star City, Russia to pose for a portrait.(Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center / Flickr)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to visit space?
Well, Dr. Steve Swanson has a pretty good idea. He's been there three times, serving different missions, one of which included a long stay on the International Space Station.
Idaho Decision 2024: Preparing for election season
Sep 10, 2024
( Canva)
2024 marks a historic election year. In November, voters will decide the future of our country for the next four years, as well as many key state and local races.
Because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level.
To answer the questions that have come up this election season, we asked Idaho's Secretary of State, Phil McGrane, to join Idaho Matters each Tuesday to take a closer look at these issues.
Read the full transcript below:
GAUDETTE: From the studios of Boise State Public Radio News. I'm Gemma Gaudette. This is Idaho Matters. 2024 marks an historic election year. Come November, voters will decide the future of our country for the next four years, as well as many key state and local races. Now, because it is a presidential election year, there's been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected, but also on how our election system works at both a national and local level. So to answer the questions that have come up this election season, we asked Idaho Secretary of State Phil McCrane to join us each Tuesday leading up to Election Day to take a closer look at these issues. So he's joining us now. Phil, it's always nice to have you on the show.
McGRANE: Gemma it is always great to be with you. So thanks for doing this. I'm excited as we head into the November election coming up.
GAUDETTE: So before we get started with this week's questions, can you just give folks an overview of what the Secretary of State's job is.
McGRANE: Yeah, especially as it relates to this. So I serve as the chief election official for our state. The county clerks are the chief election officials for each of the counties, and we are all working very closely together right now preparing for the November 5th election. Um, our role is to oversee the voter registration system, all of the tools that the county clerks use, and to make sure that elections are run uniformly across the entire state. So whether you're in Bear Lake or Boundary County or here in Boise, the process should be relatively the same, and every Idahoan should be able to have confidence in the voting process. And so we've been working closely with all of them, gearing up for what is really set to be a record election.
GAUDETTE: So when you say you have to prepare for every election, can you kind of quickly walk us through what that looks like? I mean, what kinds of things actually go into putting an election on? Because, you know, on Election Day, I walk into my precinct, I get a ballot, I vote, and I'm out the door.
McGRANE: You know, and if it works the way it's supposed to, that's exactly how it should be. We want it to be a seamless process for all Idahoans who show up to the polls, whether they're voting absentee, voting early, or voting in person on Election Day. And really, in terms of the preparation, it started last spring. As you know, we had the primary election back in May. That's really what kind of tees everything up. Most candidates had to file way back in March in terms of this election. So all the legislative candidates, the county candidates, others that started a long time ago. And now that we're through the primary election, we know who the nominees are for all the various positions related to the party offices. Um, we've also had the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention. We're now at the phase where we are really assembling the actual mechanical pieces. So last Friday was the deadline for anything to go on an Idaho ballot. And so the county clerks have been designing the ballots and sending off everything to the printer. So this week, really, we are printing ballots, gearing up to get ready for everything beyond that, one of the unique things our office does, and I'm sure we'll talk about more as we get closer, is the Idaho Voter pamphlet. Um, we're currently printing 850,000 copies of the voter pamphlet to go out to voters. Um, just to put it in perspective, that's 17 million pages, and it takes a little while for the printers to run that many pages. So a lot of things go into the preparations, really to make it possible and to make the voting experience seamless. I think, you know, at the county clerk level, they're really gearing up, getting all their supplies ready. And I think one of the big things right now is getting all the people ready that are going to be required to run the election. So those poll workers, all the election officials that were going to use across the state are one of the key components that we have to get ready now in September so that everything is in place for October and November.
GAUDETTE: So I want to talk about the poll workers in a moment. But before we get to that, you mentioned, you know, the the ballots are now off to the printers and the one one of the things you did last week was announced the official list of presidential candidates who have qualified for Idaho's general election ballot. And we should note, there are a lot of candidates on that list, not just Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. So first off, how does that process work of qualifying a candidate to be on the ballot?
McGRANE: Yeah, it's interesting, and it's a great question because we've had a lot of interest to know, you know, people are watching the news nationally and trying to understand what's going to happen. And I think, as you pointed out, Gemma there are more names you're going to see on the ballot than you realize. There's the big names that we all hear about, but there's plenty of others and headed into this. The president is unique. It's the only office that crosses state lines. Everything else is contained within each of the 50 states. So this process is a little different. I think all of us are more familiar with the big National Party. So the Democratic Party, the Republican Party. The same rules apply to the Constitution and Libertarian parties, where each of the states nominates at their national convention who they want. And then the national convention determines the nominees both the presidential candidate as well as the vice presidential candidate. and those are submitted by the parties. So each of the local parties, Dorothy Moon and Lauren Necochea. Notified us of their candidates that would appear on the ballot.
McGRANE: Beyond that, though, we have five independent candidates. These are names that people will also probably recognize. So Robert F Kennedy Jr is one. Jill Stein is another that will appear on the Idaho ballot. And all the independent candidates had to go through a little bit different process. They actually had to petition Idahoans, and they needed a thousand valid signatures from Idahoans in order to get their names to appear on the ballot. Each of the five independent candidates did exactly that, and they had to file those by the beginning of August. So we spent August verifying the clerks, verifying the signatures, our office making sure that their electors were set correctly so that they could appear on the ballot. And I'll note one other thing that just, you know, the election nerd in me can't help is when people see their ballots, they'll also see all of the electors listed. And technically, voters are voting on the four electors for Idaho, who will appear at the Electoral College to nominate the candidate who ultimately wins our state.
GAUDETTE: So, Phil, I want to go back to a candidate that you mentioned, Robert F Kennedy Jr, because he came out, pulled himself out of the race, endorses Donald Trump, and now he wants to take his name off the ballot in some states. As you mentioned, he's on the ballot here in Idaho. So if someone has made it on the ballot in our state, is there a process to take their name off?
McGRANE: There is a process where we're really past that point. The date to withdraw was last Friday and it is interesting, especially with the Kennedy. We've all seen in the news. Um, not only is he not withdrawing in Idaho, he's actually fought pretty hard to make sure he could be on the ballot here in Idaho. And so, you know, from my understanding, nationally, there are some battleground states where he's chosen to withdraw, but other states like Idaho, he's very much intending to remain on the ballot. We've had no indication from the Kennedy campaign that they want to be removed, but a candidate could have been removed. But we're now past that point because, as I mentioned, ballots are being printed and we're coming up quickly. Uh, Friday the 20th. So ten days from now will be when the very first ballots hit mailbox, like go out in the mail to head to those very first absentee voters. And that's really intended to get to all the people overseas or in the military and people who aren't here in Idaho.
GAUDETTE: Okay, let's talk about Election Day. Who are the people working in the polls? Um, you know, they're the ones that look up your name. They hand us the ballot, you know, make sure everything runs smoothly.
McGRANE: I think, you know, Gemma like, I have a fondness for all the people who are willing to serve as poll workers in our state. That's actually how I got my start years and years ago was training poll workers here in Ada County. Um, it's surprises people, but we really rely on the community in order to be able to pull off elections. Across the state we will use about 5,000 poll workers in order to pull off an election of this scale. So that's your your neighbors. It's often like retirees or there are people who stay at home. It's a long day on a Tuesday. And so it requires a commitment. But we love when we get to see whether it's high school students serving as poll workers or I think lots of voters, when they picture their local polling place that they picture, you know, the the group of little old ladies who've been doing it for decades, who have whether it was punch cards when we did it before to the systems we use now, they've been consistently running their polling locations. They're always a friendly face when you head in to vote. And I will say, you know, one of the big things right now for all the clerk's offices, they need poll workers. If there's people who are listening, who are willing to step up and to serve, and whether they can take a day off or commit that Tuesday. We need more poll workers to be able to serve this election. And so I'm hopeful that we'll see people sign up and anybody who's interested can visit VoteIdaho.gov. And under the resources tab, there has become an election worker. And that information will all be submitted to the. Doesn't matter what county you're in here in Idaho, we'll get that information to the county because I know they're looking for people.
GAUDETTE: Phil I only have a little bit under two minutes with you. I am assuming there's training that that poll workers would, would have to undergo beforehand.
McGRANE: Yep, there definitely are. I always you know, you and I talk all the time about our election laws and how the process works. And you can appreciate so can your listeners. I'm not the one who's actually on the ground doing it. It's our poll workers. All of the counties provide training to those poll workers. And there's different roles that people can serve in, whether that's issuing ballots, whether that's helping set up the equipment or run the poll books. We have some great systems we've implemented across the state with now our electronic poll books. I'm sure we'll talk about that more as we get closer. But all that training is provided, and it really is a great experience in terms of civic engagement. You know, I know that politics these days often gets a bad rap. People like the noise and we'll see the campaigns picking up as we go. But this is a great way, regardless of your partisan stripes or anything, just to serve everybody in your community and really help kind of democracy work. And so I'm excited for Election Day, and hopefully there's people here who are ready and willing to serve our state.
GAUDETTE: I have to say, I when I go to my polling place, I love seeing the poll workers there. They do just such a great job and they always have a smile on their face. So Phil, thank you so much for taking time today. We look forward to talking you ever talking with you every Tuesday leading up to Election Day, we've been speaking with Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane on how Idaho is getting ready for the November election. Remember, they need poll workers. So Phil mentioned where to go. We will, of course, put information on our website. He will be here every Tuesday to answer questions about how the election process works. Thanks so much for listening to Idaho Matters. Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Matters are members of the NPR network. It's an independent coalition of public media podcasters. You can find more shows in the network wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Gemma Gaudette. We'll see you tomorrow.
Creating greener health systems in Idaho
Sep 10, 2024
Giving the environment a voice is something that has motivated Aparna Dial. She’s the Senior Director of Facilities, Engineering and Sustainability for the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
OSU has a huge footprint—29,000 employees and 65,000 students — and a medical center complex that uses a huge amount of energy and resources, not all of them friendly to the environment.
So Dial started making changes to make OSU more green and sustainable, and through training and conversation, OSU and especially the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have made incredible strides toward helping our environment.
Dial will be talking about this journey on Wednesday, Sept. 11, as part of St. Luke's lecture series on climate and health, and she joined Idaho Matters along with Dr. Ethan Sims, the founder of Idaho Clinicians for Climate and Health, to talk more.
How do scientists measure voter emotions?
Sep 10, 2024
Are you planning to watch the debate Tuesday between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris? How do you feel about the candidates? That’s a question that scientists who study human behavior would really like to answer.
But you can’t measure feelings ... or can you? Dr. Paul Bolls of the Murrow College of Communications at Washington State University will spend tonight measuring the emotions of voters during the debate.
Morning Edition George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to talk more with Dr. Bolls about how he plans to do this.
The Climate Crisis: Creating change with hope
Sep 10, 2024
(Robert Val / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on September 11, 2023.
NPR is spending this week looking at climate solutions, and as part of this series, we'll be bringing you stories on our climate throughout the week.
When it comes to learning about climate change, there’s lots of information out there. And figuring out how to address the problem can be overwhelming, especially as we continue to see headlines in the news concerning the global warming crisis.
All of that together can feel scary. Fear isn’t the answer though, at least according to atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe. Instead, she points to hope as a catalyst for change. Hayhoe joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Support groups for people anxious about climate change are on the rise. Do they help?
Sep 09, 2024
Farmer Melissa Gilbert (left) and therapist Caitlyn Wallace lead climate cafes in Reno, Nev., where people can share their feelings about the effects of human-caused climate change.(Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau )
It’s a Saturday morning on a small urban farm tucked into a residential neighborhood in Reno, Nev., and Melissa Gilbert, holding a dark gray meditation bowl, is standing in front of a small group of people.
She taps the bowl with a small rod, sending a soft ringing sound into the air.
“Let the bells bring your attention back to your breath, back to your body, and let's enjoy the vegetables that are planted in the ground,” Gilbert says with an encouraging smile.
She leads the small group on a meditation walk through a section of the Reno Food Systems farm. They crunch along a gravel path past rows of carrots, kale, garlic, and even chickens, who add to the ambience with incessant clucking.
“Bring your attention to your feet on the earth,” Gilbert says as she rings the bowl once more. “Your connection – the earth supporting you.”
This is the start of the third climate cafe Gilbert has helped host along with group leader Caitlyn Wallace, a certified therapist based in Reno. Wallace was trained by the Climate Psychology Alliance North America, a nonprofit that teaches therapists how to run climate cafes.
“The need in my practice came from working with new moms, who are feeling a lot of guilt around bringing kids into the world,” Wallace says. “This was specifically during wildfires, and smoke seasons.”
Her goal is to provide a safe space for all people – not just mothers – to share their feelings about the effects of human-caused climate change, such as extreme heat waves and intensifying wildfire seasons.
That’s what brought Jaline Castell to this free climate cafe.
“The Caldor Fire impacted me a lot,” Castell says, her voice catching and eyes welling up with tears.
Firefighters battle flames approaching a major highway during the 2021 Caldor Fire, which scorched over 200,000 acres south of Lake Tahoe in California. (Kara Capaldo / Adobe Stock)
That fire in 2021 scorched over 200,000 acres south of Reno and Lake Tahoe. The blaze forced thousands to evacuate, and blanketed the region in wildfire smoke for weeks.
“Being in it is so different,” Castell says. “To be in the smoke for that amount of time, and to look straight at the sun without having the glow of it.”
Castell was one of four participants in this climate cafe in Reno.
Another was Nikki Raffail, who says climate change has caused her to wrestle with big questions like “do I want to bring a child into this world?”
Raffail has put her energy into babysitting and connecting to nature by growing a garden on her patio.
“When everything else is spiraling out of control, and you feel like the world is on fire and you can’t do anything about it, it's really nice to just go outside and tend to your little sunflower,” Raffail says with a smile. “So, that’s been nice because I have been riddled with anger.”
Sherry Lugone, a retired school teacher, says that was her reaction to the climate crisis for many years. Now, she works on reducing her carbon footprint.
“I use cloth napkins and I try not to drive unless I need to,” Lugone says. “And I try to eat an environmentally conscious diet.”
Climate cafe participants are not required to translate their feelings into actions. But that naturally happens, says Barbara Easterlin, co-president of the Climate Psychology Alliance North America.
She says people may leave climate cafes feeling empowered, “and some sense of like, ‘Oh, I'm actually doing something here and I can actually be an example to other people.’ ”
Easterlin, who lives in western Wyoming, says the alliance is creating a program to research how often climate cafes lead to people taking action. In addition, the nonprofit plans to bring these support groups to marginalized communities, which often face the brunt of climate change.
“We’re seeing more of that feeling of feeling betrayed, by the government or the global system, the capitalist system,” Easterlin says.
Climate cafes are being held at the Reno Food Systems Farm, where participants take mindful walks and discuss their anxiety and fears about the climate crisis.(Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau)
Back in Reno, the mood at this climate cafe has shifted from somber to hopeful. Attendees share warm smiles and laughter as they end their time together.
Therapist Caitlyn Wallace says that shows why support groups for people dealing with climate anxiety are more important than ever.
“It’s going to be us that saves ourselves, at the end of the day,” Wallace says. “We’re going to show up and feed each other and help each other and take care of each other when the larger systems around us are no longer able to because they're defending corporations.”
Wallace and Gilbert are leading their next climate cafe at 9 a.m. on Aug. 18 at the Reno Food Systems farm. Participation is free.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, 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.
Thriving ecosystems revealed in wake of shrinking reservoir
Sep 09, 2024
Water levels in Lake Powell are at record lows as the Colorado River is strained by climate change and steady demand. But as the nation's second-largest reservoir recedes, its making way for thriving ecosystems. Alex Hager with KUNC in Northern Colorado tagged along with a team of scientists trying to figure out what's coming back.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 6, 2024
Sep 06, 2024
A wooden gavel. (<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/115595130@N03/">Paul and Kami McGuire</a> / Flickr)
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.
Mia Maldonado, state politics reporter with the Idaho Capital Sun
Idaho’s premiere Paralympian visits Morning Edition from Paris
Sep 06, 2024
Idaho's Muffy Davis was a torch bearer at the 2024 Paralympic Summer Games in Paris( Muffy Davis, International Paralympic Committee)
Muffy Davis has been an Idaho public servant for a while now – as an Idaho House representative and as the current Chair of the Blaine County Commission. But much of the rest of the world knows her as a gold medal-winning Paralympian in the summer and winter games. And lately, she’s racing across Paris … not as a Paralympian but as a governing board member of the International Paralympic Committee.
“It has been amazing. They have done a fabulous job here,” said Davis. “The stands have been full. Everyone has been fully embracing these games.”
And while the games are filled to the brim with stories of inspiration, Davis said, above all, they are a premiere global showcase of excellence.
“If there was one message I could pass along to the people listening is that “paralympics” mean “parallel to the Olympics,” said Davis. “These are elite level athletes.”
From Paris, Davis visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to share her enthusiasm for this year’s showcase and how much she’s looking forward to the paralympics returning to the United States.
Read the full transcript below:
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Good morning. I'm George Prentice. Here in Idaho. We know Marianna Davis as well. Muffy Davis, a member of the Idaho House of Representatives until a few years ago, currently the chair of the Blaine County Commission. Much of the rest of the world, as we do, knows Muffy Davis as one of the finest athletes in the world, a medalist in three Paralympics - Summer and Winter games; and today she's a governing board member of the International Paralympic Committee. And this morning, Muffy Davis joins us from Paris, where it is nearly evening there.
MUFFY DAVIS: Well, it's so fun to be able to join you. Thanks for inviting me, George.
PRENTICE: Well, talk to me about Paris. We've been watching and it looks like Paris has been an ideal host city.
DAVIS: It has been amazing. They have done a fabulous job here. I was fortunate… I came for the last week of the Olympic Games with Team USA and got to see that, and then we had our transition over here and now the Paralympic Games. And I have to tell you, Paris is just an amazing city, as we all know. But they put on a good show and they've done an amazing, terrific job here highlighting the Paralympic Games, one of the top sporting events in the world.
PRENTICE: What venues have you seen?
DAVIS: We've seen wheelchair rugby,,,the first game - Team USA against Canada. Oh my gosh, it was an amazing game. And we will see where they end up. Hopefully they get onto the medals stand because I'm fortunate enough I get to be giving medals out to rugby, so that will be fun. Today, we went to blind football, which is the stadium where the beach volleyball was for the Olympics. So right under the Eiffel Tower. It is one of the most amazing sports and I always love it. So, if people get a chance to watch these athletes… watch their ball-handling skills and they have zero sight, they can't see one thing, and yet they're kicking the soccer ball, passing to each other amazingly….it was terrific. We saw Team USA win against Iran In goalball. We haven't made it yet out to sitting volleyball or basketball, but hope to get to there.
PRENTICE: On your social media feed, there’s a great photo of you with what is called a “freewheel wheelchair attachment.” And the attachment was there because it was for the Olympic torch. What was that like, being a torch bearer in Paris?
DAVIS: It was great. Ironically, the freewheel wheelchair attachment is made there in Boise and a friend. Pat Doherty, is the owner, and he had a gold one made for me to bring to Paris. So I got to use that and it was a fantastic. We were able to do the torch relay, the day of the opening ceremonies in a park right here in downtown Paris, where we had those amazing horses that were in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, kind of escorted us through the relay, and it was fun. The people were so excited and all out there and just really embracing, I have to say, the Paris community and all the people. The stands have been full Everyone is fully embracing these Paralympic Games like it was any other amazing sporting competition… as it is.
PRENTICE: We certainly think of them as inspirational. But I have to remember that that is secondary because the Paralympics are… and always will be primarily a showcase of some of the best athletes in the world competing alongside their peers.
DAVIS: If there's one message I think I could pass along to the viewers and to people listening is that the Paralympic Games are just as competitive. It means “parallel to the Olympic Games”. They are elite level athletes with physical or intellectual disabilities that have been training for years to get that chance to participate and compete and show off their best, just like Olympic athletes. Once every four years it happens and this is their chance to showcase their athleticism and hopefully go home with a medal.
PRENTICE: And it's something like 15% of the world's population that has some form of disability.
DAVIS: 1.3 billion. So we have been really working with the Paralympic governing board level to embrace what we say: “Sports change lives.” And what we mean through that is we are a model that we can utilize to show the world of what is possible for everyone. I chose to do it through sports. Other people with disabilities are doctors, lawyers, professors.. all over the world. And so we utilize sports as the model to show that anything is possible. Whatever you want to accomplish, it can be done.
PRENTICE: Going to Paris is one thing, but I think Los Angeles is most certainly within the reach of a lot of our listeners. So it's pretty exciting that the games will be in LA in four short years.
DAVIS: I am so excited, George. This is going to be kind of the opportunity for the US to really highlight and showcase to our whole community how amazing and powerful the Paralympic Games are. We did have them, the Winter games in 2002in Salt Lake, but unfortunately they weren't sponsored and televised and broadcast, as well as they will be in 28. I hope America can pack the stands just like we did here in Paris, and everyone gets those opportunities to see these amazing sporting competitions.
PRENTICE: Well, having been to the ‘84 Olympics… and eight other Olympics, I can tell you: folks get a friend in Southern California, now. You want to be there for certain. And then Salt Lake City will host the Winter games in 2034.
DAVIS: Yes, I know we are so excited. This is the next decade for the US, truly the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee to show our stuff to the world and our athletes. And hopefully we have some young listeners there that might be listening and wondering. Keep training and trying, and I hope to cheer them all on in 2028 and 2034.
PRENTICE: Muffy Davis, safe journey to you. And from Paris, thanks so very much for giving us some time today.
DAVIS: Truly an honor. And everyone tune in, tune in… and watch the Paralympic Games.
When we think about taking care of our health, dental hygiene isn't usually the first thing that comes to mind, but as it turns out, it plays a big role in our overall wellbeing.
One program is offering free dental care to elementary and middle schools throughout the state.
For more than a decade, Grins on the Go has been working to make dental services more accessible, particularly for families in underserved communities.
Cami Sindon, manager of community outreach with the program, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How a new movement is working to support our first responders
Sep 05, 2024
Boise Fire Department Captain Jesse Clark and his daughter Blakely.( Jesse Clark)
First responders can face huge obstacles on the job, both physical and mental, that can take a big toll on both mind and body, and it can be hard to find the resources they need to cope.
A new movement called Forging Wellness provides those physical and mental resources to first responders in the Treasure Valley and the northwest.
Captain Jesse Clark of the Boise Fire Department has been leading the way when it comes to wellness for his fellow firefighters and has been an outspoken advocate for comprehensive wellness programs for first responders.
Clark joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
What to Watch: Football, sci-fi and superheroes
Sep 05, 2024
Fall can mean a lot of things, but in terms of what to watch, it's football, good tv plenty of movie recommendations!
Resident movie critic and Morning Edition host George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to give us an update on What to Watch.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: September 4, 2024
Sep 04, 2024
A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip.(Abdel Kareem Hana / AP)
As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, the World Health Organization and Palestinian health authorities are working together to vaccinate Palestinians for polio.
Gaza recently reported its first case of polio in 25 years in a 10-month-old boy whose leg is now paralyzed.
As of Tuesday, the WHO reports it is ahead of its targets in Gaza and, in just three days, has inoculated about a quarter of children under the age of 10.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Trump vs. Harris: A look ahead at the presidential election
Sep 04, 2024
The campaign for the United States head of government is in its final push as people get ready to vote for our nation's 47th president.
This Thursday, Dr. David Adler, President of the Alturas Institute, will be hosting another Constitutional Conversation, and he joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Local nonprofit commemorates those lost on 9/11
Sep 04, 2024
The 9/11 Miles of Remembrance Run event kicks off at 5:00 pm on September 11th. ( Mission43)
Next week, communities around the country will come together in honor of those lost during the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Among those paying their respects will be Mission43, an organization that helps service members adjust to life after the military.
Dan Nelson, the Director of Mission43, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.
Resisting the draft: A little known story of the Minidoka prisoners
Sep 03, 2024
A photo from the stage play, "<i>The Nisei Paradox." </i>( Idaho Public Television)
We’ve heard many stories of what happened after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, when more than 100,000 Japanese Americans were rounded up and sent to what were known then as relocation centers, including the Minidoka camp in eastern Idaho.
However, one story you may not have heard is how many of the men sent to Minidoka were later drafted to serve in World War II and how many of them resisted the draft, refusing to fight for the country that had put them and their families behind barbed wire.
That’s the story behind a stage play traveling the state, written and performed by Idaho lawyers 80 years after the anniversary of those cases going to trial. It’s also being told in a new documentary on Idaho Public Television.
Bill Manny, executive producer with Idaho Public Television; Jeff Thomson the writer, director and actor of the Nisei Paradox; and Robyn Achilles, executive director of the Friends of Minidoka, join Idaho Matters to talk more.
Making a house a home: Nonprofit works to provide essential items
Sep 03, 2024
A recent wish list delivery made to CATCH.( CATCH)
Last year, more than 200 families experiencing homelessness were able to find stable housing through CATCH.
This year, the nonprofit is aiming to make the same impact, and part of that impact includes providing things like bedding, towels and dishes. Small things that make a house feel like home, and many of these items Catch is in desperate need of.
Jeremy Blades, director of the organizations housing services, and Amanda Fields, a CATCH housing manager, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this need.
Art in the Park returns for its 70th year
Sep 03, 2024
(Boise Art Museum / Facebook)
If you're looking for art in downtown Boise, you won't have to search very hard. From murals to sculptures to traffic boxes—it's everywhere.
This weekend there will be even more of it as Art in the Park kicks off its 70th year.
Melanie Fales, Boise Art Museum's executive director, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the popular event.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 30, 2024
Aug 30, 2024
An orange sky descended on Stanley on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, as the Wapiti Fire burns west of town.(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio )
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.
Toxic metals in tampons spur women to rethink their period care
Aug 29, 2024
Saalt Menstrual Cup & Saalt Period Underwear(Ampersand Studios / Saalt )
When it comes to period products, tampons are one of the most popular, being used by up to 80% of women here in the United States. Which should mean their safe, right? Following a recent study, the answer may be no.
According to researchers, toxic metals, including lead and arsenic, have been found in 14 major brands of tampons.
As a result, many women are making the switch to menstrual cups, a shift that Saalt, a local business specializing in reusable period products, has seen firsthand.
Cherie Hoeger, CEO of Saalt, and Bridget Laye, the director of customer experience, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
Combatting climate change: How do we make a difference?
Aug 29, 2024
Storm clouds build above a corn field.(Charlie Riedel / AP)
This October, the annual Idaho Women's Charitable Foundation Symposium will be taking a look at Idaho's environment and its impacts on our everyday lives.
Dr. Jonathan Foley will join the event as a keynote speaker, and he sat down with Idaho Matters for a preview..
How one nonprofit is creating impactful connections
Aug 29, 2024
( Connection is the Cure)
When it comes to our well-being, maintaining good mental health is crucial.
Across the nation though millions of people are struggling with this very thing, which can put them at greater risk of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and even suicide.
That's why one nonprofit is working to make a difference through impactful connections, not just to helpful resources but to one another.
September Frogley, founder of Connection is the Cure, and event director, Jennifer Butikofer, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the group.
Osher Institute encourages learning at every age
Aug 29, 2024
( Osher Lifelong Learning Institute)
When it comes to learning, there is no age limit. Which is why the programs designed by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute are so important.
Intended for adults 50 years and older, Osher offers courses that look at everything from the Union Pacific Railroad to the growth of urban parks, inviting students to stay curious at every stage of life.
Dana Thorp Patterson, the director of the Osher Institute, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the program.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 28, 2024
Aug 28, 2024
This 1997 image provided by the CDC during an investigation into an outbreak of monkeypox, which took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), formerly Zaire, depicts the dorsal surfaces of the hands of a monkeypox case patient. (AP / CDC)
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization declared Mpox a public health emergency of international concern. Now, WHO has a six-month plan to try and contain the outbreak.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about what we need to know about this virus.
Boise Baroque Orchestra wraps up summer music festival
Aug 28, 2024
People watch the Boise Baroque Orchestra at the Château des Fleurs.(Jonathan Collins / Boise Baroque Orchestra)
This weekend the Boise Baroque Orchestra will be performing their last concert of the summer.
Wrapping up their four-week festival with an evening of music you won't want to miss.
Robert Franz, artistic director of the orchestra, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event.
The Love of My Afterlife: An author interview
Aug 28, 2024
( Berkley)
Love can find you in the most unexpected of places, even in the afterlife, wearing embarrassing pajamas after joking on a very questionable burger.
It may not be the meet-cute every girl dreams of, but, hey, who said romance was easy?
Certainly not Kirsty Greenwood, author of July's GMA book club pick, "The Love of My Afterlife." She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest release.
Breaking down barriers in the world of athletics
Aug 27, 2024
The Boise State Adaptive Athletics Tennis team: Steve Baxter, Kevin Falk, Randy Corbett and Tommy Schroeder( Steve Baxter / Boise State University)
Globally, more than one billion people live with a disability, which can create barriers in everyday life. A fact that coach Steve Baxter is very aware of.
That's why he's heading up an adaptive sports program at Boise State University, giving athletes with physical disabilities the chance to compete in the sports they love.
Baxter joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
Sparking imagination: the Sawtooth Writing Retreat returns
Aug 27, 2024
(Boise State University )
Inspiration can come from the most unlikely of places, but when you're working from the Idaho mountains, there's sure to be an abundance. Which is why an upcoming retreat will be taking writers into nature for three days to help hone their craft and spark imagination.
Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Boise State University professor Edward "Mac" Test to talk more about the Sawtooth Writing Retreat and the unique opportunities it provides.
The deadline to apply for the retreat is on Friday, Sept. 6 and the retreat is Thursday, Sept. 19-22. Featured authors at the retreat are Kim Cross and Paul Bogard.
'When the Night Comes Falling:' An author interview with Howard Blum
Aug 27, 2024
( Harper)
In the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, the small town of Moscow, Idaho, was forever changed when four University of Idaho students were killed.
Today, one man sits in the Latah County Jail accused of the killings as he awaits trial next June. This story has garnered world-wide attention, spawning numerous podcasts and books.
New York Times best-selling true crime author and former New York Times investigative reporter Howard Blum has also followed this story, and his new book "When the Night Comes Falling" takes us behind the scenes of this horrific crime.
Blum joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Wild and Distant Seas:' An author interview with Idaho author Tara Karr Roberts
Aug 26, 2024
( W. W. Norton & Company)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 14, 2024.
Imagine a minor character in the classic novel Moby Dick getting her own voice and her own story. That's exactly what happens in Idaho author Tara Karr Roberts debut novel, "Wild and Distant Seas."
She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her recent release.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 23, 2024
Aug 23, 2024
Your favorite Albertsons could be changing hands
Aug 22, 2024
(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/16441604@N07/">Holcombe of Hidalgo</a> / Flickr)
Your favorite Albertsons could be changing hands.
Ten Albertsons stores will be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers if the merger with Kroger finally goes through. This includes six stores in Boise and one in Meridian.
Don Day, the founder and editor of BoiseDev.com, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about what this would mean for local shoppers.
Support groups for people anxious about climate change are on the rise. Do they help?
Aug 22, 2024
Farmer Melissa Gilbert (left) and therapist Caitlyn Wallace lead climate cafes in Reno, Nev., where people can share their feelings about the effects of human-caused climate change.(Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau )
It’s a Saturday morning on a small urban farm tucked into a residential neighborhood in Reno, Nev., and Melissa Gilbert, holding a dark gray meditation bowl, is standing in front of a small group of people.
She taps the bowl with a small rod, sending a soft ringing sound into the air.
“Let the bells bring your attention back to your breath, back to your body, and let's enjoy the vegetables that are planted in the ground,” Gilbert says with an encouraging smile.
She leads the small group on a meditation walk through a section of the Reno Food Systems farm. They crunch along a gravel path past rows of carrots, kale, garlic, and even chickens, who add to the ambience with incessant clucking.
“Bring your attention to your feet on the earth,” Gilbert says as she rings the bowl once more. “Your connection – the earth supporting you.”
This is the start of the third climate cafe Gilbert has helped host along with group leader Caitlyn Wallace, a certified therapist based in Reno. Wallace was trained by the Climate Psychology Alliance North America, a nonprofit that teaches therapists how to run climate cafes.
“The need in my practice came from working with new moms, who are feeling a lot of guilt around bringing kids into the world,” Wallace says. “This was specifically during wildfires, and smoke seasons.”
Her goal is to provide a safe space for all people – not just mothers – to share their feelings about the effects of human-caused climate change, such as extreme heat waves and intensifying wildfire seasons.
That’s what brought Jaline Castell to this free climate cafe.
“The Caldor Fire impacted me a lot,” Castell says, her voice catching and eyes welling up with tears.
Firefighters battle flames approaching a major highway during the 2021 Caldor Fire, which scorched over 200,000 acres south of Lake Tahoe in California. (Kara Capaldo / Adobe Stock)
That fire in 2021 scorched over 200,000 acres south of Reno and Lake Tahoe. The blaze forced thousands to evacuate, and blanketed the region in wildfire smoke for weeks.
“Being in it is so different,” Castell says. “To be in the smoke for that amount of time, and to look straight at the sun without having the glow of it.”
Castell was one of four participants in this climate cafe in Reno.
Another was Nikki Raffail, who says climate change has caused her to wrestle with big questions like “do I want to bring a child into this world?”
Raffail has put her energy into babysitting and connecting to nature by growing a garden on her patio.
“When everything else is spiraling out of control, and you feel like the world is on fire and you can’t do anything about it, it's really nice to just go outside and tend to your little sunflower,” Raffail says with a smile. “So, that’s been nice because I have been riddled with anger.”
Sherry Lugone, a retired school teacher, says that was her reaction to the climate crisis for many years. Now, she works on reducing her carbon footprint.
“I use cloth napkins and I try not to drive unless I need to,” Lugone says. “And I try to eat an environmentally conscious diet.”
Climate cafe participants are not required to translate their feelings into actions. But that naturally happens, says Barbara Easterlin, co-president of the Climate Psychology Alliance North America.
She says people may leave climate cafes feeling empowered, “and some sense of like, ‘Oh, I'm actually doing something here and I can actually be an example to other people.’ ”
Easterlin, who lives in western Wyoming, says the alliance is creating a program to research how often climate cafes lead to people taking action. In addition, the nonprofit plans to bring these support groups to marginalized communities, which often face the brunt of climate change.
“We’re seeing more of that feeling of feeling betrayed, by the government or the global system, the capitalist system,” Easterlin says.
Climate cafes are being held at the Reno Food Systems Farm, where participants take mindful walks and discuss their anxiety and fears about the climate crisis.(Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau)
Back in Reno, the mood at this climate cafe has shifted from somber to hopeful. Attendees share warm smiles and laughter as they end their time together.
Therapist Caitlyn Wallace says that shows why support groups for people dealing with climate anxiety are more important than ever.
“It’s going to be us that saves ourselves, at the end of the day,” Wallace says. “We’re going to show up and feed each other and help each other and take care of each other when the larger systems around us are no longer able to because they're defending corporations.”
Wallace and Gilbert are leading their next climate cafe at 9 a.m. on Aug. 18 at the Reno Food Systems farm. Participation is free.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, 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.
What to Watch: Exciting new previews and iconic legends
Aug 22, 2024
If you're looking for something to do this weekend, you may not need to search beyond the small screen.
Idaho Matters sits down with resident movie critic George Prentice for a preview of a popular series that will soon be returning, as well as a look back at two television legends.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 21, 2024
Aug 21, 2024
As a new, more dangerous strain of the Mpox virus continues to spread, the disease has now been detected in individuals in both Sweden and Thailand.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about what we need to know about this virus as well as answer your listener questions.
The Boise Comic Arts Festival returns for its 12th year
Aug 21, 2024
( City of Boise)
This Saturday, the Boise Comic Arts Festival is returning for a weekend full of cosplay, workshops and creativity. And with more than 30 guest creators joining the fun, it's sure to be one of the festival's best years yet!
Event organizer Josh Shapel and Muriel Fahrion, whom you may know as the original designer of the Strawberry Shortcake franchise and one of the featured guest creators, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'When Knowing Comes:' An author interview with Kelly Green
Aug 21, 2024
( Safe Passage Press LLC)
In her newest book, "When Knowing Comes," author Kelly Green tackles a disturbing, but necessary topic, that of child sexual abuse.
Green joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this legal drama.
University of Idaho to dedicate new healing garden
Aug 20, 2024
Vandal Healing Garden outside the Physical Education Building.(Garrett Britton / University of Idaho Visual Productions)
As students head back to school for the fall semester, the University of Idaho is preparing for a special ceremony.
After nearly two years of work, the Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial is finished. The project began shortly after the tragic loss of four of the school's students and is now being dedicated as a space to honor the memories of all who died while enrolled at the university.
Blain Eckles, U of I's Dean of Students, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming ceremony.
St. Michael's celebrates 160 years of community building
Aug 20, 2024
St Michael's Episcopal Cathedral( St Michael's Episcopal Cathedral Facebook)
In 1864, Reverend Saint Michael Fackler arrived in Boise, performing the first episcopal service in the region.
Missy Swajkoski with St. Michael's Episcopal Cathedral and Beth Toal, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the church's history.
How the railroad popularized Yellowstone National Park
Aug 20, 2024
In the late 19th century, Yellowstone became the first national park in America.
Visitation started out slow, but the railroad soon changed that, making travel and therefore the park more accessible. Years later, Yellowstone would become one of the most popular destinations in the country.
Thornton Waite, author and retired project manager with Idaho National Laboratory, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this history.
'Four Weekends and a Funeral:' An author interview with Ellie Palmer
Aug 20, 2024
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
If you're looking for a smart emotional love story that packs a big punch, then grab a copy of "Four Weekends and a Funeral" by Ellie Palmer.
The author joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her latest release.
Using less of the Colorado River takes a willing farmer and $45 million in federal funds
Aug 19, 2024
Leslie Hagenstein indicates where the New Fork River flows through her property on Mar. 27, 2024. She signed up for a program that pays her to pause irrigation on her land in order to save Colorado River water. Some experts say the System Conservation Pilot Program, or SCPP, is costly and may not be the most effective way to save Colorado River water.(Alex Hager / KUNC )
Wyoming native Leslie Hagenstein lives on the ranch where she grew up and remembers her grandmother and father delivering milk in glass bottles from the family’s Mount Airy Dairy.
The cottonwood-lined property, at the foot of the Wind River Mountains south of Pinedale, is not only home to Hagenstein, her older sister and their dogs, but to bald eagles and moose. But this summer, for the second year in a row, water from Pine Creek will not turn 600 acres of grass and alfalfa a lush green.
On a blustery day in late March, Hagenstein stood in her fields, now brown and weed-choked, and explained why she cried after she chose to participate in a program that pays ranchers in the Upper Colorado River basin to leave their water in the river.
“You have these very lush grasses, and you have a canal or a ditch that's full of this beautiful clear, gorgeous water that comes out of these beautiful mountains. It’s nirvana,” Hagenstein said. “And then last year, it looks like Armageddon. I mean, it's nothing, it's very sad, there's just no growth at all. There's no green.”
The Colorado River basin has endured decades of drier-than-normal conditions, and steady demand. That imbalance is draining its largest reservoirs, and making it nearly impossible for them to recover, putting the region’s water security in jeopardy. Reining in demand throughout the vast western watershed has become a drumbeat among policymakers at both the state and federal level. Hagenstein’s ranch is an example of what that intentional reduction in water use looks like.
In Sublette County, Hagenstein said it’s rare for people to make a living solely on raising livestock and growing hay anymore. In addition to ranching, she worked as a nurse practitioner for more than 40 years before retiring. And when she looked at her bank accounts, she realized she needed a better way to meet expenses if she was going to keep the ranch afloat in the future. Hagenstein said it was a no-brainer. She signed up for the System Conservation Pilot Program (SCPP) in 2023. Through the federally funded program, she was able to make 13 times more than she would have by leasing it out to grow hay.
Since its inception as a mass experiment in water use reduction, the program has divided farmers and ranchers. Concerns over the high cost, the limited water savings, the difficulty in measuring and tracking conserved water, and the potential damage to local agricultural economies still linger. But without fully overhauling the West’s water rights system, few tools exist to get farmers and ranchers — the Colorado River’s majority users — to conserve voluntarily.
“I’m a Wyoming native,” Hagenstein said. “I don’t want to push our water downstream. I don’t want to disregard it. But I also have to survive in this landscape. And to survive in this landscape, you have to get creative.”
SCPP participation doubles in 2024
Driven by overuse, drought and climate change, water levels in Lake Powell fell to their lowest point ever in 2022. The nation’s second-largest reservoir provided a stark visual indicator of the Colorado River’s supply-demand imbalance. Those falling levels also threatened the ability to produce hydroelectric power and prompted officials from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to call on states for an unprecedented level of water conservation. The agency gave the seven states that use the Colorado River a tight deadline to save an additional 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water. (An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to fill 1 acre of land to a height of 1 foot. One acre-foot generally provides enough water for one to two households for a year.)
States gave the federal government no plans to save that much water in one fell swoop, instead proposing a patchwork of smaller conservation measures aimed at boosting the reservoirs and avoiding infrastructural damage.
The Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC), an agency that brings together water leaders from Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, offered up the “5-Point Plan," one arm of which was restarting the SCPP.
In 2023, after the federal government announced it would spend $4 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on Colorado River programs, the Upper Colorado River Commission decided to reboot the SCPP, which was first tested from 2015 to 2018. The program pays eligible water users in the four Upper Basin states to leave their fields dry for the irrigation season and let that water flow downstream.
But a hasty rollout to the SCPP in 2023 meant low participation numbers. Only 64 water-saving projects were approved, and about 38,000 acre-feet of water was conserved across the four states, which cost nearly $16 million. Water users complained about not having enough time to plan for the upcoming growing season and said an initial lowball offer from the UCRC of $150 per acre-foot was insulting and came with a complicated haggling process to get a higher payment. UCRC officials said the short notice and challenges with getting the word out about the program contributed to low participation numbers in 2023.
A University of Wyoming study surveyed the region’s growers about water conservation between November 2022 and March 2023. Eighty-eight percent of respondents in the Upper Basin were not even aware that the SCPP existed.
UCRC commissioners voted to run the program again in 2024, but said this time projects should focus on local drought resiliency on a longer-term basis. UCRC officials tweaked the program based on lessons learned in 2023, and the 2024 program had nearly double the participation, with 109 projects and nearly 64,000 acre-feet of water expected to be conserved.
“I view the doubling of interest and participation from one year to the next as a significant success,” UCRC Executive Director Chuck Cullom said.
What happens to conserved water?
Despite one of its stated intentions — protecting critical reservoir levels — water being left in streams by SCPP-participating irrigators is not tracked to Lake Powell, the storage bucket for the Upper Basin.
In total, across 2023 and 2024, the program spent $45 million to save a little more than 1% of the Colorado River water allocated to Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.
Although engineers have calculated how much water is saved by individual projects, known as conserved consumptive use, officials are not measuring how much of that conserved water ends up in Lake Powell. And the laws that govern water rights allow downstream users to simply take the water that an upstream user participating in the SCPP leaves in the river, potentially canceling out the attempt at banking that water.
These types of temporary, voluntary and compensated conservation programs aren’t new to the Upper Basin. In addition to the pilot program from 2015 to 2018, the state of Colorado undertook a two-year study of the idea of a demand management program by convening nine work groups to examine the issue.
System conservation and demand management, while conceptually the same, have one big difference: A demand management program would track the water so that downstream users don’t grab it and create a special pool to store the conserved water in Lake Powell. With system conservation, the water simply becomes part of the Colorado River system, with no certainty about where it ends up.
This lack of accounting for the water has some asking whether the SCPP is accomplishing what it set out to do and whether it is worth the high cost to taxpayers.
Even if all the roughly 64,000 acre-feet from the SCPP in 2024 makes it to Lake Powell, it’s still a drop in the bucket for the reservoir; last year, 13.4 million acre-feet flowed into Lake Powell. The reservoir currently holds about 8.2 million acre-feet and has a capacity of about 25 million acre-feet.
“I still haven’t really seen evidence of total water savings or anything like that,” said Elizabeth Koebele, a professor of political science and director of the graduate program of hydrologic sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno. Koebele wrote her doctoral dissertation on the first iteration of the SCPP. “As far as getting water to reservoirs, I’m not sure that we’ve seen a lot of success from the System Conservation Pilot Program so far.”
And the program has been expensive. For the 2024 iteration of the program, UCRC officials offered a fixed price per acre-foot that applicants could take or leave — no haggling this time. Colorado, Utah and Wyoming paid agricultural water users about $500 an acre-foot; the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, New Mexico’s sole participant in 2023 and 2024, received $300 an acre-foot. Projects that involved municipal or industrial water use were compensated on a case-by-case basis, and those that involved leaving water in reservoirs were paid $150 an acre-foot. The majority of projects in both years involved taking water off fields for the whole season or part of the season, known as fallowing.
The UCRC doled out nearly $29 million in payments to water users in 2024. The program paid about $45 million to participants in 2023 and 2024 combined. Some participants are using these payments to upgrade their irrigation systems, Cullom said, which helps maintain the vitality of local agriculture.
But even with this amount of money spent, Koebele said it may still not cover the costs to participants for things such as long term impacts to soil health that come with taking water off fields for a season or two. After the infusion of IRA money runs out, it’s unclear how such a program would be funded in the future.
“I also worry that we don’t have an endless supply of money to compensate users for conservation in the basin,” Koebele said. “And perhaps we need to be thinking about — rather than doing temporary conservation — investments in longer-term conservation beyond what we’re already doing.”
Western Slope water managers critical of SCPP
Some groups have concerns with the SCPP beyond its issues with accounting for how much water ends up in Lake Powell.
The Glenwood Springs-based Colorado River Water Conservation District represents 15 counties on Colorado’s Western Slope. Their mission is to protect, conserve, use and develop the water within its boundaries, which has often meant fighting Front Range entities that want to take more from the headwaters of the Colorado River in the form of transmountain diversions. Sometimes, that means voicing concerns about conservation programs that it thinks have the potential to harm Western Slope water users.
River District officials have been vocal critics of the SCPP, pointing out the ways that it could, if not done carefully, harm certain water users and rural agricultural communities. Because of the way water left in the stream by participants in the SCPP can be picked up by the next water user in line, some of which are Front Range cities, at least two of the projects this year could result in less — not more — water in the Colorado River, according to comments that the River District submitted to the state of Colorado. (One of these projects dropped out in 2024.)
“Without significant improvements, it would be hard for the River District to support additional expenditures on system conservation,” said Peter Fleming, the district’s general counsel.
The River District had also wanted a say in the SCPP process in 2023, going as far as creating their own checklist for deciding project approval, but UCRC officials said the commission had sole authority to approve projects.
Water users from all sectors — including agriculture, cities and industry — are allowed to participate in the program, but, in practice, all of the 2023 and 2024 projects in Colorado involve Western Slope agricultural water users. That’s partly because the price that the SCPP offered was less than the market value of water on the Front Range.
“If you’re simply basing it on a set dollar value per acre-foot, you’re going to result in disproportionate impacts to areas of the state where the economic value of water is not as high as others,” Fleming said. “You’re going to end up with all the water coming from the Western Slope. … You shouldn’t create sacrificial lambs.”
Upper Basin facing increased pressure
The Upper Basin’s conservation program is playing out against the backdrop of watershedwide negotiations with the Lower Basin states (California, Arizona and Nevada) about how to share the river after the current guidelines governing river operations expire in 2026.
After failing to come to an agreement, the Upper and Lower basins submitted competing proposals to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Lower Basin officials committed to a baseline of 1.5 million acre-feet in cuts, plus more when conditions warrant. They also called for the Upper Basin to share in those additional cuts when reservoirs dip below a certain level.
Upper Basin officials have balked at the notion that their water users should share in any cuts, saying they already suffer shortages in dry years. The source of the problem, they say, is overuse by the Lower Basin.
Plus, without ever having violated the 1922 Colorado River Compact by using more than the 7.5 million acre-feet allotted to them, they say there’s no way to enforce mandatory cuts on the Upper Basin.
But under increased pressure from the Lower Basin, and facing a drier future as climate change continues to rob the Colorado River of flows, Upper Basin water managers have made one small concession. In their proposal, they have offered to continue “parallel activities” like the SCPP, but said these programs will be separate from any post-2026 agreement with the Lower Basin. The congressional authorization for the SCPP expires at the end of 2024, and it’s unclear whether water managers will implement a program in 2025 or beyond.
Inherent in the Upper Basin’s stance is a contradiction: Why maintain that both the source of the problem and responsibility for a solution rest with the Lower Basin, but then agree to do the SCPP or a conservation program like it?
“I think that they're basically saying that the Lower Basin needs to get their act together before we actually really need to come to the table in a realistic way,” said Drew Bennett, a University of Wyoming professor of private-lands stewardship. “I think they feel like, ‘We don't actually really need to do anything.’ That the SCPP is actually above and beyond what they need to be doing. Is that reality? I don't know. But I think that’s sort of the message they're trying to send in negotiations.”
Grower attitudes key to program success
Some experts say the program’s real value is not getting water into depleted reservoirs. It is testing out a potential tool to help farmers and ranchers adapt to a future with less water. They frame it as an experiment that provides crucial information and lessons on how an Upper Basin conservation program could be scaled up. It also continues to ease water users into the concept of using less should a more permanent water conservation program come to pass.
“This program kind of, I think, helps grease the skids for that process that gets people comfortable for how it operates,” said Alex Funk, who worked for the Colorado Water Conservation Board in 2019 and helped to guide the state’s demand management study with regard to agricultural impacts. “Just seeing the doubling of the amount of acre-feet conserved under the second year and then the interest shows that, yeah, I think there could be some longevity to the program. … I think one has to be optimistic because I don’t see how the Upper Basin navigates a post-2026 future without such a program.”
Funk now works as senior counsel and director of water resources at the nonprofit Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. The group receives funding from the Walton Family Foundation, which also funds a portion of Colorado River coverage from KUNC and The Water Desk.
Cullom, executive director of the agency that runs the SCPP, pushed back on the idea that it is intended to help correct the supply/demand imbalance on the river, which he said is the fault of the Lower Basin.
“The intent of the program is to develop new tools for the upper division water users to adapt to a drier future,” he said. “We’re trying to develop tools that benefit the local communities and producers and water users in the four upper division states through drought resiliency, new tools, the ability to explore crop switching and irrigation efficiencies.”
Of all the challenges in setting up a program such as this — funding, pricing, calculating water saved, getting the word out — the biggest may be the attitudes of water users themselves, some of whom have a deep-seated mistrust of the federal government. Like Hagenstein, all of the water users that Aspen Journalism and KUNC interviewed for this story said financial reasons were the biggest driver behind their participation in the SCPP.
Bennett’s research also explained some of the reasons why growers may be hesitant to enroll in conservation programs such as the SCPP. It found that farmers and ranchers trusted local organizations to administer conservation programs significantly more than state or federal ones.
If demand management strategies were deployed, 74% of survey respondents said they’d prefer to have a local agency manage the program, as opposed to a state or federal agency. Only about 14% of growers said there is a high level of trust between water users and water management agencies in their states. The same percentage said their state’s planning process was adequate for dealing with water supply issues.
These findings point to a stumbling block that the UCRC and other agencies must overcome if they hope to create a longer-term conservation program.
Hagenstein, the Wyoming rancher, has experienced those attitudes firsthand. She has been on the receiving end of insults and name-calling because of her participation in the SCPP.
But Hagenstein says the SCPP has allowed her to have money in her pocket to continue ranching long term.
“I didn't anticipate it would be so beneficial,” she said. “It bought us time to stay in ranching is the long and the short of it. So, I’m most grateful for the abundance that the federal government offered us. … You know, some would call it a golden goose.”
This story was reported and produced collaboratively by Aspen Journalism, a nonprofit, investigative news organization, and Northern Colorado-based public radio station KUNC, and is a part of KUNC’s ongoing coverage of the Colorado River supported by the Walton Family Foundation. Additional editing resources and other support for this story came from The Water Desk, an independent initiative of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 16, 2024
Aug 16, 2024
The Idaho Supreme Court building.(Rebecca Boone / AP)
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.
A breakdown of the challenges facing Idaho healthcare workers
Aug 15, 2024
(Canva )
Idaho healthcare providers are facing critical challenges, from threats to Medicaid to workforce shortages to cyberattacks.
So what does that mean for your healthcare? These issues will be discussed during a City Club of Boise forum on August 22.
Dr. Patrice Burgess, the Chief Medical Officer with Saint Alphonsus, and Toni Lawson, Vice President of Government Relations for the Idaho Hospital Association, join Idaho Matters for a preview.
Empowering underserved communities through yoga
Aug 15, 2024
One Idaho nonprofit is using the power of yoga and movement to help those in marginalized communities improve crucial aspects of their health and wellbeing.
Kaelyn Rogers is the executive director and program developer of Upward Inertia and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Deli Days returns with a new name
Aug 15, 2024
( Idaho's Jewish Festival Facebook)
It's been seven years since the last "Deli Days" in Boise, where people got together to promote awareness and celebrate Jewish culture.
Well, the beloved event is back with a new name, "Idaho's Jewish Festival," and will take place this year on Sunday, Sept. 1.
Oliver Thompson, the director of Idaho's Jewish Festival, and singer-songwriter Nani Vazanaone, who will be headlining at the festival, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Mettlework:' An author interview with Jessica E. Johnson
Aug 15, 2024
( Acre Books)
In a new memoir, award-winning author Jessica E. Johnson is delving into her past as she experiences one of life's biggest transitions, becoming a parent.
Johnson joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her latest novel, "Mettlework: A Mining Daughter on Making Home."
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 14, 2024
Aug 14, 2024
An electron microscope image of Listeria monocytogenes bacterium. Health officials have announced a recall of liverwurst and deli meat products in connection with a national listeria outbreak.(Elizabeth White/AP / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Africa has declared a public health emergency as a new strain of the Mpox virus hits the continent.
So what does this mean for the rest of the world? Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help answer that question.
A new podcast tackles the challenges of parenting
Aug 14, 2024
(Canva )
Parenting is one of the hardest jobs there is, and the stress can feel overwhelming, so where can parents turn to get advice?
Idaho Children's Trust Fund has partnered with long-time radio personality Ken Bass and his wife Michelle, a licensed clinical social worker, to create a podcast that dives into these issues.
Ken and Michelle, along with Roger Sherman, the executive director of the Idaho Children's Trust Fund, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the Resilient Parenting Podcast.
Mayor McLean makes her pick for Boise's next Chief of Police
Aug 13, 2024
( City of Boise)
After a months-long search, Mayor Lauren McLean has selected Chris Dennison as the next chief of police for the Boise Police Department.
Our Morning Edition host, George Prentice, sat down with the mayor to talk more about this decision and what made Dennison the right choice for our city.
How wildfire smoke can impact your health
Aug 13, 2024
A wildfire burning in Utah in 2021. (Madelyn Beck / Mountain West News Bureau)
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 77 large active wildfires are burning in the United States today. A fact that is very apparent due to the amount of smoke in the air.
And this smoke can have a big impact on our health. Which is why St. Luke's is holding a Climate and Health session focused on wildfires.
Dr. Ethan Sims, Medical Director for Sustainability and an E.R. doctor with St. Luke's, and Dr. Alexander Rabin, Clinical Associate Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Michigan, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
The importance of green spaces in urban cities
Aug 13, 2024
Stewart Gulch Park in Boise recently finished a series of improvements, including accessible pathways, seating, turf and more. ( Boise Parks and Recreation)
As our cities continue to grow, so too does our need for green spaces.
Areas like public parks play an important role in our communities, providing both urban and environmental benefits. These benefits, however, can be easy to overlook.
Which is why environmental and urban historian Quinn Anderson will be exploring the impact of these spaces, as well as how they've changed, in an upcoming lecture with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
'Stop The Tall Man, Save The Tiger:' An author interview with Peter Young
Aug 13, 2024
(Self Publishing)
In 1997, everything was falling into place for Peter Young. He'd landed his dream broadcasting job, married his wife and started a family. From the outside, life was picture perfect, but behind closed doors, things couldn't be farther from the truth.
In his new memoir, "Stop The Tall Man, Save The Tiger," Young chronicles his experience being brainwashed into a cult and how he found his way out. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his latest release.
'The Weight of Nature:' An author interview with Clayton Page Aldern
Aug 12, 2024
The book cover of "The Weight of Nature" by Clayton Page Aldern.( Dutton)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 16, 2024.
The Earth's changing climate, from hotter days to more dangerous weather events, could be impacting our brains in ways we are only just learning about.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 9, 2024
Aug 09, 2024
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wave as they board Air Force Two.(Julia Nikhinson / AP)
How a school uniform is changing the lives of girls in Africa
Aug 08, 2024
Esmeralda, a student part of the SHE nonprofit, wears the uniform that grows.( Style Her Empowered)
Back in 2017, Payton McGriff, a college student at the University of Idaho, started a project that would change her life and, ultimately, the lives of hundreds of other girls.
Born out of a class assignment, the Idaho native came up with a nonprofit that aimed to remove one of the biggest financial barriers keeping girls from finishing their education in Togo, Africa: access to a school uniform.
Today, that nonprofit, which is called Style Her Empowered, has grown to serve 20 communities in Togo, and Payton herself was recently named a 2024 CNN Hero. Payton joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her nonprofit and its impact.
'Jackpot Summer:' An author interview with Elyssa Friedland
Aug 08, 2024
( Berkley)
Acclaimed novelist Elyssa Friedland is back with another smart summertime read! And this one offers up a fun family drama you won't want to miss.
Friedland joins Idaho Matters to talk more about her latest novel, "Jackpot Summer."
What to Watch: Television shows you won't want to miss
Aug 08, 2024
With all the smoke in the air, many people are hunkering down at home for the weekend, so what better time to check out a new TV show?
Resident movie critic and Morning Edition host George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to give us some recommendations on What to Watch on the small screen.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 7, 2024
Aug 07, 2024
(Alex Proimos / Flickr)
COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise all across the United States, with experts saying it's being driven largely by the emergence of a new dominate strain.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about what this means for Idaho.
Former Meridian mayor shares the harrowing story of her daughters false imprisonment
Aug 07, 2024
Imagine sending your child off on an adventure to a foreign country and waiting to hear from them, letting you know they've arrived safely, but that call never comes.
Former Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd and her husband Jan know that sinking feeling well because they experienced it three years ago.
Boise implements free breakfast program for all students
Aug 06, 2024
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/aukirk/">Austin Kirk</a> / Flickr)
It can be hard to focus on an empty stomach, which is why, starting in the fall, the Boise School District will be offering free breakfast to its students.
This new initiative comes after the approval of a $2.1 million budget for the upcoming year, and as the program gets started, officials are hopeful that it will not only help feed kids but also decrease the stigma around free meals.
Christy Smith, the Boise District Food and Nutrition Services supervisor, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How pay-to-play fees may impact Caldwell students
Aug 06, 2024
Seniors play basketball. (Hans Kolster/Muscateer Photography / Flickr)
Last month, the Caldwell School Board approved a $100 pay-to-play athletic fee. And this isn't a new issue. The West Ada School District also has a pay-to-play policy, as do numerous school districts around the country.
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger for Idaho Education News, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
This Idaho sports scholar says the Olympics aren’t all fun and games
Aug 06, 2024
Dr. Bill Smith is a clinical professor and director of the Martin Institute at the University of Idaho. (University of Idaho, 123rf)
Much like a couple billion people across the planet, Dr. Bill Smith is glued to the Summer Olympic Games In Paris. But it’s a big part of his scholarship. He’s a clinical professor at the University of Idaho whose courses include Advanced UN Studies, Diplomatic History and Sports and International Affairs. He’s also the director of the U of I’s Martin Institute.
“I just gave a lecture for my class on Sports and International Affairs that reminds us that there are more nations in the Olympics than there are in the United Nations,” said Smith.
Martin, who has lived in Mexico, Spain and Portugal, looks at the planet’s most-famous athletic event, not just through a global lens, but as he puts it, “a romantic realist.”
“Yeah, essentially, I consider myself as passionately dispassionate,” said Smith. “I understand all the complexities and problems that are going on. But I’m also thrilled for my friends in Guatemala who just won their first-ever gold medal.”
In his visit with Morning Edition host George Prentice, Smith talked about some of his favorite off-the-radar competitions at this summer’s games. But they also take a deep dive in the long shadow that doping casts across the competition, plus the so-called “Olympic Truce,” particularly at a time when there are so many corners of the world in conflict.
Read the full transcript below.
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Hi. I'm George Prentice. Let's talk Olympics. We're now into a second week of the Summer Games in Paris, and something tells us that the best may be yet to come. We are fortunate to have an expert in international sport to join us this morning. Doctor Bill Smith is a clinical professor and director of the University of Idaho's Martin Institute, so this should be fun. Hi, Doctor Smith, good morning. This is your scholarship. You've lived around the world. But how do you see the Olympics?
BILL SMITH: Yeah. You know, I'm a product of my childhoods during the Cold War, and it was really difficult to consume any media, much less sporting media, and not be exposed to the greater themes beyond sport that the Olympics provided, that the Wide World of sports program and ABC provided. It was always there. So to me it was a natural extension and was a way not to have a particular lens, but to have all the lenses. Right. Uh, and so in this case, if you understand sports and the sporting, uh, environment and the rhythm of international sport, you can come to know almost everything else that's happening in the world.
PRENTICE: More nations in the Olympics than there are in the United Nations, right?
SMITH: Yeah. Just recorded a lecture for my class on sports and national affairs that starts with that point and looks at how that works and why that works.
PRENTICE: We need to talk about doping and the anti-doping movement. Us lawmakers, as recently as just the other day, are threatening funding for WADA, the world Anti-Doping agency, for they're basically saying that they look the other way often. But now the IOC has told the US to back off a little. They could jeopardize the recently announced Salt Lake City Olympics. Uh, we have some of our top athletes, beginning with Michael Phelps voicing anger and distrust over WADA. Where are we with this? Uh, is it, uh, something that everyone knows but not everyone chooses to recognize?
SMITH: So WADA, to me is one of the great examples of partnership politics that comes out of the 1990s, when countries are embarrassed to talk about, uh, you know, the idea of national pride in an Olympics. Canada, among others, suffered national shame when they had, you know, the fastest man in the world, then test positive for anabolic steroids and be stripped of his medal. And so they become active in the movement. And a lot of Canadian sporting officials become active in the movement to get something going. The IOC wanted to control this, but it ended up being more a partnership between, uh, sporting federations, the IOC, governments and scientists. So when water comes out of the Treaty of Lausanne in the late 1990s, it's this example of what's possible when different kinds of entities work together. But once you have that complex organization, there's lots of levers one can pull to to manipulate it in your own favor. It relies on the honesty of member, uh, federations or member offices. So like the US, Ada or the Chinese Anti-Doping agency. And that's where our complaint really lies, is with the Ada and its relationship with WADA.
PRENTICE: Well, we do know that there are athletes in Paris that have tested positive for doping previously. Yes.
SMITH: Yes. Uh, and some, uh, are rehabilitated, meaning they endured their punishment. They've come back. And so they're not under active suspicion. The ones that are, uh, the swimmers and others are objecting to are the swimmers who we know had some sort of positive result that was covered up. And so they haven't served a penance. They aren't back and clean. They're still under suspicion.
PRENTICE: Could you remind our listeners a little bit about the IOC and how they do not like anyone's fingers wagging in front of them?
SMITH: So the IOC is a non-governmental organization. It just has a different focus. We think of NGOs and non-profits. We usually think of the Red cross, or we might think of Amnesty International or something like that. The IOC is an NGO. And so in that case, nominally they're less powerful than states, but they haven't have a product, an event that states want to participate in, they find value in. And so they can ask states to adjust things in their favor, just like FIFA can for soccer, and ask for concessions that you otherwise wouldn't make for a non non-governmental or nonprofit organization. So they have that event that we're interested in that we're interested in hosting. Uh, so Salt Lake signed on that agreement uh, last week that has the clause that says if you mess with with water and with our testing system, we can pull the games. Now, I don't think that would happen, but it's certainly there and they can get away with it. And and other non-governmental organizations cannot.
PRENTICE: Let's talk about an Olympic truce. I as a matter of fact, I don't think many people know about the Olympic truce, even though it dates back to BC. There indeed are conflicts on so many sides, and so remind us of what that is. It's a resolution, right? It's about what, a few days before and a few days after the games. Right.
SMITH: Supported by the IOC, but comes typically from the United Nations. This was a concept resurrected in the 1990s, when we were pretty optimistic in the post Cold War era. There were a lot of exciting things happening around the world in terms of providing humanitarian assistance and conceptualizing conflict differently because we didn't have that big interstate, uh, threat facing us after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. So it does capture the ideal that many of the ancient games did. Not all of them, but many of the ancient Olympiads did. But I think it's important to keep in mind the concept of a truce, because in conflict studies, there's a ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities, and they are kind of ranked in that way. And what you expect in a truce is typically an informal, short term, non-binding agreement. And that is what comes from the UN is also a statement intended to be non-binding statement of intent, a statement of aspiration, if you will. Uh, so we we we pass that we as a global community every two years in advance of the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics, uh, and try to emphasize the ideal of what we hope will be embodied in the Olympics.
PRENTICE: But to be clear, you and I could actually list nations that are currently at war if not at conflict with one another.
SMITH: And the ones who are most famously at war were not invited to the Olympics. That would be Belarus. So you may remember the last time we were talking about Russia not participating. It was because of their violations in the drug regime, because they had state sponsored doping and they were not becoming forthcoming. But the IOC is interesting. The Olympics are interesting because they actually are an event that has no sports of their own. They permit access to the sporting federations like the swimming federation, track and field, soccer, etc. and so what the Olympics did was say we weren't going to allow the Russian Olympic Committee to come, but you sports are allowed to invite Russian athletes if you want to. Uh, and they didn't compete under the flag, etc. but that was when it was just, uh, the, the drug regime that was under question. Uh, when they invaded, uh, invaded Ukraine this last time. Then there's a cessation of all membership and sporting organizations. There is no access point.
PRENTICE: I am fascinated, I'm certain you are too, by the athletes who march under the flag of the refugee flag. I think 30 some athletes this time, and what I'm fascinated by that is that it has served as a bridge. Many previous athletes have found home countries and but there just happened to be without a home in this moment, in spite of the fact that they are among some of the best in the world.
SMITH: So there have been even 2016 was the first year we had the unaffiliated, the the refugee team, but there had been, uh, refugees who had been resettled, uh, in the games before that, uh, famously, United States had a flagbearer named Lopez Lomong, a track and field, track and field athlete who had been one of the Sudanese Lost Boys of the early 2000. But he had been resettled to the United States and had become a US citizen. Uh, so he was a refugee at one point, was a US citizen, uh, then became our flag bearer. So these are for folks who have not yet been resettled, uh, and or are without citizenship. They're stateless peoples. And so you're right. There could be an attraction from a state. Could say we want to have them come, uh, be with us. But it is, um, I should say, a reflection of our time. Now, one of the things I like to do is, uh. And I've enjoyed Peacock's coverage because they have all the feeds of all the events, not just the stuff we would get in the evening, but to watch, for example, the the early heats of the 100 meter free, uh, same thing will happen next week at Track and field, where you allow athletes countries access who might not otherwise qualify based on their times. And so you can see ten heats of the 100 meter free. And the athletes from all these places who are competing, who are really hoping for a medal but are thrilled at the opportunity to participate and be seen.
PRENTICE: And even though some of them may be up to 10s behind the world record. That's right. It is a thrill, to be sure. So I'm glad you brought up Peacock, because, boy, they're doing a lot of things right technically. But when you put your scholarship aside, what are you watching a little bit more than the others?
SMITH: Yeah, essentially, because I consider myself in the sense, uh, passionately dispassionate, uh, or uh, because, you know, I'm a, I'm a romantic realist. I understand all the complexities and all sometimes the problems that are going on. But the, the lure of the sporting event itself also occupies equal space. Uh, maybe I have a heart in it and a mind in it, but I sure I thrilled for my friends from Guatemala when Adriana Ruano won the first ever gold medal for Guatemala in the women's trap. Pretty cool. I love seeing Alex Cedric's face as she sprinted towards the the winning points or the tying points in the gold medal women's rugby game. That grin. Just imagine that you're in the last second, the last play sprinting the full field to to score to win your country's first, uh, medal in an event in more than 100 years. I love the complexity of what Northern Irish athletes go through, where they have to decide because there is no Northern Ireland in the Olympics, there's a Great Britain and there's an Ireland, and they have to choose. For a guy like Rory McIlroy, who was the top golfer in the world from Northern Ireland, who had to navigate that, it was very tricky. Uh, Daniel Wiffen winning for Ireland. He's a Northern Irish runner. It means he is British, but he's not from Great Britain. He's from Northern Ireland, but competing for Ireland. Neat moment and complex stories. And then I love the eyes of Jess Fox, the, uh, canoe slalom racer for Australia. Watching her eyes as she navigates the slalom is really neat.
PRENTICE: Those two year point, those up close moments of those athletes.
SMITH: Yeah, watching hat they do and the incredible core strength and, uh, stuff that has to be, uh, for them. Seated, uh, with their legs prone, uh, to be able to, to make those maneuvers, especially back upstream. Uh, I'm really enjoying that.
PRENTICE: Well, we are off to the races this week because track and field. Wow. It is really ramping up. And, uh, doctor Bill Smith, I look forward to more conversations. And let's not, uh, let's not wait for the next Olympics to talk again. Thank you so very much for giving me some time.
Idaho feds to-do list: Target elder abuse and cripple the state's most infamous gang
Aug 05, 2024
Successful prosecutions will lead to some key sentencings in the coming months. ( U.S. Department of Justice, 123rf)
The effort to cripple one of the most notorious gangs in Idaho history is heading where law enforcement had hoped: a federal courtroom. And the man in charge at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Idaho know the case all-to-well.
“I was the lead prosecutor on the case before I became U.S. Attorney, and it has been making its way through the system since then,” said Josh Hurwit, U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho. “It’s been a complex investigation.”
Hurwit visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the case against the Aryan Knights, the infamous white supremacist gang operating inside the walls of Idaho prisons. Hurwit also updates listeners on one of his office’s other high priorities: finding and convicting those targeting Idaho’s elderly. The most recent case uncovered a plot by an Idaho couple that kicked an elderly woman out of her own house.
Read the transcript below:
PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Good morning. I'm George Prentice. Law and order will frame our conversation for the next several minutes, because we are honored to spend some time again with Josh Hurwitt, the United States Attorney for the District of Idaho. U.S. attorney Hurwitt, welcome back to the broadcast.
HURWIT: Hey, George. Thank you. It's my honor to be with you.
PRENTICE: Absolutely. Up top. I'd like to spend some time talking about a rather grim topic, but we probably need to talk about elder abuse in Idaho and the many forms of abuse that some of our most vulnerable neighbors may be victim to. And this is something that you, your office, and your colleagues have been trying to elevate in our consciousness. So talk to me about elder abuse and the many forms it takes.
HURWIT: Yes. Thank you George. And you're absolutely right. As generally in this country, the population ages Criminals are targeting our older Americans more commonly, more often and more viciously as well. And I would tell you that in terms of the forms of elder abuse that we're seeing, it largely falls into two buckets. The first bucket would be known actor abuse or known actor exploitation, which by by the description you know, signifies that a victim is victimized by someone they know could even be relatives. Which is very sad to say. Wow. Um, who takes advantage of their financial resources and sometimes leaves them, you know, destitute or suffering physically, emotionally or in terms of their health? So that's a very sad form, obviously, of elder abuse. And we call that known actor abuse. The second form is very prevalent. I'm sure that everyone has received attempts to scam them from from criminals online. This is happening far too frequently. Sadly, with our older population, um, there's a whole litany and variety of different schemes that criminals use to again take advantage of our elder population, some of whom are lonely, isolated, looking for support through online means and criminals take advantage of that. And in this situation generally, the the crime is to financially exploit them.
PRENTICE: And I have heard of some criminals even pretending to be, well, officials Social Security Administration officials, which can certainly get their attention pretty darn quick. But that is a scam. Yes. I mean, when they try to get their Social Security numbers or personal identification from them because of their benefits.
HURWIT: That's that's exactly right. We see all types of what we call imposter scams. So criminals posing as, as you mentioned, Social Security Administration employees, law enforcement officers telling people, you know, you have a a fine to pay or a warrant that's outstanding, that you need to pay a fine to avoid. These are all, you know, criminal schemes, law enforcement and federal officials will not just call someone and ask them to to pay a fine without going through a pretty lengthy process if there is an issue. Another sort of red flag to look out for is that a lot of times these criminals are asking people to pay a fine or resolve some issue through payment in cryptocurrency or gift cards. The government, state, local, federal never try to resolve an issue through those types of means.
PRENTICE: Um, in regards to your efforts to catch these bad actors. Talk to me about that. And you have had some success. Yes. You've got a sentencing I know coming up later this summer. Yes.
HURWIT: So we have a really important case to us, um, that exemplifies the first type of abuse that I mentioned, that known actor abuse. What happened in this case is a retired this is local to Ada County, a retired school teacher. Um, was enjoying her retirement. Uh, had a very nice property, sort of a ranch in Ada County and, you know, needed some help with the upkeep and sort of friends of her family. Uh, a married couple moved in, and the husband is now convicted of, uh, engaging in a scheme to essentially obtain that ranch, her property through what appeared to her to be legitimate sort of power of attorney type estate planning documents. But in essence, he was stealing the property from her. They kicked her out of the property, and now they're facing sentencing in August. The husband for the fraud and the wife for obstruction of justice during the course of the investigation.
PRENTICE: Wow. Before I let you go, I have to ask about Aryan Knights. Only because we have been reading more and more about this gang operating inside the walls of Idaho prisons. And most recently, you have secured another conviction, or at least another one of the suspects pleading guilty. Uh, what? What do you tell a stranger about the Aryan Knights? It's a white supremacist gang within the prison, right? Yep.
HURWIT: That's the the very quick summary. Um, it's been operating in Idaho prison facilities for decades now. Our case that we're wrapping up, um, was indicted in 2019 against ten defendants. I know it well, actually, I was the lead prosecutor on the case before I became US attorney, and it's been making its way through the system since that time took a long time, as you can tell. Um, for a variety of reasons, a complex investigation, a complex case. At this time. We're pleased to report, though, that all of the ten defendants that were indicted have now pleaded guilty. Two are yet to be sentenced in the upcoming months.
PRENTICE: And their M.O. is intimidation and violence. Yes.
HURWIT: Essentially, yes. And also drug smuggling. That's that's something that maybe people don't understand occurs within the prison system. It's a huge problem that the FBI and IDoc, the Idaho Department of Correction, are working together on as we speak, and something we'll continue to to prosecute as federal crimes occur. But essentially, the Aryan Knights would obtain power over other inmates through extortion, through threats of violence, through actual violence. One of the defendants in our case was charged and pleaded guilty to an attempted murder. And now he has a life sentence in federal prison. Um, so one of the goals of the case was to break up the gang within the walls of the state prison and disperse them throughout the country to federal prisons. There's still more work to be done when it comes to this gang, but we're very proud of the work that's occurred in my office in this ten defendant case.
PRENTICE: And there are still some sentencings coming up. Yes.
HURWIT: That's correct. I believe we have one in in August and then one in October. And that will, uh, mark the conclusion of this case, which was brought under the Rico act. But as I said, we continue to work very closely and collaboratively with IDoc and the FBI to address any federal crimes that occur in our prison system in Idaho.
PRENTICE: How do you best characterize this? Have you wounded this gang? Have you crushed this gang?
HURWIT: You know, I think time will tell to be perfectly blunt with you, but I certainly think we broke up the leadership at the time. I don't think that it's as powerful and organized and strong as it was, but it certainly still exists and is a threat within the system. And there's also individuals that work with the gang outside of the prison, which is a very concerning and something that we're focused on prosecuting.
PRENTICE: And to be clear, one of your most recent guilty pleas was with one of the leaders of the gang. So you are going right to the head of of the monster, if you will.
HURWIT: You know, the ten individuals that we indicted were essentially the leadership structure. Mhm. Um, and the individual that just pleaded guilty on James Ramsey was the overall leader, um, in the time leading up to our indictment. And, uh, you know, we're pleased to see justice served for him. And in this case, in general.
PRENTICE: Congratulations on that. And thank you for what you do every day. And he is Josh Hurwitz, the United States Attorney for the District of Idaho. And Mr. Hurwit, thanks so very much for giving me some time.
HURWIT: My pleasure. Always great to be with you and take care.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 2, 2024
Aug 02, 2024
United States' Alyssa Mendoza hits Brazil's Jucielen Cerqueira in their women's 57 kg preliminary boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France.(Ariana Cubillos / AP)
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.
Blaine County has officially completed its first climate action plan, with county officials calling it a monumental endeavor.
The plan is designed to enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation outcomes on a regional level, with the goal of setting a course for sustainability in the future.
Andrew Mentzer, Blaine County Sustainability Manager, joins Idaho Matters to talk more.
Tips to prepare your kids for the first day of school
Aug 01, 2024
(Barnaby Wasson / Flickr )
As summer winds down, many families are settling back into a routine as they gear up for a new school year.
However, for parents sending their kids off to school for the first time, it can be hard to know how to prepare them for that transition.
Amber Jayne, an early childhood education specialist, joined Idaho Matters to give us a few tips and tricks.
Idaho prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence
Aug 01, 2024
As the country gets closer to celebrating 250 years of independence, many across the nation are making special preparations for the anniversary.
Here in Idaho, those preparations include a unique look at our state's history.
Janet Gallimore, the executive director of the Idaho State Historical Society, and HannahLore Hein, the Idaho State Historian, join Idaho Matters to talk more about this important milestone.
The Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival returns for its 33rd year
Aug 01, 2024
( Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival Facebook)
Over the next few days, the road to one of Idaho's smallest towns will be busy as people make their way to the annual Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival.
The event, which kicks off today, is an important one for the tight-knit community.
Longtime supporters of the fest, Brent Palmatier, TeJay Rogers and Jason Stephens join Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 31, 2024
Jul 31, 2024
(Fusion Medical Animation / Unsplash)
Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise once again. In California, cases are rising so quickly that the state is set to meet or surpass the number of cases seen in the summer of 2022, according to the California Health Department.
Here in Idaho, we're also seeing more COVID cases. So what's going on, and how will this potentially impact the start of school for kids in the Treasure Valley?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
An economic outlook: Here's how Idaho is doing so far
Jul 31, 2024
Idaho’s fiscal year started on July 1. The state government is already ramping up for next year’s Idaho legislative session, and state agencies have just a few weeks left to send their budget proposals to legislators, who will spend our tax dollars.
Jason Norris keeps a close eye on Idaho's economy. He’s the director of portfolio management at Ferguson Wellman Capital Management, and he was born and raised in Boise, so he knows all about the Gem State and how our economy works.
When we talked to Jason in January, he gave us his predictions about Idaho's unemployment rate, a possible recession, inflation and how Idaho is doing after the height of the COVID pandemic.
We wanted to bring him on to see how the economy has changed over the last few months, so he joined Idaho Matters for a mid-year economic outlook for Idaho.
How a new coalition is working to restore access to abortion care
Jul 31, 2024
Hundreds of pro-abortion rights advocates rallied in front of the Idaho Capitol Saturday May 14, 2022. They were protesting a leaked opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that's poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a constitutional right to the procedure.(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
In the two years following Idaho's near-total abortion ban, a new coalition has formed to put new legislation on the ballot.
The group, which is called Idahoans United for Women and Families, is taking action, listening to the concerns of Idahoans as they work to put an important piece of legislation on the 2026 ballot. One that would reinstate access to reproductive healthcare in the state.
Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with the group spokesperson, Melanie Folwell, to talk more about this effort.
Why are people in Idaho hesitant to buy electric vehicles?
Jul 30, 2024
(Richard Vogel / AP)
Earlier this month, officials in Idaho announced where they want to build new electric vehicle charging stations in communities like Bliss, Fruitland, Pocatello and Jerome. This endeavor is part of a federal program to expand the nation’s charging infrastructure, which wants to offer public charging stations every 50 miles along a national network.
It’s a lack of available charging stations that has kept many from buying an EV, according to a new survey by AAA Idaho.
Only 18% of adults say they’re ready to buy an electric car, and more than 50% of them say it's because there aren’t enough charging stations and they’re afraid they’ll run out of ‘charge’ before they get to where they’re going.
Matthew Conde, AAA Idaho Public and Government Affairs Director, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the new study.
Idaho Botanical Garden makes big plans for the future
Jul 30, 2024
( Idaho Botanical Garden)
This summer, the Idaho Botanical Garden celebrated a special anniversary honoring 40 years of community building and an appreciation of nature.
Now, as more and more visitors find their way to this gathering space, the nonprofit is making big plans for its future.
Erin Anderson, Executive Director of the Idaho Botanical Garden, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How Idaho youth are working to reduce heat in urban areas
Jul 30, 2024
( Idaho Conservation Corps)
Earlier this month, weather sensors were placed throughout a Boise neighborhood to document how heat is impacting our urban areas.
The project, which is being spearheaded by a youth-led research team with the Idaho Conservation Corps, aims to show how additional tree canopy could provide a possible solution to rising temperatures here in the Treasure Valley.
Lisa O'Flaherty, the state director of the Idaho Conservation Corps, along with youth-crew member Logan Clark-Rivera, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Accessibility improvements begin on Hillside to Hollow Reserve
Jul 30, 2024
(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio )
Last week, work began in the foothills to make improvements to the popular Hillside to Hollow Reserve in order to establish a more accessible trail.
Lisa Duplessie, foothills and open space superintendent with the Parks and Recreation Department, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these improvements.
Why Bombay Beach is facing an uncertain future
Jul 29, 2024
An hour north of the Mexico border and 30 miles from the Coachella valley lies Bombay Beach.
The township is located on the shoreline of California’s largest lake – the Salton Sea. But the saline lake has faced similar challenges to Utah’s Great Salt Lake. Receding shorelines. Exposed lake beds. An uncertain future.
KUER’s Saige Miller reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 26, 2024
Jul 26, 2024
A hydrothermal event is seen in Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park in 2009. Yellowstone officials say a similar explosion on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, sent tourists running for cover and destroyed a boardwalk. They say such events are relatively common. (AP / USGS)
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.
Officials begin drawdown at Lucky Peak Lake
Jul 26, 2024
(Picture provided by USACE)
This week, levels at Lucky Peak began to lower in preparation of a new project that will help to restore the Turner Gulch Boat Ramp. Which means if you're looking to get out on the lake you may want to do so sooner rather than later.
Christopher Silbernagel, operating project manager of Lucky Peak, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this project.
Breaking down Biden's withdrawal and the emergence of VP Harris
Jul 25, 2024
President Joe Biden, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris stand on stage at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting, Feb. 3, 2023, in Philadelphia. (Patrick Semansky / AP)
The presidential election was turned upside down when President Joe Biden announced Sunday he would not seek reelection.
Dr. David Adler, President of the Alturas Institute and a constitutional scholar, will be holding another Constitutional Conversation next week looking at this decision and what it will mean for the upcoming election. Adler joined Idaho Matters for a preview of this lecture.
What to Watch: The role comedy plays in politics
Jul 25, 2024
You may have noticed we've had a lot of presidential politics going on lately, and that can be depressing. So, we wanted to take a look at the role comedy plays in this kind of news cycle.
Our resident movie critic and Morning Edition host George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to talk more and give us an idea of what to watch.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 24, 2024
Jul 24, 2024
( Johns Hopkins University Press )
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 26, 2023.
The Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic that started just over four years ago in Idaho.
While we still struggle with cases of COVID-19 and its variants, many are looking back to figure out what we did right and what we did wrong, with an eye toward the next global outbreak of a virus.
Dr. David Pate, who has hosted our Doctor’s Roundtable since it began and Dr. Ted Epperly wrote a book that looks at the the pandemic and provides over 100 recommendations designed to help everyone prepare for and survive the next outbreak.
Has Biden's decision to step down engaged new voters?
Jul 23, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and President Joe Biden arrive for an event in the East Room of the White House, May 9, 2024, in Washington. (Evan Vucci / AP)
On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced he was stepping out of the race and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to replace him as the nominee to run against former President Donald Trump.
Monday, we took a deep dive into what happens next, and now we continue our coverage of this dramatic shift in politics.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Dr. Sam Martin, Frank and Bethine Church Endowed Chair of Public Affairs at Boise State University, to talk about how the Biden/Harris flip on the democratic ticket impacts Idaho and how the Gem State will impact the race.
How Mandela Washington fellows are making a difference
Jul 23, 2024
The Mandela Washington Fellows on Boise State's campus.( Lainey Rehkemper)
Among them are activists, doctors, educators, and engineers,all looking to make a difference within their communities. Over the last five weeks, they’ve been finding more ways to do that through workshops and trainings hosted by Boise State University.
Dr. Julietha Tibyesiga, one of the fellows, and Ashley Nichols, the institute director, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the program and its impact.
Why The Cabin in Boise is looking to expand
Jul 23, 2024
( The Cabin)
For nearly 30 years, The Cabin has served as a literary hub, bringing people together through stories.
And as the nonprofit’s community of writers, students and book lovers has grown, so has their need for more space. Which is why they have launched a campaign to help renovate the historic building.
Kurt Zwolfer, executive director of The Cabin Center for Readers and Writers, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
Breaking down barriers to animal migration in Idaho
Jul 23, 2024
(Idaho Public Television / Right of Way)
Before humans came to Idaho, animals migrated across the state without barriers like fences, roads or barbed wire.
We have wreaked havoc with how wildlife tries to get where it needs to go, but now that’s changing as we’ve realized how much of an impact humans have. Now, we're trying to mitigate those impacts, by using special fencing that mimics historical migration routes, as well as wildlife bridges over highways.
A new episode of Outdoor Idaho focuses on how we’re helping animals move safely around humans. It’s called “Right of Way,” and Outdoor Idaho producer Kris Millgate joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
President Biden steps down: What's next for Idaho and the nation
Jul 22, 2024
President Joe Biden, right, walks with Vice President Kamala Harris on May 13, 2021, in Washington. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, July 21, ending his bid for reelection following a debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.(Evan Vucci / Associated Press )
On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced he would no longer be running for a second term and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, as the nominee to run against former President Donald Trump.
Harris says she’s ready to "earn and win" the nomination, and many Democrats have come out to support her.
However, the Democratic National Committee chair says the party will go through the process to find a candidate who can defeat President Trump in the election, which is just over three months away.
Jaclyn Kettler, political scientist at Boise State University, McKay Cunningham, College of Idaho Director of Graduate Initiatives and Rep. Lauren Necochea, the Chair of the Idaho Democratic Party, joined Idaho Matters to break down what this means for voters and Idaho.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 19, 2024
Jul 19, 2024
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.
How the Bench Lake Fire is impacting popular summer recreation spots
Jul 18, 2024
Water-scooping aircraft collecting water from Redfish Lake takes photo of the Bench Lake Fire on July 14.( U.S. Forest Service-Sawtooth National Forest)
One week ago, a wildfire broke out eight miles south of Stanley, next to Idaho's iconic Redfish Lake.
High temperatures, smoke and dead trees killed by a mountain pine beetle epidemic have made the fire worse, and just getting to the fire has been a challenge for firefighters.
Nicole Blanchard with the Idaho Statesman and Steve Botti, the Mayor of Stanley, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the Bench Lake Fire.
Idahoans travel to Montana for abortion care
Jul 18, 2024
The number of Idahoans traveling to Montana to receive abortion care has tripled in the last year.
According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, in 2022, 32 Idahoans traveled to Montana to get an abortion. In 2023, the year our state’s abortion ban went into total effect, 88 people went to Montana for abortion care.
One Montana advocacy group wants to make sure everyone knows that abortions and contraception are still legal in Montana.
Nicole Smith, executive director of Montanans for Choice, and Aileen Gleizer, advisor of Montanans for Choice, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Former BYRDS cyclist competes in the Tour de France
Jul 18, 2024
This weekend, cyclists from around the world will compete in the last two stages of the Tour de France race.
Among these athletes is Boise native Matteo Jorgenson, who attributes his start in the sport to BYRDS, a youth cycling program here in the Treasure Valley.
Douglas Tobin, President of BYRDS, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the program and the success of his riders.
Remembering Idaho Sen. Frank Church nearly 100 years after his birth
Jul 17, 2024
Three counsels to U.S. President Gerald Ford meet with members of the Select Senate Committee on Intelligence in Washington, D.C., June 26, 1975. They brought White House files with them to aid panel's investigation into where orders to assassinate Cuban Premier Fidel Castro originated. From left are: seated, James Wilderoffer, counsel; Roderick Hills, counsel; Philip Buchan, counsel; Sen. Frank Church, D-Idaho, chairman; and Sen. John Tower, R-Texas. Standing, Senators Gary Hartr, D-Colorado; Robert Morgan, D-N.C.; Walter Mondale, D-Minn.; Richard Schweiker, R-Pa.; Howard Baker. R-Tenn.; and Charles McC. Mathias, R-Md. (Henry Griffin / AP)
Next week marks 100 years since the birth of Idaho Sen. Frank Church.
Church, a Democrat, served as a U.S. senator from Idaho from 1957 until 1981, and he is currently the last Democrat to do so. He was also the longest-serving democratic senator from our state and the only Democrat from Idaho who served more than two terms in the Senate.
Church served on the senate committee on foreign relations, and in 1960 he gained national exposure when he gave the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention.
He was also considered a strong progressive and environmental legislator, and he played a major role in creating a system of protected wilderness areas.
Frank Church Institute Board Member, Rod Gramer, and the granddaughter of Frank Church, Monica Church, who is also the Executive Director of the Frank Church Institute, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his life and legacy.
A new film explores the issue of ranked choice voting
Jul 17, 2024
(The Flicks / via Facebook)
Idahoans will be considering an open primaries initiative this November, which includes a ranked choice voting component.
A new film called "Majority Rules" looks at this issue and there’s a sold out special screening on Wednesday, July 17, at The Flicks in Boise, which will include a panel discussion after the film. Former Gov. Butch Otter will be there, as will the director of the film, AJ Schnack.
The Flicks is working to get the film on the schedule in the future, for more people to watch. Schnack sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice for a preview of the screening.
Idaho State University and AmeriCorps team up to fight poverty and food insecurity in Idaho
Jul 17, 2024
( ISU AmeriCorps Programs)
More than 20 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, September 11 has become the biggest day of service in America. It’s a day when many give back to their communities to honor those lost that day.
So far this year, on ISU's 9/11 Day of Service, AmeriCorps program volunteers have already built bunk beds for those in need and given out hygiene kits for folks experiencing homelessness and isolation kits for seniors, and they’ve just gotten started in their mission to fight poverty, food insecurity, isolation and help communities with disaster preparedness.
Program assistant Olivia McCandless and project coordinator Kayla Fielder joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
How Idaho's new director of Health and Welfare plans to make change
Jul 16, 2024
Alex Adams and Idaho Governor Brad Little after Little signed the “Promoting Families and Protecting Children Act,” on June 7, 2024.(Idaho Governor's Office)
After past struggles with Idaho lawmakers over federal funding and the department pulling out of the Boise Pride Parade two years ago, Health and Welfare has weathered some controversy. So how will he work to heal relationships in the Idaho legislature and in the community?
Director Adams joined Idaho Matters for a full hour to talk about his new role at Health and Welfare.
Boise Rescue Mission weighs in on recent U.S. Supreme Court homelessness ruling
Jul 15, 2024
FILE - In the Sept. 21, 2017, file photo, tucked in a sleeping bag, Danny, a 60-year-old homeless man who only gave his first name, lies on an overpass above the 101 Freeway, one of the nation's busiest freeways, in Los Angeles. A federal appellate court says cities can't prosecute people for sleeping on the streets if they have nowhere else to go. In a ruling handed down Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with six homeless Boise, Idaho residents who sued the city in 2009 alleging that a local ordinance that bans sleeping on the streets amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling could impact several other cities across the western U.S. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)(Jae C. Hong / AP)
Last week, we told you it’s legal again to give someone a ticket for sleeping or camping on public property. This comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the Grants Pass vs. Johnson case.
The city of Oregon wanted to fine people sleeping in public parks and possibly put them in jail if they refused to comply, and the court said that was not "cruel and unusual" punishment.
This case has its roots in Boise, and Mayor Lauren McLean came out against the Supreme Court’s ruling, saying criminalizing homelessness won’t solve the problem.
Here in Idaho, there are nearly 30,000 people living with Alzheimer's, a disease that many are calling a public health crisis.
And as that number continues to grow, experts are working to raise awareness. Which is why the Alzheimer's Foundation of America will be hosting an educational conference this week, providing important resources and tools for those most impacted.
Chris Schneider Director of Media Relations with the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, and Judy Taylor, with Idaho's Commission of Aging and the Chair of the Idaho Board of Nursing, join Idaho Matters to talk more.
Snake River Stampede returns to Nampa
Jul 15, 2024
This weeklong event brings thousands of cowboys and spectators to Nampa for everything from bull riding to barrel racing to mutton busting!
The stampede is a big money-maker for Canyon County and a tradition for families that spans generations. Clint Child, the president of the Snake River Stampede, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho athlete aims to compete in 2024 Paralympics
Jul 15, 2024
Boise native Annie Carey could be heading to the Paralympics in Paris this August.
She currently holds the long jump world record in her classification as well as the U.S. record in the 200 meters, and last year she competed in the Parapan American Games, bringing home bronze medals in the 100 meter, 200 meter and long jump.
And later this week, she'll head to Florida to compete in the Paralympics track and field, with the goal of heading to Paris for the Paralympics. Annie joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her journey.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 12, 2024
Jul 12, 2024
(Murphy Woodhouse / Mountain West News Bureau )
The Open Primary Initiative is headed to the ballot, there's a petition from the Attorney General's office to hear the Hecox v. Little case, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean has voiced her support for President Biden and we a look at firework laws.
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.
New collaboration shows way to get help with ‘insatiable’ prescribed fire need
Jul 12, 2024
A low-intensity burn on the recent Crawford prescribed fire near Cascade, Idaho(Steve Vigil / The Nature Conservancy )
On a Thursday morning in May, Forest Service staff and crew leaders gathered in the Cascade Ranger District Office for a briefing. They were putting a plan together for the nearby, nearly 100-acre Crawford burn on the Boise National Forest.
Matt Haupt, the district’s senior fuels technician, read out the weather: sunny, 70-75, relative humidity in the upper 20s to lower 30s, low winds.
“Today is looking fairly good, a little hotter and drier,” he summarized.
The burning has already taken place earlier in the week, and this day’s work would be mostly mopping up and checking lines. After crew members got their marching orders in the parking lot below, they headed east toward the burn. I jumped in with Haupt, who’s overseeing it.
“The last time it was burned was the spring of 2018,” he said, driving to the project site. “It's mostly ponderosa pine, which typically needs five- to 15-year fire intervals.”
Many ecosystems and species — like the ponderosa pine — are dependent on regular fire. Prescribed fire can bring a number of ecological benefits, as well as significantly reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
Haupt is with the Forest Service, but that day everyone else was working for The Nature Conservancy — or TNC — an environmental nonprofit.
A Nature Conservancy fire crew gets ready to head out to check the Crawford prescribed fire's lines.(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
“The Forest Service still has their overhead structure,” he explained. “The supervision still needs to be there, but it's a lot of the manpower could be taken care of with TNC coming in.”
Federal agencies have committed to dramatically accelerating the pace of prescribed fire. In its 2022 Wildfire Crisis Strategy document, the Forest Service set a goal of treating 50 million additional acres of federal, state, tribal and private land. But last year, a major federal wildfire commission said that the current federal fire workforce — some 19,000 strong — is “not sufficient for the scale of wildfire risk reduction, response, and post-fire recovery work required now, let alone into the future.”
“Federal investment is urgently needed to create new and expanded workforce capacity that is focused on, and tailored to, mitigation, planning, and post-fire response and recovery for communities and landscapes,” the commission’s report read. Efforts to build that workforce, it recommended, should include the public, private and non-governmental sectors.
‘Insatiable need’
Jeremy Bailey, TNC’s North America prescribed fire training director, said forests and grasslands’ need for fire is insatiable.
A day after burning operations on this section of the Crawford prescribed fire, the ground is a clean black, and some smoke is visible from the line. (Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
“And so is the need for a workforce that can do that work,” he said. “Back of the envelope, I estimate we need 10,000 employees nationwide.”
Last year, his organization received $45 million over five years from the Forest Service — money he said came out of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. They hired some 50 people on top of existing fire staff, and they have 20 to 30 folks out on Forest Service priority projects — like the Crawford burn — on any given day. His TNC colleague Matt Ward said workforce constraints are probably “biggest issue that is complicating everybody's ability to do more projects.”
“We’re adding needed capacity,” Ward said.
‘Instantaneous effect’
In a video shared by TNC crew boss Steve Vigil, you can see a snaking line of short flame burning steadily through pine needle duff earlier in the week, the sort of low-intensity fire that prescribed burns often try to create. When I visited, some smoking stumps were still visible from the fireline, but it was mostly clean, blackened forest floor.
“So we are looking at a post-burn landscape,” said TNC crewmember Slug Kaltenbach, my guide on the burn. “This was actually burned yesterday, if you can believe it.”
Kaltenbach, who uses they/them pronouns, is from Eugene, Oregon and is in their fifth year of fire, much of which has been suppression work. But for Kaltenbach, prescribed fire hits different.
“I think that prescription fire is one of the best feelings in the world to have as a job,” they said. “In one day of burning … you're going to have a larger effect than maybe like two weeks of work doing other kinds of initiatives, like thinning or piling. Fire is such an instantaneous effect on the ecosystem.”
TNC crewmember Slug Kaltenbach(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
They’re also drawn to the way TNC operates. Wildland fire has a reputation for brutal work schedules and long, unpredictable stretches away from friends and family. Poor work-life balance was one of the barriers to recruitment and retention in the federal fire workforce identified by the Government Accountability Office in 2022. TNC gives its workers fixed schedules, meaning they know exactly when they’ll be home.
That’s allowed Kaltenbach to be an active part of the Moon Mountain String Band back in Eugene, hard to imagine in other corners of fire.
Kaltenbach identifies as non-binary, and said they appreciate the near gender parity and diversity they see in their TNC colleagues, which contrasts sharply with federal counterparts. In fiscal year 2021, 84% of federal firefighters identified as men, and 72% identified as white. Limited workforce diversity was another challenge faced by federal fire agencies cited in the GAO report.
“We're super excited to have 50% of our workforce represented by women because that is not that is not the norm in the wildfire workforce,” TNC’s Bailey said.
Slug and their colleagues are also able to complete trainings and get professional qualifications on burns. All of these things together, they said, point toward a more sustainable, attractive way to do fire. And there’s always the most basic draw.
“Playing with fire is fun,” Kaltenbach said. “In a controlled way, of course.”
‘We need help’
Back at the district headquarters, Ranger Chris Bentley said that the TNC partnership is “exactly the direction we need to go.”
Chris Bentley, ranger on the Boise National Forest's Cascade District, explains how TNC crews fit into his agency's goals for prescribed fire. "It's just absolutely vital that we bring in these types of agreements and these types of partnerships. We can't do it on our own. We wouldn't want to even if we could."(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
“We're still going to try to attract the traditional firefighter workforce for ourselves, for the Forest Service,” he added. “But we need help. We're not going to be able to do the work on our own. We're just not. There's too much work to be done, it’s too important that we succeed.”
He readily acknowledged that the TNC crews are a drop in the bucket compared to the needed workforce.
“But, you know, every drop counts,” he said.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, 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.
Could making schools phone-free improve our kids mental health?
Jul 11, 2024
(Canva )
Across the country, many parents and educators are struggling with the same question: "Should cell phones be kept out of school?"
Well, for more than 200 families in the Boise School District, the answer may be yes.
As more research emerges linking technology and social media to poor mental health, parents are in search of solutions, looking for ways to help their kids. Which is why one local group is working to make changes with a new set of initiatives.
Local parents Kim Washington, Tara Coffland and Nicola Blair joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
What to Watch: Movie recommendations that will help you cool down
Jul 11, 2024
(Louis A Habash<br/> / Flickr)
If you're hoping to stay out of the heat, a good movie or series may be the answer! Our resident movie critic, George Prentice, joined Idaho Matters to help us figure out What to Watch.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 10, 2024
Jul 10, 2024
Boise, Idaho Wastewater SARS-COV-2 data.( City of Boise)
The level of COVID-19 is up in Boise, at least according to the spike of the disease found in the city's wastewater. Plus, we know bird flu is hitting Idaho's dairy cows, but what about beef cattle?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this and answer your questions!
When wildfires destroy homes, who pays the bill?
Jul 10, 2024
(Canva )
When a power line falls and sparks a wildfire that burns through homes and neighborhoods, who pays for the destruction?
That’s the question being asked in several states, including Idaho, after the deadly Santiam fire in Oregon. Four years ago, the fire killed 11 people and burned more than 5,000 homes and buildings.
PacifiCorp, which provides power to six states, including Idaho, was found liable for billions of dollars in damages, and it and other power companies are looking for ways to reduce liabilities after such fires.
So who should pay the price after fires like the Santiam fire in Oregon, the Marshall fire in Colorado, or the Maui fire that killed over 100 people in Hawaii?
Extreme heat poses risk to Idaho's unhoused
Jul 10, 2024
(CATCH )
With an excessive heat warning in place through Saturday, many people are trying to stay out of the sun but for people experiencing homelessness, this can be hard to do.
Which is why the local nonprofit CATCH is requesting essential items to help keep this vulnerable community safe.
Connor O'Hora, CATCH's outreach team lead, and Cassidy Landry, a former client of CATCH, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
What protections do pregnant mothers have in the workplace?
Jul 09, 2024
(JGI/Tom Grill / Getty Images/Tetra images RF)
Last year, a new law went into effect, expanding the rights of pregnant workers across the U.S.
Now, regulations for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act have been finalized, offering clearer guidelines on what protections can be expected in the workplace.
Charlotte Burrows, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these rights.
Boise Mayor McLean visited Morning Edition to talk housing, cops, jobs, abortion and more
Jul 09, 2024
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean ( City of Boise)
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean says she’d “like nothing more than to weigh in” on controversial rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court. But that’s not going to stop her, she says, from making clear that a number of those decisions directly impact Boise.
“When I knock on doors and talk to our residents, I’ve talked to moms whose daughters have moved away and aren’t going to come back until they’re done having kids, because they’re not sure whether or not it’s safe to be pregnant in Idaho,” said McLean. “And in Boise, I’m talking with doctors who are leaving or are deeply considering their next steps.”
The Idaho Community Foundation will cover the costs of services people need when exiting homelessness into a home.
"We have great public private partnerships that are making housing for folks exiting homelessness," said McLean. "Think families will have the chance to live at Park Apartments? Folks with medical needs ultimately will have homes near Fire Station five, and this summer we're breaking ground on New Path 2.0, a place for 95 people exiting homelessness into homes of their own."
The Foundation will cover the costs of services to keep people housed and on the road to self-sufficiency.
Johnson v. Grants Pass
This ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court essentially bans people from sleeping in public spaces. McLean says the city has to be focused on long-term solutions and the root causes of issues related to homelessness.
"What solves this problem is the great collaborative work and solutions focus that Boiseans have had in the last six years, and will continue to have to bring homes to market for folks from all walks of life to support the organizations that are rapidly rehousing families."
McLean went on to say that Boise isn't making the mistakes that other cities have made in regards to homelessness.
Abortion in Boise and Idaho
Abortion in Idaho remains a hot topic, especially after the recent EMTALA ruling from SCOTUS. McLean has not been shy when weighing in on the topic, and said the decision on personal medical issues, emergency or not, are to be made between families and their doctors.
"With government having no space, no room in that conversation, no place in that conversation," said McLean. "And it's for that reason that the city said we would not waste resources on investigating accusations of abortions."
The opinion from SCOTUS does not rule on the merit of the case but sends the case back to lower courts. This 6-3 ruling vacates the previous stay and sends the case back to the Ninth Circuit which will decide on the outcome.
CHIPS Implementation Task Force
McLean was chosen to chair the CHIPS Implementation Task Force in June of this year. The CHIPS (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) and Science Act was signed into law in August 2022 and is intended to get microchip manufacturing back to the United States.
Axios reports the task force will "provide mayors in other key cities opportunities for collaboration to address supply chain issues and scale effective strategies for sustainable chip industry development."
The act made an investment in Boise-based Micron, but McLean said it will also open doors to make sure the city is working with universities, community colleges and labor unions to create training programs in this field.
The search for a new police chief
Mayor McLean said they will be announcing the finalists for the Boise Police Chief position within the next week and there will be plenty of opportunities for community members to engage with the finalists.
Right now there are about 34 vacancies within the police department, with 25 officers set to be hired and join the police academy this month. McLean said they have been very intentional during the hiring process and the current police chief Ron Winegar has been working to find to find the right people to be in these roles.
"It is so important to continue to see crime rates go down, to continue to see the trust and relationship between our officers and residents remain strong, because that's what keeps those links between the officers that we are hiring and the residents they serve, well," said McLean.
Opera in the Park returns for its fourth year
Jul 09, 2024
( Opera Idaho)
This weekend, Opera in the Park is returning to downtown Boise for an evening of music that you won't soon forget.
Stacey Trenteseaux, the general director of Opera Idaho, and soprano Cecilia Violetta Lopez join Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event.
Idaho dogs show off their talent at annual Puptricks event
Jul 09, 2024
( Roseanna Marcum)
In March of 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Nampa was looking for a way to connect with the community without spending time indoors.
That’s when Puptricks was born. This local dog gathering brought together neighbors and their pups, allowing people to have some fun while their dogs showed off their tricks or dressed up in costumes to show off their cuteness.
The event was a success, and it’s almost time for the fourth annual Puptricks. Nampa Civic Center Facility Director Andrea Peachey and sales and marketing manager Roseanna Marcum joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
How a recent supreme court ruling will impact Idaho's homeless
Jul 08, 2024
( U.S. Supreme Court)
It’s now legal again to give someone a ticket for sleeping or camping on public property. This comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the Grants Pass v. Johnson case.
The city of Oregon wanted to fine people sleeping in public parks and possibly put them in jail if they refused to comply, and the court said that was not "cruel and unusual" punishment.
This case has its roots in Boise, under former Mayor Dave Bieter, in an older lawsuit when members of the homeless community fought back against the city’s policy of ticketing people sleeping on the street. That suit made it to the 9th Circuit Court, which said it did constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
Current mayor Lauren McLean came out against the Supreme Court’s ruling, saying criminalizing homelessness won’t solve the problem.
Jodi Peterson-Stigers, the executive director of Interfaith Sanctuary Community Housing, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the ramifications of the ruling on Boise’s homeless community.
How one camp is making a difference for kids with cancer
Jul 08, 2024
Kids at Camp Rainbow Gold partake in a food fight. ( Camp Rainbow Gold)
When it comes to making memories, there's no better place to do so than summer camp.
But for kids with medical conditions, this experience can feel out of reach. Which is why the work that Camp Rainbow Gold does is so important.
For over 40 years, the nonprofit has been creating opportunities for kids diagnosed with pediatric cancer to just be kids. And now, as demand for the organization’s services continues to grow, the nonprofit has plans to add six new cabins at the state’s first medical camp.
Elizabeth Lizberg, CEO of Camp Rainbow Gold, as well as Easton Brown, one of the campers, and his mother, Paige Brown, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his effort.
The impact of Idaho's growing outdoor recreation industry
Jul 08, 2024
(Larry Reis / Flickr)
When you think of fast-growing industries in Idaho, you might think of tech businesses or agriculture. But one of the fastest-growing industries and job markets is fish and wildlife, which employs more than 4,000 people in Idaho.
These jobs include everything from wildlife conservation to fishing guides, manufacturing jet boats, scientists, and working in fish hatcheries.
Since 2012, these types of jobs have grown at a 6.6 percent rate, and that’s expected to skyrocket to more than 22 percent over the next ten years.
Idaho Department of Labor economists Lisa Grigg and Ryan Whitesides will be talking about the fish and wildlife industry footprint at a webinar on Tuesday, July 9 and they joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
An overview of the 2023 activity in Yellowstone National Park
Jul 08, 2024
Last year, four and a half million people flocked to Yellowstone National Park: a 37% increase over 2022.
They came to camp to fish, watch the wildlife, and check out the thermal geysers that spew hot water and rock out of what is a very active geologic site.
While Yellowstone seems like a summer playground, it's home to a lot of seismic activity, which can turn deadly, like in 1959 when the 7.3 Hebgen Lake earthquake killed 28 people.
The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory has released its report on last year’s seismic activity at the park, and Idaho Matters asked Michael Poland to tell us about it. He’s the research geophysicist with the Cascades volcano observatory and the scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone volcano observatory.
Remembering Harriet Beecher Stowe and Harriet Tubman
Jul 05, 2024
A statue of Harriet Tubman at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Maryland.(Craig James)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 30, 2024.
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.
History professor Dr. Richard Bell from the University of Maryland joins Idaho Matters to talk more about these two amazing women.
Why author Patrick Hinds is embracing failure
Jul 05, 2024
Failure on board. (contrastwerkstatt/contrastwerkstatt)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 30, 2024.
You may know Patrick Hinds as one of the voices behind the tremendously successful podcast "True Crime Obsessed."
What you may not know is that Patrick is also a self professed failure, something he looks at in his new book "Failure is Not NOT an Option." He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his new book and tour.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 3, 2024
Jul 03, 2024
Boise Airport(Boise Airport)
This summer, many U.S. citizens are planning trips aboard. In fact, more people are set to travel overseas in 2024 than any previous year.
So, if you're one of the lucky ones looking to take a trip, do you know what to do in case of a medical emergency?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about what you need to know before heading out of town.
Tips to avoid pet scams
Jul 03, 2024
(Pauline / Flickr )
With the use of technology, more people than ever are being tricked out of their money and falling victim to scams.
And one of these scams involves your pets, which is why the Idaho Humane Society is encouraging people to be cautious when it comes to communicating over the phone, especially if you've recently lost an animal.
Kristine Schellhass, the Public Relations Manager for the Idaho Humane Society, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this.
What causes the northern lights?
Jul 03, 2024
The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are visible over Lake Washington, in Renton, Wash.(Lindsey Wasson / AP)
When conditions are just right, the dark night sky can light up with a curtain or ribbon of green light waving across the sky.
These are the northern lights, and they happen when solar winds from the sun crash into the atmosphere, causing an eerie and awe-inspiring green glow.
What the U.S. Supreme Courts immunity ruling means for the presidency
Jul 02, 2024
(SalFalko / Flickr)
The U.S. Supreme Court has handed down some big decisions in the past few weeks. We told you about the case involving Idaho’s abortion law last week, and next week we’ll take a deep dive into their decision on camping and homelessness, a case that has its roots in Boise.
Now we want to look at a couple of cases that will have profound effects on the presidency and federal rules that can directly impact our everyday lives.
Dr. David Adler, a constitutional scholar and president of the Alturas Institute, who is planning another of his Constitutional Conversations on July 8, joined Idaho Matters to break down the latest decisions from the court.
Nonprofit celebrates 75 years of community building through football
Jul 02, 2024
As a nonprofit, the organization has helped to coach more than 70,000 young athletes, and this month they'll be adding to that number as they kick off their Kids Skills Camp.
Jerrone Moore, president of Optimist Youth Football, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Breaking down summer traffic on Highway 55
Jul 02, 2024
(Idaho Transportation Department )
Every day, thousands of people drive Highway 55, which connects the Treasure Valley to places like McCall, Cascade, and Garden Valley.
And on summer weekends, the number of cars traveling the road can double as folks head up into and back out of the mountains.
Construction projects on the roadway, including replacing the Rainbow Bridge, will slow things down this summer, and nowhere seems slower to the folks who are stuck at the Banks to Lowman road intersection on a Sunday afternoon where traffic can back up for miles as cars try to turn into highway traffic going 55 miles an hour.
As the Idaho Transportation Department works to find a long-term solution for that intersection, the short-term plan is to put a traffic light there and provide more flaggers on the weekends in the meantime.
Transportation program manager Vince Trimboli joined Idaho Matters for an update on Highway 55.
A new ballot tool is providing transparency during Ada County elections
Jul 01, 2024
(Ada County Elections )
In Ada County alone, the Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives got just 186 votes over his primary challenger in May.
Another race in Ada County was even closer. Republican Chris Bruce was just 47 votes away from Melissa Durrant in the larger race for the District 23 state representative seat.
And now, thanks to the new Ada County Ballot Verifier, anyone can inspect the ballots for these races, looking at each vote, to see for themselves how the election came out.
We told you about the new tool before the May primary, which was the first real-time test of the system, and we wanted to know how it worked out, so we invited Ada County Clerk Trent Tripple and Civera CEO Adam Friedman to join Idaho Matters.
How is climate change impacting water in Arizona cities?
Jul 01, 2024
The federal government is sending billions of dollars to farms, cities, and tribes to help cut back on demand for water from the Colorado River, which is shrinking due to climate change. It set aside $157 million to pay cities in Arizona that offered to leave water in the nation’s largest reservoir. KUNC’s Alex Hager reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Caldwell coach fundraises to avoid pay-to-play fees for students
Jul 01, 2024
Members of the Caldwell High School cross-country and track team after a trail run at Bogus Basin.( Alex Martinez)
Following May's failed levy, the Caldwell School District has been left to make some big cuts, one of which includes the budget for Caldwell High Schools cross country and track teams.
This means that starting next year, kids who wish to participate in the sport will now have to pay-to-play.
However, that's something that coach Alexis Martinez isn't comfortable with. Which is why he's started a GoFundMe in order to help cover the fees for any students who want to join the team. Coach Martinez joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
Here’s the crazy backstory of the fireworks company that dazzles Boise each 4th of July
Jul 01, 2024
(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio)
Western Display – which will put on Boise’s 4th of July fireworks show again this year – is one of North America’s most successful pyrotechnics experts.
“We put on approximately 300 shows throughout the year – about 200 of them for Independence Day,” said Heather Gobet, co-owner of Western Display. “Most of our shows, of late, are in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.”
And while their company is in the “surprise” business, perhaps the biggest surprise is how what was once a family farm, growing medicinal herbs in the 1940s, became a fireworks powerhouse.
Gobet joined Summer Altieri, special events coordinator for the City of Boise, to visit with Morning Edition host George Prentice to preview this year’s showcase, get all the do’s and don’ts for the big show, and share the history of Western Display.
How will the EMTALA decision impact doctors and patients in Idaho?
Jun 28, 2024
Protestors stand in front of the Supreme Court while Idaho v. United States is argued.(Victoria Pickering / Flickr)
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Thursday to send a lawsuit over Idaho's abortion ban back to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and said, for now, Idaho hospitals can perform abortions in medical emergencies.
It's known as the EMTALA Case, and the justices did not rule on the merits of the lawsuit, which means the case will continue to be argued in a lower court for now.
Peg Dougherty, Deputy General Counsel for St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about how this will affect patients and doctors in Idaho.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 28, 2024
Jun 28, 2024
Construction takes place on the Teton Pass near Jackson, Wyo. (Natalie Behring / AP)
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
Boise students have the opportunity to make impact with youth-led climate projects
Jun 27, 2024
Downtown Boise( Kelsey Thomson)
It's no secret that the city of Boise has some ambitious climate goals as they work to make the community carbon neutral by 2050.
Which is why they are enlisting the help of some of Idaho's most passionate activists, our youth.
With $50,000 to invest in youth-led projects, the city is looking for proposals that will help make a difference in our community.
Climate action and sustainability coordinator, Alex Brooks, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this opportunity.
The state of wolves in Idaho
Jun 27, 2024
(John M Jarvey / Flickr )
If there’s a more controversial environmental subject than wolves in Idaho, we haven’t found it yet.
When wolves were reintroduced into the Gem State almost 30 years ago, there were two very distinct sides: those who wanted them back and those who didn’t.
Anger, prejudice, myths, truths, and above all, very strong feelings on both sides, have often made it feel like common ground can never be reached.
Almost 20 years ago, Living with Wolves was formed to try and break down the myths around wolves. This nonprofit's mission is to build "tolerance that can lead to coexistence between people and wolves sharing the same land."
Garrick Dutcher, the research and program director for Living with Wolves, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
How one Idaho student turned a viral video into a thriving business
Jun 27, 2024
A few years ago, a Boise State University student uploaded a video on TikTok.
He took what he called a cocoa bomb, put it in a cup, and poured hot water over it. As he did, the little ball of chocolate sprang open, and marshmallows and hot chocolate mix popped out, filling the cup with yummy goodness.
That video went viral, and suddenly Eric Torres-Garcia had thousands of dollars in orders, launching his Cocoa Bombs business.
Now he’s got his own manufacturing plant, and he’s turned this into an Idaho success story. Torres-Garcia joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
What role do bumblebees play in Idaho?
Jun 27, 2024
Summertime means flowers, and flowers mean bumblebees! Big ones, tiny ones, black, white, and yellow — these insects play a huge role in our natural environment and in Idaho's agricultural industry.
But how much do we really know about bumblebees? And how are they doing in Idaho?
Armando Falcon, assistant professor in the department of Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Nematology at the University of Idaho's Parma Research and Extension Center, joined Idaho Matters to help answer these question.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 26, 2024
Jun 26, 2024
An electron microscope view of the bird flu virus.(PR Newswire)
Bird flu continues to be a problem in Idaho and around the country, where at least 20 dairy operations have been hit. Meanwhile, Finland is the first country to start handing out vaccines for the virus.
The CDC has issued a health advisory for dengue fever in the U.S.
And there’s a new, deadlier strain of Mpox spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these issues
'River Ask Me Why:' An author interview with Shaun Griffin
Jun 26, 2024
The author of "Rive Ask Me Why," Shaun Griffin.( Shaun Griffin)
For some folks approaching their 65th birthday, it might be time to retire, slow down a bit, and spend time closer to home.
But for Nevada writer Shaun Griffin, heading for his 70th decade meant jumping on his bike and taking a 1,000-mile ride from Portland, Oregon, to Jackson, Wyoming, with his two sons.
The ride took them through the Cascades, the Tetons, and the Sawtooths, which stretched their endurance and brought family closer together.
'My Lady Jane:' A new tv series gives history a rewrite
Jun 26, 2024
( HarperCollins)
Many people may remember Lady Jane Grey as England's shortest ruling monarch, but a new television series, My Lady Jane, is giving history a bit of a rewrite. Asking the question: why can't the damsel-in-distress save herself?
Cynthia Hand, co-author of "My Lady Jane," joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the premiere of the series.
Why we should be focusing on fireproofing our homes instead of adapting our forests
Jun 25, 2024
(Colby K. Neal / Bureau of Land Management)
Those who try to stop or manage devastating wildland fires spend most of their time trying to adapt the forest using things like controlled burns or cutting down trees.
But a new study says we should be spending our time and money making homes in these areas harder to burn down.
That's a controversial idea for many who don't want to be told what to do with their private property, and it would take political will and new zoning and building codes to make it happen.
Mountain West News Bureau Boise Reporter Murphy Woodhouse joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
For Idaho workers, Teton Pass collapse steals hours and hours of personal time
Jun 25, 2024
(Dante Filpula Ankne / KHOL)
Just before 6 a.m., as the sun crested the Teton Mountains, a street sweeper rolled through empty roads in Driggs, Idaho. Two women — one dressed business chic, the other in a hoody — were getting onto the START commuter bus.
Wendy Herrera settled into her seat for another three-hour commute. She casually chatted with the bus driver about the previous day’s delays. The bus driver lamented that there had been traffic, especially near Alpine, Wyoming, but they still arrived on time.
(Dante Filpula Ankne / KHOL)
Hererra nodded, let out an amenable, “Okay, thanks,” and settled into her seat. She’s no stranger to the bus — she commutes to Jackson about three times a week for work at a bank — but she, like others, has been adjusting to the new route.
“It is just longer, not any worser though,” Herrera said. “I think it’s all about attitude.”
Herrera is among the thousands of people who work in and around the popular tourist destination of Jackson, but live in Idaho due to a familiar problem in Wyoming’s Teton County: astronomical wealth inequality and housing prices, some of the highest in the U.S. Nearly 15 percent of Teton County’s workforce lives on the other side of the pass, according to a 2022 housing needs assessment. Since the highway that crosses Teton Pass collapsed on June 8, commute times for these workers have nearly tripled.
For Hererra, the extra time spent commuting comes with a cost. She’s the mother of two young children.
“It just means I don’t have dinner with my kids and maybe I can’t get them ready for bed,” Herrera said.
The other woman on the bus was Wendy Ruiz. She works at a Jackson restaurant and bar named Eleanor's. She used to live in Jackson but after getting a new job, it didn’t make sense anymore.
“It was like, no employer housing, I’m living with my family,” Ruiz said. “It’s good, anyways, but nobody’s expecting this.”
“This” being the pass collapse, which has added another obstacle to her first year of commuting.
“It’s a big impact for everything,” Ruiz said. “I hope this is finished soon, because it’s hard”
At the next stop, Barry Hillam of Victor, Idaho boarded the bus. The Jackson dentist, wearing a baseball hat and glasses, sat down, opened his tablet and began to read.
“In the short term it’s been manageable,” Hillam said. “But in the long term, it wouldn’t be. I’d have to make a change.”
Hillam is grateful for the quick response but hopes the proposed timeline is accurate. He’s losing time with his wife and daughter.
“Just having dinner together, living life. We’ll still pull it off. It’ll be okay. We’ll see how long this lasts,” Hillam said.
START bus fares will be waived through June 28. Jackson officials have asked commuters to carpool or take the bus to limit the number of cars contributing to congestion at the Alpine junction and along the new route.
That congestion could get worse as tourist season ramps up. While WYDOT estimates Highway 22 sees about 10,000 vehicles per day on average, that daily average can rise in summer to nearly 15,000.
(Dante Filpula Ankne / KHOL )
The highway is a popular road tripping route into Jackson, Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Tourism is Wyoming’s second largest industry, with Teton County contributing nearly a third of state tourism and travel tax revenue in 2022.
For now, START bus ridership has been mostly low. As the sun snuck over the Snake River Range, one sharp turn oriented the bus north into the Snake River Canyon, the last stretch until Jackson.
M. E. Sorci sat near the front of the bus. She stuffed three bags onto one seat and the floor beside her, a planner and a water bottle falling out one. She put her earbuds in and nestled into the window. She lives in Victor and manages the Orvis store in Jackson. She’s been commuting for about four years, opening and closing the store while being available on call. This new commute is not working with that schedule.
(Dante Filpula Ankne / KHOL)
“I’ll probably just have to camp,” Sorci said. “I have some friends I can stay with and they’re very nice for offering their homes to us and to me, but I don’t want to disrupt their lives.”
Sorci said her livelihood, as well as what she values most in life, is being impacted.
“Time is kind of the most important thing to me and I feel like that’s being taken away,” Sorci said.
After three hours, the bus veered from the silty Snake River and into the south end of Jackson. Commuters started getting out and heading to work.
When their shifts end, they will hop back on the bus for another three hours home, making for a six hour commute altogether. A vehicle can get to Salt Lake City from Jackson in less time. Until the detour is built —- and possibly even longer — commuters have less time for hobbies, for family, for themselves.
As Caldwell grows the city plans for the future
Jun 25, 2024
(Idaho Department Of Lands / Idaho Statesman)
Caldwell is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. Since 2000, the city's population has almost tripled.
As new residents pour in, decisions have to be made about everything from where to build new housing and businesses to transportation to how land should be zoned and used.
These decisions are guided by a comprehensive plan that provides a long-term strategy for the future, and Caldwell is rewriting their master plan and asking for the public's help. Caldwell Planning & Zoning Director Robin Collins joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Tips for drivers in the heat
Jun 25, 2024
(Idaho Transportation Department / Screenshot )
Next week is the Fourth of July holiday weekend, which means lots of people will be hitting the road in anticipation of their favorite fireworks shows.
And while lower gas prices might make the drive more pleasant for some, people should keep in mind that temperatures will be on the rise, which can mean more hazards.
Matthew Conde, Public and Government Affairs Director with AAA Idaho, joined Idaho Matters to give drivers a few tips on how to stay safe in the heat.
An update on Micron's Boise expansion
Jun 24, 2024
The campus of Micron Technology Inc. in Boise, Idaho.(Charlie Litchfield / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Out in Southeast Boise, 11 cranes and hundreds of workers are building Micron's new computer chip fabrication plant.
The project itself is huge and will employ 4,000 construction workers. They're making their own concrete at the site and crushing tons of rock.
We wanted an update on the $15 billion expansion project, and it just so happens that BoiseDev.com just flew a drone over the construction to see what's up, so we invited Don Day, the founder and editor of BoiseDev.com, to join Idaho Matters.
Why one Idaho pharmacist started making healthy dog treats
Jun 24, 2024
Sabrina Sherwood offers a dog a treat.(Idaho Barkery / Genesis Photography)
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, pharmacist Sabrina Sherwood was standing in her kitchen, trying to come up with a treat for her dog Rocky.
Rocky had allergies and couldn't tolerate commercial, store-bought treats, so Sabrina started cooking up peanut butter, applesauce and rice flour to find the perfect, preservative-free treat for her pup.
The treats were a hit, and after facing some healthcare burnout during the pandemic, Sabrina decided to start her own dog treat company called "Idaho Barkery," and now this Idaho entrepreneur is selling her treats all over Idaho and beyond. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her unique business journey.
Caldwell's 'John C. Rice House' gets ready for a big move
Jun 24, 2024
This weekend, one historic home will be making a big move.
Built in 1895, the John C. Rice House has had many people pass through its door, serving first as a home and then as a parsonage and Sunday school until being left vacant.
Now, the Caldwell Housing Authority is breathing new life into the property, once again establishing the building as an important part of the community as it's relocated to a new part of town.
Mike Dittenber, executive director of the Caldwell Housing Authority, and project manager Carlos Gonzalez joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
Boise River opens this week for 2024 float season
Jun 24, 2024
People beat the heat by floating the Boise River.(Sarah A. Miller / Idaho Statesman)
As temperatures heat up, people are looking for ways to cool down and what better way to do that than on the Boise River. The river officially opens Thursday, June 27 for the 2024 float season.
Doug Holloway, Director of Boise Parks and Recreation, and Bonnie Shelton, Communication and Marketing Superintendent for Boise Parks and Recreation, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 21, 2024
Jun 21, 2024
( Ashley Ahearn)
Dorothy Moon was reelected as Idaho's Republican Party chairwoman, the Gem State is using a new business system, certain areas of the state are at higher risk of wildfire and construction on the College of Western Idaho's new expansion is underway.
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.
Since last year, the number of people in Idaho experiencing food insecurity has increased by more than three percent, leaving over 200,000 Idahoans without enough to eat.
And as the price of groceries and living costs continues to remain high, it's likely that the problem is here to stay, at least for a little while. Which is why the Idaho Food Bank is working to help fill the gap.
Morgan Wilson, the Chief Development Officer for the Idaho Food Bank, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
Studying how does drought impact forests in Idaho
Jun 20, 2024
( Flick/NPS Climate Change Response)
A diverse group of researchers led by the University of Idaho are coming together to study the effects that drought and fires have on forestland.
A $15 million grant from the National Science Foundation will create what's being called the Ember Institute to study the issue while also reaching out to underserved communities and people across the political spectrum.
Tara Hudiburg, principle investigator for Ember and professor in U of I's Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences, as well as Laurel Lynch, assistant professor in U of I's Department of Soil and Water Systems and Co-principle investigator on the Ember Project, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Bruneau Dunes State Park designated International Dark Sky Park
Jun 20, 2024
This very rare certification means the park's two telescopes and the landscape around them can take advantage of very dark night conditions to see far into space.
Greg Harman, a park ranger at Bruneau Dunes State Park, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Nevada conservationists work to protect rare wildflower losing habitat to development
Jun 20, 2024
Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity, finds a small cluster of Carson Valley monkeyflowers outside of Carson City, Nev., on Thursday, May 2, 2024.(Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau )
It’s a sun-soaked afternoon in Carson City, Nev., and Patrick Donnelly is walking down a brush-covered slope between a highway and a large shopping center.
Just over a decade ago, these grocery stores, retail shops, and restaurants weren’t here. The area was 86 acres of untouched desertland.
It also served as a habitat for a rare Nevada wildflower: the Carson Valley monkeyflower.
“This was documented monkeyflower habitat 12 years ago,” says Donnelly, the Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity. “And now it’s covered in trash, there's the Trader Joe's and the Dollar Loan Center. This is ultimately what will drive the species extinct; habitat loss is what's going to push it over the edge.”
The Carson Valley monkeyflower faces more threats than any rare plant in Nevada, according to state researchers.(Patrick Donnelly / Center for Biological Diversity )
Earlier this year, Donnelly and the conservation group petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to add the Carson Valley monkeyflower to the endangered species list. The tiny flower, ranging from 1 to 3 inches tall, has bright yellow blossoms, freckled with red dots.
“They have this beautiful patterning – these red dots,” Donnelly says. “And those dots are an indicator to bees to come on in.”
But they provide more than nectar to bees, and a pretty sight to Donnelly. They play a critical role in the biodiversity that gives people clean air and water and need federal protections as the Carson City area expands, he says.
“It doesn't mean that we can't have Trader Joe's and we can't have Walmart, it just means there needs to be some limits on our growth,” he adds.
In fact, more than 40% of the Carson Valley monkeyflower’s habitat has already been destroyed, and they grow on only 1,000 acres in northern Nevada and a corner of California, according to a 2018 report by the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage.
Report author Janel Johnson, now a researcher for national nonprofit NatureServe, says threats to monkeyflower’s terrain are mounting.
“Unfortunately, those places that are gentle slopes with sandy soils also happen to be good places to build city parks and housing developments and freeways and all the other things that make a city,” she says.
Carson Valley monkeyflowers had a strong bloom last year (seen here), but the rare plant is losing habitat to the development of roads and buildings.(Patrick Donnelly / Center for Biological Diversity)
In recent decades, the greater Carson City area has expanded rapidly. New homes, roads and warehouses continue to unfold across this desert like a growing pop-up book.
Johnson says that doesn’t mean imperiled plants like the monkeyflower should be ignored, adding that “it’s kind of arrogant of humans to decide what gets to live and what doesn't, just on a whim of where do we want to build our next warehouse or subdivision.”
That’s a rising conflict in the fast-growing Mountain West: Developers targeting land and people trying to conserve it for plants and animals.
Back in Carson City, Donnelly, sporting an Indiana Jones-like hat and using a rustic walking stick, is now hiking in an area of monkeyflower habitat that isn’t threatened by development – at least not yet.
Last spring, blankets of the yellow wildflower covered these hills.
“We had just thousands and thousands of them everywhere you looked,” Donnelly says.
But that’s not the case this year, which is why he’s searching high and low to find some sprouting from the sandy soil. After a lengthy search for the elusive flower, Donnelly breaks into giddy laughter as he spots tiny yellow blossoms with red dots.
“I can't believe you could wander around Carson City for three hours looking for plants, and this is what you find. That's the Carson Valley monkeyflower,” Donnelly says as he leans in to get a close look at the plant, which is barely an inch tall and slightly wilting. “That is a struggling wildflower right there – it is not living to its full potential.”
Carson Valley monkeyflowers, like this inch-tall plant, are struggling to sprout and survive amid hotter and drier conditions. (Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau)
Donnelly says a lot of the blame goes to another increasing threat to the monkeyflower: climate change. Rising temperatures, declining precipitation, and drought make it difficult for them to know if and when to sprout.
“Some of them will adapt every year, no matter how crazy it is,” he says. “Maybe it's one out of millions. But that resiliency is the only chance these plants have at surviving climate change.”
He says that’s why it’s more important than ever to protect the Carson Valley monkeyflower, which is also threatened by wildfires, livestock farming and ranching, and invasive species.
But federal protections won’t happen anytime soon. The average time it takes the U.S. government to list a species after a petition is filed? More than a decade, Donnelly says.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, 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.
'Extremely American:' Inside the Christian nationalist movement
Jun 19, 2024
The Christian nationalist movement is growing in America; its schools can be found around the country, and there are YouTube channels devoted to the idea.
Some church leaders have extreme views, including that women are subordinate to me and only Christians can hold public office.
One of the centers of the movement is Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, where the church is hoping to make the city a church town by buying up prime real estate and opening businesses there.
Heath Druzin, the host and creator of the podcast Extremely American, wanted to take a deep dive into this topic in season two of his podcast, and our own reporter, James Dawson, joined him as they spent a year inside the Christian Nationalist Movement. Their podcast drops soon, and they joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Charging electric vehicles poses many challenges. A recent expo showcased some solutions.
Jun 19, 2024
A few electric vehicle charging stations are on display at the EV Charging Summit in Las Vegas in March 2024. The expo attracted people from more than 30 countries and showcased the various companies trying to make EV charging more accessible to people.(Yvette Fernandez / KNPR )
Transitioning to electric vehicles – or EVs – is much more complicated than simply adding more charging stations across the country. Those on the cutting edge of this effort talked about the challenges and potential solutions at the EV Charging Summit in Las Vegas, where people from more than 30 countries attended in March.
Federal Highway Administrator Shalien Bhatt told participants that China and Europe are ahead of the United States when it comes to EV production and infrastructure.
“Just because we won the 20th century in the automotive industry is not a guarantee that we win the 21st century in the automotive industry if we're not building the vehicles that the world wants,” Bhatt said.
The federal government is allocating $7.5 billion to enhance the nation’s EV charging network. Last year there were 170,000 charging stations across the country. Bhatt said 500,000 are slated to be installed within the next couple of years.
“What we need to do is make sure that we develop and build a charging network so that anybody can drive from New York City all the way to L.A,” he said.
Industry analysts estimate at least 2 million charging stations will be needed by the end of the decade to significantly reduce emissions. And America's EV infrastructure is fragmented. Different types of chargers make it a challenge to find the one that works at the appropriate speed for a particular situation.
Oscar Rodriguez is with NOVA Charge, a company focused on fleet charging. He said America's system has had some success with fleets, like school buses that can charge overnight and between shifts.
“But there's another kind of fleet that really has not been well served in the industry," Rodriguez said. "And that fleet is the quick turn fleet, the fleet that's got to be at the ready, not overnight the next morning, but at the next shift. So first responders have this problem."
Charging individual vehicles in fleets isn't always practical. But Tallis Blalack with the Central Florida Expressway Authority said there are a handful of locations across the country where “electrified roadways” are planned. On these roads, charging coils are placed in the pavement and vehicles are equipped with receivers.
“So just as I can take my iPhone and I can put it on a wireless charger and I can charge it, we can charge a semi doing 70 miles an hour on the freeway,” said Blalack.
This is particularly important since 70% of America's goods are transported by trucks. But Blalack says building more electrified roadways at convenient locations like rest stops will literally take an act of Congress. That’s because of a 1950s law that prohibits “commercial activity.”
“What it means is that when you're driving out here in the West and you come in to a rest stop area, there's nothing there because it's commercial activity. It's been modified three times by Congress to allow putting in payphones, to allow vending machines. And the third one, which all drivers need, which was to allow the sale of lottery tickets,” Blalack said, partially joking.
Blalack hopes this can change in 2026 when lawmakers take up a major transportation funding bill.
Another issue is finding a way to add more charging options without overtaxing the electric grid. Sandra Peterson with Beam Global said the company has come up with the “EV Arc” – an autonomous, off-grid charger that looks like an outdoor lamp post on wheels, topped with a solar panel.
“Right now construction, electrical upgrades can take months. This deploys in about 2 hours — you have EV charging," Peterson said. "Another thing that's a benefit is that it's transportable. Which, you put in ground charging — you can't move it."
How is all this going to be accomplished? Dwayne Norris of Soulful Synergy said his consulting company provides a trained workforce, ready to take on this new industry's charge.
“There is a shift that's coming in the way that we produce energy, the way that we use energy, the way that we think about, you know, all these things and how they intersect,” said Norris. "What is it without people?”
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.
From war-torn Iraq to Boise, this refugee says World Refugee Day ‘is like my birthday’
Jun 18, 2024
World Refugee Day will be celebrated in Boise on Saturday, June 22.( Idaho Office for Refugees)
It’s challenging to find enough words to describe the wonderment and joy of World Refugee Day in Boise. It’s cleverly located in the downtown Grove, but it’s difficult to tell where the traditional Saturday market ends and the World Refugee Day festivities begin.
As a result, thousands of people, strolling through the market, suddenly come upon kiosks of crafts, food and fashion. Music from a nearby stage heightens, and aromas from some global delicacies tempt the taste buds.
Tack on top of that — a naturalization ceremony where men and women from nearly every corner of the globe become America’s newest citizens.
Holly Beech (right) and Saaed al-Azzawi (left)( Idaho Office for Refugees)
“It’s a chance for people who came from refugee backgrounds and now live in Idaho to celebrate and share some of the favorite parts of their cultures and traditions,” said Holly Beech, communications director at the Idaho Office for Refugees. “It has a vibe of connection, appreciation and solidarity. But it’s also a chance to pause and reflect and respect the fact that millions of people around the world are still displaced.”
Saaed al Azzawi knows that challenge all too well.
“I’m from Baghdad. I used to work at the U.S. Embassy In Iraq,” said al-Azzawi, who suffered his own share of wounds in his battle-scarred home nation. “We are lucky to survive. We lived a very tough life.”
But after relocating to Idaho with his family, and becoming a U.S. citizen, he has an ear-to-ear smile.
“The World Refugee Day? It’s like my birthday. The feeling of freedom … the feeling of humanity,” he said.
The two visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to preview this week’s World Refugee Day celebrations in Boise and Twin Falls.
Raising awareness of elder abuse in Idaho
Jun 18, 2024
(Canva )
June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month, a time set aside to help the one in ten Americans over the age of 60 who are targeted by elder abuse, and some estimates say that fewer than one out of every 24 cases of abuse is ever reported.
Alyssa Groen, the assistant program manager of the Nampa Family Justice Center; Patrice Harris, an elder advocate; and John Yaros, Security Bureau Chief with the Idaho Department of Finance, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
Anyone who suspects senior financial exploitation in Idaho can call 208-332-8000/Idaho toll free at 1-888-346- 3378 or email Finance.InternetMail@finance.idaho.gov.
Take a walk through history on Boise's River Street
Jun 18, 2024
A neighborhood birthday Party on River Street in 1973.( Photo courtesy <a href="https://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/programs/archives/">Boise City Archives,</a> John Hardy Family Collection, MS084.)
Many areas of Boise have a rich history, but one in particular has a very important story.
Paula Benson, with the Preservation Idaho Board of Directors, and Dan Everhart, Idaho State Historic Preservation Office Outreach Historian, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this new resource.
What happened at Idaho's GOP Convention
Jun 17, 2024
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
Over the weekend,Dorothy Moon was reelected as Idaho's Republican Party chairwoman at the GOP convention in Coeur d'Alene. Her second term comes after a challenge from former Sen. Mary Souza, of Coeur d'Alene.
Journalists were barred from most of the process. They could not attend events or committee meetings and were relegated to a corner hallway of the resort where the convention was held, watched over part of the time by an armed private security guard who made sure they did not leave the designated media area.
East Idaho News Director Nate Eaton was one of the reporters sitting in the hallway during the convention but managed to conduct an exclusive interview with Moon before she was reelected. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How to help unhoused Idahoans during the summer heat
Jun 17, 2024
(Liz West / Flickr)
As summer gets underway and temperatures continue to rise many people are turning up the AC. But for those experiencing homelessness, combating the heat isn't as easy, which is why Catch Idaho is working to provide essential items to those in need.
Stephanie Day, executive Director of Catch, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
Exploring the local food scene with BoiseDev
Jun 17, 2024
(Sarah Rahal / Flickr)
BoiseDev.com has become known for reporting about all things development in Boise, the Treasure Valley and beyond, from new business to construction projects to changes in building codes and zoning laws.
This year, they did a survey to find out what their readers wanted to know more about, and a large majority said food and restaurant news was a priority.
And indeed, stories about the "In-N-Out craze" or restaurant moves and shake-ups have been a hot topic on their website. So they've launched a new weekly newsletter called BoiseDev Eats, featuring local food news.
Don Day, the founder and editor of BoiseDev.com, and Kara Jackson, a managing partner, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How do abortion access and reproductive rights vary across the Mountain West?
Jun 17, 2024
<p>Supporters of a bill that would rewrite Nevada's abortion laws rally in front of the Legislature in Carson City, Nev., on Tuesday, May 21, 2019.</p>(AP Photo/Ryan Tarinelli)
Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and removed federal abortion protections, a legal chess game is taking place among states.
More than a dozen clinics in Texas closed, while others moved to New Mexico. New restrictions in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming are pushing women into Colorado and Nevada, which are working to protect reproductive care.
Lindsey Harmon is with Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, a group working to enshrine abortion protections in Nevada’s constitution by a vote of the people — an attempt also being made in more than a dozen states.
"Today we've turned in over 200,000 signatures in all 17 counties across Nevada," Harmon said to a crowd gathered recently outside the Clark County Building in Las Vegas. Nevada advocates collected nearly twice as many signatures as needed to qualify their initiative for placement on the ballot.
She pointed out that Nevada is nearly surrounded by states that restrict abortion.
“Whether it’s travel bans or bans on emergency care as we're seeing out of Idaho or near total bans like we're seeing in Arizona and Utah respectively,” Harmon said.
Like a chess game, both sides in the nationwide battle are making significant, diametrically opposed moves before the clock runs out.
Opponents have turned to obscure laws – some from the 19th century. Lawmakers in Arizona wanted to rely on a Civil War-era law to ban abortions. (That Arizona law was later repealed, though the repeal didn't take effect immediately and the original ban could still be reinstated before the repeal takes place.)
Others want to invoke the Comstock Act, a federal statute from 1873 that prohibited mailing birth control materials. University of Nevada Las Vegas Professor David Orentlicher believes challenging this will be difficult since Comstock has been updated several times.
“That would suggest that Congress didn't object to maintaining that part of the law,” Orentlicher explained.
Meanwhile, those who support broader reproductive rights have celebrated as abortion medications like mifepristone became available in drug store chains, such as CVS and Walgreens.
Those who want to restrict reproductive rights are also challenging the federal law that ensures public access to emergency medical services. It’s called the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA).
Orentlicher said this means hospitals must provide stabilizing medical treatment.
“If you're in active labor, they don't want you sending you away while you're in active labor, that you deliver,” somewhere in the street, he explained.
This is at the heart of a case brought by the state of Idaho to the U.S. Supreme Court. Idaho has a near-total abortion ban, allowing doctors to terminate pregnancy only to save the life of the mother.
Following oral arguments in March, Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador said Idaho's abortion restrictions do not conflict with the federal law.
Labrador told reporters after the Supreme Court heard Idaho’s position that “EMTALA requires that emergency rooms care for pregnant women and their unborn children. And under Idaho's law, doctors are expected to treat women facing life threatening situations.”
“It is awkward to come to terms with the fact that the law that they championed has caused complete disaster for the state of Idaho ... But facts are facts. Numbers are numbers,” said Rubel shortly after the Supreme Court hearing.
Idaho’s Coalition for Safe Reproductive Health surveyed 117 doctors and about two-thirds said they were going to or likely would leave the state because of its new laws and the liability it places on them.
A decision on the Supreme Court case is expected this summer.
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.
Idaho abortion ban opponents: Lawmakers are still disrespecting many faiths.
Jun 17, 2024
The film Under G_D explores the tension between multiple faiths and the growing number of abortion bans.(Ronda Kimbrow / 123rf Ronda Kimbrow)
While Idaho's near total abortion ban – which continues to push OBGYNs out-of-state due to fear of prosecution – remains in effect, polling reveals a growing number of Idahoans see the restrictions as too draconian. Most polls find Idahoans in a growing middle ground in a debate which had, until recently, found citizens choosing a hard yes, or hard no.
“I try not to judge those whose religious convictions are different than mine,” said Rev. Sara LaWall, faith leader of the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. “And I want to have the freedom to believe those and practice those. Sometimes, those practices and beliefs have to be kept squarely in the religious sphere, and not in the governmental sphere. And that is the conversation I am interested in having.”
LaWall has joined a growing chorus of faith leaders from across Idaho who say, while some Idaho legislators have used their religious faith in informing their opposition to abortion, a good many other faiths have been left by the wayside.
“The challenges that the government is imposing is a narrow version of Christianity as a kind of state religion on this question,” said Rabbi Dan Fink, faith leader at Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel “And Idaho’s law, as current established on abortion, prevents Jews from freely exercising what our tradition calls us to do.”
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Good morning. I'm George Prentice. This morning we're going to talk about a movie. And because we single it out, we think it is deserving of your attention. It will be screened one night only later this week, Thursday the 20th at The Flicks, and the film is titled Under G_D. Indeed, the word is "God," but the letter "O" is missing from the title. But something else is missing in the debate over abortion restrictions in Idaho and other states. We'll get to that missing piece in a moment, but first, let's bring in our guests. Here is Reverend Sara LaWall from the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Good morning, Reverend Sara.
REV. SARA LAWALL: Good morning, George.
PRENTICE: And here comes Rabbi Dan Fink from Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel. Good morning, Rabbi Dan.
RABBI DAN FINK: Good morning, George. Glad to be here.
PRENTICE: I must say, I was lucky enough to see this film when it emerged from film festivals and picked up a boatload of jury awards. The film, by the way, is about a half hour. It's a superb short documentary; so that will allow plenty of conversation following the film in Thursday's event and what conversation there should be. So, here's where we are: we know that most abortions are banned in Idaho and a number of other states. But upon seeing this film, you will learn a lot more about RFRA. That's R-F-R-A, an acronym for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that allows some lawmakers to work around constitutional law to model laws around "believer's of faith." But what faith? Reverend Sara, jump in here. This is a big disparity because many of these restrictions have foundations of religious conviction. But to be sure, it's not all religions.
LAWALL: That's correct. And that is really what drew me to this film. But also I've been following this lawsuit. It's really disheartening when our lawmakers use faith as a foundation for the legislation that they are passing, without any recognition that there is such a multitude of faith traditions and beliefs, particularly around this question. And it's really about very, very narrow interpretation - theological interpretation and set of religious beliefs - and doctrine that doesn't apply to all faiths. And so I'm really invested in wanting to have a a conversation about how we govern. What does religious freedom really mean? What does the separation of church and state really mean? Because it is really ostracizing, leaving out and frankly, oppressing a number of faith traditions and faith communities with regard to this particular legislation IN abortion rights and access, but others as well.
PRENTICE: Rabbi Dan Fink, in this film we hear from a contemporary of yours. He is Rabbi Barry Silver from Florida. And, well, let me just play a clip here.
RABBI BARRY SILVER: "It's a Jewish value to stand up against authority. Jews have never hesitated to stand on the fringe of society when it's necessary to fight against oppression."
PRENTICE: Rabbi Dan, can you add to that? Can you bring this home to us here in Idaho?
FINK: Yes. Rabbi Silver participates in this suit, and appears in the film because he recognizes, as Reverend LaWall noted, that faiths are in very different places on the question of choice. in Idaho and in other places, the anti-abortion movement has chosen to give authority to a very small, a very narrow kind of conservative Christianity, and essentially made it a kind of state religion. And Jewish tradition has always stood against this. In Jewish tradition, an abortion is not only allowed' but actually when a woman's life and health are endangered, Jewish law requires it. So essentially the point is that, anti-abortion restrictions prevent pious Jewish people from living in accordance with our tradition on this matter.
PRENTICE: Talk a little bit more about that tradition, because I've learned a little bit about Jewish law using old rules or old principles, but they apply to contemporary circumstances. In other words, they're grounded in reality.
FINK: That's right. So, George, Jews famously like to disagree amongst ourselves. There's an old saying that "for every two Jews there are at least three opinions." And so, if you ask Jews about abortion and when is abortion justified and who chooses, you'll get different answers from different parts of the Jewish world. With the Orthodox, the more traditional...more conservative leaning, but one of the very few things. And there really are not so many Jews across the board. From very traditional, to very progressive agree on, is that human life begins at birth. Jews all agree that a fetus is not a human being. A fetus is a potential human being. And that until crowning, the life of the mother, carrying that fetus takes priority over the life of the fetus. It's really one of few things that Jews agree upon... and that Idaho law stands in direct opposition to.
PRENTICE: Rev. Sara, help me out with this. We found that there are a growing number of people who are conflicted about this. They're somewhere in this rather large middle, if you will, of this debate. And I have to assume that's where you want to open up this conversation.
LAWALL: I think that's right. I think it's to remind people of the kind of foundational beliefs of this country, in exercising one's own religious freedom separate from the state. And part of what that says to me is that there is deep power in one's religious convictions and beliefs, and I hold that as very sacred. And so I try not to judge those whose religious convictions are different than mine, and I want them to have the freedom to believe those and practice. But I want the same exact freedom for myself and other communities who practice and believe differently, which means that sometimes those practices and beliefs have to be kept squarely in the religious sphere, and not in the public or governmental sphere. And that's the conversation I'm interested in having.
PRENTICE: And I'd like you both to weigh in on this. Rabbi Dan, I'll ask you first: the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says the government cannot establish religion or prohibit the free exercise thereof. In other words, Jews, Muslims, even many Christians are being left out of the conversation in these new laws that are restricting.
FINK: The challenges that the government is imposing as a narrow version of Christianity as a kind of state religion on this question. And Idaho's law, as currently established on abortion, prevents Jews from freely exercising what our tradition calls us to do.
LAWALL: There are many Christians coming out of liberal Christianity and the Protestant Reformation and Unitarian Universalists who do believe in choice, who really also believe that, when it comes to abortion, it's very particular, very private, very spiritual decision that should be made by the patient in consultation with their doctor. And if that patient so chooses, in consultation, in consultation with their spiritual leader or others who are important in their life. And the government should really be out of that decision-making and out of that space.
PRENTICE: Reverend Sara LaWall is the faith leader from the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. And of course, Rabbi Dan Fink is from Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel. And the event is this Thursday the 20th. By the way, the event is free, but you want to reserve a ticket. Thank you to you both. Great good luck for Thursday, and thanks for giving me some time this morning.
LAWALL: Thank you George,
FINK: Thank you.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 14, 2024
Jun 14, 2024
A damaged section of Teton Pass near Jackson, Wyo., on Saturday, June 8, 2024, that officials said had “catastrophically failed.” (AP / Wyoming Highway Patrol)
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
Display of a captured wolf in a Wyoming bar brings outrage
Jun 13, 2024
Daniel is part of a tight-knit ranching community in western Wyoming(Caitlin Tan / Wyoming Public Media)
Wyoming is home to hundreds of wolves, most live in or near Yellowstone National Park. They’re protected and a big tourist draw.
But elsewhere in the state wolves are still often reviled as predators and a threat to the livestock industry. So killing wolves in most of Wyoming is legal year-round without a license.
But one man who did that recently is now under investigation, after the animal’s death sparked outrage around the world.
Video shot inside a bar in Daniel, Wyo., population 108, in late February shows a muzzled and leashed wolf that looks to be injured, lying on the wooden floor. Bar patrons chatter in the background. Another video shows it attempting to snarl momentarily, but then submitting to a man grabbing its snout and leaning down to kiss it.
Cody Roberts in an image from a video in which he brought a live wolf into a bar in Daniel, Wyo., in February 2024.(screenshot by NPR)
That man is Cody Roberts, who’s from a longtime local ranching family. Local media reports say Roberts ran the wolf over with a snowmobile, which is legal in Wyoming if the animal dies.
But this wolf didn’t die that way. A source who requested anonymity for personal safety reasons says Roberts shot the animal later that night. But it’s what happened at the bar before he shot the wolf that has become a huge story.
Someone at the bar that night reported Roberts to local game wardens. They ticketed him for illegally possessing a live wolf, and he paid a $250 fine.
Global threats
Jackson Hole Community Radio broke the story a month after the incident. In April, videos of the bar incident surfaced and spread online internationally.
Cody Roberts isn’t talking to reporters, but people all over the world are talking about what happened at the bar in Daniel.
“I've had death threats from Ireland, Russia, Japan, Australia,” said another man who happens to be named Cody Roberts, but had nothing to do with the incident, is not related to the other Roberts, and lives about 100 miles way in Thayne, Wyo.
“I don't know how many thousands of messages I've had,” he said, exasperated.
Some people have mistaken his Facebook page for the other Roberts.
“Like this one just says, ‘You're a psychopathic wolf torturer kill yourself,’ ” he read.
People have threatened his family too — sharing his parents’ phone number online and even threatening to “run his grandson over.”
Roberts said he has responded to every message explaining that he is not the same guy.
“One lady even went and said, ‘I don't care if you're not the right one, do me a favor and put a bullet in his head and this will all go away,’ ” Roberts read.
He said he’s also disappointed in what the other Cody Roberts did, but he actually thinks these threats are worse.
“Does he deserve everything that he's getting? No, I don't think he does,” he said. “You know, he's still a human.”
“Boycott Wyoming” has become a trending hashtag. Another graphic circulating shows the Wyoming flag, with the words “Wyoming the animal abuse and torture state” superimposed upon it. The Wyoming Office of Tourism Facebook page is flooded with similar comments. The page normally posts almost daily, but went silent for almost all of April.
Local businesses are also facing backlash, including one-star reviews being left for some businesses only because they are in the same area as the incident.
Local anger
Cali O’Hare has had to write about it as the sole newsroom employee of the local paper, the Pinedale Roundup.
The reporter for the Pinedale Roundup newspaper says she's faced local backlash for writing about the wolf incident(Caitlin Tan / Wyoming Public Media)
“There's all kinds of letters I’ve gotten. I got one that was like, ‘The world is watching you.’ You know — so no pressure,” O’Hare half-joked. “It's not only a man's reputation, his family and their livelihood on the line, but it's also the reputation of the community — and the perception from the rest of the world.”
In this tight-knit community known for cowboys and sprawling sagebrush, this level of attention is unheard of. Not to mention — everyone knows everyone.
“I mean, I joke, it's three degrees of separation,” O’Hare said, adding that she knew Roberts before any of this happened. “It is truly one of those, you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't.”
O’Hare said locals have condemned her for covering the incident. They did not like hearing about an incident that cast a shadow over one of their own, and the resulting global backlash to their community.
One comment she got reads, “Go practice real journalism Cali O’Hare, you b***h on a witch hunt for a man's family.”
Others asked O’Hare to stop the coverage, one accused her of not being objective or embellishing.
“I'm just doing my job. It's not personal. And I have great empathy for all of the folks involved in this,” she said.
The motorcycle brigade
On Memorial Day weekend, the local frustration moved beyond keyboards to in-person in Daniel.
For weeks, wolf advocates from across the country, including a motorcycle brigade from Texas, planned to drive through Daniel to raise awareness and money to reform Wyoming’s wolf laws.
Police escort the motorcycle protest brigade through Daniel, Wyoming on May 26, 2024(Caitlin Tan / Wyoming Public Media)
On the day of the event, a throng of locals came out, but only a handful of out-of-state advocates. The single-lane highway through town was lined bumper to bumper with trucks, livestock trailers, semis and hundreds of people, mostly locals. The day was peaceful, but tense.
“We have a great community. The people are the best,” said Lonny Johnson, a local farrier wearing a tan cowboy hat and purple silk scarf. “That's why we're here. No other reason than that.”
That was the main sentiment: Locals are tired of outsiders giving them a bad name. Many residents said they think Roberts is a good guy, he just made a mistake.
“Boys and booze and wolves obviously didn't mix up well,” said Pat Johnson “What was wrong about it was bringing it to this d*mn bar.”
But, there were a few Wyomingites who felt differently.
“I’m not too happy with what Cody Roberts did,” said Gary Garlick, from the nearby town of Big Piney. “There's a lot of ranchers that are upset with him as well. They're concerned about predator control, but what he did was a little out of line.”
He said he wished it had not come to this — a national protest in the tiny cow town.
Cattle ranching is important to Wyoming's economy and culture (Caitlin Tan / Wyoming Public Media)
Two women from California stood in front of the Green River Bar, sneaking by the giant livestock semi-trailers blocking the parking and street-side view of the infamous bar the wolf was brought into. They posed with red duct tape over their mouths — just like the tape that bound the wolf’s mouth in one of the leaked images.
“We drove 13 hours to get here,” Holly Smallie said, as a few local trucks blared their horns in the background. “Wolves are magical. We don’t deserve them. We’re no better than them. You live, you coexist, you care about wildlife.”
Smallie did not mince words — she thinks what Roberts did was torture and it needs further punishment.
The motorcycle brigade itself was short-lived. It took about one minute for six motorcyclists and several cars, one with a sign reading, “Stop wildlife cruelty," to be escorted through town by police.
The local crowd mostly booed, blatantly giving a thumbs down. Some called out, “That’s it?” Another said, “And I canceled church for this?”
But, the wolf advocates said they raised $130,000 that they hope will reform Wyoming’s laws, so that in the future something like what Roberts did would amount to a much higher penalty.
The investigations
Even though Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department said they punished Roberts to the fullest extent of the law with the $250 ticket, the Sublette County Sheriff’s Department is not so sure. They opened an investigation into Roberts in April to see if any other laws could apply to the case. That investigation is still ongoing.
But that isn’t the only investigation. Apparently, there have been an unprecedented number of death threats resulting from the case, said Travis Bingham, the department’s public information officer.
“Like the Sublette County Library has zero to do with it, but they're getting them [threats],” Bingham said. “But the list goes on — his family members, citizens and town business owners.”
He added that many of the death threat investigations are not wrapped up yet either.
Additionally, the Sheriff’s Department, which serves a county of less than 10,000 people, has received thousands of frustrated emails, social media comments and phone calls, Bingham said.
“We've had them from back East to Texas to California, Washington, D.C., New York, Florida, was the majority,” he said, “We did receive a couple emails from out of the country, like Europe and Australia.”
The calls were clogging up their 911 services, so the department set up a separate tip line. Outsiders, like some at the motorcycle brigade, want Roberts to be arrested, and many are saying Wyoming’s wolf laws should be changed.
“A pretty good compromise”
“An incident like this tars everyone,” said C.J. Box, a popular Wyoming author who has penned dozens of books following a fictional game warden. He has extensively researched Wyoming’s wildlife culture and laws, including those about wolves.
Box said people may not like Roberts — and Wyoming — being attacked by outsiders, but that does not mean they are defending what he allegedly did with the wolf.
“That's not hunting,” Box said. “Every hunter I know of, if they wound something, will try to dispatch that animal as quickly and humanely as possible. Not take it back, not show it off, not take pictures with it. That’s not the behavior of a hunter.”
He added that he thinks Wyoming’s wolf laws are a “pretty good compromise” — protecting the predator in much of the state’s northwest corner near Yellowstone National Park, and allowing them to be hunted in most of the rest of the state.
But this incident has state lawmakers looking at making changes. They recently formed a committee with stakeholders, specifically looking at the treatment of predatory animals. Any official changes to state law would come next year during Wyoming’s legislative session, at the earliest.
Meanwhile, wildlife advocate groups have filed a lawsuit to list the gray wolf in the multi-state northern Rocky Mountain region as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Currently, the species is protected under the act everywhere but that region. If the plaintiffs win, Wyoming would lose its authority to allow wolf hunting, with regulations being set and enforced by the federal government.
Copyright 2024 NPR
Tensions rise between Ranchers and conservationists over wolf restoration project
Jun 13, 2024
A string of wolf attacks on livestock in Colorado's high country has become a flashpoint in the effort to restore the animal to its native range. Ranchers want the state to kill the wolves, which were reintroduced in that state just a few months ago. KUNC's Scott Franz reports for the Mountain West News Bureau that conservationists are urging patience.
What's next for the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act now that it's expired?
Jun 13, 2024
Linda Chase lived in Clark County, Nevada, during the time of active nuclear testing in the 1950s and 1960s. She contracted an autoimmune disease after being exposed to radiation. Many "downwinders" such as herself were not covered under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. She spoke at an event at the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas.(Yvette Fernandez / KNPR )
A long-standing federal program aimed at helping people afford medical treatment caused by toxic exposure, came to an end on Friday, June 7. Supporters tried to revive it but ultimately failed.
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) passed the Senate but never came up for a vote in the House before expiring last week. Since then, supporters tried a new tactic, submitting it as one of the over 1,300 possible amendments attached to the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act.
“What we're looking at here, is really trying to make sure that everybody who is impacted by our nuclear testing program receive the same kind of compensation,” said New Mexico Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez.
She told her fellow lawmakers simply renewing the program as is would be unfair. Proponents have wanted significant expansions that would potentially help hundreds of thousands of people.
“Study after study has shown the expanse of the nuclear radiation,” Missour Sen. Josh Hawley said from the Senate floor earlier this year, imploring Congress to accept new scientific findings, take responsibility and compensate people who continue to be impacted.
With new technology and new studies, scientists have determined the fallout from hundreds of nuclear tests in the 1940s spread much further than what was known decades earlier.
“Here's a study from 1997, from 2005, another one in 2005, from 2023—all showing that the nuclear radiation is far beyond the contours of the original RECA passed in 1990,” Hawley said.
These new studies showed the radioactive plumes reached 46 states, the Navajo Nation, Guam, Canada and Mexico within days of detonation. But RECA only covered "downwinders" in portions of three states: Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
“While they play politics we're gathering up our resources to pay for somebody to have cancer treatment," said Tina Cordova, a cancer survivor. She said five generations of her family have developed cancer. She represents the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium in New Mexico.
Despite the Trinity Test Site being located in the New Mexico desert, “downwinders” in that state have never been included in the RECA program.
Cullin Potilo's family lives in Mojave County in Arizona. His family members have all the cancers covered by RECA, but Mojave County isn't part of the "downwinders" area defined by RECA.
“Mojave County has one of the highest rates of cancer in Arizona," Potilo said.
Earlier this week, at a news conference held at the Atomic Museum in Las Vegas, Congresswoman Susie Lee of Nevada was joined by Linda Chase, who remembers watching plumes from nuclear tests from her home in Nevada. She developed an autoimmune disease and her father died of bladder cancer.
“I checked every box except one," Chase said. "We lived in Clark County, which was not one of the 22 counties covered by RECA."
Most egregious is the exclusion of the Navajo Nation.
“Speaker (Mike) Johnson not only has betrayed the veterans and the blue-collar uranium miners and their families but has really also profoundly impacted and wronged the Navajo people,” said Navajo Nation spokesperson Justin Ahasteen, from his Washington, D.C. office.
Ahasteen said the tribe played a crucial role in World War II, from the Code Talkers to supplying the uranium used for the country's nuclear arsenal.
“It was the Navajo people in World War II who essentially won the war in the Pacific against Japan," he said. "From 1944 to about 1986, there were 30 million tons of uranium that were extracted from the Navajo Nation in between that same period. The domestic supply of uranium was around 60 million tons. So over half of the domestic supply of uranium came from the Navajo Nation.”
Ahasteen said once again the U.S. government is breaking its treaties and its word.
“The only thanks we've been given is disease, hardship and heartache," he said. "We have some of the highest rates of cancer in the country. High mortality rates, high birth defect rates, high cancer rates. All attributed to radiation exposure.”
States such as Missouri were far away from the testing sites and uranium mines but were used as toxic waste dumping grounds. Tricia Burns and several family members developed cancer as did many of her friends. Burns said she became a Missouri state representative because of this ongoing issue.
“Thyroid cancer is so common, when the doctor rips your thyroid out of your neck and that little scar on your neck, it's actually called the North County necklace,” said Burns during a recent online news conference sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Republicans have said they wanted to ensure those who file claims are “actually suffering.” They have also balked at the $50 billion cost to expand the program for six years. The latest version, expanding coverage but funding it for only five years was also not acceptable for Congress to pass.
"We've spent $10 trillion on our nuclear programs since their inception," Cordova said. "We have spent $2.5 billion on RECA over 34 years. There is no way this is going to cost too much."
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.
A guide to Idaho swallows
Jun 13, 2024
(Veit Irtenkauf / Flickr )
You've seen them zipping over irrigation canals, diving down, and skimming the water in search of bugs with their very distinctive wings.
There are 86 species of swallows, and many of them spend their summers in Idaho. These amazing birds were featured in the May issue of Wildlife Express, the Idaho Fish and Game newsletter for kids and kids at heart.
We asked Vickey Runnoe back on Idaho Matters to tell us more. She's a conservation education supervisor with Idaho Fish and Game and the superintendent of the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center.
'When Beavers Flew:' Teaching kids about Idaho's unique history
Jun 13, 2024
(Illustration by Luisa Uribe / Random House Studio)
It was nine years ago when we first brought you the story of Idaho Fish and Game parachuting beavers into what is now the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area.
The story spread around the world and went viral again a few months later when video of the transplanting experiment surfaced from 1948.
'The Heirloom:' An author interview with Jessie Rosen
Jun 13, 2024
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
Jessie Rosen's newest novel, "The Heirloom," takes us on a globe-trotting adventure as the main character Shea tries to track down who first owned her heirloom ring in order to discover what kind of energy it holds.
Will it be good or bad, and what will it mean for her upcoming marriage? Jessie joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 12, 2024
Jun 12, 2024
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio)
Avian influenza outbreaks have continued to spread, a new group of people now have the option to get the RSV vaccine and another COVID-19 variant has surged.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these issues and the Midnight Jazz Cats jazz band joined the Roundtable in studio to share a little live music. You can catch an interview with the Cats and more of their live music here.
It's all about the jazz: Why one music group is giving back to the community
Jun 12, 2024
From left to right: Dr. Lloyd Blake, Dr. Mark Stolpe, Bill Shepherd, Bob Phillips and Blake Olson.( The Midnight Jazz Cats)
Almost two years ago, five retirees got together to have a little fun and make a little music. They became The Midnight Jazz Cats and started playing in senior living facilities around the Treasure Valley each month to bring a bit of joy into the lives of others.
Their fame quickly grew, and though they haven't won a Grammy yet, they have played everywhere, from the Festival of Trees to the Sapphire Room to the Morrison Center. They play mostly for fun, not profit, but they won't refuse a good paycheck.
The Jazz Cats specialize in jazz from the 1920s through the 1970s. Along with their mascot, Ella Fitzkitty, they play everything from jazz standards to Bossa Novas to Western Swing Music, and they joined Idaho Matters live to talk more about their mission, promoting America's great musical art form, jazz!
You can hear more from The Midnight Jazz Cats here!
Boise State program provides telescopes to classrooms across Idaho
Jun 11, 2024
An effort which Boise State University's Telescopes for Teachers Program has been working hard on. Dr. Rachel Huchmala joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this endeavor.
Managing wild horses in the Mountain West
Jun 11, 2024
Current estimates suggest more than 70,000 wild horses and burros roam the American west. That's more than three times the number land managers say can safely co-exist with other animals on the open range.
In recent years, the Federal Bureau of Land Management has stepped up efforts to move most of those animals off public land, but where do those horses go, and why are advocates concerned that these iconic symbols of the American west are still being slaughtered?
Nevada Public Radio's Paul Boger reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Could elk feedgrounds be leaving Wyoming?
Jun 11, 2024
Elk on the feedground in Alpine.(Caitlin Tan / Wyoming Public Media )
Some Western states choose to feed elk occasionally, but Wyoming has the nations largest feeding program.
It started about 100 years ago - when winters were harsh and ranchers were upset that elk were getting into their hay yards. Now there are 22 feedgrounds statewide.
But that whole system is in jeopardy due to a deadly disease that spreads when elk gather. Wyoming Public Radio's Caitlin Tan visited a feedground in late March and has this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Americana roots: Music's impact on the American dream
Jun 11, 2024
The Old Crow Medicine Show performs on stage. Left to Right: Mike Harris, Critter Fuqua, Dante’ Pope, Ketch Secor, Morgan Jahning, Cory Younts. Not Pictured: PJ George.(Old Crow Medicine Show / Brendan McLean)
The American dream has been shaped by many different voices, a countless number of which come from Americana music.
From folk to country to bluegrass, each sound has played an important role in our country's ethos. Which is exactly what Sun Valley Community School teacher Ryan Waterfield will be exploring in her classroom this summer.
And in order to do this, she's enlisted the help of musician Ketch Secor, the lead singer of the Americana string band Old Crow Medicine Show. He and Ryan joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Sex, Lies and Sensibility:' An author interview with Nikki Payne
Jun 11, 2024
( Berkley)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 29, 2024.
Readers fell in love with author Nikki Payne's debut novel, "Pride and Protest," a retelling of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." It got all kinds of buzz, from Ebony Magazine to Oprah Daily.
Now Payne is back with her latest novel, "Sex, Lies and Sensibility," a modern re-working of Austen's "Sense and Sensibility." She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new release.
Ruby Ridge through the eyes of FBI agents
Jun 10, 2024
(The Spokesman Review)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 13, 2023.
Last November Idaho Matters got the chance to sit down with two FBI agents who were on the ground during the Ruby Ridge Standoff in North Idaho back in 1992. They were about to appear on the CBS TV show "FBI True" and agreed to come on Idaho Matters to talk about the incident.
Last month we were honored to learn the Idaho Press Club awarded us a first place award for "Best Audio Interview" for this story. As we continue to bring you award-winning stories, we wanted to share this interview with you again.
Celebrating 40 years of music with the Braun Brothers
Jun 10, 2024
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 1, 2024.
Recently, we learned that the popular Braun Brothers Reunion Festival would celebrate its 40th anniversary in Idaho in August.
It was back in 1984 when Muzzie Braun and his wife launched the popular music festival, and it's been going strong for four decades.
The festival started in Stanley, then moved to Challis, where every year the small town is inundated with over 3,000 fans of the brothers and their music.
Two of the Braun brothers, Cody and Micky, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about this year's reunion.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 7, 2024
Jun 07, 2024
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.
Mountain West works to protect wildlife from wind turbines
Jun 07, 2024
Wind energy is a big part of the transition from fossil fuels. But that comes with consequences, including the potential for more deadly collisions between birds and turbines. Researchers in our region art trying to solve that problem.
Wyoming Public Radio's Will Walkey reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
'The Mother Act:' An author interview with Heidi Reimer
Jun 06, 2024
( Random House Canada)
Have you ever thought about abandoning it all and prioritizing yourself?
That's the topic author Heidi Reimer delves into in her debut novel, "The Mother Act." She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
The art of weaving
Jun 06, 2024
Internal Body II, 2023, cotton rope and low-fire terracotta, aluminium armature courtesy of Tanya Aguiñiga and Volume Gallery, Chicago.(Tanya Aguiñiga / Sun Valley Museum of Art)
As one of the oldest art forms, weaving has a place in many cultures.
Tanya Aguiñiga, one of the featured artists in the exhibit, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How to measure an asteroid
Jun 06, 2024
Asteroid "Jenny."( <a href="http://asteroidoccultation.com/">asteroidoccultation.com</a>)
How big is an asteroid? It's not like you can just run out with a tape measure and figure that out.
It turns out, if you can find it and you know when it might pass in front of a star, it's not that hard to do. And a lot of students and citizen scientists like to do it.
Upcoming panel offers tools to help support the mental health of Idaho youth
Jun 05, 2024
(Robin Grant / Flickr)
Idaho is seeing what many say is a youth mental health crisis. Teens face depression and anxiety, and parents are struggling without the tools they need to help their kids.
That’s the premise of the Navigating Teen Mental Health panel Thursday night, June 6, at the Boise Centre Boise, sponsored by Boise State Public Radio and KTVB TV. The hope is to spark conversation and give parents better tools to connect with their family and community.
Vashti Summervill is on the panel. She’s a certified parent coach with her company, Family Healing Pathways, and a therapeutic consultant with a practice called Educational Connections, and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Using less of the Colorado River takes a willing farmer and $45 million in federal funds
Jun 05, 2024
Leslie Hagenstein indicates where the New Fork River flows through her property on Mar. 27, 2024. She signed up for a program that pays her to pause irrigation on her land in order to save Colorado River water. Some experts say the System Conservation Pilot Program, or SCPP, is costly and may not be the most effective way to save Colorado River water.(Alex Hager / KUNC )
Wyoming native Leslie Hagenstein lives on the ranch where she grew up and remembers her grandmother and father delivering milk in glass bottles from the family’s Mount Airy Dairy.
The cottonwood-lined property, at the foot of the Wind River Mountains south of Pinedale, is not only home to Hagenstein, her older sister and their dogs, but to bald eagles and moose. But this summer, for the second year in a row, water from Pine Creek will not turn 600 acres of grass and alfalfa a lush green.
On a blustery day in late March, Hagenstein stood in her fields, now brown and weed-choked, and explained why she cried after she chose to participate in a program that pays ranchers in the Upper Colorado River basin to leave their water in the river.
“You have these very lush grasses, and you have a canal or a ditch that's full of this beautiful clear, gorgeous water that comes out of these beautiful mountains. It’s nirvana,” Hagenstein said. “And then last year, it looks like Armageddon. I mean, it's nothing, it's very sad, there's just no growth at all. There's no green.”
The Colorado River basin has endured decades of drier-than-normal conditions, and steady demand. That imbalance is draining its largest reservoirs, and making it nearly impossible for them to recover, putting the region’s water security in jeopardy. Reining in demand throughout the vast western watershed has become a drumbeat among policymakers at both the state and federal level. Hagenstein’s ranch is an example of what that intentional reduction in water use looks like.
In Sublette County, Hagenstein said it’s rare for people to make a living solely on raising livestock and growing hay anymore. In addition to ranching, she worked as a nurse practitioner for more than 40 years before retiring. And when she looked at her bank accounts, she realized she needed a better way to meet expenses if she was going to keep the ranch afloat in the future. Hagenstein said it was a no-brainer. She signed up for the System Conservation Pilot Program (SCPP) in 2023. Through the federally funded program, she was able to make 13 times more than she would have by leasing it out to grow hay.
Since its inception as a mass experiment in water use reduction, the program has divided farmers and ranchers. Concerns over the high cost, the limited water savings, the difficulty in measuring and tracking conserved water, and the potential damage to local agricultural economies still linger. But without fully overhauling the West’s water rights system, few tools exist to get farmers and ranchers — the Colorado River’s majority users — to conserve voluntarily.
“I’m a Wyoming native,” Hagenstein said. “I don’t want to push our water downstream. I don’t want to disregard it. But I also have to survive in this landscape. And to survive in this landscape, you have to get creative.”
SCPP participation doubles in 2024
Driven by overuse, drought and climate change, water levels in Lake Powell fell to their lowest point ever in 2022. The nation’s second-largest reservoir provided a stark visual indicator of the Colorado River’s supply-demand imbalance. Those falling levels also threatened the ability to produce hydroelectric power and prompted officials from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to call on states for an unprecedented level of water conservation. The agency gave the seven states that use the Colorado River a tight deadline to save an additional 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water. (An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to fill 1 acre of land to a height of 1 foot. One acre-foot generally provides enough water for one to two households for a year.)
States gave the federal government no plans to save that much water in one fell swoop, instead proposing a patchwork of smaller conservation measures aimed at boosting the reservoirs and avoiding infrastructural damage.
The Upper Colorado River Commission (UCRC), an agency that brings together water leaders from Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico, offered up the “5-Point Plan," one arm of which was restarting the SCPP.
In 2023, after the federal government announced it would spend $4 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on Colorado River programs, the Upper Colorado River Commission decided to reboot the SCPP, which was first tested from 2015 to 2018. The program pays eligible water users in the four Upper Basin states to leave their fields dry for the irrigation season and let that water flow downstream.
But a hasty rollout to the SCPP in 2023 meant low participation numbers. Only 64 water-saving projects were approved, and about 38,000 acre-feet of water was conserved across the four states, which cost nearly $16 million. Water users complained about not having enough time to plan for the upcoming growing season and said an initial lowball offer from the UCRC of $150 per acre-foot was insulting and came with a complicated haggling process to get a higher payment. UCRC officials said the short notice and challenges with getting the word out about the program contributed to low participation numbers in 2023.
A University of Wyoming study surveyed the region’s growers about water conservation between November 2022 and March 2023. Eighty-eight percent of respondents in the Upper Basin were not even aware that the SCPP existed.
UCRC commissioners voted to run the program again in 2024, but said this time projects should focus on local drought resiliency on a longer-term basis. UCRC officials tweaked the program based on lessons learned in 2023, and the 2024 program had nearly double the participation, with 109 projects and nearly 64,000 acre-feet of water expected to be conserved.
“I view the doubling of interest and participation from one year to the next as a significant success,” UCRC Executive Director Chuck Cullom said.
What happens to conserved water?
Despite one of its stated intentions — protecting critical reservoir levels — water being left in streams by SCPP-participating irrigators is not tracked to Lake Powell, the storage bucket for the Upper Basin.
In total, across 2023 and 2024, the program spent $45 million to save a little more than 1% of the Colorado River water allocated to Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.
Although engineers have calculated how much water is saved by individual projects, known as conserved consumptive use, officials are not measuring how much of that conserved water ends up in Lake Powell. And the laws that govern water rights allow downstream users to simply take the water that an upstream user participating in the SCPP leaves in the river, potentially canceling out the attempt at banking that water.
These types of temporary, voluntary and compensated conservation programs aren’t new to the Upper Basin. In addition to the pilot program from 2015 to 2018, the state of Colorado undertook a two-year study of the idea of a demand management program by convening nine work groups to examine the issue.
System conservation and demand management, while conceptually the same, have one big difference: A demand management program would track the water so that downstream users don’t grab it and create a special pool to store the conserved water in Lake Powell. With system conservation, the water simply becomes part of the Colorado River system, with no certainty about where it ends up.
This lack of accounting for the water has some asking whether the SCPP is accomplishing what it set out to do and whether it is worth the high cost to taxpayers.
Even if all the roughly 64,000 acre-feet from the SCPP in 2024 makes it to Lake Powell, it’s still a drop in the bucket for the reservoir; last year, 13.4 million acre-feet flowed into Lake Powell. The reservoir currently holds about 8.2 million acre-feet and has a capacity of about 25 million acre-feet.
“I still haven’t really seen evidence of total water savings or anything like that,” said Elizabeth Koebele, a professor of political science and director of the graduate program of hydrologic sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno. Koebele wrote her doctoral dissertation on the first iteration of the SCPP. “As far as getting water to reservoirs, I’m not sure that we’ve seen a lot of success from the System Conservation Pilot Program so far.”
And the program has been expensive. For the 2024 iteration of the program, UCRC officials offered a fixed price per acre-foot that applicants could take or leave — no haggling this time. Colorado, Utah and Wyoming paid agricultural water users about $500 an acre-foot; the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, New Mexico’s sole participant in 2023 and 2024, received $300 an acre-foot. Projects that involved municipal or industrial water use were compensated on a case-by-case basis, and those that involved leaving water in reservoirs were paid $150 an acre-foot. The majority of projects in both years involved taking water off fields for the whole season or part of the season, known as fallowing.
The UCRC doled out nearly $29 million in payments to water users in 2024. The program paid about $45 million to participants in 2023 and 2024 combined. Some participants are using these payments to upgrade their irrigation systems, Cullom said, which helps maintain the vitality of local agriculture.
But even with this amount of money spent, Koebele said it may still not cover the costs to participants for things such as long term impacts to soil health that come with taking water off fields for a season or two. After the infusion of IRA money runs out, it’s unclear how such a program would be funded in the future.
“I also worry that we don’t have an endless supply of money to compensate users for conservation in the basin,” Koebele said. “And perhaps we need to be thinking about — rather than doing temporary conservation — investments in longer-term conservation beyond what we’re already doing.”
Western Slope water managers critical of SCPP
Some groups have concerns with the SCPP beyond its issues with accounting for how much water ends up in Lake Powell.
The Glenwood Springs-based Colorado River Water Conservation District represents 15 counties on Colorado’s Western Slope. Their mission is to protect, conserve, use and develop the water within its boundaries, which has often meant fighting Front Range entities that want to take more from the headwaters of the Colorado River in the form of transmountain diversions. Sometimes, that means voicing concerns about conservation programs that it thinks have the potential to harm Western Slope water users.
River District officials have been vocal critics of the SCPP, pointing out the ways that it could, if not done carefully, harm certain water users and rural agricultural communities. Because of the way water left in the stream by participants in the SCPP can be picked up by the next water user in line, some of which are Front Range cities, at least two of the projects this year could result in less — not more — water in the Colorado River, according to comments that the River District submitted to the state of Colorado. (One of these projects dropped out in 2024.)
“Without significant improvements, it would be hard for the River District to support additional expenditures on system conservation,” said Peter Fleming, the district’s general counsel.
The River District had also wanted a say in the SCPP process in 2023, going as far as creating their own checklist for deciding project approval, but UCRC officials said the commission had sole authority to approve projects.
Water users from all sectors — including agriculture, cities and industry — are allowed to participate in the program, but, in practice, all of the 2023 and 2024 projects in Colorado involve Western Slope agricultural water users. That’s partly because the price that the SCPP offered was less than the market value of water on the Front Range.
“If you’re simply basing it on a set dollar value per acre-foot, you’re going to result in disproportionate impacts to areas of the state where the economic value of water is not as high as others,” Fleming said. “You’re going to end up with all the water coming from the Western Slope. … You shouldn’t create sacrificial lambs.”
Upper Basin facing increased pressure
The Upper Basin’s conservation program is playing out against the backdrop of watershedwide negotiations with the Lower Basin states (California, Arizona and Nevada) about how to share the river after the current guidelines governing river operations expire in 2026.
After failing to come to an agreement, the Upper and Lower basins submitted competing proposals to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Lower Basin officials committed to a baseline of 1.5 million acre-feet in cuts, plus more when conditions warrant. They also called for the Upper Basin to share in those additional cuts when reservoirs dip below a certain level.
Upper Basin officials have balked at the notion that their water users should share in any cuts, saying they already suffer shortages in dry years. The source of the problem, they say, is overuse by the Lower Basin.
Plus, without ever having violated the 1922 Colorado River Compact by using more than the 7.5 million acre-feet allotted to them, they say there’s no way to enforce mandatory cuts on the Upper Basin.
But under increased pressure from the Lower Basin, and facing a drier future as climate change continues to rob the Colorado River of flows, Upper Basin water managers have made one small concession. In their proposal, they have offered to continue “parallel activities” like the SCPP, but said these programs will be separate from any post-2026 agreement with the Lower Basin. The congressional authorization for the SCPP expires at the end of 2024, and it’s unclear whether water managers will implement a program in 2025 or beyond.
Inherent in the Upper Basin’s stance is a contradiction: Why maintain that both the source of the problem and responsibility for a solution rest with the Lower Basin, but then agree to do the SCPP or a conservation program like it?
“I think that they're basically saying that the Lower Basin needs to get their act together before we actually really need to come to the table in a realistic way,” said Drew Bennett, a University of Wyoming professor of private-lands stewardship. “I think they feel like, ‘We don't actually really need to do anything.’ That the SCPP is actually above and beyond what they need to be doing. Is that reality? I don't know. But I think that’s sort of the message they're trying to send in negotiations.”
Grower attitudes key to program success
Some experts say the program’s real value is not getting water into depleted reservoirs. It is testing out a potential tool to help farmers and ranchers adapt to a future with less water. They frame it as an experiment that provides crucial information and lessons on how an Upper Basin conservation program could be scaled up. It also continues to ease water users into the concept of using less should a more permanent water conservation program come to pass.
“This program kind of, I think, helps grease the skids for that process that gets people comfortable for how it operates,” said Alex Funk, who worked for the Colorado Water Conservation Board in 2019 and helped to guide the state’s demand management study with regard to agricultural impacts. “Just seeing the doubling of the amount of acre-feet conserved under the second year and then the interest shows that, yeah, I think there could be some longevity to the program. … I think one has to be optimistic because I don’t see how the Upper Basin navigates a post-2026 future without such a program.”
Funk now works as senior counsel and director of water resources at the nonprofit Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. The group receives funding from the Walton Family Foundation, which also funds a portion of Colorado River coverage from KUNC and The Water Desk.
Cullom, executive director of the agency that runs the SCPP, pushed back on the idea that it is intended to help correct the supply/demand imbalance on the river, which he said is the fault of the Lower Basin.
“The intent of the program is to develop new tools for the upper division water users to adapt to a drier future,” he said. “We’re trying to develop tools that benefit the local communities and producers and water users in the four upper division states through drought resiliency, new tools, the ability to explore crop switching and irrigation efficiencies.”
Of all the challenges in setting up a program such as this — funding, pricing, calculating water saved, getting the word out — the biggest may be the attitudes of water users themselves, some of whom have a deep-seated mistrust of the federal government. Like Hagenstein, all of the water users that Aspen Journalism and KUNC interviewed for this story said financial reasons were the biggest driver behind their participation in the SCPP.
Bennett’s research also explained some of the reasons why growers may be hesitant to enroll in conservation programs such as the SCPP. It found that farmers and ranchers trusted local organizations to administer conservation programs significantly more than state or federal ones.
If demand management strategies were deployed, 74% of survey respondents said they’d prefer to have a local agency manage the program, as opposed to a state or federal agency. Only about 14% of growers said there is a high level of trust between water users and water management agencies in their states. The same percentage said their state’s planning process was adequate for dealing with water supply issues.
These findings point to a stumbling block that the UCRC and other agencies must overcome if they hope to create a longer-term conservation program.
Hagenstein, the Wyoming rancher, has experienced those attitudes firsthand. She has been on the receiving end of insults and name-calling because of her participation in the SCPP.
But Hagenstein says the SCPP has allowed her to have money in her pocket to continue ranching long term.
“I didn't anticipate it would be so beneficial,” she said. “It bought us time to stay in ranching is the long and the short of it. So, I’m most grateful for the abundance that the federal government offered us. … You know, some would call it a golden goose.”
This story was reported and produced collaboratively by Aspen Journalism, a nonprofit, investigative news organization, and Northern Colorado-based public radio station KUNC, and is a part of KUNC’s ongoing coverage of the Colorado River supported by the Walton Family Foundation. Additional editing resources and other support for this story came from The Water Desk, an independent initiative of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism.
'Sad Happens:' An author interview with Brandon Stosuy
Jun 05, 2024
The cover of "Sadness Happens: A Celebration of Tears," by Brandon Stosuy.( Simon & Schuster)
Have you ever seen someone crying in public? Maybe in their car or on a run or perhaps in the bathroom?
It turns out sadness happens all the time, and author Brandon Stosuy has been watching people cry everywhere he goes in New York, and he started tweeting about it, not realizing it would go viral.
He's put together a book of essays from dozens of folks called "Sad Happens: A Celebration of Tears," and he joined Idaho Matters to talk about it.
City of Weiser works to bring people together with new community space
Jun 04, 2024
(Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health )
The city of Weiser is hoping to transform its park land to create a space that brings more people together, and they're doing it thanks to The Community Project, which is the brainchild of the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health.
Mayor Randy Hibberd and Courtney Frost, senior program officer at the Foundation for Health, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Shed hunt season opener draws hundreds of Cowboy State residents
Jun 04, 2024
(Natalie Behring / KHOL)
The sun had yet to rise and over a hundred cars, trucks and trailers sat idling in the county fairgrounds parking lot and down the neighboring street. Hunters were drinking coffee, reaching for their toes to limber up and some — saddling horses.
Then, 20 minutes before the 6 a.m. start of Wyoming’s annual shed hunt, flashing police lights led the motorcade out of town toward the elk refuge.
(Natalie Behring / KHOL)
Brady Rivenes and his five shed-hunting passengers were 23rd in line. As he drove, his black truck’s headlights shined on herds of elk. The 24-year-old from Gillette says the rush — or the chaos as he put it — is hard to explain.
“Especially since it’s over something stupid like elk horns,” Rivenes said.
But this is his fifth year driving the six and a half hours from Gillette for the shed hunt, and he knew where he was heading.
He quickly hung a right leaving the motorcade, peeled down a gravel road, veered over the edge of it and lurched into park beneath looming canyon walls just outside of the refuge boundaries.
The group leaped out of the truck, swung packs over their shoulders and broke into a sprint alongside other hunters — like the start of an Easter egg hunt for grown men clad in camo.
“It’s exhausting — this is the definition of type two fun,” Rivenes said.
(Dante Filpula Ankne / KHOL)
Shed antler hunting season in the state opened on May 1 and the annual shed hunt in Jackson usually draws hundreds of vehicles from around the country. They come to search for antlers, which elk shed around this time every year.
But, this year, only Wyoming residents can participate for the first week — because of a new state law. The legislation was largely spurred by calls from Wyoming shed hunters who felt they’d been pushed out by swarms of out-of-state hunters in recent years as the sport has grown in popularity. While competition was still fierce, there were fewer people this year.
Wyoming Game & Fish’s Brad Hovinga said the legislation cut the number of registrations in the Jackson area in half, from around 300 to about 120.
“And quite honestly it was about as low-key as an antler collection opener than we’ve seen in years,” Hovinga said.
That’s because, in years past, Game and Fish has found hunters trying to get an advantage by sneaking out early, which is illegal. But this year, Hovinga said, law enforcement didn’t cite anyone for jumping the gun. He added that they checked licenses sporadically and didn’t find anyone violating the new law.
The law has been largely celebrated amongst Wyoming shed hunters, but he said the department has heard from many non-residents who felt the law — making them wait — is unfair because the large majority of antlers, at least in Jackson, will already be collected.
“Non-residents that show may have to hunt quite a bit harder than they have experienced in the past when they were allowed to start on the first of May,” Hovinga said.
Jase Romrell from Star Valley was out on opening day. He said he’s a fan of the law.
“It’s more special this year because we can actually benefit from being Wyoming residents,” Romrell said. “It makes me feel proud to come and pick up the antlers that you watch all winter and see on the refuge.”
Sitting atop his horse with multiple antlers slung to its side, he said this year is also special since his sons are joining him for the first time.
(Dante Filpula Ankne / KHOL)
“My goal was to get the twins, my two boys, an antler and they both succeeded in that,” Romrell said. “I just wanted to put a smile on their faces and make them enjoy the outdoors as much as I do.”
He’s been shed hunting in Jackson for about 10 years.
“We enjoy looking at them, we enjoy using them in home decor,” Romrell said. “They’re special to us because it’s a western living style.”
Brady Rivenes, the 24-year-old from Gillette, said he has mixed feelings about the new law.
“Yeah I kind of go both ways,” he said. “It’s cool getting to see all the Wyoming guys get their first pick on horns but also kind of bittersweet because you don’t get to see all of your out of state buddies you’ve made from coming to this over the years.”
Back on the mountain, Rivenes ran up a rocky cliff to a ridge line that plateaus. The chaos he had prepped for earlier had come to fruition. He occasionally tripped on the uneven game trails as he scanned the hillside for antler points. The sunrise cast a pink glow above the Tetons and glistened off the thin snow crust.
“They’re hard to see in snow,” Rivenes said as he tried to catch his breath.
Moving fast, with no plans of stopping, he knew other hunters were right behind him. He was looking for pockets, or clusters of many antlers he had had luck finding in previous years.
“Some years you find it, some years you don’t,” Rivenes said, “but either way, we’re not stopping.
Then, his pace quickened and he yelled as he spotted one — then two. He scrambled to their side, threw off his pack, strapped them in and, with no time to celebrate, kept moving.
He was unsatisfied.
“Not good enough,” he said. “From where we went through and to only have two — it’s surprising.”
By the end of the day he’ll have added two more. His friends, who had all spread out, found another four.
Ultimately, it was “not too shabby,” Rivenes said.
(Dante Filpula Ankne / KHOL)
He’s had better years, but ultimately it’s not just the thrill, the sheds or the scenery that keeps him coming back.
“A lot of it’s the people,” he said. “We like to shed hunt, there’s sheds on this hill, everyone else gets to come together that likes to shed hunt and you get to see all those guys pick up horns, it’s just a good time in general.”
Rivenes returned to his truck and threw down his sheds, considered their size alongside the others and debriefed the day cordially with other returning hunters. The competition was over.
He drove the gravel road out until he met the paved streets in town, grabbed a quick lunch at a local restaurant and then hit the road back towards Gillette — all before noon.
Copyright 2024 Wyoming Public Radio
What's at stake as Idaho evaluates mussel eradication effort
Jun 04, 2024
After quagga mussels were detected in the Snake River, ISDA set up boat decontamination stations in Twin Falls. It asked everyone who had been in the water during a month-long stretch to get their boats, kayaks and fishing gear cleaned.(Rachel Cohen / Boise State Public Radio )
Invasive quagga mussels were found in Idaho for the first time last fall. The state has been trying to get rid of them, but if it’s not successful, the mussels could have widespread and expensive consequences.
Michael Stephenson has spent years worrying about a tiny invasive creature smaller than a fingernail. Then, last fall, they arrived. The larval form of quagga mussels and one adult were found in the Snake River near Twin Falls.
“I’m feeling very anxious about it,” said Stephenson, who works as a biologist at Idaho Power. The company operates 17 hydroelectric plants on the Snake River and its tributaries, 15 of which are downstream of where quagga mussels were detected.
Stephenson said the small bivalves are a big problem. They spread rapidly – a female can produce a million eggs each year – and they attach to pretty much any surface in the water. They can clog intakes for drinking and irrigation water systems, and hydroelectric turbines.
The Columbia River Basin is the only major river system in the country without an invasive mussel infestation. The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region estimates it would cost the Northwest $500 million a year to deal with.
On top of an Idaho Power dam near Hagerman, Stephenson points to a metal filter where water flows from the reservoir into the power house. It’s one of the initial points where quagga mussels could interfere with the system. They’d start to encrust the steel bars, Stephenson said, reducing the amount of water entering the dam.
The company currently uses a mechanical rake to keep sticks and vegetation out, but prying quagga mussels off could require scuba divers. The mussels could also target other pipes that bring in water to cool the system as the turbines are spinning; without the cold water, they could overheat.
After a visit to the southwest to see how the operators of Hoover Dam handle quagga mussels in Lake Mead, Idaho Power is considering buying special ultraviolet lights to kill baby mussels floating through its facilities.
“If we get an infestation in the Snake River, it may be the biggest problem we've dealt with yet, as far as infrastructural issues,” Stephenson said.
Michael Stephenson, a biologist at Idaho Power, is investigating how quagga mussels in the Snake River could affect hydropower operations and how the company can prepare.(Rachel Cohen / Boise State Public Radio )
Last fall, Idaho poured a copper-based chemical into the river to try to eradicate the mussels. Similar toxins have worked to kill mussels elsewhere, but this treatment, in a major river, was unprecedented.
“That’s been weighing quite a bit on my mind,” said Nic Zurfluh, the invasive species bureau chief for the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. “Just gauging how effective the treatment was last fall.”
Zurfluh said it’s been a long winter of waiting to see if the mussels are gone. They stop reproducing in colder months so they’re not easily detectable then. As the temperatures warm, Zurfluh’s team will begin collecting water samples around the state with an emphasis on the Snake River near Twin Falls, searching for signs of mussels.
Quagga Mussels infesting an Idaho license plate.(Sen. Michelle Stennett<br/> / Jeremy J. Gugino)
Thanks to money from the legislature, those efforts will double in scale this summer. But Zurfluh cautions that answers might take time.
“Not having detections, I would take that as really great news,” he said.”But just knowing that's not going to tell the full picture until we go quite a little while with non-detects.”
The tiny mussels are hard to find. It might take a few months, even a few years, to get an “all-clear.”
ISDA hopes the chemical treatment will eradicate the quagga mussel before a population takes hold in the Snake River.(Rachel Cohen / Boise State Public Radio )
If the mussels are still around and float downstream they could pose a big threat to anadromous fish that migrate from inland spawning grounds to the ocean and bring vital nutrients back – nutrients the quagga mussels absorb. The mussels are expert filter feeders, said Anthony Capetillo, an invasive species biologist with the Nez Perce Tribe and a tribal member.
“If the quagga mussels are sucking all the oxygen and all the nutrients out of the water, then that takes away from the fish, so they're not able to grow as they usually would,” Capetillo said.
Salmon in particular, he says, are already suffering because of dams and climate change, and quagga mussels, with their sharp shells coating fish ladders, could make their migration journeys more treacherous.
“All the money that we've been putting into all these projects to get these salmon and steelhead and lamprey back into these waters,” Capetilo said. “All of that could potentially be for nothing if we allow these invasives to come and take hold.”
A lot is at stake, he said, for a region that values clean water and access to the outdoors, but perhaps even more so for tribal communities.
“If we do lose parts of our identity,” he said, “lose our resources, we can't really measure what those losses are.”
Even further downstream, Justin Bush, the aquatic invasive species policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said it could take as little as a week for floating veligers to make it from Twin Falls to that state’s borders.
“We feel like this threat is right on our doorstep,” he said. “It's causing us to think about a new timeline, new actions, and new levels of funding that will be required in both the short and long term.”
Last fall, as soon as the mussels were detected in Idaho, Washington deployed its monitoring crews closer to the border. They didn’t turn anything up.
Now, the state will have a specific Snake River mussel monitoring team, fully-staffed boat check stations in the southeast region and a new mussel-sniffing dog.
“All eyes are on Idaho and we're waiting for more information,” Bush said.
Idaho officials hope their eradication efforts have staved off an infestation, Zurfluh said.
At the Twin Falls waterfront, the state is requiring all boats entering and leaving the river to be washed down to contain any remaining mussels from spreading to other water bodies. Plus, prevention is still key, Zurfluh said. It would just take a single boat or kayak carrying new mussels to spark another introduction tomorrow.
'The Guncle Abroad:' An author interview with Steven Rowley
Jun 04, 2024
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
The award-winning novel "The Guncle" has returned, reuniting us with our favorite characters five years after they spent the summer together. This time, however, they're going abroad.
Author Steven Rowley joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his latest novel, The Guncle Abroad.
The importance of menopause knowledge
Jun 03, 2024
(iStockphoto)
About half of all Americans will go through menopause, but it's still something people don't like to talk about, and that often leaves the women going through it freighted and unsure about what's happening to them as they go through this change.
Last year, we dedicated an entire show to this topic, talking to experts about the different phases of menopause, its symptoms, and how to treat them. And we were recently honored to learn we won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for news documentary, as well as awards for best news talk show and best watchdog/investigative report from the Idaho Press Club.
We wanted to bring back this important program for folks who missed it the first time and for people looking for more information on menopause.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 31, 2024
May 31, 2024
Chad Daybell sits at the defense table after the jury's verdict in his murder trial was read at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on Thursday, May 30, 2024. Daybell was convicted of killing his wife and his new girlfriend's two youngest kids in a strange triple murder case that included claims of apocalyptic prophesies, zombie children and illicit affairs. ( AP Photo/Kyle Green, Pool)(Kyle Green / Associated Press)
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.
Hold a wild songbird in your hands as part of Intermountain Bird Observatory's 30 anniversary
May 31, 2024
You can help catch and band songbirds with the scientists at the Intermountain Bird Observatory!(Dave Crawforth / Intermountain Bird Observatory)
Ever wanted to hold a wild songbird in your hands?
That’s something Heidi Ware Carlisle does a lot. She’s the education and outreach director with the Intermountain Bird Observatory which catches and bands songbirds along the Boise River.
“We're a research unit of Boise State and we operate like a nonprofit. So we do a lot of bird research and conservation work, mostly in Idaho, but actually around the world,” said Carlisle, who teaches ornithology in her spare time at Boise State University
They study everything from the calliope hummingbird, all the way up to golden eagles.
“And the coolest thing about what we do is we invite the public to come and watch us as we do our research,” Carlisle said.
On Saturday, June 1, they'll be catching and banding songbirds along the Boise River and giving folks a chance to become a scientist for a day.
“So you have the opportunity to visit our stations and see birds up close,” Carlisle said. “And actually, when we're done measuring them and weighing them, you can actually hold out your hand and get to hold one of these wild birds as it flies off back into the wild.”
IBO, Intermountain Bird Observatory, hummingbird banding, Idaho City, John Kelly photo.(John C. Kelly/Boise State University / Intermountain Bird Observatory)
All that research has shown shifts in migration and the number of different bird species.
“One of our goals is to really keep our finger on the pulse, especially for common species.”
Idaho mom fights to improve dyslexia legislation and literacy in Idaho
May 30, 2024
(f_ / iStockphoto.com)
Idaho Mom Robin Zikmund knew her son was different at an early age. While his peers were reading by the third grade, her son was still struggling.
Eventually her son was diagnosed with dyslexia, but Robin wanted to do more than just have a diagnosis for her son.
So she founded the Idaho chapter of Decoding Dyslexia, which has helped make a significant impact on dyslexia legislation and literacy in Idaho through the science of reading.
Robin joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Shooting Barred Owls to save Spotted Owls
May 30, 2024
(Animal Wellness Action / Center for a Humane Economy)
Spotted Owls are disappearing from Oregon, Washington and northern California. Some officials estimate their numbers have dropped by 75% over the last 20 years.
The birds were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act almost 35 years ago but despite that designation, as few as 3,000 may be left on federal lands in the three states.
The birds are threatened by a lot of factors involving humans but one of their biggest threats comes from a sister species - the Barred Owl.
These owls are bigger and stronger than their cousins and have been crowding Spotted Owls out of their territory. Some estimates say there are more than 100,000 Barred Owls now along the coast range.
Giving Idaho dogs a second chance at a forever home
May 30, 2024
( Meridian Canine Rescue)
In March, Meridian Canine Rescue faced a rent hike that they couldn’t meet and had to move their operations. They asked the community for help for the move and donations poured in.
Now the dog rescue and training operation is moving into their new digs on a private farm in Emmett and we wanted to check in to see how they’re doing.
Karinna Lozano is the Meridian Canine Rescue Board President and she joined Idaho Matters.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 29, 2024
May 29, 2024
FILE - In this May 27, 2011 file photo, kids fish at twilight at the edge of Kingman Wash, at Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Arizona. Regional health officials say a Las Vegas-area boy died from a rare brain-eating amoeba that investigators think he was exposed to in warm waters at Lake Mead. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)(Julie Jacobson/AP / AP)
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.
Looking on the bright side with best-selling author Kristan Higgins
May 29, 2024
(Penguin Random House / Penguin Random House)
New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins is back with her latest novel which is set in Cape Cod with fun and quirky family dynamics as well as a truly lovely main character. It’s called Look on the Bright Side and she joined Idaho Matters for a look inside.
Cutting down juniper trees to save sage grouse
May 28, 2024
Cutting and burning Juniper trees means better habitat for sage grouse.(Connor White / BOSH Project)
Imagine this: 50 chainsaw crews fan out over carefully selected areas of Owyhee County in southwest Idaho. For eight hours a day — all they do is cut down hundreds of juniper trees. Then in the spring, more crews go out and burn those fallen trees.
This is the BOSH Project. BOSH stands for Bruneau Owyhee Sage Grouse Habitat and in six years, crews have cleared 140,000 acres of encroaching junipers. Those trees, though native to Idaho, have been taking over the landscape since 1860.
And it’s our fault, according to Conner White, BOSH Project coordinator for Pheasants Forever and the Bureau of Land Management.
“We got very good at suppressing fire for over a century. We basically put every fire out,” White said. “Fire is the main thing that kills these conifers, and we completely removed it from the landscape.”
Crews spend eight hours a day cutting down Juniper trees in targeted areas.(Connor White / BOSH Project)
The goal of the BOSH Project is to take out those junipers, restore native plant species like sagebrush, recover more streams and wetlands and bring back sage grouse and other animals to the land.
The project is huge, covering around 600,000 acres in Owyhee County alone, says Jeremy Maestas, National Sagebrush Ecosystem Specialist for Working Lands for Wildlife and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“We're probably going to be pushing up towards a million acres once this project's fully completed,” says Maestas.
Turns out, sage grouse don’t like to hang around Juniper trees and won’t nest in an area that has even four trees per acre.
“The theory is that the trees provide perches for predators or cover for ground based predators to be able to go in there and get them,” said White.
Similar work has shown results for the return of sage grouse in the Warner Mountains Project in southern Oregon.
“Grouse immediately started nesting in areas once the trees were removed. And then over a decade, we were able to show that it actually bent the curve on their population growth rates over areas that were untreated. So we saw a 12% increase in the population growth rate, which is the first time we've ever documented in the literature that we can benefit grouse at a population scale through active restoration,” Maestas said.
Here's what it looks like when Junipers overtake an area and crowd out sagebrush.(Connor White / BOSH Project)
Taking out junipers isn’t just good for sage grouse. Other birds, like Brewer’s Sparrows and Sage Sparrows, also come back along with native plants. Junipers also drink a lot of water and when you remove them, the landscape changes.
“They're seeing springs come back to life and creeks come back to life and more water for aquatic life and spotted frogs and things like that,” says Steve Stubner, writer and producer of the “Life on the Range” series sponsored by the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission.
Here's the same area, after BOSH has come in and taken out the Juniper trees.(Connor White / BOSH Project)
Ranchers and other private landowners are partnering with up to a dozen federal, state, and local agencies to make the project happen. And ranchers are liking what they see.
“They're loving it,” said Stubner. “A lot of times, what's good for sage grouse is also good for livestock and wildlife. And that's definitely the great combo we've got going here.”
Maestas says they’re fighting against the clock to save sage grouse, with 1.3 million acres a year of sagebrush ecosystems disappearing thanks to things like conifer encroachment.
“So any time we can set the clock back and keep these lands healthy and resilient for current and future generations it really brings a lot of pride to the work that we do,” said Maestas.
Sage grouse can be the canary in the coal mine for areas like these.
“There's a whole arc of peril happening with over 350 species of conservation concern, plants and animals that will probably never have their own initiative. They're not sexy enough or interesting enough for that kind of investment. But when we do things for sage grouse we are seeing benefits for other sagebrush dependent species,” Maestas said.
Two small snails are disappearing from Idaho rivers
May 28, 2024
Ashy pebblesnail.(Tyson Ehlers / Tyson Ehlers)
When you think of Idaho rivers, you think of water and fish and the beauty of the landscape but down in the nooks and crannies of the waterbed are two small, slimy creatures that act as a sort of canary in the coal mine for northwest waterways.
They are the Ashy Pebblesnail and Shortface Lanx and they’re disappearing from rivers around the west thanks to warmer water and threats from dams, agriculture and people.
Here to tell Idaho Matters more is Noah Greenwald, the Endangered Species Director for the Center.
Fish and wildlife officials help restore population of iconic trout in eastern Nevada river
May 28, 2024
The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, Nevada's state fish, is the largest member of the cutthroats, with lake-dwellers weighing up to 40 pounds. For decades, they've been listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. (USFWS)
For years, fish and wildlife officials have been working to help an iconic Western fish whose habitat is shrinking. That includes efforts to return the fish to a river in the Mountain West where the species had disappeared.
It’s a cloudy day east of Reno, and Chad Mellison, wearing waders and holding a flyfishing rod, steps into the Truckee River. He unfurls his line and casts upstream into the fast-flowing waters.
“If you're a fish and live in a river, your nose is pointing upstream because that's where your food's coming down,” said Mellison, an avid flyfisher and longtime biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Chad Mellison, a USFWS biologist, casts his flyfishing line in the Truckee River east of Reno. (Robyn Gerstenslager / USFWS)
“That’s why they call it fishing and not catching,” Mellison said with a laugh. “If it were easy, it wouldn’t be as fun.”
The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, characterized by a vibrant red slash under its jaw, is a trophy fish many anglers hope to hook when they cast a line in Northern Nevada.
Just ask Mike Anderson, a guide with the Reno Fly Shop. Every year, he has a handful of clients land a 20-pound cutthroat – a size that makes the fish “almost look prehistoric” – in nearby Pyramid Lake.
“The fish that get that big, and the people that hook into them, it's a life-changing, once-in-a-lifetime kind of a thing,” Anderson said.
The Lahontan Cutthroat once swam in a dozen lake systems and more than 7,000 miles of streams in the Lahontan Basin, which extends from northern Nevada to central California.
Now, they occupy just about 10% of their historical habitat. For decades, they’ve been listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
“Two of the biggest threats are poor habitat quality, and then non-native fish,” said Mellison, adding that river diversions, dams, and wildfires damage their habitat, and non-native trout outcompete them for food and territory – and even eat them.
That’s decimated cutthroat in some areas, like the North Fork of the Humboldt River in northeastern Nevada. Decades ago, that was home to one of the biggest populations.
By 2011, the fish no longer survived there. One big reason?
“There was a mining company out there doing exploratory drilling and they wanted to drill some really deep holes,” Mellison said.
The headwaters of the North Fork of the Humboldt River in northeastern Nevada, where the population of Lahontan Cutthroat Trout disappeared in 2011 due to habitat loss. (NDOW)
So deep that the drilling punctured the local aquifer and connected it to another one further downstream. Like a straw, it sucked up the headwaters of the North Fork.
That forced the cutthroat further and further downriver, where they met brook trout, which had “taken over” within a couple of years, Mellison said.
In response, officials installed a fish barrier, paid for by the mining company, to stop brook trout from traveling upriver. The Nevada Department of Wildlife worked to remove those that remained by treating river and area waterways with a chemical called rotenone.
The habitat still showed problems when the agency started returning the fish in 2015, said Jacob Stoller, a fisheries biologist with the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
“There are still concerns with habitat conditions being impacted from mining, irrigation, livestock grazing, and drought,” Stoller said.
It wasn’t until June 2021 that officials felt confident that the cutthroat were not only surviving, they were thriving. Mellison provided the defining moment. After doing field work in the North Fork area, he decided to flyfish a bit before heading home.
“First cast, hooked the fish, and I'm like, this better be a cutthroat, after all the work we've been doing,” Mellison recalled. “And of course, it was and I landed it, and it was just a beautiful fish.”
Mellison said he knew his day of fishing couldn’t get any better, so he packed up his rod and headed home.
The Lahontan cutthroat trout that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Biologist Chad Mellison caught on the North Fork of the Humboldt River in 2021.(Chad Mellison / USFWS)
“Seeing a native fish that you caught, admire it, and then watch it swim away back into his home. It was … whoo,” Mellison said as his eyes well with tears. “Yeah, that’s good stuff.”
Mellison and the others who helped return the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout to the Nork Fork are hopeful about the future of that population. Biologists are waiting on environmental DNA results to confirm that brook trout are no longer in the river.
And if you’re wondering if Mellison caught a cutthroat in the Truckee River on this cool, cloudy day outside of Reno?
“Here we go…Oh!” Mellison yelled after briefly hooking a trout before it slips away. “That was a big fish!”
As Mellison said, that’s why they call it fishing, not catching.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, 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.
'The Bump:' An author interview with Sidney Karger
May 28, 2024
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 8, 2024.
Last year, we introduced you to a rom-com novel called "Best Men," which explored what it was like for one gay man looking for love in New York City.
The book was met with much-deserved buzz, being featured on Good Morning America, the Today Show, and Bravo's Watch What Happens Live.
Now Sidney Karger is back with his latest novel, "The Bump," which released on May 21, and he joined Idaho Matters to talk about the new release.
'Microjoys:' An author interview with Cyndie Spiegel
May 27, 2024
( Penguin Life)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 6, 2023.
Author Cyndie Spiegel's book, "Microjoys: Finding Hope When Life is Not Okay" provides an intimate look at all the small moments that have helped her to move forward, even in the toughest times of her life. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'No Filter:' An honest conversation with Paulina Porizkova
May 27, 2024
( The Open Field)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 21, 2022.
When one thinks of Paulina Porizkova, one might remember her as the Sports Illustrated cover model from the 1980s or the wife of "Cars" front man, Rick Ocasek. Or perhaps you know her from her popular Instagram account.
Carter Bays sits down to discuss his debut novel
May 27, 2024
The front cover of Carter Bays new novel, The Mutual Friend.
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 11, 2022.
The co-creator of the Emmy award-winning show "How I Met Your Mother" is back, this time with his first novel. Idaho Matters sat down with Carter Bays to talk more about his debut novel, The Mutual Friend.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 24, 2024
May 24, 2024
The 4.5-mile trail begins in Stanley's Pioneer Park and ends near the entrance to Redfish Lake.(Rachel Cohen / Boise State Public Radio )
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.
Caldwell police are using a new tool to fight crime
May 23, 2024
Flock Safety camera on pole.(Flock Safety)
Early Sunday morning, gunshots were heard in Caldwell. Determining where those shots are coming from can be difficult for a human — but not for a machine.
Caldwell Police are using a new tool called Flock Safety which can pinpoint where a gunshot is coming from and alert law enforcement officers.
Flock told police where the shots came from, on Belmont Street, and that led to the arrest of two men in a car with guns and 26 bullet casings.
An update on Boise's Orange Hefty Bag Recycling Program
May 23, 2024
(Hefty / ReNew Program)
Every other week in Boise trucks pick up those blue recycling containers filled with cardboard and other materials. And inside many of those blue carts are bright orange Hefty bags filled with those hard to recycle products like plastic wrappers.
The Orange Bag Program, now called the Hefty ReNew Program has been around for more than five years and we wanted to check in and see how the program is doing. So we invited Lynnette Hinch, the Team Lead and Catherine Chertudi, who consults for the program, to join Idaho Matters.
Valley Regional Transit makes changes to improve service to bus riders
May 23, 2024
(Valley Regional Transit)
Valley Regional Transit is changing up the way it does business. Starting Monday, June 3, the bus system for the Treasure Valley will look a lot different with new routes, more targeted bus service and a big expansion of their LYFT Pass.
Here to tell Idaho Matters about "Change Day" are Elaine Clegg, CEO of Valley Regional Transit and Jason Rose, VRT Communications Director.
KYMfest aims to heal hearts and minds in Nampa
May 23, 2024
(Chelsea Larsen / KYMfest)
Every year the community comes out for a very special festival in Nampa. It’s called KMYfest and it was started by the family of Kymberlee Larsen who died tragically in a domestic assault six years ago.
Chelsea Larsen, Kym’s sister, survived the home invasion that took her sister’s life but struggled with finding and navigating the resources that are out there to help. She founded KYMfest to help bring together those resources and the people who need them and to help connect and heal her community.
This year’s KYMfest is set for Saturday, June 1 and Chelsea joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Primary election recap with Idaho Matters
May 22, 2024
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
Tuesday's Idaho primary election saw a major shakeup in the legislature as the struggle between hardliners and moderates in the GOP led to at least 15 incumbents losing to challengers around the state.
So who won? And who lost? And what does it mean for school choice, Idaho Launch and other hot button issues at the Statehouse? Plus, more than 40 school bonds and levies were up for grabs last night.
Then we breakdown what these results mean for Idaho with Professor McKay Cunningham, Director of On-Campus Experiential Learning at the College of Idaho.
Is our democracy under threat?
May 21, 2024
FILE - In this June 14, 2007, file photo, Abraham Lincoln's iconic stovepipe hat of questioned authenticity is photographed at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill. Now that there is no concrete evidence that the felted beaver-fur hat ever sat atop Lincoln's 6-foot-4 frame, the foundation that bought the hat as part of a 1,500-piece, $23 million deal with California collector Louise Taper is not considering asking for a refund. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman File)(Seth Perlman/AP / AP)
Since the infancy of the United States, America’s leaders from James Madison to Abraham Lincoln have warned that threats to our democracy would not come from abroad but from Americans themselves.
Dr. David Adler, President of the Alturas Institute will be holding anotherConstitutional Conversation at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 23 at the Yanke Center in Boise titled "A president and the nation’s ideals on trial: how did we drift into calamity - wisdom from Abraham Lincoln" and he joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Travel back in time to the outlaw days of Idaho
May 21, 2024
(J. Stephen Conn / Flickr )
What do you think of when you think of Idaho? Do you think of bank robberies, bandits, sunken silver ore and stashed loot in the Owyhee mountains?
These and other tales from the past are all told on "Idaho's Lost Treasures", a new show on Idaho Public Television. Producer Eric Westrom joined Idaho Matters to tell us some tales of Idaho’s past.
How one nonprofit is giving back with some paint and hard work
May 21, 2024
(Paint the Town / NeighborWorks Boise)
Next month, homes across the Treasure Valley will be getting a makeover as Neighborworks Boise kicks off their 42nd annual Paint the Town event, giving back to those in need of a little help.
Inga Hadder, Director of Communications and Community Engagement with Neighborworks Boise, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.
Will President Joe Biden protect the Owyhee Canyonlands?
May 20, 2024
( Wyatt Myskow / Inside Climate News)
The Owyhee Canyonlands is a large chunk of high desert land in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada that covers more than seven million acres.
It’s home to plants and animals, some of which can’t be found anywhere else, and it’s a playground for many who recreate along the rocks and sagebrush and for some Native Americans it’s sacred land.
Attempts to help preserve some or all of the area have failed and those who love the land are worried about threats from wildfires, invasive species, and development.
There has been a growing call for President Joe Biden to protect part of the Canyonlands under the Antiquities Act. Reporter Wyatt Myskow is the Mountain West Correspondent with Inside Climate News and he wrote about how we got to this point.
The impact of climate-fueled fires on homeowners
May 20, 2024
A Boise firefighter walks by all that remains of the poorly prepared home at a recent demonstration fire.(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
Recently, officials met in Boise to compare notes on how to avoid what some call the "uninsurable future." The Mountain West News Bureau's Murphy Woodhouse was there.
A new tool will help Ada County provide greater election transparency
May 20, 2024
(Ada County Elections )
How will I know if the ballot I fill out in the election booth gets counted? How can I check how a candidate did in my precinct? In my district?
These are questions that some voters started asking especially after the 2020 election and many worried about election integrity have flooded election offices around the country with requests for information, often overwhelming officials with the time it takes to provide the info for every public information request.
A new tool, called the Ada County Ballot Verifier, will save time, provide greater transparency and demonstrate integrity in the system. Itsfirst real-time test comes Tuesday during Idaho's primary election.
Here to tell Idaho Matters more about the system are Ada County Clerk Trent Tripple, Ada County Elections Director Saul Seyler and Civera CEO Adam Friedman.
Helping Idaho refugees find a sense of place through birding
May 20, 2024
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
(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
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
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
(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
( 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
The 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
(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
(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?"
How one school is using local food systems to teach critical thinking
May 14, 2024
Hailey’s Sage School 10th and 11th Grade Students Host Farm-To-Table Dinner.( The Sage School)
How do you teach critical thinking to high school students? Most schools might assign a paper or an end-of-year test, but at The Sage School in Hailey, Idaho, they've got something even better.
It's called "The Feast," and it's the defining project of their journey through school, incorporating everything from studying the American food system, Idaho agriculture, soil science, food justice, finances and ecosystems.
This year's feast happens Thursday, May 16, and Amy Morrison, the lead teacher for this project, along with two of the students involved, Tristan Boloix and Sarah Leidecker, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Veterans serving prison time help to refurbish bikes for Nampa community
May 14, 2024
Left to Right, Elia Lopez, Snake River Elementary Family Services Coordinator, LaRita Schandorff, NBP director, Mark Person, Vice Commander of American Legion District 3, and Mark Marshall, American Legion Rider, Post 39.( The Nampa Bicycle Project)
For years now, the Nampa Bicycle Project has been giving back to the community, providing refurbished bicycles to those in need in order to do some good.
Which was a mission that American Legion Post 201, located inside the Idaho Department of Correction, was eager to get behind.
LaRita Schandorff, Director of the Nampa Bicycle Project, and Mark Person, Vice Commander of American Legion District 3, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this project.
Local nonprofit grants the wishes of terminally ill Idahoans
May 14, 2024
Dawnel Towery and her family at a San Francisco 49ers game.( Wish Granters)
Here in Idaho, one group is helping to make the wishes of terminally ill adults come true.
For more than a decade, the nonprofit Wish Granters has been providing a little bit of hope to those who need it most. Facilitating end-of-life requests that range from spending time with elephants to skydiving to something as simple as a dinner with loved ones.
Olivia Kviklys and Kristin Jackson with Wish Granters joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the work they do.
College of Idaho to host candidate forum ahead of primary election
May 13, 2024
The College of Idaho( The College of Idaho Facebook)
Idaho's primary is set for next Tuesday, and every seat in the Idaho Legislature is up for grabs. Candidates are facing a wide range of issues, from abortion to libraries to funding public schools. So the College of Idaho is hosting a candidate forum Wednesday, May 15 to give the public a chance to hear from their candidates and ask the questions that matter to them.
McKay Cunningham, the college's director of On-Campus Experiential Learning, will be hosting the forum and joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
What kind of impact does the health care system have on our climate?
May 13, 2024
(Katherine Jones / Idaho Statesman )
Across the globe, people are feeling the impact of climate change, not just in their environment but in their health, which can mean more frequent visits to the doctor.
And though hospitals are helping to solve people's health problems, they're also inadvertently contributing to the bigger one, climate change.
Dr. Ethan Sims, Director of Environmental Sustainability and an emergency department physician at St. Luke's, and Stephanie Wicks, a sustainability leader at St. Luke's, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
'Telling the stories of women's lives' with Elizabeth Gilbert
May 13, 2024
Elizabeth Gilbert greets and talks with students from the Oregon Youth Challenge program.(Deschutes Public Library/The Penguin Group / Flickr)
Maybe you saw the movie starring Julia Roberts or read the book "Eat, Pray, Love," which was an international bestseller and sold more than 12 million copies.
New survey reveals insight into the experience of Idaho moms
May 13, 2024
(Aditya Romansa / Unsplash)
Almost 40% of mothers in Idaho say they feel tired or burned out; for working moms, that number jumps to 57%.
More than 70% of Idahoans say they don't have time to take care of their own physical needs, and almost 75% say they're just struggling to get by every day, according to a new survey by Gallup and Spark Strategic Solutions.
But despite these numbers, moms in Idaho say they find joy and hope in motherhood, and they rely heavily on their faith and spirituality to get through the rough times.
Shannon McGuire, the chief empowerment officer of Spark Strategic Solutions, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the new survey.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 10, 2024
May 10, 2024
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.
A new ambassador joins the World Center for Birds of Prey
May 09, 2024
The newest ambassador at the World Center for Birds and Prey is Salix, a baby barn owl.( The World Center for Birds and Prey)
South of Boise, 22 very special ambassadors live together in a sprawling complex in the Idaho desert. Their job is to form a bridge between people and birds to help humans better understand how to help raptors and other flying creatures in their natural environment.
The newest ambassador at The World Center for Birds of Prey is Salix, a baby barn owl. Though Salix is only a few weeks old, this small, scruffy-looking raptor is already teaching visitors and breaking hearts.
Stephanie Ashley, curator of birds, and Tate Mason, World Center for Birds of Prey Director, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about Salix and the avian ambassadors.
Editor’s Note: This story originally misnamed the World Center for Birds of Prey.
Boise State professor undertakes study to reduce risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
May 09, 2024
(Purestock / Getty Images/Purestock)
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is never an easy subject to talk about, but it is an important area of research.
The CDC is providing grants to organizations across the nation, including Boise State University, to gather data, look for trends and find ways to prevent this horrible situation from happening.
Max Veltman is a licensed pediatric nurse practitioner and an associate professor in the school of nursing, and he's working with Canyon County and other entities to collect this date. Veltman joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
New facility helps to fill the gap in Idaho foster care
May 09, 2024
(RenoCdZ / iStockphoto)
Every kid deserves a place to call home. But for years now, Idaho has been facing a shortage of foster families, leaving a gap in care that has resulted in many kids staying in short-term rentals.
Now, though, thanks to state and community efforts, a new center is helping to address this problem.
Stacy Corbett, child welfare program manager, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 8, 2024
May 08, 2024
H5N1 avian flu viruses (seen in gold) grow inside canine kidney cells (seen in green).(Cynthia Goldsmith / CDC)
Avian flu is continuing to spread in the U.S.; in fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, outbreaks in dairy cattle were first reported on March 25. As of May 2, there are known cases in nine states.
Jump to today, there is now a concerning development when it comes to the transmission of this virus. Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
Musical group 'Celtic Woman' comes to Boise
May 08, 2024
Celtic Woman perform on stage. (donal moloney / Celtic Woman)
You've seen them on PBS, and you've heard them perform all over the globe, they are Celtic Woman, and they're on their 20th anniversary tour.
As part of this tour, they'll be coming to the Morrison Center to sing and perform traditional Irish music as well as contemporary songs. Their beautiful voices, combined with a full band playing traditional Celtic instruments, have been wowing audiences for two decades.
Emma Warren is the newest member of Celtic Woman, and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho students encourage people to reduce their plastic use
May 08, 2024
( Tree Club)
The choice to use a plastic bag may seem like a small one, but it has big consequences for the environment.
Which is why students in the Treasure Valley are encouraging people to make the switch to a reusable tote. The project is being supported by the Idaho Business for the Outdoors and Albertsons in honor of Earth Month.
Rep. Ilana Rubel (D-Boise), along with Kathy Holland, a member of the Albertsons communications and public relations team, and Jisong Ryu, a junior at Timberline High, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
Outrage over a local comic highlights ski town tensions
May 08, 2024
(Dante Filpula Ankney / KHOL)
Ryan Stolp’s newspaper comic was due in 30 minutes, but he didn't know what he was going to draw. He consulted his half-baked list of ideas and then grabbed his iPad.
“I would love to tell you that I think these out more than I do,” Stolp stammered.
But he didn't have the time. Stick figure here, sketch there, speech bubble, color and… done. He sent it off to the paper — just in time.
“And that’s how Jackson, at least, gets Lift Lines,” Stolp said.
"Lift Lines" is Stolp’s satirical comic that riffs on ski culture and the lifestyle in mountain towns like Jackson. It runs three times a week in the town's daily paper as well as on Instagram to his 15,000 followers.
But this spring one of his illustrations drew community outrage — unlike any he’s done before.
“So, I knew there was this little secret,” Stolp said. “So I'm like, okay, I can fly kind of close to the sun, and I can make this joke.”
That secret was a loophole that allowed locals to avoid a $35 daily parking fee in a lot at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Parking there offers a way to avoid an about hour-long bus ride to the resort from town, or about half an hour from the park and ride lot at Stilson. Dozens — if not hundreds — of locals had been using the hack, by quickly scanning their ticket.
“I kind of felt like I stepped on a landmine that I didn't know was there." - Ryan Stolp, Lift Lines Comics
Soon after the comic ran, the group that runs the parking lot, the Teton Village Association, cracked down. No more hack, no more free parking.
Locals were not amused, to say the least. Suddenly, Stolp was targeted by spam callers and Jehovah’s Witnesses — a setup he suspects was sparked by angry locals. And among the hundreds of angry Instagram comments, he was described as public enemy number one and warned that he would get punched in the face.
“It's different when everyone that's mad is like your neighbor and your community member and your friend or your friend of a friend,” Stolp said.
Thirty-five bucks might not seem like much. But the incident highlights a friction in ski towns across the Mountain West. Skiing and snowboarding continues to grow, bringing more people to resort towns. And that drives up prices on housing, meals, lift tickets — almost everything — and many residents are feeling the squeeze.
(Connor Burkesmith)
Margaret Bowes is the executive director of the Colorado Association of Ski Towns.
“Resort and tourism-based communities have very unique challenges such as high cost of living, affordable housing issues and transportation,” Bowes said.
She said parking fees and parking tickets aim to steer people to car pools and shuttles.
“I think skiing has just really changed,” Bowes said. “It's exploded in recent years, and so gone are the days when you can drive up to your favorite resort at 9 a.m. on a Saturday and not encounter crowds.”
Still, the changes can rankle residents who long for the good old days.
“I think those of us that live in ski towns sometimes feel [that] we get fatigue,” Bowes said. “We get tourism fatigue and sometimes feel like our communities aren't our own anymore. And so there gets to be a little bit of friction.”
Julien Lacourse, who has worked as a bartender in town, has felt that friction.
He said he used the parking hack hundreds of times and saw nothing wrong with using something that was widely available — at least to those who knew.
“I don't think it's possible to steal something when it's allowed,” Lacourse said.
He said he recognizes somebody needs to manage parking but said that the Teton Village Association [TVA], well …
“They're a necessary evil, which we can all stomp our feet about because ... they're nerds,” Lacourse said. “They’re just a thorn in our side because they have to be, man. You know, the village [the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort] is the rose. They’re the thorns. That's just the way it is.”
Nerds because — well, he has gotten some tickets, pasted onto his driver's side door so well that it lasts for days.
Lacourse paid for stickers to be made that say “Defund the TVA” in bold black letters.
He said it was mostly a joke, a reaction to getting a ticket. He added that outside of a few instances, he has never had too much trouble with getting to work, even without the loophole.
He considers Stolp a friend, but said he wishes the cartoonist had apologized. He said he thinks a lot of the blowback was deserved but also that many went too far.
“Any calls to violence are outlandish. Come on guys. That’s ridiculous,” Lacourse said.
Stolp attributes the blowback to folks who are frustrated about changes in town and are looking for a scapegoat. And in this instance, he was exactly that for people’s frustration.
“I think the thing that you have an obligation to do, no matter where you are in that community, is to be a role model and steward how that community should evolve, because all things change,” Stolp said.
Recently, he was back on the mountain during Gaper Day, feeling mostly good, but maybe a little wary, he said.
“Beautiful sunrise on Tetons this morning,” Stolp said.
After riding the tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain, he clicked into his skis in front of Corbet’s Cabin. He took a minute to think about how things played out and the support he received from many.
“I think the community showed its true colors in the end and the true colors were good. That's why I live here, that’s why I love living here,” he said. “There's great people around every corner.”
And with that he shimmied over a ridge, and down into the bowl he went.
An inside look at the life of an avalanche rescue dog
May 08, 2024
(Chamonix Experience / Flickr)
Ski season is winding down, but training exercises are going on now for dogs used in avalanche and search and rescue missions. KUNR's Kat Fulwider reports.
The fight for immunity: Breaking down Donald Trump's trial
May 07, 2024
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump.(Paul Sancya / AP)
It was just about two weeks ago when the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Trump v. United States. A case that looks at the issue of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution.
During arguments, we finally got a hint of what the justices were thinking in a case that has far-reaching implications for not just former President Donald Trump but all former and future presidents.
Dr. David Adler, President of the Alturas Institute, is going to break down the case and how it relates to the U.S. Constitution on Thursday at his next constitutional conversation at Boise State University's Yanke Center. He joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Wyoming sanctuary provides new home for dogs coming from the West Bank
May 07, 2024
( CC0 Public Domain)
In the news, we hear daily about the suffering in Gaza, the crisis touches all parts of society including the pets and strays affected by the fighting.
But, an animal rescue shelter in Wyoming is stepping up to lend a hand. Wyoming Public Radio’s Jordan Uplinger reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Why more horses are showing up in the White River National Forest
May 07, 2024
(Carly Barnes / Flickr)
The White River National Forest in western Colorado uses a variety of methods to manage its 2.3 million acres, whether that's pickup trucks, all-terrain vehicles, or drones, but there's one tried and true method of getting around the wilderness that the forest service still relies on - horses and mules.
Recently, workers got some training in the saddle. Caroline Llanes reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Celebrating Idaho's archeological history
May 07, 2024
Matt Burgess shows a kid how to properly hold an atlatl at the 2023 Idaho Archaeology Fair. ( Idaho Archaeological Society )
When it comes to Idaho history, there's one group that will always be happy to dig into the Gem State's past: the Idaho Archaeological Society.
For more than 50 years, the organization has been preserving important artifacts that not only help us learn more about the state's earliest inhabitants but also how they may have impacted the way we live our lives today. And this weekend, they are celebrating that work with the Idaho Archeology Fair.
Beth Burgess, cultural resources program manager, and Craig Hauer, IAS President, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the society and their upcoming fair.
How the 'Project Safe Neighborhood' initiative is protecting Idaho communities
May 06, 2024
<i>Glock 9mm pistol with “switch” machinegun conversion device installed that Rhyne attempted to ship in the mail. (Photographs obtained from the publicly filed Government’s Sentencing Memorandum, ECF No. 55.)</i>(<i>United States Attorney's Office</i>)
Recently, three people were sentenced to prison in Idaho for possessing illegal guns or ammunition. They'll serve a combined 22 years behind bars.
U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the initiative, which brings together law enforcement agencies from all over Idaho.
Nonprofit provides mental health resources to Idaho families
May 06, 2024
(Brittany Randolph / Flickr Creative Commons)
When it comes to supporting our children's mental health, it can be hard to know where to start. Which is why organizations like FYIdaho are so important.
For 25 years, the nonprofit has been providing mental health resources to those in need, connecting parents and kids with vital services that help to empower the whole family.
Brenda Willson, Executive Director of FYIdaho, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
ACHD to make improvements to Five Mile Overpass
May 06, 2024
The bridge was built in 1966 and has two narrow lanes that carry travelers from Overland Road to Franklin. It's the only freeway overpass in Boise that has not been rebuilt to make it safer and more bike- and pedestrian-friendly.
The Ada County Highway District is planning to replace the bridge while widening the road and putting in a safe way for people and bikes to cross.
While the project is just now getting public attention, ACHD has been quietly planning the project for more than five years, and it will take another few years for the construction to be complete.
So what goes into a project like this? Rachel Speer, the project manager for the Five Mile Bridge with the Ada County Highway District, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the project.
How one dance company is 'SOARING'
May 06, 2024
Kristen Beaver, Piper Bevis and Charlotte Van Orden take part in "SOARING" an Open Arms Dance Project.(Gregg Mizuta / Open Arms Dance Project)
For more than a decade, the Open Arms Dance Project has been bringing people of different ages and abilities together for one purpose: to create joy through art.
And this year is no different, especially as the company gears up for their end-of-season performance, SOARING.
Megan Brandel, the artistic director of Open Arms, along with dancers Carol Colwell and Loey Brandel, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 3, 2024
May 03, 2024
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
How climate change is impacting snow melt
May 03, 2024
(tatranka 7 / Flickr)
Just like water managers here in Idaho, officials in the seven states that use the Colorado River are turning their eyes to the mountains to get a sense of the summer water supply. That river gets two-thirds of its water from snow in Colorado, which is just starting to melt.
KUNC's Alex Hager follows the springtime flows for the Mountain West News Bureau.
A conversation about recent free speech topics in Idaho
May 02, 2024
Freedom of expression has been recognzsed as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights">human right</a> in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights">Universal Declaration of Human Rights</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_human_rights_law">international human rights law</a> by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations">United Nations</a>.( 123rf, Boise State Public Radio)
Speech: it can define us as much as divide us. And Idaho, it appears, has found itself in the eye of that hurricane lately.
With the year not half over, 2024 has been particularly brittle: from the hyper-divisions at the Idaho Capitol to the rants of Boise State Professor Scott Yenor’s doubling down on his comments, calling feminists “medicated, meddlesome and quarrelsome.”
And Boise State is not an outlier. Just this week, college students at Yale have been charged with trespassing during protests over the Irael-Hamas war. And the University of Southern California canceled the graduation speech of a valedictorian, a Muslim, due to what the university said were “safety reasons.”
“When I look at public universities, and I’m not just talking about Boise State… once you open a public space to a speaker, the court has said, ‘you have to open that,’” said Dr. Sam Martin, scholar, professor and Frank and Bethine Church Chair Endowed Chair of Public Affairs at Boise State University. “When we affirm a person’s right to speak out and say things that we would spend our whole lives shouting against, that’s free speech.”
Martin joined Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about how public perceptions can shift over time, and how the so-called “law of the pendulum,” which can only swing too far to the left or right.
High school plant sales give Boise horticulture students a chance to show off
May 02, 2024
Every spring, students plant thousands of plants, everything from tomatoes to peppers to flowers and herbs, as part of horticulture classes at Boise area high schools. The kids grow the better known varieties of plants like Romas and Beefsteak, but they also get to experiment with tomatoes with names like Boxcar Willie, Siberian Cool Weather and Brandywine Pink.
The Borah High greenhouse is full of plants before the annual sale.(Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio )
Then when the flowers and veggies are ready, the high schools hold plant sales which are open to the public, giving everyone a chance to pick up some plants for much less than they would cost in a store.
We headed to Borah High School's greenhouse to meet with Jeremy Thompson, biology and horticulture teacher, to preview one of this year's upcoming sales. He said the kids learn how to garden from the ground up.
“We go really slow and they work with a partner and, like, hey, this is how you measure how deep this is, and this is how much potting mix you have to put in there. And this is how wet it has to be. And we do that a few times. And then after that it's like, okay, you're planting your own flat and this is what you need to do,” said Thompson.
All the plants are grown by high school students who plant seed after seed each spring.(Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio)
The greenhouse behind Borah High is filled with rows and rows of flowers and vegetables. There is a long line of tomatoes including Golden Nugget, Mortgage Lifter, San Marzano and Oregon Spring.
Who doesn't want a flower named after Dracula in their yard?(Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio)
He says the kids learn a lot as they start taking care of their own plants and they get to choose what plants they put into their hanging baskets.
“It's a learning process and yeah, sometimes it probably would be, I guess if it was in it for the profit, it might be better to say, hey, you're going to plant these things. But I think it's important for them to learn what they're planting and how well it's going to work,” Thompson said.
Rows of pepper plants are popping up including Hot Lemon, Hungarian Hot Wax and Jupiter Bell. The flowers are dazzling, from a Speedy Sonnet Mix Snapdragon to a Darlin Orange Flare Dahlia. One of the favorites for kids and buyers alike is the Dracula Celosia plant, which is a bright red-purple folded spike nestled on blood-red veined leaves.
He says at first, it’s hard for kids to see the results of all their hard work planting seed after seed, until a few weeks go by.
“All of a sudden there's all these little baby plants popping up, and then they start to get excited. And then when the flowers are all blooming, I think they find enjoyment in that and get some sort of satisfaction from, hey, I did that,” said Thompson.
The students make sure all the plants come with descriptions and tips on how they will grow.(Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio)
He says everyone is welcome to the sales, where you can pick up plants for $1 or $3 apiece. All the money raised goes back into the horticulture programs to buy more things like seeds and pots for next year’s growing season.
Borah High School Plant Sale:
Friday, May 3 10-5 p.m.
Saturday, May 4 12-4:00 p.m.
Capital High School Plant Sale:
Friday, May 10 3-6 p.m.
Saturday, May 11 10-2 p.m.
Frank Church High School Plant Sale:
Thursday, May 9 2:30-6 p.m.
Friday, May 10 12-5 p.m.
Saturday, May 11 11-2 p.m.
'Life Worth Living:' An author interview with Ryan McNally
May 02, 2024
( The Open Field)
Have you ever asked yourself this question or something similar: What makes a good life?
Well, some professors at Yale University are tackling that question in a course that's become one of the most popular on campus, and they've written a book about it. It's called "Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most."
Ryan McNally, the associate director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and one of the authors of the book, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Are wolves becoming a new tourism attraction in the Mountain West?
May 02, 2024
Wolves howl in a forest. (John Flesher / AP Images)
Months after wolves were reintroduced to the Colorado landscape, they’re expanding their range and generating buzz. Thousands are tracking them on social media and wildlife photographers are planning summer excursions to see them.
Could this mark the beginning of a new tourism attraction? KUNC’s Scott Franz reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
A film being shot in Cody, Wyoming hopes to prove the case for a state-wide film incentive
May 02, 2024
( Hannah Barefoot)
For the past two years, Wyoming tourism advocates have tried to pass a film rebate incentive program through the state legislature. Filming in the state has its challenges, mainly because it does not offer financial incentives for filmmakers like other surrounding states including Montana, Utah, and Colorado.
Although this year a film rebate incentive program wasn’t introduced during the legislative session, advocates in Cody are taking another route to try to attract films to the region.
A Western Movie
A vintage rodeo poster, an elk mount, and antique washboards. These are some of the items hanging on the walls viewable from the dancefloor at Cassie’s Steakhouse in Cody where Mike Canada organizes an open mic night.
On a weeknight in February, a handful of locals munched on steaks and baked potatoes while they enjoyed the music, but this time of year the wooden dance floor is pretty empty.
But, later this year, actor Hannah Barefoot plans to pack this former brothel turned cowboy bar and restaurant with a film crew to shoot part of her movie “Midnight Clear.” She said it's a Western set during Christmas where a single mom tries to save her family’s struggling dude ranch.
“They always say, ‘Write what you know,’ and as I was starting to think about what this script would be, I just started thinking about how much I love my hometown; I love Cody; I love Wyoming in general,” she said.
Barefoot says as the characters and the story started coming together, there was no question that it had to be set in Cody at places like the Irma Hotel, the Cowboy Palace western wear shop, and her family friend’s dude ranch near Yellowstone.
People in Hollywood liked the idea.
“But because Wyoming doesn’t have a film industry. There’s not a tax incentive; there’s no crew. And so they’re like, ‘Yeah we love this script, we’ll shoot it in Canada.’ Or, ‘We love this script, we'll shoot it in Montana or New Mexico,’” Barefoot said.
A film incentive rebate program
Wyoming had a film incentive rebate program that got started in 2009, but it went through some budget cuts and was sunsetted in 2018. In 2019, the legislature voted not to continue it.
Ever since, there have been efforts to bring it back. During last year's legislative session, Wyoming Department of Tourism Executive Director Diane Shober spoke to the Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee about the program's success.
“And during that time there were over 30 productions that took place and the economic contributions and qualified expenditures during that time were $18,329,000. Of that 18 million, $9,125,000 were in crew and salary and wages for Wyoming qualified workforce that totaled 320 different crew,” she said.
In the proposed program, some productions could qualify for up to a 30 percent rebate for Wyoming expenses for things like hiring local staff and production equipment rentals.
According to a document from the Wyoming Department of Tourism, the state is losing out to other states with film incentives, including projects like “Wind River,” “Longmire,” and “1883,” one of the “Yellowstone” prequels.
Kelly Eastes runs the film office in Casper and a newly formed one in Cody. He told the committee last year that he scouted locations several times for “1883.”
“They wanted locations outside of Casper near Independence Rock, and we had things set up for them, but the incentive drew them to Montana since we didn’t have that available to us,” he said.
A University of Montana study showed that in one year 2.1 million people were inspired by the “Yellowstone” TV show to visit Montana, and when they came, they spent an estimated $730 million.
At the legislative meeting, several members of the committee expressed concern over how Wyoming could be depicted in film projects, including Rawlins Representative Donald Burkhart.
“If a company, a film company, came to Wyoming and met all of these requirements and produced a documentary that was derogatory and disruptive to our mineral extraction industry would they qualify for these?” he asked.
Cody Representative Sandy Newsome said even though the legislation ultimately received an 8-1 yes vote from the committee and was sent to the House for debate, it was not introduced on the House floor last year.
“Well, I would like to bring it back, but there doesn’t seem an appetite in the legislature for it at this point. We had a changeover of a lot of new members who are maybe ideologically opposed to incentives of any kind,” she said.
The proposed film incentive would be funded by the state’s lodging tax, not taxpayer dollars.
A new approach
Newsome still wants the legislature to consider it in the future, but for now, she’s hoping the newly formed Cody Yellowstone film office will bring more business to Northwest Wyoming. The Park County Travel Council recently launched the film office.
“At the moment, we aren’t able to offer really any incentives, but if they are able to book their picture in the wintertime, we can get very aggressive on hotel rates for them,” said Ryan Hauck who is the Park County Travel Council’s executive director.
The film office has already negotiated hotel room rates for Barefoot’s upcoming movie and is helping her hire local talent. They can also help film projects with scouting locations, permitting, and other logistics. Barefoot said she hopes filming it in Cody during the off season will give her hometown an economic boost.
“We want to then take this film that’s done without a film incentive and then show, ‘Look at how much we did without a film incentive, how much more could we do? How much more could we accomplish if there were a film incentive, and if there were an actual industry that was a viable economic industry for this state?’” she said.
Barefoot’s film “Midnight Clear” will be shot in Cody later this year. She anticipates releasing it before the holidays in 2025.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 1, 2024
May 01, 2024
An Idaho Matters couple sent us this picture from their backyard in the East End of Boise where a pair of ducks often drop by for a drink and a quick bath. (Listener photo / Idaho Matters)
There's a whooping cough outbreak in North Idaho, Bird Flu is spreading and may have hit a third Idaho dairy and EMTALA arguments have been heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about all of this and to answer your questions, including this one: with Bird Flu spreading, should you keep feeding those ducks in your backyard?
Remembering Harriet Beecher Stowe and Harriet Tubman
Apr 30, 2024
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.
History professor Dr. Richard Bell from the University of Maryland joins Idaho Matters to talk more about these two amazing women.
Why author Patrick Hinds is embracing failure
Apr 30, 2024
Failure on board. (contrastwerkstatt/contrastwerkstatt)
You may know Patrick Hinds as one of the voices behind the tremendously successful podcast "True Crime Obsessed."
What you may not know is that Patrick is also a self professed failure, something he looks at in his new book "Failure is Not NOT an Option." He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his new book and tour.
Exploring the plants of Craters of the Moon
Apr 29, 2024
Maybe a hot, rocky landscape. A gray, empty, volcanic area where nothing grows and plants can't survive.
Well, it turns out a lot of plants can survive in this desert in Eastern Idaho, and Dr. Lynn Kinter knows firsthand. She's been studying plants for more than 35 years.
Dr. Kinter is an adjunct graduate faculty member in the department of Biological Sciences at Boise State University and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Sex, Lies and Sensibility:' An author interview with Nikki Payne
Apr 29, 2024
( Berkley)
Readers fell in love with author Nikki Payne's debut novel, "Pride and Protest," a retelling of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." It got all kinds of buzz, from Ebony Magazine to Oprah Daily.
Now Payne is back with her latest novel, "Sex, Lies and Sensibility," a modern re-working of Austen's "Sense and Sensibility." She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new release.
Finding Basque history in the trees of Idaho
Apr 29, 2024
( John Bieter)
Throughout Idaho, there is a rich history of Basque culture, a piece of which can be found in many of the forests across Idaho in the form of tree carvings.
Known as arborglyphs, these markings were commonly left by sheepherders, providing a glimpse into the past of an often overlooked population. And for years now, Boise State University professor John Bieter has made it a priority to document these fading artifacts.
Bieter joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this work and the significance of arborglyphs.
The secret life of migrating birds
Apr 29, 2024
(timber1212 / Flickr)
Though Idaho is still experiencing a bit of cold weather, the song of migrating birds is proof that spring is in the air.
And as the days continue to get longer, we'll start to see more of these returning travelers in larger numbers. From cranes to swans to swallows, birds big and small are making their way back to the Gem State, some traveling thousands of miles—a journey that many experts are still working to understand.
Including Heidi Ware Carlisle, the Education and Outreach Director of Intermountain Bird Observatory. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about migrating birds.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 26, 2024
Apr 26, 2024
A temporary memorial featuring Deputy Tobin Bolter’s patrol vehicle is set up in front of the Ada County Sheriff's Office (7200 W. Barrister Dr in Boise). Star Police, Kuna Police and Eagle Police substations also have dedicated memorial spots.( Ada County Sheriff's Office / Facebook)
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.
'Becoming Madam Secretary:' An author interview with Stephanie Dray
Apr 25, 2024
(Berkley )
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 18, 2024.
New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray is back with a look at one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, Frances Perkins. It's a name you may not be familiar with, but you should be.
Tips for supporting children with ADHD
Apr 25, 2024
(Practical Cures / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 16, 2023.
With ADHD and other diagnoses on the rise, today's youth are experiencing chronic levels of anxiety and depression. That's why it's important to make sure these children feel supported and understood. Dr. Sharon Saline is a licensed clinical psychologist, an award-winning author, and a top expert on ADHD, anxiety, and mental health challenges. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Kingdom Keepers Inheritance:' An author interview with Ridley Pearson
Apr 25, 2024
( Disney Hyperion)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 4, 2024.
New York Times bestselling author Ridley Pearson is back with his latest installation of the Kingdom Keepers series and he joined Idaho Matters to talk about his newest book.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 24, 2024
Apr 24, 2024
(Theknightcenter / Flickr)
Last month, Saltzer Health officially closed their doors, leaving many employees, doctors and patients scrambling.
Dr. David Pate, the former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to take a look at the gap this has left in the Gem State's health care, as well as the latest public health concerns that are making headlines.
The creative process of author V.E. Schwab
Apr 24, 2024
(Jenna Maurice / Tor Books)
Vampires, magic, faustian bargains ... author Victoria Schwab has written about it all. She's penned over 20 books and has an incredible following of readers.
She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her creative process and what readers can expect to see from her next.
How are climate change and an aging infrastructure affecting wildfire risk?
Apr 23, 2024
(Katherine Blunt)
It has been close to 9 months since the deadly fire in Maui destroyed the town of Lahaina and it’s been five years since a fire decimated the town of Paradise, California. Could an aging utility infrastructure, along with wildfire risk, be a major culprit behind these disasters?
Wall Street Journal reporter and author of the book “California Burning" Katherine Blunt joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these fires.
'Once Persuaded, Twice Shy:' An author interview with Melodie Edwards
Apr 23, 2024
( Berkley)
Jane Austen's classic second change romance novel, "Persuasion" is getting a modern twist in author Melodie Edwards new novel, "Once Persuaded, Twice Shy."
She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her latest release.
'HBCU Made:' A conversation with Ayesha Rascoe
Apr 23, 2024
( Algonquin Books)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on February 6, 2024.
You may know Ayesha Rascoe from her ten years of reporting for Reuters News Agency or from her time as a White House correspondent covering three different presidents, or maybe she wakes you up on Sundays as the host of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.
It’s a collection of essays from everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Branford Marsalis to Stacey Abrams who write about how attending a historically black university helped shape who they are today. Rascoe joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new book.
'Spinning Tea Cups:' An author interview with Alexandra Teague
Apr 23, 2024
( OSU Press)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 28, 2023.
University of Idaho professor Alexandra Teague is out with her latest work and this time it's a very personal look at what some would say was a quirky childhood.
The memoir "Spinning Teacups" takes us across America from Florida to Idaho and many stops in between. Teague joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Supreme Court to weigh in on abortion care in Idaho
Apr 22, 2024
( Canva)
The U.S. Supreme Court will take up an Idaho case on Wednesday that could have widespread implications around the country.
It involves an Idaho abortion law and a lawsuit filed by the Biden Administration, which argued hospitals that receive Medicare funds are required by federal law to provide emergency care, which could potentially include abortion, no matter if there's a state law banning abortion.
Idaho code allows physicians to perform abortions to prevent the death of a patient. But Boise OBGYN Dr. Sara Thomson said doctors have an ethical duty to intervene before their patients’ health deteriorates to a life-threatening emergency.
The question before SCOTUS is whether EMTALA openly and directly conflicts with a portion of Idaho's abortion law. Idaho's law has limited exceptions to providing abortions and physicians feel they cannot provide "stabilizing care" when a person needs it.
Defining what stabilizing care is is going to be a large part of the argument, but the other part is whether or not the federal government has reached too far in regards to EMTALA.
"Did the federal agency that is responsible for enforcing EMTALA go too far by making this argument that EMTALA means required abortion care? I think that the conservative justices are really going to be interested in that kind of question," said McKay Cunningham, the director of the On-Campus Experiential Learning at the College of Idaho.
EMTALA was enacted in 1986 by Congress to ensure public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay.
"A patient who is pregnant and has an emergency medical condition, the doctors are going to look at her say 'Okay, if we do not address this emergency medical condition and it may require termination, we are not going to be able to save potential bodily functions," said Peg Dougherty, the Deputy General Counsel for St. Luke's Health System. "We are not going to be able to save her reproductive organs. Those are health matters that would be able to preserve the patient's health if our doctors were able to do that."
The Idahoans United for Women and Families coalition said their poll of about 600 residents shows three out of five Idahoans believe abortions should be legal in some or almost all cases. Spokesperson Melanie Folwell said 12% believe abortions should never be legal.
The coalition is campaigning to introduce an initiative regarding the legality of abortion on the 2026 ballot. To do so, the coalition will have to gather signatures representing at least 6% of eligible voters in the most recent election, coming from at least 18 of Idaho's 35 legislative districts.
Cunningham and Dougherty joined Idaho Matters to help break down the law and the arguments coming up in the Supreme Court.
Editor's note (correction): We did reach out to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office about the EMTALA case, once in January and in April but our emails got lost in the Spam folder and were never received. We spoke with the AG’s Office after this story aired, the issue has been fixed, and we’ve extended a new invitation to come on Idaho Matters and break down the arguments on Idaho’s side of this case.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 19, 2024
Apr 19, 2024
U.S. Supreme Court building(Ian Hutchinson / Unsplash)
Idaho’s law banning gender-affirming care for youth has gone into effect, big staffing cuts have been made in the Idaho Falls school district, SCOTUS is set to take up another case involving the Gem State and we take a look at some sad news from the legislature.
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.
Idaho Gives works to support local nonprofits
Apr 19, 2024
( Idaho Gives)
Every year, the Idaho Nonprofit Center organizes what's known as Idaho Gives. It's a chance for people to come together to support the more than 9,000 groups in Idaho.
Kevin Bailey is the CEO at the center and he sat down to talk with Morning Edition host George Prentice about this years Idaho Gives.
Kevin Bacon returns to Payson High for a special farewell
Apr 19, 2024
Kevin Bacon(Silva. S / Flickr)
A high school in our region will get some Hollywood glitz for prom day this month. Kevin Bacon is coming to Utah's Payson High, where part of Footloose was filmed.
This is the movie's 40th anniversary and the school building will be torn down next year. So students and faculty have been working for months to bring home the bacon.
KUER's Ciara Hulet was at Payson High when the news went public, and has this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
The Declaration of Independence: The history and legacy
Apr 18, 2024
A replica of the Declaration of Independence showing how the document looked the day it was signed, as part of the National Archives exhibit, in Washington, D.C. (Robert Miller / Flickr)
The Declaration of Independence is a defining document in the birth of the United States.
But how much do we really know about it? Was this historical document seen primarily as a celebration of a new country or more of a divorce decree?
At issue were two laws passed last year that said student IDs could no longer be used to register to vote and that students without an Idaho drivers license would have to get an Idaho ID card or other accepted form of identification.
BABE VOTE and the League of Women Voters sued over the laws, and in a five-to-zero decision, the justices decided that the legislature has the power to set reasonable conditions on the right to vote.
Kendal Shaber, a board member of the League of Women Voters, and Olivia Luna, a BABE VOTE volunteer and student at Boise State, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
What to Watch: A drama, a biopic and a new series
Apr 18, 2024
FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2007 file photo, British singer Amy Winehouse poses for photographs after being interviewed by The Associated Press at a studio in north London. Friday, July 23, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the death of the iconic British pop singer, who died at her home in Camden. Her death was attributed to accidental alcohol poisoning. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)(Matt Dunham/AP / AP)
If you're looking for something to watch this weekend, we have a variety of choices for you! From the #1 Box Office movie "Civil War" to a biopic about Amy Winehouse to a retrospective of Conan O'Brien, we have something for everyone!
Our resident movie critic, George Prentice, joined Idaho Matters to help us figure out What to Watch.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 17, 2024
Apr 17, 2024
(AP Images)
A disease caused by rats is on the rise and when is the best time to get the latest COVID vaccine?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about all of this.
Nonprofit encourages cultural exchange through art
Apr 17, 2024
Two people shake hands.(webgirltj / Flickr)
Next week, a new exhibit will be coming to Idaho, sharing images and stories from around the world in an effort to connect communities and encourage cultural exchanges among our future leaders.
An endeavor that Global Ties Idaho has been supporting for more than a decade as they work to create lasting impact.
Carole Schroeder, the executive director of Global Ties Idaho, and Maya Duratovic, a Global Ties Idaho board member, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Classical guitarist Jack Sanders comes to Idaho
Apr 17, 2024
Jack Sanders( Craig Ferre)
For more than 30 years, the Piatigorsky Foundation has been providing communities across the country with unique access to classical music.
And Thursday, April 18, the organization will be here in Idaho for a special concert featuring classical guitarist Jack Sanders. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the importance of sharing this music.
The Boise Philharmonic welcomes a new executive director
Apr 17, 2024
Brandon VanWaeyenberghe and his dog Barley.( Zenith City Photography)
This May, one of Idaho's most beloved performing arts organizations, the Boise Philharmonic, will be welcoming a new executive director, Brandon Vanwaeyenberghe.
With more than ten years of experience in the world of orchestra, he is sure to bring something special to the Philharmonics next season of music. Vanwaeyenberghe joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his new role.
Supporting the mental health of Idaho youth with upstream prevention
Apr 16, 2024
(Ute Grabowsky / Photothek via Getty Images)
Across the United States, kids are struggling with their mental health and here in Idaho, we're seeing the same problem. One which was made even more stark after the suicide of four Boise students late last year.
Now as the community joins together in support of our kids, one group is working on a way to address the mental health struggles of our youth before they reach a crisis point.
Managing flooding on the Boise River Greenbelt
Apr 16, 2024
(James G. Edmondson2014 / Flickr)
As the weather warms up, snow is melting and water is filling up the Boise River, sometimes overflowing the river banks.
That can mean flooding on the Greenbelt, and Boise Parks and Recreation spends a lot of time each year managing closures and keeping the public up-to-date on what's closed and what's open.
And when the flooding is over, the department has a short window to repair and stabilize the river banks. Sara Arkle, parks resources superintendent, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this work.
'The Weight of Nature:' An author interview with Clayton Page Aldern
Apr 16, 2024
The book cover of "The Weight of Nature" by Clayton Page Aldern.( Dutton)
The Earth's changing climate, from hotter days to more dangerous weather events, could be impacting our brains in ways we are only just learning about.
Solutions to increasing energy in the West
Apr 15, 2024
Wind turbines in the west.(Dennis Schroeder / National Renewable Energy Lab)
As the need for energy grows across the west and more focus is being shifted to low-carbon resources, people are asking important questions like: How do we bring this kind of energy online reliably? And how do we deliver that new energy safely to the communities that need it?
Peter Gower is the climate and renewable energy program director at The Nature Conservancy's Western U.S. and Canada division, and he'll be talking about these challenges at the Andrus Center Environmental Conference at Boise State on Tuesday, April 16, and he joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Creating safe places for children with HOPE
Apr 15, 2024
(lori05871 / Flickr)
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and in an effort to bring more awareness to our community, we're taking a few minutes each week to focus on important work that's being done to help ensure healthy outcomes for Idaho kids.
'Kid Lightning' brings a unique story to the stage
Apr 15, 2024
The production of "Kid Lightning" will take to the stage on April 26th and the 27th. (LED )
Award-winning arts organization LED is back with two performances of Kid Lightning at Boise's Morrison Center. Lauren Edson, co-founder of LED, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming production.
Why Idaho students are advocating for wolves in a new documentary
Apr 15, 2024
Wolves howl in a forest. (John Flesher / AP Images)
A new film being made in Idaho, "Children of the Wolves," features a group of Timberline High School students and a wolf pack from the Gem State.
Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with executive producers Matthew Podolsky and Seth Randal, as well as film director Barb Kuensting, to talk more about the documentary.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 12, 2024
Apr 12, 2024
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio)
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
How do you solve a problem like a new production of The Sound of Music? Look at it through a modern lens
Apr 12, 2024
The creative team behind The Sound of Music, produced by Boise State, include Darrin Purdy, Gordon Reinhart and Caitlin Burke.
A crisis of faith. The struggle of single parenthood. And a growing threat of racist demagoguery. Any one of these themes could be the foundation for 21st century drama. But together they were the pillars of a 1959 Broadway show which, in turn, became one of, if not the most, loved films of all time: The Sound of Music.
“Whether it’s Shakespeare or Rogers and Hammerstein or a brand new play, I can draw a line from the text to my current life and what I’m seeing in the world,” said Gordon Reinhart, director of the new production. “It feels similar to our current moment in the world.”
Reinhart joined Darrin Purdy, director of Boise State’s theatre and costume design and Caitlin Burke, who plays Mother Abbess, to visit with Morning Edition host George Prentice to preview their production.
Find reporter George Prentice on Twitter @georgepren
Copyright 2024 Boise State Public Radio
From Yellowstone to the Bundys, this new book reconsiders the toxicity of our modern myths
Apr 11, 2024
Betsy Gaines Quammen is the author of True West, Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America.( Torrey House Press, Betsy Gaines Quammen)
Betsy Gaines Quammen, who chronicled the infamy of the Bundy family in the bestselling American Zion, says that experience inspired her to further examine the truths and myths of modern American western culture. The result is her new book, True West.
“The onslaught of misinformation has attached itself to the Western myth in the last few years, leaving outright lies embedded in Western legends,” said Quammen. “And people have built their own versions of the truth on altars, disregarding limits of land, vulnerable people and unique cultures.”
In anticipation of her return to Idaho, as a guest of the Frank Church Institute, Quammen visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about her personal and professional inspirations, and why she says she now feels more hopeful since finishing True West.
Read the full transcript below:
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. G-od morning, I'm George Prentice. You may not have yet heard of the new must-read book True West. Don't worry. You will. Its author is Dr Betsy Gaines Quammen, who gave us the bestseller American Zion, which chronicled the infamy of Cliven Bundy and his acolytes. She will be the guest of the Frank Church Institute at the Boise State Special Events Center come April 10th. And this morning, we're excited that she can spend some time with us. Dr. Betsy Gaines Quammen, good morning.
DR. BETSY GAINES QUAMMEN: Good morning George. It's great to be here.
PRENTICE: I'm going to ask a favor of you to read a passage of your book's introduction, beginning with the words, “The West is a place of diverse stories….” Could you read that for us?
QUAMMEN: Of course:
"The West is a place of diverse stories, symbols and signals and inescapable myths. There is a perception of profuse liberty, copious machismo, untrammeled wilderness, rugged individualism discovered and free lands, cowboy heroics, blank slates, conquered spaces, reliable rain that follows the plow tilling into arid lands, and enduring frontier. These myths continue to wind through ways of seeing this place and its peoples, creating hurdles and caring for the environment and communities…further gumming up the works. The onslaught of misinformation has attached itself to Western myth in the last few years, leaving outright lies embedded in Western legends. People have built their own versions of the truth on altars… disregarding the limits of land, vulnerable people, and unique cultures and the essentiality of relationships. Right now, there is too much being asked of the West. It sits between history and expectation, a place saddled with hopes it can't fulfill."
PRENTICE: I can't get over your title. True West. Can I assume that it may be a play on words, because the modern West, quite frankly, has a complicated relationship with the truth.
QUAMMEN: Yeah, that's a great question. Of course, it was Sam Shepard's play, True West. But I also really thought it was interesting in the sense that so many people have their own version of a “true” West. What is a true West? And this book… this exploration is really going around and talking to people from different cultures, from different political points of view, from communities that have different sources of information and finding out what they see as the “true” West. Soit's a play on words, but it's also our situation… that so many of us have versions of our own true West.
PRENTICE: Your book lands in the eye of a 2024 hurricane, which is to say, this year's session of the Idaho Legislature; plus the recent ugliness in North Idaho; plus there isn't a day that goes by that somebody doesn't either think about or update the Bundy story. And goodness knows that The Idaho Freedom Foundation ends up on many front pages. I have to assume that you worked on this for years, but it is landing at a very particular moment, especially in Idaho's history.
QUAMMEN: There's a lot of Idaho in this book. In fact, I think I talk about Idaho more than any other Western state, and I have been working on it for a while. I did my dissertation on the settlement by :Latter Day Saints of the West, and looking at how some of the foundational ideas in early Mormon church theology informed the Bundys. So that was my dissertation. My first book was on the Bundys and “the cowboy myth,” as well as this idea of Mormon values that went into their fight. And I should say that the Mormon Church has not condoned this. The Church of Latter Day Saints has not condoned this. So, the Bundys, however, are informed by that. And I took that this was kind of a companion piece, True West, to some of those ideas, looking at how other mythologies inform what's happening right now in the West. And it does look at the Bundy battle of Bunkerville, which was the event that happened in 2014. And in 2015, I went and visited the family and talked to them about :Latter Day Saint ideas that inform their land use war. As you might recall, there was an armed standoff in Nevada, and a lot of what happened there was foundational to ongoing extremism in this country. And I trace what happened there to the January 6th Insurrection… and look at the Western roots of that. So that's one piece of the book that I had been working on for quite a while.
PRENTICE: American Zion took that deep dive into Cliven Bundy and his acolytes. Did that kick the door open for you? Did that then prompt your decision to open up more of the West with this book?
QUAMMEN: Yeah, absolutely. It really did. I'm not sure if you recall, during the Oregon trial, and this was a year after I visited the family, Ryan and Ammon Bundy went and were part of a takeover of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. And during that trial, Ammon wanted to dress up like a cowboy. He really felt like presenting himself as a cowboy would somehow appeal to the jury at the time, and it got me thinking about how prominently this cowboy mythology continues to configure in our imaginations. And with the show Yellowstone, that completely changed my community. Yellowstone being the show with Kevin Costner, really romanticizing the West, tapping into Western mythology. And I had this idea when I began to think about cowboy mythology, the Bundys and the West, and how Hollywood continues with iteration after iteration in perpetuating cowboy mythology and what it was doing to the West. And I think that during COVID and again, these are all the things I layer in the book - the extremism, the polarization and pandemic - and what it was doing in terms of making Western mythology become ever more prominent in American culture. And because many Americans were living through situations where they had to shelter in place, they weren't able to get out. Yellowstone really loomed large. I mean, this was a show of sweeping landscapes, and it was a show of this sort of hyper freedom, again, cowboy mythology. And so, I looked at that kind of pop culture, I looked at the Bundys, and then I looked at all the things that the West was conjuring in the American imagination and what that was doing to our communities.
PRENTICE: Do you think about where he might be? To be sure, there are bench warrants out [Ammon Bundy’s] arrest. Is it your sense that he is hiding in plain sight somewhere?
QUAMMEN: Well, ve found him in Utah, according to this latest piece that came out a day or two ago, that they have found him in Utah.
PRENTICE: Your home is in Montana.
QUAMMEN: Yes, yes, I live in Bozeman, Montana.
PRENTICE: What is it like when your neighbors know who you are, what you do, and what you've written?
QUAMMEN: Oh my gosh. I've had the same neighbors for a very long time, and, uh, and, they're wonderful and they're very supportive. I think that people… they wonder why I'm so interested in this. I do have a lot of people ask, you know, if I feel safe and I think I'd be miserable if I wasn't going out and learning about it. I feel much better knowing where we are and what's happening to our communities and what's happening to our neighbors. One of the reasons why I was so eager to write this book is I really wanted to see what, again….what these truths are. And if there was an opportunity for reconciliation, if there was an opportunity for relationship building. And I have to say that I ended up feeling more hopeful after I finished this book than I did going into it. I am the kind of person that really needs to understand where we are and be talking to people, and I really felt like after doing this, that was going to be part of the remedy that that in engaging with other people, even with very different ideas, that that that was going to move us forward and, and again, I should say not talking to everybody. There are definitely bad guys out there. And I write about that in, in the book. But I did find that there are people right now being inundated by disinformation and by polarization. And in the process of engaging them in conversation, I had people say to me, ”If I if I hadn't talked to you, I would have been afraid of you.” And that was ever more motivating to me to continue with this dialog and with this conversation. So in terms of how people have perceived me or have asked, you know, “Do you feel afraid?” I felt less afraid after I finished this book.
PRENTICE: Do you think the West could survive without its myths? Because one person's myth is another person's lie. And my sense is many of these myths are just baked-in to the modern West.
QUAMMEN: Yeah, I think so. You know, it's something I've thought about a lot because white people foisted our myths onto the West. And, and I do think that indigenous populations would feel a lot better without white Western mythology. And yet, I think with settler colonialism and with the white population, uh, settling the West, they did bring with them these myths and, and some of them were, um, biblical. Some of them were, you know, I mean, manifest Destiny has, has biblical, uh, layers to it. And I think that when we began to, to perpetuate these things, we did bake them into this geography. And it's for better or for worse. And I think that it's very important for us to understand these myths in order for them to not grow ever more toxic. And I think that, you know, when I look at the dangers of these myths, in addition to the awful consequences of, um, settler colonialism, but I also look at this idea of ongoing abundance that that, you know, we have this expectation that the West will continue to provide. And, you know, we do know that there are limits to the West. But these myths, without fully examining them, continue to be toxic.
PRENTICE: From the Bundys to the Idaho Freedom Foundation, to the very contemporary references to North Idaho's troubled past and how it reignites to this very day… It's all here. Dr. Betsy Gaines, Quammen is the author, and the book is True West and circle, April 10th on your calendar. She's at the Boise State Special Events Center, a guest of the Frank Church Institute. Dr Quammen, congratulations on this blow-the-door-off- the-hinges book. I can't wait to talk to more people as they read it. And for now, thanks for giving me some time this morning.
QUAMMEN: It's been my pleasure. Thank you so much, George.
Find reporter George Prentice on Twitter @georgepren
Copyright 2024 Boise State Public Radio
How some groups are using indigenous science to restore ecosystems
Apr 11, 2024
(Dave Kimble/USFWS Mountain-Prairie / Flickr)
In 2015, the Soda Fire burned 280,000 acres of mostly sage grouse habitat in southwest Idaho.
Immediately after the wildfire was out, officials went to work trying to restore the landscape using thousands of pounds of seeds, herbicides and millions of dollars to keep out invasive plants and provide food and shelter to sage grouses, pygmy rabbits, golden eagles and the other animals that live there.
But many scientists are finding that some landscapes can come back on their own or with much less invasive help from people, and there are more and more examples of this kind of restoration popping up around the West.
Local book service offers new way for Idahoans to explore the world of literature
Apr 11, 2024
An Idaho Talking Book Service device. (Idaho Talking Book Service / Idaho Commission for Libraries)
The world of literature can take you many places, from a cell in the prison of Château d'If to the halls of Netherfield and the skies of Neverland.
Books open different realities, and that's something everyone should have access to too. Which is why resources like the Idaho Talking Book Service are so important.
The audiobook library provides hundreds of hours of free narration to Idahoans who are unable to read standard print. Rachel Welker, the Idaho Talking Book Service program specialist, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this service.
How one small instrument has inspired generations of Idahoans
Apr 11, 2024
(Robert Bales / Flickr)
Every year, one small instrument draws hundreds of people together in Yellow Pine, Idaho.
For more than 30 years, the harmonica has played an important role in this mountain community, bringing people together to celebrate not just music but a unique history with the Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival.
And in anticipation of this event organizers are hosting a fundraiser to help support it.
Longtime supporters of the festival Brent Palmatier, Jason Stephens and TeJay Rogers joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 10, 2024
Apr 10, 2024
(iStockphoto)
The World Health Organization is reporting there's an upswing in diphtheria cases due to under vaccination.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this as well as other public health concerns.
A look back at the 2024 legislative session with Rep. Brooke Green
Apr 10, 2024
The Idaho Senate gathers in the Statehouse in Boise, Idaho. (Keith Ridler / AP)
The 2024 Idaho Legislative Session came to an end on Wednesday.
And as lawmakers wrap up the states business for another year, our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Rep. Brooke Green (D-Boise) for her take on what did and did not happen during the session, some of which was very personal for her.
How Idaho native Cristy 'Code Red' Nickle is making a big comeback
Apr 10, 2024
(Kultura PR International LLC / Tri-Digital Group )
The new documentary "Code Red: Diaries of Madness" will be premiering Friday, April 12 to audiences across the country.
The film follows Idaho native Cristy "Code Red" Nickles as she prepares to make her comeback in the world of competitive bodybuilding after nearly 20 years away from the stage.
Nickles joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this exciting debut.
Nonprofit helps to support local food producers with new restaurant
Apr 10, 2024
( City of Good )
City of Good is a Boise-based nonprofit that works to build a sustainable food system by supporting local food producers as well as making sure there is equitable access to local food for everyone. Now, it has opened a restaurant.
Britt Udesen, executive director of the City of Good, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Final jury selection made in Chad Daybell trial
Apr 09, 2024
Chad Daybell, left, sits with his defense attorney John Prior during his preliminary hearing in St. Anthony, Idaho, on Tuesday, August 4, 2020.(Joan Roark / Pool/Associated Press)
A jury has been picked for the Chad Daybell murder trial.
The pool of 50 people was whittled down to 12 jurors and six alternates who will sit through the two-month death penalty trial for the man accused of killing his ex-wife, Tammy, as well as 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.
Nate Eaton, News Director at EastIdahoNews.com, joined Idaho Matters for an update.
A breakdown of Donald Trump's Project 2025
Apr 09, 2024
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump.(Paul Sancya / AP)
Former President Donald Trump has a blueprint for his transition back into the Oval Office if he wins the election in November, and it's called Project 2025.
What is this project, and what would it do? Dr. David Adler, a constitutional scholar and president of the Alturas Institute, joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
Coping with Parkinson's through dance
Apr 09, 2024
( Dance for Parkinson's Idaho)
Each Monday afternoon, a special group of dancers gather in downtown boise for an hour of music and movement.
And while the participants of this class are not training to be on stage, they are working towards something important: a renewed connection with their bodies. Something that many people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease feel they lose.
Which is why the instructors at Dance for Parkinson's Idaho dedicate one afternoon a week to fostering this connection.
Liz Keller, director and lead teaching artist at Dance for Parkinsons Idaho, and Georgiann Raimondi, board president of the nonprofit, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
The impact trees have on our health
Apr 09, 2024
(Marco Saccardi / Flickr )
Boise is known as the City of Trees, and despite being in a desert, it has a fairly substantial urban forest.
More and more researchers are finding that trees aren't just beautiful to look at: they also provide health benefits, from lowering blood pressure to helping babies grow and thrive. And cities and companies are working together to create healthier environments by planting trees.
A conversation with Debbie Critchfield: The impact of education policy on Idaho schools and kids
Apr 08, 2024
Idaho's Superintendent of Public Instruction has been watching the Idaho legislature closely this year as lawmakers consider giving public schools a giant chunk of the state budget.
Debbie Critchfield is in her second year as the head of Idaho's public K–12 school system, and now that the legislature is wrapping up, she's about to go on a statewide tour to talk with school officials about education policy coming out of the legislature this year and how it will affect schools and kids.
She agreed to give Idaho Matters a preview and we started the conversation with the roughly $2 billion school facilities bill that passed this session.
'The Bump:' An author interview with Sidney Karger
Apr 08, 2024
Last year, we introduced you to a rom-com novel called "Best Men," which explored what it was like for one gay man looking for love in New York City.
The book was met with much-deserved buzz, being featured on Good Morning America, the Today Show, and Bravo's Watch What Happens Live.
Now Sidney Karger is back with his latest novel, "The Bump," which comes out on May 21, and he joined Idaho Matters to talk about the new release.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 5, 2024
Apr 05, 2024
The Idaho state flag hangs in the State Capitol in Boise, Idaho.(Kyle Green / AP)
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.
Idaho primaries: Everybody pays for them, far from everyone votes
Apr 05, 2024
Nick Troiano is founding executive director of Unite America and author of The Primary Solution.( George Prentice, Unite America)
Idaho is inching toward another primary season. But that also means an election that is defined, in large part, by who’s inside and who’s outside. The “closed” GOP primary means a good many Idahoans don’t participate in who might end up governing the Gem State. That said, those same citizens pay for those primaries, whether they’re allowed to participate or not.
“All citizens of Idaho and across the country are paying for the administration of these primary elections. These are government-run and taxpayer-funded,” said Nick Troiano, founding executive director of Unite America. “And that's the reason every voter should have the freedom to vote for any candidate in every election.”
During his recent visit to Idaho where he participated in a Hackfort panel discussion on Idaho’s primary system, Troiano visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice.
Read the full transcript below:
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Good morning, I'm George Prentice. We're going to wade back into political waters for the next several minutes. Nick Troiano is here. He is the founding executive director of an organization called Unite America, which looks to foster what it calls a more functional government. Mr. Troiano is in Idaho to participate in one of Treefort's many events. In fact, it's part of Hackfort, and the event poses the question “Could Opening Idaho's Primaries Improve Governance?” Mr. Troiano, good morning.
NICK TROIANO: Great to be with you, George.
PRENTICE: The title of this event...It's almost hypothetical because my sense is, what you advocate for on a regular basis, on a daily basis, is to have more open government and more open primaries.
TROIANO: Yes, yes. And I recently wrote a book called The Primary Solution that makes an argument that party primaries have become the biggest solvable problem in our politics today.
PRENTICE: Solvable?
TROIANO: Yes. Emphasis on solvable because there are many problems, but this is the one. I believe that not only can we fix, but if we do, we'll make a significant impact on improving government.
PRENTICE: Do you have a sense of why we haven't fixed it, or is it that we've gotten to this space where we are more divided and…quite possibly dysfunctional in the process?
TROIANO: Well, a couple of things have shifted over the past two decades in particular, that have made party primaries a big driver of political division and dysfunction. You know, the first is that there has been a dramatic decrease in how competitive legislative districts are. The overwhelming number of them are lopsided so that they entirely favor Democrats or Republicans.
PRENTICE: Well, welcome to Idaho…. where we have a supermajority and the Republican Party has a closed primary
TROIANO: Which means that the November election is over in most places before it even begins.
PRENTICE: For certain. Our upcoming primary, quite frankly, has become a lot more critical.
TROIANO: So that's challenge No. 1: that the primary is the whole ball game. And challenge No. 2 is that fewer people are able to participate in these elections by virtue of the way that they are registered to vote. As you know, about a decade ago, Idaho closed its primaries. It used to be open so that anyone can participate. Today, it's only those that are registered with the Republican Party, which not only locks out the other party, but it also locks out the growing number of voters that are unaffiliated with either party, which happened to be close to a majority of veterans, a majority of young people, which means that these elections are not representative of a true majority.
PRENTICE: But the Constitution doesn't say anything about how parties choose their candidates, and the parties basically pick the rules. So how do you punch through that bag?
TROIANO: Yeah, the Constitution doesn't even talk about political parties. You know, the founders didn't imagine that there would be the parties, but they developed over time. And then they had to choose a way of selecting their standard bearer, which is how we invented the direct primary a century ago. But in the modern era, the challenge is that all citizens of Idaho and across the country are paying for the administration of these primary elections. And by virtue of that, these are not elections that are solely for these private organizations. These are government run and taxpayer funded. And that's the reason why we believe that every voter should have the freedom to vote for any candidate in every election.
PRENTICE: Is the intention to codify this, because, again, the party is going to do what the party is going to do.
TROIANO: And they ought to have their own discretion in the way that they recruit, support and endorse candidates. What the government does in its own election should be a separate question. And right now, across the state of Idaho, there are 2000 volunteers gathering over 60,000 signatures to put an initiative on this November's ballot that would open the primaries so that every voter can vote for any candidate in every election.
PRENTICE: I'm guessing you may have also heard that it's becoming increasingly difficult to put initiatives on ballots.
TROIANO: But the state, as many Western states do, has a proud tradition of the initiative process, where if the legislature is not being responsive to the will of the majority, there is a way for citizens to rise up and demand that kind of accountability. And that is how other states, including Alaska and Nevada in recent years, have pursued changes similar to what we're now seeing in Idaho. So it's entirely possible, and it's necessary if people are displeased with the outcomes that they're seeing in government and that and the options they're seeing on their ballot. The solution to that is to address the systemic cause of that, which is our party primary system.
PRENTICE: I don't think it's a big secret that a fair amount of people register as Republicans who are nowhere near identifying themselves truly as Republicans, just so they can participate in that primary. That's probably not too uncommon, but I'm also going to guess that's kind of a side door or a back door way of getting into this, right?
TROIANO: Yeah. And it's also one of the reasons why, when those opponents claim, oh, we can't do this, because then others are going to be trying to select our candidate. Well guess what? It's already happening and it's not producing good outcomes at that. And so the system that the state would move. Two under this proposed initiative would be the parties can use their own process to nominate a candidate, but the citizens of Idaho and their taxpayer funded elections ought to have a process by which every voter has a right to vote for anyone. And then secondly, and importantly, a majority winner is selected. Right now in our elections, you only need to win the most votes one more than your opponent, not a true majority. And our government was founded on the idea of a representative republic where we would elect leaders who would represent a majority of voters. We don't have that today. So that's the other part that this would initiative would do.
PRENTICE: And again, this effort... am I hearing you right? This effort is a state-by-state effort. It's not necessarily some national campaign.
TROIANO: Exactly. Which is part of the reason why I believe this problem is so solvable is that it doesn't require a constitutional amendment. It doesn't require an act of Congress. Every state, the Constitution says, can set the time, place, and manner of their elections. And so states have done this legislatively. States have done this at the ballot of changing their laws to better represent the true will of the majority.
PRENTICE: He is Nick Troiano, and he is the founding executive director of Unite America. Mr. Troiano, have a good time in your visit here to Idaho. We hope you come back often, but for now, thanks for giving us some time this morning.
We hear about companies getting hit by hackers every day and it often becomes background noise because we aren't always directly affected.
But the Washington Post has reported that as many as 50 percent of the medical claims in the U.S. go through Change Healthcare, including claims by many Idaho hospitals and doctors.
Doctors, hospitals, and patients have been impacted, causing confusion over claims getting processed and even delays in approvals for medical care.
Wes Trexler, the Deputy Director of the Idaho Department of Insurance, joined Idaho Matters for an update on this issue.
How death doulas are assisting people at the end of their life
Apr 04, 2024
Bubbie holding Adam's hand and looking at photos
(Getting Better Shots / Flickr)
Dealing with the loss of a loved one is never easy, even when you know it's coming. And it can be even harder when you're the one leaving people behind.
Which is why some families choose to enlist the help of a death doula, a person who provides guidance and support for those facing their final moments.
While this role is not necessarily a new one, it is part of a still-growing field, one that is becoming more popular as end-of-life care continues to evolve.
End-of-life doulas Karen Midlo, and Alex Glynn join Idaho Matters to talk more about this profession.
Lack of snow threatens the sport of skijoring
Apr 04, 2024
(Jessica Robinson / Northwest News Network)
Each winter, the sport of skijoring brings lots of money and visitors to small communities in our region. But this all depends on snow, and this year, it's been tricky. Wyoming Public Radio's Caitlin Tan reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
What to Watch: Movies to see and movies to avoid
Apr 04, 2024
(ciaraanicolee / Flickr)
There are some new movies out in theaters; we'll tell you what's worth checking out and what to avoid, plus one of TV's best comedies is signing off for the last time.
Resident movie critic George Prentice joins Idaho Matters to help us figure out What to Watch.
The history of hate groups in Idaho
Apr 03, 2024
FILE - In this May 22, 2001, file photo, a worker moves children's play equipment away from a watch tower and off the property of the former headquarters of the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations, near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Nearly two decades after the compound was demolished, far-right extremists are maintaining a presence in the Pacific Northwest. White nationalism has been on the rise across the U.S., but it has particular resonance along the Idaho-Washington border. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)(Elaine Thompson/AP / AP)
Police in Coeur d’Alene are still investigating allegations of racial harassment against the University of Utah basketball team. According to reports by the team last month, racial slurs and a Confederate flag were part of the incident.
Two years ago, 31 members of a group called the “Patriot Front” were arrested and charged with conspiring to riot during a Pride Festival event also in Coeur d’Alene.
Four years ago, Boise’s Anne Frank Memorial was defaced with swastikas.
Racial hate is not new to Idaho, and the Aryan Nations are a big part of the history of hate in the Gem State.
Alisha Graefe has been studying the Aryan Nations in Idaho for years. She’s an archivist at the Albertsons Library at Boise State University, and she’ll be giving a talk on April 11th at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Boise. She joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Boise Foothills trails reopen for spring
Apr 03, 2024
(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)
Now that the days are getting warmer, hiking trails are opening back up in the Boise Foothills.
So, as more people start to spend time outside, we thought we'd invite David Gordon, the Ridge to Rivers Trail Manager, to tell Idaho Matters about the popular recreation spots that are once again accessible.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 3, 2024
Apr 03, 2024
(Michael_McCullough / Flickr Creative Commons)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed the detection of a highly pathogenic avian influenza in an Idaho dairy herd.
Cows at a Cassia County Dairy operation started experiencing symptoms shortly after the farm received a shipment of cattle from an operation in Texas, where cows there later tested positive.
Dr. David Pate, the former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this and its impact on the Gem State.
Local nonprofit works to support black entrepreneurs in Idaho
Apr 03, 2024
Executive Admin from the Idaho Black Community Alliance. (Andrea Dixey / IBCA)
Last Friday, a group of people gathered in Meridian to help support and uplift black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs in Idaho. The occasion was the grand opening of a new community space by the Idaho Black Community Alliance.
We wanted to know more about the space and the Alliance, so we asked Trish Walker, the CEO and Founder of the Idaho Black Community Alliance, to join Idaho Matters and tell us more.
The history of hate groups in Idaho
Apr 03, 2024
FILE - In this May 22, 2001, file photo, a worker moves children's play equipment away from a watch tower and off the property of the former headquarters of the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations, near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Nearly two decades after the compound was demolished, far-right extremists are maintaining a presence in the Pacific Northwest. White nationalism has been on the rise across the U.S., but it has particular resonance along the Idaho-Washington border. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)(Elaine Thompson/AP / AP)
Police in Coeur d’Alene are still investigating allegations of racial harassment against the University of Utah basketball team. According to reports by the team last month, racial slurs and a Confederate flag were part of the incident.
Two years ago, 31 members of a group called the “Patriot Front” were arrested and charged with conspiring to riot during a Pride Festival event also in Coeur d’Alene.
Four years ago, Boise’s Anne Frank Memorial was defaced with swastikas.
Racial hate is not new to Idaho, and the Aryan Nations are a big part of the history of hate in the Gem State.
Alisha Graefe has been studying the Aryan Nations in Idaho for years. She’s an archivist at the Albertsons Library at Boise State University, and she’ll be giving a talk on April 11th at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Boise. She joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Everything you need to know about next week's total solar eclipse
Apr 02, 2024
The total solar eclipse from 2017. (Mark Teufel / Flickr)
Next week, millions of people across the country will be cast in the moon's shadow during the total solar eclipse. A celestial event that the United States won't experience again for nearly 20 years.
Brian Jackson, Associate Professor for the Department of Physics at Boise State University, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about what to expect.
Jury selection for Chad Daybell trial begins
Apr 02, 2024
Chad Daybell sits during a court hearing, Aug. 4, 2020, in St. Anthony, Idaho. (John Roark/AP / Pool The Idaho Post-Register)
It's been almost five years since two eastern Idaho children went missing and were later found burned and buried on the property of Chad Daybell. Now his trial has begun.
Daybell is accused of killing seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow,his sister Tylee Ryan and his ex-wife, Tammy Daybell.Daybell pleaded not guilty in the case and faces the death penalty.
His wife, Lori Vallow, was convicted last year in the deaths of her two children.
All Things Considered Host Troy Oppie watched the first day of the trial, where jury selection is taking place, and he joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Did lawmakers violate open meetings law?
Apr 02, 2024
The Idaho Senate gathers in the Statehouse in Boise, Idaho.(Keith Ridler / AP)
Did lawmakers at the Idaho legislature violate open meetings laws? That’s the question swirling around the Statehouse after an impromptu and unannounced meeting of some of the members of the powerful budget writing committee last Thursday, March 28.
It’s a joint committee, meaning lawmakers from both the House and Senate gather to produce the budgets that spend taxpayer money to keep the state running.
The legislature is exempted from some of the state open meetings laws, and on Friday, March 29, the head of the senate side of the committee told Idaho Reports that it was not an official meeting.
We wanted to know more, so we asked Logan Finney with Idaho Reports on Idaho Public Television to join Idaho Matters.
The music of Mark and Maggie O'Connor returns to Idaho
Apr 02, 2024
Mark and Maggie O'Connor( Maia Rosenfeld)
For nearly his whole life, Mark O'Connor has been playing music.
Except for Prince, he was the youngest artist to ever sign a recording contract with Warner Brothers and went on to win three Grammys and become a seven-time CMA musician of the year.
Now he makes music with his wife Maggie, who plays violin, and picked up a Grammy playing bluegrass with the O’Connor Band during COVID.
The dynamic duo will be visiting Idaho this month as they get ready to release their new album “Life After Life,” and they joined Idaho Matters for a chat.
Despite their best laid plans, the Idaho Legislature did not go home on Friday after some stumbling blocks, like the budget for the Idaho Transportation Department, which got shot down by lawmakers.
So what happens now? Legislators plan to come back to the Statehouse Tuesday, April 2, and Idaho Matters sat down with political reporter James Dawson to find out more.
Celebrating 40 years of music with the Braun Brothers
Apr 01, 2024
Last month, we learned that the popular Braun Brothers Reunion Festival would celebrate its 40th anniversary in Idaho in August.
It was back in 1984 when Muzzie Braun and his wife launched the popular music festival, and it's been going strong for four decades.
The festival started in Stanley, then moved to Challis, where every year the small town is inundated with over 3,000 fans of the brothers and their music.
Two of the Braun brothers, Cody and Micky, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about this year's reunion.
Fostering hope for Child Abuse Prevention Month
Apr 01, 2024
For the last 40 years, Child Abuse Prevention Month has been observed during April here in the United States.
As today kicks off this month of awareness, Idaho Matters sat down with Roger Sherman, the Executive Director of the Idaho Children's Trust Fund, and Kim Hemmert, the Grants Manager for the trust fund, to talk more about the importance of this work.
The secret life of migrating birds
Apr 01, 2024
(timber1212 / Flickr)
Though Idaho is still experiencing a bit of cold weather, the song of migrating birds is proof that spring is in the air.
And as the days continue to get longer, we'll start to see more of these returning travelers in larger numbers. From cranes to swans to swallows, birds big and small are making their way back to the Gem State, some traveling thousands of miles—a journey that many experts are still working to understand.
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.
Recent court ruling prohibits wolf trapping in grizzly territory
Mar 28, 2024
Grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park.(Kim Keating / USGS )
Idaho is considering its options after a federal court decision last week forcing the state to change its rules for wolf trapping over concerns that grizzly bears could be caught in the traps.
Susanne Asha Stone, Director of the Idaho-based International Wildlife Coexistence Network, and Dallas Gudgell, Tribal Outreach and Environmental Policy Director with the network, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Northern Colorado ranchers reflect on the arrival of the wolves who migrated down from Wyoming
Mar 28, 2024
(Melodie Edwards / Wyoming Public Media)
This story is part of our ongoing I Respectfully Disagree series. You can also hear a longer podcast version of this story on The Modern West coming in April.
A recent decision to reintroduce wolves has created division between rural and urban Coloradoans. But wolves have actually been there a while. A few years ago, a couple migrated down from Wyoming to settle in the mountain valley of North Park, southwest of Laramie. It’s given the ranchers there a headstart on adjusting to a new reality.
Melodie Edwards has more with the Mountain West News Bureau.
What role has Boise's environment played in shaping our community?
Mar 28, 2024
(Murphy Woodhouse / Mountain West News Bureau)
When it comes to Boise, there are many things that make the city special, from its diverse culture to its unique historical sites, but one of the main attractions has to be its outdoor recreation.
With the Boise River, foothills and surrounding mountains, it's no wonder why people are drawn to the area. But did you know that these landmarks played an important role, not just in the growth of our city but also in its political and environmental history?
That's something that Dr. Karl Brooks will be exploring next week, April 4, in his Fettuccine Forum lecture. He joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Idaho Conservation League's Artist in Residence Program returns
Mar 28, 2024
Craters of the Moon by ICL 2019 Artist in Residence, Carl Rowe.(Carl Rowe / ICL)
Have you ever looked at a painting of an Idaho landscape and been transported there in your mind?
If so, you're not the only one. Art is a powerful medium with the ability to draw you closer to topics you may not have known you were interested in, like the environment and how we can take better care of it.
That's part of the goal of the Idaho Conservation League's Artist in Residence Program, which is ramping back up.
Lexi Black, the Central Idaho Community Engagement Specialist for the Idaho Conservation League, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 27, 2024
Mar 27, 2024
A computer rendering of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.(Radoslav Zilinsky / Getty Images)
As we enter the fourth year of a world with COVID and the disease continues to spread, scientists are looking at how the virus works and why it's different from diseases we're used to, like influenza.
Dr. David Pate is the former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and has been taking a deep dive into the science of COVID, even as it continues to evolve. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this and other public health concerns.
Investigation opens following racial harassment of visiting basketball team
Mar 27, 2024
(Jaakko Laurila / Flickr)
Police and the FBI are investigating racial harassment allegations in Coeur d'Alene after an incident reported by basketball players and staff from the University of Utah.
The team was in the city as part of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in Spokane.
The story gained traction this week and is now making national news. Troy Oppie, reporter and host of All Things Considered, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Idaho's racist history: How the state got here and why it matters after another racist incident
Mar 27, 2024
( Canva)
Idaho is back in national headlines after the Utah women's basketball team experienced a racial harassment incident in Coeur d'Alene while participating in the NCAA tournament.
This isn't the first time Idaho has made national headlines for racist incidents. And some are now asking: How did we get here? When did Idaho's racism begin? How has the Aryan Nations in north Idaho been allowed to grow?
Now almost four years after our country was grappling with racial injustice and questions about white supremacy in 2020, it's still important to examine our roots so we can better understand how we got here today and what steps we can take to be a more inclusive and equitable place for everyone.
These interviews originally aired in the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd as we looked to unpack Idaho's complicated racist history.
For many, spending time outside can be a relaxing experience, but did you know it can also be therapeutic?
While forest therapy may not be as well known as other healing practices, it is one that is growing in popularity, offering both physical and mental benefits.
And starting in April, certified nature and forest therapy guide Casey O'Leary will be leading weekly forest bathing walks for those interested in slowing down and connecting with the local environment.
From Sun Valley to Helsinki: Meet Idaho’s Douglas Hickey, U.S. Ambassador to Finland
Mar 27, 2024
Douglas Hickey of Sun Valley is the United States Ambassador to Finland(U.S. Department of State, 123rf)
When President Biden selected Idaho’s Douglas Hickey to be the United States Ambassador to Finland, Hickey knew it would be honor and challenge. But those challenges mount with every day, beginning with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the fact that Finland shares NATO's largest land border with Russia – 800 miles.
“I've had the opportunity to visit the border on a couple of different occasions,” said Hickey. “It’s just striking how long it is. The Finns do an extraordinarily good job of managing the border. But things have changed.”
Speaking from the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Hickey visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about his daunting assignment, Finland’s membership in NATO, and the Finnish people’s complicated relationship with Russia.
Read the full transcript below:
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Good morning. I'm George Prentice on this broadcast, as we do every morning, we visit many corners of the world and more often than not, we consider freedom, the cost of freedom, the fight for freedom, the choices we make with the freedoms we have. We recognize how all of our dots connect across the planet. And this morning we visit a nation at a turning point. Finland has sworn into office earlier this month, a new president who said the Nordic country is facing a new era after becoming a new member of NATO. We are pleased to welcome to this broadcast the United States Ambassador to Finland, Douglas Hickey. And we're pleased to remind our listeners that Ambassador Hickey and his family, when they're not in Helsinki, call Idaho home, Sun Valley in particular, much to talk about. But first joining us live from Helsinki is Ambassador Douglas Hickey. Ambassador. Hello.
AMBASSADOR DOUGLAS HICKEY: Well good morning. Good morning to you. I'm thrilled to be with you here today and talk to my friends back in in Idaho. I miss you all.
PRENTICE: We should note that there is a nine-hour time difference… that's already well into the afternoon in Finland. Ambassador, I, I have to ask you about that experience of being in Finland. Here we are in March. It's a time of transition. But what is it like there? We hear that winters are a bit longer, but then we hear about the midnight sun in the summer. What has that been like?
HICKEY: Well, it's spectacular. The, uh, you know, having spent so much time in Sun Valley, I'm used to a lot of snow. I'm used to spring showing up late, which it, uh, it does in Sun Valley. I can remember it having a Memorial Day party in Sun Valley. And one day we were the Friday we were swimming in our pond. And then the next day we got six inches of snow. So, Finland is very similar to what we see in Sun Valley for sure.
PRENTICE: Ambassador, could you speak to the ever-increasing importance of our relationship with Finland? These are, to put it mildly, very interesting times.
HICKEY: Yeah, definitely. The, uh, you know, when I took this position, I had actually talked to John Kerry about it, and this was well before the invasion, the Russian invasion into Ukraine. And he said, “All you need to know is Russia, the Arctic environment and NATO.” And again, this was well before the invasion and well before Finland even had considered to, uh, to join NATO. So, it's been a really interesting, uh, interesting time for us here and a very productive time. The relationship that exists between Finland and the United States, the bilateral relationship, I don't think could be stronger, quite frankly, and not just from a NATO or military perspective. But if you look at the technologies that are being developed here on quantum, on secure wireless networks, environmental, uh, technologies, it's pretty extraordinary. So, the kind of relationship we have here at virtually all levels, is really extraordinary and continuing to grow.
PRENTICE: Ambassador, could you remind us… I think it would be appropriate for our listeners to remember that Finland has NATO's longest land border with Russia.
HICKEY: It's really pretty amazing. You know, before the invasion, uh, there were a number of Russians that came into Finland. There were a bunch of Finns that were going into Russia to visit in Saint Petersburg and other places. Uh, so there was a fair amount of transit, uh, that took place on both sides and very positive, quite frankly.
PRENTICE: Yeah. An 800-mile border. Here we are, half a world away. It's difficult to comprehend how personal this must be. How do you best describe that delicate balance that the Finnish people live with every day?
HICKEY: And the reason I say that is the Finns have had a relatively contentious relationship with Russia for a long time. And even during peace time, uh, the Finns have built up their defense forces. So, to give you an example, every male in Finland, uh, is required to serve in the military. And, uh, that's something they all take in a very prideful way. Now, many more women are serving as as well on a volunteer basis. And then the Finns, when other countries were taking what was called at the time, the peace dividend, the Finns continued to invest in their military infrastructure. So, they have a purpose-built Navy for the Baltic. Uh, our navy is really a blue ocean kind of navy. They just ordered F-35s from the United States. Those F-35s will make Finland one of the most advanced air forces in all of Europe, if not the world. And the Finns have more available soldiers than Italy, France and Germany combined. So if you look and that's with a country of 6 million people think about that. So it's really pretty extraordinary that the Finns have built up a default defense mechanism for years and years. And they're not an offensive nation. They're a defensive nation. They want people to understand that they're going to secure their border and secure their democracy, and they do it in a very serious and thoughtful way.
PRENTICE: Ambassador, let's talk about Idaho. You have lived and worked all over the world, but you made a decision in the, I think, was it the early 2000, uh, to work and to live here? Can I assume that you do miss Sun Valley and Idaho?
HICKEY: I love Idaho, and I've traveled all over the state and hiked all over the state and skied all over the state and biked all over the state. So I love it. And it's great for my family and for my kids. So I feel blessed that we live there. And it happened by accident. Um, I was in San Francisco. I ran a venture firm there, and one of my partners, uh, had a house in Sun Valley, and he said, hey, come on up. This was, I think, in 99 or 2000. And he, he we flew up to Sun Valley and I think we had like, six feet of snow. I've never seen such great snow. And within two weeks I bought a house in Sun Valley. So yeah, I love it. Uh, I love going back, whether it's winter or summer. It's really an extraordinary, extraordinary place.
PRENTICE: Okay, so we know now that you missed the fresh powder. Can I also assume that you miss a burger at Grumpy's evenings at the limelight? Uh, all of those things, too.
HICKEY: Well, you know, uh, you mentioned Grumpy's. I mean, that's my that's my go-to place in Sun Valley. Winter or summer. I was looking in my tray the other day where I keep cufflinks and a couple other things, and I actually had some grumpy dollars that were, uh, were there. So yeah, I love Grumpy's and I've met some just amazing people from literally all over the world in Grumpy's.
PRENTICE: What an important time to solidify our commitment to Finland. This must be quite heady for you. Do you ever take a moment to breathe and think about….these are very historic times for the people of Finland and for our relationship. And then there you are right there.
HICKEY: Yeah. And believe me, I think about it often. But I have to tell you, you couldn't have better partners than the Finns. And you mentioned that there's a new president that was just sworn in the other day. And the previous president, President Niinisto was in office for 12 years. We had an extraordinarily good relationship with him. The new president, Alex Stubb, is world class. And, you know, we could not be more honored to be working with him. So, we really feel like we have great, great partners. We're lucky to have them. As much as I think they feel like they're lucky to have us. And so that relationship is incredibly strong. But I don't minimize the era that we live in for sure. These are very interesting and sometimes very dangerous times. So, we need to be really mindful of that and make sure that we have strong partnerships around the world. And there isn't a better one than Finland.
PRENTICE: Douglas Hickey is our United States Ambassador to Finland, and he joined us this morning from Helsinki. Ambassador to your family, be safe, be well. Thank you for your service every day, and we are so grateful for you to give us some time this morning.
'How Can I Help You:' An author interview with Laura Sims
Mar 26, 2024
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on July 25, 2023.
Laura Sims is the critically acclaimed author of the novel "Looker," which is now in development for television. And now she is out with her latest book "How Can I Help You."
Sims sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about new book and more.
Idaho State Museum brings Bob Hope back to the stage
Mar 25, 2024
That exhibit is now about to close with a big live show. The museum is bringing hope to the stage for three special performances, along with live music and a fashion history show.
Nicole Inghilterra, curator of collections and exhibitions with the Idaho State Museum, and Bob Hope himself joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Idaho students to attend National Youth Science Camp
Mar 25, 2024
( National Youth Science Camp Facebook)
This summer, Idaho high school students Geneva McClory and Anna Grace Aiello will be spending their free time in West Virginia at the National Youth Science Camp.
The invitation to attend this program is a prestigious one and is only given to two students from each state.
So before they take off, we wanted to talk with them about this exciting opportunity. McClory and Aiello joined Idaho Matters, along with Andrea Baerwald, the program coordinator for the Idaho Department of Education, to talk more.
The art of angry letter writing
Mar 25, 2024
(Rob Appleyard / Flickr)
For many, writing, especially handwriting, a letter is a lost art. While some romanticized the idea of receiving a letter, others could be quite nasty.
The book "Penning Poison: A History of Anonymous Letters" looks at the history of nasty letters. The author is Dr. Emily Cockayne, an associate professor at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. She joined Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the history of Anonymous Letters and the upcoming movie, "Wicked Little Letters," which is coming to The Flicks in April.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 22, 2024
Mar 22, 2024
Cats warm up on the cover of a maintenance hole.(Andreea Alexandru / AP)
The latest on the Saint Alphonsus inmate escape, an important bill was recently passed by the Idaho Senate, what we know about Chad Daybell's upcoming trial, a look at how one coach is inspiring students in the Gem State and why an east Idaho man is using camping signs to help feral cats.
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.
From Sun Valley to Helsinki: Meet Idaho’s Douglas Hickey, U.S. Ambassador to Finland
Mar 22, 2024
Douglas Hickey of Sun Valley is the United States Ambassador to Finland(U.S. Department of State, 123rf)
When President Biden selected Idaho’s Douglas Hickey to be the United States Ambassador to Finland, Hickey knew it would be honor and challenge. But those challenges mount with every day, beginning with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the fact that Finland shares NATO's largest land border with Russia – 800 miles.
“I've had the opportunity to visit the border on a couple of different occasions,” said Hickey. “It’s just striking how long it is. The Finns do an extraordinarily good job of managing the border. But things have changed.”
Speaking from the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Hickey visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about his daunting assignment, Finland’s membership in NATO, and the Finnish people’s complicated relationship with Russia.
Read the full transcript below:
GEORGE PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Good morning. I'm George Prentice on this broadcast, as we do every morning, we visit many corners of the world and more often than not, we consider freedom, the cost of freedom, the fight for freedom, the choices we make with the freedoms we have. We recognize how all of our dots connect across the planet. And this morning we visit a nation at a turning point. Finland has sworn into office earlier this month, a new president who said the Nordic country is facing a new era after becoming a new member of NATO. We are pleased to welcome to this broadcast the United States Ambassador to Finland, Douglas Hickey. And we're pleased to remind our listeners that Ambassador Hickey and his family, when they're not in Helsinki, call Idaho home, Sun Valley in particular, much to talk about. But first joining us live from Helsinki is Ambassador Douglas Hickey. Ambassador. Hello.
AMBASSADOR DOUGLAS HICKEY: Well good morning. Good morning to you. I'm thrilled to be with you here today and talk to my friends back in in Idaho. I miss you all.
PRENTICE: We should note that there is a nine-hour time difference… that's already well into the afternoon in Finland. Ambassador, I, I have to ask you about that experience of being in Finland. Here we are in March. It's a time of transition. But what is it like there? We hear that winters are a bit longer, but then we hear about the midnight sun in the summer. What has that been like?
HICKEY: Well, it's spectacular. The, uh, you know, having spent so much time in Sun Valley, I'm used to a lot of snow. I'm used to spring showing up late, which it, uh, it does in Sun Valley. I can remember it having a Memorial Day party in Sun Valley. And one day we were the Friday we were swimming in our pond. And then the next day we got six inches of snow. So, Finland is very similar to what we see in Sun Valley for sure.
PRENTICE: Ambassador, could you speak to the ever-increasing importance of our relationship with Finland? These are, to put it mildly, very interesting times.
HICKEY: Yeah, definitely. The, uh, you know, when I took this position, I had actually talked to John Kerry about it, and this was well before the invasion, the Russian invasion into Ukraine. And he said, “All you need to know is Russia, the Arctic environment and NATO.” And again, this was well before the invasion and well before Finland even had considered to, uh, to join NATO. So, it's been a really interesting, uh, interesting time for us here and a very productive time. The relationship that exists between Finland and the United States, the bilateral relationship, I don't think could be stronger, quite frankly, and not just from a NATO or military perspective. But if you look at the technologies that are being developed here on quantum, on secure wireless networks, environmental, uh, technologies, it's pretty extraordinary. So, the kind of relationship we have here at virtually all levels, is really extraordinary and continuing to grow.
PRENTICE: Ambassador, could you remind us… I think it would be appropriate for our listeners to remember that Finland has NATO's longest land border with Russia.
HICKEY: It's really pretty amazing. You know, before the invasion, uh, there were a number of Russians that came into Finland. There were a bunch of Finns that were going into Russia to visit in Saint Petersburg and other places. Uh, so there was a fair amount of transit, uh, that took place on both sides and very positive, quite frankly.
PRENTICE: Yeah. An 800-mile border. Here we are, half a world away. It's difficult to comprehend how personal this must be. How do you best describe that delicate balance that the Finnish people live with every day?
HICKEY: And the reason I say that is the Finns have had a relatively contentious relationship with Russia for a long time. And even during peace time, uh, the Finns have built up their defense forces. So, to give you an example, every male in Finland, uh, is required to serve in the military. And, uh, that's something they all take in a very prideful way. Now, many more women are serving as as well on a volunteer basis. And then the Finns, when other countries were taking what was called at the time, the peace dividend, the Finns continued to invest in their military infrastructure. So, they have a purpose-built Navy for the Baltic. Uh, our navy is really a blue ocean kind of navy. They just ordered F-35s from the United States. Those F-35s will make Finland one of the most advanced air forces in all of Europe, if not the world. And the Finns have more available soldiers than Italy, France and Germany combined. So if you look and that's with a country of 6 million people think about that. So it's really pretty extraordinary that the Finns have built up a default defense mechanism for years and years. And they're not an offensive nation. They're a defensive nation. They want people to understand that they're going to secure their border and secure their democracy, and they do it in a very serious and thoughtful way.
PRENTICE: Ambassador, let's talk about Idaho. You have lived and worked all over the world, but you made a decision in the, I think, was it the early 2000, uh, to work and to live here? Can I assume that you do miss Sun Valley and Idaho?
HICKEY: I love Idaho, and I've traveled all over the state and hiked all over the state and skied all over the state and biked all over the state. So I love it. And it's great for my family and for my kids. So I feel blessed that we live there. And it happened by accident. Um, I was in San Francisco. I ran a venture firm there, and one of my partners, uh, had a house in Sun Valley, and he said, hey, come on up. This was, I think, in 99 or 2000. And he, he we flew up to Sun Valley and I think we had like, six feet of snow. I've never seen such great snow. And within two weeks I bought a house in Sun Valley. So yeah, I love it. Uh, I love going back, whether it's winter or summer. It's really an extraordinary, extraordinary place.
PRENTICE: Okay, so we know now that you missed the fresh powder. Can I also assume that you miss a burger at Grumpy's evenings at the limelight? Uh, all of those things, too.
HICKEY: Well, you know, uh, you mentioned Grumpy's. I mean, that's my that's my go-to place in Sun Valley. Winter or summer. I was looking in my tray the other day where I keep cufflinks and a couple other things, and I actually had some grumpy dollars that were, uh, were there. So yeah, I love Grumpy's and I've met some just amazing people from literally all over the world in Grumpy's.
PRENTICE: What an important time to solidify our commitment to Finland. This must be quite heady for you. Do you ever take a moment to breathe and think about….these are very historic times for the people of Finland and for our relationship. And then there you are right there.
HICKEY: Yeah. And believe me, I think about it often. But I have to tell you, you couldn't have better partners than the Finns. And you mentioned that there's a new president that was just sworn in the other day. And the previous president, President Niinisto was in office for 12 years. We had an extraordinarily good relationship with him. The new president, Alex Stubb, is world class. And, you know, we could not be more honored to be working with him. So, we really feel like we have great, great partners. We're lucky to have them. As much as I think they feel like they're lucky to have us. And so that relationship is incredibly strong. But I don't minimize the era that we live in for sure. These are very interesting and sometimes very dangerous times. So, we need to be really mindful of that and make sure that we have strong partnerships around the world. And there isn't a better one than Finland.
PRENTICE: Douglas Hickey is our United States Ambassador to Finland, and he joined us this morning from Helsinki. Ambassador to your family, be safe, be well. Thank you for your service every day, and we are so grateful for you to give us some time this morning.
Making a change: How do we address the issue of plastic pollution?
Mar 21, 2024
Trash is unloaded at a landfill.(Damian Dovarganes / AP)
When it comes to addressing environmental issues, plastic pollution is one of the worst.
According to a 2021 report from The Last Beach Cleanup and Beyond Plastics, more than 90 percent of the United States’s plastic waste ended up in a landfill, an ocean, or an incinerator.
And as the pollution from single-use plastics continues to rise, the problem isn’t getting any smaller.
Which is why Dr. Ruth Jebe will be taking a look at how the U.S. and other countries are responding to the crisis on March 27 at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
What to Watch: A touching movie and an important documentary
Mar 21, 2024
Well, it's only March, and our resident movie critic George Prenticealready has his favorite movie of the year! Idaho Matters takes a look at that, as well as a new documentary that you won't want to miss.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 20, 2024
Mar 20, 2024
A dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
Earlier this week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory to all physicians concerning the increase in measles in the U.S. and internationally.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this as well as other public health concerns.
Can writing help heal trauma?
Mar 20, 2024
(NG71 / Flickr)
The benefits of creative expression when it comes to processing emotions are well documented, particularly when it comes to writing.
Those who have ever had a diary or kept a journal can probably attest to the cathartic power of putting words to paper.
But this practice doesn’t just provide a temporary outlet for our feelings; it can also help us work through deeper trauma.
This is exactly what writer and author Josephine Jones will be exploring in an upcoming workshop with The Cabin, and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How body positive hikers are making the trails more inviting
Mar 20, 2024
Group founder Kirsten Strough leads Big Gal Backpackers Boise back toward the trailhead. (Murphy Woodhouse / Mountain West News Bureau )
If you’re asked to imagine a hiker, who comes to mind? Is it a tall, lean, bearded man? Maybe white? That’s a common idea of who a hiker is, but there are a lot of people pushing back on that exclusionary notion. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Murphy Woodhouse went hiking with a group with that mission — and brings us this report.
Meridian Speedway gets added to the National Register of Historic Places
Mar 20, 2024
It was 75 years ago when volunteers got together and turned a farm field in Meridian into an oval racetrack and dairy barn.
That was the start of the Meridian Speedway, which has grown into a great spot to watch cars race and attracts both drivers and fans from all over the Pacific Northwest.
Now the speedway has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, and we wanted to know what that meant for the track, so Blaine Johnston, President of the Meridian Historic Preservation Commission, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Why Ada County changed how they hold eviction hearings
Mar 19, 2024
(David Staats / Idaho Statesman)
When someone can’t pay their rent and faces eviction from their home, they often end up facing a court hearing in Ada County.
Four years ago, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, those hearings went virtual, with tenants going online before a judge to plead their case.
Earlier this month, the court switched back to in-person hearings, and housing advocates want to get the word out about how the process has changed and what it means for people facing a court date.
Ali Rabe, the Executive Director of Jesse Tree, and Evan Stewart, the Program Director of the nonprofit, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
Summer activities to do with your family in Boise
Mar 19, 2024
(Brian Hodgdon / Flickr)
With summer inching closer, it may be time to start thinking about what you're going to do with your kids once school is out.
Whether it's learning ballet, swimming camp, beekeeping, or even ice hockey, Boise Parks and Recreation probably has a class for it. And they're offering this wide array of activities to everyone, regardless of age or ability. Doug Holloway, the Director of Boise Parks and Recreation, and Roseanne Brown, Recreation Superintendent, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Why the cost of everyday items could be rising in Idaho
Mar 19, 2024
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
As temperatures heat up and we begin spending more time outside, it's possible you may want to pick up a Gatorade or Vitamin Water while you're out in the sun.
Thanks to far-away problems like the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and an environmental crisis at the Panama Canal, the price of ordinary items like these will likely go up in Idaho.
Dr. Jim Kroes is a professor in the information technology and supply chain management department at Boise State University, and he’s been watching how these events will impact consumer prices in places like the Gem State. He sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk more.
Boise State Public Radio's Ashley Ahearn speaking at Treefort
Mar 19, 2024
Ashley and her Mustang Boo.( Ashley Ahearn)
Every year around this time, thousands of people flock to Boise for the annual Treefort Music Fest, where you can hear hundreds of bands, do some yoga with goats and witness some fantastic stories by some amazing storytellers.
This year at Storyfort, Ashley Ahearn is set to discuss the intersection of modern science, the environment, natural resources and climate change. The discussion is happening on Friday, March 22 at 4 p.m. at the Idaho State Museum.
After Ahearn's presentation, there will be an audience Q&A hosted by Boise State Public Radio.
Also on Saturday, Ahearn will be at Rediscovered Books signing copies of her children's book The Little Black Mustang at 11 a.m.
Both of these events are free and open to the public.
Sam Berman, Storyfort Director and Commander, and Eric Straubhar, Director of Eco-Jam, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about the upcoming event.
How new drugs are changing the way we treat diabetes
Mar 18, 2024
(Mario Tama / Getty Images)
You may have seen ads for them, drugs to treat diabetes with names like Ozempic and Wegovy. You may even know folks who are taking them to treat their disease or to lose weight.
These are a new class of drugs, and they are changing the way many people manage their illnesses. They’re also being misused by many as a quick and easy way to lose weight.
Michael Biddle is a doctor of pharmacy and the ambulatory care pharmacist with St. Luke's Humphreys Diabetes Center in Boise, and he joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about these drugs.
Exploring the plants of Craters of the Moon
Mar 18, 2024
Maybe a hot, rocky landscape. A gray, empty, volcanic area where nothing grows and plants can't survive.
Well, it turns out a lot of plants can survive in this desert in Eastern Idaho, and Dr. Lynn Kinter knows firsthand. She's been studying plants for more than 35 years.
Dr. Kinter is an adjunct graduate faculty member in the department of Biological Sciences at Boise State University, and she'll be talking about the Flora of the Craters of the Moon next Monday, March 25, at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
The benefits of recycling rainwater
Mar 18, 2024
A rainwater catchment system.(Niky Dryden / SplitPea Edible Landscaping)
For thousands of years, people have been catching rainwater and recycling it for a variety of different uses.
Some supermarkets in England use it for flushing their toilets and others use it to recharge aquifers. Backyard gardeners use it water their plants, save money and the planet one drop at a time!
This practice is called rainwater catchment and is often done from the roof of buildings.
She joined Idaho Matters along with Jessica Harold, the Districts Program Coordinator, to talk more.
'Becoming Madam Secretary:' An author interview with Stephanie Dray
Mar 18, 2024
(Berkley )
New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray is back with a look at one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, Frances Perkins. It's a name you may not be familiar with, but you should be.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 15, 2024
Mar 15, 2024
Woman at the library, she is searching books on the bookshelf and picking a textbook, hand close up( 123rf)
A bill restricting children's access to certain library books has passed the House, Idaho is moving to implement age verification on adult websites, state employees could be precluded from receiving gender affirming care and an update on the latest data from the National Fire Registry.
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.
Irish natives celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Idaho
Mar 15, 2024
Marika Michalska and Ruth Prince( George Prentice)
St. Patrick's Day is almost here! Which means it must be time for some corned beef hash and green beer. But, is that really Irish?
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Marika Michalska, a Boise State exchange student from Belfast, and Ruth Prince, Director of International Student and Scholar Services at Boise State University, to talk about how they celebrate the holiday as Irish natives.
How Idaho is fighting back against fentanyl use
Mar 14, 2024
This undated photo provided by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office shows fentanyl pills. Authorities say they've arrested Ryan Gaston, a man in a Cleveland suburb after seizing more than 900 fentanyl pills marked liked tablets of the less-potent opiate oxycodone. The Cuyahoga County medical examiner said that lookalike pills were likely to blame for some of the county's 19 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in January 2016. (Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners Office via AP)(AP / Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office)
In just one year, more than 110,000 people died from drug poisoning, and fentanyl was a huge part of that number.
Around the country, states like Idaho are holding Family Summits on Fentanyl. They bring together families who have lost someone due to either drug poisoning or drug overdose with first responders, law enforcement and grief counselors.
Idaho's summit is set for Friday and will help family members who are trying to turn their loss into actions against drugs.
Josh Hurwit, U.S. Attorney, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
How one snowboard instructor is making the slopes more inclusive
Mar 14, 2024
(Brendt Petersen / Adobe Stock)
Last ski season, a record number of skiers and snowboarders visited resorts in the Rocky Mountain region and most of them were white. Now there's an effort in Colorado to make snow sports more accessible to everyone and it's being led by an immigrant from Mexico.
KUNC's Stephanie Daniel reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
The Downtown Boise YMCA will soon receive a much needed upgrade
Mar 14, 2024
(Samantha Smith / Flickr)
The Boise Downtown YMCA has been well loved, and now it's showing its age. Which is why it's been raising funds for the last two years so that a new state-of-the art multi-faceted community hub can be built to replace it.
And just last week, the dream of bringing this new building to life took a giant leap forward with a $5 million donation, thanks to CapEd Credit Union.
David Euro, Treasure Valley Family YMCA President and CEO, and Todd Christensen, CapEd Chief Marketing Officer, join Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Wild and Distant Seas:' An author interview with Idaho author Tara Karr Roberts
Mar 14, 2024
( W. W. Norton & Company)
Imagine a minor character in the classic novel Moby Dick getting her own voice and her own story. That's exactly what happens in Idaho author Tara Karr Roberts debut novel, "Wild and Distant Seas."
She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her recent release.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 13, 2024
Mar 13, 2024
FILE - A dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is displayed at the Neighborcare Health clinics at Vashon Island High School in Vashon Island, Wash., on May 15, 2019. U.K. health officials are urging millions of parents to book their children in for missed measles, mumps and rubella shots amid a sharp increase in the number of measles cases and the lowest vaccination rates in a decade. The National Health Service is launching a publicity campaign after figures showed there have been 216 confirmed measles cases and 103 probable cases in parts of England since October. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)(Elaine Thompson/AP / AP)
Measles was eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, but new cases have been popping up across the country, including in Florida last month with elementary school kids. And Whooping Cough cases are growing in Idaho.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this as well as other public health concerns.
The school choice bill finally goes before Idaho lawmakers
Mar 13, 2024
We've been following House Bill 447, the School Choice bill, since it was introduced in January. It would allow public tax dollars to go toward supporting private school education. Lawmakers have tried over the past several years to pass a school choice bill – but none of those past proposals have become law.
Under the bill, families could get a refundable tax credit up to $5,000 to cover private education costs like school tuition or homeschool fees.
The powerful House Revenue and Taxation Committee held a two-hour hearing Tuesday and it’s the first time we’ve heard from lawmakers and the public on this bill.
After several people spoke, the head of the committee said they were running out of time and cut off testimony and then lawmakers took a vote. What did they decide?
Idaho Matters continues our deep dive into school choice.
Idaho Dance Theatre and Boise Rock School team up for spring
Mar 13, 2024
(Mike Reid)
Spring is around the corner and Idaho Dance Theatre is embracing it with their latest performance Get Sprung which starts Thursday. Joining Idaho Matters to talk more is the company’s Artistic Director Yurek Hansen.
How the Peregrine Fund in Idaho is working to protect struggling raptors around the world
Mar 12, 2024
( The Peregrine Fund)
In the Philippines, plows clear cut the rainforest to make room for humans. In South Asia, farmers treat their livestock with an anti-inflammatory drug. In the Arctic, temperatures are slowly warming. In Idaho, invasive cheatgrass is crowding out sagebrush.
Taking a walk on the South side of Boise
Mar 12, 2024
In Boise, a lot has been written about the history of places like Harrison Boulevard, Warm Springs Avenue, and the River Street neighborhood. But other areas, like South Boise, are less well-known.
She will be talking about her work March 13 at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Boise and she joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
Idaho struggles with a lack of child care
Mar 12, 2024
In this photo taken Friday, Feb. 12, 2016, Nuray Bolat, left, and Ocean Epling briefly tussle over a toy at the Creative Kids Learning Center, a school that focuses on pre-kindergarten for 4- and 5-year-olds, in Seattle. While the states early learning program gets kudos for its efforts to improve quality, it gets poor marks for the small number of kids who are benefiting from high quality preschools. The state now publishes useful information online that could help parents figure out where to send their children for preschool, but most of that data is hard to find and decipher. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)(Elaine Thompson/AP / AP)
Demand for quality child care in our state is reaching a critical level. According to the Child Care Gap Assessment, there are close to 75,000 Idaho children in need of child care but our state only has 55,000 slots available.
One solution to this problem is training people to become qualified childcare providers. Darcy Heath, supply senior manager at Wonderschool, sat down with Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Solving the disappearing snow mystery
Mar 12, 2024
(MotoWebMistress / Flickr Creative Commons)
Despite the recent rain - and in some spots snow showers - the weather is starting to warm up and the mountain snowpack is starting to melt and drain into Idaho rivers and streams.
But some of that snow disappears before it melts and scientists are trying to find out why. Last year, KUNC’s Alex Hager visited a team of researchers trying to solve this mystery and he filed this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Colorado River produced by KUNC and supported by the Walton Family Foundation.
Measuring snowpack in the mountains? We've got a tool for that.
Mar 12, 2024
In this photo provided by the California Department of Water Resources, manager Sean de Guzman, right, examines the aluminum snow depth survey pole during the second survey of the season at Phillips Station, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. The water content of California's mountain snowpack is just over half of normal. The California Department of Water Resources says electronic measurements statewide on Tuesday show a snow water equivalent of 8.4 inches or 52% of average to date. (Xavier Mascareñas/California Department of Water Resources via AP)(Xavier Mascareñas/AP / California Department of Water Resources)
More than 100 years ago, a professor in our region invented a tool and technique to measure the amount of water in a mountain snowpack.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel explains the importance of this discovery – and why it lives on to this day.
Restoring buffalo while healing the Blackfeet Nation: A new initiative aims to do both
Mar 11, 2024
FILE - Bison awaiting transfer to Native American tribes walk in a herd inside a corral at Badlands National Park, on Oct. 13, 2022, near Wall, S.D. U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Friday is expected to announce a secretarial order that's meant to help more tribes establish bison herds, along with $25 million in federal spending for such efforts. (Matthew Brown / Associated Press)
At one time, millions of buffalo covered over 30 million acres of landscape that stretches through the U.S. and into Canada. That was before these giant animals were hunted almost to extinction in the 1800s.
Dr. Libby Lunstrum supports the project through her research. She is a Professor of Environmental Studies and Global Studies and the Research Director of Boise State University’s School of Public Service. She’ll be speaking about National Parks After Dispossession: The Return of Buffalo on March 13 at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Boise.
She joined Idaho Matters to talk about the Initiative and this new model of conservation.
The fight over water in the West heats up
Mar 11, 2024
The Green River, a tributary of the Colorado River, flows on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, in Green River, Utah. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson)(Brittany Peterson/AP / AP)
The Colorado River is shrinking due to climate change. And states that use it are at odds about how to share its water.
The current rules for managing the river expire in 2026 and need to be replaced. States are on deadline to submit a first draft this week, but they have not agreed on just one proposal.
KUNC’s Alex Hager reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Colorado River, produced by KUNC and supported by the Walton Family Foundation.
One Idaho librarian's fight against disinformation
Mar 11, 2024
FILE - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 23, 2019. Meta's Oversight Board said Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, that it is urging the company to clarify its approach to manipulated media so its platforms can better beat back the expected flood of online election disinformation this year. The recommendations come after the board reviewed an altered video of President Joe Biden that was misleading but didn't violate the company's policies. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)(Andrew Harnik/AP / AP)
Who would ever think that a library would be involved in a Homeland Security initiative? That question comes from Elizabeth Ramsey, a librarian at Boise State University's Albertsons Library and the head of the “Disinfo Squad.”
It's a group that works to dispel disinformation online and Ramsey helped to put it together. She sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the never-ending pushback against disinformation.
Art and the digital age: What do they have in common?
Mar 11, 2024
(Sun Valley Museum of Art)
Have you ever wondered if there's a connection between vintage signs and death masks?
Jen Schneider, Boise State's Associate Dean of the College of Innovation and Design, joined Idaho Matters to give us a preview.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 8, 2024
Mar 08, 2024
FILE - The Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho, is seen on June 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Keith Ridler, File)(Keith Ridler/AP / AP)
The Idaho Legislature has more to do this year and won’t go home on time, folks turned out this week to testify before a senate committee about state funding for school buildings, there’s new research “shaking” up what we knew about a 2020 earthquake and a big road project is on the horizon in the Treasure Valley.
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.
Taking care of Idaho's thousands of family caregivers
Mar 08, 2024
Jessica Guthrie wheels her mother, Constance, back to her bedroom after dinner in Fredericksburg, Va., on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022. “To be a caregiver of someone living with Alzheimer’s is that you watch your loved one die every day. I’ve been grieving my mom for seven years,” Jessica says. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)(Wong Maye-E/AP / AP)
One out of every four people in Idaho is a family caregiver. That’s according to the Idaho Caregiver Alliance, which provides support to these thousands of people who take care of family members who can no longer take care of themselves.
They are husbands and wives taking care of sick spouses, adult children taking care of aging parents, and moms and dads taking care of children with sometimes severe medical conditions. They are unpaid, often overworked and frequently overwhelmed by the day-to-day task of caring for the people they love.
Dr. Sarah Toevs is director of the alliance and directs the interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Aging at Boise State University. She joins Idaho Matters to talk about the role of caregivers and about the alliance’s 13th annual conference which is set for this Saturday.
Have questions about cider? You'll want to ask Idaho's first pommelier
Mar 07, 2024
Everyone knows if you’re looking for advice on wine, you’ll want to ask a sommelier, but if you’re wondering about cider, that’s a job for a pommelier.
Now, if you’re not familiar with this term, you’re not alone. There are only 97 certified pommeliers in the United States, and now, thanks to Molly Leadbetter, Idaho is home to one of them.
She’s the owner of Meriwether Cider Company and recently passed the rigorous testing required to become a cider expert, and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the milestone.
What to Watch: It's Oscar time again!
Mar 07, 2024
A souvenir Oscar statue is pictured in the window of a Hollywood souvenir shop on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. The 96th Academy Awards will be held Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)(Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP / Invision)
It's that time of year again - Oscar time! We’ve got some predictions about who might go home with a golden statuette this year plus we’ll listen back to some of Oscar's more unusual hosts, some great speeches and some hilarious moments from Oscars past.
Here to help us figure out “What to Watch” on Oscar night is our resident movie critic and Morning Edition host George Prentice who recently rubbed shoulders with, and got a hug from, Annette Bening!
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 6, 2024
Mar 06, 2024
(National Cancer Institute / Unsplash)
A cyberattack two weeks ago has paralyzed the largest U.S. health care payment system, and the impact of that is affecting Idahoans.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this as well as other public health concerns.
What goes into removing a dam?
Mar 06, 2024
A view shows the Copco 1 Dam in Hornbrook. The dam is one of a series of four dams along the Klamath River which are part of the largest dam removal project in United States history. Now underway along the Oregon border, the process won't conclude until the end of next year with the help of heavy machinery and explosives.(Haven Daley / AP)
While debate continues over whether or not to remove the four lower Snake River dams to help fish, like endangered salmon, in other places, dams are already coming down for a variety of reasons.
In 2022, 65 dams were dismantled in the U.S., and work continues on taking out the dam system on the Klamath River in Eastern Oregon.
There’s a lot that goes into removing a dam, from the why to the how, as Dr. Steve Clayton can tell you. He’s the senior project manager with Jacobs Engineering Group, and he’s worked on dam removal projects in places like New York and California. He’s speaking to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State on Thursday, and joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
How much plastic is in our food?
Mar 06, 2024
( Consumer Reports)
Take a look around you. What do you see? Is anything made of plastic? Water bottles, food wrap, your mayo bottle - what kind of container holds your milk? What about your orange juice, butter, bread and frozen veggies?
Plastic is everywhere, and it’s leaking into our favorite foods. According to Consumer Reports, the newest issue of the magazine says we’re eating too much plastic, and it’s coming from places we never thought of.
Dr. James Rogers is Director of Food Safety Research and Testing at Consumer Reports, and he sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice for a frank discussion about plastic in our food.
'Once Persuaded, Twice Shy:' An author interview with Melodie Edwards
Mar 06, 2024
( Berkley)
Jane Austen's classic second change romance novel, "Persuasion" is getting a modern twist in author Melodie Edwards new novel, "Once Persuaded, Twice Shy."
She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new release.
Breaking down the latest Supreme Court ruling on Donald Trump
Mar 05, 2024
Visitors stand at the base of the Washington Monument as the dome of the Capitol is seen in the distance on a rainy morning.(Mark Schiefelbein / AP)
The U.S. Supreme Court released a unanimous decision this week that said Colorado could not keep former President Donald Trump off of the state’s primary ballot.
Meanwhile, the court has not yet ruled on a case that will decide if Trump has immunity for any of his actions on January 6, 2021.
Dr. David Adler studies constitutional law and has been watching the cases against Trump closely. He’s the president of the Alturas Institute and is hosting another of his Constitutional Conversations this Thursday at Boise State’s Yanke Center. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his upcoming lecture.
How does climate change impact the mental health of our kids?
Mar 05, 2024
(Richard Drury / Getty Images)
Climate change has many effects on our world, from extreme heat to drought to floods, which in turn affect people, businesses and governments.
But climate change also has a profound effect on our kids, especially when it comes to their mental health.
Dr. Elizabeth Pinsky is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Associate Director for advocacy at the hospital's Center for Environment and Health. She sees the effect climate-fueled natural disasters have on our kids every day, and she says the health care professionals who take care of our children need to advocate for environmental change.
What is the connection between art and healing? A new exhibition explores just that
Mar 05, 2024
Art is a powerful medium, possessing the ability to impact many areas of our lives, including our health and the way we cope with illness.
A concept that the Sun Valley Museum of Art is exploring in their latest exhibition, featuring the medical experiences of six artists and the role that art played in their healing.
Artists Heather Watkins and Katherine Shaughnessy, as well as exhibit curator Courtney Gilbert, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the exhibit.
Why supporting small businesses is a passion for the region's new SBA leader
Mar 04, 2024
Beto Yarce Regional Administrator U.S. Small Business Administration.( U.S. Small Business Administration)
Idaho has a new Regional Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration. Beto Yarce has taken on the job of overseeing region 10, which includes Idaho, Oregon, Alaska and Washington.
Yarce launched his own business in 2003 and says he knows the "struggles that small businesses go through" and wants to help others make their dreams of owning a small business come true. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this work.
Addressing conservation issues on an individual level
Mar 04, 2024
( Canva)
Cities, counties and even states have been working harder on land conservation.
But conservation is often most effective on an individual level, even though it can seem like a daunting task, leaving many who want to help asking, "Where do I start?"
A new workshop will help answer that question and provide concrete steps people can take to help out.
David Anderson is the Idaho program manager with the American Farmland Trust, and Crystal Davidson is the soil education & outreach coordinator with the Ada Soil & Water Conservation District. They’re teaching the workshop in March, and they joined Idaho Matters to give us a preview of what to expect.
As the population grows, so does the Mountain West's need for more water
Mar 04, 2024
(PhotoAlto/Antoine Arraou / Getty Images)
Washington County in Utah, home to the city of St. George, has recently been one of the fastest-growing areas in the nation. And all that growth is on a collision course with the country's limited supply of water, but now area leaders have a plan to get more water.
David Condos of KUER reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
'Kingdom Keepers Inheritance:' An author interview with Ridley Pearson
Mar 04, 2024
( Disney Hyperion)
New York Times bestselling author Ridley Pearson is back with his latest installation of the Kingdom Keepers series and he joined Idaho Matters to talk about his newest book.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 1, 2024
Mar 01, 2024
The Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho.(Keith Ridler / AP)
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Christina Lords, editor-in-chief of Idaho Capital Sun
A first person account of the failed execution of Thomas Creech
Feb 29, 2024
The execution of Thomas Creech, Idaho's longest-serving inmate on death row, was canceled on Wednesday after officials were unable to establish an IV line to inject the chemicals that would end his life.
It was a dramatic scene as reporters and officials watched medical technicians try eight separate times to find a vein in the arms and legs of the 73-year-old convicted murderer.
With his latest death warrant now expired ... people are asking what's next.
Scott McIntosh, opinion editor with the Idaho Statesman, who was one of the witnesses to the event, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A Boise State University professor brings experts together to study volcanoes
Feb 29, 2024
Earlier this month, 700 scientists and experts gathered in Guatemala to talk about volcanoes.
It was the 12th version of the Cities on Volcanoes Conference, and this one had several firsts. It was held for the first time in Central America, and it was the first time it was fully bilingual.
For Jeff Johnson, this conference was four years in the making. He's a Boise State geosciences professor, and he spends his time monitoring volcanoes and studying how they erupt. He recently returned from Guatemala, along with Manuel Gomez-Navarro, a Boise Stat professor in world languages. They joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the conference.
Supporting the bird and the bees with flowers in the Treasure Valley
Feb 29, 2024
( Jessica Harrold)
This is year four for the Treasure Valley Pollinator Project, the brainchild of the Ada Soil and Water Conservation District. Their goal is to increase pollinator habitat and the number of pollinators in the Treasure Valley by having people plant flowers and learn how to be better stewards of our environment.
This year’s focus is on birds and bumblebees and conservation, especially of water. Jessica Harrold, the District's Program Coordinator, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the project.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: February 28, 2024
Feb 28, 2024
(iStockphoto.com)
Nearly four years ago, the Doctors Roundtable was created to help keep people up-to-date on the latest COVID-19 news. Since then, however, the Roundtable has expanded, covering everything from dengue fever to monkey pox to polio.
Despite the addition of these new topics though, Dr. David Pate has continued to stay well informed on the issue of COVID, and he recently provided an update about the transmission of this disease in his most recent blog post. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this update.
How the University of Idaho is building autonomous robots to electrocute weeds
Feb 28, 2024
University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene doctoral student and Project Evergreen principal researcher Garrett Wells will build and test an automated weed detection and eradication system for U.S. Forest Service’s tree nurseries. The device, known as Amiga, will begin field tests in summer 2024.(University of Idaho Coeur d'Alene)
Anyone who has ever weeded their backyard garden knows what a pain it can be.
Now imagine trying to weed up to six million plants on 60 acres of land. That’s how many trees Idaho's Lucky Peak Nursery grows in a year, and it’s just one of six U.S. Forest Service nurseries around the country. The government spends half a million dollars to have those weeds pulled, mostly by hand.
Researchers at the University of Idaho Coeur d'Alene, are building a robot that will be able to find a weed and get rid of it to help the current crop of seedlings and an expected increase in the number of plants grown.
Doctoral student Garrett Wells and John Shovic, an Associate Professor and Director of U of I’s Center for Intelligent Industrial Robotics, are part of the team building the weeding robot, and they joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the project.
'Four Treasures of the Sky:' An author interview with Jenny Tinghui Zhang
Feb 28, 2024
( Flatiron Books)
Brilliant, haunting, devastating — these are just some of the adjectives being used to describe the new book “Four Treasures of the Sky” by Jenny Tinghue Zhang. She’s a Chinese-American writer, and this is her first novel.
The book is about a Chinese girl who is kidnapped and smuggled to America, traveling from a San Francisco brothel to a shop in the Idaho mountains. And it tells the tale not only of one girl but of the pain caused by the Chinese exclusion act in a small chapter of Chinese-American history.
How is our growing population impacting Idahoan's sense of home?
Feb 27, 2024
Large trees in their fall colors create a tunnel over historic Harrison Boulevard in Boise's North End neighborhood.(Talo Pinto / Flickr)
For several years now, housing has been listed as a top priority issue in Idaho. And as the state's population continues to grow, the problem isn't getting any smaller.
When it comes to addressing the housing crisis, it's not just affordability that people are worried about; it's the solution and how that solution might impact neighborhoods, particularly in Boise.
Dr. Krista Paulsen is an Associate Professor of Urban Studies in the School of Public Service at Boise State University, and she'll be talking more about this topic at Boise's Fettuccine Forum on March 7 and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Sex, Lies and Sensibility:' An author interview with Nikki Payne
Feb 27, 2024
( Berkley)
Readers fell in love with author Nikki Payne's debut novel, "Pride and Protest," a retelling of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." It got all kinds of buzz, from Ebony Magazine to Oprah Daily.
Now Payne is back with her latest novel, "Sex, Lies and Sensibility," a modern re-working of Austen's "Sense and Sensibility." She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new release.
How one student is preserving Idaho's music history
Feb 27, 2024
( Cora Lee Oxley)
How do you preserve the music history of a city? Or a state? Where do you start such a project?
Those were the questions for Cora Lee Oxley, a Boise State University senior studying humanities and cultural studies. She wanted to help preserve Idaho's music history, and decided to use the Record Exchange as a starting point.
Oxley used to work at the Boise-based record store and is using it as a focal point to create an archive of Idaho music.
Cora Lee, along with Cheryle Oestreicher, the professor and head of Special Collections and Archives at the Albertsons Library at Boise State University, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
How one nonprofit is giving single mothers a safe place to call home
Feb 26, 2024
(Vladimir Agafonkin / Flickr)
Finding affordable housing in today's economy, especially as a single parent, is no easy feat. And when you add going back to school to the equation, things can get hard to balance.
Which is why nonprofits like The House Next Door are working to provide support to moms in need, giving their families a safe place to call home.
Melinda Romayor, the Executive Director of the nonprofit, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the organization.
Maintaining urgency two years into the Russia-Ukraine war
Feb 26, 2024
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs a flag during his visit to the front line city of Kupiansk, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (AP / Ukrainian Presidential Press Office)
International relations can seem really far away from anybody in the United States, including here in Idaho and that’s something Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Kristin Kane with the U.S. Department of State wants to change.
She came to Boise last week and sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the 2nd anniversary of the attack on Ukraine, sanctions against Russia, and why she came to visit the Gem State.
Why Idaho teachers are using nature as the classroom
Feb 26, 2024
Outdoor classrooms can be full of surprises!( Lora Strange)
All over Idaho, kids are learning about nature by actually being in nature.
From college wilderness programs to a year-round forest preschool, more and more Idaho students are spending time in an outdoor classroom and it turns out those experiences can have a lifetime of positive consequences.
Idaho Public Television’s Outdoor Idaho went into the wild to explore some of these amazing learning environments for their show Nature as Classroom, which airs March 10.
Bill Manny, producer with Idaho Public Television; Maura Goldstein, the school director of the Roots Forest School in McCall and Lora Strange, a master naturalist and the outdoor natural science teacher at Kuna High School, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
A peak into the secret life of racoons
Feb 26, 2024
( Vicky Runnoe)
Birds and squirrels are part of the everyday landscape in Idaho cities, living in our urban areas and doing quite well for themselves for the most part.
Other animals also thrive in cities, though you might not always see them.
One of those animals, the raccoon, was featured in a recent issue of Wildlife Express the Idaho Fish and Game Newsletter for kids and kids at heart.
We wanted to know more about nature’s little trash bandits and how they thrive so well in our midst, so we asked Vicky Runnoe back on Idaho Matters. She's a conservation education supervisor with Idaho Fish and Game and Superintendent of the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: February 23, 2024
Feb 23, 2024
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.
Idaho school boards weigh in on school choice
Feb 22, 2024
A student writes on worksheets in class.(Preston Gannaway for NPR)
Lawmakers have tried over the past several years to put some kind of program in place that would help parents pay for private school using everything from vouchers to education savings accounts, but none of those past proposals have become law.
We want to take a deep dive into school choice, and we’re planning a series of conversations about how this would affect kids and parents, public and private schools, charter and religious schools, taxpayers and educators.
So we asked Quinn Perry, the Policy and Government Affairs Director for the Idaho School Boards Association, to join Idaho Matters for a conversation about a bill before the Idaho Legislature that would provide $5000 in tax credits to parents who enroll their children in private school.
Can public money be used for private schooling?
Feb 22, 2024
(File )
The Idaho Legislature has a new school choice proposal this year that would give out tax credits to parents who enroll their kids in private school.
Some say this creates a conflict with Idaho's constitution, specifically the Blaine Amendment, which says the state cannot use public funds for religious schools.
We’re taking a deep dive into school choice with a series of conversations about how this would affect kids and parents, public and private schools, charter and religious schools, taxpayers and educators.
School choice is a big issue, and we’re just starting to scratch the surface, so we asked Jim Jones to join Idaho Matters for a conversation. He spent 12 years as a justice of Idaho's Supreme Court and eight years as Idaho's Attorney General.
How Olympic medalist Cullen Jones is making a difference for future swimmers
Feb 22, 2024
Cullen Jones smiles after his heat in the men's 50-meter freestyle semifinal at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb. (Mark J. Terrill / AP)
Cullen Jones is a four-time Olympic medalist and the first African American swimmer to hold a world record.
You might recall that he was part of the legendary world record-setting 4x100 relay team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He is also the founder of USA Swimming's Make a Splash program, which aims to make swim lessons accessible to all.
Cullen will be in Boise this evening, Feb. 22, to talk more about this, but first he stopped by Idaho Matters for a chat.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: February 21, 2024
Feb 21, 2024
Just the sniffles? Could be the flu.(iStockphoto)
Even though the weather has been feeling a bit like spring, we are still in the middle of winter ... which means flu season is still upon us.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about what viruses we should be watching out for.
Dr. Marlene Tromp prepares to step in front of the Idaho legislature
Feb 21, 2024
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio )
Every year, the heads of Idaho's public colleges and universities stand up in front of budget lawmakers at the Idaho Legislature and present their annual request for general fund dollars.
This year will be a little different after some changes were made inside the powerful Joint Finance Appropriations Committee, and Boise State University President Dr. Marlene Tromp has been preparing for her turn in front of the committee.
She sat down with our Morning Edition host, George Prentice, to talk about her preparations and about what Boise State has accomplished over the past year.
Reimagining history: 'Boulevard of Bold Dreams' tells a new story inspired by an icon
Feb 21, 2024
The cast of "Boulevard of Bold Dreams." (Alley Repertory Theater)
It's been more than 80 years since Hattie McDaniel made history as the first black actor to win an Oscar, accepting the award for her role as Mammy in "Gone with the Wind."
Dakotah Brown, the director of the production, and Shana Tavares, who plays Hattie McDaniel, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming performance.
How are school choice programs fairing across the country?
Feb 20, 2024
Elementary students with raised hands( Boise School District)
The Idaho Legislature is planning to once again tackle the issue of school choice during this year’s session with a bill that gives parents a tax credit to help offset the cost of private school.
We’re taking a deep dive into school choice and looking at how this would affect kids and parents, public and private schools, charter and religious schools, taxpayers and educators.
We wondered how school choice programs were faring in other states, so we asked Chris Cargill to join Idaho Matters. He’s the President and CEO of the Mountain States Policy Center, and he took a look at 187 studies on school choice programs around the country.
Looking at school choice through a religious school lens
Feb 20, 2024
( Dr. Greg Wiles)
We’re continuing our deep dive into the topic of school choice as lawmakers debate a bill that would provide tax credits to parents who enroll their kids in private school.
That includes religious schools, which has sparked a debate over Idaho's constitution and a provision that state dollars cannot be used for religious education.
We wanted to get the perspective of a private religious school, so we asked the superintendent of Nampa Christian schools, Dr. Greg Wiles, to join Idaho Matters.
School choice: Tax credits versus voucher programs
Feb 20, 2024
(iStockphoto.com)
Idaho lawmakers have tried over the past several years to put some kind of program in place that would let parents choose where their kids go to school using everything from vouchers to education savings accounts, but none of those past proposals have become law.
This year’s proposal involves a $5,000 tax credit per child who is enrolled in private school.
Rod Gramer, the president and CEO of Idaho Business for Education, wrote an op-ed saying that tax credits have the same impact as a voucher program. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this topic.
Opera Idaho returns to the stage with 'Roméo et Juliette'
Feb 20, 2024
( Opera Idaho)
Opera Idaho is back this week with its latest performance of Romeo and Juliet. The stars of the show, Cecilia Violetta Lopez and Ben Gulley, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming performance.
Task force aims to review fatal and serious vehicle crashes in Boise
Feb 19, 2024
( Boise Bicycle Project)
The City of Boise created a task force in 2023 to look at the number of deaths and injuries caused by vehicle crashes. Called the Vision Zero Task Force, it includes Boise City Council Member Jimmy Hallyburton, Boise Bicycle Project Director of Bicycle Advocacy Nina Pienaar and Ada County Highway District Commission President Alexis Pickering.
The task force is in partnership with the City of Boise and ACHD.
Between 2005 and 2020, there were 125 fatal crashes and 1,914 incapacitating crashes in Idaho. 52% of those took place in intersections.
"This last year, 2023, we saw more traffic fatalities and more serious injuries in Boise, Idaho, across the country than we’ve seen for the most part in history,” said Hallyburton. “And so you’re seeing a higher number of people out there walking and biking, getting hit, victims of traffic violence.”
ACHD is in charge of managing, maintaining and building out the infrastructure for Ada County, excluding the state transportation system. The Board of Commissioners is made up of five members that are elected by residents
“With the growth we’re experiencing, the types of behaviors that we're seeing as well in drivers, it definitely needs us to really re-engineer our roads for safety first and not convenience,” said Pickering.
Some of the roads in Boise and Ada County were built with different means of transportation in mind compared to today. Pickering said now there is a different mindset about how we move people.
This is where the Boise Bicycle Project steps in. Pienaar has been working with Hallyburton and Pickering to make the streets a safe space for people on bikes.
One initiative the task force did last year is a Leading Pedestrian Interval. With this, when a person presses the pedestrian button, there is a lead time so they are further into the crosswalk before the turn light turns green, giving the pedestrian the priority.
The Federal Highway Administration says LPIs can reduce pedestrian crashes by 13%. ACHD says they have LPIs at 50 intersections, and they targeted State Street and 11th Street, as well as other big intersections where there have been a lot of near misses.
Pickering said they are going to be approving another 10 intersections in the next couple of weeks.
How LPI works (TL 5 distance on crosswalk to clear total width of all moving lanes; PL 5 distance on crosswalk to clear parking and merging lane, if any).(Leading Pedestrian Interval: Assessment and Implementation Guidelines / Semantic Scholar)
To help with bicycle advocacy, the Boise Bicycle Project holds monthly workshops where people learn how to be better bike advocates. The workshops include testimonies and training so people can learn to communicate with others to improve biking conditions and create a safe and more accessible environment.
The workshops are open to the public and are for anyone who wants to learn more about bike advocacy, changing the city we live in and build self-enforcing streets.
With the weather set to start getting warmer soon, kids are going to start walking and riding their bikes to school, and people will get out of their cars a little bit more. After several fatal and serious car crashes in 2023, Hallyburton said people are afraid and they're thinking about those tragedies.
"The bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure have to be better than they were designed before in the past."
If you want to get involved in thinking about streets, infrastructure and safety, you can join your local neighborhood association or look at projects that are coming up on the ACHD website. People can testify and engage with the ACHD team as they design the project during open houses and filling out surveys.
And of course, be an alert driver and look for people riding their bikes, walking or running on the sidewalks and the streets.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: February 16, 2024
Feb 16, 2024
The Idaho House of Representatives meet for a special session at the Statehouse in Boise, Idaho.(Keith Ridler / AP)
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.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean talks about the top issues facing the city
Feb 15, 2024
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean( City of Boise)
The City of Boise is back in the market for a new police chief after current Chief Ron Winegar announced his retirement. It’s the fourth time in four years that the city has been in the market for a new head for the department.
Boise has also been in the news after finding out a grant proposal to study a future train route between Salt Lake City and Boise never got submitted because of a clerical error.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the top issues facing the city today.
Meridian company creates job opportunities for adults with disabilities
Feb 15, 2024
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is more than double compared to the rest of the population.
What to Watch: A movie to whet your appetite and a preview of Wicked: the movie
Feb 15, 2024
Kristin Chenoweth, left and McKenzie Kurtz participate in the curtain call during the 20th anniversary performance of "Wicked" on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, at Gershwin Theater in New York. (CJ Rivera/CJ Rivera/Invision/AP / Invision)
If you’re hungry right now and you like movies, we've got a film for you! Plus, there are those who say the best part of the Super Bowl are the ads, and one of the most popular ads this year was a movie preview.
Resident movie critic George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to help us figure out What to Watch the weekend.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: February 14, 2024
Feb 14, 2024
(iStockphoto.com)
The bubonic plague dates back to the Middle Ages, when it killed millions of people in Europe. This was, of course, before the advent of antibiotics.
Just this week, a person in Central Oregon contracted this disease. And someone else died from a virus called Alaska pox. Not to mention, we are still dealing with COVID-19 and the flu.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help break all of this down.
Local campaign brings awareness to the dangers of youth vaping
Feb 14, 2024
(Gabby Jones / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
For nearly a decade, the use of e-cigarettes has grown in popularity among one of America's most vulnerable demographics, it's youth.
And as a whole new generation becomes addicted to nicotine, people are looking for a way to help. Which is why Idaho Public Television has launched a new campaign geared towards prevention called "Be Smart, Don't Start."
Jennie Sue Weltner, the Executive Producer of the "Be Smart" campaign with Idaho Public Television, and Katie Chauvin, a tobacco prevention specialist, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the health risks of vaping.
Idaho students share their values as part of Boise State Listens
Feb 14, 2024
( Boise State University )
What happens when you put people with different backgrounds and different core values in a room together and ask them to just listen to one another?
It’s a phenomenon that’s happening more and more across the country, and Boise State has already tried it twice, last spring and last fall.
There’s another Boise State Listens coming up Wednesday, Feb. 21 and we wondered how things are going and what’s next for this program. So we asked folks involved to join Idaho Matters. Isaac Castellano, an associate clinical professor and associate director of the institute for advancing American values, as well as Boise State students Ethan Lahaug and Isaac Stone, sat down to talk more about the upcoming event.
The evolution of Kathryn Polk's art
Feb 14, 2024
The Hand That Feeds, Stone and Plate Lithograph by Kathryn Polk.( Kathryn Polk)
Artist Kathryn Polk started drawing before she could even walk, using art to express herself, which wasn’t always easy growing up in the deep south in the 1950s and 1960s, when women were mostly expected to stay home and not pursue careers in things like art.
Breaking down the Idaho school choice bill
Feb 13, 2024
The Idaho Legislature has a new school choice bill that GOP lawmakers introduced to the legislature at the end of January.
Lawmakers have tried over the past several years to put some kind of program in place that would let parents choose where their kids go to school using everything from vouchers to education savings accounts, but none of those past proposals have become law.
We want to take a deep dive into school choice, and we’re talking a lot about how this would affect kids and parents, public and private schools, charter and religious schools, taxpayers and educators.
Idaho Matters wanted to break down exactly what’s in this year’s bill, so we asked Ian Max Stevenson with the Idaho Statesman to sit down and talk about it.
Finding Basque history in the trees of Idaho
Feb 13, 2024
( John Bieter)
Throughout Idaho, there is a rich history of Basque culture, a piece of which can be found in many of the forests across Idaho in the form of tree carvings.
Known as arborglyphs, these markings were commonly left by sheepherders, providing a glimpse into the past of an often overlooked population. And for years now, Boise State University professor John Bieter has made it a priority to document these fading artifacts.
How does the Boise School District decide to call a snow day?
Feb 13, 2024
blowing snow on a Wyoming interstate highway reduces visibility on a clear day obscuring other vehicles(Tom Grundy / stock.adobe.com)
Idaho kids have had a few snow days this year when the weather and the roads are bad enough to cancel school and keep them at home.
The Boise School District covers 450 square miles, which is a lot of roadway to look at when officials are trying to decide whether or not to call a snow day.
Nick Smith, area director of the district's Boise High School quadrant, sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk more about how they decide when to close schools.
Love stories from the Old Idaho Penitentiary
Feb 13, 2024
(Old Idaho Penitentiary / Facebook )
With Valentine's Day just around the corner, love is in the air. Which means it's time to break out the flowers and chocolate and head to prison!
You read that right. The Old Idaho Penitentiary is hosting a day of romance, and what better way to celebrate than behind bars with your sweetheart, where you'll get to learn all about the couples who were locked up before you!
Jacey Brain, the Visitor Coordinator at the Old Idaho Penitentiary, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.
Idaho's possible role in changes to the U.S. Constitution
Feb 12, 2024
(Mike Mozart / Flickr)
The U.S. Constitution has been around for more than 200 years and has only been changed 27 times in all those years, and all those changes were done the same way.
It’s not easy to amend the constitution, and the framers did that on purpose to make sure changes were widely considered and widely accepted by Americans.
But now some are looking at a different way to change the constitution; it’s called a "Constitutional Convention," and Idaho could be an important state in that process.
The City Club of Boise will explore this topic on Thursday in Boise, and we wanted a preview, so we invited McKay Cunningham, the Director of On-Campus Experiential Learning at the College of Idaho, Chuck Malloy, a longtime Idaho journalist and an independent columnist, as well as Ilana Rubel, the Idaho House Minority Leader, to talk more about the upcoming event.
New contest gets Idaho students out of the classroom and into nature
Feb 12, 2024
In today's world, it can be hard to motivate kids to ditch their screens and get outside. But for one group of kids, that hasn't been a problem because they've been spending their time chasing dragonflies as part of the "Finding Dragons Project."
The project was recently featured in the Idaho Press and looked at how high school kids and adults were studying how dragonflies were doing, their history, and what they could tell us about climate change.
Dick Jordan was a driving force behind the project. He spent 35 years as an environmental science teacher before retiring from Timberline High School, and now he’s teamed up with Idaho Public Television on a new way to get kids outside. It’s called the My Life Outdoors essay contest.
Jordan joined Idaho Matters, along with Ella Driever, a senior at Timberline High, to talk more about the project.
'Waking Up White:' Why having discussions about race in Idaho is important
Feb 12, 2024
Are you uncomfortable talking about race? That’s the question that the Hillview United Methodist Church and other congregations in Idaho have been asking each other, hoping to create some honest and open dialogue about race and racism.
For the next few months, they’re encouraging people to hold “racially conscious conversations book groups" and are offering reading guides and other resources for anyone who wants to host one.
To kick everything off, Hillview United Methodist is bringing Debby Irving to Boise. Her book “Waking Up White” is her story of struggling with racism and racial tensions and covers everything from bias to stereotypes to the melting pot.
She’ll be holding a one-day workshop on Saturday, Feb. 17, and she dropped by Idaho Matters for a preview.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: February 9, 2024
Feb 09, 2024
The Idaho state flag hanging in the Capitol rotunda. (James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio )
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.
Why researchers are working to reduce water use on certain crops
Feb 09, 2024
(Bon Eats / Flickr)
Many farmers across our region grow alfalfa - which is dried into hay and fed to beef and dairy cattle. But it requires a lot more water than most crops.
Now, researchers are working on new technologies to reduce the amount farmers use. Still, some say allowing them to grow such a thirsty crop in the arid west is the problem.
The Mountain West News Bureau's Kaleb Rondel reports.
How art is changing the stigma around living with HIV
Feb 08, 2024
(Bee / Through Positive Eyes )
When it comes to making change, art is one of the most powerful tools we have. It has the ability to start conversations, provide new perspectives and share stories in an accessible way.
Which is exactly what over 100 people are doing as part of the Through Positive Eyes project, a wide-ranging collaboration that uses photography, video and personal interviews to share the realities of those living with HIV and AIDS in order to combat stigma around the disease.
Dr. David Gere, the Founding Director of the UCLA Art & Global Health Center, will be talking more about this project and the impact art can have on our lives as part of the Bodies of Work: Art & Healing Exhibition being hosted by the Sun Valley Museum of Art. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho librarians talk about needed support during legislative session
Feb 08, 2024
(CCAC North Library / Flickr)
GOP lawmakers introduced a new library bill into the Idaho Legislature this week that the Idaho Capital Sun says is a "combination" of previous bills that could restrict children’s access to some materials.
And last week, we told you about a new survey that found that over half of all the librarians in Idaho are thinking about quitting their jobs because of bills like this.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Huda Shaltry, a librarian at the Hillcrest Branch of the Boise library system, and Mary Dewalt, director of the Ada Community Library and vice president of the Idaho Library Association, to talk about how librarians are feeling.
Researchers work to protect Alpine Lake from invasive species
Feb 08, 2024
(elena2525 / Flickr)
Last September, Idaho found quagga mussels along the Snake River in Eastern Idaho, particularly around Shoshone Falls. The mussels pose a big threat to the entire Columbia River basin because of the damage they can do to infrastructure, including irrigation, hydropower and drinking water equipment — destruction that could cost Idaho hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
Idaho took quick action, killing thousands of fish after chemically treating more than six miles of the river and trying to get rid of the mussels.
Meanwhile, another invasive snail was recently discovered in the largest Alpine Lake in our region. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel tagged along with researchers working to monitor – and control – the spread.
Why one Idaho county is treating invasive weeds from the sky
Feb 08, 2024
(Bernard Spragg. NZ / Flickr)
When it comes to managing noxious weeds, it can be a time-consuming and sometimes hazardous job.
Which is why officials over in Fremont County are taking a new approach, choosing to tackle the invasive plants from the sky instead of the ground.
Steve Stuebner, writer and producer for Life on the Range, took a deep dive into this new method of treatment and how it's being used over in Eastern Idaho. He joined Idaho Matters, along with Chase Hirschi, the assistant weed manager for Fremont County and a drone pilot, to talk more about the practice.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: February 7, 2024
Feb 07, 2024
(TheKarenD / flickr)
This winter, COVID-19 has surged nationally. The Idaho Statesman reports Idaho's COVID wastewater levels were the highest they'd been in two years.
This comes after Idaho lawmakers rejected about 16 million dollars in federal grant money that would have helped pandemic response efforts, with a direct result being that Idaho's wastewater tracking dashboard likely has less data.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help break all of this down.
Ballet Idaho returns for first show of 2024
Feb 07, 2024
( Ballet Idaho)
Ballet Idaho will be returning to the stage for their first show of the year, Anthology on Thursday, Feb. 8.
The performance is made up of three unique dances showcasing diverse choreography and music for a special evening of entertainment.
Garrett Anderson, Artistic Director of Ballet Idaho, and Anne Mueller, Associate Artistic Director, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming show.
How cloud seeding could increase the amount of snowfall in Idaho
Feb 07, 2024
( Idaho Power)
For about two decades, Idaho has been changing the weather through a process called cloud seeding. It gives clouds a boost to produce more precipitation like snow.
Now, scientists here are researching a new way to seed clouds that could work better in a changing climate. Rachel Cohen reports.
Continuing education for the 'intellectually curious'
Feb 07, 2024
Steve Thaxton, the Executive Director of the National Resource Center. (Hannah Gardoski / Boise State Public Radio)
For the first 12 years of school, there are tests, cafeteria lunches and classes you may not want to take, but you learn something new every day and can feed your mind while making friends and feeling a sense of community.
But after college, it can be hard to find a place where you can learn about new and interesting topics without re-enrolling in school.
Steve Thaxton is the executive director of the National Resource Center that supports all the Osher programs around the country, including the one here in Boise, and he joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho legislature has new school choice proposal: community schools
Feb 06, 2024
The Idaho Legislature has a new school choice proposal this year that would give out tax credits to parents who enroll their kids in private school.
Some say this will take much-needed money away from public schools, especially in rural areas, and that there are other solutions to creating better school outcomes in Idaho.
We’re taking a deep dive into school choice with conversations about how this would affect kids and parents, public and private schools, charter and religious schools, taxpayers and educators.
School choice is a big issue, and we’re just starting to scratch the surface. So we asked Rep. Lauren Necochea (D-Boise), the house assistant democratic leader and the chair of the Idaho Democratic Party, to join Idaho Matters to talk more.
Will Trump get the chance to run for president in 2024?
Feb 06, 2024
Then-President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to speak at a rally in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021.(Jacquelyn Martin / AP )
A Washington D.C. district court made a ruling in a case involving former President Donald Trump on Tuesday. The court said Trump does not have broad immunity from federal protection, according to NPR.
And this Thursday, Feb. 8, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether former president Donald Trump was part of an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, and if his name can be taken off the Colorado primary ballot. You can hear those arguments live on Boise State Public Radio Thursday morning, starting at 8 a.m.
Trump is also facing a bill for more than $83 million after a judge and jury decided he had defamed E. Jean Carroll after calling her a liar for accusing him of sexual assault.
And the constitution is also in the spotlight as the fight between the federal government and the state of Texas heats up over control of the nation’s border with Mexico.
Dr. David Adler, the president of the Alturas Institute, joined Idaho Matters to help us break down these topics. He'll be hosting one of his Constitutional Conversations Thursday evening, Feb. 8, at the Yanke Center in Boise.
'HBCU Made:' A conversation with Ayesha Rascoe
Feb 06, 2024
( Algonquin Books)
You may know Ayesha Rascoe from her ten years of reporting for Reuters News Agency or from her time as a White House correspondent covering three different presidents, or maybe she wakes you up on Sundays as the host of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.
It’s a collection of essays from everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Branford Marsalis to Stacey Abrams who write about how attending a historically black university helped shape who they are today. Rascoe joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new book.
How Brett Dennen is celebrating mountain towns on his new tour
Feb 06, 2024
(Al Giesler / Sun Valley Museum of Art)
For the seventh year, singer-songwriter Brett Dennen is returning with his Lift Series, traveling to his favorite ski towns in the mountain west for some unforgettable performances.
The tour is about more than just good music, though, as Dennen works to bring a spotlight to the conservation issues facing our world today and ways we can all help to make a change. The musician sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about his upcoming visit.
New survey reveals Idahoans biggest concerns in 2024
Feb 05, 2024
(oldskulphoto / Flickr)
Idahoans think the state is off on the wrong track and are worried about housing, property taxes and the economy. They also trust librarians to choose library books; they don't want ranked choice voting; and they'd like to make changes to Idaho's abortion ban.
These are all conclusions that came out of the ninth annual Idaho Public Policy Survey from Boise State University's School of Public Service and Idaho Policy Institute after polling over 1,000 Idahoans about their top concerns going into 2024.
Dr. Matthew May, the Survey Research Director at the School of Public Service, and Lantz McGinnis-Brown, a Research Associate with the Idaho Policy Institute, joined Idaho Matters to break down the survey.
How medical professionals are working to make health care more sustainable
Feb 05, 2024
(iStockphoto)
If health care were a country, it would be the fifth worst polluter worldwide, according to Dr. Jonathan Perlin. He's the president and CEO of The Joint Commission, a nonprofit that works with health care providers to improve the quality of patient care.
Health care is a big contributor to pollution, excess waste and greenhouse gases, which can lead to making patients sicker: something many health care institutions would like to change.
Dr. Perlin will talk about how The Joint Commission is now working with providers to offer some concrete ways to do things like reduce waste and reduce their carbon footprint on Wednesday, Feb. 7 as part of St. Luke's lecture series on climate and health, and he joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: February 2, 2024
Feb 02, 2024
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Julie Luchetta, reporter for Boise State Public Radio News
Clyde's comes to the Boise Contemporary Theater stage
Feb 02, 2024
( Boise Contemporary Theater)
Boise Contemporary Theater is bringing Lynn Nottage's play, "Clyde's," to the stage this weekend. Nottage is the only woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama twice.
The play is a comedy, a drama and a diner, and well, it's hard to describe. So, we sent our Morning Edition host, George Prentice, to find out more.
An update on the hangar collapse near Boise Airport
Feb 01, 2024
( Ada County Highway District)
Three people are dead and nine others injured after a privately owned hanger under construction near the Boise airport collapsed on Wednesday. Five of those injured are in critical condition. Seven fire engines, three ladder trucks and at least a dozen ambulances responded to the scene near the Jackson Jet Center. According to Boise Fire Operations Chief Aaron Hummel, the hangar was under construction when the collapse happened.
Sydney Kidd, who reports for BoiseDev.com, joined Idaho Matters to give us an update on the tragedy.
'Facing the Mountain:' Inspiring conversations for a better future
Feb 01, 2024
Minidoka under construction. Displays the solitude and expansive vistas of Minidoka.
( Courtesy of the National Archives)
During World War II, over 13,000 Japanese Americans were held at Minidoka in the eastern Idaho desert and more than 120,000 were taken from their homes by the U.S. government.
While their parents were in camps like Minidoka, some young men volunteered to serve and were placed in a special Japanese-American Army unit which fought in places like Germany, Italy and France.
This chapter of American history was the basis for the book “Facing the Mountain” by author Daniel James Brown. Brown's book “The Boys in the Boat,” was made into a movie last year by George Clooney.
We asked Gwyn Hervochon, librarian for Albertsons Library and coordinator for the Idaho Center for the Book along with Camille Daw, program and outreach manager with Friends of Minidoka and David Walker, associate professor with Boise State’s History Department to tell us more.
Celebrating the Lunar New Year in Idaho
Feb 01, 2024
( The Idaho State Museum)
As we head into February, people around the world are getting ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Liz Hobson, Museum Administrator of the Idaho State Museum, and Candy Hua, a council member from the Idaho Chinese Organization, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the festivities.
What to Watch: An Oscar nominee, a new series and an update on password-sharing
Feb 01, 2024
Empty popcorn bags are lined up in a row. (Scott Duffus / Flickr)
If you've been using a family members Netflix password to watch your favorite films, you may not be happy about the latest crackdown on password-sharing from some the top streaming services.
Idaho Matters sat down with our resident movie critic, George Prentice, to take a look at what other platforms are implementing the no-share rule and recommend some show's you might want to check out.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: January 31, 2024
Jan 31, 2024
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact Idaho)
It's been four years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the virus continues to affect people in ways scientists are still trying to understand. That's because COVID is evolving at an incredibly rapid rate.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this.
Why Idaho librarians are considering leaving their jobs
Jan 31, 2024
(Johner Images/Getty Images)
Over half of all the librarians in Idaho are thinking about quitting their jobs, according to a new survey that found 60% of respondents are considering leaving Idaho.
Participants say that this is due to the fact that bills in the Idaho Legislature could restrict what books can and cannot be in an Idaho library. According to the Idaho Library Association, librarians feel hunted by the legislature and are planning to leave their jobs if newly proposed bills become law.
Mia Maldonado is a reporter with the Idaho Capitol Sun, and she took a deep dive into the study.
Idaho volleyball team makes a name for themselves
Jan 31, 2024
( Idaho Crush)
When it comes to the world of volleyball, the Idaho Crush team has been making a name for themselves, breaking records and gaining national recognition as they bring a new spotlight to the sport.
And the team is continuing to trailblaze as they get ready to head to South America to compete against some of Brazil's top players.
Caroline Bower, Idaho Crush head coach and club owner, along with Idaho Crush players Kenna McClure and Sydney Hyde, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming competition and their sport.
How one musician is honoring those lost in the Long Walk
Jan 31, 2024
(Bobby Blair / Flickr)
A musician from our region is channeling his Navajo ancestors and an innovative composer to honor those lost in the Long Walk. KSUT's Clark Adomaitis reports for the Mountain West News Bureau on a performance that will run for four and a half years.
An overview of school choice in Idaho
Jan 30, 2024
(CREDIT MALATE269 / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
The Idaho Legislature is planning to once again tackle the issue of school choice during this year’s session.
Lawmakers have tried over the past several years to put some kind of program in place that would let parents choose where their kids go to school using everything from vouchers, to education savings accounts, but none of those past proposals have become law.
We want to take a deep dive into school choice, and we’re planning a series of conversations about how this would affect kids and parents, public and private schools, charter and religious schools, taxpayers and educators.
School choice is a big issue, and we’re just starting to scratch the surface, so we asked Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News, for an overview.
What to expect from Idaho's economy in 2024
Jan 30, 2024
Money(Pictures of Money / Flickr)
Everyone’s talking about the economy. Will Idaho's unemployment rate keep going up? Will we see a recession? If interest rates flatten out, how will that affect Idaho's crazy housing market? Will an election year make a difference to Idaho's economic situation?
Last June, we got an update on Idaho's economy from Jason Norris. He’s the principal of research and portfolio management at Ferguson Wellman, and he was born and raised in Boise, so he knows all about the Gem State and how our economy works. Idaho Matters wanted to check in with him again and get a roadmap for 2024.
Zoo Boise snow leopard diagnosed with cancer
Jan 30, 2024
Snow leopard Kabita at Zoo Boise(Naomi Clayton of NAC Photography / Zoo Boise)
A beloved member of Zoo Boise has been diagnosed with cancer, and everyone at the zoo has been working to help her.
Kabita is a 14-year-old snow leopard who has been at the zoo since 2011. Once zookeepers realized something was wrong, doctors found a tumor in the big cat’s mouth, and sadly, the cancer has spread to her bones.
A large team at the zoo is working to make her more comfortable using all the tools in their toolbox, including very advanced veterinary medicine.
Doug Holloway, Boise Parks and Recreation Director, and Zoo Boise veterinarian Dr. Melissa Cavaretta joined Idaho Matters to talk more about how Kabita is doing and tell us how the latest technology is being used to treat animals in their care.
How the history of the Aral Sea could help us protect the Great Salt Lake
Jan 30, 2024
Severe drought takes its toll on the Great Salt Lake.(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
The Great Salt Lake in Utah is often compared to a lake in Central Asia: the Aral Sea. Back in the 80s, the Aral Sea dried up so much it caused toxic dust storms - a problem Utah also faces. But the Aral Sea offers a potential solution for how to save a shrinking lake.
Reporter Levi Bridges visited Kazakhstan for KUER and the Great Salt Lake Collaborative. He has this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
The issue of public encampments makes its way to the Supreme Court
Jan 29, 2024
(Tania Gail / Flickr)
The U.S. Supreme Court is going to take up the issue of camping in public places five years after a Boise case put limits on what cities can do to stop people experiencing homelessness from sleeping outside.
The decision in the Martin v. Boise case has been cited by many cities, who say homeless encampments have been growing due in part to a lack of affordable housing.
Now a new case that comes from Grants Pass, Oregon, has both cities hoping to curb camping, and homeless advocates who say people have nowhere else to go are turning their focus to the Supreme Court, which will take up the case later this year.
Rachel Spacek is a reporter for the Idaho Statesman, and she took a deep dive into this story and what a Supreme Court decision could mean for Boise's homeless population.
How Boise is celebrating Mardi Gras in style
Jan 29, 2024
Delfeayo Marsalis ( Eric Waters and Girard Mouton III)
It's only a couple of weeks until Mardi Gras, the last big blowout before Lent begins on Feb. 14.
The Boise Jazz Society is going all out for the celebration with a special concert by the Uptown Jazz Orchestra and a discussion about America's original art form, jazz, and its New Orleans origins.
Michael Samball, the founder and managing director of the Boise Jazz Society, and jazz musician Delfeayo Marsalis joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Is Idaho a regressive state when it comes to taxation?
Jan 29, 2024
The Who Pays report says that low- and middle-income families in Idaho pay more in taxes than the wealthy, and the institute also says that disparity has only gotten worse over the last five years.
May Roberts, Policy Analyst at the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy, and Carl Davis, Research Director at the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, joined Idaho Matters to break down the study.
Why you should stay off muddy trails in the Boise Foothills
Jan 29, 2024
Ridge to Rivers had to close down the Heroes Trail, which starts at the Boise VA, because of the muddy conditions.( Ridge to Rivers)
On Friday, Jan. 26, four more trails were closed in the Boise Foothills after rain, melting snow and warmer weather turned them into a muddy mess. That’s after seasonal closures to some other trails, which are designed to protect them from long-term damage.
On Monday, the Ridge to Rivers website says that most trails in the mid and lower foothills are muddy and should be avoided.
David Gordon, the Ridge to Rivers trail manager, joined Idaho Matters to tell us what trails are closed and why our soil makes it hard for damaged trails to recover.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: January 26, 2024
Jan 26, 2024
These pills were made to look like Oxycodone, but they're actually an illicit form of the potent painkiller fentanyl. ( Drug Enforcement Administration)
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.
How one nonprofit is addressing Idaho's diaper crisis
Jan 25, 2024
(Harish Kumar / Flickr)
If you're a parent, you've hopefully never had to choose between skipping a meal or buying diapers for your baby.
Unfortunately, this is the reality for more than a quarter of U.S. families, according to the National Diaper Bank Network.
It's a crisis the Gem State is dealing with as well, and one that Idaho's Diaper Bank is tackling as they work to fill essential gaps in our community's basic needs.
Traci Lofthus, Executive Director of the Idaho Diaper Bank, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
A preview of the Sun Valley Film Festival
Jan 25, 2024
(Sun Valley Film Festival)
We are almost a month away from the Sun Valley Film Festival, which never fails to bring great films and famous movie stars to the Wood River Valley. This year, the festival is proud to honor Annette Bening, who was nominated this week for a Best Actress Oscar.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Candice Pate, director of the festival, and Teddy Grennan, founder of the festival, to talk about what people can expect to see this year.
The importance of preserving the Whitebark Pine tree
Jan 25, 2024
(Florian Kainz, San Rafael, California / Flickr)
There are dozens of conservation groups across the Mountain West working to protect the waters, lands and wildlife that make up our region. That included a nonprofit in Nevada that is helping preserve an important tree species that's increasingly threatened by climate change.
The Mountain West News Bureau's Kaleb Roedel reports.
Why the Steamboat Gulch Tubing Hill is closed
Jan 25, 2024
Steamboat Gulch is closed as officials look for a new operator. (Idaho Department of Lands.)
With all the recent snow, folks in southwest Idaho have been on the lookout for safe spots to take their kids tubing.
In the past, Steamboat Gulch Tubing Hill near Idaho City has been a favorite recreation spot, providing hours of winter fun an hour from Boise.
But the hill is closed after the former operator stepped down, and the Idaho Department of Lands is looking for someone else to keep the tubes sliding.
Robbie Johnson, a public information officer with the Idaho Department of Lands, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How are Idahoans doing when it comes to tobacco use?
Jan 25, 2024
(Jonathan Vowles / Flickr)
The American Lung Association has just released its 22nd annual "State of Tobacco Control" grading states across the nation, including Idaho. And Idaho didn't do very well.
“This is a report that grades states and the federal government on evidence-based policies,” said Carrie Nyssen, the Senior DIrector of Advocacy for the American Lung Association in Idaho.
She sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the report card, Idaho’s high school tobacco-use rate, and the jaw-dropping Idaho healthcare costs due to smoking.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: January 24, 2024
Jan 24, 2024
(Craig Brown / Flickr)
The United States is seeing a surge of respiratory viruses, which includes COVID-19 and the flu. Now, health experts are warning this could lead to a rise in cardiovascular complications.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this and to answer your public health questions.
How one team is preparing for the 29th Pedigree Stage Stop sled dog race
Jan 24, 2024
(Innkight / Flickr)
Last week we told you about this year’s Idaho Sled Dog Challenge and we’ve learned some of the races had to be canceled this year due to warm weather, which has made for rough trail conditions. Last we checked the Warm Lake Stage Race is still going on today, Wednesday 24 and tomorrow, Thursday 25.
The Idaho races are not the only place in the west where sled dog teams and their humans go racing. This month dogs are lining up for the 29th Pedigree Stage Stop sled dog race – with $165,000 in prize money.
It’s one of the hardest races of its type in the world – due to the length, elevation and weather. And this year, one team is a bit different from the norm.
Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
'Wolf/Girl' comes to the Morrison Center stage
Jan 24, 2024
(Boise State Public Radio )
"Wolf/Girl" is the unlikeliest of dramas for a new year, combining fictional werewolves and echoes of real Idaho wolves. Playwright Heidi Kraay is one of two Boise writers in residence and her play is coming to the Danny Peterson Theater at the Morrison Center in Boise in February.
She sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about monsters, myths and metaphors.
'Differ We Must:' A conversation with Steve Inskeep
Jan 23, 2024
( Penguin Press)
NPR's Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep is coming to Boise, and he has a new book out about President Abraham Lincoln.
While he was writing his book, "Differ We Must," he realized how politics is essential to sustaining democracy, and he says that no debate is ever really settled. The Cabin is bringing Inskeep to the Morrison Center on Thursday, Jan. 25, along with two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Nicholas Kristof.
Our Morning Edition host, George Prentice, got the chance to sit down with Inskeep to talk about today's GOP versus Lincoln's Republican Party.
How possible changes to Idaho's Medicaid Expansion Program could impact cancer patients
Jan 23, 2024
(Michael Jung / iStock)
One of the things that Gov. Brad Little wants to do in the Idaho Legislature this year is include a work requirement for people enrolled in the Medicaid Expansion Program.
Medicaid Expansion was given the green light by voters five years ago, allowing more low-income residents to get health insurance.
According to the Idaho Capitol Sun, details on the governor's work plan are still to come but the topic has been controversial both in Idaho and around the country, with some saying that many people would lose their health insurance.
The American Cancer Society’s "Cancer Action Network" says people without insurance are less likely to get cancer screenings that can save lives. And early screening saves money by catching and treating cancer before it becomes untreatable.
Randy Johnson, Idaho Government Relations Director of the Cancer Action Network, and Lucy Dagneau, Senior Director of the state and local campaigns at the network, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Why two Idaho radio stations are receiving a $500,000 fine
Jan 23, 2024
(Federal Communications Commission)
Two Idaho radio stations will pay half a million dollar fine after admitting to violating federal law.
KIDO AM in Boise and KLIX in Twin Falls aired a political program for a year and a half without telling listeners they'd been paid to air the program.
BoiseDev.com found the show, called Keep Idaho Red, didn't feature disclosures required by federal law and that the show wasn't included in either stations political disclosure file.
So, what does all this mean and why does it matter? Don Day, founder and editor of Boise Dev, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How one Idaho museum is transporting people back to the past
Jan 23, 2024
Located in Murphy, the museum is dedicated to finding and preserving the history of Owyhee County. It features a recreation of an old Murphy schoolhouse, a 1920s gas station in Homedale, a walk-through mining tunnel and hundreds of artifacts, many donated by community members.
The museum has been growing and expanding a lot over the past five years since Eriks Garsvo became director. He joined Idaho Matters to take us on a virtual tour.
Nampa's iconic water tower comes down
Jan 22, 2024
The City of Nampa’s 50-year-old water tower is no more. The iconic metal tower, which held half-a-million gallons of water, had reached the end of its useful life.
The tower was a landmark, visible from cars traveling on Interstate 84, and was built in the 1970s. The new tank will be made out of concrete and will hold three times as much water and the project will cost $8 million.
Nampa’s Director of Water Resources Jeff Barnes joined Idaho Matters with more information.
How events in 2024 will affect your wallet
Jan 22, 2024
Inflation is falling, interest rates could be following suit and it’s a presidential election year. Idaho Matters wanted to know how all these things are going to affect your finances in 2024.
We wanted to get an update on the economy so we asked Robert Spendlove back on the show. He’s the Senior Economist for Zions Bank and he often provides economic updates to the Idaho Legislature to help lawmakers decide how to spend, or not spend, taxpayer money.
Where would patients go if Saltzer Health closes its doors?
Jan 22, 2024
Saltzer Health may be closing its doors and if the group’s 11 Treasure Valley clinics go away ... what will happen to their 100,000 patients?
The Idaho Statesman reported last week an official at Saltzer was told by their parent company - Salt Lake City’s Intermountain Health Care - that "financial woes" would force the clinics to close by the end of March unless someone buys the group.
Saltzer sent a letter to its 100,000 patients Thursday saying they would “cease or sell all operations” by March.
We've been hearing from many people who want to know where will Saltzer's patients go if the group does close its clinics and will those patients put further strain on healthcare which is already stretched thin?
So we asked Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke’s Health System and our resident doctor on our Wednesday Doctor Roundtable, to help break this down.
Both St. Luke’s and Saltzer Health have been sponsors of Boise State Public Radio.
NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce's new book gets personal
Jan 22, 2024
Transient and Strange: Notes on the Science of Life is Nell Greenfieldboyce's first book.( W.W. Norton, Timothy Devine)
NPR Science Correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce has been a reporter for almost 30 years and in that time she’s reported on everything from the space shuttle to gene therapy to pet cloning.
Now she’s written her first book titled “Transient and Strange.” It’s a heartfelt collection of essays about some very personal stories.
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.
Tips for staying safe on the road this winter
Jan 18, 2024
(Through my windshield / Flickr)
If you've been trying to drive anywhere today or in the past week, you may have noticed it's a little dicey out there!
The Idaho Transportation Department has reported dozens of accidents and slide-offs over the past week. And highways from Interstate 84 to Highway 21 have been closed down at one point or another.
So we wanted to get some winter driving tips from an expert, and who better to ask than AAA Idaho? Matthew Conde, Public and Government Affairs Director of AAA, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Wine Commission hosting 'Winter Wine Weekends'
Jan 18, 2024
(Andria / Flickr)
As Idaho's wine industry continues to grow, the Gem State is being recognized for more than just its potatoes.
The state has more than 1,300 acres of vineyards and over 70 wineries. With that in mind, the Idaho Wine Commission is once again hosting Winter Wine Weekends to give people a chance to taste some of the area's best varieties.
Moya Dolsby, Executive Director of the Idaho Wine Commission, and Crystal Potter, co-owner of Potter Wines in Garden City, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Zoo Boise residents enjoy Idaho's snow
Jan 18, 2024
Akasha, is an Amur Tiger. Her subspecies is used to cold climates and can be found in Far East Russia and Northeast China. ( Zoo Boise )
With all the recent snowfall in the state, Idahoans have had to find ways to adapt to the winter weather. And it turns out human beings aren't the only ones adjusting to the weather.
The residents of Zoo Boise are also finding some ways to cope with the white stuff, as our Julie Luchetta reports.
What to Watch: Preparing for the Oscars and a new high-profile series
Jan 18, 2024
(ida rehnsbo / Flickr)
It's almost time for Oscar nominations. Who's going to be front and center? And we've got a great documentary for you, plus there's a new high-profile series that was ripped from Idaho's headlines. Morning Edition host and resident movie critic, George Prentice, joined Idaho Matters to help us figure out What to Watch.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: January 17, 2024
Jan 17, 2024
(PhotoAlto/Michele Constantini / Getty Images)
Idaho has seen 12 flu-related deaths this season, and health officials want people to know there is an uptick in respiratory illnesses, as well as COVID-19.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Plowing winter roads with ACHD
Jan 17, 2024
(Shirakon / Flickr)
The Ada County Highway District is responsible for more than 5,300 lane miles of road, including most Boise roads.
And with just 43 snow plows, ACHD has been working 12-hour shifts trying to plow and treat the roads during the recent heavy snowstorms, but with all the recent snow, crews have at times found that plowing all those main roads, more than 4,000 cul-de-sacs and 3,000 miles of residential roads is a bit daunting.
How does ACHD plan for a big snowfall? Can they pre-treat roadways in advance? And who gets plowed first when the snow is coming down? These are questions people have been asking since the snow started falling. Jennifer Berenger, Deputy Director of Maintenance with ACHD, joined Idaho Matters to help provide some answers.
Sled dogs get ready to compete in Idaho
Jan 17, 2024
The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is returning to the West Central Mountains of Idaho. Here, Scott White from Snohomish, Wash., and his team race in 2022.(Melissa Shelby/Melissa Shelby / Melissa Shelby)
You may have noticed that we've had a little snow lately, and one of Idaho's best winter events is the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge in the backcountry of McCall.
Dave Looney is the co-founder of the challenge and a pilot. He helps run logistics for the race, which happens every January. He told our Morning Edition host, George Prentice, a harrowing story about how he got started with sled dog racing.
A new plan to tackle Idaho's three biggest health concerns
Jan 16, 2024
( St. Luke's Health System)
If someone asked you, "What’s your top priority when it comes to health care?" what would you say?
That’s the question a group of 23 different hospitals, health districts and other agencies asked the people who live in ten counties in Western Idaho.
Alexis Pickering, the Western Idaho Community Health Collaborative Program Manager; Angie Gribble, Senior Director of Community Health and Engagement with St. Lukes Health System; and Megan Remaley, Director of Community Impact with United Way of Treasure Valley, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the survey.
How Idaho librarians are using a 'little book' to tell a big stories
Jan 16, 2024
( Emery Davidson)
Librarians from across Idaho spent their Martin Luther King Jr. Day distributing copies of a little book to every Idaho legislator.
It’s a compilation of essays from people across Idaho, writing about the importance of their public libraries and why they’re against restricting what librarians put on the shelves.
Dr. Jenny Emery Davidson, Executive Director of Ketchum's community library, sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the “little” book’s historic inspiration and what she says is driving some of the current debate about what goes on public library shelves.
Why animal shelters are seeing a rise in surrendered pets
Jan 16, 2024
A dog eagerly awaits adoption in an animal shelter.(iStockphoto.com)
As 2024 gets underway, animal shelters across America are continuing to see an increase in pet surrenders, especially when it comes to dogs, and Idaho is no different. With adoptions down, nonprofits like the West Valley Humane Society are working harder than ever to find forever homes for their many pups.
Jennifer Adkins, the Executive Director of West Valley Humane Society, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
Idaho Matters discusses the importance of menopause knowledge
Jan 15, 2024
(iStockphoto)
Approximately half of all Americans will go through menopause. However, it remains an under-discussed topic, leaving many scared and uninformed about the changes they are experiencing.
It also leaves them in the dark when it comes to perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and hormone therapy.
Idaho Matters spent an hour talking about this important topic with three experts in the field:
Jill Gustafson, a certified nurse midwife and menopause specialist with Quantum Women's Health
Dr. Paru David, internist and women's health specialist at the Mayo Clinic and menopause-certified practitioner by the North American Menopause Society
Dr. Tali Sobel, women's health internist at the Mayo Clinic and menopause-certified practitioner by the North American Menopause Society
The experts spoke with Gemma about the difference between early perimenopause, perimenopause and menopause; symptoms and temporary treatments; misinformation around hormone replacement therapy; sexual health and how to advocate for yourself to get the help and treatment you need.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: January 12, 2023
Jan 12, 2024
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
The Idaho Legislature is back in session, Dr. Ryan Cole's medical license has been restricted in Washington, library books are top of mind for lawmakers, Idaho State University's Holt Arena now has a new name and an update on the Chris Tapp investigation.
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.
Christina Lords, editor-in-chief of Idaho Capital Sun
How to remove your signature from an initiative petition
Jan 11, 2024
(Louis du Mont / Flickr)
Last month, the chairwoman of the Idaho GOP, Dorothy Moon, sent out a newsletter taking issue with an initiative petition currently circulating in Idaho. If the petition gets enough signatures, it would put a choice on the ballot, allowing voters to decide if they want to require open primaries in Idaho and change to a ranked choice voting system.
As of Wednesday, Jan. 10, the Idahoans for Open Primaries group had gathered just over 54,000 signatures from around the state; they need around 63,000, including a percentage from 18 legislative districts.
In the newsletter, Moon tells her readers the petition is a bad idea and says if you’ve already signed it, you can recant your signature.
We wanted to know, can you do that? Jaclyn Kettler is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Boise State, and she joined Idaho Matters to help us figure this out.
What the constitution has to say about Trumps defense
Jan 11, 2024
( White House)
Former president Donald Trump faces several court cases in the next few months and is invoking parts of the U.S. Constitution in his defense.
Trump says he is immune to prosecution for anything that happened while he was president. He also says his criminal prosecution interferes with the presidential election.
How does the Constitution weigh in on these points? Dr. David Adler, the President of the Alturas Institute, will tackle this question next Wednesday during one of his Constitutional Conversations at the Yanke Center in Boise. In the meantime, he joined Idaho Matters for a preview.
How the Children's Home Society of Idaho is continuing a legacy of giving back
Jan 11, 2024
(Tanya Partem / Children's Home Society of Idaho)
In Boise's east end, a very old stone building has a unique history of helping children in need.
The Children's Home Society of Idaho has been giving kids who have lost their parents a place of shelter and safety. It was founded in 1908, and over the course of 50 years, it gave more than 6,000 children a home.
Now, hundreds of children each year go through the doors of the building for everything from grief counseling to music therapy, regardless of their ability to pay, but the building itself is in need of a little TLC, including a new roof and other repairs.
The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust is giving the society $400,000 to keep the doors open and restore this historic Warm Springs Avenue treasure.
Anselme Sadiki, Executive Director of the Children's Home Society of Idaho, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
What inspires Boise City Council member Meredith Stead to serve
Jan 11, 2024
Meredith Stead is sworn into office January 9, 2024( City of Boise)
It’s been a busy week in Boise's City Council as newly elected members stood next to their colleagues to be sworn into office.
This is the youngest council in the city’s history. They chose to make Colin Nash the new president, and council member Meredith Stead was chosen to be the new city council Pro Tem.
Stead is no stranger to public service, and our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with her for an extended interview to talk about why she serves and about some of the top issues facing Idaho's capital city.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: January 10, 2024
Jan 10, 2024
Masks hang from an IV pole at a hospital.(Jenny Kane / AP)
Hundreds of Americans are still dying each week from COVID-19, according to CDC data. For the last four weeks, the average death rate in the U.S. due to COVID was 1,488.
By comparison, there were 163 weekly deaths from the flu. And COVID-19 levels are once again on the rise as a new variant makes up more than 60% of all cases right now.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
The impact of wildfires and how Idaho is protecting against them
Jan 10, 2024
(Brad Washa / Boise National Forest)
Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel-Davis said Tuesday the Biden administration was giving $138 million to Idaho and other states to protect against wildfires. The money will be used for everything from wildland firefighter training to reducing the risk of fire and restoring areas that have already burned, including deer and elk habitat in southwest Idaho, which will use some of the money to plant native plants and remove invasive species that have sprouted up after a series of fires in 2022.
In other news, we’re also learning that wildfires can leave nasty chemicals behind and in the air and wildfires are also putting insurance companies in a bind.
Mount West News Bureau correspondent Murphy Woodhouse joined Idaho Matters to give us an update on the wildland fire news.
Idaho teen to compete in Winter Youth Olympic Games
Jan 10, 2024
Imagine skiing cross-country as fast as you can until you’re tired, then holding absolutely still and trying to hit a target more than 150 feet away. That’s what biathletes do over and over every time they compete. Idaho is known for producing world-class biathletes, from Boise native Sara Studebaker-Hall, who competed in two Olympics, to Lyle Nelson of McCall, who competed four times in the Olympic Biathlon.
Now, a new generation is breaking records. 17-year-old Molly Maybach just made the USA team as its youngest youth biathlete and is heading to South Korea to compete in the Winter Youth Olympic Games on Jan. 20. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her sport.
Billions in federal cash makes its way to the West
Jan 10, 2024
(Amehime / Shutterstock)
Biden administration officials have been visiting the West a lot to promote spending packages like the Inflation Reduction Act. They've already directed over $50 billion to the region.
But are residents of small towns noticing? The Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walked reports.
Why more people are becoming sober curious
Jan 09, 2024
(Trumpetvine / Flickr)
Dry January, or giving up alcohol for the month, is a huge trend that many people undertake at the start of every year. In fact, according to health experts, “sober curious” is likely to be one of the top health and wellness trends of 2024.
Bestselling author of “This Naked Mind,” Annie Grace joined Idaho Matters to talk about what it means to be sober curious.
A lawsuit says wolf traps are endangering grizzly bears
Jan 09, 2024
(Philippe de Feluy / Flickr)
Conservation groups are trying to stop wolf trapping in Idaho, saying the practice threatens endangered grizzly bears.
Thirteen groups filed a lawsuit saying traps and snares for wolves could also kill grizzlies and they asked a federal judge last week to stop the practice when bears are not hibernating.
With around 80 of the protected bears in Idaho, according to the Forest Service, conservationists say losing even one of the grizzlies to a wolf trap could hurt their recovery.
Suzanne Asha Stone, with the International Wildlife Coexistence Network, and Carter Niemeyer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service retired Wolf Recovery Coordinator for the State of Idaho, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How Life's Kitchen is creating second chances
Jan 09, 2024
Young adults cooking in Life's Kitchen. ( Life's Kitchen)
Serving second chances: that's the mantra of Life's Kitchen, a nonprofit that has taught culinary and life skills to over 900 young adults over the past two decades.
Along with 575,000 hours of job training in the kitchen, Life's Kitchen also cooks meals in their restaurant for more than one million people in need.
The organization has been recognized by the Jacques Pépin Foundation, which was created by this Master Chef to support "free culinary and life skills training" through grants to community organization around the country.
Tammy Johnson, Executive Director of Life's Kitchen, joined Idaho Matters to talk more!
MK Nature Center to offer new classes for adults
Jan 09, 2024
(Ricky Mouser / Flickr)
For years, the MK Nature Center has been a special place for kids to discover and learn about wildlife. Now the center is expanding its educational footprint with more classes for adults in things like nature photography and protecting Idaho's rivers.
Victoria Runnoe, the superintendent of the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center and conservation education supervisor with Idaho Fish and Game, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about these new classes.
Breaking down the laws around Idaho mobile bars
Jan 08, 2024
You’ve seen them around town. They’re called "mobile bars" and they show up at special events providing alcohol at social gatherings and celebrations.
It's a growing industry and these bars are becoming more and more popular. But they come with special laws that many folks may not know about and Idaho's Bureau of Alcohol Beverage Control is hoping to change that.
Captain Rocky Gripton, Bureau Chief of the Idaho State Police ABC Bureau joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
SCOTUS weighs in on Idaho's abortion ban
Jan 08, 2024
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Idaho to enforce our state’s abortion ban, even in medical emergencies, while a legal fight continues.
The justices said they will hear arguments in April and they put a hold on a lower court ruling that had blocked the Idaho law in hospital emergencies based on a lawsuit filed by the Biden Administration where it argued that hospitals that receive Medicare funds are required by federal law to provide emergency care, which could potentially include abortion, no matter if there’s a state law banning abortion.
Joining Idaho Matters to help us understand this decision, as well as the implications for doctors and women in Idaho, are McKay Cunningham, Director, On-Campus Experiential Learning at the College of Idaho and Dr. Sara Thomson, a local OBGYN.
Resolving to do better on climate in the New Year
Jan 08, 2024
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.
A preview of the 2024 Idaho Legislative Session
Jan 04, 2024
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio News)
A new year means a new Idaho Legislative Session where a group of 105 legislators will make decisions that will affect every aspect of life in the Gem State.
From taxes to education to Medicaid to housing to abortion - lawmakers are planning bills and laws that will have a direct impact on our daily life. The session starts Monday, Jan. 8, and every year we get an idea of the top priorities in both parties at the annual Idaho Press Club’s Legislative Preview.
Our political reporter James Dawson joined Idaho Matters to let us know what’s on the minds of the dominant GOP Party, the minority Democrats and Idaho Governor Brad Little.
Looking at the library book controversy in the Mountain West
Jan 04, 2024
(Fran / Flickr )
Across the country, libraries are becoming a battleground for culture wars, with children at the center. In Idaho, some residents and lawmakers want libraries to restrict access to books. Aspen Public Radio’s Caroline Llanes reports on one controversy for the Mountain West News Bureau.
This story was produced with help from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps. It’s funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
Art and the environment
Jan 04, 2024
(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pascoschools/">Pasco County Schools</a> / Flickr)
An artist collective in our region wants to help more people think about their impact on the environment and DO something about it. Aspen Public Radio’s Kaya Williams reports for the Mountain West News Bureau on one collaboration.
This story was produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps. It’s supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: January 3, 2024
Jan 03, 2024
The City of Boise reports levels of the COVID-19 virus in its wastewater have risen steadily since early December. Between Dec. 1 and 27, the 14-day average of COVID levels rose about 65%.
So, what’s this mean for the rest of cold, flu, and COVID season?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to give us a few tips on how to stay safe, as well as the latest information on RSV, COVID-19 and the flu.
Mentoring means making a difference for a young person
Jan 03, 2024
( Big Brothers Big Sisters)
If your New Year's resolution is to make a difference maybe being a mentor to a young person is something that would work for you. January is Big Brothers Big Sisters National Mentoring Month and all you need is a loving heart to make a difference in a youth’s life.
Kernza is a new grain that shows promise as an environmentally sustainable crop. Some brewers and distillers are using it to develop climate friendly beers and spirits.
KUNC's Rae Solomon reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Expanding access to birth control in Idaho
Jan 02, 2024
As the fight over Idaho's abortion ban continues in and outside of the courts, a small group of people became concerned that the use of contraceptives may have gotten pulled into the political fight.
They believe contraceptives are essential to reducing unplanned pregnancies and want to find a way to expand access to birth control and educate Idahoans on why they’re important. So, they’ve formed the nonprofit “Idaho Contraceptive Education Network.”
Board members Kelley Packer and Laurie Likeley, both former Idaho representatives, joined Idaho Matters to explain the rationale behind the Network.
Stigmas are stopping firearm owners from seeking mental health resources
Jan 02, 2024
Owning firearms and having mental health issues can be a deadly mix. But some want to address the stigma of seeking help – and help gun owners stay healthy.
Kamila Kudelska reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Wolf reintroduction in Colorado worries some residents
Jan 02, 2024
Wolves now have a larger territory in our region. Colorado has started releasing wolves along the western slope – part of a voter-approved reintroduction plan. But some area residents are worried about the impact.
KUNC’s Scott Franz reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Treasure Valley inversions may be bad, but Utah has it worse
Jan 02, 2024
The National Weather Service in Boise says the inversion plaguing the Treasure Valley will last through Wednesday … when rain and snow and colder weather will push it out.
It isn’t the first inversion the Valley has suffered this winter and it won’t be the last. And since misery loves company we thought you might be interested to hear that Utah has the same problem.
The Salt Lake Valley’s West Side is home to over 350,000 people. It's also home to major highways, an international airport, warehouses and other sources of pollution. Those industries – and decisions made more than a century ago – contribute to the nasty air West Side residents breathe.
KUNR’s Saige Miller explains the impact of that pollution for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Some tribal nations worry about hydropower development
Jan 02, 2024
There’s been an increase in hydropower projects across the U.S., including on different tribal reservations. But some advocates say tribes like the Navajo nation aren’t being consulted enough about their development.
As Chris Clements of KSJD reports, that includes a recent proposal for three new projects in northeastern Arizona.
Vinyl makes a comeback
Jan 02, 2024
Sofia Blenkinsop shares her collection of 7-inch, 45 RPM vinyl singles.(Sofia Blenkinsop / Boise State Public Radio)
If you received a record player or some new LPs for the holidays, you’re not alone. The Recording Industry Association of America announced earlier this year that vinyl records outsold CDs in 2022 for the first time in 35 years (since 1987), with some reports saying vinyl sales are up more than 21 percent for the first half of 2023.
Sofia Blenkinsop takes us through what Boise locals in the music industry think about the steady return of vinyl.
'Meet Me at the Lake:' An author interview with Carley Fortune
Jan 01, 2024
(Berkley)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on August 9, 2023.
Last year, author Carley Fortune came out with her debut novel "Every Summer After."
Her book climbed the New York Times Bestseller list for more than 13 weeks and was named one of the hottest reads of summer 2022. Now, she is out with her latest beach read, "Meet Me at the Lake."
Fortune joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book.
'Everyone Here Is Lying:' An author interview with Shari Lapena
Jan 01, 2024
(Pamela Dorman Books<br/>)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on August 16, 2023.
The New York Times Bestselling author of "The Couple Next Door" is back with her latest domestic suspense novel, "Everyone Here Is Lying." Shari Lapena sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about her most recent nail-biting thriller.
The impact of 'achievement culture' on kids
Jan 01, 2024
( Boise School District)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on August 17, 2023.
Across the nation, kids are suffering from a mental health crisis, experiencing increasing levels of anxiety and depression. And when it comes to looking at groups that are most at risk, reports found that students attending high performing schools fell into this category.
Tips for dealing with a future pandemic
Dec 28, 2023
( Johns Hopkins University Press )
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 26, 2023.
The Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic that started just over three years ago in Idaho.
While we still struggle with cases of COVID-19 and its variants, many are looking back over the past three years to figure out what we did right and what we did wrong, with an eye toward the next global outbreak of a virus.
Dr. David Pate, who has hosted our Doctor’s Roundtable since it began and Dr. Ted Epperly just wrote a book that looks at the last three years of the pandemic and provides over 100 recommendations designed to help everyone prepare for and survive the next outbreak.
Dr. Pate and Dr. Epperly joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: A year in review
Dec 27, 2023
(Alex E. Proimos / Flickr Creative Commons)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 22, 2023.
As we approach the fourth anniversary of the emergency of COVID-19, as well as the Doctors Roundtable, we thought we'd take some time to look back at the last year of public health - which turned out to be a busy one.
Despite the official end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, there were plenty other health issues including the emergence of some new coronavirus strains, and other diseases that made their way around the world, like m-pox, malaria and polio.
In response we saw new vaccines for these viruses, but we also saw plenty of shortages of critical drugs, from Adderall to life-saving cancer medications.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System joined Idaho Matters to review this last year.
How Idahoans are making a difference in the face of climate change
Dec 26, 2023
(Troy Oppie<br/> / Idaho Botanical Garden)
Megafires destroying entire communities. New temperature records being set - and surpassed - at a startling clip. Glaciers disappearing in real time. The toll of climate change is all around us.
And it can be overwhelming for individuals to figure out how to make a difference.
Boise State Public Radio has been reporting on how small steps can add up to collective impact and we're taking a closer look at those stories today.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: 2023 Year-in-review
Dec 22, 2023
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
Idaho Matters is looking back at the big stories from 2023 in Idaho politics, culture, education and more.
Our journalist panel today:
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
How one organization is working to end homelessness for families
Dec 21, 2023
(Edmond Low / Flickr)
As the state of Idaho continues to grow, so does the need for affordable housing.
And though rental prices may have decreased in certain areas of the Treasure Valley this year, families are still struggling to make ends meet, leading to an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness.
Which is why nonprofits like Catch are working to provide housing for those in need, especially ahead of the holidays.
Jeremy Blades, Catch's Director of Ada County Housing Services, and Whitney Morgan, Catch's Development Director, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.
How pesticides are impacting Latino farmworkers
Dec 21, 2023
(DMITRY KISLYAKOV / Flickr)
When it comes to the agricultural industry there are many different risks that come with the job, one of them being pesticide exposure.
In a new study from Boise State University, researchers are looking at the impact of this exposure on the states Latino farmworkers.
Dr. Carly Hyland and Dr. Rebecca Som Castellano joined Idaho Matters to talk more about their research.
How a new device is breaking down language barriers in school
Dec 21, 2023
Elementary students with raised hands( Boise School District)
Getting kids to pay attention in class can be a challenge, as any teacher knows, with all the distractions and issues that face children in school. But how do you teach kids who don’t speak the same language?
In the West Ada School District, kids speak a variety of languages, including Spanish, Swahili, Arabic, Russian, Bosnian, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Mandarin, and the list goes on. So how do teachers and other school administrators communicate with them?
West Ada has been using a device known as Pocketalk that can instantly translate more than 80 different languages.
Lisa Austen, West Ada's administrator of federal programs within the multilingual learner division, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
A new kind of park will be coming to Boise
Dec 21, 2023
(JVegas Photography / Flickr)
The city of Boise is building a new kind of park in west Boise, turning a small strip of dirt into a green space and pollinator habitat. The skinny three acres of donated land next to Capitol High School will be turned into a pathway to connect Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve and Spaulding Ranch.
But the design goes further than just another sidewalk. It’s designed to preserve open space in Boise, help pollinators and use native plants to save water while providing a space for public art.
Doug Holloway, the Director of Boise Parks and Recreation, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about this new idea in small park design.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: December 20, 2023
Dec 20, 2023
(Maja Macanovic / Flickr)
With Christmas just a few days away, lots of folks are traveling near and far. So do you have a plan of action if you or someone you love gets sick during your travels?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, recently wrote a blog post about medical considerations you need to think about while traveling, and he joined Idaho Matters to share some tips.
Spotting internet scams during the holidays
Dec 20, 2023
(District of Idaho United States Attorney’s Office)
Okay, you just got a text that says your Christmas package can’t be delivered and they need more information before they can bring it to you. Or, you just got an email that says your subscription to your favorite magazine just got renewed but they need more information to get it to you.
Or, you just got a pop-up from “tech support” or law enforcement saying your bank account has been hacked and you need to move your money into their new, safe account.
All of these are scams, designed to steal your money and identity and they’re being highlighted as part of a new consumer protection campaign called Don’t Click December.
The U.S. Attorney for Idaho Josh Hurwit joined Idaho Matters to tell us what to watch for and how to avoid getting scammed this holiday season. And you can learn more from the FBI or report a hack at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Addressing Idaho's youth mental health crisis
Dec 20, 2023
Close up of a psychologist taking notes on clipboard in therapy session for children.(Seventyfour / Adobe Stock)
For over a decade, there has been a steady decline in the mental health of America's youth. And in recent years, healthcare professionals have been unable to keep up with the alarming issue. According to the 2023 State of Mental Health in America report, over 59% of adolescents with major depression were unable to receive treatment, which can leave them at greater risk of suicide.
In the last few months, Idaho has seen an increase in the number of cases where young people have died by suicide. So Central District Health has recently partnered with BPA Health to provide a new program that will help support students and their families in the Ada County community.
Connor Young, health policy analyst with Central District Health; Sierra Kistler, health education specialist with Central District Health; Dr. Camille LaCroix, the Medical Director of BPA Health; and Dana Menlove, Chief Operating Officer with BPA Health, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Resources if you or someone you know is considering suicide:
Call or text 988:
· Press 1 for the Veteran’s Crisis Line · Press 2 for the Spanish language line · Press 3 for specialized LGBTQ+ support
or stay on the line to be routed to the closest call center in the 988 Lifeline network.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can chat with a 988 Lifeline crisis counselor 24/7 by:
· Call 988 Videophone – click here to read the terms of service · Online chat – Click here to begin · 988 Text – Send any message to 988 to start a text conversation · For TTY Users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988.
In emergency situations, call 911.
New research reveals how trees respond to wildfires
Dec 19, 2023
College of Natural Resources prescribed burn in the University of Idaho Experimental Forest.(Joseph Pallen / University of Idaho)
When a wildfire rages through a forest, what happens to the trees that live there? The conventional wisdom is that they all get burned up, along with the rest of the forest. But it turns out that trees, like people, react differently to wildfires and can suffer the equivalent of first, second and third-degree burns and the trees that suffer the least can often recover over time.
That’s just some of what Alistair Smith has found in his 20 years of researching fires. He’s the professor and chair of the department of Earth and Spatial Sciences at the University of Idaho, and he was recently recognized for his work. Smith joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A look at Ammon Bundy's time in Idaho
Dec 19, 2023
Ammon Bundy speaks to the media in front of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters on Jan. 6 near Burns, Ore. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Ammon Bundy, who is originally from Nevada, is an anti-government militant and activist who led the 2016 occupation of the Malheur national wildlife refuge in Oregon, and in March of 2020, Bundy created the People's Rights Network. Bundy's critics would say he’s been a continuous source of division and unease across Idaho, as he is known for spreading misinformation and using inflammatory rhetoric.
Most recently, Bundy was ordered to pay more than $52 million in damages after losing a defamation lawsuit brought against him by St. Luke's Health System for maligning the organization and its employees.
Since receiving that judgment, Bundy has left the state of Idaho, and his whereabouts aren't known.
Doug Gross, CEO of Gross Farms and Idaho Leaders United board member, and Stephen Piggott, a researcher focused on white nationalists, paramilitary and antidemocracy groups from Western States Center, joined Idaho Matters to discuss Ammon Bundy and his flight from the state.
Rescuing abandoned pets at Lake Lowell is a labor of love
Dec 19, 2023
This is Ike. He was born with a leg deformity and is currently being fostered by Lake Lowell Animal Rescue.(Lake Lowell Animal Rescue)
Out at Lake Lowell south of Nampa, the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge is home to a wide variety of wild animals including dozens of kinds of birds and mammals.
But there are other animals out there - domestic animals and pets - which have been dumped by their owners who mistakenly think they’ll be able to survive in the wild.
In 2017, one woman started rescuing these cats, dogs, rabbits and other animals, getting them the care they need and finding them a new home. Her vision turned into the Lake Lowell Animal Rescue, a nonprofit that depends on volunteers and donations to help these furry friends in need.
Amber Reyes is a volunteer for the Rescue and she joins Kourtney Walker, regional manager for the two Camp Bow Wow locations in the Treasure Valley to tell us about the group and their need for donations to keep rescuing these fur babies.
The state of Idaho's deteriorating schools
Dec 18, 2023
Superintendent Brian Hunicke shows how high the water goes when it floods.(Asia Fields / ProPublica)
Idaho spends less on school infrastructure per student than any other state. That fact prompted the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica to start looking at the effects this lack of investment has caused for schools, teachers and students.
Here is just a little of what they found from the officials they talked with: Leaking roofs, flooding classrooms, cracks in walls and foundations, asbestos—systems so old they can’t properly heat classrooms in winter or cool them in summer—overcrowding, security issues—some schools say classrooms can’t hear PA announcements, so they can’t hear it if there’s an active shooter threat or a fire—the list goes on and on.
The investigation found that while schools are falling apart, Idaho laws mean raising money to fix them can be extremely hard, especially in smaller, more rural districts.
ProPublica engagement reporter Asia Fields and Idaho Statesman reporter Becca Savransky joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about this investigation.
Why Idaho is putting mentally ill patients in prison
Dec 18, 2023
Patients admitted to the Idaho Security Medical Program spend months, on average, in cells like this one in a state prison near Boise.(Sarah A. Miller <br/> / <i>ProPublica</i>)
Idaho is about to become the only state in the nation that puts patients who are labeled "dangerously mentally ill" but who have not committed any crime in prison.
This is nothing new for Idaho, which has been putting people suffering from mental illness behind bars since at least 1954.
Why does this happen? How does it affect people? And is this constitutional? These are all questions that the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica set out to answer and reporter Audrey Dutton joined Idaho Matters to tell us what she found.
Why Nampa students are naming the city's snowplows
Dec 18, 2023
Nampa students stand next to the plows they helped name.(City of Nampa)
In anticipation of the winter weather, Nampa's Street Division is preparing its fleet of snowplows to help keep the roads safe. Which tends to be a bit more fun when the snowplows have names, so for the second year in a row, the city's elementary students are holding a contest to name the snowplows.
Amanda Shaw, a second-grade teacher at Reagan Elementary and Trenton Bothwell, a heavy equipment operator with the Street Division Nampa school district, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this contest.
Mustang: The relationship between ranchers and wild horses
Dec 18, 2023
Host Ashley Ahearn riding her mare, Pistol, and leading her three-year-old mustang, Boo, in the mountains of Washington.( Ashley Ahearn)
As the Mustang podcast series comes to an end, host Ashley Ahearn looks at the complicated relationship between ranchers and wild horses and meets an Indigenous woman working to save reservation horses from being sold for slaughter.
This series for the Mountain West News Bureau is adapted from the podcast.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: December 15, 2023
Dec 15, 2023
(David Hoffman / Flickr)
Winters are warming up in the West, graffiti ordinances are changing in Boise, there's upset in the Idaho GOP, red pandas are getting a new home at Zoo Boise and the latest on the Jeremy Best case.
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.
The latest on the fate of the lower Snake River dams
Dec 14, 2023
Several conservation and fishing groups say the Snake River dams are making the river too hot for sockeye salmon.( Bonneville Power Administration)
Since the online news site Clearing Up reported two weeks ago on a leaked Biden administration plan to remove the four lower Snake River dams, a lot has happened. The leak took a peak at a proposed agreement from the federal government that would spend billions of dollars to replace the energy the dams currently generate plus spend more money to help save salmon in the Columbia Basin.
Since that leak, Idaho asked a court to decide if the courts could order the breaching of the dams as part of the Endangered Species Act. A house committee held an oversight hearing on the plan, and Thursday morning, Clearing Up reported the 30-year fight over salmon and dams may be done after a "negotiative session" where a final agreement was reached.
This all came before a Friday deadline to find a solution to the questions of dams, fish and energy.
Longtime environmental reporter Rocky Barker has been following this story, and he joined Idaho Matters for an update.
Opera Idaho vocal group celebrates the holidays
Dec 14, 2023
The Critical Mass Vocal Artists sing at a concert. (Brenda Winkle / Critical Mass Vocal Artists)
Christmas music and Charles Dickens, what better ways are there to celebrate the holiday season? Which is why Opera Idaho's choral group has put them both together in a special concert celebration!
The Critical Mass Vocal Artists group will be singing classic Christmas songs this Saturday, Dec. 16, while the talented Samantha Silva reads Charles Dickens.
Dr. C. Michael Porter, CMVA's Artistic Director and author Samantha Silva joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event.
Idaho outfitters and guides industry brings millions of dollars to the state
Dec 14, 2023
Guided fishing and rafting trips can be a boost to Idaho's economy, according to a new University of Idaho study.( GuideTime)
Tourism is big business in Idaho, but quantifying just how big that business is can be tricky.
A new study said one piece of the tourism industry, the outfitters and guides industry, brought $600 million to Idaho last year, created over 4,900 jobs and brought in $50 million in taxes.
University of Idaho economics professor Steve Peterson and economics major Jimmy Bulger joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
What to Watch: The top 10 tv and movies of 2023
Dec 13, 2023
(Louis A Habash<br/> / Flickr)
After a year of tears and joy on tv and the big screen, our resident movie critic George Prentice has put together his top 10 thing to watch for 2023!
'How Can I Help You:' An author interview with Laura Sims
Dec 12, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on July 25, 2023.
Laura Sims is the critically acclaimed author of the novel "Looker," which is now in development for television. And now she is out with her latest book "How Can I Help You."
Sims sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about new book and more.
'Excellent Advice for Living:' An author interview with Kevin Kelly
Dec 12, 2023
( Viking Publishing)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on June 1, 2023.
It's probably fair to say that, at some point, we all need a little bit of advice and guidance in our lives.
'Same Time Next Summer:' An author interview with Annabel Monaghan
Dec 11, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on June 27, 2023.
Author Annabel Monaghan is back with her newest novel, "Same Time Next Summer." She joins Idaho Matters to talk more about her latest release.
'The Only Game in Town:' An author interview with Lacie Waldon
Dec 11, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons )
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 31, 2023.
After the success of her first two novels "The Layover" and "From the Jump," author Lacie Waldon has been hard at work on her newest book, "The Only Game in Town." Waldon joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her most recent release.
'The Still Small Voice:' An author interview with Brenda Stanley
Dec 11, 2023
( Twisted Pen Publishing)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 4, 2023.
Brenda Stanley is a writer and journalist who spent more than two decades as a news anchor and investigative reporter with the NBC affiliate in eastern Idaho.
Her work has been recognized by the Scripps Howard Foundation and the Hearst Journalism Awards. She joined Idaho Matters to talk about her latest novel, "The Still Small Voice."
'The Majority:' An author interview with Elizabeth Silver
Dec 11, 2023
( Riverhead Books)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on July 31, 2023.
In todays climate and culture, discussions of female power and autonomy are incredibly important - especially when it comes to positions of leadership.
Elizabeth Silver's newest book "The Majority" looks at these topics, drawing inspiration from history as she follows one woman's journey to becoming a Supreme Court Justice. Silver joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her latest book.
Join Idaho Matters for a special holiday food tasting!
Dec 08, 2023
George, Chef Doughty and Gemma get ready to taste some wonderful holiday treats!(Katie Kloppenburg / Boise State Public Radio)
Join Idaho Matters as we taste some delicious holiday treats and learn how to make them! Special guest Chef Joyce Doughty is in studio with Gemma Gaudette and George Prentice to share some of her favorite holiday recipes and you can follow along below.
“This is one of my favorite Christmas desserts,” says Le Cordon Bleu-trained Chef Doughty as she opines about her Raspberry-Walnut Tart. At holiday time, she also recommends her Light Lemon Curd, “which makes a wonderful holiday gift and is great on crepes, pancakes, tart filling, cake filling, ice cream and so many wonderful uses.”
George gets his first taste of Chef Doughty's delicious Light Lemon Curd.(Katie Kloppenburg / Boise State Public Radio)
Chef Doughty has been part of the Boise State Public Radio family for years, having hosted Food for Thought and dropping by for several Membership Drives. Since her much-loved Doughty’s Bistro in Boise closed down, she’s been writing cookbooks, like The Chef Within, Dinner Edition, packed full of mouthwatering recipes.
Before dessert, Chef Doughty suggests beef, pork or chicken topped with her Black Peppercorn and Currant Sauce. “It was on our menu at the bistro for many years and was always very popular and well received,” and might even be tasty with a fish dish!
And for snacking during the holiday season, she suggests her Fruit Bars, which include nuts, cloves, and very tasty chopped dates, which she says “in my opinion they are the food of the gods and so often overlooked,” Chef Doughty points out, saying dates work in all kinds of desserts.
Here are the recipes we taste-tested!
Black Peppercorn and Currant Sauce
1 14-ounce beef broth (or 1 ½ cups) 1 14-ounce can chicken broth (or 1 ½ cups) 1 ½ cups dry white wine (Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc) 1 ½ tablespoons coarsely ground black peppercorns ¼ cup currants 2 cups heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon water
In a medium to larger sized saucepan combine beef broth, chicken broth and wine and reduce by half by simmering over medium heat (from 4 ½ cups to 2 ¼ cups) Add cream and pepper. Continue to simmer until the mixture has a thin sauce consistency. In a small cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the water by stirring with your finger and then add to the cream mixture. When mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat, and add the currants. Cool. Store in a small container in the fridge until ready to use. Reheat when needed. Great served with beef, pork or chicken, maybe even fish!
Light Lemon Curd (recipe can also be found in The Chef Within Breakfast Edition)
4 large eggs 1 cup sugar 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice Zest of one lemon, passed over a micro plane or another grater with tiny holes 2 tablespoons butter Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the first four ingredients and place over a low to medium heat. Using a whisk, combine those ingredients well and continue to whisk often as the mixture comes to a boil. The moment there are signs of boiling bubbles, remove from the burner and add the butter. Stir until melted and pass through a fine sieve. Cool. Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge until ready to use. Will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks or can be taken to the freezer where it will last for a couple of months. Use as filling for French toast, tarts, cream puffs, cakes. It is delicious anywhere!
The Raspberry-Walnut Tart with raspberry sauce and ice cream!(Katie Kloppenburg / Boise State Public Radio)
Raspberry-Walnut Tart
1 cup plus 1/4 cup flour 1/3 cup powdered sugar ½ cup salted butter 10 ounces frozen unsweetened raspberries (thawed, with juice reserved) (you can purchase additional raspberries for a greater amount of sauce.) ¾ cup walnuts, chopped 2 eggs 1 cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 with a baking rack in the center of the oven. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour, powdered sugar and butter. Crumble well with fingers. Press evenly into a 9x13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool. Drain raspberries and save juice. Spoon berries evenly over the crust, then sprinkle with nuts. Set aside for a moment.
For the topping: In a medium bowl beat eggs with sugar until fluffy. Add salt, remaining flour, baking powder and vanilla. Pour over nuts and berries as evenly as you can. Bake for 30-35 minutes. For this dessert it is better to overbake than under bake the meringue crust. The underside of the top crust should be dry. It will be puffy and will crack as it expands and then again when it is cut. That is a good thing. Cool and then cut into squares and serve with berry sauce and vanilla ice cream.
For raspberry sauce: In a small saucepan combine ¼ cup water, ½ cup sugar, remaining raspberry juice and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Whisk and cook until ingredients come to a simmer. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. If you care to increase the amount of sauce, add additional frozen berries to these ingredients and increase the sugar and cornstarch, as needed. Strain mixture to remove the seeds. Delicious!
Chef Doughty says the secret to her Fruit Bars are the chopped dates.(Katie Kloppenburg / Boise State Public Radio)
Fruit Bars
1 cup shortening (or half butter for additional flavor) 2 cups sugar 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons water 8 ounces chopped dates 3 cups sifted flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon cloves ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Cream sugar and shortening in a larger bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, combining well after each addition. Add soda, water and dates and mix again. Add dry ingredients. Mix until combined. Add nuts, cover and chill for several hours or overnight. Press into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until just barely done Cool and cut into bars Or for diamond shape pieces, cut six or eight vertical strips and then cut on a diagonal for the final cut.
Diamond shape Fruit Bars and Raspberry-Walnut Tart! Happy Holidays!(Katie Kloppenburg / Boise State Public Radio)
'The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store:' An author interview with James McBride
Dec 07, 2023
( Riverhead Books)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on August 15, 2023.
'Love, Theoretically:' An author interview with Ali Hazelwood
Dec 07, 2023
( Berkley)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on July 27, 2023.
New York Times best-selling author Ali Hazelwood is back with her latest book, "Love, Theoretically." She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her latest novel.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: December 6, 2023
Dec 06, 2023
(Kirill Afonin / Flickr)
With the holiday season in full swing, more and more people are traveling, which can mean a higher risk of getting sick.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to give us a few tips on how to stay safe, as well as the latest information on RSV, COVID-19 and the flu.
How Corpus Christi House is filling a crucial gap for those in need
Dec 06, 2023
( Corpus Christi House)
Over the last few years, the number of people in Ada County experiencing homelessness has risen by nearly 10%, making services provided by local shelters more important than ever.
In Boise, the Corpus Christi House is the primary day-use shelter in the city, filling a crucial gap for those in need of help, especially as temperatures start to get colder.
This month, the nonprofit is celebrating their 20th anniversary, so we thought we’d invite them to talk more about the work they're doing in the community.
Chad Summervill, a member of Corpus Christi's board of directors, and volunteer Chloe Kennedy joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Bringing dream bikes to life for Christmas
Dec 06, 2023
( Boise Bicycle Project)
Each holiday season, kids from all over the Treasure Valley draw pictures of what their dream bike would look like, sending their creations to the Boise Bicycle Project. Over the course of several months, volunteers from BBP work hard to make these dream bikes a reality.
This year, the nonprofit is asking the community to adopt a bike in order to make sure that each child gets to see their drawing come to life in time for BBP's annual Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway.
Devin McComas, the new Executive Director of the Boise Bicycle Project, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.
'The Nutcracker' brings holiday magic to the stage
Dec 06, 2023
( Ballet Idaho )
This month Ballet Idaho is bringing a holiday favorite back to the stage with their annual production of The Nutcracker, a Christmas classic full of magic and adventure.
Garrett Anderson, the Artistic Director of Ballet Idaho and Ballet Idaho Academy student, Maddie Burpee, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Boise Mayor McLean's takeaways from the UN Climate Change Conference
Dec 05, 2023
Bloomberg Philanthropies invited, and funded Boise Mayor Lauren McLean's trip to COP28 in Dubai. The trips of a select group of other U.S. mayors were also paid for my Bloomberg.( City of Boise)
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean was invited, along with a select number of U.S. mayors, to participate in the UN Climate Change Conference.
McLean says it’s about being “at the table,” not just with leaders of some of the planet’s greatest oil producers, but with leaders who are committed to limit the rise in average global temperatures.
Speaking from Dubai, McLean visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about some key takeaways from COP28, Boise's “stretch goals” to be carbon neutral, and networking with some of the planet’s most effective game-changers.
Secret Santa delivers holiday cheer in east Idaho
Dec 05, 2023
(Rose Wong for NPR)
Every year during the holiday season, there are always lots of uplifting movies and shows to watch to get into the Christmas spirit, but if you really want to see that spirit in action, you need to watch the Secret Santa videos on EastIdahoNews.com.
Thanks to the generosity of a Secret Santa, the news station delivers gifts to dozens of deserving people and families around Eastern Idaho. Everything from grocery gift cards to paying for new dentures to new cars or cash depending on what they need.
Nate Eaton, the news director for East Idaho News, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this great holiday tradition.
How volunteers are helping maintain forest service trails
Dec 05, 2023
Gina Cretser, right, and other volunteers had to climb over a number of downed trees to get to their worksite(Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio )
The U.S. Forest Service manages some 160 thousand miles of trails, and maintaining that sprawling system is a major undertaking. Volunteer trail workers have become an essential part of keeping the public’s access open to its vast wild areas.
Why it's important to count birds at Christmas
Dec 05, 2023
(Louisa Evers)
Since Christmas Day in 1900, regular people have been taking part in a Christmas Bird Census. A holiday tradition where people sign up to count the birds they see in the place that they live.
The Christmas Bird Count is part of how the Audubon Society takes a wildlife census of birds to find out how they are doing and what conservation action might be needed to help them.
For three weeks across North America, volunteers at more than 2,300 sites count all the birds they see to provide a snapshot of bird populations.
There are bird counts coming up from Boise to Bruneau, from Garden Valley to Nampa. Louisa Evers, Lucian Davis and Carter Strope, all of whom are part of this years Christmas Bird Count, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How one organization is supporting Idahoans with mental stuggles
Dec 04, 2023
One of the boxes from the Gr8ter Sock Project.( Kylee Wiscombe)
Last week was Giving Tuesday, a day designed to raise much-needed cash for nonprofit organizations.
Each year, Boise State Public Radio celebrates the day by giving back to the community. We ask you to to nominate your favorite local nonprofit and then we select two nominees to receive $1,000 in on-air messaging grants. This year, the two nonprofits selected were Gr8ter and the Dominifarm Animal Sanctuary!
Gr8ter is an organization that offers resources and support for those learning to live with a mental health struggle. They believe that everyone should be able to live a happy and fulfilling life.
Kylee Wiscombe, the Founder of Gr8ter, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Mustang:' The impact of wild horses on other ecosystems
Dec 04, 2023
( Ashley Ahearn)
Ashley Ahearn takes a look at the impact that wild horses have on other wildlife and gets to know her own adopted horse. This series for the Mountain West News Bureau is adapted from her podcast, Mustang.
Why ranchers are holding onto their farms in the face of development
Dec 04, 2023
(Macoulter17 / Flickr)
Our region is losing millions of acres of agricultural land to development. And those trends may continue as land prices keep rising.
The Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walkey reports from Wyoming on some ranchers who could make a fortune by selling their land but are choosing not to.
'A Christmas Story' actor comes to Boise for special showing
Dec 04, 2023
Peter Billingsley from the 1983 classic, "A Christmas Story." (IMDB/Getty Images)
For the last 40 years, one Christmas movie has steadily gained a following of faithful viewers and has gotten bigger each year. The flick is broadcast for 24 hours from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day on networks like TBS and TNT. If you’re familiar with the catch phrases “I triple dog dare you” or “you’ll shoot your eye out, kid," chances are you’ve seen A Christmas Story, starring Peter Billingsley as Ralphie.
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.
A look back at 'Idaho's Nuclear Navy'
Nov 30, 2023
In the 1950s, the U.S. was trying to develop a nuclear-powered engine that the Navy could use for submarines and aircraft carriers, and much of that work was done in the Idaho desert near Idaho Falls, at what would become the Naval Reactor Facility. Three prototypes were built at the facility, including one that powered the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine that hit the water in 1955.
Idaho Public Television’s award-winning program Idaho Experience has a new documentary on "Idaho's Nuclear Navy," which will premiere Sunday night. Aaron Kunz, the producer and production manager of the program, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Tips for protecting your dog from mystery respiratory illness
Nov 30, 2023
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
A new mystery illness has been making dogs sick from the East Coast to Oregon, and Idaho may have the disease as well. It looks like Kennel Cough, but it’s resistant to antibiotics and can, in some cases, lead to a deadly pneumonia that can strike pups in 24 hours.
Despite a year-long investigation by the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, very little is known about this respiratory syndrome. To find out more, we asked Idaho Humane Society Director of Shelter Medicine, Dr. Adrian Dannis, to join Idaho Matters.
Christmas play celebrates children of all abilities
Nov 30, 2023
( Nitza Salazar)
During this time of year, there are all kinds of Christmas pageants and nativity plays where kids get a chance to go on stage and play the parts of Mary, Joseph, and the three wise men. But some kids with special needs and abilities don’t always get a chance to take part in these activities. One woman has been working to change that. She’s putting together a “Special Stars” performance of the Little Drummer Boy, calling it a chance to let “disabilities shine on stage” and celebrating each child’s unique talents.
Nitza Salzar, the founder of Special Stars, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho State Museum explores Bob Hope's life and legacy
Nov 30, 2023
Bob Hope was a movie star legend, starring in hit after hit for decades, and he used his star power and his comedic wit to bring joy and laughter to U.S. troops far away from home for fifty years. Hope took part in his first USO show in 1941 and went on to provide morale-boosting programs around the globe throughout World War II.
But he didn’t stop when the war was over; he was still on stage with other stars, cracking jokes and crooning through the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Lebanon Civil War, the Iran-Iraq War and the Persian Gulf War.
A new exhibit at the Idaho State Museum called "So Ready for Laughter: The Legacy of Bob Hope" explores Hope’s tours during WWII.
Nicole Inghilterra, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions with the Idaho State Museum, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: November 29, 2023
Nov 29, 2023
An electron microscopic image of mpox virus particles. (Smith Collection/Gado / Gado via Getty Images)
Earlier this month, two cases of Mpox were confirmed in Ada County and just last week Central District Health confirmed local transmission of the virus with four additional residents in Ada County and one person in Canyon County being diagnosed with Mpox.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How the James Castle House is connecting artists to the past
Nov 29, 2023
Kristen Hill provides a guided tour of the James Castle House gallery with live American Sign Language interpretation.(Brandon Loureiro / The James Castle House)
For over forty years, artist James Castle drew inspiration from his home, creating impactful work that challenged certain aspects of the art world.
Today, that same house has provided similar inspiration for 22 other artists all of whom have lived and worked in the space, bringing new life and understanding the historic site.
The latest exhibition at the James Castle House is "Interlude: A Five-Year Residency Retrospective" which is pairing together Castle's artwork with the visiting artists work, giving viewers a glimpse at the special connection between the past and the present.
Kristen Hill, Cultural Sites Program Manager, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the exhibit.
Boise Contemporary Theater brings 'The Thanksgiving Play' to Boise
Nov 29, 2023
Jon Patrick O'Brien and Jaime Nebeker in "The Thanksgiving Play." (Brooke Burton / Boise Contemporary Theater)
Thanksgiving may have ended, but over at the Boise Contemporary Theater they're still celebrating the holiday, though not in the way you may think.
It's with their new production of "The Thanksgiving Play." Benjamin Burdick, Producing Artistic Director, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the show.
Community gives back to Kuna animal sanctuary
Nov 29, 2023
( Dominifarm Animal Sanctuary)
Giving Tuesday was Nov. 28, a day designed to raise much-needed cash for nonprofit organizations.
Each year, Boise State Public Radio celebrates the day by giving back to the community. We ask you to to nominate your favorite local nonprofit and then we select two nominees to receive $1,000 in on-air messaging grants. This year those two nonprofits were Gr8ter and the Dominifarm Animal Sanctuary!
Dominifarm Animal Sanctuary is a farm located in Kuna and provides a permanent and loving home to all types of abandoned, abused and special-needs farm animals. Dominique Delobbe, the founder and president of Dominifarm Animal Sanctuary joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How will this winter impact the water supply in the Mountain West?
Nov 28, 2023
(Chandler Cruttenden / Unsplash)
Snow is beginning to fall high in the Rockies, forming the main water supply for the Colorado River. KUNC's Alex Hager talked with climate and water management experts about what this winter will bring, and what's at stake.
Housing challenge supports Idahoans experiencing homelessness
Nov 28, 2023
(Yasin Ozturk / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Across Idaho, nonprofits are providing essential services, helping those in need to find safe and affordable housing.
Benjamin Cushman with IHFA and award-winning country music artist Jimmy Wayne joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this event.
How different states are managing wolf populations
Nov 28, 2023
A pack of wolves in Yellowstone National Park are spotted from a wildlife tracking plane(Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park)
Gray wolves are one of the most controversial animals in the west. And how you manage the species depends on where you're standing.
The Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walkey reports from one area where that friction is part of daily life.
How Idaho artists are inspiring one another in a new exhibit
Nov 28, 2023
"Lift Off" by Wendy Blickenstaff.( Wendy Blickenstaff)
Have you ever wondered where artists get their ideas? What inspires a painter to put a picture on canvas? What inspires a songwriter to write words and a melody?
The Boise Open Studio Collective wanted to explore what inspires artists to make art so they asked songwriters to give a song to a visual artist, that artist then created a painting inspired by the song, then painters gave songwriters a painting to inspire them to write a new song.
The result is an interactive exhibit at JUMP on Thursday, Dec. 7 called “Art as Song, Song as Art."
Cindi Walton, the Boise Open Studios Collective events chair, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Spinning Tea Cups:' An author interview with Alexandra Teague
Nov 28, 2023
( OSU Press)
University of Idaho professor Alexandra Teague is out with her latest work and this time it's a very personal look at what some would say was a quirky childhood.
The memoir "Spinning Teacups" takes us across America from Florida to Idaho and many stops in between. Teague joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How eye donors are helping to restore sight
Nov 27, 2023
(Nicole Sheffer / Flickr)
There are only 55 eye banks in the United States and Boise is home to one of them.
The goal of these facilities is to help restore the sight of thousands of people each year through the generosity of people who agreed to donate their eye tissue after they have passed on.
November is eye donation month and the nonprofit group Envision Eye Bank is trying to get the word out about what they do and how people can help provide the gift of sight. In the last year, they recovered 248 pairs of corneas.
Jay Lugo, Executive Director of Envision, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Improving access to childcare in Idaho
Nov 27, 2023
( Giraffe Laugh)
The City of Boise is rapidly approaching the completion of The Franklin, an affordable housing apartment complex in the Central Bench area. And along with retail spaces it includes a childcare facility for 80 kids, ranging in age from infants to pre-k.
Last month, Giraffe Laugh Early Learning Center broke ground on the new facility, which will help alleviate the shortage of childcare options and provide help for families struggling economically by meeting them where they live.
Cassandra Wagner, Giraffe Laughs Philanthropy Director, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Helping birds in Idaho survive the winter
Nov 27, 2023
(Sue Milks / Flickr)
As it gets colder, wild birds can struggle to find the food they need, especially the backyard birds that stick around all year.
For the last 17 years, the MK Nature Center has been helping people in the Treasure Valley feed the birds with it’s annual bird seed sale, and this year’s sale is set for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1 and 2, and will include live bird presentations and kids crafts.
The story behind the mustangs of the West
Nov 27, 2023
( Ashley Ahearn)
The West has tens of thousands of wild horses. And sometimes it seems there are almost as many opinions on what to do with them.
In a new podcast Mustang, Ashley Ahearn examines controversies surrounding the horses -- and works to train one.
This series for the Mountain West News Bureau is adapted from her podcast. In part one, she introduces us to these wild horses and the myths surrounding them.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: A year in review
Nov 22, 2023
(Alex E. Proimos / Flickr Creative Commons)
As we approach the fourth anniversary of the emergency of COVID-19, as well as the Doctors Roundtable, we thought we'd take some time to look back at the last year of public health - which turned out to be a busy one.
Despite the official end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, there were plenty other health issues including the emergence of some new coronavirus strains, and other diseases that made their way around the world, like m-pox, malaria and polio.
In response we saw new vaccines for these viruses, but we also saw plenty of shortages of critical drugs, from Adderall to life-saving cancer medications.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System joined Idaho Matters to review this last year.
Tips for parenting in the digital age
Nov 21, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
Whether we like it or not, our kids are growing up in a digital world and it's all at their fingertips. So how do we as parents and caregivers navigate this?
Could geothermal energy replace fossil fuels?
Nov 21, 2023
(Ken Lane / Flickr)
Geothermal energy is a unique feature of the Mountain West. It powers Yellowstone's geysers and heats dozens of buildings in Downtown Boise. Now researchers in Utah are exploring new ways to tap into that underground heat, as a substitute for fossil fuels.
KUER's David Condos reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Why the cost of water could go up for some homes in the Mountain West
Nov 21, 2023
Workers install new PVC pipe under a street in Denver on October 11, 2023. Denver's water department has planned nearly $2 billion in upgrades over the next decade. Many cities in the region are also facing costly infrastructure repairs that will drive up water bills in the coming years.(Alex Hager / KUNC)
Across the southwest, the amount it costs to have water piped to your homes is likely to go up. City utilities have to replace pipes and other infrastructure that's getting old, and invest in new systems that'll help them survive a drier future. KUNC's Alex Hager reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
The Morrison Center celebrates 40 years of entertainment
Nov 21, 2023
Morrison Center seats.( Morrison Center.)
The Morrison Center is celebrating a big birthday this year, and like most seasons, they are celebrating in style.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Morrison Center Executive Director Laura Kendall to talk about their 40th anniversary and preview the upcoming season.
Filling empty bowls for the holidays
Nov 21, 2023
( Idaho Foodbank)
There are more than 100,000 people in Idaho struggling with food insecurity, unsure of where their next meal will come from.
And as we head into the holiday season, many nonprofits are making it a priority to address this issue. Which is why the Idaho Foodbank will be hosting its 26th annual Empty Bowls event to help fight against hunger.
Randy Ford, CEO of the Idaho Foodbank, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How is social media impacting the mental health of Idaho kids?
Nov 20, 2023
(Towfiqu Photography / Getty Images)
Last month, Idaho joined 42 other states in a lawsuit against Meta, alleging the tech company’s platforms have significantly contributed to the youth mental health crisis by making their social media platforms addictive.
So outside of this lawsuit, and in light of recent youth suicides in the Treasure Valley, what’s being done locally to address this crisis impacting our children?
How one woman's passion for horses lead her to the world of mustangs
Nov 20, 2023
Ashley and her Mustang Boo.( Ashley Ahearn)
Journalist Ashley Ahearn gave up the city life when she and her husband moved to the rural sagebrush country of Washington state. And things took a significant turn when she opted to adopt a wild mustang named Boo.
She brought her recorder with her and began documenting her time training Boo, which led her into an exploration into the world of Mustangs.
That journey is chronicled in her new podcast called Mustang, which is out now. Ashely sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about her very personal and now, quite professional, passion.
Expressive Idaho: Exploring identity through the practice of aerial art
Nov 20, 2023
Sometimes aerial performers attach their rigs to trees. Cuream Jackson practices skills on a maple tree in Julia Davis Park, Boise.(Arlie Sommer / Expressive Idaho)
Boise circus performer Cuream Jackson is taking a very old art and using it to contemplate race and gender identity. He comes to the circus as an aerialist, performing with silks, hoops, trapeze and his favorite, straps, considered the most difficult of the aerial disciplines.
He learned the joys of expression with his body and the rigors of training as a high school and college cheerleader in Atlanta, Georgia. Jackson started taking aerial classes after he moved to Idaho and translated those cheerleading skills to thrive in the circus arts.
Arlie Sommer brings us his story as a part of the Expressive Idaho series.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: November 17, 2023
Nov 17, 2023
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Gretchen Parsons, Managing Editor with BoiseDev.com
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
Nicole Blanchard, outdoors reporter with the Idaho Statesman
Tips for supporting children with ADHD
Nov 16, 2023
(Practical Cures / Flickr)
With ADHD and other diagnoses on the rise, today's youth are experiencing chronic levels of anxiety and depression. That's why it's important to make sure these children feel supported and understood. Dr. Sharon Saline is a licensed clinical psychologist, an award-winning author, and a top expert on ADHD, anxiety, and mental health challenges. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A conversation with Boise's new Office of Police Accountability Director
Nov 16, 2023
( Roadsidepictures / Flickr)
When Nicole McKay took the job as Director of the city of Boise's Office of Police Accountability, she soon discovered that there was correspondence dating back to a year ago.
McKay visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about that backlog, a need for more internal training and the essential nature of the OPA.
How one photographer is telling the stories of WWII veterans
Nov 16, 2023
( Shane Sato)
For over 20 years, Shane Sato has been taking pictures of Japanese American veterans from World War II, capturing images of men who were fighting a war both abroad and at home as they strove to prove their loyalty to the country.
These were the members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 100th Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service, all of whom in the face of segregation and great injustice, risked everything.
Now Sato is helping to share their stories, providing a glimpse into the past and a look at the legacies that these heroes have left behind.
Idaho refugees find connection through soccer
Nov 16, 2023
Players braved chilly winds to play the first home game hosted by the Toofan FC at the Boise High Athletic Complex. Their challengers traveled from Seattle for the meet-up. (James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio )
Six years ago, a group of Afghan Refugees in our region started a soccer club. They hosted their first home game recently - a chance to feel at home in their adopted country.
ulie Luchetta reports from the sidelines.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: November 15, 2023
Nov 15, 2023
(Focal Foto / flickr)
November marks a disturbing increase in the number of syphilis cases around the country and that has led to an even more disturbing rise in the number of babies born with the sexually transmitted disease. Last year alone, over 3,700 babies got the illness, which is more than ten times the number from a decade ago.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about syphilis and to give us some holiday travel tips to keep us as germ-free as possible over the next few weeks.
Your Idaho Thanksgiving dinner may cost more this year
Nov 15, 2023
Some of the items on your turkey day menu may be higher, or lower, than you expected.(Nick Olejniczak / flickr)
Thanksgiving is fast approaching and many families are preparing for a traditional meal of turkey and all the trimmings.
So Idaho Matters wanted to know how much that meal might cost and how prices have changed from last year’s delicious dinner.
Knowing the prices of key ingredients can be very helpful for price-conscious cooks who can use that knowledge to switch to cheaper ingredients or change up the menu with new recipes that will leave you with more cash in your wallet.
Matthew Paskash is a regional economist with the Idaho Department of Labor and he did some homework on how big a bite out of your wallet your thanksgiving dinner will cost you this year.
Breaking down Trump and Biden poll results
Nov 15, 2023
(Christine Tanner / flickr )
With one election down and another, bigger one in the wings, more than a few pundits were taken aback by a New York Times/Sienna College series of polls showing former President Donald Trump leading President Joe Biden in five of six battleground states. But one of Idaho's best and highest-profile analysts says polls don't vote, people do.
Dr. Sam Martin is the Frank and Bethine Church Chair of Public Service at Boise State University and spoke with Morning Edition Host George Prentice about the polls, how abortion continues to drive voter turnout and what lessons might be learned from the just-wrapped 2023 results in Idaho.
Boise's Airport to add new concourse as growth continues
Nov 14, 2023
This was the scene in August as the Boise Airport opened its new long-term parking garage.(Boise Airport)
It's been a busy year for the Boise Airport. It opened a new parking garage in August, which increased long-term parking capacity by more than 50% and passenger numbers are up and more airlines are signing up to fly in and out of the facility.
An employee parking garage should open next year and a new concourse is on the horizon with construction set to start in 2026.
Idaho Matters wanted to check in with Airport Director Rebecca Hupp to find out how the airport was doing post-COVID as we jump into the holiday travel season.
The legalities around former President Donald Trump's trials
Nov 14, 2023
Then-President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to speak at a rally in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021.(Jacquelyn Martin / AP )
It’s been making big news. Former president Donald Trump is on trial in several states, he’s also under a gag order and there are attempts to keep him off the presidential ballot in some states. Also in the news is a law that disarms people who are under domestic violence orders.
Dr. David Adler is the President of the Alturas Institute and when he isn’t studying the U.S. Constitution, he’s watching the news and wondering about the current constitutional controversies that are dominating news programs around the country.
Dr. Adler is getting ready for another of his constitutional questions on Thursday, Nov. 16 at the Yanke Center in Boise. This one is titled “Constitutional Controversies in the News” and he’s with Idaho Matters for a preview.
Adopting a senior pet is a great way to find true love
Nov 14, 2023
When it comes to adopting a pet, finding the right fit is important but quite often many animals are ruled out before they’re ever given a chance simply because of their age. Which is why November is “Adopt a Senior Pet Month.”
Despite being older, these pets make wonderful companions and let's be honest they usually have better manners - what’s not to love? Also, the senior pets pictured above are available for adoption!
Ruby Ridge through the eyes of FBI agents
Nov 13, 2023
(The Spokesman Review)
In 1992, U.S. Marshals were investigating Randy Weaver for federal firearms charges. A tragic series of events led to a shootout near Weaver’s isolated Ruby Ridge cabin in north Idaho, which left Marshal William Degan and Weaver’s son Sammy dead.
This led to an 11-day standoff between Weaver’s family and the FBI and to the death of his wife Vicki who was shot by an FBI sniper who was aiming at Weaver’s friend Kevin Harris.
The case got widespread media attention, led to a congressional investigation, and spawned several tell-all books, tv shows, and reenactments.
Former Hostage Rescue Team members Charlie Rasner and Jim McGee joined Idaho Matters to talk about their time at the Ruby Ridge standoff.
Tracking harmful algal blooms with satellites
Nov 13, 2023
Before heading back to Boise, Tyler King snagged a water sample full of what he thought could be cyanobacteria with his personal water bottle.( Murphy Woodhouse)
Harmful algal blooms are a major problem in water bodies across our region. Detecting them can be complicated. Using the power of satellites, researchers in Idaho have developed a tool that could make detection more efficient – not just there, but across the West. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Murphy Woodhouse tells us more.
Sharing Tejano music around Idaho
Nov 13, 2023
Damian Rodriquez plays guitar in his home office, Paul, ID. Photo by Arlie Sommer, October 28, 2022.(Arlie Sommer/Photo by Arlie Sommer for Expres)
The voice of Damian Rodriguez can be heard on the airwaves regularly in the Burley area. He’s a volunteer DJ for a show featuring Tejano music on the local bilingual radio station, 91.9 FM Voz Latina.
He plays guitar and sings traditional Mexican music and also American pop and rock tunes all through a Tejano lens, which comes from the Mexican culture in Texas. Rodriguez shares his passion for the music with live audiences, performing in front of crowds across the state.
This year, he was awarded a Folk and Traditional Arts Fellowship from the Idaho Commission on the Arts for his contributions to Idaho.
Arlie Sommer brings us this story for her Expressive Idaho series.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: November 10, 2023
Nov 10, 2023
The story behind some of films most iconic buildings
Nov 10, 2023
The house from Alfred Hitchcock's movie "Psycho." (Layenie / Flickr)
Some people love some buildings. But a lot of people are a lot more passionate about familiar buildings, particularly iconic buildings that are centerpieces of classic films.
Author Christine Madrid French says, whether it’s the Bates mansion from Hitchcock’s Psycho or the Preston, Idaho, high school in Napoleon Dynamite, people are much more inclined to preserve the buildings of our dreams and ... nightmares.
French is the author of "The Architecture of Suspense: The Built World in Films of Alfred Hitchcock’" and she's the special guest of Preservation Idaho Saturday for an event they’re calling “Architecture of Suspense.”
College of Western Idaho expands mechatronics engineering program
Nov 09, 2023
(College of Western Idaho / Facebook)
Congress passed the "CHIPS Plus Act” last year to provide subsidies to American computer chipmakers in an effort to bring more chip manufacturing back to the United States.
So once the plant is complete who will fill those jobs? In May, Boise State University’s president said the university was now part of the “UPWARDS Network” that will help train new workers in the semiconductor industry.
And this month, the College of Western Idaho announced it received a new grant to expand the school's advanced mechatronics engineering technology program, which will train technicians for Micron’s new facility.
CWI president Gordon Jones joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Educating people about dog diabetes
Nov 09, 2023
Janet Tweedle's dog, Cooper. ( Janet Tweedle)
World Diabetes Day is next Tuesday, Nov. 14 which focuses on educating people about the disease. While more people are learning about the illness, there's still a lot they don't know, including the fact that diabetes is not a human-only disease. Other animals can be affected, including dogs.
According to Cornell's Veterinary School, up to 1% of all dogs may get the disease, and pet owners are often devastated when they learn their pup has it.
About seven years ago, Janet Tweedle learned that her Jack Russell, Cooper, had diabetes. Janet is a retired registered nurse and a certified diabetes educator, and so with some help from her veterinarian and other specialists, she began treating Cooper for his illness and the complications that came along the way.
As Janet did this, she became determined to share her knowledge with others who are also working to give their dogs a chance at a longer life with the disease. She joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Opera Idaho tells a story of sacrifice and hope
Nov 09, 2023
Bridgette Gan and Camron Gray perform in "The Falling and the Rising."(Jonathan Collins<br/> / Opera Idaho)
Opera Idaho will be premiering a special production of The Falling and the Rising on Friday, Nov. 10. The production tells the story of a soldier who has been injured in the line of duty and her journey to finding new hope for the future.
Bridgette Gan, the lead performer of the show, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
What to Watch: Two movies and a hit song you won't want to miss
Nov 09, 2023
George Prentice (left) and Gemma Gaudette (right) sit in the studio for What to Watch. (Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio)
The actors strike is over, finally. But the repercussions of the labor action will likely be felt for at least the next few years and two fabulous movies are about to open up at the theater.
Morning Edition host George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to help us figure out What to Watch.
Breaking down Election Day results with Idaho Matters
Nov 08, 2023
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean( Lauren McLean)
Boise keeps its current mayor, Eagle will see a runoff election when it comes to the city’s top job, most voters said yes to expanding the Ada County Jail, but it still wasn’t enough to pass the $49 million bond.
It was a mixed bag for the other bonds and levies on the ballot around the state, with some bonds failing and most school levies passing and incumbent school trustees did better overall.
In short, it was a busy Election Day! Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News, Scott McIntosh, opinion editor with the Idaho Statesman, James Dawson, political reporter with Boise State Public Radio and McKay Cunningham, the Director of On-Campus Experiential Learning at the College of Idaho joined Idaho Matters to help break down all the results.
Oregon man sentenced after violating Idaho's 'Hate Crime Prevention Act'
Nov 07, 2023
(Mig_R / Flickr )
Last week an Oregon man was sentenced to more than three years in a federal prison for violating the “Hate Crimes Prevention Act” and trying to run over three people with a car in Boise.
Matthew Alan Lehigh plead guilty to trying to run over a security guard in the Boise Public Library parking lot and two women in another parking lot four days later. Officials say these and other crimes committed by Lehigh were motivated by LGBTQ hatred.
Boise police, the FBI and the Idaho U.S. Attorney’s Office joined forces to investigate and prosecute the case. U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Preparing for elections with Idaho's Secretary of State
Nov 07, 2023
(Jens Alfke / Flickr)
Over 1,000 Idaho precincts opened their polling places this morning as 43 out of Idaho's 44 counties will hold elections today.
Boundary County is the only one that won't have an election because there are no contested races there.
Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about what happens behind the scenes on election day and how you can still register to vote.
The vital work of family caregivers
Nov 07, 2023
(Guven Demir / iStockphoto)
Here in Idaho, more than 300,000 people provide at-home care to family members in need, and while performing these services can be fulfilling, it can also be challenging.
This is why each November we celebrate National Family Caregivers Month, taking time to recognize the important work caregivers do and ways we can help support them.
Marilyn Sword, Coordinator of the Idaho Caregiver Alliance, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
New master plan to be unveiled for Ada County parks and waterways
Nov 07, 2023
(Scott Graf / Boise State Public Radio)
Have you ever walked on the Boise Greenbelt or floated the Boise River? Then you've technically been in an Ada County Park. The county manages Barber Park and miles of trails around the Treasure Valley.
After months of work and public input, the county is about to unveil a master plan for its parks and waterways. So we invited Robbie Sosin with Ada County Parks and Waterways back on Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Celebrating the first woman to climb the Grand Teton
Nov 07, 2023
(Lauren Crabtree / Flickr)
In 1923, Eleanor Davis became the first recorded woman to climb the Grand Teton – the namesake for Grand Teton National Park. One hundred years later, an all-female group of climbers summited the peak to celebrate her legacy. Wyoming Public Radio's Hannah Habermann went along for their recent climb, and has this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
What you need to know ahead of Idaho's elections
Nov 06, 2023
Citizens vote in an election. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images)
Election Day is Tuesday, which means people will be heading to the polls to cast their votes for local officials taking part in the mayoral, city council and school board races across the state.
We wanted to take a closer look at what voters can expect to see on their ballots, as well as what they'll need at the polling station. So Idaho Matters invited Idaho Statesman reporter Rachel Spacek to help break things down.
How far has vaccine development come?
Nov 06, 2023
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
For many people, vaccines for flu, viruses and COVID-19 strains are extremely effective at warding off the diseases they’re designed to protect against. But for some, including the elderly and people with chronic diseases, the results can be less effective. Dr. Laura Jenski has worked in immunology and oncology at places like Purdue and Marshall Universities, studying the immune system and how it works. She’s been looking at progress in how vaccines are developed and how they’re becoming more effective for more people.
How Idaho refugees are sewing hope into a new future
Nov 06, 2023
(Ellie McKinnon<br/> / Artisans For Hope)
Over the last year, Idaho has become home to over 1,200 refugees fleeing war and persecution.
Despite finding a safe harbor though, the resettlement process is not an easy one. Which is why programs like Artisans For Hope are working to support these new members of the community, starting with a needle and some thread.
Ellie McKinnon, the Executive Director of Artisans For Hope, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the organization.
Weaving saddle blankets for modern day cowboys
Nov 06, 2023
Linda Morton-Kiethley sits at her largest loom, a tapestry loom, in her home studio in Melba, ID. She’s weaving a pattern to be installed on a handmade leather purse, a bright triangle of yarn before her, in red, blue, green and gray.(Arlie Sommer / Expressive Idaho)
This week on Expressive Idaho, we head to the Melba home studio of weaver Linda Morton-Keithley. She started weaving more than 50 years ago, when she took an undergraduate occupational therapy course at Western Michigan University.
Morton-Keithley dove deeper into fiber arts for a master’s degree in historic costume and textiles at Colorado State University. Her education led to her roles that include being a curator, museum director and an archivist.
Now, she and her husband outfit modern cowboys with handmade gear, including Morton-Keithley’s hand woven saddle blankets. Arlie Sommer brings us her story as part of the Expressive Idaho series.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: November 3, 2023
Nov 03, 2023
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.
A preview of Idaho Shakespeare's 2024 season
Nov 03, 2023
(Idaho Shakespeare Festival / Idaho Shakespeare Festival)
Where can you go to find Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express," William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Patsy Cline? The answer is next season's Idaho Shakespeare Festival, which has an amazing line up for 2024.
Sara Bruner is the Associate Artistic Producing Director at the festival and she sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to preview the season.
Boise mayoral candidates share their vision for Idaho's capital city
Nov 02, 2023
Candidates for Boise mayor are (left to right) Aaron Reis, Joseph Evans, Mike Masterson, and incumbent Lauren McLean( Courtesy Aaron Reis, Joseph Evans, Mike Masterson, Lauren McLean)
Election Day is just around the corner and the race for the Boise mayor’s seat has been heated. There are four candidates hoping to get the job and we wanted to hear from all of them.
Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Mike Masterson, Joseph Evans, Aaron Reis and current Mayor Lauren McLean to talk about their priorities for Idaho's capital city.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: November 1, 2023
Nov 01, 2023
Washing your hands often — and with proper technique — is critical in preventing the spread of communicable diseases and viruses such as COVID-19.(Max Posner/NPR)
As we head into winter, the threat of a tripledemic is hanging over our heads. Just like last year, it's possible that cases of COVID-19, the flu and RSV could surge at the same, which is why it's important to take steps to stay healthy.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about how to do this.
Breaking down the Ada County jail expansion bond
Nov 01, 2023
(Ada County Sheriff's Office )
Voters headed to the polls between now and Tuesday, Nov. 7 will decide municipal races across the state, and many school districts and counties have bond issues on the ballot as well.
(Hannah Gardoski / Boise State Public Radio )
In Ada County, voters are being asked to approve a $49 million bond to expand the Ada County Jail, a more than $90 million project when you factor in the money already spent or set aside in county coffers, the 49 million the county wants to borrow, and the $22.6 million in interest over 20 years - less if the bond gets paid off early.
The cost to taxpayers is $3.60 per $100,000 in taxable property value each year. That means someone whose primary residence is valued at the median sales price in Ada County last month, $535,000, would pay about $15 a year for this bond.
Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford joined Idaho Matters to talk about the current situation at the jail and the bond.
What's next for space exploration?
Nov 01, 2023
(European Space Agency / Flickr)
For more than 60 years, humans have been exploring space. From launching the first satellite to the moon landing to sending a rover to Mars.
These breakthroughs have changed, not just how we see our universe, but the way we live in it. And today, that exploration continues.
So, as NASA persists in their trek to the final frontier, we thought we'd take a look at what's in store for the next 20 years in space. Retired senior engineer Paul Nelson joined Idaho Matters to answer our questions.
The role hope plays in our health and the climate crisis
Oct 31, 2023
(Sandy Paiement / Flickr)
When it comes to climate change, the consequences are hard to miss, from increasing temperatures to changing weather patterns to rising sea levels. And while we should be concerned about all these issues, there's another problem we need to be paying attention to as well, one that directly affects our health: hope. It may seem like a small thing, but it has a big impact, especially when it comes to the future of our planet.
Finding new meaning in 'The Exorcist'
Oct 31, 2023
(Roger Normand / Flickr)
When The Exorcist first came to the big screen nearly 50 years ago, it was received by many with shock, upending the world of entertainment. Today, the film is a classic and is still believed, by some, to be the scariest movie of all time. Which is exactly why Marlena Williams mother forbade her from seeing it. Well, Williams did go see The Exorcist, and what she found was that the movie was about so much more than just terror, which she writes about in her new book "Night Mother."
Williams sat down with our Morning Edition host, George Prentice, to talk more about her connection to the infamous film.
'My Roommate is a Vampire:' An author interview with Jenna Levine
Oct 31, 2023
( Berkley)
Since it's Halloween, we thought what better way to celebrate the holiday than by reading a book about a vampire with a bit of a twist?
Jenna Levine, author of the novel "My Roommate is a Vampire," joined Idaho Matters to talk about her new book, which is already a USA Today bestseller.
One tribes fight to revitalize their waterways
Oct 30, 2023
The Numana Dam fish passage project will open 65 miles of habitat along the Truckee River for the endangered Cui-ui sucker, and for the recently established migration of the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout from Pyramid Lake. Access to this habitat is essential for the recovery of the species in the wild.(USFWS Pacific Southwest Region / Flickr)
Nationwide, millions of barriers - like dams - are plugging up rivers and streams. And that makes it hard for fish to move freely and lay their eggs. Now, the federal government is spending more than $200 million to reopen spawning grounds for fish. That includes an effort to recover an endangered species that's sacred to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe in Nevada. The Mountain West News Bureau's Kaleb Roedel reports.
How trout ecosystems are changing in the alpine lakes
Oct 30, 2023
(Jennifer Fisher / Flicker)
Wildlife managers across the west have been stocking high Alpine Lakes with fish for decades, mostly so anglers have something to catch. As the Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walkey reports, new research is looking into how that history changed the Rocky Mountain environment, and the genetics of the fish themselves.
The global impact of the war in Ukraine
Oct 30, 2023
Ukrainian and U.S. flags fly in Kyiv, Ukraine.(Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters)
Last February when Russia invaded Ukraine, the conflict began reshaping our world in ways most of us couldn’t have imagined.
As thousands died in the war many more fled the fighting, becoming overnight refugees who were displaced all over the globe.
Countries far from the fighting have become involved in a tangled web of politics and the economic ramifications of the invasion are still being felt as the prices of things once made in Ukraine, like wheat and fertilizer skyrocket.
It’s not an understatement to say that the war is reshaping the structure of our world and it’s something that Ralph Bild has been studying. He was a CIA intelligence analyst for more than 25 years and he taught history and economics in the Boise school district for years and he joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A look back at some of Idaho's earliest pioneers
Oct 30, 2023
The Takatori family in Parma, ID, around 1930. ( Heidi Smith-Takatori)
Idaho has a rich cultural history, the influences of which can be found all across the state.
And as part of this Thursdays, Nov. 2, Fettucine Forum, Dr. Priscilla Wegars and Dr. Renae Campbell will be exploring that history with a look back at one the earliest groups to immigrate to Idaho, Asian Americans.
From gold mining to railways to agriculture - these pioneers were among the first to make a lasting mark on the region. Dr. Wegars and Dr. Campbell joined Idaho Matters to talk more about all of this.
Expressive Idaho: Uncovering lost Idaho music
Oct 30, 2023
Eller combs through the Boise State University Special Collections and Archives. This <a href="https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv04782">1864 Peter Beemer Music Manuscript</a> is a record of popular Idaho tunes of the time. Eller also regularly uses the Idaho State Archives and visits small museums, archives and libraries across the state to hunt down lost songs.(Arlie Sommer / Idaho Commission on the Arts )
Nuclear scientist Gary Eller moved to Nampa 17 years ago after a 30-year career at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He grew up in rural West Virginia with a strong music tradition of regional, historic music. Now, a retiree, he began playing bluegrass and oldtime with Idaho musicians. He wanted to learn historic songs from his new home, but no one was playing them.
So he used his skills as a scientist to scour archives, libraries and museums for historic Idaho songs from a time before radio and records came here. Eller has authored 19 books about the songs with recordings. His work is on the shelves of the library of congress and he was awarded the Governor’s Awards in the Arts in 2020.
Arlie Sommer brings the story of the Idaho Songs Project to this episode of the Expressive Idaho Series.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: October 27, 2023
Oct 27, 2023
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.
Sheepdogs compete to win in National Finals
Oct 27, 2023
(Radvydas S. / Flickr)
Many of the best herding dogs in North America were in our region recently for the National Sheepdog Final. The competitors - all border collies - worked with their handlers to herd some stubborn sheep.
Aspen Public Radio's Caroline Llanes has this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
The issue of COVID-19 fraud in Idaho
Oct 26, 2023
A computer rendering of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.(Radoslav Zilinsky / Getty Images)
As the District of Idaho’s COVID-19 Fraud Task Force looks back on its first year of operation, including a dozen successful prosecutions, the man in charge says we can expect a good many more charges against what they call “fraudsters.”
Josh Hurwit is the U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho and he sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about COVID-19 fraud in Idaho.
A look back at Idaho's Ice Age animals
Oct 26, 2023
(Leonora (Ellie) Enking / Flickr)
Imagine stepping outside your front door and coming face-to-face with a giant saber-toothed cat or driving to work and having to dodge a huge mammoth blocking traffic on way.
It wasn’t that long ago that giant cats, mammoths, huge bears - even a lumbering two-ton ground sloth called Idaho home. Those animals are gone now, but they had an impact on our ecosystem that lasts today. And studying them could give us clues about how our present day ecosystem works.
Dr. Eric Yensen, Professor Emeritus of Biology at the College of Idaho, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
'Do Your Worst:' An author interview with Rosie Danan
Oct 26, 2023
( Berkley)
Award winning and bestselling author Rosie Danan is back with her latest novel, "Do Your Worst."
Entertain Weekly writes, "If you're looking for an Indiana Jones meets enemies-to-lovers meets supernatural rom-com, then this is the book for you." We had to find out more about this book so Idaho Matters invited Danan to chat more.
What to Watch: A new biopic, a can't-miss comedy and the actors strike
Oct 26, 2023
(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The actors strike has been going on since July 13 with not much movement, until recently. And we've got a few movie recommendations that you won't want to miss!
Our resident movie critic George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to give us some ideas of What to Watch.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 25, 2023
Oct 25, 2023
(Alex E. Proimos / Flickr Creative Commons)
Health officials in Ada County are investigating an outbreak linked to raw milk, as five people have gotten sick from the possible consumption of the unpasteurized dairy. Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
Supporting the need for Emergency Medical Services in Idaho's backcountry
Oct 25, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
When it comes to Idaho's rural communities, access to Emergency Medical Services can be limited.
That's due in part to the fact that EMS is not considered an essential service in the Gem State. Funding and staffing issues also pose obstacles, often leaving patients in these areas with longer wait times and a reduced quality of care - putting the responsibility of these services back on rural communities.
Dr. Parker Fillmore, the Saint Alphonsus Trauma Medical Director and Lance Taysom, a flight nurse and paramedic with Air Idaho Rescue in Pocatello joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the need in these communities and the importance of medical training.
Why is public radio music important?
Oct 25, 2023
(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)
If you listen to other radio stations, you'll often hear the same few songs over and over - with the same line up day to day.
But on public radio you can hear a broad range of diverse sounds and styles from classical to blues to the Grateful Dead. And what better day to celebrate this variety then on Public Radio Music Day!
Carl Scheider is the host of Private Idaho, which airs Saturdays on our sister station KBSU FM and we invited him on Idaho Matters to talk about all things music.
The impact of western myth in Owyhee County
Oct 25, 2023
Owyhee County, Idaho(hmlauer / Flickr)
The land of Owyhee County has a rich history, attracting many groups in pursuit of different opportunities.
From mining to ranching to military use to conservation feuds - the territory is home to countless stories and claims, each one shaping the identity of the region and the way we view it.
'Speech Team:' An author interview with Tim Murphy
Oct 24, 2023
( Viking)
Author Tim Murphy is back with his latest novel, "Speech Team." The book follows a group of Gen X classmates as they struggle with a universal issue, "can we actually move past those internalized messages of our youth?"
Murphy joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his new release.
Stories of mystery and murder in Idaho
Oct 24, 2023
(Heather Chipps / Flickr)
As Halloween gets closer, more and more people are sitting down to re-watch their favorite horror classics, whether it's Michael Myers on the hunt for Laurie Strode or a bunch of high schoolers trying to evade Ghostface.
Stories of mystery and murder are always popular around this time of year, especially true stories – which Idaho has plenty of. Whitney Rivera and Camden Schacher explore Idaho crimes and murders in their podcast "Ghosts and Garnets" and they joined Idaho Matters to share some of the Gem States horror stories.
A deep dive into the race for Boise mayor
Oct 23, 2023
(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)
The race for Boise mayor is heating up and we wanted to take a deep dive into some the issues surrounding the upcoming November election.
Dr. Jaclyn Kettler is a political scientist and Boise State University professor and she's been watching the race closely. She sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about outside interests, attack ads, endorsements and how a “nonpartisan” election can devolve into extreme partisanship.
How the Boise Bicycle Project is working to make dreams come true
Oct 23, 2023
Devin McComas, the Executive Director of the Boise Bicycle Project, with a child on their new bike. ( Boise Bicycle Project)
Volunteers work for months refurbishing bikes in anticipation of the event and this year is no different. So in order to make sure that every child that wants a bike gets one they're holding a special drive.
Devin McComas, the new Executive Director of the Boise Bicycle Project, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event.
Expressive Idaho: Forging steel into art
Oct 23, 2023
Susan Madasci in her studio, Garden City, ID. (Arlie Sommer / Expressive Idaho)
When you hear the word "blacksmith," you might think of horseshoes and iron fences. Traditional practitioners forged hand tools, kitchenware and jewelry.
Today, industrial forgery is used in things like hardware, automobiles, even spaceships. But it’s also used for landscaping, architecture and art. Blacksmith Susan Madacsi designs large-scale steel sculptures, forging each part at temperatures of around 2,200 degrees, then adding texture with a hammer or other tools.
Colorful and geometric, her contemporary forged artwork hangs in public spaces throughout Idaho and around the world. Arlie Sommer brings us her story as part of the Expressive Idaho series.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: October 20, 2023
Oct 20, 2023
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.
The importance of art to human rights
Oct 19, 2023
(Audrey Regan<br/> / Boise State Public Radio)
The Anne Frank Memorial in Boise is the only memorial of its kind in the United States and it's also one of only a few places in the world where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is on permanent display in its entirety.
With construction underway for the new Wassmuth Education Center, it will also be one of a kind, as it will have a permanent collection of over 21 art pieces that present core themes and concepts in the center's work for human rights.
Dan Prinzing, Project Manager for the capital campaign and construction of the new Wassmuth Center joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Why a new series is featuring Idaho artists
Oct 19, 2023
Lupe Galvan painting( Idaho Public Television)
Idaho is full of creatives from dancers to weavers to architects, all with different art forms that inspire. Which is the focus of a new online series from Idaho Public Television called "createid."
The series features Gem State artists introducing us to their craft and the unique ways in which they express themselves. On one of their latest episodes we met painter Lupe Galván, whose story is intimately connected to his work.
Artist Lupe Galván and Lead Producer of "createid" Marcia Franklin joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Removing barriers to blood donation with the Red Cross
Oct 19, 2023
(Toby Talbot / AP)
The Red Cross recently updated its eligibility criteria for blood donations, something that should increase the blood supply.
But Dr. Walter Kelly, Medical Director for American Red Cross in Idaho, Montana and Eastern Oregon says that's not why they did it. He says it was the right thing to do. Dr. Kelly sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk more.
How Idaho farmers are growing crops in a more sustainable way
Oct 19, 2023
(DMITRY KISLYAKOV / Flickr)
When it comes to potatoes, Idaho is the number one producer in the U.S., growing nearly 30% of the nations supply.
Like many other areas of the country our state is feeling the impacts of climate change, experiencing shortages in the famous crop, as recently as last year. Which is why more farmers are making a shift towards regenerative agriculture, using sustainable practices that have the potential to forever change the industry.
Ladd Wahlen, a forth-generation farmer and Brad Johnson, Agricultural Strategy Manager for The Nature Conservancy joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this new method of farming.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 18, 2023
Oct 18, 2023
April 1959: Bottles containing the polio vaccine.(M. McKeown / Getty Images)
Polio has been around since pre-history causing paralysis and even death for generations. By the middle of the last century it paralyzed or killed up to a half million people each year.
In the 1950s Dr. Jonas Salk invented a vaccine for polio.By 1988, cases began dropping. An initiative was launched to try to wipe out polio altogether and cases of the disease continued to drop, but still the disease hangs on.
Two years ago, Ukraine saw an outbreak of polio that infected several people and paralyzed a child. Last year, an unvaccinated young person caught polio and became paralyzed in New York. Last month, four African countries reported new cases of polio and these cases are not alone.
As World Polio Day approaches, some experts say the effort to vaccinate people against polio can never stop if the disease is to be kept under control.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News and Janice Fulkerson and Cornelia Sprung from Rotary District 5400 join Idaho Matters to talk more.
A new look at the legacy of Idaho Senator Frank Church
Oct 18, 2023
Sen Frank Church( Frank Church Institute)
Idaho Senator Frank Church upended Washington with his committee's investigations into our government's intelligence community and that story is the centerpiece of the best-selling book, "The Last Honest Man" by Pulitzer Prize-winning author James Risen.
Risen will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Frank Church Institute Conference and he joined Institute Board Member Todd Achilles to sit down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to preview the conference and talk about Church's legacy.
The hunt for Idaho's lost apple history
Oct 17, 2023
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on July 6, 2023.
Out on the upper Salmon River, a pair of forgotten apple trees have been growing sweet, red and green apples for decades.
The trees sit on an old ranch east of Riggins and for a very long time, only bears were interested in the apples they grew. The big animals like the apples so much, they’ll climb the trees in the fall and shake them to get at the fruit.
Now the Lost Apple Project has re-discovered these unknown apples and their fascinating history as they race against time to find lost genetic varieties of the fruit. EJ Brandt, the co-founder of the Lost Apple Project, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'What an Owl Knows:' An author interview with Jennifer Ackerman
Oct 17, 2023
Jennifer Ackerman next to an owl.( Sofia Runarsdotter)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on June 28, 2023.
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.
His first book, "Kitchens of the Great Midwest" won the American Booksellers Association Indie's Choice Award for Adult Debut Book of the Year. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his newest book.
Breaking down the three main issues of the 2023 Idaho Policy Forum
Oct 16, 2023
The College of Idaho( The College of Idaho Facebook)
One year ago, we were talking about living in a time of extreme political polarization where the problems of the day are drowned out by arguments and rhetoric, and this year is no different. With too much political noise and not enough people talking about or trying to effectively solve those problems.
The College of Idaho is tackling three of those problems this year with their second Idaho Policy Forum bringing together a wide group of speakers to talk about the open primary initiative, green energy and school vouchers. And before Wednesday, Oct. 25's forum, Idaho Matters wanted to take a deep dive into these topics as well.
Expressive Idaho: The art of dance
Oct 16, 2023
Megan Brandel and the Open Arms Dance Project practice at JUMP, Boise, ID. (Arlie Sommer / Expressive Idaho<br/>)
Each Monday, we're bringing you our series Expressive Idaho, where we visit the spaces of artists who are keeping folk traditions alive in our state.
Today modern dance artist Megan Brandel, created a space for all types of bodies and abilities when she started Open Arms Dance in 2009. With support from the Boise City Department of Arts and History, the company performed the Special Olympics in Idaho.
Brandel collaborates with dancers of all ages and varying mobility to create inclusive modern dance that is inspired by everything from nature and traditional folk music, to teaching emotional regulation and community values. They've gone on to perform at the Morrison Center, Treefort Music Festival and the State Capitol, among other prestigious venues.
In 2022, Brandel received the Governor's Award in the Arts for Accessibility in the Arts and this year Open Arms is performing with support from the Idaho Commission on the Arts for the anti-bullying education they include in their program.
Arlie Sommer brings us this story.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: October 13, 2023
Oct 13, 2023
ISDA staff decontaminate a boat that's been in the Snake River searching for mussels. (Rachel Cohen / Boise State Public Radio )
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.
How three women leaders are giving back to the Wood River Valley
Oct 12, 2023
( Thomas Hawk / Flickr)
Hispanic Heritage Month started as a weeklong observation in 1968. It was expanded to 30 days under President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
The month was designed to celebrate the "histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America."
In the Wood River Valley, three women are leading three nonprofits, helping immigrants, children and seniors survive and thrive in their community. We wanted to learn more about what they're doing to make a difference in their community so we invited Jovita Piña, Executive Director of The Senior Connection, Deborah Van Law the Executive Director of the Blaine County Education Foundation and Becky A. Lopez Executive Director of The Alliance of Idaho to join Idaho Matters.
How to avoid the consequences of 'girl math'
Oct 12, 2023
Money(Pictures of Money / Flickr)
In today's economy, many of us are on a budget, so when we decide to splurge on an item we often try and rationalize the purchase - which is a common theme we see on social media, the latest trend being "girl math."
It works something like this: if you use cash to pay for something its free, if you don't buy an item on sale you're losing money, if you skip your morning Starbucks you're making money.
When it comes to thinking about finances in this way though it's not just women who are falling into the justification trap, everyone is. Which is why we thought we'd invite a financial expert to talk about unhealthy versus healthy spending habits.
Jessica Salyers, the Vice President and Meridian Silverstone Branch Manager of Zions Bank joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
What to Watch: Taylor Swift hits the big screen and a must-see documentary
Oct 12, 2023
(Ronald S Woan / Flickr)
There's been some movement on the actors strike and now that the writers strike is over one of tv's most popular shows is back. Plus several movies are about to open, including the biggest concert film, a probable Best Picture nominee and a must-see documentary.
Resident Movie Critic George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to help us figure out What to Watch.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 11, 2023
Oct 11, 2023
Novavax says its vaccine is 100% effective against the original strain of the coronavirus and had 93% efficacy against more worrisome variants.(Alastair Grant / AP)
Earlier this week vaccine maker Novavax said it had shipped millions of doses of its updated COVID-19 shots to distributors around the United States.
So what does that mean for folks looking to get this latest vaccine? Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help answer this question.
Despite a growing population, Idaho's future work force is uncertain
Oct 11, 2023
A graphic comparing Idaho’s births by year with public school enrollments by grade in the 2022-23 school year.( Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Department of Education)
According to the Idaho Department of Labor Idaho had the number one growth rate in the nation over the last 10 years, jumping up by over 21%.
We've talked a lot about how all this growth has created a housing crisis in Idaho, but there's an aspect of such a fast growing population we haven't mentioned - kids, schools and the state's future labor force.
Idaho's growth has not been even across the state and that means uneven student enrollment in schools. What will future enrollment look like? And what will this all mean for our labor force over time?
Economist Lisa Grigg with the Idaho Department of Labor joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
People can now use an app to find new hunting grounds
Oct 11, 2023
(Creative Commons Courtesy: @thekevinchang )
Fall means it's hunting season for many residents in our region. One popular way to hunt and fish is to lease land from private property owners for a more one-of-a-kind experience. As the Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walkey reports, technology is changing the way people find these opportunities.
How Idaho artists are finding inspiration in their heritage
Oct 11, 2023
“Dancing Creatures Preying on History” by Veiko Valencia. (Veiko Valencia)
Each year, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, the country celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month which was established to honor the many contributions that Latino Americans have made to the fabric of our society. From the economy to politics to medicine the impact is immeasurable, especially when it comes to the creative community.
As the month comes to an end we wanted to take some time to showcase the influence of this rich culture in Idaho through the eyes of three artists. Writer Tomas Baiza, poet Hannah Cook and painter and sculptor Veiko Valencia joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Rabbi says 'goodness will prevail' in the face of Hamas attacks
Oct 10, 2023
Fire and smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea, killing dozens and stunning the country.(Fatima Shbair / AP)
Everyone is still reeling from this weekend's attack on Israel by Hamas and first reports indicate at least 11 Americans have died.
What does this war mean for Idaho? That's one of the questions our Morning Edition host asked Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz, faith leader at the Chabad Jewish Center in Boise.
The impact of 'achievement culture' on kids
Oct 10, 2023
( Boise School District)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on August 17, 2023.
Across the nation, kids are suffering from a mental health crisis, experiencing increasing levels of anxiety and depression. And when it comes to looking at groups that are most at risk, reports found that students attending high performing schools fell into this category.
'Everyone Here Is Lying:' An author interview with Shari Lapena
Oct 10, 2023
(Pamela Dorman Books<br/>)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on August 16, 2023.
The New York Times Bestselling author of "The Couple Next Door" is back with her latest domestic suspense novel, "Everyone Here Is Lying." Shari Lapena sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about her most recent nail-biting thriller.
'Meet Me at the Lake:' An author interview with Carley Fortune
Oct 10, 2023
(Berkley)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on August 9, 2023.
Last year, author Carley Fortune came out with her debut novel "Every Summer After."
Her book climbed the New York Times Bestseller list for more than 13 weeks and was named one of the hottest reads of summer 2022. Now, she is out with her latest beach read, "Meet Me at the Lake."
Fortune joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book.
A look at Native American life with Beth Piatote
Oct 09, 2023
( Kirsten Lara Getchell)
Author Beth Piatote grew up on a farm in Idaho, teaches English at Berkeley, studies the Nez Perce language, chairs the Graduate group in Indigenous Language Revitalization at UC and in her spare time she writes short stories and poetry drawing on her Native American background.
She weaves her Nez Perce culture with themes of love, loss, grief, childhood and longing into her book, "The Beadworkers: Stories." The book has won critical acclaim, was featured on NPR and was short-listed for the Golden Poppy Prize for Fiction. Piatote joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new book.
Hunting for Dinosaurs in Idaho
Oct 09, 2023
(sniggitysnags / Flickr)
Underneath our feet are what's left of the bones of millions of animals that roamed the Rockies long before we were born.
The fossils of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures can be found from Idaho to Wyoming to Canada, if you know where to look for them.
So where are the best parks and trails to find fossils or to learn more about their history? To answer those questions we turn to Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, the former Medical Director and State Epidemiologist with the Iowa Department of Public Health and in her spare time she's something of a dinosaur expert.
Meet the new artist in residence at the Hemingway House
Oct 09, 2023
Hemingway's House in Ketchum, Idaho.(Jake Putnam / Flickr)
This fall, the Sun Valley Playwright's Residency is in its third year of a new approach to supporting playwrights, including a residency at the Hemingway House and events inviting the public to hear a new generation of dramatists in America.
Rajiv Joseph is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and he's spending his October in the Sun Valley area. He sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to more.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: October 6, 2023
Oct 06, 2023
Aaron Reis (left) spoke at the mayoral candidates forum organized by City Club Boise. He was joined on stage by former Boise police chief Mike Masterson (center left), Joe Evans and incumbent Mayor Lauren McLean (right).
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.
How the Mountain West is growing more resilient flowers
Oct 06, 2023
(Emily Files / NPR)
When you look at a flower, you can usually tell if it looks healthy or is on its last leaves. But what exactly makes it a good flower, and how does it stand out from the rest? Some experts in our region have it down to a science.
The Mountain West News Bureau's Emma VandenEinde visited their garden to watch the process.
Why Idaho women are sharing their abortion stories
Oct 05, 2023
The cast of "Abortion Diaries" during rehearsal.(Pro-Voice Project / Jim Max)
Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said Idaho could enforce its abortion ban despite a legal challenge against it. That lifts a partial injunction on the ban and puts the law back into effect.
Jen Jackson Quintano, who lives in Sandpoint, has been watching the abortion debate since 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court said it was up to states to decide when or if abortions could happen in their boundaries.
Jackson Quintano wanted to create a safe space for Idahoans to talk about their abortion experiences and to fight the shame that can surround the topic, so she started the Pro-Voice Project and created a play using personal stories about abortion.
The first play premiered in January and next week, Reverend Sara LaWall is bringing another version to Boise. They both joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
The trucking industry's move to electric vehicles
Oct 05, 2023
(raymondclarkeimages / Flickr)
You may have heard the phrase, "if you bought it, a truck brought it." Long-haul trucking is a major part of American commerce and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walkey reports on efforts to electrify long-haul trucking and the barriers these efforts face.
Why seniors are staying motivated to go to the gym
Oct 05, 2023
( Idaho Treasure Valley YMCA)
When it comes to staying healthy physical activity is important, especially as we start to get older.
The benefits of staying active include lower risk of disease, more mental clarity, better sleep, increased energy ... the list goes on. However, according to the CDC, over 60% of adults in the U.S. are not getting enough exercise, which can negatively impact their long-term health.
So Boise State psychology professor Dr. Mary Pritchard and student Susan Copple decided to partner with several branches of the Treasure Valley YMCA to take a look at the adults that were staying active, particularly those 60 years or older and find out what motivated them to get into the gym and keep going back. Susan Copple joined Idaho Matters to talk more the study.
'Finding The Elixir': An author interview with Scott Looney
Oct 05, 2023
( Atmosphere Press)
When Boisean Scott Looney found himself divorced after 16 years of marriage, he was adrift spiritually and emotionally and through spontaneous travel and unexpected friendships he was able to reset his life.
He chronicles of this in his new book, "Finding the Elixir" and joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 4, 2023
Oct 04, 2023
Syringes filled with the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine.(Carsten Koall / Getty Images)
There is now another option for folks looking for the latest COVID-19 shot. On Tuesday, Sept. 3 the FDA approved the Novavax COVID-19 booster.
So what does that mean for folks and how important is it to get this latest shot? Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
Why author Patrick Hinds is embracing failure
Oct 04, 2023
Failure on board. (contrastwerkstatt/contrastwerkstatt)
You may know Patrick Hinds as one of the voices behind the tremendously successful podcast "True Crime Obsessed."
What you may not know is that Patrick is also a self professed failure, something he looks at in his new book "Failure is Not NOT an Option." He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his new book and tour.
'While Idaho Slept:' Society's fascination with the U of I murders
Oct 03, 2023
Bouquets of flowers sit on the ground in front of the University of Idaho sign after four students were found dead. (Richard Rodriguez / Boise State Public Radio)
Just after Christmas last year, Pennsylvania Police arrested Bryan Kohberger and charged him with the murder of four University of Idaho students.
The case sparked shock and fear in students and parents alike and Idaho became the focus of an intense media spotlight, which at times turned sordid and ugly.
A look back at the kidnapping of Polly Klaas
Oct 03, 2023
( Grand Central Publishing)
Many Americans may remember Polly Klaas. It was 30 years ago this month the 12-year-old girl was kidnapped at knifepoint from a slumber party, triggering one of the largest manhunts in FBI history.
For Idaho-based journalist and New York Times bestselling author Kim Cross, chronicling the case was not an assignment, it was a calling.
Her book, In Light of All Darkness is coming out just as she is preparing her visit to the Hemingway Center in Boise next week. She sat down to talk with our Morning Edition host George Prentice.
Ballet Idaho returns to the stage for its 51st season
Oct 03, 2023
Soloist Elizabeth Kanning( Ballet Idaho)
This month, Ballet Idaho will be kicking off its 51st season with a lineup of new and returning favorites that promise to fill the stage with suspense, drama, magic and of course unforgettable dance.
Artistic Director of Ballet Idaho, Garrett Anderson and principle dancer, Graham Gobeille joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming season.
Getting the most out of a life with dementia
Oct 03, 2023
(Thanasis Zovoilis / Getty Images)
Planning for the future is important, especially when you're dealing with a disease like dementia.
Managing the day to day difficulties of life can become an insurmountable challenge that impacts not just yourself, but everyone around you. Which is why making a plan now is so important.
Nurse practitioner Rebecca Robinson with St. Luke's Palliative Care Team and Palliative Care Physician and community based hospice provider Dr. Jessica Evert joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the disease and how to plan for it.
Boise mayoral candidates to outline plans to address homelessness
Oct 02, 2023
A homeless man pushes his belongings along a Los Angeles street.(Mario Tama / Getty Images)
In 2021, over 2,500 people went from housed to homeless in the Treasure Valley.
In July, federal rental assistance money ran out in Ada County and a week later the number of eviction court hearings more than doubled, from 20 a week to 50 a week.
Attempted solutions to homelessness in Boise have been ongoing - from building new apartments, paying for hotel rooms and encouraging low income development opportunities.
This November, voters will decide how Boise will address homelessness when they vote for mayor and two nonprofit groups that work on housing issues have invited the candidates to a public forum on Thursday to answer how they plan to prevent homelessness and create more affordable housing.
Michaela McElroy, the Development Coordinator at Jesse Tree and Zeb Moers, the Development Director at Leap Housing joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Why you won't want to miss the October eclipse
Oct 02, 2023
( NASA)
An amazing ring of fire solar eclipse will blaze across the sky later this month and Idaho will be able to see a large part of it.
And the Northern Lights have been wavering in and out of our area, which just adds to the things to watch in the sky! Dr. Irwin Horowitz is the past president of the Boise Astronomical Society and he sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to help us find out more.
New book gives you 100 things to do in Boise
Oct 02, 2023
Downtown Boise( Kelsey Thomson)
Whether you live in Boise or are just a visitor to Idaho's capital it's possible that you've heard of some of the unique attractions the city has to offer.
Alive After Five, Treefort Music Fest, Festival of Trees, Freak Alley, the Greenbelt, the Basque Block, the Black History Museum, the Anne Frank Memorial, the list goes on and on. To help you out, someone has compiled that list into a book called, "100 Things to do in Boise Before You Die."
New York Times bestselling author Amanda Turner lives in Boise and couldn't resist putting the list together. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new book and give us a few recommendations
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 29, 2023
Sep 29, 2023
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador.(Carolyn Kaster / AP)
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Christina Lords, editor-in-chief of Idaho Capital Sun
Kevin Richert, Senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
Test driving an electric vehicle on Idaho roads
Sep 28, 2023
(Richard Vogel / AP)
It’s Boise National Electric Car Week and while automakers – domestic and foreign – continue to invest billions into the evolution of electric vehicles for many consumers, electric vehicles are still a subject of curiosity.
The Biden Administration’s massive clean energy push has produced a number of federal incentives for consumers; while Idaho’s investment is more focused on infrastructure, like charging stations.
Her work delves into themes of loss, nostalgia, memory and history - using several different methods, including poetry and dip pen drawing. As an artist, Clare works to capture the things that time often changes, creating a median of sorts.
She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this idea, as well as her art.
The creative process of author V.E. Schwab
Sep 28, 2023
(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
(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
A 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
A 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
Quagga 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
(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
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
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
J.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
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.
A new call in show looks for folks in 'The Middle'
Sep 25, 2023
The Middle with Jeremy Hobson.(The Middle)
A lot of Americans are neither right or left of center … instead they fall in the middle.
That’s exactly who the new show “The Middle with Jeremy Hobson” is looking for: folks who are in the middle politically, geographically or philosophically.
The Middle got its start during the 2022 midterm election, when people called in and tuned in to listen to civil discussions in a safe space.
Now, it's relaunching as a national weekly show, just in time for the 2024 election season and we’re bringing it to Boise State Public Radio News on Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m.
We asked Jeremy to join Idaho Matters to talk more about his new show.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 22, 2023
Sep 22, 2023
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.
Not so long ago, thousands of people traveled from the east coast to the west coast on horses and covered wagons looking for gold or land or just a better life.
Those that came to, or through, Idaho followed the Oregon Trail which at times was just a set of ruts through tall grass.
Author Jerry Eichhorst is the president of the Idaho chapter and he’ll be talking about the Oregon Trail Monday, Sept. 25 at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Boise and he joined Idaho Matters to talk about the Trail and how it looks today.
Paying back student loans in Idaho
Sep 21, 2023
(Darien and Neil / flickr)
Next month, millions of borrowers will have to start paying on their student loans after three and a half years of a break from the federal government.
The loans went on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic but now after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the Biden Administration the program is coming back online.
However, as many as 5,000 people in Idaho will have their loans forgiven and others may be able to knock down their payments to $0 a month.
Idaho Renaissance Faire gives back to the community
Sep 21, 2023
( Idaho Renaissance Faire )
This weekend, Sept. 23 and 24, you can take a trip back in time with the Idaho Renaissance Faire. The experience will be complete with sword fights, royalty, fire breathers and even a little bit of magic.
The president of the faire, Kathleen Danes and faire treasurer and public relations VP, Janet Hothouse joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event.
How is wildfire smoke affecting Idaho potatoes?
Sep 21, 2023
(Hidetsugu Tonomura / flickr)
This summer offered southern Idaho farmers a respite from wildfires, but smoke is an increasing long-term concern for potato growers. Rachel Cohen reports on researchers who are trying to figure out how it affects the crop.
How are climate change and an aging infrastructure affecting wildfire risk?
Sep 21, 2023
(Katherine Blunt)
It has been almost two months since the deadly fire in Maui destroyed the town of Lahaina and it’s been almost five years since a fire decimated the town of Paradise, California. Could an aging utility infrastructure, along with wildfire risk, be a major culprit behind these disasters?
Wall Street Journal reporter and author of the book “California Burning" Katherine Blunt joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these fires.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: September 20, 2023
Sep 20, 2023
A generic of EpiPen, an epinephrine injection auto-injector, used for allergic reactions.(Tony Webster / Flickr)
In a surprise move yesterday the FDA put the brakes on a new drug that was supposed to take the place of EpiPen's to treat anaphylactic shock. And a nasty new virus is making the rounds in India.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Facing a medical emergency in the Sawtooth wilderness
Sep 20, 2023
Jessica Mills sits under a tree. ( Jessica Mills)
Imagine you’re hiking in the backcountry, say the Sawtooth wilderness, and you’re looking at all the beautiful sights when you start to feel out of breath - there’s a heaviness in your chest and your heart is racing. That’s what happened to Jessica Mills recently when one of her spectacular backpacking trips started to go sideways.
You may have seen Jessica, known to her fans as Dixie, in one of her amazing YouTube videos. It all started when she decided to hike part of the Appalachian trail.
Since then she’s hiked the Pacific Crest, the Continental Divide, even Kilimanjaro all with her camera in hand and she creates these amazing videos of journeys which are watched by thousands of people every trip.
But with her Sawtooth trip, Dixie went from hiking photographer to an example of what to do when you have a medical emergency in the backcountry. Dixie joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her experience.
Huskies in the Treasure Valley need homes
Sep 20, 2023
One of the Huskies at the West Valley Humane Society.( West Valley Humane Society)
Huskies in the Treasure Valley are in need of help, especially those at the West Valley Humane Society. The organization has 25 of these dogs that are eager to find their forever families, but they'll need a little extra attention.
Jennifer Adkins, the Executive Director of the West Valley Humane Society joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these special pups.
The unique sound of Ned Evett
Sep 20, 2023
Pioneering fretless guitarist Ned Evett and his Ibanez "Null" glass-necked fretless guitar.(Rene Hartfield / iPaparazzi)
Its been a year since musician Ned Evett was last in Boise and since then, a lot has changed. He's got a new band and is getting ready to produce some new records.
We wanted to catch up with the guitarist ahead of his Treasure Valley concert, so Evett joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his new sound.
The state of education in Idaho
Sep 19, 2023
Elementary students with raised hands( Boise School District)
We wanted to take a deep dive into what's happening in Idaho education so we invited Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News to join Idaho Matters.
Digging up the past in Boise's River Street neighborhood
Sep 19, 2023
The 2015 dig covered a block of River Street in downtown Boise.( Dr. William White)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on October 4, 2022.
Have you ever lost something in your backyard? A coffee cup? A child’s toy?
Decades later, the things left behind in a backyard can tell archeologists a lot about who lived there and the image they wanted to project to the world.
That’s what Dr. William White found when he started digging up backyards in 2015 in Boise’s River Street neighborhood, an area where African Americans and immigrants were forced to live more than 100 years ago.
Dr. White is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of the forthcoming book, “Segregation Made Them Neighbors: An Archaeology of Racialization in Boise, Idaho.”
'No Filter:' An honest conversation with Paulina Porizkova
Sep 19, 2023
( The Open Field)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 21, 2022.
When one thinks of Paulina Porizkova, one might remember her as the Sports Illustrated cover model from the 1980s or the wife of Cars frontman Rick Ocasek. Or maybe you know her now from her popular Instagram account.
She joined Idaho Matters to talk about her biggest hits, life and her most recent tour.
The rights and roles of women in Idaho politics
Sep 18, 2023
(ValeTer_ / Flickr)
Men outnumber women in the Idaho Legislature more than two to one, and often lag behind in other political offices in the Gem State.
So how do women fare in Idaho politics? That was the question that Dr. David Adler, the head of the Alturas Institute, wanted to dig into as part of his "Conversations with Exceptional Women," this Thursday and Friday at the Yanke Center in Boise.
Idaho Legislature's Minority Leader Senator Melissa Wintrow and Assistant Minority Leader Representative Lauren Necochea joined Idaho Matters to help us answer this question, along with Dr. David Adler.
'Happy Place:' An author interview with Emily Henry
Sep 18, 2023
( Berkley )
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 8, 2022.
If you’re looking for the perfect book to kick off an early summer with, look no further! Emily Henry is back with her latest novel, Happy Place which is a story full of humor, friendship, romance and seaside charm.
Henry joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book.
How to have hard conversations with your kids
Sep 18, 2023
A bunch of children playing and running around a playground at a church party.( Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 23, 2022.
As we continue to see heated debates around social justice issues, education freedom and how post-pandemic life might look - what seems to be lacking is a place for kids and caregivers to find resources to be able to talk about these issues and attitudes.
Amber O'Neal Johnston, the author of the book "A Place to Belong: Celebrating Diversity and Kinship in the Home and Beyond", joined Idaho Matters to talk about fostering open dialogue around discrimination, race, gender, disability and class.
Turning murder mysteries on their head
Sep 18, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on January 31, 2023.
A new novel, The Hunter, puts to rest some tropes about suspense novels, small town crime and police corruption. The book’s author, Jennifer Herrera, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 15, 2023
Sep 15, 2023
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.
During the Great Resignation in Idaho, a social psychologist helps us cope with difficult coworkers
Sep 15, 2023
(Penguin Books)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on February 8, 2022.
Office work has changed dramatically during the pandemic. One thing that hasn’t changed? Dealing with difficult coworkers.
Idaho Matters spoke with social psychologist Tess West about in her new book "Jerks Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do about Them."
'Times Undoing:' An author interview with Cheryl Head
Sep 15, 2023
( Dutton)
Author Cheryl Head is known for her page turning novels and her newest book, "Time’s Undoing", is her most personal yet. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about how her outrage over the murder of George Floyd in 2020 compelled her to write her latest novel.
'Microjoys:' An author interview with Cyndie Spiegel
Sep 15, 2023
( Penguin Life)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 6, 2023.
The book is filled with essays about the microjoys that have kept Cyndie moving forward, even in the toughest times of her life. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise:' An author interview with Colleen Oakley
Sep 15, 2023
( Berkley )
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 30, 2023.
USA Today bestselling author Colleen Oakley is back with a new novel, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise. It’s being called wildly surprising and entertaining, just the book many of us need right now.
Colleen Joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Breaking down Idaho's public school bathroom law
Sep 14, 2023
(Mig_R / Flickr )
Last March, the Idaho Legislature passed, and Governor Brad Little signed, a bill that sets new bathroom policy for Idaho public schools. It requires that students must use the bathroom or locker room that corresponds with the gender they were assigned at birth.
The law went into effect in July, but was paused by a district judge last month while a lawsuit works its way through the courts.
On Wednesday, Judge David Nye heard arguments from both sides about the current temporary restraining order and a request for a preliminary injunction in the case.
So what happens now? Boise State Public Radio reporter James Dawson and McKay Cunningham, the Director of on-campus Experiential Learning at the College of Idaho, joined Idaho Matters to help answer that question and break down the lawsuit.
Stacked: A conversation with the creator and host of Stacking Benjamins
Sep 14, 2023
(Penguin Publishing)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on January 4, 2022.
Can getting your finances in order actually be fun and not stressful? Creator and Host of the popular podcast, Stacking Benjamins, thinks so.
Joe Saul-Sehy and Emily Guy Birken joined us to talk about their new book, "Stacked: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management."
The story of six Kentucky nuns who built a hospital in India
Sep 14, 2023
(Michal Svec / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 20, 2022.
In 1946, six nuns from Kentucky made a journey to one of the poorest states in India to start a hospital and train women to become nurses.
This never before told story is being memorialized in a new book, “Sisters of Mokama.”
The book’s author, who is also the senior opinion editor at the New York Times, Jyoti Thottam joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her book.
Carter Bays sits down to discuss his debut novel
Sep 14, 2023
The front cover of Carter Bays new novel, The Mutual Friend.
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 11, 2022.
The co-creator of the Emmy award-winning show "How I Met Your Mother" is back, this time with his first novel. Idaho Matters sat down with Carter Bays to talk more about his debut novel, The Mutual Friend.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: September 13, 2023
Sep 13, 2023
(Yulia Reznikov / Getty Images)
Since July the United States has seen a steady uptick in COVID-19 cases, leaving some to wonder if this new variant is going to make for a difficult fall and winter.
On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration greenlighted an updated COVID-19 booster, so is this our new normal? That every year we get our annual COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help answer that question.
An update on the Greater Idaho movement
Sep 13, 2023
( OPB)
Despite ridicule by some lawmakers, and what some have said are insurmountable odds, the Greater Idaho movement continues to quietly grow and expand across eastern Oregon.
The movement is simple, move Idaho's border west and absorb close to a dozen Oregon counties into the Gem State. Supporters say those counties more closely align with Idaho's values and culture.
In June, voters in another Oregon county said they'd like to join Idaho, the 12th county to pass a ballot initiative supporting the movement. This year, the legislation that would authorize talks about Greater Idaho made it to the state Senate after it passed the House.
Changing the state’s border would need agreement from the Idaho and Oregon legislatures, as well as Congress.
Reporter Matt Vasilogambros covers voting rights, gun laws and western climate policy for Stateline, which is part of the nonprofit news network States Newsroom, and he went on a thousand mile reporting trek across eastern Oregon to find out how the Greater Idaho movement is doing.
Read the full transcript below:
Gemma Gaudette: From the studios of Boise State Public Radio news. I'm Gemma Gaudette more Idaho Matters. Right now, despite ridicule by some lawmakers and what some have said are insurmountable odds, the Greater Idaho movement continues to quietly grow and expand across eastern Oregon. The movement is simple move Idaho's border east and absorb close to a dozen Oregon counties into the Gem State. Supporters say those counties more closely align with Idaho's values and culture. Back in June, voters in another Oregon County said that they would like to join Idaho. The 12th county, to pass a ballot initiative supporting that movement. Reporter Matt Vasilogambros covers voting rights, gun laws and Western climate policy for Stateline, which is part of the nonprofit news network State's newsroom. And he went on a 1000 mile reporting trek across eastern Oregon to find out how the greater Idaho movement is doing. And Matt is joining us now to talk more about this. Matt, really nice to have you on the program.
Matt Vasilogambros: Thank you so much for having me.
Gaudette: So, Matt, my understanding is you went to a meeting in Enterprise, Oregon, last month to to really hear what people are saying about this movement. So what are some of the pros and some of the cons that people are actually talking about?
Vasilogambros: Yeah, well, the room was was pretty divided, just like Wallowa County, which had just voted in June. And so at the beginning of the meeting, folks were friendly, they were greeting their neighbors. And then when the meeting started and folks started talking about the issues that mattered, you could feel the tension in the room. You know, one side, the folks who did do want secession, you know, they're clearly frustrated with what they see as urban decay in Portland. These policies, these Democratic policies that are passed in the capital, Salem, that are more tailored to progressive population hubs in the western part of the state, they just don't make sense for the rural eastern part of the state. We're talking about restrictions on coyotes or on deforestation, promoting electric vehicles, tax structures, you know, very conservative libertarian ideas. Those were the those were the main motivations for folks who want to leave Oregon. They just feel they're not represented at all. It's too progressive for them. On the other side, folks were, you know, very concerned that if they were to leave Oregon, they're going to lose abortion rights, health care coverage. The minimum wage is substantially higher in Oregon. It's it's 14 or $15 compared to seven 25in Idaho. They're worried about infrastructure spending, marijuana, mail-in voting. So there's a lot of concerns for folks who don't want to leave. They feel like they're Oregonians and they feel like folks who don't like Oregon should just move.
Gaudette: That's really fascinating about some of the cons because I think we've really heard so much more about why folks want to secede. And that is because they're you know, they tend to align more with, you know, the, quote, Idaho values. But with that said, did you find that not all of the supporters of this movement are Republican? Because I think there's an assumption that they would be.
Vasilogambros: What I've found is that they tend to almost always be conservative, right leaning, libertarian. You know, for economics, some of those folks don't necessarily care about socially conservative issues like being against transgender rights or talking about race in schools. But some are very motivated by that. And so what I found is that not all of them are registered Republican, but most of them are pretty far right leaning in their politics.
Gaudette: So you also interviewed the head of the movement, Correct? So so what did he have to say about this?
Vasilogambros: Yeah, I went to Mike McCarter's home in La Pine, Oregon, which is just outside of Bend, you know, just near the lava fields of that of that really pristine area, you know, And he he's a he's retired and he, he he works as a he assists with pastoral duties. He's a long distance runner. He fixes ham radios. And then on the side he leads this greater Idaho movement. And, you know, he he basically told me that the the pandemic when that happened was a, quote, blessing for the movement because folks were riled up about the new restrictions that were coming out of Salem that said that businesses had to close. Kids couldn't go to school. You know, some of these folks couldn't go to church and worship. And so it really fired up the movement. So it became this kind of puttering thing and kind of exploded where it's now 12 out of 15 counties in Oregon have voted for this, or 12 out of 15 counties in eastern Oregon have voted for this and expect to get three more out of it. And so, you know, he was a he was a a genial man, you know, not necessarily soft spoken, but you can tell like he's a deeply religious guy.
But he is he's he's leading this movement and he has hoped that it will succeed. He also pushes back pretty heavily against some of the criticism that the movement receives, including about its supporters like Ammon Bundy and some of the white nationalists. He says, you know, this movement is not about race, even though most of eastern Oregon is predominantly white. It's not about militias, he says. This is a peaceful political solution to avoid violence. But during my interviews over my thousand mile trek, I could hear undertones of that, that bubbling desire for violence. You know, when you talk to folks sometimes at political rallies or in small towns, there's always this undercurrent of maybe there will be civil war if we can't figure these divisions out. And the solution that I'm hearing from these folks is to avoid potential violence, you know, to avoid that rhetoric that we hear about our nation's founding being about redress of grievances, that we should split up the state in order to calm things down.
Gaudette: You know, I want to go back to the point you made where some of some of the folks who are against this movement said, look, if you don't like what's going on in Oregon, just move. I mean, move to a more conservative part of the country. And I want to dig a little bit deeper into that, because I think on the flip side of that is that, you know, you take western Oregon and western Washington, it's very liberal. However, there are pockets of very conservative counties over there. I happen to grow up in a very red county in western Washington. And the politics, everything was definitely, you know, felt by the big hand of King County, Right. Seattle, Tacoma. And, you know, and you just kind of the people who didn't agree, you know, they didn't move. They just kind of dealt with it. And so it's interesting to me that there is this movement to we don't want to move. We just we just want you to, you know, put us into another state. And I mean, with that said, Matt, it's not that simple. Right. I mean, just because they have 12 of 15 Eastern Oregon counties saying yes to this, you can't just go and decide to be a part of another state.
Vasilogambros: Right. And to your point, it is it's, you know, 65% of the state's land mass, but it's less than a 10th of the population. But then those folks do want to secede, say, okay, we are less than 10% of the population, but don't we matter? We feel completely unrepresented in Salem. And, you know, when I talk to folks who were against the movement, they all told me we completely empathize. We empathize with what they're saying. We get it. We understand those frustrations. We should be having more dialog. We should be hearing your concerns. Maybe it can be a wake up call maybe for Democratic lawmakers in the western part of the state, in Salem, those folks who are coming from the Willamette Valley, from the Portland area, from Eugene, to maybe listen more to those concerns, but also what I heard from folks who were against the movement is that this is this is a democracy. You know, you need to vote. You need to work a little bit harder to get your folks elected. And that's how it works. You know, I was I was as I was driving, I was thinking about what would happen, say, in the South if, you know, groups of Democratic voters say we don't feel represented and we want to secede, say, from Alabama or Mississippi. I just think it would be a completely different conversation. The reaction would be completely different as well. And so these are some of the debates that I feel like we've been having as a country since its founding about minority political rights, about what would happen if we're if grievances get too far. So, you know, these are big questions that folks are dealing with out there. I don't think it should be dismissed. And I don't think that and I believe that from talking to opponents of this movement, they seem to be taking it a lot more seriously than they were in the past.
Gaudette: Well, and also, I mean, again, like, let's take the Treasure Valley, for example, Ada County, Boise, specifically to really narrow it down. I mean, it's kind of a little dot of blue in a sea of red and and I think there could be an argument made that, look, Democrats are not represented in Idaho. Right? Those those values are not representative. Lawmakers do not listen. So, you know, and then you talk about the South. I mean, these issues are everywhere in our country. And I'm curious as to, as you said, opponents taking this more seriously now. But are lawmakers or are they still kind of ridiculing this this movement and this ideology?
Vasilogambros: You know, earlier in the summer, I had spoken to a Democratic lawmaker and, you know, he basically told me that he didn't he didn't think this was a, quote, serious thing, that, you know, a serious movement that's happening. And then fast forward to last month when I'm an enterprise and I'm sitting in the meeting, he actually joined by Zoom. And, you know, his tone completely changed. And he said, you know, I'm here to listen. And he acknowledged that he needs to do a better job of listening to those concerns. And and but he said this is just not the solution. It should be a political solution in Salem. It should not lead to secession. But to your point about Ada County and others, you know, and this might be a little too philosophical, but I do feel like this kind of represents the growing, you know, siloing of our different cultures, you know, people becoming way more isolated politically, culturally, geographically. And, you know, it really it was kind of it felt heartbreaking in a way. I felt like I wrote in the story like a tearing of the American fabric. And and I and I feel like this is just one example of many throughout the country. You know, you could you could draw lines to Trumpism, but you can even go even further back than that. And I think we're having a hard time as a country from two sides of the political spectrum to talk to each other. And it's getting to points where folks are talking about splitting from, you know, splitting from the other part of their state. And it's not just in Oregon. There are movements in California, in Illinois, in North Carolina. They're popping up everywhere. And so I think that we do need to have these broader conversations as a country to figure out how, you know, it can't be so polarized or siloed because this is the result.
Gaudette: Well, and maybe, as you said, a wake up call. Right. Whether whether you tend to be a a state that leans very democratic or you tend to be a state that leans very Republican. Maybe what needs to happen when we see something like this that is really taking hold is that lawmakers have a responsibility to listen to all of their constituents. Right. Not just the ones who align with them politically. And maybe we need to find more common ground than division Did. Did you did that conversation happen at all as you covered these thousand miles?
Vasilogambros: I had that conversation several times with people, not only the folks that I quoted, but, you know, just random people that I would meet on the street or in stores or whatever, you know, just try to broach this, broach this topic with with several different people on the road. A lot of the folks that I saw I talked to just really don't want this to happen. But, you know, the folks that I do quote in the story when I would pose the question of is there a solution here that is not secession? Is there a solution here where we're not splitting up? And, you know, one man, Grant Darrow from from Oregon, he he thought about it for a while. He later texted me and he said there is no other way. Mike Mike McCarter, the the the leader of this movement. I asked him the same thing. You know what if they offered to have more conversations, more representation, you know, maybe funding some of the the projects that that you want more on the eastern part of the state maybe loosening some of those regulations, you know, encouraging electric vehicles in rural areas, those things that kind of fire you up. And again, he thought he without even really even thinking about it, he just said, no, this is it. And so I feel like there is still a middle ground on this issue. Some of those, you know, the the non vocal majority, probably a lot of these votes are extremely close. And so it is not as if these these votes are passing, you know, 70%, 80%, you know, they're like a 55, 45, 51, 49 percentage. And so it is it is divided. I don't think it's resolved yet on the eastern side. But, you know, some folks are extremely set and they don't see any other path forward.
Gaudette: So before I let you go, can we just talk logistics here? Because this is an uphill battle to do something like this. I mean, what steps have to be taken Because we're talking, you know, getting the Constitution involved.
Vasilogambros: Yeah. And so I'll go each legislature. So in Idaho, Barbara Earhart, a representative, she has sponsored legislation that actually passed the Idaho House earlier this year. It didn't go anywhere in the Senate, but she told me that after having conversations with lawmakers, her colleagues in the state Senate, she's pretty confident it's going to pass next year, both in the House and in the Senate in Idaho. So Idaho seems to be kind of taking care of at least that's what I've been told by lawmakers for next year in Oregon. I don't see Oregon Democrats doing anything about this. There has been legislation introduced by Republicans, but the Democratic lawmakers have killed it in committee. Proponents of secession have told me that there is a potential workaround that they could do a statewide ballot initiative to to move this forward. But say that does pass say that Oregon lawmakers pass this or there's a ballot initiative. So then there's the two states. It would then go to Congress and Congress would have to pass this. So like you said, it's an uphill battle. There's a lot of work to do in this. There does seem to be a willing participant in Idaho, but I don't know if if it can really go anywhere in Oregon.
Gaudette: Well, Matt, I really want to thank you for coming in and talking to us more about this. I appreciate your reporting on it.
Vasilogambros: Thank you for having me on.
Why agricultural workers in the West are facing mental health issues
Sep 13, 2023
(ettigirbs_on/off / Flickr)
Farmers and ranchers in the West are being pressured by rising production costs, increased workloads and extreme weather. No wonder they are facing higher levels of stress and mental health issues than other Americans.
The Mountain West News Bureau's Kaleb Roedel reports.
Online pet scams are on the rise in Idaho
Sep 12, 2023
(I.brskv / Flickr)
In today's digital world scams are on the rise, with new ways of tricking people out of their money emerging every day.
And according to the Idaho Humane Society one of those scams is targeting pet owners, specifically owners who have lost their pet. Kristine Schellhass the Public Relations Manager for the Idaho Humane Society joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
How Indigenous youth are restoring ancestral land
Sep 12, 2023
The Walatowa Pueblo of Jemez.<br/>(Helen Orozco / Flickr)
The land and its waterways have long been sacred to Indigenous people and they know how to care for it well, considering the land used to be theirs. Now, some groups are recruiting indigenous youth to restore and protect these areas.
Emma VandenEinde of the Mountain West News Bureau visits a pueblo in New Mexico to see how one crew is doing that.
How one garden is keeping traditional plant knowledge alive
Sep 12, 2023
(Regina / Flickr)
A recent ceremony in our region dedicated a garden that provides spiritual, medicinal and nutritional sustenance. It's called the Northern Cheyenne Medicinal Garden and it has over 100 different plants.
Wyoming Public Radio's Hugh Cook visited the Sheridan Food Forest for this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
What to Watch: A conversation with Tony Doerr
Sep 12, 2023
(fallingstill / Flickr)
The Netflix adaptation of Idahoan Tony Doerr's book "All the Light We Cannot See" had its world premiere over the weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival and our resident movie critic George Prentice was there to see it. He also got a chance to sit down and talk with the Pulitzer prize winning author about the miniseries.
George joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about the experience.
The Climate Crisis: Creating change with hope
Sep 11, 2023
(Robert Val / Flickr)
When it comes to learning about climate change there’s lots of information out there. And figuring out how to address the problem can be overwhelming, especially as we continue to see headlines in the news concerning the global warming crisis.
All of that together can feel scary. Fear isn’t the answer though, at least according to atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe. Instead she points to hope as a catalyst for change. Hayhoe joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Looking back at Minidoka: One woman's family story
Sep 11, 2023
A panorama view of the Minidoka War Relocation Authority center in 1942. This view taken from the top of the water tower at the east end of the Center, shows partially completed barracks.(Francis Stewart / U.S. Department of the Interior)
From 1942 to 1945, the family of Barbara Yoshida Berthiaume was incarcerated in the Minidoka Japanese internment camp in Eastern Idaho.
Barbara, who grew up in Kuna, didn’t learn about this dark chapter in her family’s history until she was in her senior year at Kuna High. Since then she’s been researching Japanese internment camps and sharing what she’s learned through talks around the country.
She lives in Washington now, but she’s coming to the Gem State this week for a series of talks about her family and what they experienced at Minidoka.
How food trucks are adapting to the heat
Sep 11, 2023
(Jennifer Yin<br/><br/> / Flickr)
Hotter summers across our region are making it difficult for some workers to stay cool and comfortable, that includes food truck owners who cook over hot stoves and fryers in small spaces. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel explains how some are trying to beat the heat.
Breaking down the water problems in the west with art
Sep 11, 2023
The Colorado River near Moab, Utah.(Mitch Tobin / WaterDesk.org)
Water issues in the arid west are complex. The laws that govern our region’s rivers and reservoirs are tough to wrap your mind around, but art can provide an entry point – and create an emotional connection that helps people understand what’s at stake.
Aspen Public Radio’s Kaya Williams Reports on one painter’s approach for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 8, 2023
Sep 08, 2023
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Christina Lords, editor-in-chief of Idaho Capital Sun
Remembering the life of Steven Nelson
Sep 08, 2023
(Art Vandelay / Flickr)
Steven Nelson, a Nampa man, died in April 2016 after responding to an online ad promising a sexual encounter. He was attacked by Kelly Schneider, who yelled homophobic slurs while kicking him repeatedly with steel toed boots. Schneider then stripped and robbed Nelson in the pre-dawn darkness near Lake Lowell. The critically-injured Nelson walked naked and without shoes about half a mile away to a home where he asked for help. Unfortunately, he died several hours later, but not before he was able to give investigators detailed information that helped identify his killer.
Playwright Gregory Hinton has spent time over the years with Steven's family and with their permission he's curated an assembly of impact statements from the sentencing hearing of Nelson's confessed killer. The Piece is called "Walking Steven Home." Hinton joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A conversation about the challenges facing women today
Sep 07, 2023
(Oivind Hovland / Getty Images)
Women in Idaho are facing unique challenges as they grapple with issues of gender equality, women's rights and equal protection of the law.
This is why the Alturas Institute brings together exceptional women each year to Idaho to talk about these issues and find ways to solve them.
This year's "Conversations with Exceptional Women" will include a Pulitzer Prize winner, a Grammy-award winner and other successful women, including Dr. Fiona Hill who served as a national security advisor to three U.S. Presidents.
This year's theme is "Courage is Contagious: Standing Up for Women," and here to talk about next week's conference are Dr. David Adler, the President of the Alturas Institute, Amy Andersson, a Grammy-winning conductor and producer, Dr. Caroline Heldman, the Executive Director of the Representation Project and Chair of the Critical Theory and Social Justice Department at Occidental College in Los Angeles and Karen Crouse, former New York Times Sports writer and author.
How researchers are tracking polar bears in a new way
Sep 07, 2023
Peter Detwiler, North Slope Borough wildlife technician, samples polar bear footprints in snow.(University of Idaho / Jennifer Adams)
This noninvasive method collects DNA from the animals' paw prints, allowing scientists to monitor the bear populations without disturbing them.
Research Scientist Jennifer Adams and Lisette Waits, Distinguished Professor with the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences with U of I join Idaho Mattes to talk more about this new research.
A look at the 1619 project
Sep 07, 2023
( Dr. Richard Bell)
Four years ago the New York Times magazine started an initiative called the "1619 Project" to look at the 400th anniversary of black slavery in America.
The project has sparked hundreds of conversations on the legacy of black slavery and the contributions of black Americans, creating backlash as several states have incited laws to block it from public schools.
Dr. Richard Bell is a professor of history at the University of Maryland and is hosting a series of lectures about the project at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Boise and he joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this subject.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: September 6, 2023
Sep 06, 2023
This illustration depicts <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em> bacteria, which can cause different types of infections, including pneumonia, bloodstream infections and meningitis.(CDC)
Schools around the country are back in session and not only are we seeing a COVID-19 surge but, meningitis is also top of mind. So what should we know in order to protect ourselves?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help answer that question.
Boise Pride celebrates 34th festival
Sep 06, 2023
(Lacey Daley / Boise State Public Radio)
This Friday, Sept. 8 the 34th annual Boise Pride Festival kicks off, celebrating Idaho's LGBTQ+ community.
Each summer the event seems to get bigger and better and this year is no exception. Donald Williamson, Executive Director of Boise Pride joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming celebration.
Floating the Boise River has changed over the years, but the fun remains
Sep 06, 2023
Floaters enjoy the Boise River during triple-digit temperatures on August 31, 2022.(Troy Oppie / Boise State Public Radio)
It's been a busy summer on the Boise River with thousands of people taking part in one of the area's favorite activities: floating.
And as the hotter months come to an end, we wanted to check-in and see how the season went. Bonnie Shelton, Communication and Marketing Superintendent for Boise Parks and Recreation, and Scott Koberg, Director of ADA County Parks and Waterways, joined Idaho Matters for an update.
Idaho nonprofit empowers kids with The Shoe That Grows
Sep 06, 2023
Because International distributes expanding shoes for children in developing countries from their Nampa-based nonprofit.(C.O. Photography / Because International)
Here in Idaho a nonprofit is helping to provide shoes to thousands of kids around the world, working to address a problem that many families impacted by poverty come up against: bare feet.
Without shoes, kids in many areas are at a higher risk of contracting diseases from the ground, which can result in illness and sometimes even death. There's also the issue of kids simply outgrowing their shoes and being unable to replace them, which is why "Because International" decided to create The Shoe That Grows.
Andrew Kroes, the President of "Because International" joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the program.
What to Watch: A look at noses through cinema history
Sep 06, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
It’s a special Labor Day version of “What to Watch” with our resident movie critic, and Morning Edition host, George Prentice!
The nose knows. There’s a controversy brewing over noses, specifically prosthetic noses that actors use when playing roles like the current movie Golda.
Actress Helen Mirren has been caught up in controversy as she plays Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. George takes a look at fake noses through movie history and at how the nose uproar is taking away from stellar acting and a fascinating historical story.
The stories of one Idaho combat veteran make their way to the stage
Sep 05, 2023
Colin Sesek performing in "Bent Compass."( Colin Sesek)
In 2004 Colin Sesek was working for the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. A year later he was in the Army, working to become a medic, and soon his deployments began.
While he traveled around the world he kept in touch with his friend from the Shakespeare Festival, Neil Brookshire. They talked over the phone and Colin shared his experiences with Neil who began to think about how to put those experiences on stage to share with a wider audience.
What emerged was the one-man play "Bent Compass" where Neil shares much of what Colin went through as he transformed from a raw Army recruit to a veteran of combat and includes many of the hard, gripping and painful experiences that went along with his time in the service.
Neil will be on stage performing the play in Garden City Thursday, September 7 and Friday, September 8 as a special Alley Repertory Theater production. Sesek and Brookshire joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming performance.
How Idaho communities are keeping their air safe from wildfire smoke
Sep 05, 2023
(Madelyn Beck / Mountain West News Bureau)
A growing body of research shows that when the air quality is bad outside, it can also affect the air indoors. So what should you do when wildfire smoke is clouding the sky? One project in Idaho is testing out solutions to protect some of the community's most vulnerable. Rachel Cohen reports.
Exploring the Idaho night sky with photography
Sep 05, 2023
Imagine a panoramic view of a field of stars or a beautiful desert landscape with a time lapse of galaxies crawling across the night sky. These are just some the amazing pictures captured by astrophotographer Nate Liles.
Nate is coming back to the Sun Valley Museum of Art to share some of his tips and tricks for taking pictures of the night sky and he joined Idaho Matters to chat ahead of his visit.
The ACLU of Idaho celebrates 30 years
Sep 05, 2023
(Mike Mozart / Flickr)
The ACLU of Idaho is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The state's chapter began with a lawsuit in 1993 and has been here ever since and now the organization has over 5,000 Idaho members.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Leo Morales, the Executive Director of ACLU of Idaho and Louise Melling, the Deputy Legal Director of the ACLU National Office.
New study reveals startling cause of bird deaths
Sep 05, 2023
(Diogo Luiz Gomes Diniz<br/> / Flickr)
When you see a dead bird below a power line your first thought is likely that it died from electrocution. This is a common conventional wisdom, but a new study says it's wrong.
The study shows that a majority of birds found dead near power lines had been shot, not electrocuted. This study has profound implications for conserving birds, like bald eagles, and for figuring out the best ways to help them thrive.
Todd Katzner, research wildlife biologist with the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center U.S. Geological Survey and Eve Thomason, research associate with the Raptor Research Center at Boise State University join Idaho Matters to tell us more about the study.
Officials called to increase search efforts for Indigenous victims
Sep 05, 2023
Women attend the closing ceremony of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls on Monday in Gatineau, Quebec.(Chris Wattie / Reuters)
Indigenous journalists from the U.S. and Canada gathered recently in Winnipeg for a conference on important issues - like the missing and murdered. It's a tragedy that knows no boundaries.
Antonia Gonzalez of National Native News was there and filed this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Why apartment construction has been postponed in several Idaho cities
Sep 05, 2023
Construction in Downtown Boise. (Dan McLean<br/> / Flickr)
We've seen a ton of new apartment buildings being proposed in Boise and Ada County as builders work to fill a growing need for housing in the Treasure Valley. But some of those building projects have ground to a halt, even if they have the go-ahead from city officials.
BoiseDev reporter Sydney Kidd dug into the apartment building market to find out why this was happening, and some of the reasons she found may surprise you.
What to Watch: A look at noses through cinema history
Sep 04, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
It’s a special Labor Day version of “What to Watch” with our resident movie critic, and Morning Edition host, George Prentice!
The nose knows. There’s a controversy brewing over noses, specifically prosthetic noses that actors use when playing roles like the current movie Golda.
Actress Helen Mirren has been caught up in controversy as she plays Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. George takes a look at fake noses through movie history and at how the nose uproar is taking away from stellar acting and a fascinating historical story.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 1, 2023
Sep 01, 2023
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.
A preview of the 2023 Boise State football season
Sep 01, 2023
(Ken Lund / Flickr)
Boise State's football season gets underway Saturday, Sept. 2 on national television. The Broncos face off against #10 Washington State and you can watch the game locally on ABC at 1:30 p.m.
Our All Things Considered host Troy Oppie joined Idaho Matters along with BJ Rains for a preview of this year on the "Smurf Turf."
Youth activists win in landmark environmental case
Aug 31, 2023
Lead plaintiff Rikki Held listens to testimony during a hearing in the climate change lawsuit, Held vs. Montana, at the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse on, June 20, 2023, in Helena, Mont.(Thom Bridge / Independent Record via AP)
Earlier this month, a historic ruling was made in favor of 16 young activists who filed a lawsuit against the state of Montana for infringing on their constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment."
The case is the first of its kind in the U.S. holding state officials and agencies responsible for the carbon footprint of future fossil fuel projects and how those emissions may impact the climate. Flathead Beacon Reporter Micah Drew joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the landmark case.
How evictions are affecting Idaho renters
Aug 31, 2023
Eviction filings are rising even as rents spike and inflation cuts deeper into household budgets.(tommy / Getty Images)
There were at least 900 people facing eviction lawsuits last year in the Treasure Valley, according to the Idaho Statesman.
Around 300 landlords who filed the lawsuits, which often happens after mediation or other attempts to fix the issue have failed. After a suit is filed, tenants must find a way to get current on their rent, go to court or find a new place to live and all of those steps can have psychological effects on the families involved.
A look into Idaho's crumbling schools
Aug 31, 2023
Water seeps across the floor in the boiler room at Valley View Elementary School in rural Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, Jan. 22, 2023. The Boundary County School District has attempted to pass a bond that would replace the aging, deteriorating school; however, the bond has never passed with the supermajority vote required by state law.(Sarah A. Miller/smiller@idahostatesman.com / Idaho Statesman)
In Bonners Ferry, nearly 400 students are being taught in a building that is falling apart.
There are cracks in the walls, water stains on the ceilings and a collapsing plumbing system. Without air conditioning or proper heating, classrooms are boiling in the summers and freezing in the winters. Not to mention the roof is failing.
But despite all of this Valley View Elementary School has been unable to get a bond approved that would make any significant changes. They're not the only school in Idaho that's dealing with this issue.
Other districts across the state are suffering from deteriorating schools without the funding to fix them.
Which is why ProPublica and the Idaho Statesman have embarked on a joint investigation, looking into the condition of Idaho schools and how those conditions are impacting students and teachers.
Idaho Statesman reporter Becca Savransky and ProPublica Reporter Asia Fields joined Idaho Mattes to talk more about this new effort.
What to Watch: A preview of the Toronto International Film Festival
Aug 31, 2023
(El Barto Jr / Flickr)
Movie stars, filmmakers and our resident movie critic George Prentice are all headed to the Toronto International Film Festival next week.
TIFF, as it's affectionately known, is the place to find the movies and documentaries that will be making headlines in 2024. And George will spend several days watching movies non-stop to find the best ones to watch. He joined Idaho Matters to give us a preview of what he's planning to see.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 30, 2023
Aug 30, 2023
A child wears a KN95 protective mask for kids in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022.(Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
As school districts across the country return from summer vacation health officials are reporting a COVID-19 surge, leading to temporary closures of schools in places like Texas, Kentucky and Alabama.
Experts say they expect the cases to rise in even more school systems, like New York City, which open after Labor Day. In some areas of the country, COVID cases are rising so much that hospitals are seeing more hospitalizations, with the state of Alabama is reporting a 300% increase.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to tell us what this means for us.
The latest results from Idaho's school bond and levy elections
Aug 30, 2023
(FrankRamspott / Getty Images)
Voters in 11 of Idaho's 44 counties went to the polls to vote on school bonds, levies and trustees on Tuesday. Nine school districts held votes in places like Bingham, Bonner, Jerome and Twin Falls counties.
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
A special writing retreat is inspiring Idaho creatives under the stars
Aug 30, 2023
(courtesy Ed Cannady / www.edcannadyphotography.com)
Idaho has inspired some of history’s greatest writers and an upcoming writing retreat in Central Idaho’s Dark Skies Reserve, featuring stargazing, hiking, fishing and face-time with bestselling authors, is bound to influence a new generation of creativity.
Boise State professor and organizer Edward "Mac" Test sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the retreat and the unique opportunity to work alongside some award-winning authors.
Why you won't want to miss the upcoming annular solar eclipse
Aug 30, 2023
The moon moves in front of the sun in a rare "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse, as seen in the sky over Singapore on Thursday.(Louis Kwok / AFP via Getty Images)
This fall, the moon, sun and earth will align for an annular solar eclipse, appearing to many onlookers like a a ring of fire in the sky.
And though these eclipses happen ever other year or so, this one is special because it will be the last annular eclipse we'll see in the United States for over a decade.
Brian Jackson, Associate Professor for the Department of Physics at Boise State University, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming celestial event.
The impact of growing cities on sagebrush ecosystems
Aug 29, 2023
Growing cities in the West are having a harmful impact on sagebrush ecosystems.
That's the result of a new Boise State study - and it seems like it would be fairly obvious - cities are naturally going to encroach on woodlands. But the study found that more urban growth negatively impacted the quality of the nearby rangeland, not just the size. However, there was a silver lining to this study and it turned out Boise was part of it.
Trevor Caughlin, an Associate Professor of Biology at Boise State University, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about the study.
States in the West are recycling water to cope with a shortage
Aug 29, 2023
(iStockphoto)
Recycled water is growing in popularity in the water-short West. Colorado already has rules for taking water from toilet to tap, and California is poised to do the same.
KUNC’s Alex Hager reports on roadblocks – like convincing consumers – for the Mountain West News Bureau.
New projects help to restore ecosystems in the Mountain West
Aug 29, 2023
(Still Epsilon / Flickr)
Two trillion dollars over 10 years. That's about how much new spending congress has approved during the Biden Administration.
Those numbers are so big that it can be hard to grasp the impact this money will have. The Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walked visited one project to see what some of that money is buying.
How Blaine County is supporting its students and teachers
Aug 29, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
As thousands of students, teachers and staff head back to school in Blaine County this year, one thing that won’t be welcome in any classrooms: cellphones.
Jim Foudy, the Blaine County School District Superintendent, says this was a very calculated decision and is liable to be controversial.
School starts Wednesday, Sept. 30 for the county and Foudy sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the new cell phone restrictions and about the districts efforts to help secure affordable housing for some of its employees.
Tips on how to protect your home from wildfires
Aug 29, 2023
(Thomas VanSelus / Flickr)
As the summers get hotter and ultimately dryer, wildfires have become more common across the country, particularly here in Idaho. This means people are needing to take more precautions during the fire season especially when it comes to protecting their homes.
However, figuring out how to do that and where to start can be intimidating, which is why plant ecologists Adrienne Edwards and Rachel Schlepper have written the new book, "Firescaping Your Home: A Manual for Readiness in Wildfire Country." Edwards sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more.
How are sheepherders being treated in Idaho?
Aug 28, 2023
(RACHEL COHEN/BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO)
Each year, foreign workers are brought to Idaho through a federal program to help fill a shortage of agricultural laborers on farms and ranches in the state.
Nearly 600 people that are part of this program take on positions as sheepherders, coming from places like Peru and Mexico, for an opportunity to make more money and build a better life back at home.
Herders in the circumstances often have very isolating jobs that come with long hours and in some instances mistreatment. Which was the case for one sheepherder who alleged that his time under a particular rangers employment was close to imprisonment.
Idaho Statesman Reporter Ian Max Stevenson dug into this story and joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
The role of artificial intelligence in higher education
Aug 28, 2023
(Sengchoy Inthachack / Getty Images/EyeEm)
The rise of artificial intelligence has created concerns across the globe as new chatbots and other uses for the technology have emerged, sometimes with less than positive results.
The advantages of AI are being weighed against possible negatives, including the elimination of jobs and concerns about how AI will be used in places like higher education.
Brad Weigle, Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Society for Ideas at the College of Innovation and Design, Sarah Wilson, Academic Integrity Program Director with the Office of the Dean of Students and Amy Vecchione, Assistant Director of eCampus Research and Innovation joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the future and impact of AI in the classroom.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 24, 2023
Aug 25, 2023
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is pushing back on the results of an audit, a local woman is recovering after contracting a flesh-eating disease, the Kohberger trial has been delayed, Pocatello students are returning to the classroom after. a devastating fire, there will soon be a new spot to enjoy wine and we get an update on the AG's lawsuit against the State Board of Education.
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.
A new vaccine is designed to help protect babies from the RSV virus while in the womb – we find out why that's so important. Plus, another case of very rare "locally acquired" malaria in Washington D.C. What does it mean and should you be worried?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joins Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
Tito Puente Jr. talks mambo and salsa with Idaho Matters
Aug 23, 2023
Tito Puente Jr. is on a world tour to highlight his father, who would have been 100 years old this year. Tito Puente Sr. was perhaps best known by the song Oye Como Va, which he wrote back in 1963 and rocketed to stardom when Santana picked up the tune.
Tito Puente Jr., a well-known musician in his own right, has embraced his father's musical legacy, saying it's important to keep the music alive.
He's bringing his Orchestra to the Treefort Music Hall in Downtown Boise Friday as part of Global Lounge's "World Village Night." He sat down with host Gemma Gaudette to talk about mambo music, his father's legacy and making hot sauce!
Osher Institute means learning doesn't have to stop when you leave school
Aug 23, 2023
(Osher Lifelong Learning Institute / via Facebook)
The program is geared towards adults who are 50 years and older and offers courses that look at things like the next 20 years in space, what it's like to be a homicide detective, climate change, Idaho's Ice Age mammals and lost art, just to name a few of the many topics.
Dana Thorp Patterson, the Director of the Osher Institute, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the program and the role it's playing in the community.
Idaho wheat is helping feed the world
Aug 23, 2023
Idaho may be known for its potatoes, but it's also known for its wheat, which is grown by local farmers and sent all over, including overseas. They often help feed the world; particularly countries hobbled by famine, a pandemic or the current war in Ukraine.
Britany Hurst Marchant, Executive Director of the Idaho Wheat Commission, says over the past three years, we’ve sent more than a million metric tons in food aid. Hurst Marchant sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about Idaho's current harvest and how the wheat from Idaho fields ends up on tables around the world.
What do the Trump indictments mean for American democracy?
Aug 22, 2023
(Brandon Bell / Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump has now been indicted four times, twice in federal court and twice in county courts in Manhattan and Georgia.
So far, there are over 90 counts for alleged crimes, including falsifying business records in the Stormy Daniels case, keeping classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, conspiracy charges related to Jan. 6 and for trying to change the outcome of the Georgia presidential election.
Dr. David Adler says the indictments raise questions about the rule of law, our constitution and American democracy. Adler is the head of the Alturas Institute and will hold one of his "Constitutional Conversations" at Boise State’s Yanke Institute this Thursday to talk about the implications of the indictments.
What it means if Donald Trump skips the GOP debate
Aug 22, 2023
Donald Trump addresses a crowd in South Carolina. Trump has the clearest path to the GOP nomination, but Republicans opposed to him aren't giving up the fight.(Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
This week marks the first debate of candidates running for president in 2024. We know that Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Chris Christie will likely be there, but it looks like Donald Trump won't be.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Dr. Sam Martin, the Frank and Bethine Church Chair of Public Service at Boise State, to find out what this means.
New sage grouse protection plan has states cautious for the future
Aug 22, 2023
(Alan Krakauer / Flickr Creative Commons)
Federal officials want to expand the protected range for sage grouse, but some in our region are skeptical about that plan. In Wyoming, for example, state officials want more say in the new protections – which could mean less land will be affected.
Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Blind climber uses mental map to reach world champion status
Aug 22, 2023
(riverotx / Flickr)
The International Climbers’ Festival was held in our region recently, and it offered an unusual clinic focused on mentally visualizing climbing routes, rather than depending on sight.
It featured a champion climber who happens to be legally blind. Wyoming Public Radio’s Hannah Habermann reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Community assessment determines Idaho's biggest health needs
Aug 21, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
Every three years, Idaho hospitals conduct an assessment to help determine the states most urgent health needs.
In the past, issues like obesity, mental health, affordable housing and job availability have been the biggest concerns. This year some of those concerns have changed, while others have stayed the same.
Alexis Pickering, Program Manager of the Western Idaho Community Health Collaborative, Rebecca Lemmons, Regional Director of Community Health and Well-Being for St. Alphonsus and Amy Stahl, Regional Marketing Director for Select Health with Intermountain Health joined Idaho Matters for an update on the latest results of the assessment.
How is Hurricane Hilary impacting Idaho?
Aug 21, 2023
(Jacquie A. / Flickr )
Hurricane Hilary hit the western coast of California over the weekend. The remnants have been bringing torrential rains and some flooding as the storm moves up the United States.
As we get hit by the storms leftovers we had to ask the question, is Idaho seeing the effects of a hurricane? We asked Jay Breidenbach to join Idaho Matters to help us answer this question.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 18, 2023
Aug 18, 2023
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.
A goathead plant, with its spiny fruit visible in the center of the image. The fruits break into several nutlets, each of which contains seeds and has thumbtack-sharp spines. (Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio)
Getting a flat tire on your bike from a goathead is a summer time rite of passage in Idaho.
These spikey plants are public enemy number one for many outdoor enthusiasts, which is why Jimmy Hallyburton, founder of the Boise Bicycle Project, came up with the idea of the Boise Goathead Festival. He sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about this event, as well as the increase of bicycle versus vehicle crashes.
A look at Boise State University's new school year
Aug 17, 2023
(Boise State University)
As Idaho colleges and universities gear up for another academic school year, we're sitting down with some of the heads of those institutions to find out what's happening in Idaho higher education.
First up is Boise State President Dr. Marlene Tromp, who gave her annual State of the University speech Wednesdasy. She sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about global opportunities and the PAC-12 collapse.
Challenges facing wildland firefighters
Aug 17, 2023
( inciweb.gov)
Wildfire season is always tough for those who do the grueling work. This year, federal firefighters are also facing the possibility of steep pay cuts.
The impact of 'achievement culture' on kids
Aug 17, 2023
( Boise School District)
Across the nation, kids are suffering from a mental health crisis, experiencing increasing levels of anxiety and depression. And when it comes to looking at groups that are most at risk, reports found that students attending high performing schools fell into this category.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 16, 2023
Aug 16, 2023
(RLT_Images/Getty Images)
COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are on the rise in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Health officials are pointing to the EG.5 Coronavirus, a subvariant of the Omicron lineage that originally emerged in November 2021. So what is this variant? What are the symptoms and what do we need to know about it?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
How Idaho students are fighting against climate change
Aug 16, 2023
(MirageC / Getty Images)
As yet another heat advisory blankets the Treasure Valley and much of Idaho , a team of climate action activists who are also Boise High School students say it’s not too late to turn back the tide.
Isabelle Reis and Rylee Chung are co-chairs of Boise's Youth Climate Action Council and they sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to say not everything is unicorns and rainbows, but they believe taking action is better than being helpless.
BIPOC Playwrights Festival returns for third year
Aug 16, 2023
(Brooke Burton / Boise Contemporary Theater)
Next week, the Boise Contemporary Theater will be bringing playwrights, actors and directors together for the third annual BIPOC Playwrights Festival.
The six-day event will include workshops and performances from a diverse set of voices, culminating in the production of two new plays, "The Life You Gave Me" and "Bridging the Gap," as well as a one man show on the final night titled "Break It Down."
BCT's Producing Artistic Director, Benjamin Burdick, along with playwrights Novid Parsi and LaDarrion Williams, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming festival.
'Everyone Here Is Lying:' An author interview with Shari Lapena
Aug 16, 2023
(Pamela Dorman Books<br/>)
The New York Times Bestselling author of "The Couple Next Door" is back with her latest domestic suspense novel, "Everyone Here Is Lying." Shari Lapena sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about her most recent nail-biting thriller.
2023's first case of West Nile virus reported in Idaho
Aug 15, 2023
(jon.hayes / Flickr)
This month, the first human case of West Nile virus was reported in Idaho.
The infection is most commonly passed along by mosquitos and while some bites only lead to flu like symptoms, others can lead to serious illness.
Dr. Leslie Tengelsen, the State Public Health Veterinarian, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the infection and how to help prevent it.
How Boise principals are preparing for a new school year
Aug 15, 2023
(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)
School is starting all over Idaho and kids and teachers are getting ready for classes.
The Boise School District kicks off their year on Aug. 16. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with two new principals from the district, Eva Meyerhoeffer, the new principal at Mountain View Elementary and Trevor McKenna, the new principal at Riverglen Junior High.
Idaho's Air Guitar champion raises money to compete in World Championships
Aug 15, 2023
Brian "Fan Airnation" Dunn plays the air guitar.( Photo courtesy of Brian Dunn)
Back in May, we told you about Idaho's Air Guitar Champion and now he's heading to Finland to compete in the Air Guitar World Championships.
Brian "Fan Airnation" Dunn has been competing with his invisible guitar on stage for eight years now and he's won the last two regional competitions. He's trying to raise enough money to go overseas to represent the Gem State in Finland.
Brian joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his upcoming trip.
'The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store:' An author interview with James McBride
Aug 15, 2023
How overcrowding is impacting our outdoor spaces
Aug 14, 2023
Opening day at the Yellowstone National Park northern entrance on June 1, 2020. (Jacob W. Frank / National Park Service)
For years, national parks have been running into the same issue: overcrowding.
Now many other places, like wildlife refuges, state parks and shorelines are also experiencing this problem. And as people gear up for the last few weeks of summer recreation we wanted to find out more about the impacts of overcrowding and what can be done to help protect the spaces we love being in.
Emily Wakild, the Cecil D. Andrus Endowed Chair for the Environment and Public Lands at Boise State University, joined Idaho Matters to help some of these questions.
The Albertsons Boise Open returns
Aug 14, 2023
The 2022 Albertsons Boise Open. ( Photo courtesy of the Albertsons Boise Open)
It's almost time for the annual Albertsons Boise Open golf tournament, which draws a big crowd for folks who like to swing a club.
But the event isn't just about golf, it's become well known for bringing big name musical acts to the Hillcrest Country Club and it set a new record last year for charitable giving. Idaho Matters wanted to know more, so we asked Jeff Sanders, the Executive Director of the Albertsons Boise Open, to drop by.
New leadership brings changes to the Sun Valley Museum of Art
Aug 14, 2023
The "Hidden Gems: Sun Valley Collects" exhibit at the newly renovated Sun Valley Museum of Art.<br/>(Dev Khalsa / Photo courtesy of the Sun Valley Museum of Art)
The new head of the Sun Valley Museum of Art is making changes to the institution after a big renovation opened a new chapter at the museum.
Jennifer Wells Green came to the Wood River Valley a year ago from the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, after spending time working at New York's Museum of Modern Art. We wanted to find out more about her vision for the future of the museum, the renovation and the current exhibit, which features everyone from Fairfield Porter to Georgia O'Keeffe.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 11, 2023
Aug 11, 2023
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.
An interview with 'All You Have to Do Is Call' author Kerri Maher
Aug 11, 2023
( Berkley)
Just over a year ago people had a constitutional right to abortion in this country – a right that had been in effect for almost 50 years, until June 24, 2022 when that right was taken away.
But this isn't a new chapter in our American history and just as people are fighting to get that right back today, so were a secret group of women back in the 1970s. Author Kerri Maher has returned with her latest novel, "All You Have to Do Is Call," which is based on the true story of the Jane Collective. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Statesman shifts towards more digital platform
Aug 11, 2023
(Idaho Statesman)
Readers of the Idaho Statesman found out today, August 4 that the newspaper is cutting back it's print edition to three days a week. Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Statesman Editor Chadd Cripe to find out more.
Red flags to watch out for when replacing your roof
Aug 10, 2023
(Anna Wu / Flickr)
Does this sound familiar: An adjuster knocks on your door, maybe after a big thunderstorm, they say they just replaced your neighbor's roof absolutely free. And they can do the same for you if you sign a contract right now, before their special deal expires, and without any references or proof they're insured.
These are all roofing red flags that Idaho's Department of Insurance wants you to watch out for so that you don't get scammed or stuck with a giant bill you weren't prepared for. DOI's Consumer Services Bureau Chief, Randy Pipal joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Advocates plea for wolf protection in Idaho
Aug 10, 2023
Gray Wolves in Idaho.(John M Jarvey<br/> / Flickr)
Two years ago, the Idaho legislature passed a new law that makes changes to the way the state manages wolves. These changes are sparking controversy among many conservationists.
In April, J. Dallas Gudgell made a plea to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to put wolves back on the endangered species list — citing the hundreds of wolves killed in Idaho in 2021 and 2022. Gudgell is Policy and Tribal Outreach Coordinator for the International Wildlife Coexistence Network and he joined Idaho Matters, along with Suzanne Stone, the Director of International Wildlife Coexistence Network to talk more.
What to watch: The writers strike, Barbie and new tv
Aug 10, 2023
( Kelsey Thomson)
As Hollywood writers and actors remain on strike, the movie "Barbie" is breaking records around the world at the box office.
Resident movie critic George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to give us the latest on the movie industry and help us figure out what to watch.
Podcast extra: How Kleenex the cat got his name
Aug 10, 2023
Kleenex poses for a photo.(Gemma Gaudette / Boise State Public Radio )
Back in June, Gemma was featured in the "We Are BSPR" section of our weekly newsletter. This is a light-hearted way for us at Boise State Public Radio to share a little more about ourselves with our audience.
From that spotlight we learned Gemma thinks she'd make a terrible broadcast engineer, the spare bedroom in her house has been converted into a library, and ... her family has a cat named Kleenex. 😺
Now that last tidbit really started some conversation online & our audience demanded to know: What is the story of Kleenex?! So, in this exclusive podcast extra, we bring you his story.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 9, 2023
Aug 09, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
Every Wednesday we bring you the latest health care news from COVID-19 to Monkeypox to RSV to Ebola - with our Doctor Roundtable with Dr. David Pate. He's the former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and he donates his time to us every single week to talk about the medical issues that affect you.
This week, he joined Idaho Matters to talk about an outbreak the World Health Organization is calling a "priority disease."
Crime and public safety: A conversation with Boise Mayor McLean
Aug 09, 2023
(Lacey Daley / Boise State Public Radio)
August 3, 2023, was a horrible day in Boise. First responders were first called to a downtown street where a teen skateboarder was hit and killed by a vehicle.
A very short time later, police responded to yet another incident of a man with a weapon. With law enforcement using lethal force for the second time in as many weeks, the man was dead.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean says Boise's crime is the lowest it's been in 22 years. She sat down with Moring Edition host George Prentice to talk about the two incidents, public safety, pedestrian safety and her criteria for choosing the next member of the Boise City Council.
Removing goatheads in Boise with new research
Aug 09, 2023
Trevor Caughlin, a Boise State University associate biology professor, holds up a goathead yanked from an abandoned lot that his research indicated was a hotspot for the invasive plant. (Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio)
Across the region, goatheads - or puncturevine - are an invasive scourge to cyclists, walkers and our four-legged friends - popping tires and embedding themselves in shoes and sensitive paws with their bedeviling spines. There are many efforts to halt their spread, but in Boise, new research is helping volunteer removers better target their efforts.
'Meet Me at the Lake:' An author interview with Carley Fortune
Aug 09, 2023
(Berkley)
Last year, author Carley Fortune came out with her debut novel "Every Summer After."
Her book climbed the New York Times Bestseller list for more than 13 weeks and was named one of the hottest reads of summer 2022. Now, she is out with her latest beach read, "Meet Me at the Lake."
Fortune joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book.
Mobile clinic works to provide easy access to health care
Aug 08, 2023
(Ryan Kellman / NPR)
Access to health care services in Idaho is getting harder as a shortage of doctors and other health workers makes just getting a timely appointment difficult.
Getting routine tests, like mammograms or blood sugar checks, can take months and often require traveling from one end of the Treasure Valley to the other to get to an appointment.
Optum Idaho is trying to increase access to primary health care and routine medical tests with its mobile clinics, which come to central locations in four Idaho counties every month, and offer easy access to some standard medical checks.
Jim Tett, Optum's Manager of Clinical Operations - Mobile Clinic, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Tracking the travel expenses of Idaho's university presidents
Aug 08, 2023
(mikroman6 / Getty Images)
The presidents of Idaho's colleges and universities did a lot of traveling last year around the state, the country and even overseas.
Some of those trips covered statehouse meetings, conferences and sporting events and one trip was to Japan to sign an international partnership to train more students to work in the semiconductor industry.
Some of those trips were free, some were chartered flights and after sifting through a lot of records, Idaho Education News found the presidents spent $150,000 over 12 months and at least one Idaho lawmaker is questioning spending that much cash.
Kevin Richert, Senior Reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this story.
An update on Medicaid unwinding in Idaho
Aug 08, 2023
(iStockphoto)
Since the start of April, over 100,000 people in Idaho saw their Medicaid health insurance dropped thanks to what’s being called "Medicaid unwinding."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare was not allowed to drop people from Medicaid, even if they were no longer eligible for the coverage.
Then in December, Congress said states could remove people who no longer qualify and as we’ve reported, IDHW has been re-evaluating the cases of over 153,000 people to see if they can stay on the program.
So what’s happening to the people kicked off Medicaid? And what happens next?
Kyle Pfannenstiel covers health care for the Idaho Capital Sun and wrote a story about how this part of the unwinding is just the beginning. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Farmers and policy-makers work to solve water issues on the Colorado River
Aug 08, 2023
Water from the Colorado River flows through the East Highline Canal on its way to farms in Imperial Valley on June 20, 2023. Climate change is shrinking the river's supply, and farms in the area are under pressure to reduce demand.(Alex Hager / KUNC)
Idaho Matters takes a trip to the Colorado River to see how the southwest is working to cut back on water use and take a peak at how agreements concerning the river are being hammered out by state-level policy makers.
KUNC's Alex Hager reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Why more Americans are being exposed to wildfires
Aug 07, 2023
( Flick/NPS Climate Change Response)
More than 21 million Americans have lived within three miles of a large wildfire.
And almost 600,000 of them found themselves inside the firelines. According to new research, over the last 20 years, the number of people directly exposed to wildfires has doubled and the reasons why may surprise you.
Moji Sadegh is an Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Boise State University and he joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this research.
How one state is helping increase the solar workforce
Aug 07, 2023
Francisco Valenzuela works on installing a support structure common on large-scale solar farms during training at the Northern Nevada Laborers Training Center in Storey County, Nev., on June 23, 2023.(Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau)
Phasing out fossil fuels requires a lot of clean energy infrastructure, like solar farms. Now workers in one sun-soaked part of our region are grabbing a share of that green gold rush. They're retraining workers to handle the growth in solar. The Mountain West News Bureau's Kaleb Roedel reports.
The threat of extreme heat and its deadly consequences
Aug 07, 2023
(Elaine Thompson / AP Images)
Here in the U.S. many states are experiencing record breaking heat and when it comes to cooling down, we need more solutions than just turning on the air conditioner, at least according to Jeff Goodell.
Goodell sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk more about some of the immediate impacts we are seeing from rising temperatures.
How one tv station is bringing the news to Spanish speakers despite challenges
Aug 07, 2023
(Rob Allen / Flickr)
There's a new local tv news station in our region and it's devoted to the Spanish speaking community. But in a region that struggles with affordability, it's a challenge getting the operation off the ground. Khol's Hanna Merzbach reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 4, 2023
Aug 04, 2023
Boise Police at the scene of a shooting on Thursday, August 3. <br/>(Troy Oppie / Boise State Public Radio)
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Gretchen Parsons, Managing Editor with BoiseDev.com
Does your yard sale qualify for a tax exemption?
Aug 03, 2023
(Morning Toast / Flickr<br/>)
During the warmer months many people tend to clear out their closets and garages, tidying up their spaces while making a bit of extra cash with a summer yard sale.
However, before you start posting "Yard Sale" signs it might be worth checking out whether or not you qualify for an occasional sales exemption. The new exemption could save you from having to collect and pay Idaho sales taxes during those yard sales.
Tax research specialist Philip Johnson with the Idaho Tax Commission joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the exemption.
How to save seeds from your favorite garden plants
Aug 03, 2023
(Chiot's Run / Flickr)
Whether you're gardening on a budget or just want to make sure you can grow your favorite plants again next year, seed saving can come in handy. And thankfully there are plenty of plants that produce seeds that you can easily save from one year to the next.
St. Alphonsus honors those impacted by COVID-19 with new memorial garden
Aug 03, 2023
Boise's Saint Alphonsus memorial garden. ( Photo courtesy of Saint Alphonsus)
Over the last three years, more than 5,000 people in Idaho have died due to COVID-19. Across the U.S., that number increases to over one million.
In order to commemorate those who were lost to the pandemic and the workers who helped care for them, Saint Alphonsus Health System has created several memorial gardens to help provide a little bit of hope.
David McFadyen, President of Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and Ted Marconi, Mission Leader at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise Joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the memorial gardens.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 2, 2023
Aug 02, 2023
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, along with Brian Dotter, Senior Director of Pharmacy for St. Luke's Health System and Dr. Frank Johnson, Chief Medical Officer for St. Luke's Boise, Elmore and McCall joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
How Latino groups are making trails more accessible for Spanish speakers
Aug 02, 2023
(Gail K E / Flickr)
The Mountain West region offers endless opportunities for outdoor recreation. But Spanish speakers can find it tough to enjoy the trails when there are no maps or other information in their primary language.
Latino groups are looking for solutions to get more members of their community outdoors. Aspen Public Radio's Caroline Llanes reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
LED sparks imagination with newest project
Aug 01, 2023
LED + Friends begins August 4th and runs through August 6th. (Gretchen LeMay / Photo courtesy of LED)
Founded in 2015, Boise-based LED is a nonprofit organization that creates innovative and accessible artistic experiences for everyone. LED co-founders Lauren Edson, joined Idaho Matters to talk about their upcoming project.
Local hall celebrates 45 years of square dancing
Aug 01, 2023
The hall has been around since 1978 when, according to the story, a group of very determined square dancers raised money through raffles, recycling and even selling a train car load of toilet paper and used the cash to build the hall.
To celebrate this anniversary dancers will hold two days of dancing this weekend. Former caller, Roy Viken, as well as Mary Davis and Bob and Joann Andrew, all of whom helped build the hall, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the anniversary.
Idaho teenager climbs the highest point in all 50 states
Aug 01, 2023
Every state has a point that's higher than any other spot on the map. It's called a "highpoint" and in Idaho it's Borah Peak at 12,662 feet.
Some high points are easier to climb than others, but very few people have climbed them all. However, Idahoan Ella Johnson will soon be one of them. She's just 15 years old and is about to climb her 49th high point.
She just climbed Mount Rainier and is about to head to Utah. But before she climbs Kings Peak we wanted to meet her and find out why she's doing this amazing thing.
Supermoons light up the night sky in Idaho
Aug 01, 2023
(Whittney Brown / Flickr)
Stargazers are getting quite a treat this August: a double feature of two so-called supermoons. The first of which, the sturgeon supermoon, will be visible on Tuesday, Aug. 1 and the second, the rare blue supermoon, in late August.
Morning Edition Host George Prentice sat down with Dr. Irwin Horowitz, scholar and past president of the Boise Astronomical Society, to talk about the latest star show from the cosmos, plus a coming partial eclipse this fall and an exciting total eclipse in 2024.
Studying how light pollution is affecting wildlife
Jul 31, 2023
Red streetlights in Grand Teton National Park. (Barber Lab)
It's no secret that our world is getting brighter, especially at night, as more artificial light is added to our environment. And that expanding brightness is having an effect, often a negative ecological impact on wildlife.
A recent Boise State University study looked at how bats react to artificial light in Grand Teton National Park and how we humans need better understanding of how our light footprint is affecting the animal world.
Professor Jesse Barber with Boise State University's Department of Biological Sciences joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How animals are beating the heat in Idaho
Jul 31, 2023
(Craig Brown / Flickr)
According to the National Weather Service the average temperature this month in Boise was 97.2 degrees and the capital city had eight days over 100 degrees. In Twin Falls this month the average temp was 93.1 and in Mountain Home it was 96.3 degrees.
So by anyone’s definition it’s hot out there - for us and for all the wild animals who call Idaho home. Because they can’t pop inside for a little air conditioning animals have adapted to the heat in different ways, including splooting.
According to the Collins Dictionary definition, splooting is “the act of lying flat on the stomach with the legs stretched out,” and you’ve probably seen squirrels doing this on sidewalks and in trees.
So, how does splooting actually help squirrels cool down? And how do other animals in Idaho, like turkey vultures, cool off? To answer these wildlife questions we asked Idaho Fish and Game Conservation Education Supervisor, Victoria Runnoe to stop by Idaho Matters and help explain.
‘The Great Comet' comes to Boise
Jul 31, 2023
(Idaho Shakespeare Festival)
When the new musical Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 opened in New York, it took Broadway by storm and garnered 12 Tony nominations. But because of the pandemic, not many people outside of New York have seen the musical.
Now however, the musical is coming to Idaho and will be premiering at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival this weekend.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Director Victoria Bussert, Jessi Kirtley, who plays Natasha, and Alex Syiek, who plays Pierre, for a preview of the show.
'The Majority:' An author interview with Elizabeth Silver
Jul 31, 2023
( Riverhead Books)
In todays climate and culture, discussions of female power and autonomy are incredibly important - especially when it comes to positions of leadership.
Elizabeth Silver's newest book "The Majority" looks at these topics, drawing inspiration from history as she follows one woman's journey to becoming a Supreme Court Justice. Silver joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her latest book.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 28, 2023
Jul 28, 2023
Governor Brad Little (left) announced that a $100 million budget surplus would go towards Property Tax relief. He was joined by House Speaker Mike Moyle, Representative Jason Monks and Senator Doug Ricks (right) at a press conference in Nampa. (Julie Luchetta / Boise State Public Radio)
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.
How one coach is inspiring Idaho's future soccer players
Jul 28, 2023
(Bunny A. / Flickr)
Much of Allison Gibson’s passion and profession has been defined by soccer. As a player, she was an All American and as a coach, she became the winningest coach in Idaho State University history.
Now, as president and director of coaching with the Indie Chicas Football Club, she helps the next generation of players realize their potential on and off the field.
Gibson visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about Indie Chicas, the World Cup and inspiring the World Cup players of tomorrow.
Paranormal investigators search for ghosts at the Old Idaho Pen
Jul 27, 2023
Big River Paranormal has spent a lot of time behind the walls and bars of the site where there have been reports of cold spots, disembodied voices, lights turning on and off and gates opening and closing on their own.
You can join the investigation if you're over 18 years old and willing to walk the halls of the old hanging prison at night.
Jacey Brain, the Visitor Services Coordinator for the Old Idaho Penitentiary and the Idaho State Historical Society and Marie Johnston the Executive Director of Big River Paranormal joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the investigation.
A new power line project will bring renewable energy to Mountain West communities
Jul 27, 2023
A rough map of the TransWest Express Transmission Line. (Courtesy of TransWest Express)
Officials broke ground recently on an ambitious power line project that will move renewable energy across our region. The 732-mile TransWest will supply electricity to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and other areas. It's one way the Biden Administration is hoping to achieve 100 percent clean energy by 2035.
Wyoming Public Radio's Caitlin Tan reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
How one small town music festival is packing a big punch
Jul 27, 2023
A Harmonica workshop performance from a past Yellow Pine Music & Harmonica festival. (Picasa / Deb Filler )
Next week, the mountains of Yellow Pine, Idaho will be filled with the sound of harmonica music, as people from all over make their way to the Valley County for the Music and Harmonica Festival.
Deb Filler, Director of the festival and musician Brent Palmatier joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the celebration.
'Love, Theoretically:' An author interview with Ali Hazelwood
Jul 27, 2023
( Berkley)
This summer, neuroscientist, TikTok star and also New York Times best-selling author Ali Hazelwood is back with her latest book, "Love, Theoretically." She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new book.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 26, 2023
Jul 26, 2023
(Grant Lindsay / Flickr Creative Commons)
The White House is launching a permanent office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response. The new office will work to prepare and respond to biological threats and pathogens that can lead to pandemic. The office replaces the COVID-19 Pandemic Response Office.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about what this means for the future of pandemics.
New museum explores Idaho history
Jul 26, 2023
(City of Ketchum / Facebook)
The Wood River Museum of History and Culture is hosting their grand opening on July 26, making Ketchum an important stop when it comes to exploring the region's past – from tribal history to Hemingway to becoming a global ski destination.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Dr. Jenny Emery Davidson, executive director of the Community Library Association and Mary Tyson, director of the Center for Regional History to talk more about the opening, which will include a performance from a Grammy Award-winner.
What does and doesn't lead to happiness?
Jul 26, 2023
The book looks at the science of happiness and the ways in which materialism impacts, not just ourselves, but our environment. Golden joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his new book.
Combating health care burnout in Idaho
Jul 25, 2023
(Janice Chang for NPR)
It's no secret that during the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of doctors and other health professionals left the profession.
Fatigue, burnout, retirement and Idaho's already large shortage of doctors has lead to larger workloads and frustrations among health care workers who have stayed in the profession.
So how are hospitals and administrators handling burnout and retention of doctors and other health care roles? And how is recruitment going as Idaho competes with other states for a dwindling pool of health care workers?
Dr. Kathryn Schneider, St. Luke's Systems Medical Director for Provider Well-being and Lisa Gonser, Manager of Employee Well-being at St. Luke's joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
Breaking down changes to Idaho's voter registration laws
Jul 25, 2023
Idaho's Secretary of State Phil McGrane joined Idaho Matters to explain how the new law works.
New lifeline helps Idahoans in crisis
Jul 25, 2023
(Mladen Zivkovic / Getty Images)
Last year, a few hundred crisis call centers across the country replaced their 1-800 numbers with a simpler three-digit code.
Since then, the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has answered over 12,000 calls, texts and chats from people in Idaho experiencing a mental health crisis. Outside of Idaho, that number increases to nearly five million.
Nicole Coleman, 988 Program Manager at the Department of Health and Welfare Division of Behavioral Health joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the lifeline.
'How Can I Help You:' An author interview with Laura Sims
Jul 25, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
Laura Sims is the critically acclaimed author of the novel "Looker," which is now in development for television. And now she is out with her latest book "How Can I Help You."
Sims sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about new book and more.
Fighting a spike in crime in Canyon County
Jul 24, 2023
(Flickr Creative Commons)
Crime is up in Canyon County, according to the Idaho State Police Crime in Idaho report. Crime went up more than 10% from 2021 to 2022 and violent crimes, like murder and assault, went up dramatically.
Canyon County leaders have teamed up with Idaho's U.S. Attorney to fight what they’re calling a "dramatic rise" in violent crime in the county. Included in those leaders are U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit and Rex Ingram, Caldwell Chief of Police. They both joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the problem.
How one chef is serving her community with Indigenous cuisine
Jul 24, 2023
Andrea Murdoch talks about the ingredients in her Ute Mountain Ute Blue Cornmeal Swirl cake that she made for the Denver EATSS event. (Emma VandenEinde / KUNC)
For years, it was extremely difficult to find meals like bison pot roast or an elk taco at a restaurant, yet Indigenous cuisine has been in the Americas for centuries.
Now, some Indigenous chefs are winning awards and using their talents to serve their community. The Mountain West News Bureau's Emma VandenEinde joined a chef in a Denver community kitchen to see what she's cooking.
How Idahoans are helping to support the future of women in Kenya
Jul 24, 2023
Dr. Rhiana Menen has joined a team of caregivers and volunteers of the Tiba Foundation in multiple trips to Kenya.( Tiba Foundation, Dr. Rhiana Menen)
How does a new nonprofit measure success? How about saving lives? Connecting kids to education, food and healthcare? That's exactly what's happening with the Boda Girls program.
The program, shepherded by the Tiba Foundation, is led by a Boise-based surgeon and mostly funded by supporters in Boise and the Treasure Valley. It provides healthcare and sexual education to women living in near-poverty in rural Kenya. Most women, with an average of three to five children, work in farming and make about $1 a day.
But the Boda Girls program has also allowed many of the women to operate and own their own Boda Bike taxi service, providing safe, efficient transportation to other women.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice wanted to give us an update on the program.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 21, 2023
Jul 21, 2023
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
Idaho Latinos strengthen their relationship with nature
Jul 21, 2023
(nnlove / Flickr)
Earlier this week we told you about how Idaho is celebrating Latino Conservation Week for the second year in a row and we wanted to find out more. Boise State Public Radio News reporter Julie Luchetta visited with a local bilingual club that is working to give a new generation an expanding relationship with nature.
Bringing immunization education to rural Idaho communities
Jul 20, 2023
Mario de Haro-Marti, University of Idaho Extension Educator, presents on farm safety and immunization education to dairy employees in Jerome during an EXCITE mobile clinic.( University of Idaho )
Its for that reason that the University of Idaho Extension decided to take part in an initiative from the EXCITE program, which works to provide resources regarding adult immunization to vulnerable populations so that they have the opportunity to make informed decisions about their health.
Lindsey McConnell-Soong, the Health Equity Director for University of Idaho Extension and the Project Manager for EXCITE, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this project.
The Idaho Conservation League turns 50
Jul 20, 2023
In 1990, the Idaho Conservation League hosted a "Trash In" on the steps of the Idaho State Capitol to bring attention to the need for improved recycling and waste management in Idaho. ICL's work helped lead to Idaho's first curbside composting program in Boise in 2017.(Karen Williams / Idaho Conservation League )
This year the Idaho Conservation League is celebrating 50 years of advocacy and hard work - protecting Idaho's public lands, waterways, air quality and wildlife.
Jonathan Oppenheimer, the ICL External Relations Director, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the anniversary.
Can psychedelics improve your mental health?
Jul 20, 2023
A picture shows the profile of a face with colorful circles rising up. (iStockphoto.com)
There's growing interest in the potential mental health benefits of psychedelics. Now, scientists are trying to understand the substances and get them approved at the federal level and some of that research is happening in our region.
KUNC's Leigh Paterson visits a study site in Fort Collins, Colorado, for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Traditional Japanese art exhibition comes to Boise
Jul 20, 2023
The exhibit centers around a unique Japanese process for dying fabrics and features seven artists who explore how this method has evolved over time and culture, sharing different interpretations of the technique.
Melanie Fales, Executive Director of the Boise Art Museum, Amy Chaloupka, curator of art at Whatcom Museum and dyer-artist John Marshal joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the exhibit.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 19, 2023
Jul 19, 2023
Doctors are urging parents to keep all their child's vaccinations up to date — now, more than ever.(Karl Tapales / Getty Images)
The FDA has approved a new drug for babies and toddlers to fight the respiratory virus known as RSV and there are new guidelines for screening for breast cancer.
Our healthcare landscape is changing daily, so Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help us navigate these changes.
How to protect yourself and pets from rabies
Jul 19, 2023
(Eric Gay / AP)
Every year rabid bats are found in Idaho. Last year alone, 27 bats with rabies were found in the Gem State.
ISDA reports Mormon cricket outbreaks in Idaho
Jul 19, 2023
(Bruce Fingerhood / Flickr Creative Commons)
Drivers in some parts of Idaho are finding the roads covered with bugs, Mormon crickets to be exact.
And while these insects can be inconvenient for drivers, farmers and ranchers are in a different boat entirely. These long-horned grasshoppers can pose an extreme threat to the livelihood of those who rely on agriculture to make a living.
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture has declared outbreaks in four Idaho counties and dozens of farmers have already asked for help from the state. Invasive Species Program Bureau Chief Nic Zurfluh joined Idaho Matters to help us better understand this problem and the bugs that are causing it.
New research looks at the history of horses in indigenous communities
Jul 19, 2023
Animal remains from the ancestral village and site called Paa'ko in north-central New Mexico, housed at the University of New Mexico.
The remains are a part of a study looking at the spread of horses in Indigenous societies across the West. (Emma Gibson / Mountain West News Bureau)
When did horses become a part of Western indigenous communities? That's the focus of a recent study that challenges long-held ideas.
Emma Gibson of the Mountain West News Bureau reports on the study - and decolonizing science.
First over-the-counter birth control approved by FDA
Jul 18, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
One third of women in the U.S. who have tried to get birth control have had trouble getting a prescription when they need one.
Getting into a doctor to get the prescription is a major barrier, especially in a state like Idaho where a growing lack of physicians can make getting an appointment anytime soon very difficult. Lack of insurance, finding a pharmacy and not speaking English are other barriers to getting “the pill” when you need it.
The Food and Drug Administration has responded to this frustration by approving the first over-the-counter oral contraceptive. The pill will be available at drugstores, grocery stores, online and even at your local convenience store.
Dr. Sarah Prager, a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Director of the departments family planning division joined Idaho Matters to talk about the new pill and what it means for women.
Celebrating Latino Conservation Week in Idaho
Jul 18, 2023
Idaho's Latino Conservation Week kicked off on Saturday, July 15 at the Mk Nature Center. ( Traci Swift/TNC)
The celebration is nationwide and promotes access to the outdoors among the Latino community and recognition of their conservation efforts with a week full of activities geared towards protecting our environment and enjoying nature.
Devyn Hallamore, one of the organizers of Idaho's Latino Conservation Week and Eva Aguilar, Ambassador for Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Super Nutrition Business owner, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the celebration.
The importance of nutrition in healing cancer
Jul 18, 2023
( Photo courtesy of Thomas Cuisine )
Up to 80 percent of cancer patients suffer from malnutrition while going through treatment, according to the Cancer Treatment Center of America.
That's why Treasure Valley company Thomas Cuisine is partnering with a Mountain West cancer institute to help combat this issue. Alison Patt, President and CEO of Thomas Cuisine, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Fish and Game to add more Chinook salmon to the Boise River
Jul 18, 2023
Brian Pearson, Southwest Regional Communications Manager and Matt O'Connell, Regional Conservation Officer for Idaho Fish and Game, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the salmon and what anglers can expect this fishing season.
Could your baby carrier cause hip dysplasia?
Jul 17, 2023
Erin Mannen is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at Boise State University and she’s the Director of the Boise Applied Biomechanics of Infants Lab, which conducted the new study.
Protecting open space for farmers and ranchers
Jul 17, 2023
(Benn Riis Ebbesen / Flickr)
Farm and ranch lands across the West face many threats - like inflation and outside development. But the federal government is working with agricultural producers to preserve open space and the benefits it provides.
The Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walkey Reports.
Enjoy a concert in the Idaho wilderness
Jul 17, 2023
In a Landscape in Alvord Desert( Zach Lewis)
Imagine you’re sitting in a beautiful mountain setting surrounded by jagged peaks and tumbling waterfalls or resting alongside the Big Wood River in Sun Valley.
Now imagine you can hear live classical music, directly in your ears using headphones, as you watch the beauty unfold around you.
This is what happens every time classical pianist Hunter Noack sits down at his piano to play a concert. Hunter brings his nine-foot Steinway to remote wilderness locations all over country to play classical music and next week he’s coming to Sun Valley.
Hunter is a classical pianist and the founder of the “In a Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild” concert series. He joined Idaho Matters, along with Kristine Bretall, Public Programs Director with Sun Valley Museum of Art, to talk more about his upcoming performance.
Teaching Idaho history with collector cards
Jul 17, 2023
“Idaho Did You Know?” collector cards. ( Photo courtesy of the Idaho State Museum)
Geronimo and Larry have been joined by the "Skiing Spud" and a few other famous Idaho characters on collector cards, like baseball cards, only instead of strikes and other stats these collectable cards are designed to teach Idaho history to kids.
Liz Hobson, Museum Administrator of the Idaho State Museum, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about the cards.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 14, 2023
Jul 14, 2023
Citizens vote in an election. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images)
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.
Gretchen Parsons, Managing Editor with BoiseDev.com
Idaho AG signs off on warning letter to Target
Jul 13, 2023
(Mike Mozart / Flickr)
Last week seven Attorney's General from different states, including Idaho's Raúl Labrador, addressed a letter to the department store, Target warning that products sold as part of its Pride Month Campaign could violate state protection laws.
The letter did not say in what ways the campaign overstepped these laws, but did propose that the corporation focus on a different kind of pride, one which focuses more on "the love of the United States."
Professor and Attorney McKay Cunningham, the Director of On-Campus Experiential Learning at the College of Idaho joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the letter.
A note: We did reach out to Attorney General Labrador's office and they said that they had no additional comments on the letter at this time.
KIN chef wins Idaho's first James Beard award
Jul 13, 2023
Kris Komori, the chef of KIN in Boise, took home the James Beard award for Best Chef: Mountain region. (Screenshot / James Beard Awards)
Earlier this summer, Idaho history was made as the first chef from the Gem State won a James Beard Award.
Kris Komori, co-owner of KIN in Downtown Boise, was named best chef Mountain Region. He was among five finalists in the category, including the co-owner and chef at Amano in Caldwell.
Idaho Matters sat down with Komori to talk about the special recognition.
Could the northern lights be visible in Idaho?
Jul 13, 2023
(Tim Lindstedt / Flickr)
When it comes to the northern lights, places like Iceland and Alaska are usually thought of as the best kind of spots to catch a glimpse of the famous Aurora Borealis.
But Thursday night, several states in the continental United States might have the opportunity to see the natural phenomenon thanks to a particularly strong solar storm. Brian Jackson, Associate Professor for the Department of Physics at Boise State University, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this possible sighting.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 12, 2023
Jul 12, 2023
A micrograph shows red blood cells infected by the malaria parasite <em>Plasmodium falciparum</em>. (John C. Tan / AP)
While COVID-19 ravaged the country, the United States has also been experiencing a number disease outbreaks that we don't normally see, like Dengue Fever, Monkeypox, Measles, Malaria and even polio. Why are we seeing these diseases now? And what can we do about them?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
Tips for staying safe in the sun
Jul 12, 2023
(CC2.0 / Pixabay / Creative Commons)
As we get further into summer and temperatures continue to rise, so does the risk of heat stroke.
While heat stroke can be deadly, it is also preventable. So we invited Dr. Christine Hahn, the Medical Director in the Idaho Division of Public Health, on Idaho Matters to give us some tips on how to stay safe in the sun.
Idaho reporter climbs to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro
Jul 12, 2023
Clark Corbin at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. ( Photo courtesy of Clark Corbin)
Its was warm and balmy in early June in Idaho, but half a world away one Idaho reporter was freezing cold on the side of an African mountain.
Clark Corbin with the Idaho Capital Sun has a habit of trekking to some very unique locations when he goes on vacation. Last year, he told us about his trip into the wilds of Yellowstone National Park and this spring he decided to climb to the top of one of the worlds tallest mountains.
Clark is back to tell us about his trip and why he felt the call to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
One drug store is taking people back to the past
Jul 12, 2023
(Derek Bruff / Flickr)
In a tiny town on a lonely stretch of western highway, a glowing neon drugstore sign beckons as cars and loaded semi-trucks thunder past. A few travelers stop - maybe they're wondering about the vintage soda fountain visible through the window.
Inside, they find a time capsule over 100 years in the making. Jeff Whittington has this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
What the U.S. Supreme Court decision means for student loans in Idaho
Jul 11, 2023
(Chelsea Beck / NPR)
More than 40 million Americans will have to start paying back their student loans after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Biden Administration’s loan forgiveness plan isn’t legal.
Earlier this year, the Idaho Capital Sun reported that over 79,000 Idahoans could have seen some debt relief if the plan had gone ahead. The paper also found that half of Idahoans who have a federal loan are younger, under 35 years old.
So what happened to the original plan? To break down the court decision we asked Shaakirah Sanders back on the show to explain. She is a professor of law and Associate Dean of Anti-racism and Critical Pedagogy at Penn State Dickinson Law.
A new study looks at the economic state of Black Idahoans
Jul 11, 2023
Money(Pictures of Money / Flickr)
“Idaho is the only U.S. state where Blacks earn more than Whites and all other races.” That’s the conclusion of a new study that looks at the history of Blacks in Idaho and asks why the Blackcommunity has had such economic success here.
A new podcast looks at murder in Idaho
Jul 10, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
Here at Idaho Matters, it's no secret that we are true crime junkies. So when we found an all Idaho true crime podcast about Idaho murderers — we knew we had to have them on.
The podcast is called "Ghosts and Garnets: Murder in Idaho" and it's a labor of love for two lifelong friends, who are also true crime junkies. The creators of the show, Whitney Rivera and Camden Schacher, joined us to talk about crime, murder, Idaho and more.
History preservationists come to Boise
Jul 10, 2023
( American Association for State and Local History)
The association is a noprofit that works to support those dedicated to preserving and connecting others with history in order to “make the past more meaningful to all people.”
Liz Hobson, museum administrator of the Idaho State Museum and co-chair of the AASLH Host committee, and Dr. Noelle Trent, co-chair of the conference and President and CEO of the Museum of African American History in Boston and Nantucket, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'To Dye For:' A conversation with author Alden Wicker
Jul 10, 2023
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.
Pilgrimage to Idaho's Minidoka site keeps history alive
Jul 06, 2023
During World War II, thousands of Japanese Americans were sent to an internment camp near Twin Falls. Today, the Minidoka National Historic Site preserves part of that site keeping the history of that time alive for visitors.
The Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee holds an annual pilgrimage to the site each year for survivors, descendants, and allies of those held at the camp as they honor their sacrifice and work to heal the wounds left behind.
This year’s pilgrimage starts July 6, and we asked Erin Shigaki, co-chair of the Minoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee and Minidoka survivor Mary Abo to come on Idaho Matters and talk about the trip and the educational work they do.
The hunt for Idaho's lost apple history
Jul 06, 2023
Out on the upper Salmon River, a pair of forgotten apple trees have been growing sweet, red and green apples for decades.
The trees sit on an old ranch east of Riggins and for a very long time, only bears were interested in the apples they grew. The big animals like the apples so much, they’ll climb the trees in the fall and shake them to get at the fruit.
Now the Lost Apple Project has re-discovered these unknown apples and their fascinating history as they race against time to find lost genetic varieties of the fruit. EJ Brandt, the co-founder of the Lost Apple Project, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Tips for supporting Idaho's local bees
Jul 06, 2023
The Treasure Valley Beekeeping Club inspects bees from one of their hives. ( Marc von Huene)
Over the last few decades, urban beekeeping has been on the rise with beehives popping up in cities and backyards all across America.
And while this hobby can be fun, it also plays an important role in supporting local food and ecosystems. Mar von Huene, the Chief Technical Officer for the Treasure Valley Beekeepers Club, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about beekeeping.
'Opera in the Park' returns to downtown Boise
Jul 06, 2023
Opera in the Park 2022. ( Opera Idaho)
This Saturday, Julia Davis Park will be filled with music as Opera in the Park returns for its third year.
Opera Idaho is hosting a free concert and inviting everyone to come and get a taste of opera music. Rafael Moras, tenor and guest artist for Opera in the Park joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 5, 2023
Jul 05, 2023
(Alex Proimos / Flickr)
There is an obesity epidemic in the United States. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, more than two in five American adults are obese and nearly one in five American children are obese.
So is a drug used to help decrease blood sugar levels in type two diabetics the answer to weight loss?
There’s a debate raging on whether or not Ozempic, and other drugs like it, should be used to treat weight loss because it could possibly be sending the wrong message.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help break this down.
The importance of accessible playgrounds in Idaho
Jul 05, 2023
The new accessible playground at Pine Grove Park. ( Boise Parks and Recreation)
Playing at the park, on the swings or slide, is a regular part of childhood for most kids. But for those who do not have access to a park with the right kind of equipment playtime can be a challenge.
Bonnie Shelton, the communication and marketing superintendent for Boise Parks and Recreation joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the park.
The cowboys of Italy
Jul 05, 2023
A group of horses run, kicking up dirt. (talo urcera / Flickr )
The allure of the American cowboy attracts many visitors to our region. But cowboys don’t only exist in the West. They’re known in Italy, where the tradition goes back centuries and has a surprising connection to Buffalo Bill Cody.
Pickleball popularity grows in the Mountain West
Jul 05, 2023
A family plays pickle ball together on a court. (jkenning / Flickr)
Our region is catching up to the pickleball boom. Sometimes described as a cross between ping-pong and tennis, the sport has expanded beyond retirement communities.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s Will Walkey reports.
The craft of rug hooking and how it's bringing fairytales to life
Jul 05, 2023
What did you do in your spare time during the COVID-19 pandemic? Two women got together with some very talented folks to make 100 rugs based on fairy tales.
Rug hooking is an old art that’s seeing a resurgence. This huge project was created by rug hooking teachers who spent untold hours bringing fanciful creatures and illustrations to life. Those 100 rugs are traveling the country and will be in Garden City Friday, 7.
Susan Elcox is with the Treasure Valley Rug Hookers and helped bring the Hooked on Fairy Tales Exhibit to life. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Born Extraordinary:' An author interview with Meg Zucker
Jul 04, 2023
( TarcherPerigee)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 19, 2023.
There are so many struggles facing parents and children in today’s world, then throw in any type of difference and those struggles can multiply.
Meg Zucker, who was born with a genetic condition herself, knows those struggles and she wanted to give parents and caregivers some tools on how to support their children. And that's exactly what she did, with her new book, "Born Extraordinary: Empowering Children with Differences and Disabilities."
Idaho Matters talks with National Book Award Finalist Grace Cho
Jul 04, 2023
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on January 24, 2022.
Grace Cho emigrated to the U.S. as a baby and grew up in a small rural town in Washington state, the daughter of a White American father and a Korean mother.
When Grace was a teenager, her mother experienced the onset of schizophrenia.
Cho's new memoir "Tastes Like War" — which was a 2021 National Book Award finalist — chronicles her time trying to reconnect with her mom, through food, conversation and a search into the history of her mother. Idaho Matters talks with the author.
A unique strategy is helping meet the needs of Idaho students
Jul 03, 2023
(Brad Elsberg / United Way of Treasure Valley)
When it comes to learning, having the right kind of support inside and outside of the classroom is important. This is why schools all over Idaho are taking part in a new strategy known as community schools to help aid their students.
Community schools work with local partners to help ensure students have what they need to succeed, whether that's food, clothing, school items or other kinds of care. Hayley Regan, the Collaboration Manager for United Way of Treasure Valley, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about community schools and how they work.
Idaho students compete in the American Rocketry Challenge
Jul 03, 2023
The middle and high-school-age kids that took part in this challenge are the best of the best, beating out 800 teams and 4,500 students to get to the finals. And two teams from Idaho got to go this year, the Spudniks and the Rigby Rockets!
Our senior producer Samantha Wright wanted to find out more so she sat down with Rick Stoddard, a teacher at Galileo STEM Academy and student Calvin Knight to talk about the American Rocketry Challenge.
Upholding the Indigenous tradition of the 'Three Sisters'
Jul 03, 2023
(Planet Flem / Getty Images)
Blessing and planting seeds is a farming tradition for Latin America's Indigenous people.
KUER's Pamela McCall visited a ceremony held by a community garden and a cultural arts group in Utah. She has this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
New Mexico Pueblo struggles with aging irrigation system
Jul 03, 2023
A community corn field at the Jemez Pueblo in north-central New Mexico, seen here on March 17, 2023. The Pueblo, which is largely supported by farming, irrigates its farms with snowmelt from the surrounding mountains. (Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau )
Water is scarce in much of our region. So every spring, one tribe spends days cleaning ditches that are vital to irrigating their farmland.
But aging infrastructure and the effects of climate change are making it harder for farmers to get enough water - even after the cleanings. The Mountain West News Bureau's Kaleb Rondel reports.
Summer reading recommendations from Ashley Poston
Jul 03, 2023
(Harry Haysom/Getty Images)
When it comes to summer reading, there are a lot of books to choose from! So to prevent you from getting overwhelmed as you try and pick your next book we invited New York Times bestselling author Ashely Poston to help us figure out what to read next.
U.S. Supreme Court strikes down college affirmative action programs
Jun 30, 2023
(J. Scott Applewhite / AP)
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions on Thursday, in a 6 to 3 vote. This means colleges and universities must find new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
Professor Shaakirah Sanders, who is wrapping up her time at the University of Idaho College of Law, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this decision. And we should note that Sanders has accepted a new position as professor of law and Associate Dean of Anti-Racism and Critical Pedagogy at Penn State Dickinson Law and Lewis H. Vovakis Distinguished Faculty Scholar.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 30, 2023
Jun 30, 2023
Bryan Kohberger, right, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, is led away following a hearing in Latah County District Court, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool)(Ted S. Warren / AP)
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.
Idaho nonprofit helps provide affordable housing in Nampa and Caldwell
Jun 29, 2023
(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.
Erin Anderson, the Director of The Housing Company, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Turning wastewater into drinking water
Jun 29, 2023
(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
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.
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
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.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 28, 2023
Jun 28, 2023
(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
Each year, over 166,000 kids from across the country dream up new ways to solve everyday problems.
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 legacy of lead in Gilmore, Idaho
Jun 28, 2023
( 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
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.
The victim in Aaron von Ehlinger's rape case speaks out
Jun 27, 2023
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.
Vehicle emission testing ends in the Treasure Valley
Jun 27, 2023
(Marvin Spencer / Flickr)
Since the 1980s, most people who did not own a brand new car had to stop off every year at a car emission station, pay a fee and make sure their car passed a test.
These tests were designed to lower the amount of pollutants coming out of your car’s tailpipe. The tests came after the Treasure Valley’s air quality dropped below federal standards.
Now, the emission tests are going away and we wanted to find out why. So we asked Ian Max Stevenson, who covers the city of Boise and climate change for the Idaho Statesman.
Idaho AG sues over U of I purchase of University of Phoenix
Jun 27, 2023
(Richard Rodriguez / Boise State Public Radio)
The University of Idaho's plan to purchase the for-profit University of Phoenix has been the focus of much criticism, especially from lawmakers and others who feel the process was rushed and too much of the planning went on behind closed doors.
Since U of I president Scott Green got the green light from the Idaho Board of Education to sign off on the deal, he has been answering questions about the purchase and reassuring critics that Phoenix was a good buy.
But the criticism and the pressure on the U of I ramped up dramatically last week when Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador filed a lawsuit that said the Board of Education broke Idaho's open meeting law and asked a court to throw out the board’s vote for the deal.
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News, joined Idaho Matters to help break this all down.
'Same Time Next Summer:' An author interview with Annabel Monaghan
Jun 27, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
Author Annabel Monaghan is back with her newest novel, "Same Time Next Summer" and it's a wonderful summer beach read. Monaghan joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her most recent book.
A look at health trends in Idaho
Jun 26, 2023
(Etactics Inc / Unsplash)
In Madison County, over 28 percent of adults live below the poverty level, in Ada County, more than 23 percent of adults have arthritis and in Washington County, ten percent of adults have been diagnosed with cancer.
These are just some of the new health statistics that anyone can see thanks to a new tool from the University of Idaho that breaks down health data by the county level for the first time in Idaho. Erich Seamon, a research scientist at the U of I, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this data.
Oregon county sues fossil fuel companies over 2021 heat wave
Jun 26, 2023
(igor todorovic / Flickr)
Two years ago, the Pacific Northwest experienced a record-breaking heat wave
The extreme temperatures resulted in hundreds of fatalities and in Oregon's Multnomah County, 69 people died due to the heat.
As a result, Multomah County filed a lawsuit against several fossil fuel companies, like Shell and Chevron, and coal-producing corporations, saying that their products played a significant role in generating the heat dome and further intensifying it.
Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A preview of the summer travel season with Idaho Matters
Jun 26, 2023
(Mike Laren / Flickr)
Gas prices in Idaho are calm at the moment, but AAA Idaho says now is just the quiet part of the movie, right before you hear the theme from "Jaws" playing in the background. Public and Government Affairs Director Matthew Conde joins Idaho Matters to explain why AAA Idaho is expecting a busy travel season this summer.
Jimmy Hallyburton retires from Boise Bicycle Project
Jun 26, 2023
After 16 years of helping connect kids with bikes Jimmy Hallyburton is retiring from the role of director with the Boise Bicycle Project. ( Jimmy Hallyburton)
Jimmy Hallyburton, the founder and director of the Boise Bicycle Project, is retiring.
After 16 years of helping connect kids with bikes, Hallyburton is stepping down. He’s unsure what’s next, except for running for re-election as a Boise City Council member.
He sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to discuss his decision.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 23, 2023
Jun 23, 2023
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.
Ketchum incentivizes residents to rent to local workers
Jun 22, 2023
Aidan Proctor stands in front a room in the cabin he's renting with roommates in downtown Ketchum.(Rachel Cohen / Boise State Public Radio )
Real estate prices in Ketchum skyrocketed during the pandemic. Now the community is trying to stop the bleed of local workers being priced out.
One thing it's trying? Luring property owners with cash incentives if they start renting to locals.
Rachel Cohen with Boise State Public Radio reports.
Scientists work to reduce livestock emissions
Jun 22, 2023
Cows stand in a pen at a dairy farm. (Trevor Hagan / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Animal agriculture produces more methane than any other human activity in the United States. Climate experts say we need to cut those down now, but the science on livestock emissions is just emerging so it's not clear how to do that.
KUNC's Rae Solomon reports for the Mountain West News Bureau on a group of researchers looking for answers.
Local program provides free produce to Idaho seniors
Jun 22, 2023
This month, the Senior Produce Program returned to the Caldwell Farm to Fork Market - providing fresh produce for free to seniors. Vegetables, fruits and eggs aren't the only perks for those participating: the community is too.
Lindsey McConnell-Soong, the Health Equity Director for the University of Idaho and coordinator for the Senior Produce Program joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
What to Watch: Summer blockbusters, documentaries and the Kennedy Honors
Jun 22, 2023
( Kelsey Thomson)
It's time for summer blockbusters, including a new Indiana Jones movie and another installment of Mission: Impossible. And if you want a more intimate movie experience, we've got a couple of documentaries to talk about.
Resident movie critic and Morning Edition host George Prentice joined Idaho Matters for What to Watch.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 21, 2023
Jun 21, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
A new study is showing that the COVID-19 infection can result in a new onset of hypertension, better known as high blood pressure. What does this mean for your health?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help answer this question.
The story of Idaho's Babe Hanson
Jun 21, 2023
Arlie Sommer, 2022(Arlie Sommer / Arlie Sommer)
When storyteller Arlie Sommer was young, her grandmother would regale tales of Harriet “Babe” Hanson, dubbed the “Annie Oakley of Idaho.”
Sommer crafted a short documentary called “Idaho Babe” and it was a minor sensation at this year’s Sun Valley Film Festival. It will be showcased in a free screening at the Idaho State Archives on June 24.
Sommer visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about Babe Hanson and her next big project – new episodes of Expressive Idaho for Boise State Public Radio.
'The Celebrants:' An author interview with Steven Rowley
Jun 21, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
Steven Rowley is the bestselling author of four novels. You may know him for his NPR best book of 2019, "The Editor" or "The Guncle,” a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor and Goodreads finalist for novel of the year.
He’s back with his latest novel, "The Celebrants.” As one critic wrote, "The Big Chill, but make it Gen X and at least 30 percent more gay." Rowley joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his latest book.
Food banks face increased demand in the Mountain West
Jun 20, 2023
States are taking an out provided by Congress to avoid cutting food stamp benefits to families, many of whom already depend on food banks like the Alameda County Community Food Bank in Oakland, Calif.(Antonio Mena / Courtesy of Alameda County Community Food Bank)
Back in January, some food bank officials started warning about the end of a COVID-era program that sent extra support to food stamp recipients. They expected a lot of people in our region to have a rough spring, and that's playing out now - especially with inflation driving food prices higher.
KUNR's Bert Johnson reports on the impact for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Connecting Idaho's homeless with health care
Jun 20, 2023
However, when it comes to helping people get back on their feet housing is just part of the equation. Many people in these situations are also experiencing mental and physical challenges, which is why CATCH is working to connect families with the health care they need.
Stephanie Day, the Executive Director of Catch Idaho, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this new service.
Cutting down on waste: Boise's first Repair Café helps fix your broken items
Jun 20, 2023
"Cynthia Richards shows off her newly repaired juicer, which had given some 30 years of loyal service before an orange-heavy recipe brought it to a halt."( Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio)
Repair Cafés have a simple goal: pairing people and their broken household belongings with tinkerers and tools to fix them, shrinking the flow of waste to landfills.
The idea started in Europe but has spread to the U.S. and cafés are starting to pop up in the American West. Boise just had its first, and the Mountain West News Bureau’s Murphy Woodhouse went to check it out.
The fight for parking in America
Jun 20, 2023
Two grey parking meters sit side by side.( Flickr Creative Commons)
You’ve heard of road rage, but have you ever had an emotional reaction to losing a parking spot? Parking can evoke a visceral reaction in ordinary people, despite the fact there is more housing for each car in the United States than there is housing for each person.
This is why the New York Times bestseller, "Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World" is such a must-read. Author Henry Grabar is a staff writer at Slate and he took a deep dive into our love-hate relationship with parking.
He sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about his research and how there’s a tangible shift in how more cities are looking at parking for their future plans.
The Power of Regret: A conversation with NYT bestselling author Daniel Pink
Jun 19, 2023
(DanPink.com)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on February 22, 2022.
Gemma spoke with New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink about his book, "The Power Of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward."
'Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?' author talks with Idaho Matters
Jun 19, 2023
( Penguin Books)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on February 7, 2022.
Idaho Matters spoke with author Lizzie Damilola Blackburn whose novel "Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?" tells the story of a Nigerian British woman living in London. Along the way, the protagonist grapples with society’s standards of beauty and colorism, along with the and the ever-present pressure for women to settle down.
'Raising Critical Thinkers:' An author interview with Julie Bogart
Jun 19, 2023
(JB / TarcherPerigee)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired in February 2022.
'Just Haven't Met You Yet:' An author interview with Sophie Cousens
Jun 19, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired in 2022.
If you believe in fate or perhaps serendipity, the book "Just Haven't Met You Yet" will be one you'll want to add to TBR list. New York Times bestselling author Sophie Cousens joined Idaho Matter to talk more about this must-read rom-com.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 16, 2023
Jun 16, 2023
There are too many days when the world feels so splintered. But there are also those rare days when the world seems a bit smaller, when there's an opportunity to recognize how much we share. So let's talk about one of those days, World Refugee Day.
Idaho's resettlement program began in the 1970s as part of a national effort to receive refugees from southeast asia after the Vietnam War. For this current fiscal year the Idaho Office for Refugees will welcome between 900 and 1,000 new refugees, according to Communications Manager Holly Beech.
In May, #CPNRegion engineers briefed representatives from the Idaho Department of Water Resources, U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Transportation Department - Division of Aeronautics, and Idaho Power on multiple engineering projects related to the Anderson Ranch Dam Raise project. (Marc Ayalin / Bureau of Reclamation)
Officials want to raise Anderson Ranch Dam by six feet to provide more room for water storage in the reservoir.
The dam, which was online by 1951, sits on the south fork of the Boise River and provides power, irrigation water and flood control.
It’s one of three dams in the Boise River Basin that stores water as it melts and flows from higher elevations. During a spring like this one too much water melts at once, filling the dams and forcing officials to release large amounts of water downstream to avoid flooding. As of today, the three dams are 97 percent full and Anderson Ranch is at 98 percent of its capacity.
If Anderson Ranch is raised it would add 29,000-acre feet of storage space which could be a boon to irrigators and fish, and it would fill a growing demand for more water.
But raising a dam isn’t easy and could affect boaters and campers and the cost of the project recently jumped up by as much as $40 million.
So how do you raise a dam? To answer that question, we asked Cynthia Bridge Clark, the Water Projects Section Manager at the Idaho Department of Water Resources, and Lanie Paquin, Area Manager for the Bureau of Reclamation’s Snake River Office to join Idaho Matters.
Using video game monsters to teach future doctors
Jun 15, 2023
This monster is Type One Diabetes. He’s got eyeglasses, he’s holding some donuts, and he’s being stung by strange little bees. Each one of these characteristics mean something specific in the medical world.(Medimon / University of Idaho)
You may have noticed that a lot of kids today play video games and that may be the understatement of the year.
A lot of those games involve monsters, like Pokemon, where you catch, tame and battle these creatures.
Some University of Idaho faculty members started thinking about using video games like Pokemon to teach their students.
That led to “Medimon,” a monster-taming video game that teaches health education students about things like your pancreas and the diseases that affect it, by turning them into delightfully drawn monsters. It helps the students memorize things like diabetes, Graves’ disease, ulcerative colitis, and cirrhosis of the liver.
Each "Medifamily" is based on a character, like this blue octo-monster which stands in for the kidney. Each version of the monster represents a different disease or symptom.(Medimon / University of Idaho)
The game was invented by Tyler Bland. He's an assistant clinical professor in the Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program.
“I teach the pharmacology portion … And so I have to know a little bit about everything. And to help myself, I tried to develop mnemonics to do this. And when I first started developing them, they kind of looked like Pokemon and then it just exploded from there,” says Bland.
This is what happens with the pancreas goes bad. This monster represents pancreatitis. He's holding a bottle, because the disease can be caused by alcohol.(Medimon / University of Idaho.)
He says Medimon is similar to Pokemon but “we have this kind of underlying stealth education where we are teaching players about important aspects of the health sciences. And so all of our monsters represent a cell type or an organ system or some sort of disease."
He asked some U of I Virtual Technology Design graduates to create the colorful monsters. Ciara Bordeaux and Emma Ferguson helped design the game and the monsters.
“For me, it's like my first official character design job. So it was super fun to like, get to design them and think of unique ways to incorporate all of the mnemonics, but then also design a really cute or kind of epic character,” says Ferguson.
Her favorite monster is Pancreatitis.
Bland says the game can appeal to everyone.
“The cool thing about this is because these mnemonics are somewhat hidden inside the characters, this allows players to learn them if they so choose and if they have no interest in the health sciences or they have no background, they can play it purely on the esthetic level. So, for instance, my medical students enjoy it and my four-year-old daughter enjoys it.”
Bland says Medimon should be out soon and he’s eager to get it online so students can start learning.
This Medimon Monster has all the characteristics and symptoms of Crohn's disease.(Medimon / University of Idaho)
Indigenous art shines a new light on the Pueblo Revolt
Jun 15, 2023
A look inside the projection room at the Virgil Ortiz Revolt 1680/2180: Runners + Gliders exhibit at History Colorado. The symbol on the floor is meant to act like a portal, transporting visitors to the futuristic world.(Emma VandenEinde / KUNC)
Indigenous art is often only viewed as a relic, a historical work of the past. But that’s not the case – their art and their people are present today. One Cochiti Pueblo artist showcases that concept in his latest exhibit.
Emma VandenEinde of the Mountain West News Bureau takes us inside to witness his futuristic work. She also takes us to an Indigenous Comic Con Festival that reflects on history and culture.
Take a trip to McCall’s Cougar Island to talk about conservation
Jun 15, 2023
(billandkent / Flickr Creative Commons)
As 2022 was coming to a close, we learned of a historic conservation easement agreement for part of Cougar Island on Payette Lake right across from McCall. Cougar Island was at risk of being commercially developed, but the Payette Land Trust purchased and helped craft a conservation agreement that will limit commercial encroachment on that high profile island.
Private land conservation is something that not a lot of people have known about historically. but the Payette Land Trust is changing that.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 14, 2023
Jun 14, 2023
Symptoms of the monkeypox virus are shown on a patient's hand, from a 2003 case in the United States. In most instances, the disease causes fever and painful, pus-filled blisters. New cases in the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal are spreading possibly through sexual contact, which had not previously been linked to monkeypox transmission.(CDC / Getty Images)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is raising the alarm about the potential risk for new cases of Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, to emerge this summer.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about all of this.
A new, interactive bike map for Ada County
Jun 14, 2023
(Stephen Downes / Flickr)
The Ada County Highway District has a new, interactive bike map for folks planning cycling trips anywhere between Barber Park and the city of Star.
Want to know which roads have bike lanes? Looking for a bike repair shop? Want a really intense ride or maybe one that’s more sedate? The map has it all!
Dave Rader is the Supervisor of Accessibility and Mobility at ACHD and joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
The controversial Stanley to Redfish Lake Trail is about to open
Jun 14, 2023
The 4.5-mile trail begins in Stanley's Pioneer Park and ends near the entrance to Redfish Lake.(Rachel Cohen / Boise State Public Radio )
Four years ago, a controversy erupted over a plan by the Sawtooth National Forest to build a trail between Stanley and Redfish Lake.
The U.S. Forest Service said it had bought an easement on private land to build the trail. The owner of the Sawtooth Valley Ranch said the agency didn’t have the right to build such an elaborate construction and that the trail plan doesn’t meet environmental regulations.
While the lawsuit continued, the Forest Service has been building the trail and it’s supposed to open soon, possibly later this month. Boise State Public Radio News reporter Rachel Cohen has been following this story and joins Idaho Matters for an update.
Encore: Sun Valley Ranch owner shares his concerns with Stanley to Redfish Lake Trail
Jun 14, 2023
It was four years ago that we got a chance to sit down with the owner of the Sun Valley Ranch about the lawsuit he filed against the U.S. Forest Service over the Stanley to Redfish Lake Trail. As the trail is about to open, despite his ongoing appeal in the 9th Circuit Court, we wanted to revisit that interview, where he outlines his concerns about the project.
Encore: Idaho Conservation League finds itself on both sides of the legal aisle in forest service suits
Jun 14, 2023
Back in June of 2019 we spoke with the Idaho Conservation League about their Friend of the Court brief in the lawsuit over the Stanley to Redfish Lake Trail. Despite the ongoing lawsuit, the trail is about to open to the public and we wanted to revisit that interview to find out why the Conservation League felt the need to support the U.S. Forest Service in this case.
The City of Boise wants you to love dandelions
Jun 14, 2023
(Stanley Zimny / Flickr)
Have you been seeing more dandelions than usual at your local park? There’s a good reason for that, a couple of reasons really.
First, pesticides are often bad for the birds and the bees and for humans and the City of Boise wants to cut down on how many chemicals they use on public spaces.
And second, dandelions are not evil. The City of Boise is on a campaign to tell people how to find beauty in this bright yellow flower.
Are we loving our public lands to death?
Jun 13, 2023
(Wilf Carter / Flickr)
Over the past few years, we’ve noticed an increase in the number of stories we’ve covered about the misuse of public lands.
From increased trash left at campgrounds to large amounts of junk dumped on public lands to the closure of a road to a local treasure valley landmark because of parking abuse, trash and vandalism, human overcrowding and bad actors are putting pressure on our favorite camping, hiking and foothills destinations.
How bad is the problem? And how do we solve it? Those are just some of the questions that will come up Thursday during the City Club of Boise’s next discussion which they’re calling “Are we loving our public lands too much?”
Susan Buxton, the Director of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, and Greg Hahn with the City Club of Boise joined Idaho Matters to discuss our public lands.
Gov. Little wants a full audit of the 'Empowering Parents' program
Jun 13, 2023
(BradLittleForIdaho.com)
A state microgrant program, designed to help Idahoans with the cost of their kids' education, is under scrutiny after Gov. Brad Little said he wants a full financial audit of the program to determine if parents are buying TVs, clothes and smartwatches with the money instead of laptops, textbooks or behavioral therapy.
The $50 million Empowering Parents program was designed to give parents $1,000 for each child to meet their educational needs and almost $50 million has gone out to more than 25,000 families.
But the program, which was one of the governor’s top education priorities this year, went under review in April by the State Board of Education. The Board said some of the money, as much as seven percent of all purchases, may have been spent on things that have nothing to do with a kid’s education.
Just last week, Idaho Reports told us Idaho's revenues for May were more than $17 million ahead of what was projected. And that’s $7 million more than what the Gem State collected in April.
This week, the Federal Reserve meets to decide whether to raise the interest rate again and if they don’t, what happens in July? And how will that affect Idahoans?
Jason Norris is the Executive Vice President of Research and Portfolio Management at Ferguson Wellman and he’s back to give Idaho Matters a mid-year economic outlook for Idaho.
Nuclear power plants and uranium mines may be increasing in the Mountain West
Jun 13, 2023
(Georgie Sharp / Flickr)
U.S. support for nuclear power is the highest it's been in a decade and there are a number of proposals for new plants in our region. That could mean an uptick in domestic uranium mining.
Plus, we take you to a Mountain West town where billionaire Bill Gates and other investors plan to build a nuclear reactor to generate electricity, where locals are bracing for a huge influx of workers.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s Will Walkey and Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan report for Idaho Matters.
Why being courageous should be contagious when celebrating Flag Day
Jun 12, 2023
(Rebecca.Rose / Flickr)
Wednesday is Flag Day in the United States. It was June 14, 1777 when the Continental Congress approved the design of America’s flag.
It was 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 Flag Day and a national Flag Day was signed into law in 1949. The flag has been everything from a symbol of national pride to a Supreme Court case on whether the government can compel people to salute it.
Over time, everyone from Benjamin Franklin to lawyers, judges and regular Americans have defended the ideals the flag represents.
Dr. David Adler has been digging into Flag Day, the defense of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Dr. Adler is planning another of his “Constitutional Conversations” on Wednesday at Boise State's Yanke Center. It’s titled "Celebrating Flag Day: Courage is Contagious.”
Dr. Adler is the president of the Alturas Institute and he joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the people who have stood up to defend the rights they believe in.
A new discovery could lead to a mining resurgence in the West
Jun 12, 2023
Researchers studying the Halleck Creek site, which could be one of the largest rare earth deposits in the world.(Dane Rhys / American Rare Earths)
The batteries in your cell phone, the glass in solar panels and other important materials all depend on rare earth minerals. That's leading to a new mining rush in the West.
Mining these rare elements in southeast Wyoming and in other places around the Mountain West are sure to have big impacts on nearby communities and the environment. American Rare Earths owns about 8,000 acres of mining claims called the Halleck Creek Project on a mix of private, federal and state land. The company announced promising results from exploratory drilling on the Halleck Creek earlier this year, determining there are about five million tons of rare earth oxides on their claims.
Rare Earth minerals are a group of 17 little-known elements like neodymium, praseodymium and scandium. These elements are in products many use on a daily basis, like specialty glass products and batteries.
The U.S. Geological Survey has designated most of them as critical for economic and national security. China currently dominates the rare earths market. With only one operating mine in the U.S., the Biden administration wants to expand the domestic supply of these minerals, as well as other “green” metals like cobalt and lithium.
Will Walkey from Wyoming Public Media has been reporting on this story for the Mountain West News Bureau and Idaho Matters senior producer Samantha Wright spoke with him about his work. You can read their full conversation here:
WRIGHT: Okay. Will, your story talked about how there could be almost 5 million tons of rare earth minerals underground in America. Is that right?
WALKEY: You know much more than that, actually. There's 5 million tons of rare earth elements just under one claim that I went to in Wyoming. And most companies that you read about and some that I talk to have said, you know, there's plenty of these all over the West, you know, and rare earth elements. What's interesting about them is, despite their name, they're not actually that rare. You know, they're found all over the earth's crust. But what is unique about them is they're not usually in concentrations that are actually mineable in an economical sense, so to speak. So, you know, these mines, like the one that I went to in Wyoming, are interesting and unique and exciting for mining companies because they're in a concentration where if we start digging a big hole, it's going to actually make them some money.
WRIGHT: Wow. You know, I thought one of the shocking bits of the story is that the the place you went to in Wyoming, you said that they couldn't get a mine up and running for at least 30 years. That's some long term planning.
WALKEY: So it's not exactly accurate. What I what I meant by the 30 years is that's going to be when it's sort of the full scale operation. I mean, yeah, when we talk about rare earths, this is a long term play, especially in the Mountain West. It's going to be about five years until actual drilling activity starts. But, you know, it starts small. And and, you know, this is a remote part of Wyoming. We got to hire people. We got to build roads. We got to get infrastructure. So, yeah, that 30 year timeline is sort of when we're talking about, you know, massive, massive production scale.
WRIGHT: When you mentioned it is a small place and that places like this would a mine or major industry comes in, it's going to dramatically change not just the landscape, but but the character of everything around it.
WALKEY: Yeah, absolutely. And Wyoming has a big mining history, as does Idaho and other states around the West. But this town that I went to, which is the closest one to this town, it's probably where most of the workers at a future mine would live. It's called Wheatland. It's got about 3500 people. It's mostly agricultural. You know, there's the local school and the local hospital system. One of the person you know, one of the people that I talked to for this story said sort of one of the main big things happening in Wheatland is that, a, Wendy's is coming in town, right? So, you know, in a boom bust cycle that energy and mining often brings, you know, it's going to be an influx of people quickly. And, you know, for a community like Wheatland, the question is how do we make it sustainable and still enjoyable for those that are already living there?
WRIGHT: That's right. And and because it will change the character. And it's a it's a it's a big deal. I mean, it's a really big deal. You mentioned infrastructure, and I hadn't even thought about that. I mean, along with how the the character will change, you do have to do all those things in these remote areas, build roads and other things that that that will be needed to sustain the mine.
WALKEY: One thing that didn't make it into my story is that that the economic development director in Wheatland told me is, you know, there's only a few dozen homes available in the town of Wheatland, like available for sale right now. And we're talking potentially hundreds of jobs that could, you know, you add on the families that come with that. So you know, when you even just look at housing and where people are going to live, we don't really even have the room for it now. So, you know, the 30 year timeline or even a 5 to 10 year timeline, depending on how quickly things get approved, you know, communities should start thinking now if they're near a mining site about what it might look like if a bunch of people start showing up.
WRIGHT: That's right. And you also talked about there are geologists who say there could be more of these kinds of rare earth deposits in Montana, Colorado. And and, of course, this piqued our interest, Idaho.
WALKEY: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, for the entire West, the so-called green energy boom, which includes, you know, these minerals that I studied in the story, but also things that your listeners are probably familiar with, including cobalt and lithium. You know, the West is an interesting geological place with a huge history of providing some of the main rocks that we like to dig up, like uranium and coal even. And, you know, I think as we transition away from fossil fuels and toward green energy, which still does need some of these rare minerals, the West is going to be a big part of that story.
WRIGHT: And you touched on just a little bit that this would be the one in Wyoming would be an open pit mine and that that has led to in the past, you know, concerns environmentalists not liking open pit mines. That's that's another thing we have to balance in there is, is the environment.
WALKEY: Not only environmental concerns. That's absolutely right. But also when we think about, you know, the greater question of what it's going to look like in terms of green mineral mining around the West, also the impact on indigenous rights. You know, a lot of the nickel and cobalt and lithium mines that are being proposed and probably will be proposed around our region are going to be near Indigenous communities and they might have to bear the brunt of some of those environmental impacts and social impacts. Right. And environmental impacts being dust, for instance, and air quality pollution from open pit mining or water pollution from runoff and streams and the tailings of these mines. And so, you know, a lot of this is going to come down to how much will these mining companies keep their promises? You know, the ones that I talked to say they want to clean this up. We'll see if that actually happens. But I think it's going to be up to the journalists and the local community members around here to kind of hold them accountable.
WRIGHT: You mentioned in the story a lithium mine in Nevada that that has run into some trouble with tribal communities.
WALKEY: Yes, this is something that's been covered heavily by regional and also national journalists. It's it's right near a very sacred site for a tribal community in Nevada. But but lithium, similar to some of these rare earth minerals that I studied around Wyoming. Lithium is used in so many things that we enjoy every day, just as citizens of the United States. You know, these minerals are used in cell phone batteries. You know, a lot of them are used in like wind turbine generation and glass and solar panels even. So, you know, like I said, as we continue to transition away from fossil fuels and towards new sources of energy, we're going to need more of these mines and more of these conflicts are going to keep happening.
WRIGHT: Well, if you like your cell phone, you're going to need the parts that make it work.
WALKEY: Exactly.
WRIGHT: So. Well, what was it like to go out to this spot in in Wyoming on public land? I mean, is it is it pretty out there or is there anything out there besides the town?
WALKEY: Yeah. This is a really remote landscape. There's a couple ranches in between these mining claims, which I should say are are huge. You know, we're talking thousands of acres here, and it's on a mix of public land and private land and state land. You know, those that have lived in the West for a long time know, you know, the checkerboard pattern of land ownership that exists in our region. Right? So I wasn't able to see, you know, the entire site by any means, but I got to do some hiking around. It's it's beautiful. I mean, it's it's rolling hills, you know, it's it's certainly not crowded by any means, but it's it's big open space in Wyoming down a dirt road. I mean it's kind of one of the reasons I like living here is to explore places like these. And you know, you're looking around when you kind of, you know, take a busy you know, you're looking around after you take a tough hike to the top of a mountain. You know, I'm breathing heavy, but I'm looking out at this largely untouched landscape. You know, you don't really get that very much throughout the United States. And Wyoming is just one of those places where open space is still here. And, you know, in terms of the site, you could barely even see there's been some exploratory experimental drilling activity, but didn't really see much. So I was looking mostly at cacti and animal droppings and deer trails and things like that.
WRIGHT: Wow. Okay. So what's next for the for the Wyoming site and for the West when it comes to these rare earth minerals?
WALKEY: Right. I think a lot of companies are sort of making these sort of announcements at the same time, you know, partially because the Biden administration and other folks have said we want to up the domestic supply of rare earth mines. A lot of companies that have held mining claims are now starting to explore. And, you know, you mentioned different spots in Montana, also Wyoming, you know, other parts of the West, a lot of places are announcing these sorts of, hey, we just found a huge site. So what happens next is, you know, now they have to start raising money. They need to start their permitting process, you know, hiring up lawyers and things like that and doing more experimental drilling, you know, and then after that is when they start, you know, proposing to federal governments and going to these communities and saying this is what the mine will actually look like. So we're still very early in the process. You know, a lot remains to be seen what the actual impacts will be. But, you know, in a decade from now, I could be back here and we could be talking about a bunch of open pit mines that are being dug actively throughout the West.
WRIGHT: Wow. Okay. Will Walkey with the Mountain West News Bureau talking about rare earth minerals and mining in the West. Thanks so much for for giving us an update.
WALKEY: Thank you for having me.
Boise tries to create a climate neutral reality
Jun 12, 2023
The Boise skyline.(Steve / Flickr)
There were more than a handful of skeptics when the City of Boise announced that city operations would be carbon neutral by 2035 and the entire city would be carbon neutral by 2050. But city officials are electrifying more buildings and vehicles and conserving more limited resources, getting them closer to the carbon neutral reality.
Steve Burgos is the Director of Boise's Public Works Department. He sat down with Morning Edition Host George Prentice for a check-up on those goals and on how water recycling is going in Idaho's capital city.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 9, 2023
Jun 09, 2023
Reclaim Idaho gathers signatures for the Medicaid Expansion Citizen's Initiative that voters approved in November of 2018. (James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
More EV charging stations are coming to Idaho
Jun 08, 2023
(Richard Vogel / AP)
As Idaho begins to see more electric cars on the roadways, officials are concerned about having enough charging stations to support them. This can be a tricky concept though, because without stations, people won’t buy cars and without the cars, the stations are not terribly viable.
ITD Program Manager, Scott Luekanga, OEMR administrator Rich Stover and DEQ environmental resources discipline lead Michael Brown joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
What's with all the wild weather in southern Idaho?
Jun 08, 2023
A map shows the probability of thunderstorms.( National Weather Service Boise)
If you thought the last two days of thunderstorms was unbelievable, just wait. The National Weather Service in Boise says we're going to have afternoon and evening thunderstorms through next Tuesday!
The storms could come with more heavy rain, hail, gusty winds and possible flooding. And the forecast covers a wide area from Malheur County in Oregon to the West Central and Boise Mountains to the Treasure and Magic Valleys. Morning Edition host George Prentice reports.
A look at how Boise trails got their names
Jun 08, 2023
Well, it turns out there are many different origins, from the sentimental to the practical. Trails have been named after people, landmarks, plants, wildlife and more.
Nicole Blanchard, outdoors reporter with the Idaho Statesman, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the stories behind Boise's trails.
What to Watch: Documentaries, Broadway and the ongoing writers strike
Jun 08, 2023
The Writers Guild of America is on strike, in its first work stoppage since 2007-2008. In that strike, writers demonstrated in front of the Fox studio in Los Angeles.(Gabriel Bouys / AFP via Getty Images)
Believe it or not, Broadway depends a lot on television for its survival and the ongoing writer's strike in Hollywood almost derailed this week's Tony Awards. Plus, there are all kinds of new documentaries coming to a theater near you!
Morning Edition host and resident movie critic, George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to help break this down.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 7, 2023
Jun 07, 2023
This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The spikes on the outer edge of the virus particles give coronaviruses their name, crown-like.(NIAID-RML/NIH/Flickr)
You know about COVID-19 and the effect it has had on the world, but what about the other coronaviruses out there? Turns out there are more than you might think.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about all of this.
Idaho athletes to compete in Special Olympics World Games
Jun 07, 2023
(Boon or Mark Souphanh / Flickr)
Next Saturday, 7,000 athletes from around the world will gather in Berlin for the Special Olympics World Games. Two athletes from Idaho will be there to compete with folks from 170 countries.
Jacob Kerr and Devin Riley will be taking part in the golf tournament and they joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Is there a connection between wildland firefighting and cancer?
Jun 07, 2023
Firefighter watches for spot fires, Fri, Sept 9.( InciWeb)
It's something many current and former wildland firefighters ask themselves: What does all this smoke, dust and ash I've been breathing for months on end mean for my health?
A new national registry for all firefighters could eventually shed a great deal more light on that largely unanswered question. From the Mountain West News Bureau, Murphy Woodhouse reports.
Cleaning up Japanese beetles in Canyon County
Jun 06, 2023
A Japanese beetle sits on a leaf. (A Hermit / Flickr)
They haven’t found very many beetles yet, but the bugs are a danger to some of Idaho's top crops including hops, grapes, apples and vegetable seeds. And the potential for lost crops, especially if other states and countries quarantine those crops, could result in millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Andrea Thompson, the department's plant industries division administrator, joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
Bureau of Land Management helps protect grouse habitat
Jun 06, 2023
Photo of parcel acquired by the BLM from The Nature Conservancy. ( Bureau of Land Management )
Approximately 390 acres of land west of Midvale are now in public hands as part of a cooperative effort to help Columbian sharp-tailed grouse.
The Bureau of Land Management picked up the land from the nature conservancy and will keep the area open to the public while protecting the breeding grounds of the grouse and keeping a large section of sagebrush habitat intact.
Four Rivers Field Manager Brent Ralston joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Banding songbirds in Boise
Jun 06, 2023
Ayla releases a Red-tailed Hawk that was banded at the Intermountain Bird Observatory as part of their migration research.( Greg Kaltenecker)
Have you ever held a wild songbird in the palm of your hand? It turns out that a group of researchers are asking you to come and do just that.
One of the ways they do that is by inviting the public to take part in their summer songbird banding along the Boise River next Friday.
Heidi Ware Carlisle, the Education Director of the IBO, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
McCall addresses chemical spill on Payette Lake
Jun 06, 2023
(Steve Sheriw / Flickr)
State health officials are giving high marks to first responders in McCall for containing what could have been a significant health issue.
One woman saw something was wrong and before long officials had found and contained a chemical spill in Payette Lake. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice reports.
Idaho free health clinics see more patients as Medicaid disenrollment continues
Jun 05, 2023
Doctor takes a sample of a patient's blood.(BURGER / Getty Images)
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government put "Medicaid Protection" in place which kept folks on health insurance even if they had lost eligibility. But that protection ran out on April 1.
Since then, Idaho Health and Welfare has been re-evaluating the cases of almost 154,000 people to see who is still eligible and who is not and must be dropped from the program.
So far, the number of people who have been dropped was over 23,000. Now, it's more than 35,000 and the number is expected to keep going up.
Many of those folks who have been dropped are turning to the few free health clinics in Idaho for their health care and those clinics are feeling the strain.
Steve Davis, Clinic Director for the Genesis Free and Charitable Clinics in Caldwell and Garden City, and Sherrie Joseph, who directs the Pocatello Clinic joined Idaho Matters to give us an update on the situation.
Using social media to keep Idaho's public lands beautiful
Jun 05, 2023
Trash left on public lands. ( Recreating Responsibly Idaho / Idaho Department of Lands)
Maybe you've seen pictures or maybe you've seen it in person: trash littering your favorite campsite, old junk dumped along your hiking trail, beautiful public lands trashed and left a mess.
Sometimes it's deliberate, but often it's simply ignorance and a lack of understanding of what to do or not to do on public lands.
The "Recreating Responsibly Idaho" program is hoping to fix at least part of the problem. Robbie Johnson, Senior Public Information Officer with the Idaho Department of Lands and Idaho outdoor author Steve Stuebner, who has worked on the Recreating Responsibly campaign joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
Where to find wildflowers in Idaho
Jun 05, 2023
Spring has finally sprung and it's warming up and greening up all around Idaho. Along with all that green, we're starting to see some color as wildflowers start to bloom and show off, especially in the backcountry.
Idaho outdoor author Steve Stuebner joined Idaho Matters to give us ideas on where to spot these magnificent wildflowers.
Historic postal uniform found in Burley, Idaho
Jun 05, 2023
Heyburn residents Steven Hill and Fred Sayre were completing a property clean out in 2022 when they made a fascinating discovery: a Burley postal uniform from 1927 in almost perfect condition.
Now in their line of work, it's not unusual to find relics of the past, but this discovery was special, especially because it gave them a chance to help preserve a small piece of the town's history. Hill joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his unique find.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 1, 2023
Jun 02, 2023
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.
The secret life of tornadoes in Idaho
Jun 01, 2023
A tornado forms and touches down. (Orlin Wagner / AP)
When it comes to the weather, Idahoans have seen their fair share of wildfires, winter storms and droughts. What they may not have seen though are tornadoes. That doesn't mean they're not happening though.
History, art and culture through belly dancing
Jun 01, 2023
Starbelly Belly Dancers Cecilia Rinn and Tori King visited the Idaho Matters studio to do a little dancing, shaking and a lot of teaching about Arabic Culture and dance.
A new grant helps women, infants and children in Idaho
Jun 01, 2023
(iStockphoto)
Across America, only half of the women, infants, and children who are eligible to access the WIC nutrition program are actually getting the healthy foods and education that are available to them.
In Idaho that ratio is even worse, with just 40 percent of this vulnerable population accessing the WIC program.
A new half million dollar grant hopes to change that by reaching out to the women and children who qualify for the federal program and helping them sign up, especially the immigrant and refugee communities in Boise, Elmore, Valley and Ada counties.
Emily Waddoups is the Central District Health WIC Program Manager and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Excellent Advice for Living:' An author interview with Kevin Kelly
Jun 01, 2023
( Viking Publishing)
It's probably fair to say that, at some point, we all need a little bit of advice and guidance in our lives.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 31, 2023
May 31, 2023
A doctor administers a dose of the monkeypox vaccine.(Hollie Adams / Getty Images)
Less than a month after the World Health Organization said Monkeypox is no longer a global public health emergency, the CDC is reporting an increase in cases. Oregon officials are urging folks in that state to get vaccinated before a possible summer surge in cases. And the CDC says at least one study could show drug-resistant mutations of Monkeypox.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about all of this.
How to stay safe while you float the Boise River
May 31, 2023
People float down the Boise River on a warm day. (Talo Pinto / Flickr)
With the official start of summer just around the corner, many people are gearing up to float the Boise River.
In order to help keep people safe while they have fun this summer, Ada County and the City of Boise have teamed up to create a new resource that will prepare people for their float.
Doug Holloway, Boise Parks and Recreation Director and Bonnie Shelton, Communication and Marketing Superintendent for Boise Parks and Recreation, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this new resource.
Taking a field trip with the birds
May 31, 2023
Ever wanted to spot a kingfisher or a yellow-headed blackbird or a kestrel? What about herons, flickers and yellow-rumped warblers? Even if you are an experienced birder, it can be tricky to spot and identify all of the amazing bird species in southern Idaho.
The society and its bird volunteers host a ton of different birding field trips this time of year and Liz Paul, who coordinates the program and field trippers Katie Crooks, Lorraine Poor and Jim James joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about them.
'The Only Game in Town:' An author interview with Lacie Waldon
May 31, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons )
After the success of her first two novels "The Layover" and "From the Jump," author Lacie Waldon has been hard at work on her newest book, "The Only Game in Town." Waldon joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her most recent release.
Mobile clinic provides care to students in need
May 30, 2023
St. Luke’s Children’s Mobile Care Clinic.( Photo courtesy of St. Luke's)
Here in Idaho, not every family has easy access to a doctor.
This can create a gap, leaving children without regular medical care. That's why St. Luke's has stocked a mobile care clinic with everything it needs to hit the road and bring the health professionals to the kids that need them most.
Pediatrician Dr. Noreen Womack and St. Luke's Community Health Manager Jean Mutchie joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the traveling care clinic.
Lake Powell's low water levels reveal some natural beauty
May 30, 2023
Water sparkles on a shrinking Lake Powell near the Cathedral in the Desert in Glen Canyon.(Claire Harbage/NPR / NPR)
This year, Lake Powell will get a big boost from melting snow. The nation’s second-largest reservoir on the Colorado River needed the water because it was at a record low earlier this year.
Before the spring rise, KUNC’s Alex Hager met up with a crew of adventurers to document the historic moment.
'Building Boys:' An author interview with Jennifer Fink
May 30, 2023
"Building Boys: Raising Great Guys in a World that Misunderstands Males" book cover. ( Rowman & Littlefield Publishers)
As parents we can probably all agree that we want to raise well-rounded, emotionally intelligent and kind human beings. But in the culture and the climate that we live in, that can be tough, especially when we're raising boys in a world that often rewards stereotypical masculinity.
Author of 'The Paris Bookseller' on Idaho Matters
May 29, 2023
New metal fencing by the Eiffel Tower is meant to dissuade vehicles from ramming into the tourist site.(Francois Mori / AP)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on October 24, 2022.
What do Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald and E.E. Cummings all have in common? The modernist writers all lived in Paris in the 1920s.
And the person who brought them together was Sylvia Beach, an American woman who owned the bookstore Shakespeare & Company. Idaho Matters talks with author Keri Mare about her new novel, which chronicles that time through Sylvia Beach's eyes.
'An Honest Living' author talks with Idaho Matters
May 29, 2023
(berny-s / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on July 29, 2022.
The Editor-in-Chief of CrimeReads, Dwyer Murphy, is debuting his new novel - a gripping crime fiction titled, "An Honest Living." Dwyer joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his book.
'I Didn't Do the Thing Today:' An author interview with Madeleine Dore
May 29, 2023
"I Didn't Do the Thing Today" book cover. (Avery Publishing)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired in 2022.
Do you ever feel like you haven't gotten enough accomplished in the day, in the month or even the year? Well, you are not alone in those feelings.
Idaho Matters chats with award-winning author Dr. Rita Woods
May 29, 2023
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 24, 2022.
Dr. Rita Woods won the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction last year for her novel "Remembrance." NPR called the book "A complex story of loss and survival told across 200 years by four women, united by the color of their skin." Dr. Woods is coming to Storyfort in downtown Boise this week. She talked earlier with host Gemma Gaudette.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 26, 2023
May 26, 2023
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
Remembering our fallen this Memorial Day
May 25, 2023
American flags flap in the in the wind. (Lynne Gilbert / Getty Images)
Monday is Memorial Day and events are planned all over Idaho.
On this day of remembering our fallen our Morning Edition host George Prentice wanted to spend some time finding out how Idaho veterans are doing in the Gem State.
The new telescope will be the second one at the park and features state-of-the-art technology for looking at the stars.
Bryce Bealba, Manager of Bruneau Dunes State Park and Craig Quintana, Public Information Officer for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Dennis the Cat makes Old Idaho Penitentiary history fun
May 25, 2023
Dennis the Cat has the only marked grave inside the walls of the Old Idaho Penitentiary.( Idaho State Historical Society)
In the past, we’ve told you about some of the fascinating history of the Old Idaho Penitentiary in Boise, from haunted cells to rose gardens to notable prisoners who lived behind the stone walls.
But we haven’t talked about one of the best-liked and most respected residents of the Old Pen, Dennis.
Dennis lived at the prison between 1952 and 1968 and when he died, the prison population buried him in the only marked grave inside the prison walls. And oh yeah, it might be worth mentioning that Dennis was a cat.
This Sunday marks the third annual Dennis the Cat Day at the Old Idaho Penitentiary and we wanted to find out what all the fuss over this feline was about. So we asked Alexandra Polidori, the event coordinator at the Old Idaho Pen, to join Idaho Matters.
What to Watch: Streaming services are changing the rules
May 25, 2023
(iStockphoto)
You may have noticed a change this week if you've been using a friend or family member's Netflix login to watch your favorite movies. And Netflix is not alone, all the primary streaming services are tinkering with their deals.
Plus there's a new docuseries out that you just can't miss. Here to help us figure out What to Watch is our resident movie critic and Morning Edition Host George Prentice.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 24, 2023
May 24, 2023
A computer rendering of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.(Radoslav Zilinsky / Getty Images)
China is facing a new wave of COVID-19 infections that could see as many as 65 million cases per week by the end of June, as a new Omicron variant has been hitting the country since last month.
So what does this mean for the United States and Idaho?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help us answer this question.
The Dutch National Ballet kicks off their tour in Sun Valley
May 24, 2023
Dutch National Ballet dancers performing Hans van Manen's Trois Gnossiennes.(Dutch National Ballet / Hans Gerritsen)
This July, the Dutch National Ballet will be taking the stage for its first U.S. tour in 40 years.
The company will be kicking off its tour in Idaho with two unforgettable nights of dance at Ballet Sun Valley. Dutch National Ballet's Director Ted Brandsen and Associate Artistic Director Rachel Beaujean joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming performances.
The Seven Devils Playwrights Conference returns to McCall
May 24, 2023
Jere Hodgin and Chantelle DeGroat in "Flowers for Hank" by student playwright Abigail Griffith.(Sarah Jessup)
Next month the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference will be returning to McCall for its 23rd year, bringing together directors, actors, playwrights and more for two weeks of new plays and workshops.
Producing Artistic Director Jeni Mahoney joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming conference.
Meet the current Air Guitar Champion of Boise
May 24, 2023
Idaho Air Guitar Boise Championships 2022 at The Shredder with RickDICKulous the 2020 champion. ( Idaho Air Guitar)
Tell the truth, have you ever played a little air guitar in the privacy of your own home? It’s a guilty pleasure many of us indulge in, but we don’t usually admit to it.
Turns out there’s a national competition for folks who have no guitar, no ability to play one, but plenty of musical heart and soul! And the competition is coming to Idaho!
Idaho’s Air Guitar champion from last year, Brian "Fan Airnation" Dunn and Lloyd "Stonehenge" Weema, who is a member of the US Air Guitar production crew, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the competition.
New police unit cracks down on gang-related crime in Caldwell
May 23, 2023
These are just some of the items seized during the first month the OSS Unit was in operation.( Caldwell Police Department)
The five-member unit is called “Operation Safe Streets,” or OSS.
In just one month, the new unit made 21 arrests, pulling meth, fentanyl and guns off the streets. And they’re networking with other agencies and interacting with schools, families and local businesses to work to keep gangs out of Caldwell.
Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram and OSS Sergeant Andrew Holmes joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the new unit.
The cultural history of hummingbirds
May 23, 2023
A hummingbird hovers above a flower drinking nectar. ( Noah Comet)
Hundreds of migratory hummingbirds have already arrived in the Boise Foothills, the West Central Mountains and Treasure Valley backyards.
These tiny birds are a delight to watch but it turns out that flapping their wings 80 times a second and traveling more than five thousand miles to start a family are just the start of their achievements.
Their cultural place in our human history is often overlooked, leaving us unaware of their affect on the pre-Columbian Americas or even during World War II!
Noah Comet will be speaking tonight about The Cultural History of Hummingbirds in Boise at the invitation of the Golden Eagle Audubon Society. He’s a professor of English at the U.S. Naval Academy and joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his upcoming lecture.
The Boise Bicycle Project is making bikes more accessible for kids
May 23, 2023
( The Boise Bicycle Project)
This week, the Boise Bicycle Project is launching a program that will offer families a new way to purchase bikes for their kids.
The goal of the nonprofit is to provide access to bikes in an affordable, reliable and sustainable way. In order to help achieve this goal, BBP is introducing a sliding-scale payment method where parents pay what they can afford in exchange for a new summer ride for their kids.
BBP Volunteer Manager Benton Smith and Programs Director Devin McComas joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the new program and how it will work.
Juror in Lori Vallow trial discusses his time in the courtroom
May 22, 2023
Lori Vallow Daybell stands and listens as the jury's verdict is read at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho on Friday May 12, 2023. The Idaho jury convicted Daybell of murder in the deaths of her two youngest children and a romantic rival, a verdict that marks the end of a three-year investigation that included bizarre claims of zombie children, apocalyptic prophesies and illicit affairs. (Kyle Green / Associated Press)
Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty on all charges after her murder trial wrapped up earlier this month. The jury found her guilty of murdering two of her children, Seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, among other charges.
And now one of the jurors in the case, juror number eight, has come forward to talk about sitting in the courtroom with Daybell for five weeks. The juror sat directly across from Daybell and said “If there is a face to evil, it was hers."
Nate Eaton, News Director at EastIdahoNews.com, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
New wildlife pass aims to keep animals and drivers safe on the road
May 22, 2023
A small herd of elk cross a busy road. ( Idaho Transportation Department)
Every year, dozens of deer and other animals are hit by cars on Highway 21 between Lucky Peak and Idaho City.
As the wildlife tries to cross the busy highway, animals die, people are injured or killed and drivers face thousands of dollars in damage to their vehicles.
In an effort to slow the carnage, the Idaho Transportation Department built an underpass back in 2010 to funnel mule deer, elk and other animals safely under the highway. Six months after it was completed the number of deer hit by cars dropped dramatically.
Now officials are preparing to build a second one, this time a wildlife overpass a mile away, to save more animals and drivers from collisions.
Environmental Planner, Scott Rudel and Brian Rick with the Idaho Transporation Department joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A new project could soon mean clean water for one Navajo community
May 22, 2023
A glass of water sits on a grey surface. (Zelda Richardson / Flickr)
Pouring a glass of water in your kitchen isn’t always easy on tribal lands.
Overall, Native American families are 19 times more likely than a White family to lack indoor plumbing. And it’s a big problem in our region.
Emma Gibson of the Mountain West News Bureau takes a look at a project designed to help.
'Best Men': An author interview with Sidney Karger
May 22, 2023
The book cover of author Sidney Karger's debut novel, "Best Men."( Berkley)
What happens when the boy meets the girl's fiance's brother?
Award-winning screenwriter Sidney Karger, former writer and director with Comedy Central, MTV, AMC and contributing writer for Saturday Night Live has written his debut novel about what its like to be gay and looking for love. Karger joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his new book, "Best Men."
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 19, 2023
May 19, 2023
Lead investigator Mike Bromwich introduces himself to the City of Boise Council Member. He and his team will be looking into the behavior of retired officer Matthew Bryngelson following revelations he had ties to a white supremacy organization and expressed racist views while still on duty.
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.
What does Tuesday's election mean for Idaho schools, growth and kids?
May 18, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
This week 33 out of 44 Idaho counties held elections to raise taxes for schools, sewers and libraries.
Not all of them were successful, including the failure of the $500 million West Ada school levy. This week’s vote comes after the Idaho legislature made changes to when schools can hold bond and levy elections.
What do Tuesday's results mean for schools, growth, and kids? Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News, joined Idaho Matters to help us answer those questions.
One group is helping to save raptors, one festival at a time
May 18, 2023
Last year's Raptor Fest was a big hit with raptors and attendees!( Jim Max)
It’s finally springtime and that means there are baby birds, ducks and geese all over the place. If you live in Boise you will see them all over the parks and around the edges of downtown.
Springtime means it’s also time for baby birds to start hatching in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, which is where eagles, hawks, owls and falcons come to nest and raise their young.
The Birds of Prey NCA Partnership is a nonprofit group that works to help the birds and educate folks about the public land south of Kuna.
The group’s Raptor Fest is set for June 3 and partnership board member, Matthew Podolsky and partnership president Steve Alsup join Idaho Matters to talk more.
Hawkins Range Reserve offers new recreational trails
May 18, 2023
If you're a fan of the Boise Foothills, you'll want to check out the most recent addition to the area's trails, located in the Hawkins Range Reserve. The added space gives the public official access to 393 acres of new recreational land.
The new trail is a one-way, 5.7 mile loop with a cutoff to a shorter 1.5 mile trek. The trail will be managed by Ridge to Rivers and is subject to seasonal closures like all foothills trails. Dogs are also required to stay leashed until mid-June to protect elk in the area.
Director of Parks and Recreation Doug Holloway and Open Space Superintendent Lisa Duplessie joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the reserve.
Boise celebrates International Museum Day
May 18, 2023
International Museum Day on the Basque Block May 22, 2022. ( Arlie Sommer)
International Museum Day is May 18 and on May 21, museums in the Treasure Valley will be celebrating with events for the whole family.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about what you can expect to see at Sunday's celebration are Cindy Busche, Education Manager of the WaterShed and Boise Museum Association President, as well as Tate Mason, Director of the World Center for Birds of Prey and BMA member.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 17, 2023
May 17, 2023
A flaky red circle is shown on the body of a person with ringworm. (doctorgod.org / Flickr)
There’s a nasty strain of a highly contagious, drug-resistant ringworm that is impacting a part of the United States. What does that mean for the rest of us?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help us answer this question.
Making playgrounds more accessible for kids
May 17, 2023
(NataKo. / Flickr)
Kids are flocking to their local playgrounds as it starts to warm up. But for some kids, finding a park they can access can be challenging.
Emma VandenEinde of the Mountain West News Bureau met one family trying to create a park where everyone can play at.
Replacing acts of hate with art in Boise
May 17, 2023
Addie Boswell created E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One), the mural resides within the 8th Street Tunnel, located near the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial.( Visionkit Studio / Photography courtesy of Boise City Department of Arts & History)
If you’ve visited the Boise Greenbelt recently, you may have noticed a new addition to the 8th Street tunnel. A vibrant mural from artist Addie Boswell now encompasses the space.
After anti-semitic graffiti was found in the tunnel last year, the City of Boise wanted to spread a message of acceptance and belonging.
Boswell and the executive director of the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, Christina Bruce-Bennion, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the mural and what it means to be part of the Boise community.
A look at the ties of 'A Small Light' mini series to Idaho
May 17, 2023
A Small Light( Disney +)
In June 1996, Miep Gies came to Boise to plant a tree in memory of her friend Anne Frank. She was 80-years-old at the time.
Later, the only Anne Frank Memorial in the United States was built on that spot.
Thanks to a new mini-series many people are now learning about the heroism of a young Gies and how she and her husband hid the Frank family as Nazis took control of Amsterdam.
The series is called "A Small Light" and our Morning Edition host George Prentice found out more about it.
What are the economic impacts of a changing climate in Idaho?
May 16, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
Idaho’s climate is changing and that will have a range of impacts on the Gem State, including an increase in temperatures, more extreme weather and wildfires, just to name a few.
Those impacts translate into health and economic effects for the people who live and work in Idaho. As part of their spring series on health and climate change, St. Luke's is hosting a talk tomorrow titled, “Idaho Climate Economic Impacts."
Dr. Bill Weppner, a primary care provider and clinician-educator with the Boise VA, who was on the advisory committee for the McClure Center's Idaho Climate Economic Impact Assessment and Dr. Megan Foster with the University of Idaho, who managed the assessment join Idaho Matters to talk more.
Granting the wishes of terminally ill Idahoans
May 16, 2023
If you knew you only had a short time left on this earth, what would you want to do most with your remaining moments?
That’s the question Wish Granters asks of terminally ill adults and their caregivers in Idaho – then they find a way to grant those last wishes.
For Dave, his last wish was a chance to go to the Oregon coast with his kids. Betty wanted to spend some time with horses on a farm. Kami wanted to learn how to fly fish and Goldie wanted her four kids to have enough money to go to college.
All of these folks got their wishes granted by Wish Granters. So how do they do it? And how can you help? Olivia Kviklys and Kristin Jackson from Wish Granters join Idaho Matters to tell us more.
The 'Summer Reading and Learning Celebration' returns for its second year
May 16, 2023
Director Jessica Dorr stands with the Boise Public Library mascot.( Boise Public Library)
The event shares a mix of local summers programs for kids to participate in, while also offering up quite a bit of fun.
Ryan Peck, the Managing Director and co-founder of Boise Rock School and Joshua Shapel, the event coordinator for Boise Public Library, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.
'The Three of Us:' An author interview with Ore Agbaje-Williams
May 16, 2023
"The Three of Us" book cover. ( G.P. Putnam's Sons )
If you’ve been looking for a book that will be tough to put down "The Three of Us" may be just what you’re looking for.
This debut novel by Ore Agbaje-Williams has been named one of Lit Hub’s and Nylon’s most anticipated books of 2023, as well as Elle's best new books for summer. The author joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new book.
Results in the investigation of former Boise Police Captain soon to be released
May 15, 2023
(Lacey Daley / Boise State Public Radio)
In April, Boise State Public Radio learned an independent investigation tasked with probing the racist agenda of a retired Boise Police Captain had tapped out of allotted funding – approximately $500,000. But now, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean tells us the public will soon learn the results of that investigation.
McLean visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the probe, her decision to make Ron Winegar the full-time chief at BPD and Ada County Commissioners' decision to pull funding from a plan to house homeless men, women and children who may be medically fragile at a downtown Boise hotel.
Tips on how to stay safe around water
May 15, 2023
Two boys wait for their turn to swim, on the edge of a pool.(Elissa Nadworny / NPR)
Here's something that may come as a shock to you: according to the CDC, Idaho has one of the highest accidental drowning rates in the country – and we are a landlocked state.
Since May is water safety month, and today is water safety day, we wanted to talk more about this. Executive Director of the Downtown Boise YMCA Mike Kapuscinski joins Idaho Mattes to talk more.
'Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club:' An author interview with J. Ryan Stradal
May 15, 2023
"Saturday Night At The Lakeside Supper Club" book cover.( Pamela Dorman Books )
His first book, "Kitchens of the Great Midwest" won the American Booksellers Association Indie's Choice Award for Adult Debut Book of the Year. He joins Idaho Matters to talk more about his newest book.
Author Craig Johnson comes to Boise
May 15, 2023
Craig Johnson( Courtesy of Craig Johnsons Facebook page)
Everybody grab their cowboys hats because this Thursday, May 18, New York Times best-selling author Craig Johnson will be in Boise presenting for the Osher Life Long Learning Institute at Boise State.
Johnson is the author of the well-known Longmire Mystery series, which has won multiple awards and was made into a hit Netflix show. He joins Idaho Matters to talk more about writing, life and the future of his book series.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 12, 2023
May 12, 2023
Lori Vallow Daybell stands and listens as the jury's verdict is read at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho on Friday May 12, 2023. The Idaho jury convicted Daybell of murder in the deaths of her two youngest children and a romantic rival, a verdict that marks the end of a three-year investigation that included bizarre claims of zombie children, apocalyptic prophesies and illicit affairs.(Kyle Green / Associated Press)
A guilty verdict has been reached in the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell, the country is struggling with a fentanyl crisis, Idaho is threatening to sue if grizzly bears are not taken off the endangered species list, we get an update on the Kroger-Albertson's merger and volunteer numbers are declining, except in the Mountain West.
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.
How Malibu surfers are fighting wildfires
May 11, 2023
Five years ago, a group of Malibu surfers came face-to-face with a devastating California wildfire.
As first responders were overwhelmed by the flames, these neighbors banded together to save people’s homes and got supplies to those in need.
Now they’ve created a new kind of model to help fight wildfires. A new podcast follows this group of misfits who survived a deadly wildfire and are now working to change how communities fight wildfires.
Adriana Cargill, the creator of the "Sandcastles" podcast joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Dangerous false reports are causing fear in the Mountain West
May 11, 2023
(Lacey Daley / Boise State Public Radio)
Schools across the Mountain Westhave been hit this year with reports of false active shooter reports. Even though the threats are fake, the consequences from them are real.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s Will Walkey reports on what are called “swatting” incidents. Awarning, this story contains descriptions of violence and suicide.
Pickleball player attempts to set world record
May 11, 2023
Dean Matt stands next to a plane with a Pickleball paddle in his hand. ( Dean Matt / Mucho Dean Aero)
Dean Matt, also known as "The Pickleball Pilot," will be in Eagle this Friday, attempting to set a world record.
Matt and his wife Luanne joined Idaho Matters to talk more about Pickleball and this challenge.
What to Watch with Idaho Matters: Writer strikes, new movies and the coronation
May 11, 2023
Empty popcorn bags are lined up in a row. (Scott Duffus / Flickr)
Hollywood writers are on strike. What does that mean for your movie and tv viewing fun?
Plus there’s a new film opening in theaters you simply must see and Netflix has a new animated series out. Our resident movie critic, George Prentice, joined Idaho Matters to help us figure out what to watch.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 10, 2023
May 10, 2023
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact Idaho)
When the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ends Thursday, labs across the U.S. will no longer be required to report COVID-19 test results to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and hospitals and state health departments will also be reporting less comprehensive data. So what does all of this mean for our country and for Idaho?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to help us answer this question.
New technology is helping doctors detect breast cancer earlier
May 10, 2023
New recommendations from the USPSTF advise that women get biannual mammograms starting at age 40 to detect breast cancers.(andresr / Getty Images)
Mother’s Day is this Sunday and while many will spend the day taking care of mom, it’s always important for moms to take care of themselves.
Dr. Whitney Parnell and Nikki Agee, cancer patient navigator from West Valley Medical Center, joined Idaho Matters to talk about some of the new advancements in breast cancer detection.
Prosecution and defense rest their case in the Lori Vallow trial
May 10, 2023
Lori Vallow Daybell (right) is on trial for multiple murder charges and other criminal counts, in a case that has its roots in 2019 — when Vallow Daybell's children were last seen alive.(Tony Blakeslee / AP)
It has been five weeks of witness testimony in the criminal trial against Lori Vallow. On Tuesday, the prosecution rested their case. Just moments after that the defense did the same thing.
Nate Eaton the news director of EastIdahoNews.com has been in the courtroom each day and he joined Idaho Matters for another update.
Why is snow disappearing before it has a chance to melt?
May 10, 2023
(MotoWebMistress / Flickr Creative Commons)
Right now, high mountain snow is melting fast. You can see it starting to overflow rivers all over Idaho, including the Boise and Snake River.
That water is filling streams and reservoirs that are part of the Colorado River system, a lifeline for tens of millions of people in the west. But some of that snow is disappearing before it melts.
KUNC's Alex Hager visited a team of researchers and filed this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
The history of impeaching a Supreme Court justice
May 09, 2023
The Supreme Court(Evan Vucci / AP)
Last month ProPublica reported on trips made by Clarence Thomas and whether the Supreme Court Justice had properly disclosed them.
The reporting raised questions about what kind of gifts Thomas and other Justices can accept and raised questions about judicial reform.
Dr. David Adler has been digging into the history of judicial accountability and is planning a talk on Thursday at Boise State on the law, history, and politics around impeaching a Supreme Court justice. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Some GOP state lawmakers aren't GOP enough in the eyes of some party officials
May 09, 2023
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio News)
At least five sitting Republican state legislators have been censured or had votes of no confidence taken against them by local party officials this year.
They say it’s because these lawmakers are failing to follow the state GOP platform – many planks of which have been adopted by the party’s far-right wing.
As James Dawson reports, the pushback against legislators has been years in the making.
The Boise Philharmonic Master Chorale helps to spread some hope
May 09, 2023
Brooke Burton(The Boise Phil)
Hope is not always easy to find in this current world with all the chaos, anger and politics we face every day.
So the Boise Philharmonic Master Chorale decided to create a concert designed to uplift and delight everyone who hears it.
This Saturday, they will be singing “Catching Hope” at the Brandt Center in Nampa. The Chorale's Interim Executive Director, Erin Paradis, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Broadway comes to Boise's Morrison Center
May 09, 2023
From Disney's Frozen on Broadway, Charissa Hogeland performs "Let It Go" at the Broadway Season Reveal Party.( Morrison Center)
The upcoming Broadway in Boise season is going to have something for everyone, from "Frozen" to "To Kill a Mockingbird".
Laura Kendall, executive director of the Morrison Center, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this year's seasonand the 40th anniversary.
Former Boise Police chief discusses his decision to run for mayor
May 08, 2023
(Lacey Daley / Boise State Public Radio)
The November election is six months away and already the race for Boise mayor is heating up.
Former Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson has tossed his hat into the ring for the job, giving current Boise Mayor Lauren McLean some competition. Masterson retired as police chief in 2015 and our Morning Edition host George Prentice wanted to find out why he wanted to be mayor of Idaho’s capital city.
Students help solve water problems in the southwest
May 08, 2023
(BES Photo / Flickr Creative Commons)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 17, 2023.
All across the southwest, there’s a problem. There’s not enough water to go around and the water that does arrive often falls far away from where people live, leading to tense conversations about how and where it should be used.
A new project is trying to bridge the gap, starting with the youngest water users. KUNC’s Alex Hager reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
New program to provide mental health services to wildland firefighters
May 08, 2023
(Boise National Forest)
According to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, an average of 17 wildland firefighters die every year while fighting fires and many others are injured.
The foundation works to help firefighters and their families during these tragedies and this month they launched their Wildland Firefighter Mental Health Program, which provides counseling services to both firefighters and their families for free.
Burk Minor, the Executive Director of the Wildland Firefighter Foundation and counselor Ashley Taylor who will be providing services to the program joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Happy Place:' An author interview with Emily Henry
May 08, 2023
( Berkley )
If you’re looking for the perfect book to kick off an early summer with, look no further! Emily Henry is back with her latest novel, Happy Place which is a story full of humor, friendship, romance and seaside charm.
Henry joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 5, 2023
May 05, 2023
Daughters of the British Empire prepare for King Charles III's coronation in Idaho
May 05, 2023
A nighttime rehearsal in central London for the coronation of King Charles III, which will take place this weekend.(James Manning / PA Images via Getty Images)
After 70 years as heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales will officially become King Charles III this weekend.
Millions of people will be watching the pageantry and ceremony, including two British transplants who are currently in Idaho. Cathy Rushton and Victoria Sunderland are both Daughters of the British Empire and they’re making big plans for the event.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with them to talk about the coronation, the royal family and getting up early to watch the ceremony.
Latinos Unidos returns for its second year
May 04, 2023
The organization is dedicated to empowering immigrant communities in Idaho. The theme of the conference is “Building Latino Power," which will focus on strengthening equity, justice and economic prosperity for the state's Latino community.
Jacky Vazquez, communication manager with PODER and Director of Programs and Operations Raquel Reyes joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event.
A look at the deer population in McCall and why its a problem
May 04, 2023
(Richard Carter / Flickr Creative Commons)
The City of McCall has a longstanding wild deer problem. Idaho Fish and Game said they counted 258 wild deer in city limits several weeks ago, and that number is only growing.
That’s why city officials need the public’s input. On Thursday, May 4, the wild deer issue will be a topic of discussion at a town hall meeting.
Regan Berkley is a regional wildlife manager and she works out of the Idaho Fish and Game office in McCall. She sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the deer numbers, an infestation of “exotic” lice and what options may be in front of the resort community.
Making hiking trails more accessible with 'mini tanks'
May 04, 2023
(Dustin Jones / Flickr)
Our region is known for beautiful mountain trails, but for those with a disability, hiking can be difficult. One state park in Colorado has worked to fix that.
Emma Vandeneinde of the Mountain West News Bureau takes us on a hike there with some new technology that they hope to expand to other outdoor areas.
'The Still Small Voice:' An author interview with Brenda Stanley
May 04, 2023
( Twisted Pen Publishing)
Brenda Stanley is a writer and journalist who spent more than two decades as a news anchor and investigative reporter with the NBC affiliate in eastern Idaho.
Her work has been recognized by the Scripps Howard Foundation and the Hearst Journalism Awards. She joined Idaho Matters to talk about her latest novel, "The Still Small Voice."
How wildfires can lead to floods
May 04, 2023
(ZapWizard / Flickr)
The impact of a wildfire doesn't go away once the flames are out. By scarring the Earth, a fire can leave an area vulnerable to floods.
That’s a real risk this year when the snowpack is high in Colorado, Utah and Idaho, which is already facing threats of flooding across several parts of the Gem state.
KUER’s Curtis Booker reports from Utah, which has had a number of big fires, for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 3, 2023
May 03, 2023
A nurse fills a syringe with COVID-19 vaccine. (Orlin Wagner / AP)
The Biden administration will end most federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements next week, rolling back a vast assertion of government power that helped bring an end to the worst public health threat in 100 years. So what does that mean moving forward?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to help answer this question.
A look at what Idaho librarians are coping with today
May 03, 2023
(CCAC North Library / Flickr)
"If you know a librarian, hug them." That’s the advice of Erin Downey who says librarians have been caught in the crossfire of politics this year and are having trouble struggling their way through a new political landscape.
Downey is the Boise School District Library consultant and she sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about how librarians are coping.
It's time to hit the trails! Recommendations on where to hike with your dog
May 03, 2023
Summer is right around the corner and two Boise dog owners teamed up to write a book about 80 trails, paths and parks that are great to explore with your furry friends.
Matt Clark and Diana Burrell love to hike with their dogs and found sometimes they are on a trail and there's either not enough shade, water or the tread wasn't quite right for paws. Their book "The Hiker's Guide: Treasure Valley Dog Hikes & Walks" came about after they talked to Scott Marchant, who has been writing hiker's guidebooks for several years.
The book discusses topics like safety, preparation and bringing enough water for your dogs. They also gave trail ideas for older dogs or dogs with short legs, like Barber Park Path, the Greenbelt and trails by Celebration Park in Canyon County.
Burrell said all the trails mentioned in the book, like Table Rock and Sinker Butte near Swan Falls Dam, are within 90 minutes of Meridian. Their favorite places to go with their dogs are Seaman's Gulch Complex, Pinnacle Point and Amity Dog Park in Nampa.
Clark and Burrell will be at Rediscovered Books in downtown Boise for a book signing on Thursday, May 4, so bring your dogs and pick up a copy before your next hike.
'The Daydreams:' An author interview with Laura Hankin
May 03, 2023
( Berkley )
Author Laura Hankin is known for delivering witty, smart and funny women's fiction and she is back with her latest novel, The Daydreams. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book.
Idaho Matters discusses the importance of menopause knowledge
May 02, 2023
(iStockphoto)
Approximately half of all Americans will go through menopause. However, it remains an under-discussed topic, leaving many scared and uninformed about the changes they are experiencing.
It also leaves them in the dark when it comes to perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and hormone therapy.
Idaho Matters spent an hour talking about this important topic with three experts in the field:
Jill Gustafson, a certified nurse midwife and menopause specialist with Quantum Women's Health
Dr. Paru David, internist and women's health specialist at the Mayo Clinic and menopause-certified practitioner by the North American Menopause Society
Dr. Tali Sobel, women's health internist at the Mayo Clinic and menopause-certified practitioner by the North American Menopause Society
The experts spoke with Gemma about the difference between early perimenopause, perimenopause and menopause; symptoms and temporary treatments; misinformation around hormone replacement therapy; sexual health and how to advocate for yourself to get the help and treatment you need.
'Idaho Gives' gives a helping hand to local nonprofits
May 01, 2023
( Idaho Gives)
Idaho nonprofits are struggling, especially after demand for their services increased dramatically as part of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But this is the time of year when nonprofits get a lifeline from the community with Idaho Gives. It’s a four-day fundraiser where you can help your favorite nonprofit.
Kevin Bailey with the Idaho Nonprofit Center says it’s vital, especially for tiny groups that struggle to stay afloat monetarily. He spoke with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about how nonprofits are doing and how Idaho Gives works.
Research project looks at water accessibility in the Navajo Nation
May 01, 2023
(iStockphoto)
One organization in our region is examining water quality and access on tribal lands. Emma VandenEinde of the Mountain West News Bureau took a trip to the border of Arizona and New Mexico to see how.
How to have hard conversations with your kids
May 01, 2023
This talk will look at how we can create safe environments for kids to share their feelings so that we can better listen and support them, while also helping them find a way forward.
Erin Pfaeffle, the Senior Director of Community Health and Engagement with St. Luke's joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this and the upcoming event.
How writing a letter can help preserve your legacy
May 01, 2023
(iStockphoto)
At some point in our life, many of us think about the kind of legacy we would like to leave behind or the things we want our loved ones to know.
And what better way to communicate these thoughts and desires than through a letter, which is exactly how some people are choosing to pass on their life lessons and values to the next generation? Jay Sherwin, the founder of the Life Reflections Project joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How to help pollinators this summer, including the beetles
May 01, 2023
You can pick up a mix of plants at this year's Treasure Valley Pollinator Project that will help beetles thrive! Mix 4 includes ruby grass, blue flax, Bunny Tails and blue fescue.( Treasure Valley Pollinator Project)
Two years ago the folks at the Ada Soil and Water Conservation District were worried. They were watching rampant growth and development spread across the Treasure Valley and that growth was taking out the plants and green spaces that pollinators need to survive.
Those bees and butterflies are what pollinate plants, including the plants we use for food, and without them around humans will be in big trouble.
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.
Idaho scholars work to improve literacy outcomes
Apr 28, 2023
(CCAC North Library / Flickr)
Last year, tests revealed a slight improvement in literacy among Idaho’s K-3 students, but the state continues to lag behind a number of neighboring states and at-risk students lag even further behind their peers.
A trio from the College of Idaho got the unique chance to talk about new research on the subject at this month’s World Literacy Summit at Oxford University.
They sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about their once-in-a-lifetime moment at Oxford, what Idaho can do sooner than later to improve literacy and how their research particularly focuses on pre-service teachers
How to keep kids safe on the internet
Apr 27, 2023
(LA Johnson / NPR)
How often are your kids on the internet? How long each day are they looking at their phone or computer or playing internet video games?
And this is the more important question: who are they talking to when they’re online? Are they chatting with friends or with people who want to harm your kids? How do you know who they’re talking to and how do you keep them safe from internet predators?
This is why the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was created, to protect kids on the internet and to teach parents and kids how to be safe from predators online.
A special training on how to keep kids safe will take place Friday in Nampa and everyone is invited to learn about things like cyberbullying, sexting and concrete ways to keep your kids safe.
Jeannie Strohmeyer, the Executive Director of the Nampa Family Justice Center and child advocate Mandi Jimenez joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these issues and ways to keep our children safe.
Open Arms brings new joy to the art of movement
Apr 27, 2023
Tilly Erskine. The premier of Open Arms Dance Project's performance of THREADS at the Morrison Center in Boise, Idaho, April 28, 2022.(Gregg Mizuta / Open Arms)
Since 2009, the Open Arms Project has been redefining dance and what it means to move and make art.
The group includes dancers of all ages and abilities and this week, they will be wrapping up their latest season with two final performances exploring themes of civility and compassion and how they are cultivated.
The founding artistic director of the Open Arms Dance Project Megan Brandel and Dance Ambassador Heather Marie joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming performances.
Here's a video from one year ago, thanks to createid on Idaho Public Television:
Water scarcity in tribal communities result in health issues for children
Apr 27, 2023
(Akash Ghai / NPR)
Tribal communities have historically had a hard time getting clean drinking water and that can affect the health of their babies. Some public health studies have tried to change the narrative.
What to Watch: TV shows to enjoy from home and a trip to the theater
Apr 27, 2023
A great new miniseries, a fine new film and the weirdest tv series title ever. It's time for What to Watch with our resident movie expert, George Prentice!
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 26, 2023
Apr 26, 2023
( Johns Hopkins University Press )
It’s time for our weekly Doctors Roundtable, which grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic that started just over three years ago in Idaho.
While we still struggle with cases of COVID-19 and its variants, many are looking back over the past three years to figure out what we did right and what we did wrong, with an eye toward the next global outbreak of a virus.
Dr. David Pate, who has hosted our Doctor’s Roundtable since it began and Dr. Ted Epperly just wrote a book that looks at the last three years of the pandemic and provides over 100 recommendations designed to help everyone prepare for and survive the next outbreak.
Dr. Pate and Dr. Epperly joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'The One:' An author interview with Julia Argy
Apr 25, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
So many folks are hooked on reality tv, especially reality tv dating shows. So what is it about them that draws us in and makes us watch and invest so much time and attention?
Well, author Julia Argy delves into all of this in her newest novel, The One. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'I Have Some Questions for You:' Author Interview with Rebecca Makkai
Apr 25, 2023
( Viking)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 8, 2023.
Rebecca Makkai’s last book "The Great Believers," was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and readers and critics alike have been anxiously awaiting her next book.
Her new novel, "I Have Some Questions for You," is out now and Makkai describes her most recent creation as, "the literary feminist boarding school murder mystery you didn’t know you needed!" Makkai joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her enthralling novel.
'Unrestricted:' An author interview with Dawn Brockett
Apr 25, 2023
( Ranch Studios)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 7, 2023.
One woman is challenging the way our society, for decades, has viewed anorexia.
City of Boise looks to rewrite zoning code
Apr 24, 2023
(stewie811 / Flickr)
The City of Boise wants to rewrite the zoning code that governs how and where new building will happen. It’s the first major rewrite of the code in years and it will reshape how things like houses, apartments and other buildings are built in Idaho’s capital city.
The city says the new code is needed to guide growth better and create more affordable housing. Opponents say the proposal would change the shape of residential neighborhoods and favors developers over neighbors.
The new code will come under scrutiny starting Monday night as the Boise Planning and Zoning Commission begins four days of public hearings on the rewrite and we wanted to find out what the code says and how folks feel about it. So we turned to the experts who’ve been writing about the code for months.
Don Day, the founder and editor of BoiseDev.com and Senior Reporter Margaret Carmel joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A conversation with author Leah Konen
Apr 24, 2023
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on January 18, 2023.
Acclaimed author Leah Konen is back with a new domestic thriller, "You Should Have Told Me." She joined Idaho Matters to talk about her latest novel.
'Times Undoing:' An author interview with Cheryl Head
Apr 24, 2023
( Dutton)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on February 21, 2023.
Author Cheryl Head is known for her page turning novels and her newest book, "Time’s Undoing", is her most personal yet. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about how her outrage over the murder of George Floyd in 2020 compelled her to write her latest novel.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 21, 2023
Apr 21, 2023
Ammon Bundy speaks to the media in front of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters on Jan. 6 near Burns, Ore. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
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.
'Just my Type' author chats with Idaho Matters
Apr 21, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on February 7, 2022.
Last time we spoke with author Falon Ballard she had just released her first novel "Lease on Love." And it was a hit, receiving praise from USA Today, US Weekly, POPSUGAR and BuzzFeed, just to name a few. Now she is back with her second novel, "Just My Type."
Rewilding the Boise River is a labor of love
Apr 21, 2023
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 2, 2023.
Along the banks of the Boise River a scrubby, weedy landscape is being transformed back to a living, vibrant ecosystem thanks to the hard work of hundreds of volunteers from across the Treasure Valley.
It’s called the Boise River ReWild Project and it’s the brainchild of the Golden Eagle Audubon Society. The goal is to restore more than 50 acres of habitat along the river.
Idaho Matters producers Samantha Wright and Hannah Gardoski drove down to the river on a very windy day and walked along the bank and many rows of tubes of plastic webbing with tiny plant sprouts inside.
They were joined by Danae Fails with the Golden Eagle Audubon Society who is the project coordinator for the Boise River ReWild Project and Sean Finn, who volunteers as the Project Lead.
A stretch of the Boise River, not far from Barber Park. ( Hannah Gardoski)
Finn says the whole idea is to increase the native biodiversity along the Boise River. He says we’ve lost that biodiversity since the very first days of the Oregon Trail.
“There were people who were on the Oregon Trail who were camping right here. It's hard to believe, but it's true. And of course, those people, they stopped here, their horses and their cattle fed up on the grass and the other plants. And when they were done and ready, they moved on,” says Finn.
He says that’s been the story of the river for decades. Each time someone used the river for its resources and then moved on, leaving an area behind that degraded over time.
“All those native plants that were out here, from time immemorial until about 1850, have slowly been lost just because we weren't paying attention. And now we want to pay attention.”
As the native plants died, weeds took over. And Finn says those weeds should not be there.
“The weeds serve no purpose to our pollinators and our other insects, very little purpose to our small mammals. They do nothing for the birds. They don't carry high energy nectar. They don't provide high energy berries,” Finn says.
So one of the goals of the project is to bring back the native biodiversity of wildflowers, native grasses, native shrubs that bear berries and other kinds of fruit. And they’re taking out the weeds and invasive species like Russian Olive trees.
Jon Mathews is a volunteer with the project. As a Plot Lead, he coordinates dozens of volunteers who weed the areas and plant the new sprouts.
“We planted about 2000 plants in our plots and then we go back out and kind of nurture them, throw water at them and cage them up and protect them from the deer and everything so they grow,” says Mathews.
Each plot is about half an acre. Volunteers plant dozens of kinds of plants including several kinds of sagebrush, rabbitbrush, chokecherry, bitterbrush, gooseberry leaf, globemallow, and a ton of milkweed plants.
Inside each plastic mesh tube is a tiny native plant sprout. The plastic tubing protects the plant from becoming a "chicken nugget" for deer, according to Sean Finn. ( Hannah Gardoski)
They rely on experts to help them figure out what plants to plant and where to plant them. Other experts donate their time to help teach the volunteers “who maybe don't have the knowledge but have the passion about caring for the river and caring for wild things. And so that's how we try and build communities,” says Finn.
The project relies on hundreds of volunteers, from dozens of classrooms of kids to people who grow some of the seeds and sprouts in their backyard to folks who come down to the river and pull the weeds up by hand.
Finn says they’ll maintain the plots for two years to let the native plants get established.
( Hannah Gardoski)
“We will be monitoring plant survival. We're monitoring pollinators, our attendance at these plots, and we're monitoring bird populations around these plots. And we'll do that through the end of 2024 to evaluate what our actual conservation outcomes are,” says Finn.
He says our big government agencies are working on big restoration projects but the smaller areas can fall through the cracks, like a five-acre plot of weeds along the Boise River.
Beavers have already started to rewild this section of the river. ( Hannah Gardoski)
What's next for public lands: A conversation with Tracy Stone-Manning
Apr 20, 2023
(Visit Idaho / Visit Idaho)
Tracy Stone-Manning served as Montana's Director of the Department of Environmental Quality and she served with the National Wildlife Federation. Then in 2021, President Biden asked her to become the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
She spends a lot of time on the road, including this week as the guest of the Cecil Andrus Center for Public Policy and the annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists in Boise. She sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk more.
'Microjoys:' An author interview with Cyndie Spiegel
Apr 20, 2023
( Penguin Life)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 6, 2023.
The book is filled with essays about the microjoys that have kept Cyndie moving forward, even in the toughest times of her life. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Enchantment:' An author interview with Katherine May
Apr 20, 2023
( Riverhead Books)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 1, 2023.
In this book, May explores how we can re-awaken our sense of wonder, instead of always feeling burned out. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
The World Center for Birds of Prey brings a live raptor on Idaho Matters
Apr 20, 2023
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 23, 2023.
Since the World Center for Birds of Prey opened its doors in 1994 in south Boise, over 500,000 students have come to the facility to learn about birds, the environment and hands-on science.
The center and the Peregrine Fund are dedicated to saving bird species, helping them thrive and teaching the next generation how to prevent extinction and protect the habitat of these creatures.
To help with that mission, the center is about to hold a grand opening of the new addition to its facility. It will dramatically increase the number of students and visitors who can come to learn about raptors and expand the center’s research facilities.
Tate Mason, the Director of the World Center for Birds of Prey and Stephanie Ashley, the Curator of Birds, along with Star, a peregrine falcon, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the new campus.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 19, 2023
Apr 19, 2023
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
A new COVID-19 booster dose is about to be approved, just in time for a new variant that’s making the rounds. Plus, many hospitals and health clinics in Idaho and other parts of the country are dropping their mask requirements as mask fatigue continues to grow.
But is that a good idea? How do folks in the high-risk category for COVID-19 feel about this move?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to help us answer some of these questions.
'Pineapple Street:' An author interview with Jenny Jackson
Apr 19, 2023
( Pamela Dorman Books)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 21, 2023.
Jenny Jackson, in the early days of the pandemic, decided to move her family out of New York City and go stay with her in-laws in Connecticut.
When she did this, she also decided, hey, what a great time to write a book! So that's what she did.
Jackson sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about her new book "Pineapple Street."
'Born Extraordinary:' An author interview with Meg Zucker
Apr 19, 2023
( TarcherPerigee)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 9, 2023.
There are so many struggles facing parents and children in today’s world, then throw in any type of difference and those struggles can multiply.
Meg Zucker, who was born with a genetic condition herself, knows those struggles and she wanted to give parents and caregivers some tools on how to support their children. And that's exactly what she did, with her new book, "Born Extraordinary: Empowering Children with Differences and Disabilities."
Watershed management and the Columbia River basin
Apr 18, 2023
(Shawn Kinkade / Flickr)
The Columbia River basin watershed is one of the biggest in the United States covering 260,000 square miles and that includes creeks, streams and rivers across Idaho and six other states, as well as parts of Canada.
The basin has struggled with issues like water quality, toxic pollution and fish conservation.
There are many who want to help clean up and preserve the river basin, but that can be tricky because there’s no one overarching entity in charge of this sprawling watershed. This water system, like many in America, is governed by a complex web of local, state and federal authorities.
The 32nd annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists taking place in Boise this week will look at who governs watersheds and new ways to collaborate among concerned parties to help river basins like the Columbia.
Mary Lou Soscia is the former Columbia River Restoration Program Manager in region 10 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She’ll be part of a panel Wednesday titled “Watersheds Governance and Power Structures” and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Turning murder mysteries on their head
Apr 18, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on January 31, 2023.
A new novel, The Hunter, puts to rest some tropes about suspense novels, small town crime and police corruption. The book’s author, Jennifer Herrera, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book.
'The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise:' An author interview with Colleen Oakley
Apr 18, 2023
( Berkley )
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 30, 2023.
USA Today bestselling author Colleen Oakley is back with a new novel, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise. It’s being called wildly surprising and entertaining, just the book many of us need right now.
Colleen Joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
The fight to remove four Snake River dams in Idaho
Apr 17, 2023
(Darin Oswald / Idaho Statesman)
For over three decades, there have been those who have argued for taking down four Snake River hydropower dams to help save struggling salmon. But for years, efforts to remove the dams have stalled for a variety of reasons.
Now there are some very concrete efforts, including in the U.S. Congress, to try to get all the players to the table and to consider a way to take the dams down. The 32nd annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists taking place in Boise this week will look at the chances of taking down the dams and restoring salmon habitat.
Veteran Idaho environmental journalist Rocky Barker will be leading a conversation Wednesday called Swimming Upstream and he joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Are you prepared for a cyberattack?
Apr 17, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
How prepared are you for a cyberattack? In this digital age, cybersecurity preparedness is a constant battle and our only defense against hackers trying to steal our information and our identities.
That’s a question that Toby King considers every day. He is the Chief Information Officer of CapEd Credit Union and part of his job is to train folks to keep their computers, phones, and personal information safe online.
Students help solve water problems in the southwest
Apr 17, 2023
(BES Photo / Flickr Creative Commons)
All across the southwest, there’s a problem. There’s not enough water to go around and the water that does arrive often falls far away from where people live, leading to tense conversations about how and where it should be used.
A new project is trying to bridge the gap, starting with the youngest water users. KUNC’s Alex Hager reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
'Rebugging The Planet:' Why bugs are important and how we can help them
Apr 17, 2023
Despite how you may feel about most bugs, they are very good for the environment and are being threatened by pollution, habitat loss, a changing climate and even the kinds of clothes you buy.
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.
According to Idaho Health and Welfare, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the department was not allowed to drop people from Medicaid even if they were no longer eligible for the coverage. It was called "Medicaid Protection."
But last December, Congress reversed that decision and said states could remove people who no longer qualified, and since then Health and Welfare has been re-evaluating the cases of over 153,000 people to see if they can stay on the program.
So what happens now for the already dropped from Idaho Medicaid? And for the thousands more expected to lose coverage in the coming weeks?
This year includes the return of a carnivorous plant, an electropop comet and Dracula. Oh, and there will be some Shakespeare too!
Charlie Fee is the producing artistic director of the festival and will be directing two of the plays this season. He sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming productions.
'The Christians' takes the stage at the Boise Contemporary Theater
Apr 13, 2023
( Boise Contemporary Theater)
Next week, the Boise Contemporary Theater will begin previews for its latest production, The Christians. The play is about a pastor, a congregation and one sermon that will challenge the faith of its church.
Producing Artistic Director Benjamin Burdick joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming performance.
Habitat for Humanity to build new home for Idaho family
Apr 13, 2023
( Habitat for Humanity)
Earlier this year, we told you how our local Habitat for Humanity was working to get people into homes and found out how they were working with Congress to try and find more solutions to Idaho's growing housing crisis.
The program is planning to build a new home in Star and they are taking applications from families hoping to own their own home. Janessa Chastain, the Executive Director of Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about this process works.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 12, 2023
Apr 12, 2023
President Biden removes his mask before speaking about the pandemic outside of the White House on Tuesday afternoon.(Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
For the last three years, the United States has been under a national emergency to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan congressional resolution to bring it to a close just weeks before it was set to expire alongside a separate public health emergency.
So what does this mean moving forward? Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to help us answer this question.
Tracking the spread of COVID-19 through wastewater
Apr 12, 2023
( City of Boise)
When COVID-19 hit Idaho three years ago officials were looking for ways to determine how hard the virus was hitting cities like Boise.
It was in May 2020 when the City of Boise started analyzing its wastewater for the virus because people can shed the virus in wastewater before they get sick. This became a useful tool for many trying to track and treat the illness.
Haley Falconer, the Environmental Division Manager with the City of Boise, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Raising awareness for National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Apr 12, 2023
(Garden City Public Library / Idaho Children's Trust Fund)
Idaho gets almost 23,000 calls every year from people that suspect child abuse, neglect, or abandonment, according to Health and Welfare.
Even though not all those calls indicate child abuse, that’s a really scary number.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Roger Sherman, the Executive Director of the Idaho Children's Trust Fund and Grants Manager, Kim Hemmert, who has been coordinating statewide activities for the month joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A look at the woman who helped complete the Colorado Trail
Apr 12, 2023
(Tim Stewart / Flickr)
Our region is known for its stunning hiking trails, like those in the Boise foothills.
Another famous and well loved hiking system is the Colorado Trail, stretching hundreds of miles from Denver to Durango. Now, a new archival collection is shining a light on the woman who spearheaded its completion. KUNC's Natalie Skowlund reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
New survey reveals maternal healthcare providers are leaving Idaho
Apr 11, 2023
(JGI/Tom Grill / Getty Images/Tetra images RF)
When Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer, allowing states to decide how far they want to ban abortions, Idaho’s near total abortion ban went into effect. The only exceptions are in the case of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.
This law, and others in Idaho restricting abortion, have caused some doctors who practice in the state to consider moving. Some medical students also are rethinking coming to Idaho to practice medicine.
A recent survey asks how Idaho's abortion laws are affecting the state’s maternal healthcare doctors and the results are concerning, especially for women considering pregnancy.
Dr. Lauren Miller, who leads the Idaho Coalition for Safe Reproductive Health Care and who conducted the survey, professor and attorney McKay Cunningham, the Director of On-Campus Experiential Learning at the College of Idaho and Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist, Dr. Maria Palmquist joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Mountain West tribe works to gain access to water rights
Apr 11, 2023
A community corn field at the Jemez Pueblo in north-central New Mexico, seen here on March 17, 2023. The Pueblo, which is largely supported by farming, irrigates its farms with snowmelt from the surrounding mountains. (Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau )
For 40 years, a tribe in our region has been working to access the water they feel they’re owed by the federal government. And those efforts are more urgent than ever as climate change and development continue to affect their water supplies.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel reports.
'Natural Beauty': An author interview with Ling Ling Huang
Apr 11, 2023
( Dutton)
Natural Beauty is the debut novel by Ling Ling Huang. This behind-the-scenes look at the beauty industry examines issues of consumerism, race, identity and self-worth.
The book has already been optioned for a tv series. Huang joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new book.
Who should decide what our kids read?
Apr 10, 2023
More and more libraries and librarians are caught up in what is becoming a more polarized world.
Next week Emily Drabinski will be speaking to the OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute in Boise. She’s an Associate Professor and Critical Pedagogy Librarian, Graduate Center, City University of New York and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Albertsons Library hosting 'Americans and the Holocaust' exhibition
Apr 10, 2023
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's exhibit, "Americans and the Holocaust," surfaces the complexity of national attitudes and concerns that weighed heavily on the nation's role during the Holocaust.(Eslah Attar/NPR)
The exhibition explores the different influences that formed America's response to the crisis in Europe during the 1930s and 40s. Historian Rebecca Erbelding and Albertsons Archivist, Librarian and Exhibit Manager Gwyn Hervochon joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
How does climate change impact the spread of infectious diseases?
Apr 10, 2023
Black-legged ticks, also known as deer ticks, can carry Lyme disease.(Kenneth H Thomas / Science Source/Getty Images)
As the planet continues to warm and seasons begin to change many people are starting to see warmer winters and earlier springs which makes it easier to spread infectious diseases, especially as insects have more time to reproduce and expand into new territory.
Dr. Christine Hahn, Idaho state epidemiologist and medical director in the Division of Public Health, Teresa Bradford, the student chapter president of Idaho Clinicians for Climate Health and Dr. Sky Blue, an Infectious Disease Specialist working in hospital epidemiology and infection prevention joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'When the Moon Turns to Blood:' An author interview with Leah Sottile
Apr 10, 2023
( Twelve)
Opening statements began Monday in Boise in the murder and conspiracy trial of Lori Vallow Daybell. She’s charged with the deaths of two of her children.
Portland-based journalist and author Leah Sottile has written a book about the case, called “When the Moon Turns to Blood.” She sat down with All Things Considered host Troy Oppie.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 7, 2023
Apr 07, 2023
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is being questioned by the Attorney General's office, efforts to override Gov. Little's library veto failed, Idaho's population continues to grow and we take a look at why Planned Parenthood Northwest is suing AG Raúl Labrador.
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
Nicole Blanchard, Outdoors Reporter with the Idaho Statesman
Kelcie Moseley-Morris, National Reproductive Rights Reporter with States Newsroom
NPR's longest-serving international reporter says goodbye
Apr 06, 2023
Sylvia Poggioli is hanging up her headphones. Yes, that Sylvia Poggioli, NPR's longest-serving reporter on the international desk.
She’s covered three popes, war in the Balkans, immigration in Europe and so much more in her 51 years in journalism. She joined Idaho Matters from Rome to talk more.
Teaching teachers how to make STEM fun for kids
Apr 06, 2023
Teachers will learn experiments like this one, which shows how things rust.(Jessica L. Economy / Boise State University)
Dr. Harold Ackler pours salt and hydrogen peroxide into beakers of water in a science lab on the campus of Boise State University.
“So this one is a corrosion experiment,” says Dr. Ackler, the Clinical Assistant Professor and Materials Teaching Lab Coordinator, as he starts ripping apart a scrubby pad of steel wool.
The four beakers are filled with solutions of water, salt and hydrogen peroxide before the steel wool is added to the mix.(Jessica Economy / Boise State University)
“It's intended to give students an idea of what happens to a metal when you put it in different kinds of solutions, different environments, basically corrosion or rusting, things like that,” he says as he puts a hunk of steel wool into four beakers and stands back to watch what happens.
This is just one experiment that teachers will learn how to do this summer at a special workshop designed to teach teachers how to make STEM more fun for kids.
Dr. Harold Ackler is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Materials Teaching Lab Coordinator at Boise State. (Jessica Economy / Boise State University)
“So the teachers at this summer camp are going to be learning how to do this, to do it with their students back at their schools,” says Dr. Ackler.
Each beaker has a different liquid solution. The fourth beaker has a mix of water, salt and hydrogen peroxide. After a few minutes, that beaker starts to bubble and turn an orange/brown color.
“The one with both peroxide and salt is kind of a nice, rusty, frothy brew,” he says. The beaker keeps turning a darker brown, with bits of rust floating on the steel wool.
“It's nasty,” says Dr. Amy Moll, professor and director of the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering as she peers at the icky solution in the fourth beaker. The third beaker, with just hydrogen peroxide, is starting to turn yellow, also showing some signs of rusting.
The ASM Materials Camp gives teachers the tools they need to create these simple, safe and inexpensive experiments for their students.
The goal, said Dr. Moll, is to get kids thinking about how and why things happen.
“Understanding how things rust, why they rust, how to make that better, that's applied science, right? That's what material science is. So you can see how it applies to your real life and we can make it fun,” says Dr. Moll.
Beaker four has turned into a rusty, bubbling brew after just a few minutes.(Jessica Economy / Boise State University)
Dr. Ackler says the rust experiment was a success.
“I think the one with salt and peroxide actually surprised me. It was faster and more aggressive than I thought it would be.”
Dr. Moll says they’re still looking for teachers to sign up for the free workshop this July at Boise State and encourages educators to take advantage of the camp and what it has to offer.
The Society of Environmental Journalists Conference returns to Boise
Apr 06, 2023
(Alan Krakauer / Flickr Creative Commons)
In two week,s hundreds of journalists, scientists and government representatives will gather in Boise to talk about everything from climate change, wildfires, biology and the natural environment.
The Society of Environmental Journalists Conference is a chance to exchange ideas and learn more about the issues affecting our planet. Meaghan Parker, the Executive Director of the Society of Environmental Journalists, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Could mindfulness benefit parents with chronically ill kids?
Apr 06, 2023
(chuwy / Getty Images)
Chances are, at some point in your life, you’ve heard about the benefits of practicing mindfulness. These benefits include reducing stress, decreasing depression, lowering anxiety - the list goes on.
Dr. Cara Gallegos, an Associate Professor at Boise State's School of Nursing, wanted to see if practicing mindfulness could have these same benefits for parents, particularly parents who have children with complex medical conditions.
That's why she is working on a new study that looks at whether or not these practices could help improve their mental health. Gallegos joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this study and how it works.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 5, 2023
Apr 05, 2023
An image the Marburg virus made with an electron microscope and then colorized.(BSIP/UIG / Getty Images)
A deadly virus is spreading out of Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea. It’s a form of hemorrhagic fever, which has no cure.
How concerned should we be here in Idaho? We’ll answer that question and take a look at your questions about Shingles and COVID-19.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
Les Bois Film Festival returns to downtown Boise
Apr 05, 2023
( Les Bois Film Festival)
How many times have you heard us say, "paint me a word picture? or describe what it looks like?" Well, this time, I just don’t think we can do that.
Imagine a six foot high tortoise, crawling along a rocky landscape or a pair of 12 foot high bighorn sheep playfully bumping heads on a huge cliff. That’s just a small part of the amazing nature scenes you’ll see this weekend at the 7th annual Les Bois Film Festival at JUMP in downtown Boise.
Matt Podolsky, one of the festival organizers, joins Idaho Matters to try and describe all this lush, beautiful nature footage.
Parlor in the Round: A night of music, comedy and laughter
Apr 05, 2023
( Sun Valley Museum of Art)
What happens when you combine improv comedy, a group of slightly wacky singer-songwriters and dinner theater?
The founder and host of Parlor in the Round, Kevin Worrell, singer and songwriter Barbra Lica and American-folk singer-songwriter and filmmaker Korby Lenker joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Youth Ranch launches new platform to help mental health professionals
Apr 03, 2023
(Ute Grabowsky / Photothek via Getty Images)
It’s no secret that many kids in America are struggling with mental health issues. Studies from across the country and in Idaho are showing an alarming rise in the number of children and teens who struggle with sadness, depression and even thoughts of suicide.
The number of mental health professionals is dropping, thanks to a growing shortage of experts and a growing number of people who quit the profession because of burnout and lack of support.
The Idaho Youth Ranch wants to fill that gap with a new website designed to help support and celebrate the folks who take care of our kids when they are in crisis, it’s called Leading Edge for Youth.
Scott Curtis, the CEO of Idaho Youth Ranch and Camille Anderson, their Chief People Officer, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the new online community.
Protecting Idaho wilderness through collaboration
Apr 03, 2023
(Talo Pinto / Flickr)
Here in Idaho, collaboration is a big part of, not just protecting public lands but solving natural resource issues, wilderness designation, restoration and protection issues - from the Owyhee's to the panhandle.
And these collaborative efforts are being used as a model to help resolve other natural resource problems facing the west.
John Robison, the Public Lands Director for the Idaho Conservation League, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
High school students find invasive species in Idaho waterways
Apr 03, 2023
red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii)(giocalde/Getty Images/iStockphoto / iStockphoto)
Red Swamp Crayfish have invaded Idaho.
These invasive crustaceans shouldn’t be here and they could harm native species and water quality if they are allowed to spread.
These red, bumpy creatures were found where the Snake Clearwater Rivers meet and were discovered by a group of Lewiston High School students who were taking part in a special hands-on learning project from the University of Idaho Extension Department.
Jim Ekins, U of I Extension Water Educator and Director of IDAH20 joins Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 31, 2023
Mar 31, 2023
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.
'Clean Slate Act' offers fresh start for non-violent offenders
Mar 30, 2023
Earlier this week, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law what’s been dubbed the Clean Slate Act.
The bipartisan legislation allows people with “minor non-violent, non-sexual offenses” to ask to shield their criminal record from public view if they meet certain conditions.
Even a conviction for a minor offense can create barriers to renting an apartment or finding a job. Minority Leader Ilana Rubel (D-Boise), who championed the bill, and Sen. Dave Lent (R-Idaho Falls) joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
It's time to make sure you're still registered to vote in Idaho
Mar 30, 2023
(Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images)
If you haven’t voted in a few years, your registration may have been dropped from the voter rolls.
Every other year, Idaho’s 44 county clerks and the Secretary of State are required to do a review of the voter registration system and drop the voters who have moved, who haven’t been voting and who may have become ineligible to vote.
During this year’s review, more than 74,000 names were removed from the system and officials want to get the word out to folks who may have dropped off so they can re-register if they’re able to.
Idaho Secretary of State, Phil McGrane joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
From coal to nuclear, the energy landscape could be shifting
Mar 30, 2023
(Marketplace)
The energy landscape in our region is changing with coal plants scheduled to close and fossil fuel production facing new challenges.
Meanwhile, renewable energy projects are taking shape – including a nuclear plant funded by Bill Gates and job training programs are adjusting to the shift.
Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
'The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise:' An author Interview with Colleen Oakley
Mar 30, 2023
( Berkley )
USA Today bestselling author Colleen Oakley is back with a new novel, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise. It’s being called wildly surprising and entertaining, just the book many of us need right now.
Colleen Joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 29, 2023
Mar 29, 2023
Adderall is a stimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.(J.B. Reed / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In October last year, the FDA announced a shortage of Adderall due to manufacturing delays.
Now six months later, there is a severe shortage of not just Adderall, but similar drugs that treat ADHD. And it’s wreaking havoc on the lives of the children and adults who have the disorder.
So, what's going on and what can be done to fix the problem? Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the issue.
Winter weather causes problems for livestock producers
Mar 29, 2023
(Ken Whytock / Flickr Creative Commons)
More winter weather is pouring into the area this week, especially in the mountains and eastern Oregon. Livestock producers in our region have been hit hard by all this cold, snowy weather.
That’s why several states have asked the federal government for relief. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel visited a cattle operation to see how they’re weathering the storms.
A look at how recreation is reshaping Idaho's landscape
Mar 29, 2023
(Visit Idaho / Visit Idaho)
Are we loving Idaho lands to death? Is it time for a conversation about "re-creating" recreation?
The Andrus Center for Public Policy thinks so and is going to ask these questions on April 18 with a program called "Re-creating Public Land Recreation."
Dr. Emily Wakild is the Cecil Andrus Endowed Chair for Environment and Public Lands and she says recreation on Idaho public lands is no longer simply an afterthought or weekend diversion. She joined Morning Edition host George Prentice to preview the event, talk about the intersection of best practices and tension and Idaho’s delicate balance with endangered species.
'Do The Right' is helping to spread a little bit of kindness
Mar 29, 2023
Next week, the City of Meridian is asking everyone to perform an act of kindness, from the small to the large, to spread some compassion throughout the community.
April 6 will be the eighth annual Do The Right day in Meridian and Sahand Keshavarz, the Programs and Events Specialist, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
North Idaho hospital drops care for pregnant moms due in part to political climate
Mar 28, 2023
(Jamie Grill / Tetra images RF/Getty Images)
This month Bonner General Health, the only hospital in a city of around 9,000 people, announced that they would no longer be delivering babies or providing other pregnancy and childbirth care.
Located in Sandpoint the hospital provided several reasons for discontinuing the service, one of them being “Idaho's legal and political climate." Without labor and delivery services in the city expecting mothers will now have to drive to the next closest hospital for care, which is 46 miles away.
Kelcie Mosley-Morris, a national reproductive rights reporter with States Newsroom reported on this story and joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Are inhalers contributing to climate change?
Mar 28, 2023
(PixelsEffect / Getty Images)
When you think of climate change you might not think about people who suffer from asthma, but many of the inhalers that help people with lung issues breathe can create greenhouse gasses.
St. Luke’s Regional Health System is holding a series of talks on medicine and climate change and the first one, "Climate Smart Asthma Care" is happening on Wednesday and will include some possible alternatives that might reduce the carbon footprint of folks with asthma.
Dr. Ethan Sims, an Emergency Department Physician with St. Luke's and Medical Director of Sustainability, along with Dr. Gregg Furie, a Primary Care Physician and Medical Director for Climate and Sustainability at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Superhero Walk' helps raise awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month
Mar 28, 2023
( Jennifer Perry)
According to an annual report from the Idaho Legislature, the number of cases filed by prosecutors in Idaho involving sexual abuse against children has once again gone up, this time to 1,043 cases.
A letter in the report stated that lawmakers were unsure why the numbers are so high. Regardless though, the problem of child abuse is not going away.
This is why this Saturday, the Nampa Family Justice Center and the Canyon County Law Enforcement Foundation are joining together to host this year's "Superhero Walk," an event that works to prevent and bring awareness to child abuse.
Jennifer Perry, the Child Advocacy Center Manager with the Nampa Family Justice Center and Camp Hope graduate, Jazmyn Lopez joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the "Superhero Walk."
Racing to the finish line: Skiers compete in Alpine Championships
Mar 28, 2023
(sun valley/facebook)
This has been a historic season for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, holding more world cup events on domestic soil in its history. And the season comes to a big finish with the U.S. Alpine Ski Championships in Sun Valley starting April 2.
Eric Webster is the Director of Events for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. Just prior to Sun Valley hosting the best of the best men and women skiers in the nation, Webster visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to preview the event.
Supporting Idaho women in agriculture
Mar 27, 2023
Colette DePhelps is helping to change the way we see farmers and ranchers in Idaho. ( Colette DePhelps)
She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the project.
Local Idaho woman fundraises for women's futures
Mar 27, 2023
Alley Orr started the "Women in STEM, Medicine, and Law Scholarship" in 2021.( Ally Orr)
In 2021, Boise State professor Scott Yenor made national news after giving a speech at the 2021 "National Conservatism Conference," calling independent women, “more medicated, meddlesome and quarrelsome than women need to be."
He then went on to say that “every effort must be made not to recruit women into engineering, but rather recruit and demand more of men who become engineers. Ditto for med school, and the law and every trade.”
Fast forward to today and Ally is back at it again, fundraising to help support women in their field of choice. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her latest GoFundMe.
A look at the bioethics of science and medicine
Mar 27, 2023
(Amy / Flickr)
As the world continues to leap forward with advances in technology, medicine and science the moral and ethical considerations of these advances often lag behind.
Bioethics is the study of the issues that come up with science, not just ethical issues but legal, social and religious issues that our rapid evolution of fields, like biomedical research, can outpace.
Dr. Bryan Williams, a bioethicist and the president of McCall College, teaches and helps people understand these issues, especially in the healthcare community. He’ll be teaching a multi-part class on bioethics at the OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State starting next week and we asked him to join Idaho Matters to talk more about bioethics.
Mountain West still courting crypto companies despite tough year
Mar 27, 2023
(thomasjphotos / Flickr)
It’s been a tough year for cryptocurrency – especially with the collapse of the massive exchange FTX. Yet, some Mountain West states are still courting crypto companies.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s Will Walkey reports.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 24, 2023
Mar 24, 2023
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
Gretchen Parsons, Managing Editor with BoiseDev.com
A look at how researchers are catching owls in the desert
Mar 23, 2023
Here’s a question that isn’t easy to answer, how do owls pick a spot to nest? You can’t just ask them, and as night creatures, it can be tricky to track them down to study them.
University of Idaho student Annie Vaage spent her summer in southeastern Arizona studying six kinds of owls to find out how they use their habitat and how a changing environment might affect how they live.
She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her research.
The World Center for Birds of Prey brings a live raptor on Idaho Matters
Mar 23, 2023
Since the World Center for Birds of Prey opened its doors in 1994 in south Boise, over 500,000 students have come to the facility to learn about birds, the environment and hands-on science.
The center and the Peregrine Fund are dedicated to saving bird species, helping them thrive and teaching the next generation how to prevent extinction and protect the habitat of these creatures.
To help with that mission, the center is about to hold a grand opening of the new addition to its facility. It will dramatically increase the number of students and visitors who can come to learn about raptors and expand the center’s research facilities.
Tate Mason, the Director of the World Center for Birds of Prey and Stephanie Ashley, the Curator of Birds, along with Star, a peregrine falcon, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the new campus.
What to Watch: Uncover the truth about the Boston Strangler and King Richard the III
Mar 23, 2023
(The Flicks)
The Oscars are behind us so now we can get ready for the rest of 2023, at least when it comes to movies and tv shows.
George Prentice, our resident movie critic, joins Idaho Matters to help us figure out what to watch.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 22, 2023
Mar 22, 2023
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact Idaho)
This week, the price of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is going up and what we know about long COVID may not be as accurate as we first thought.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to help break this all down.
One of the hardest endurance adventure races in the lower 48 is in our region. It’s over 100 miles and includes a slog through the snowy Wind River Mountains.
This year was especially grueling due to the extreme weather. Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
The Sun Valley Film Festival returns
Mar 22, 2023
( Sun Valley Film Festival)
It’s time once again for the Sun Valley Film Festival when some of the upcoming year’s best movies come to Idaho, along with stars, producers and directors.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice is always a key part of events during the festival and he recently sat down for a preview of this year’s films with Teddy Grennan, the founder of the festival and Executive Director Candice Pate.
From Sundance to Sun Valley, 'Fancy Dance' is leaving its mark on audiences
Mar 22, 2023
(Sun Valley Film Festival)
Producer and Director Heather Rae is known for such films as "Frozen River," "Tallulah" and "Bull." She has a new film called "Fancy Dance" which looks at Native American themes.
She sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about "Fancy Dance" and how streaming is creating a more global perspective in filmmaking.
Federal program pays farmers not to farm in effort to conserve water
Mar 21, 2023
(ROB HARTLEY / Flickr)
Water levels in Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir on the Colorado River, are at a record low. To keep it from declining further, federal officials are ready to spend tens of millions of dollars to incentivize farmers and other water users in the river’s upper basin to conserve.
But not everyone agrees that paying farmers not to farm is the way forward. Chris Clements of KSJD reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
University of Idaho student helps researchers identify giraffes in the wild
Mar 21, 2023
Webb ended up in Zingela, which is home to many animals, including giraffes. He was there to help researchers tell giraffes apart, which can be tricky! Webb joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his experience and research.
'The Fans Strike Back' exhibition comes to Boise
Mar 21, 2023
This weekend, you can fight alongside the Rebel Alliance or join the Galactic Empire because the largest Star Wars fan exhibition is in town.
The Fans Strike Back is an exhibition curated by fans for fans, with life-size figurines, light sabers, blasters, costumes, photos and more.
Erin Seymour, the Education Manager with the Discovery Center of Idaho and Alina Svidgal, the center's Marketing and Communications Manager joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the exhibit.
A quick disclaimer: The Fans Strike Back Exhibition is in no way linked to Disney Enterprises, INC., Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC, Lucas Licensing Ltd.; Lucas Entertainment Company Ltd. LLC or The Lego Group TM or Hasbro or any of their trademarks and/or businesses. All images used are reproductions of private works belonging to the exhibition.
'Pineapple Street:' An author interview with Jenny Jackson
Mar 21, 2023
( Pamela Dorman Books)
Jenny Jackson, in the early days of the pandemic, decided to move her family out of New York City and go stay with her in-laws in Connecticut.
When she did this, she also decided, hey, what a great time to write a book! So that's what she did.
Jackson sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about her new book "Pineapple Street."
The 'Idaho Listens Project' is taking time to listen to one another
Mar 20, 2023
( Boise State University)
What would happen if a group of people with diverse backgrounds, religions and political ideologies sat down together in a room and just talked about their experiences in Idaho?
Well, turns out, we don’t have to guess what might happen because last fall, 11 regular people sat down at Boise State and talked about their lives. The audience agreed to sit and listen without cheering or jeering, just respectfully listening.
It’s called Idaho Listens and it’s designed to get to know people, just ordinary people, without using labels or categories - and most of all to listen during a time when most people turn a deaf ear to anything they don’t know or like or understand.
Idaho Public Television turned that listening session into the Idaho Listens documentary and they’re going to show it tonight at the Idaho Legislature and it will air on IPTV on Friday night at 8:30.
Bill Manny, Executive Producer at Idaho Public Television and Andrew Finstuen, the Dean of the Honors Collect at Boise State and the Director of the Institute for Advancing American Values.
The life and legacy of Frank Church
Mar 20, 2023
Sen Frank Church( Frank Church Institute)
Frank Church was a U.S. Senator for Idaho in the 1950s, 60’s and 70’s. He left a vast legacy in creating wilderness areas, national security and foreign relations and his legacy as a Democrat working with republicans.
Garry Wenske is the former Executive Director of the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University. He’ll be talking about the life and career of Sen. Church next Thursday as part of the OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State.
Boise State Public Radio joins Storyfort
Mar 20, 2023
(Storyfort / Facebook)
Treefort Music Fest is coming back to Boise, bringing hundreds of bands, group yoga and stories. Lots of stories.
The Storyfort section of the week-long music festival brings together local, national and international storytellers, to not only tell stories but talk about how to tell them.
Boise State Public Radio is hosting our own Storyfort event with reporters Troy Oppie, who also hosts 'All Things Considered' and reporter Julie Luchetta. They sat down with Idaho Matters and Storyfort's Co-Director, Sam Berman to talk more about the upcoming event.
New technology introduces water cremation
Mar 20, 2023
(Daniel Lévesque / Flickr)
It’s hard to say what happens to our souls after we die. But it’s a little more straightforward to know what happens to our bodies.
Some people now have a new option that’s seen as more environmentally friendly. Alex Hager with the Mountain West News Bureau takes a look at a funeral home offering a technology that uses water instead of fire.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 17, 2023
Mar 17, 2023
(Jim and Jamie Dutcher / The Hidden Life of Wolves)
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.
Schools and nonprofits sue Idaho Attorney General over federal grant program investigation
Mar 16, 2023
Empty classroom with no students(iStockphoto)
A program that gave federal coronavirus grant money to groups and schools in Idaho is under scrutiny from state lawmakers and the Idaho attorney general.
The Community Partner Grant Program was designed to address learning loss in kids ages 5-13 that happened due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 80 Idaho groups got the grants, from school districts in Marsing and Nampa to the United Way to the Boys and Girls Club, and spent it on kids.
Fast forward to last week, when Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador sent what's known as “Civil Investigative Demands” or CID's to all the groups that got the grant demanding all the records, including personnel lists involved with the program.
Yesterday 35 of those school districts and non-profits filed a complaint against Attorney General Labrador saying his actions were " an over-reach of government power."
Greg Chaney, a former republican member of the Idaho House and an attorney representing the plaintiffs, and Norm Stewart, the Superintendent of Marsing schools, who received one of the grants, joins Idaho Matters to talk more.
Just a quick note, we invited Attorney General Labrador or someone from his office to come on the show today but due to the short notice they told us they couldn’t make it. We’re hoping to have them on at a later date to talk about this case. We will post his comments once we receive them.
Updated at 2:03 p.m.: The Idaho Attorney General's Office gave us this statement Thursday afternoon: “This investigation is in its preliminary phase. A civil investigatory demand is a fact finding tool. The authority to issue a CID comes from Idaho Code Sections 48-1908, 48-1203 & 1204, and 48-611(11). We have had productive and cooperative conversations with several entities. Those who have cooperated understand that the purpose of the investigation is not to punish childcare providers but to enlist their help to determine whether state law was followed. We will zealously defend the powers the legislature has given us to ensure compliance with Idaho law.”
A look at the research: The latest on gender-affirming care in Idaho
Mar 16, 2023
(Matt Guilhem / Boise State Public Radio)
Idaho could become the latest state in the country to ban gender-affirming care for anyone under 18.
Last month, House lawmakers passed a bill that would make it a felony for a doctor to prescribe hormones or puberty blockers for trans minors. It also bans sex-reassignment surgery – something that isn’t done in Idaho.
Lawmakers supporting the bill paint these treatments as ineffective and harmful with high rates of regret. But as James Dawson reports, research shows the opposite.
Promoting gender equity with Ballet Idaho
Mar 16, 2023
Earlier this month, Ballet Idaho was recognized for its role in promoting gender equity within the world of dance by the Dance Data Project.
The project assesses “how dance companies measure up in terms of commissioning female creators, promoting women to leadership positions, and fostering a transparent and accountable culture."
Ballet Idaho's Artistic Director, Garrett Anderson and company dancer and choreographer,Ashley Baker joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this special recognition.
A look at Hemingway's love affair with the Wood River Valley
Mar 16, 2023
Ernest Hemingway first visited Sun Valley in the fall of 1939, and he kept returning for the rest of his life. He worked on "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "A Moveable Feast" in the Wood River Valley.
Some of his best years were in Idaho. But his final days were also in the home that he and his wife Mary lived in, along the Big Wood River.
The Hemingway House is managed by The Community Library as a "contemplative, creative, non-commercial space." It is the site of ongoing research and a residency program for writers, scholars, and artists.
Morning Edition host George Prentice dropped by to visit the house and took Idaho Matters along for the trip.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 15, 2023
Mar 15, 2023
(Russell Tate / United Nations COVID-19 Response Creative Content Hub)
This week marks the third year of COVID-19 in Idaho. The virus was officially found in the state on March 13, 2020 and Gov. Brad Little signed an emergency declaration and held the first of dozens of news conferences to talk about his response to the virus.
Now, there’s more on the origins of COVID-19 according to Congress. Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to help break this all down.
Local art exhibit shares Idahoans stories of immigration
Mar 15, 2023
Los Caminos de la Vida exhibits photographs of migrants' shoes, paired with first person accounts of their journeys to America.(Julie Luchetta / Boise State Public Radio)
Carmen, Carlos, Maria, Juan, and Gloria. These are just some of the eleven names of Idahoans that represent the 11 million undocumented people living in the U.S. today.
Ketchum residents struggle with local mail services
Mar 15, 2023
(Anna Keller / Flickr)
There's a problem with the mail in Ketchum and while mail issues aren't new to the area, this latest one has more than a few people puzzled, really upset or a combination of both.
To find out more, our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Ketchum Councilman Michael David to find out what’s going on.
Take a tour of the Old Idaho Penitentiary's cemetery
Mar 15, 2023
( Photo courtesy Idaho State Historical Society)
The Old Idaho Penitentiary in Boise was built in 1870 and has a long and sometimes creepy history.
You may have taken a tour or been to an event on the grounds of the old prison, but there’s an even darker side to the Old Pen you may not be familiar with: the cemetery. Over half of the markers in the cemetery have no names, and some that do can’t be found on any of the prison records.
Real estate prices continue to rise in resort towns across the west
Mar 15, 2023
(JakeOlimb / iStock)
Resort towns across the west saw record-breaking real estate prices last year. Housing has always been hard to come by in the region, but new data shows the problem is getting worse.
Will Walkey of the Mountain West News Bureau reports.
What does the Silicon Valley Bank collapse mean for Idaho?
Mar 14, 2023
Then on Sunday, New York's signature bank went under the control of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. So what does that mean for Idahoans and Idaho banks and credit unions?
Jason Norris, the Principal of Research and Portfolio Management at Ferguson Wellman, joined Idaho Matters to help answer those questions.
A closer look at where our water comes from and why rates could go up
Mar 14, 2023
(Christopher Irwin / Flickr)
The company that provides the water for much of the Treasure Valley is asking for a 24% rate hike to help pay for improvements to the large system that provides drinking water to over 105,000 homes and businesses.
Some of that includes paying for a new tank for the Columbia Water Treatment Plant, plus the Whistle Pig Storage Tank, and for something called “ice pigging” on the Bench. All that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to getting drinking water to your tap.
So we wanted to start with a question, where does our water come from? And how does it get our kitchens and bathrooms?
Madeline Wyatt, the Manager of Communications, Community Relations and Conservation for the Idaho Operation of Veolia North America joined Idaho Matters to help us out.
Idaho Theater for Youth brings live performances to students across the state
Mar 14, 2023
Idaho Theater for Youth's 2023 production of 'Air Heart' is visiting elementary schools across the Gem State.( Theater for Youth, George Prentice)
How do you bring Amelia Earhart and a haunted radio to kids in all parts of Idaho? Plus, teach them about trust and taking chances, with a little bit of history thrown in?
Theater For Youth is doing exactly that, with a traveling production for 100,000 K-5 students, including refugees from Africa, Mexico, and Columbia - many of whom are watching their very first theater production.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice got the unique opportunity to watch this roadshow and Idaho Matters tags along as he heads into Silver Sage Elementary to find out more.
'Clean Food, Messy Life:' An author interview with Jamie Truppie
Mar 14, 2023
( Jamie Truppi)
Food can act as a bridge, bringing people together. But it can also be a barrier, especially when food limitations cause conflict in your life.
Author Jamie Truppi has been on a food journey since she moved back to Idaho in her early 20s. As she went from being lactose intolerant to vegetarian to vegan - she also became a wife, a mother, dealt with career changes, travel and death and she’s written about all this in her new food memoir "Clean Food, Messy Life: A Food Lover's Conscious Journey Back to Self."
Truppi will be at Rediscovered Books "Read Local" gathering at the Boise Towne Square Mall on Friday. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her book and the upcoming event.
A closer look at the University of Idaho's Native American Law Program
Mar 13, 2023
(Richard Rodriguez / Boise State Public Radio)
Native American law is a complex and complicated section of law for any college legal student - with the intersection of state and federal agencies and tribal courts and nations.
The University of Idaho has created a College of Law Program with a Native American Law Emphasis, which students can only apply for after completing one full year of law school. The U of I says the program is “for indigenous people instead of simply about them.”
Director of the Native American Law Program, Dylan Hedden-Nicely, who is an associate professor at the College of Law, along with three students who graduated from the program, Cody Artis from the Navajo Nation and Jeannette Moody and Winter Hayes with the Nez Perce Tribe joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Navigating a post-Roe America with the head of the Global Fund for Women
Mar 13, 2023
A picture of Latanya Mapp Frett.( Bethanie Hines)
It’s been almost nine months since the overturning of Roe v. Wade here in the United States.
Since then restrictions on reproductive health care have often been devastating for women, as we navigate a post-Roe America. Latanya Mapp Frett is the CEO of the Global Fund for Women. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the issue.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 10, 2023
Mar 10, 2023
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.
One program is working to make the ski slopes more diverse
Mar 10, 2023
(Philippe Desmazes / AFP/Getty Images)
Our region has some of the world's most famous ski resorts and there’s a push for more diversity on their slopes.
Ski Utah has a program addressing an imbalance that shows just around 10% of the population on the mountains to be non-white. KUER'S Curtis Booker reports for the Mountain West News Bureau on another initiative in our region.
Six Idahoans are giving people a reason to stand up
Mar 09, 2023
( Megan McCaleb)
This Saturday, six Idaho innovators will take the stage at this weekend's Ovation Speakers Series to share their professional expertise, life experience and passion with the local community.
It’s sort of like a TED Talk and it’s part of a training workshop that provides support and coaching for those looking to make an impact and hone their skills as a public speaker. Creator of the Ovation Speaker Series, Megan McCaleb, along with Ovation speakers Tonya Herb and David Rush joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Born Extraordinary:' An author interview with Meg Zucker
Mar 09, 2023
( TarcherPerigee)
There are so many struggles facing parents and children in today’s world, then throw in any type of difference and those struggles can multiply.
Meg Zucker, who was born with a genetic condition herself, knows those struggles and she wanted to give parents and caregivers some tools on how to support their children. And that's exactly what she did, with her new book, "Born Extraordinary: Empowering Children with Differences and Disabilities."
'Tiny Beautiful Things' takes the stage in Boise
Mar 09, 2023
Marissa Price (upper right) co-stars in, and Donna Jean Fogel (lower right) directs "Tiny Beautiful Things."( Boise Contemporarhy Theater)
“Tiny Beautiful Things” was already a runaway bestseller in 2012, before it was adapted into a play and opened in New York in 2017.
It’s one of the most anticipated productions in recent memory for Boise Contemporary Theater. And the production’s director, Donna Jean Fogel and Marissa Price who plays sugar, the anonymous advice columnist at the center of the play, visit with Morning Edition host George Prentice to preview BCT’s soon-to-open show.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 8, 2023
Mar 08, 2023
(Alex E. Proimos / Flickr Creative Commons)
It’s been a rough winter for many Americans, from RSV to the Flu to COVID-19, some folks have been hit hard. So will we soon see a slow down and what about vaccines for viruses like RSV?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to help us answer these questions.
The truth about menopause
Mar 08, 2023
(iStockphoto)
A recent New York Times article asked the question, "have women been misled about menopause?" We thought that was an important conversation to have, so we invited a local expert to help us answer the question.
Jill Gustafson is a certified nurse midwife, as well as a menopause and sexual health specialist, and the founder of a private menopause practice in Boise, Quantum Women’s Health. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A concert for the whole family, 'Sonic Boom!'
Mar 08, 2023
(Michael Johnson / Flickr)
The lifeblood of an organization, especially an arts organization, is to extend its reach.
For the Boise Philharmonic has led to something called “Sonic Boom!" It’s made up of some familiar inspiration but in a very new format.
To find out more our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Andrew Martin, Boise Phil's Education Coordinator and Community Engagement Manager.
'I Have Some Questions for You:' Author Interview with Rebecca Makkai
Mar 08, 2023
( Viking)
Rebecca Makkai’s last book "The Great Believers," was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and readers and critics alike have been anxiously awaiting her next book.
Her new novel, "I Have Some Questions for You," is out now and Makkai describes her most recent creation as, "the literary feminist boarding school murder mystery you didn’t know you needed!" Makkai joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her enthralling novel.
Remembering former Idaho Governor Phil Batt
Mar 07, 2023
Former Gov. Phil Batt, right, with former governors Cecil Andrus, center, and Butch Otter, left, at a ceremony dedicating the Idaho Transportation Department headquarters in his name. Batt died Saturday on his 96th birthday.(John Miller / AP)
Former Republican Gov. Phil Batt, widely viewed as one of the driving legislative forces behind Idaho's human rights laws and a respected onion farmer, has died at 96.
Stephani Witt, Professor and Director of Training at the Boise State School of Public Service, joined Idaho Matters as we look back at Gov. Batt's life and legacy.
'Unrestricted:' An author interview with Dawn Brockett
Mar 07, 2023
( Ranch Studios)
One woman is challenging the way our society, for decades, has viewed anorexia.
Idaho may be best known for its iconic potatoes, but the Gem State also has a long history of making candy and sweet treats.
From Lee’s Candies to Reed’s Dairy and Idaho Candy Company, Idaho is no stranger to the sweeter side of life.
Idaho Public Television decided to do a little research on the state’s candy tradition so we asked Joan Cartan-Hansen, who produced the "Sweet Idaho" episode and "Idaho Experience" series producer Bill Manny to join Idaho Matters and tell us more.
Idaho legal scholar talks about women's rights and new challenges to the U.S. Constitution
Mar 06, 2023
(Liz West / Flickr)
Idaho legal scholar Dr. David Adler is worried about the U.S. Constitution and he wants to talk about it.
He'll also explore whether or not our constitution is under threat and what new challenges could be facing our fundamental rights and protections. Adler joined Idaho Matters to give a preview of the educational events.
How to spot and identify birds of prey in Idaho
Mar 06, 2023
The book is filled with essays about the microjoys that have kept Cyndie moving forward, even in the toughest times of her life. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 3, 2023
Mar 03, 2023
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.
Rewilding the Boise River is a labor of love
Mar 02, 2023
Along the banks of the Boise River a scrubby, weedy landscape is being transformed back to a living, vibrant ecosystem thanks to the hard work of hundreds of volunteers from across the Treasure Valley.
It’s called the Boise River ReWild Project and it’s the brainchild of the Golden Eagle Audubon Society. The goal is to restore more than 50 acres of habitat along the river.
Idaho Matters producers Samantha Wright and Hannah Gardoski drove down to the river on a very windy day and walked along the bank and many rows of tubes of plastic webbing with tiny plant sprouts inside.
They were joined by Danae Fails with the Golden Eagle Audubon Society who is the project coordinator for the Boise River ReWild Project and Sean Finn, who volunteers as the Project Lead.
A stretch of the Boise River, not far from Barber Park. ( Hannah Gardoski)
Finn says the whole idea is to increase the native biodiversity along the Boise River. He says we’ve lost that biodiversity since the very first days of the Oregon Trail.
“There were people who were on the Oregon Trail who were camping right here. It's hard to believe, but it's true. And of course, those people, they stopped here, their horses and their cattle fed up on the grass and the other plants. And when they were done and ready, they moved on,” says Finn.
He says that’s been the story of the river for decades. Each time someone used the river for its resources and then moved on, leaving an area behind that degraded over time.
“All those native plants that were out here, from time immemorial until about 1850, have slowly been lost just because we weren't paying attention. And now we want to pay attention.”
As the native plants died, weeds took over. And Finn says those weeds should not be there.
“The weeds serve no purpose to our pollinators and our other insects, very little purpose to our small mammals. They do nothing for the birds. They don't carry high energy nectar. They don't provide high energy berries,” Finn says.
So one of the goals of the project is to bring back the native biodiversity of wildflowers, native grasses, native shrubs that bear berries and other kinds of fruit. And they’re taking out the weeds and invasive species like Russian Olive trees.
Jon Mathews is a volunteer with the project. As a Plot Lead, he coordinates dozens of volunteers who weed the areas and plant the new sprouts.
“We planted about 2000 plants in our plots and then we go back out and kind of nurture them, throw water at them and cage them up and protect them from the deer and everything so they grow,” says Mathews.
Each plot is about half an acre. Volunteers plant dozens of kinds of plants including several kinds of sagebrush, rabbitbrush, chokecherry, bitterbrush, gooseberry leaf, globemallow, and a ton of milkweed plants.
Inside each plastic mesh tube is a tiny native plant sprout. The plastic tubing protects the plant from becoming a "chicken nugget" for deer, according to Sean Finn. ( Hannah Gardoski)
They rely on experts to help them figure out what plants to plant and where to plant them. Other experts donate their time to help teach the volunteers “who maybe don't have the knowledge but have the passion about caring for the river and caring for wild things. And so that's how we try and build communities,” says Finn.
The project relies on hundreds of volunteers, from dozens of classrooms of kids to people who grow some of the seeds and sprouts in their backyard to folks who come down to the river and pull the weeds up by hand.
Finn says they’ll maintain the plots for two years to let the native plants get established.
( Hannah Gardoski)
“We will be monitoring plant survival. We're monitoring pollinators, our attendance at these plots, and we're monitoring bird populations around these plots. And we'll do that through the end of 2024 to evaluate what our actual conservation outcomes are,” says Finn.
He says our big government agencies are working on big restoration projects but the smaller areas can fall through the cracks, like a five-acre plot of weeds along the Boise River.
Beavers have already started to rewild this section of the river. ( Hannah Gardoski)
Mountain West libraries temporarily close due to meth contamination
Mar 02, 2023
(Alexandre Magalhaes / Flickr)
For years, police in our region have dealt with crimes triggered by methamphetamine abuse. Now there’s a surprising new problem – meth contamination in libraries.
A number of libraries have closed recently for cleanup, including the main branch in Boulder, Colorado. KUNC's Leigh Paterson reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Answering your questions about the Oscars with Idaho Matters
Mar 02, 2023
Oscar statues are seen backstage during the 88th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on February 28, 2016 in Hollywood, California.(Christopher Polk / Getty Images)
The Oscars are less than two weeks away and we have questions! Who will win, who will lose, will there be another scandal and since viewership has gone down over recent years, will it be a good show to watch?
Our resident movie expert, George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to help us find the answers to some of these questions.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 1, 2023
Mar 01, 2023
A computer rendering of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.(Radoslav Zilinsky / Getty Images)
Earlier this week the Director of the FBI said the bureau believes COVID-19 most likely originated in a Chinese government-controlled lab and that there was a leak, which caused the virus to spread.
However, the White House has said there is no consensus across the U.S. government on the virus’ origins. And a joint China-World Health Organization investigation in 2021 called the lab leak theory extremely unlikely. So how have we gotten back to this theory?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to help break this all down.
How do your sleep habits impact your day?
Mar 01, 2023
Dr. Nikole Benders-Hadi is a psychiatrist and medical director at Included Health and she joined Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about our sleep habits.
Grocery prices in Mountain West rise above national average
Mar 01, 2023
(Fiona Goodall / Getty Images)
If you’ve been to the supermarket lately you’re aware of the dramatic rise in the cost of food, and Idaho is not alone in feeling this pain.
A new survey shows that most of the Mountain West is paying more for food than the national average. Emma VandenEinde is the Mountain West reporter for KUNC and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Enchantment:' An author interview with Katherine May
Mar 01, 2023
In this book, May explores how we can re-awaken our sense of wonder, instead of always feeling burned out. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
A committee helping to save the lives of Idaho moms could be coming to an end
Feb 28, 2023
(iStockphoto)
A committee that studies maternal mortality found that over a three-year period, 26 Idaho moms died while pregnant or in the year after they gave birth and those deaths could have been prevented.
According to at least one committee member future moms might be saved using the knowledge they’re gathering. But the committee, and the work they do, could go away after a bill stalled in the Idaho legislature earlier this month.
Rachel Cohen is the south-central Idaho reporter for Boise State Public Radio news. She wrote about this story and joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
A look at trade relations in China and how they impact Idaho
Feb 28, 2023
(AFP/Getty Images)
Spy balloons, the war in Ukraine and trade tensions are all issues that have relations between China and the U.S. at a critical point.
In Idaho, there are many reasons to pay attention to the global concerns swirling around China, specifically millions of dollars in trade in and out of the Gem State.
Dr. Jack Marr is a clinical associate professor of International Business and the Global Programs Director of Boise State’s College of Business and Economics. He sat down with our George Prentice to talk about trade relations with China and Idaho's role in it.
Ada County wants your opinion on what to do with community parks
Feb 28, 2023
(Gary O. Grimm / Flickr)
If you’ve ever floated the Boise River, had a picnic at Barber Park or walked part of the Boise Greenbelt you’ve been to an Ada County park.
Ada County Parks and Waterways manages a wide variety of spots, including 11 miles of the Greenbelt and the launching point for 125,000 people who float the Boise River each year. The department is putting together a new long-term plan and they want to hear from you about what to do with the properties they manage.
The Department is holding a Public Forum on March 9 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Barber Park Education and Event Center about the plan. Everyone is invited to the forum and you will be able to share your thoughts with those in charge.
Robbie Sosin is a Program and Education Specialist with Ada County Parks and Waterways and he joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Insulating your home just got a lot more eco-friendly
Feb 28, 2023
(Jason Finn / Getty Images)
The market for eco-friendly products is growing. And that’s keeping companies that make insulation out of materials like wool and hemp busy.
As Americans are increasing their focus on health and the environment there’s a growing market for sustainable home-building materials – like insulation. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel looked into companies in our region trying to meet that demand.
Protecting Green Book sites in the Mountain West
Feb 28, 2023
Contemporary reprints of original Green Books from 1940 (front) and 1954.
Black Americans used the Green Book in the mid-1900s to find safe places to travel. Now an organization in our region is highlighting many of these locations.
Emma Vandeneinde of the Mountain West News Bureau joins one woman as she shares her family’s history with the book.
A look at Boise's future with Mayor McLean
Feb 27, 2023
Downtown Boise( Kelsey Thomson)
The next few months promise to be busier than usual at Boise City Hall. The city will be hiring a new director of the Office of Police Accountability and Boise will need to fill two empty seats on the City Council.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the process of selecting new members of the council, the city’s next steps in its huge zoning code rewrite, what it would take for Amtrak to return to southern Idaho and unexpected changes at the Office of Police Accountability.
Idaho Capitol Art: A look into the Gem State's past
Feb 27, 2023
A painting of the Idaho Capitol. ( Idaho State Historical Society)
In 1905, Idaho lawmakers asked an architectural firm to draw the plans for the state’s new Capitol building. The company drew the floor plans, sketches, drawings and specifications for the central part of what became the Idaho Statehouse.
Now, over 100 of those original drawings and paintings, still held by Hummel Architects, are being donated to the Idaho State Archives. Idaho State Historical Society Executive Director Janet Gallimore and Carrie Applegate with Hummel Architects joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
The influence of Chinese medicine in America
Feb 27, 2023
A picture from the book "Herbs and Roots: A History of Chinese Doctors in the American Medical Marketplace." ( Anna Don)
This Thursday, Dr. Tamara Venit-Shelton will be looking back at Chinese medicine and the influence it had on the United States over the last 200 years.
Dr. Venit-Shelton joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Boise State's Trombone Choir heads to international festival
Feb 27, 2023
(Kevin Nicholson (TubaPresident) / Flickr)
As we inch closer to warmer weather, many of us are looking forward to more sunshine. But for one particular group here in Idaho, this summer is going to be all about the brass.
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.
But since then, 11 Oregon counties have taken non-binding votes in favor of moving to Idaho and the idea has gained some support among republican leaders in Idaho.
There are a lot of hurdles to making something like this happen but the movement thinks they can be overcome. Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this movement is Mike McCarter and Matt McCaw.
Zoo Boise partners with El Salvador to help protect Spider Monkeys
Feb 23, 2023
Pancho the spider monkey was so traumatized by the black market animal trade that he wouldn't let his new handlers remove the orange rope around his neck when he arrived at his new sanctuary. ( Sarah Otterstrom / Zoo Boise)
In El Salvador, baby Spider Monkeys are stolen from their mothers by unscrupulous wildlife traders and sold on the black market as pets.
When those monkeys are lucky enough to be rescued, they come to zoos traumatized and mentally scarred, sometimes aggressive and always terrified. Thanks to past partnerships with Zoo Boise's conservation program in the region, the zoo was asked to help set up El Salvador’s first Spider Monkey sanctuary.
Zoo Boise Director Gene Peacock joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the work they are doing.
'The Year of the Dog' makes its debut
Feb 23, 2023
( Rob Grabow)
This Friday, a new film will be opening in select theaters across the country.
It's called "The Year of the Dog” and it follows the story of a man struggling with sobriety as he works to honor his mother’s dying wish. Along the way he meets a stray husky and makes an unlikely connection, discovering that he may not be as alone as he once thought.
Filmmaker Rob Grabow joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the movie and its upcoming release.
Calling all book nerds! The Boise Public Library has a challenge for you
Feb 23, 2023
(Alexander Spatari / Getty Images)
So you think you’re a book nerd? Time to put your money where your mouth is.
It’s time once again for the Boise Public Library's "Ultimate Book Nerd Book Club Challenge." The challenge is to read 50 books within the year, based on 50 different challenge categories.
Maggie Dumont and Eliza Ruby are librarians in the Boise Public Library System who oversee the club. They sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about how the club has caught fire in the Treasure Valley.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: February 22, 2022
Feb 22, 2023
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to help break this all down.
Celebrating our differences through art: Artist Jane Chu helps refugees tell their stories
Feb 22, 2023
Jane Chu will be the keynote at the 15th annual Idaho Conference on Refugees( Idaho Office for Refugees, Jane Chu)
Jane Chu is a New York-based illustrator and artist. She spent time as chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts and now she travels around the country to share stories of refugees and immigrants.
She’ll be in Boise on Feb. 23 as the keynote speaker at the 15th Annual Idaho Conference on Refugees at Boise State University and she sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice.
Ultimate frisbee team gears up for the 2023 season
Feb 22, 2023
Utah Wild & Seattle Tempest(Photo by Jim Max / Jim Max)
Last February, we told you about a new sports team that competes across the Mountain West and includes players from Idaho and other states.
We wanted to check in with Utah Wild, a professional ultimate frisbee team, which has made it its mission to provide playing opportunities for women and nonbinary people in the Mountain West. Erica Bindas, one of the founders of Utah Wild and long-time player Cori Bigham joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Unscripted:' An author interview with James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams
Feb 22, 2023
( Penguin Press)
The secret inner workings of public companies, in particular media empires, usually stay secret. However, that wasn’t the case in 2016 when the fate of Paramount Global, the company that included Paramount, CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon and Showtime hung in the balance.
What's next for Amtrak in Idaho? That could be up to you
Feb 21, 2023
(Pat Knight / Flickr)
Bring Amtrak service back to Southern Idaho and link it to Salt Lake City, that’s the hope of the city of Boise and they’re looking for some public input on the idea.
Bre Brush is the chief adviser on transportation in the mayor's office at Boise City Hall and she sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice.
Escaping the noise: A new podcast takes you into nature without ever leaving your home
Feb 21, 2023
A beautiful view of Payette Lake.( tribalclimatecamp.org)
Too often we spend our days surrounded by loud, angry, mechanical sounds like car noises, whooshing air conditioners, buzzing lights and computers.
One woman wants to change that. She wants to give everyone a chance to escape, however briefly, into nature and mindfulness.
CMarie Fuhrman is a writer, in fact she’s the current Idaho Writer in Residence and she directs the poetry program and teaches nature writing at Western Colorado University and she’s the voice behind the new podcast Terra Firma. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new podcast.
The art of solving crimes
Feb 21, 2023
Police crime scene tape. Thursday's shooting in Aberdeen, Md. left four people dead, including the suspected shooter, Snochia Moseley.
Across the country, people are fascinated by true crime stories, drawn to the mystery, investigation and real-life drama of victims and perpetrators of crime.
Audiences are invested in every little detail and so are the forensic artists that are helping to solve these crimes. Through sketch composites, crime scene renderings and even skull reconstructions, attention to detail is important in their field of work.
Forensic artist Carrie Stuart Parks joined Idaho Matters to talk more about why this work is so important and how she does it.
'Times Undoing:' An author interview with Cheryl Head
Feb 21, 2023
( Dutton)
Author Cheryl Head is known for her page turning novels and her newest book, "Time’s Undoing", is her most personal yet. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about how her outrage over the murder of George Floyd in 2020 compelled her to write her latest novel.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: February 17, 2023
Feb 17, 2023
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.
New House bill could require schools to display the motto "In God We Trust"
Feb 17, 2023
(Katy Urban / Rapid City Area Schools )
There’s a controversy brewing in the Idaho Legislature, this time about public schools and the phrase “in God We Trust." Our Morning Edition host George Prentice found out more about the controversy and a little history behind it.
A look at Idaho's initiative process and how it could change
Feb 16, 2023
Right now anyone wanting to get their initiative to a vote of the people must get a required number of voter signatures from 18 legislative districts in Idaho. The new proposal would change that, requiring a minimum number of signatures from all 35 districts.
Supporters of the change say it will “more fairly distribute voter involvement” and “eliminate the current practice of “venue shopping” by well-funded activist organizations.” Opponents say it will make it harder to get a citizen initiative on the ballot.
The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center is one of those opponents. They track ballot measures around the country and they also train ballot measure activists and provide strategic advice on how to run and win ballot measure campaigns.
Gin Moore is the Senior Manager of the Defend Direct Democracy Campaign at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center and she joins Idaho Matters to talk more.
A closer look at the sport of Skijoring
Feb 16, 2023
(Leo Gaggl / Flickr)
Skiing and horses are two things the Mountain West has no shortage of, so why not combine them? Well, there’s already a sport for that called skijoring \ and competitions are held across our region.
A horse and rider pull a skier by a rope, similar to water skiing, but on snow. KUER’s Ciara Hulet reports for the Mountain West News Bureau on a recent competition in Heber City, Utah.
The race is on: Cowboys and skiers join together for an epic competition
Feb 16, 2023
This weekend, the annual Wood River Extreme Skijoring races kick off in Bellevue. Skiers, cowboys and horses come together at the event and have a blast in the Wood River Valley.
Josh Glick, Vice President of Wood River Extreme Skijoring and Hollis Lloyd, one of the skiers, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho-based company teaches kids to celebrate their differences in a unique way
Feb 16, 2023
(Nick / Randimals.com)
One of the hardest parts of being a kid is not fitting in. Being a little different can be tough, especially for children, no matter what that difference might be.
One local company is helping kids talk about being different and learn how beautiful being unique can be by combining the characteristics of two animals into one, like a horse and a shark or an elephant and a gorilla, and turning them into stuffed toys.
The company is called Randimals and their goal is to help spread a very special message, which is that “what makes us different makes all the difference in the world.” Randimal co-founder Nick Harman joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: February 15, 2022
Feb 15, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
Every week we take a look at the latest going on with COVID-19 and other public health issues. This week there are some concerning developments around Avian Influenza and there are new outbreaks of a form of Hemorrhagic Fever. We take a look at how much of a threat these new outbreaks may be and whether we are prepared to deal with them.
Plus, a new study says a healthy lifestyle could lower your risk of long COVID.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.
'Screaming on the Inside:' An author interview with Jessica Grose
Feb 15, 2023
( HarperCollins)
You probably won't have to close your eyes to imagine the “perfect mom.” All the videos with appropriate lifestyle tips, balancing work, wellness and home.
And at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she ran the classroom for the neighborhood kids in the living room, and she got up at 5 a.m. to meditate and, of course, work out.
It's crazy, bBut too many of us have embraced that stereotype, particularly in western cultures. And that is at the beginning of a new book called “Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood.”
New York Times opinion writer and author Jessica Grose sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about her research, which led her to mothers of different races and socioeconomic backgrounds, and how they balance parenthood and work.
A new vaccine could help bumblebees stay alive
Feb 15, 2023
James Van Leuven is a research assistant professor in University of Idaho’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.(Joseph Pallen/University of Idaho Photographic / University of Idaho Visual Productions)
If you had an apple lately, you can thank a honeybee for making it happen.
A new study says we could lose 97% of all western bumblebees in the next 30 years. A University of Idaho researcher is trying to help bees by helping them fight off a nasty disease in a brand new way.
James Van Leuven is an Assistant Professor in the school’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and he joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this problem.
A look at 'The Bright Side' with author Chad Otis
Feb 15, 2023
The Bright Side by Chad Otis( Rocky Pond Books)
As the cost of housing and inflation continues to rise families across the U.S. are struggling to make ends meet, especially here in Idaho.
According to The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,Idaho was ranked as one of the states with the highest percentage of unsheltered families. These realities can be hard to cope with and even harder to explain to your kid.
A local author, Chad Otis, has written a new book called "The Bright Side" opening up the conversation around important topics like housing insecurity, food insecurity and socioeconomic differences, while also finding the good in things. Otis joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his upcoming book.
The cost of housing and how it's impacting Idaho residents across the state
Feb 14, 2023
( Idaho Policy Institute/Boise State University)
Here in Idaho household income has gone up around 18% from 2015 to 2020. But Idaho’s housing values went up almost 75% in the same period of time. That means affording a home has gotten harder, a lot harder, and a lot more people are putting more of their paycheck toward housing costs, instead of food or healthcare.
According to a study from the Idaho Policy Institute that means people are more likely to face evictions, job creation slows and economic development can falter.
The Idaho Statewide Housing Analysis puts some stark numbers on the state of the housing market across the Gem State. Vanessa Fry, the Director of the Idaho Policy Institute at Boise State and Research Associate Lantz McGinnis-Brown joins Idaho Matters to talk about the report.
The legacy of Toshio Mori: The first Japanese American to publish a book of fiction
Feb 14, 2023
Toshio Mori carved out time to write every evening.( Courtesy of Steven Y. Mori)
In 1941 aspiring writer Toshio Mori sent the manuscript for his first book to Caldwell, Idaho-based Caxton Printers, hoping to get his collection of fiction stories about the problems of the Japanese people living in America, published.
Caxton’s founder James Gibson liked the book and recognized the significance of Mori's stories and why they would be interesting to a national audience.
"It is rather important as it is the first writing dealing with Americans born of Japanese parents and tells in understandable and unvarnished language the problems of the Japanese," Gibson said of Mori's book.
So, they set a date to publish. But just five days later Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and a couple of months after, Mori and his family were sent to an internment camp in Utah and Caxton delayed printing the book.
It would take another eight years after World War II ended until Caxton decided to publish the book, making Mori the first Japanese American to publish a book of fiction.
Alessandro Meregaglia is an Assistant Professor and archivist at Boise State’s Albertsons library and joins Idaho Matters to talk more about Mori’s story and how he is remembered today as the pioneer of Japanese American literature.
Read the full transcript below:
GEMMA GAUDETTE: From the studios of Boise State Public Radio News. I'm Gemma Gaudette and you're listening to Idaho Matters. In 1941, aspiring writer Toshio Mori sent the manuscript for his first book to Caldwell Bates Caxton Printers, hoping to get his collection of fiction stories about the problems of the Japanese people living in America published. Well, Caxton's founder liked the book, so they set a date to publish it. Five days later, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and a couple of months later, Mori and his family were sent to an internment camp in Utah, and the publishing company decided to delay printing the book. It would take another eight years after World War Two ended, but eventually Caxton decided to publish the book, making Mori the first Japanese American to publish a book of fiction. Alessandra Miraglia is an associate professor and archivist at Boise State's Albertson's Library, and he'll be talking about this story on Thursday at Boise State. We're lucky enough to have him joining us today to talk more about this. Alessandra, welcome to Idaho Matters.
ALESSANDRO MEREGAGLIA: Thank you for having me.
GAUDETTE: So first off, tell us about Toshio Mori.
MEREGAGLIA: He was an American citizen born to parents who themselves were Japanese immigrants. He was born around 1910, and he grew up in Oakland, California. And he worked starting in his teens at his family's nursery, tending flowers and growing plants. But in high school, a teacher really encouraged him to start writing and to write more, and he took to that. And he fell in love with writing fiction stories. And though he had to work full time in his family's nursery, he carved out several hours each evening from around 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. every day to write and to work on producing these stories that he eventually wanted to get published.
GAUDETTE: And what did he write about? I mean, what were his stories about? I mean, we did I did mention, you know, the Japanese experience in America. So were those kind of the themes?
MEREGAGLIA: Yeah, He wrote about his neighborhood. He fictionalized his neighbors and people he met in school or on the street or on the bus and wrote about their lives and their experiences. And and he grew up in Oakland and San Leandro, California, and he took that real city and fictionalized it as the town of Yokohama. And so he took his his neighborhood as his subject and wrote about his community.
GAUDETTE: How did you find out about him?
MEREGAGLIA: My larger research project is on Caxton Printers, which as you mentioned, is based in Caldwell, Idaho, and they've been around for over 100 years. And the company was founded by James Gibson and he had a unique publishing philosophy in that he wanted to publish writers who had been rejected by other publishing firms who couldn't get a voice anywhere else. And he wanted his publishing house to be able to showcase and to highlight those works by people that that wouldn't have been able to get published elsewhere. And in fact, Mori tried to publish his stories with several New York publishers and other publishers from around the country. And he kept getting rejected. In fact, he liked to to quip that he had enough rejection, rejection slips to paper a room. So he had little luck with some of the larger publishing houses. And so then he turned to Caxton and found a willing and excited publisher there.
GAUDETTE: Well. And what a forward thinking publisher. Right. To give voice really to more of these potentially marginalized writers. And so I'm curious, what was it that made James Gibson that made Caxton say yes to publishing Mori's book?
MEREGAGLIA: Oh, I have a quotation from Gibson and and with his team of editors who reviewed the manuscript. He called Toshio Mori's book a "good book, and it is rather important as it is the first writing dealing with Americans born of Japanese parents and tells in understandable and unvarnished language the problems of the Japanese." So he recognized the importance and significance of Toshio Mori's stories and why they would be interesting to a national audience.
GAUDETTE: Okay. So then he so so they say yes to publishing the book. Then it's December 2nd, 1941, when Caxton said it would publish the book and they're going to do this in the next year. So let's fast forward five days from December 2nd, 1941. Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, and then a few months after that, Mori is sent to an internment camp. So where did he spend the rest of the war? Was he in this internment camp in the entirety of the war?
MEREGAGLIA: Yeah. From from 1942 until the war's end, he was at the Topaz War Relocation Center, as it's officially known. And he did keep writing while he was interned in in at Topaz. And he worked for the the center's literary magazine. And he maintained a correspondence with with Caxton still expressing interest in getting his book published and saying, hey, I'm still writing and and I'm producing more stories here. And then it took until the end of World War Two for Caxton to revisit the manuscript, and then they finally published it in 1949.
GAUDETTE: So Caxton is, as we mentioned and as you just said, they did hold off on publishing the book until 1949. I am assuming some of the reasons would be that this book would not have been well received at the time.
MEREGAGLIA: Yeah, that was Gibson's thought on it. And he and his staff thought really hard about can we still publish it even after the attack on Pearl Harbor. But it was really that in February of 1942 when President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, sending and mandating and forcing the relocation of over 100,000 American residents of Japanese descent into these camps, that Gibson and Caxton decided to to hold off and say, let's wait until until after the war.
GAUDETTE: So when the war ended, Mori was released from the internment camp. Where did he go after that?
MEREGAGLIA: He went right back to Oakland, the Oakland area, and in fact, he lived in Oakland the entirety of his life with the exception of those few years in Topaz.
GAUDETTE: So did Caxton get back in touch with him after the war or or did he get in touch with them? Like what happened to eventually get the book published?
MEREGAGLIA: Yeah. Gibson, Caxton's president, certainly hadn't forgotten about the manuscript. And and in a letter shortly after the end of the war, he wrote to Mori and said, Caxton is picking up the pieces and we're we're trying to get back to publishing books that we had committed to and said that it's still a book worthy of being published.
GAUDETTE: So I'm curious then. So the book gets published in 1949. First off, what was the name of the book?
MEREGAGLIA: Yokohama, California. He modeled it sort of after Sherwood Anderson's book, Winesburg, Ohio, which is also a collection of sketches of community life in a small town. And that's what Mori used as his model. So Yokohama, California is representative of this fictionalized Oakland community and tells just little vignettes of life in that community.
GAUDETTE: So how was the book received then in 1949?
MEREGAGLIA: It was really well received and it was reviewed in national publications. Mori was described as a natural born writer, a fresh voice and even spontaneous. But sadly, despite these positive reviews, the book just didn't sell very well. For whatever reason, the the sales weren't there. And so Mori sort of slid into oblivion and and wasn't really well known and had difficulty finding publishers for other works. He continued to write. He wrote several novels, more short stories. But for the next several decades, he really had difficulty finding a publisher for his work.
GAUDETTE: So Caxton only published the first book.
MEREGAGLIA: That's correct. His first collection of short stories.
GAUDETTE: And do we know why they they didn't want or decided not to publish the other works that he wrote?
MEREGAGLIA: You know, I think the timing wasn't right. And Caxton and Gibson really supported Mori and hoped he did well. But the fact that Yokohama, California just didn't sell well, I think led to them to not be as interested in some of his future works.
GAUDETTE: Well, and it's interesting, too, because even though it was well received critically, I mean, you know, there was still, I think, you know, such, you know, what's the right word, such such probably anger, such resentment towards the Japanese Americans or towards Japan. I would assume that that would have played into people not wanting to to buy the book.
MEREGAGLIA: Yeah. And Gibson and Mori himself really hoped for strong sales among the Japanese communities in California and throughout the United States. And also, for whatever reason, um, again, despite the positive reviews, the book just didn't sell, even within the Japanese American communities.
GAUDETTE: What was it like for you to research Mori's life?
MEREGAGLIA: It's been been really fascinating. And it's it's still been ongoing. I was able to get in touch with Toshio Mori's only surviving son, Steven Mori, who was very generous with his time and access to his collection of material and just being able to provide and fill in some details about his father's life. So that has been really rewarding to be in touch with Toshio Mori's son.
GAUDETTE: What stood out to you about Toshio Mori? Like, is there something that that you know you'll take with you?
MEREGAGLIA: Yeah, I think his persistence and perseverance not only in face of having to work a full time job in his family's nursery and only being able to write for a few hours in the evening, but then also his dedication to continue writing, even when he was incarcerated in the internment camps in the 40s, and then even for the next several decades, he kept writing. And then finally, right before he passed away in 1980, in the last few years of his life, the next generation of Japanese Americans really took an interest in Toshio Mori and lifted him up as this founder, as this pioneer of Japanese American literature. And he was invited to several conferences to speak and to read from his work. And in fact, he was able to find a publisher finally for a second collection of short stories and one of his novels. So these came out in the 1970s when there was a stronger interest in specifically Japanese American literature.
GAUDETTE: Can people still find his work? I mean, is it in bookstores? Because I know sometimes things go out of publication.
MEREGAGLIA: Yeah. Yokohama, California, did go out of print for several decades, but thankfully, University of Washington Press has released it and reprinted it. And so it's available through University of Washington Press. And then there are plans in the works to bring out those later works of Toshio Mori one. The second collection of short stories has been released just last summer by the publisher Modern Times Publishing. And then they're working on getting Toshio Mori's novel republished as well.
GAUDETTE: And I'm assuming you've read his works?
MEREGAGLIA: Yes, I have.
GAUDETTE: And what were your thoughts after reading his first book?
MEREGAGLIA: I think they're fantastic insights and snapshots of life. I felt as a reader, I felt invited into Toshio Mori's neighborhood, into his community. And it's it. The characters are local and specific to him, but the experiences and interactions are universal and that's what makes it a joy to read.
GAUDETTE: Well, I so appreciate you coming in and talking with us about this, about this and about Toshio Mori and bringing him to life for all of us.
MEREGAGLIA: Thank you so much for having me.
GAUDETTE: Absolutely. We have been speaking with Alessandro Meregaglia, who is an associate professor and archivist at Boise State's Albertson's Library. He will actually be talking about Japanese writer Toshi Mori's story this Thursday. That will be at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Boise. Thanks so much for listening to Idaho Matters Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Matters or members of the NPR Network. It's an independent coalition of public media podcasters. You can find more shows on the network wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Gemma, Gaudette. We'll see you tomorrow.
MEREGAGLIA: Race might be a hot topic right now, but for so many of us, talking about race is nothing new. On the Code Switch podcast from NPR, we go beyond the headlines and we go deep. Listen now.
The 'Boise Weekly' starts a new chapter
Feb 14, 2023
The Boise Weekly is the home of columnist Bill Cope, movie critic George Prentice, a beer guy, dating advice and a little bit of history. It’s also one of the few alternative weeklies in the state of Idaho.
The publication features local art on the cover and along with arts, culture, entertainment and politics it looks closely at issues that affect the LBGTQ+ community, people of color and women.
But COVID-19 hit the publication hard and there are some changes coming. Boise Weekly Editor Jeanne Huff joins Idaho Matters to tell us more.
How embracing your emotions can help you gain control over your life
Feb 13, 2023
(Getty Images)
At some point, most people will find themselves in a toxic situation. It may be a job, a relationship or a family dynamic, and if you don’t have the tools to deal with your emotions the situation could end up being disastrous.
Idaho-based board-certified psychiatrist and founder of Perma Mental Health, Dr. Alex Wills, says we need to embrace our emotions in order to regain control of our lives. He joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this.
As it joins the ESA we take a look at the Whitebark Pine in Idaho
Feb 13, 2023
Whitebark Pine( USFWS Endangered Species – Mountain Prairie Region)
If you spent time in Idaho's forests chances are you’ve seen a Whitebark Pine. This native tree is found across the Pacific Northwest and can live to be over 1,000 years old.
Along with its beauty, the Whitebark helps stabilize the soil around it and feeds several kinds of animals. But the tree is in trouble thanks to a variety of factors and late last year it was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Joshua Uriarte serves as Species Program Manager and Policy Advisor for the Idaho Office of Species Conservation and joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the Whitebark Pine.
Looking at freedom through a new lens
Feb 13, 2023
Freedom's Path is now playing nationwide.( Freedoms Path LLC)
The just-released film "Freedom’s Path" – telling the story of a runaway civil war soldier who encounters a secret community of freed slaves – is more than a reflection of history. It’s also making its own history and a portion of the film’s profits are going to historically black colleges and universities.
AJ Winslow went to Boise High School before he became a producer. He visited Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about his film and its unique lens on freedom.
Find your perfect pairing with 'Idaho Winter Wine Weekends'
Feb 13, 2023
(Sindhu Hirani Blume / NPR)
Idaho is most popularly known for our potatoes but thanks to a rapidly growing wine industry, we are now being recognized for our grapes as well.
With four wine regions and over 70 wineries, Idaho has more than a few wines that you might want to try. So to help make sure everyone has a chance to taste the state's best varieties the Idaho Wine Commission is hosting a series of events called Idaho Winter Wine Weekends.
Executive Director of the Idaho Wine Commission, Moya Dolsby joins Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho poets share their love letters ahead of Valentine's Day
Feb 10, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
As Valentine's day approaches many of us are thinking about love, in all its many forms, and what better way to express love than through a letter? As it happens, that is exactly what one group of artists plan to do in an upcoming event featuring an evening of "Love Letter Tributes."
Morning Edition host George Prentice sits down with the organizer of the event Rebeca Evans and poet Maggie Koger to talk about their thoughts on love.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: February 10, 2023
Feb 10, 2023
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.
Homeless Art Collective finds a permanent home
Feb 09, 2023
For those experiencing homelessness fulfilling immediate needs around food, shelter and safety are incredibly important. However, it’s also important, that as people, we are able to fulfill needs that aren't just centered around survival, but also joy.
That's why the Art Collective at Interfaith Sanctuary is so crucial. The program provides a space for artists and makers to gather and create. And this Saturday the collective will be celebrating the grand opening of their permanent retail space for artists experiencing homelessness.
(Interfaith Sanctuary)
Interfaith Sanctuary's Executive Director Jodi Peterson says it all got started by a guest who was staying at the shelter.
Art by Jose Miguel Bocanegra(Interfaith Sanctuary)
"He had been flying a sign to get some cash and just started to feel really invisible. Like people just didn't really look at him and stuff and it made him sad. And so one day he decided he would set up his easel with a canvas on the same street corner, and suddenly people started rolling down their window and talking to him. And one woman actually showed up one day with canvases for him to paint on. And then they started asking if he could make paintings for him. And so it really turned him around and really got him on the right track. And he wanted that feeling for others in the unhoused community that he knew were also artists. So he asked if I would help him create like some way to connect our unhoused population with art," says Peterson.
That lead to the Homeless Art Collective.
Ashley is part of the Collective and says it's helped her work through staying at the shelter.
"Being able to go into the art room and spend a couple of hours to do a couple of pieces, a couple of dreamcatchers or whatever that helps me keep it helps keep me distracted from the struggles that I'm going through right now," says Ashley.
Ashley Parks(Interfaith Sanctuary)
She says all the excitement over her fiber art has been exciting.
Peterson says the Art Collective is vital for her guests' wellbeing.
"I think in order for us to help create an opportunity for someone to find their way back out of homelessness. They have to feel connected and they have to have balance and support. And you can't just do that by opening up a shelter door and saying, lay down, go to sleep, have a meal, see you later," says Peterson.
The grand opening of the permanent retail space for the Homeless Art Collective kicks off Saturday.
A look at some of the most controversial issues in public education today
Feb 09, 2023
Public education faces a large number of controversies, everything from Critical Race Theory, censorship and arguments over school funding and school choice. Some of the controversies stem from different groups having different ideas about what public education is for and what it should be trying to accomplish.
Dr. Phil Kelly is a retired professor at the College of Education at Boise State University and Dr. Jennifer Snow is a professor of curriculum, instruction, and foundational studies at BSU’s College of Education and they’ll be talking about these issues February 14 at Boise State University.
Helping students and families in need
Feb 09, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
Concentrating in the classroom can be hard if you’re struggling with basic needs like food, clothing or a stable home environment.
That's why school districts all over the Treasure Valley are partnering in an initiative called "Community Schools," which helps provide resources for students and families in need.
In Nampa alone there are five Family Community Resource Centers that take part in this initiative and they are working to raise awareness so that they might help more families.
Nampa School District Director of Federal Programs, Niall Trimble and Family Community Resource Center Coordinator at Nampa High School, Madisyn Parker join Idaho Matters to talk more about the program.
Snow enthusiasts are urged to stay safe during avalanche season
Feb 09, 2023
(Philippe Desmazes / AFP/Getty Images)
The Mountain West is seeing more snow than it has in years, which means more powder-hungry skiers and snowmobilers heading for the backcountry. But that means risking an avalanche and there have already been several deadly avalanches this winter. Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Colorado River crisis could lead to drier future for some states
Feb 08, 2023
Igor Sorokin(Flickr)
Water officials across the West have been negotiating a crisis on the Colorado River. Drought is putting pressure on the seven-state basin, and the nation’s two largest reservoirs recently reached record lows. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Will Walkey looks at how higher-elevation states are being affected by the prospect of a drier future.
Habitat for Humanity helps Idahoans stay housed
Feb 08, 2023
(William Hartnett / Flickr)
Idaho’s lack of low income housing is no secret and the need continues to grow. Last year a report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition projected the state needs more than 24,000 more homes for the most economically disadvantaged Idahoans.
As costs go up more people are priced out of a home or end up living in substandard housing.
Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity is trying to change that. They have built more than 80 homes and helped many more folks who are growing older and want to stay in their houses.
This week they’re in Washington DC meeting with our congressional leaders to advocate for affordable housing solutions and to ask them to support the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act.
Janessa Chastain is the Executive Director of Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity and joins Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Students share their opinion on State of the Union address
Feb 08, 2023
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington.(Patrick Semansky / AP)
It wasn’t just inside-the-beltway pundits who were deconstructing Tuesday night’s State of the Union address. In fact, two Boise High School students, who are diving into domestic and world politics during their senior year, were also listening intently to President Joseph Biden’s address to Congress and the nation. But instead of politics, their big takeaways were more “kitchen table” issues.
Morning Edition Host George Prentice sat down with Grace Brighten and Marcos Miranda-Chavez.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: February 8, 2023
Feb 08, 2023
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact Idaho)
With the official end of the Coronavirus Public Health Emergency coming in May it means a complex set of policy changes, as well as a new move forward for the United States.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to help break this down.
'Just my Type' author chats with Idaho Matters
Feb 07, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
Last time we spoke with author Falon Ballard she had just released her first novel "Lease on Love." And it was a hit, receiving praise from USA Today, US Weekly, POPSUGAR and BuzzFeed, just to name a few. Now she is back with her second novel, "Just My Type."
The story behind the portrait: A closer look at President Abraham Lincoln
Feb 07, 2023
Statue of Abraham Lincoln at the State Capitol in Boise, Idaho.(A. Wee / Flickr)
This Sunday will mark the 214th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. And as we approach this anniversary we are reminded of Lincoln's ties to Idaho.
In March of 1863 he signed the act that created the Idaho territory and today you don’t have to look far to see statues of the famous president, with one of the oldest Lincoln Monuments in the Western U.S. sitting in front of the Idaho Statehouse.
Fentanyl overdoses are on the rise in Idaho
Feb 07, 2023
The picture on the left is an image of a legitimate Oxycodone pill. The picture on the right is an image of counterfeit Oxycodone pills.( United States Attorney's Office District of Idaho)
Last week two men from Idaho Falls were each sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine.
In April two men plead guilty to drug trafficking after police found almost a pound of counterfeit oxycodone that was laced with fentanyl. There was another federal case in February and another a few months before that.
It only takes two milligrams of fentanyl to kill someone, that’s the equivalent of a few grains of salt, and counterfeit pills are often laced with fentanyl, with no way of knowing if that pill is lethal.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho, Josh Hurwit, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the problem.
COVID-19 and a lack of affordable housing leads to an increase in pet surrenders
Feb 06, 2023
A dog eagerly awaits adoption in an animal shelter.(iStockphoto.com)
Many animal shelters in our region are bursting with unwanted cats and dogs and the problem is linked to COVID-19 and the nation’s housing crisis.
First, Wyoming Public Radio’s Eric Vigil takes us to a shelter for the Mountain West News Bureau. Then Boise State Public Radio's Troy Oppie looks at how Treasure Valley pet shelters are feeling the strain of animal surrenders.
Blaine County housing crisis prompts possible new tax
Feb 06, 2023
(Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)
Affordable housing has reached a crisis point in Blaine County as real estate prices continue to skyrocket.
Ketchum officials want to raise $1.5 million for affordable housing through a local option tax, which could be on the ballot in May. Then it would be up to voters and the initiative would need 66% of the vote to pass.
Amanda Breen is a member of the Ketchum City Council and she sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about affordable housing.
Idaho group helps raise awareness of crisis in Iran
Feb 06, 2023
(blackthorne57 / Flickr)
The Iranian Revolution in 1979 marked a turning point in the country’s history, leading to destabilization, protests and government crackdowns, especially on protesters.
In September Human Rights Watch reported that Iranian security forces killed protesters in what has become known as Bloody Friday.
Arvin Farid is Iranian by birth and American by choice. He was just a child in Iran in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution.
Now when he isn’t teaching civil engineering at Boise State University he works to raise awareness in Idaho of what’s happening in Iran and he joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the problem.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: February 3, 2023
Feb 03, 2023
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.
A look at school choice: Should public money go to private schools?
Feb 02, 2023
(iStockphoto.com)
The debate over school choice is heating up in Idaho. Earlier this week, the Senate Education Committee introduced a proposal to repeal our state’s Blaine Amendment, which is a clause that bans public spending on religious schools.
And last week conservative Idaho legislators released language for a bill that would create education savings accounts, basically allowing parents to use public money for private school tuition.
So, bottom line, what does all of this mean for taxpayers, parents and students? Not to mention how this would impact schools both urban and rural.
Kevin Richert with Idaho Education News, Terry Ryan CEO of Bluum and Will Overgaard, retired Superintendent of the Weiser School District join Idaho Matters to talk more in-depth about this.
Controversy at the Oscars: What to Watch with Idaho Matters
Feb 02, 2023
(Matt Sayles / A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)
Netflix subscribers listen up because there are changes afoot! There’s also a big controversy going on over an Oscar nomination and Harrison Ford has been very busy.
Our resident movie critic George Prentice joins Idaho Matters to catch us up on the latest news from Hollywood.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: February 1, 2022
Feb 01, 2023
(Drew Angerer / Getty Images)
Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced it plans to let the Coronavirus Public Health Emergency expire in May.
During the announcement, the White House said it’s a sign that federal officials believe the pandemic has moved into a new, less dire phase. As you might imagine this move carries both symbolic weight and real-world consequences.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to help break this down.
Up to 150,000 Idahoans could lose their Medicaid benefits
Feb 01, 2023
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has resources in place to help folks who get one of these letters and has this advice:
"Those who currently receive Medicaid should take action to make sure they receive notices about their benefits and re-evaluations. They should report any changes in their household information, including phone number and address. To report any changes or confirm information, call DHW at 877-456-1233, email MyBenefits@dhw.idaho.gov, or visit idalink.idaho.gov."
Melissa Davlin is the host of Idaho Reports on Idaho Public Television and she joins Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Keep an eye on your water bill: Veolia moves to increase rates by 24%
Feb 01, 2023
(Bart / Flickr)
The company that supplies drinking water to most of the Treasure Valley wants to raise its rates by 24%.
Veolia is asking the Idaho Public Utilities Commission for the rate hike, saying it has spent $70 million to improve water quality and safety. Angela Palermo reports on business and public health for the Idaho Statesman and joins Idaho Matters to help break this down.
The Salem witch trials come to Idaho
Feb 01, 2023
Afflicted continues through February 11th at the Danny Peterson Theater( Erin Cunningham / Danny Peterson Theater)
A new play at the Morrison Center in Boise explores some of the themes that came out of the Salem Witch Trials in puritan New England in 1691.
The play is called “Afflicted: Daughters of Salem” and it looks at some of the events leading up to the trials. Cast member Karen Fichtman, Stage Manager Emily Oquist and director Jamie Nebeker sat down with our George Prentice to talk about the play.
New investigation reveals more details leading up to Boise Towne Square Mall shooting
Jan 31, 2023
The shooting at the Boise Towne Square Mall in 2021 caused shock and anger in the Treasure Valley after Jacob Bergquist shot and killed two people, including a security guard. He later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after firing at Boise police.
A new investigative report from the Idaho Statesman finds that Bergquist’s home was littered with bullet casings and covered in bullet holes, in the walls and doors of his Boise Bench residence. Bergquist apparently would spend time target shooting, while sitting on his couch and no one living nearby was aware of what was happening.
Nicole Blanchard, a reporter with the Idaho Statesman, joins Idaho Matters to talk more.
Boise State Public Radio celebrates 45 years on the air
Jan 31, 2023
(Boise State Public Radio)
Boise State Public Radio turns 45 years old this year, and we continue to grow, adding new staff and anew translator in Pocatello and KLCZ in North Idaho.
Our General Manager, Tom Michael sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to more about the state of the station, including the past and future of Boise State Public Radio.
Turning murder mysteries on their head
Jan 31, 2023
( G.P. Putnam's Sons)
A new novel, The Hunter, puts to rest some tropes about suspense novels, small town crime and police corruption. The book’s author, Jennifer Herrera, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book.
Idaho Public Survey reveals growing concern about states economic future
Jan 30, 2023
(Jimmy Emerson / Flickr Creative Commons)
The number of Idahoans who feel the state is on the wrong track is growing. A majority of people feel the state is growing too fast and that property taxes are too high and an astonishing 43% of residents worry about paying their bills each month.
More than a third of people say the state’s economic condition will only get worse over the next two years. Those are just some of the results of the eighth annual Idaho Public Policy Survey from Boise State University.
Matthew May, Survey Research Director for the School of Public Service and Lantz McGinnis-Brown, Research Associate at the Idaho Policy Institute at Boise State joined Idaho Matters to help break down the results.
The history of Idaho's queer spaces outside of Boise
Jan 30, 2023
The lecture will explore where and how LGBTQ+ members found one another, built community and ultimately found a home right here in the Gem state. Dr. Lisa McClain and Boise State University graduate student, Rachel Taylor, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about their upcoming forum.
It all starts with the soil: Regenerating our food systems
Jan 30, 2023
(Illinois Soybean Association / Flickr)
Restoring ecosystems is no easy task as we try to repair some of the damage humans have done to planet earth. And food production can be very hard on nature, especially if those practices don’t take whole ecosystems into account.
Author and agroecologist Nicole Masters has made a study of regenerating our food production systems and she says you have to start small, very small, with microorganisms in the soil that our food grows in.
GEMMA GAUDETTE: From the studios of Boise State Public Radio news. You're listening to Idaho Matters. Restoring ecosystems is no easy task, and as we try to repair some of the damage humans have done to the planet Earth and food production can be very hard on nature, especially if those practices don't take whole ecosystems into account. Author and agriculture ecologist. If I'm sure I got that wrong, Nicole Masters has made a study of regenerating our food production systems, and she says you have to start small, very small with microorganisms in the soil that our food grows in. Masters wrote the book For the Love of Soil Strategies to Regenerate Our Food Production Systems, and she's coming to Boise next week to talk about her work. She's joining us now along with Jessica Harold, the program coordinator at the Ada Soil and Water Conservation District. I want to welcome both of you to the program.
NICOLE MASTERS: Thanks so much for having us on. Thank you.
GAUDETTE: Oh, okay. So, Nicole, first off, how do we how do we say what you do for a living, since I'm sure I butchered that agroecologist.
MASTERS: So it sounds like I'm angry about ecology, but agro meaning agriculture.
GAUDETTE: Okay, gotcha. Okay. Thank you for the clarification. So, Nicole, I'm curious, how did you get started looking at basically dirt?
MASTERS: Oh, see, that's swearing in my community. Dirt. Okay, um, I think a lifelong passion. My family will certainly tell stories of me eating a lot of dirt as a child, but from New Zealand, just seeing incredible losses in biodiversity and water quality and erosion from probably the age of five, you know, really saying to my parents, you know, why is this happening? So yeah, it's a life journey.
GAUDETTE: You know, Nicole, I know you spent a lot of time talking with farmers and growers as well as ranchers, and you discuss building healthier soil. So what have you learned from them?
MASTERS: Oh, my goodness. I learned so much from every producer that I work with. I think the the privilege of being able to travel to different communities and see some of the real challenges that ranchers and farmers are facing on the ground and, and how much a poor advice they've been given, quite frankly, and how we really can regenerate ecosystems in some of the most extreme environments.
GAUDETTE: Mhm. So, Jessica, you wanted to bring Nicole to the Treasure Valley so that she could share some of her ideas with local farmers at Harvest and Hearth, and we discussed that event a little while ago. But why do you want her to come to Boise in particular?
JESSICA HARROLD: We think that just with our, um, super agricultural industry here, um, having her be a resource to all of our local producers, since we have so many farms in the area, is really valuable, and she has so much great information, not only for our really large scale farms and ranches, but also our small growers as well. And I think the community in general, and I'm so excited that we have a. So many presentations with her while she's in town that really appealed to everyone. And there are so many opportunities to hear what she has to say about restoring this ecosystem function. And I think it's really applicable to not only our farms, but all of our wild open spaces as well. Looking at the foothills and all of our rangelands.
GAUDETTE: And Nicole, a lot of food producers are trying to imitate a natural systems as they grow our food. I'm curious about the benefit of doing that.
MASTERS: Oh, I like that. You said a lot. We are seeing this growing really, really rapidly. I think what we're seeing is that there's so much adaptability that needs to be built into the system, and that happens from our underground workforce. So really, how do we have ecosystems that work despite the variations that we're seeing in climate and stress. And, um, yeah, it's just it's amazing what happens when you start to connect to that underground workforce and really what microbiology do in terms of water holding capacity and nutrients. And I think so many ecosystems have become so degraded that we can't even imagine what it looks like when we start to bring vibrant life back to, to farms and ranches.
GAUDETTE: I love that how you call it that underground workforce. I literally had this image of little ants with like like, you know, hard hats on doing all of this work under the soil. But, um, but I mean, oh, go ahead.
MASTERS: No, no, but it's very much like that. So it's almost like imagining it's a city underneath the ground. And that city has services from hospitals to schools to a local pub. Um, and then how how there are ways that we disrupt that ecosystem and then how there's ways we could build it back. Yeah.
GAUDETTE: Okay. So speaking of that disruption, I mean, Nicole, can we really recover degraded landscapes if we make the soil healthier?
MASTERS: Absolutely. Um, it's just that it's a journey, not a destination. So what I find is the people that are doing an incredible job, they're not at the end of that, it's like, how good can you get it? You know, how much water can we hold, how much production can we create, and how profitable can we make productive ecosystems?
GAUDETTE: So then I know, Nicole, you have a lot of really good advice for farmers and ranchers, but can we talk about those, you know, those backyard farmers, right. Maybe folks that just have their own backyard gardens, can they learn something about helping the soil?
MASTERS: Yeah, absolutely. So I don't think it matters what scale you're on. And it's quite interesting. When I work with large producers, they say, oh, it's only possible on a small scale, and you work with small guys and they're like, oh, it's only possible on a big scale. And it's like every scale is possible. But I find as home gardeners or vegetable producers, there's so many more tools that we have, um, and so many more ways that we can rapidly bring life back. So yeah, I'm excited about what you can do in your own backyard to just really grow the most nutrient dense, flavorful production that you possibly can. And and those flavor profiles come from microbiology.
GAUDETTE: So what would you say is the maybe easiest thing that the average person can do to keep soil healthy?
MASTERS: I think often the first thing is really just to stop what you're doing right now. That's killing everything. You know, if I had to. Yeah, yeah. If I had to say number one to stop, stop some of those actions. So I think some of these insecticides, the seed treatments are some of the worst things that we could be doing. Um, you know, and really don't give us the benefit that it's kind of marketed as being. So I think getting insecticides and fungicides and pesticides out of that ecosystem. Um, yeah. So especially for home gardeners, you know, people with lawns, even the lawn use chemical use in this country is phenomenal. Like some of the biggest polluters are actually your backyard producers or just home landscapes or turf. So really getting interested in how do we do this in a more ecological way?
GAUDETTE: Mm. Nicole. Jessica. Sorry, I only have about a minute left, but I do want to note that that Nicole will be the keynote speaker at Harvest and Hearth. So, um, give us information on that really quickly.
HARROLD: Yes. She will be our keynote for the Harvest and Hearth event, February 10th. But we do also have a free option for the public the night before. So February 9th, starting at 7:00 pm, we have restoring ecosystem function from the micro to the macro that will be held at College of Idaho. And you can register for that event online, um at Ada swcd. Org. It is free, but we do just ask for pre-registration. Um, we expect it to be pretty popular.
GAUDETTE: Well, I want to thank both of you for coming on the program today. Nicole, a pleasure to talk with you.
MASTERS: You too. Thank you so much.
GAUDETTE: Absolutely. We've been talking with author Nicole Masters and Jessica Harrold with the aid of Soil and Water Conservation District. We've been discussing how fixing the soil can actually help produce healthier food while helping the planet. As I mentioned, Nicole will be the keynote speaker at the Harvest and Hearth workshop, as well as at the College of Idaho. This will all happen next week. We will put links to all of those events on our website Boise State Public Radio News. Org. Thanks so much for listening to Idaho Matters. Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Matters are members of the NPR network. It's an independent coalition of public media podcasters.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: January 27, 2023
Jan 27, 2023
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.
Rebuilding trust with the Boise Police Department
Jan 26, 2023
(Flickr Creative Commons)
Just a year ago Ryan Lee was the Chief of the Boise Police Department and not many people knew of then-Captain Matt Bryngelson.
Fast forward to 2023 and Lee has since resigned in the shadow of one controversy. Two months later, racist remarks linked to Bryngelson further rocked the department.
Boise City Council President Holli Woodings calls the controversy shocking. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice talked to several people, including Woodings, about the long and wide shadow over the police department.
Electric vehicles are everywhere, but are there enough charging stations?
Jan 26, 2023
Cobalt is an important component of lithium ion batteries, like those in many electric vehicles(Keith Srakocic / AP)
Electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular. But one barrier is the network for recharging them – especially in the rural west.
Experts say long EV road trips are a new frontier. That’s because the charging infrastructure that makes them possible is still emerging.
KUNC’s Rae Solomon spent the day at an EV fast charging station in rural Colorado to learn more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: January 25, 2022
Jan 25, 2023
A doctor listens to a child's breathing.(B Busco / Getty Images)
A nationwide shortage of over-the-counter children’s medicine is impacting the supply in the Treasure Valley.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was closely monitoring pediatric ibuprofen and acetaminophen supplies, which have been hard to come by since late last year due to a rise in respiratory illnesses, as well as an early flu season. And pharmacies across the valley are feeling the pinch with many stores not having any medication.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
Local group fights against period poverty in the Treasure Valley
Jan 25, 2023
( Days for Girls)
Here in Idaho, 11% of the population lives below the poverty line according to the United States Census Bureau.
Out of that 11%, the number of women living below the poverty line is more than 100,000. These numbers are important because living in poverty doesn’t just limit your access to housing or food, it can also limit your access to period products, an important and often overlooked health need.
One group is now working to address this issue. Days For Girls is an international nonprofit that helps to increase access to washable and sustainable menstrual kits.
Here in the Treasure Valley, their team has started a pilot program supplying middle and high schools with free menstrual products.
Susan Thompson, Co-leader for the Days For Girls local team and volunteer Pam Bender joins Idaho Matters to tell us more about their work.
A historic comet will soon appear for the first time in 50,000 years
Jan 25, 2023
Between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, the newly discovered comet is slated to draw nearest to Earth — 26.4 million miles away to be exact.( Dan Bartlett/NASA)
Its formal name is C/2022 E3 and it's described as a fuzzy, bright green comet that hasn’t visited the solar system in tens of thousands of years.
Dr. Irwin Horowitz, past President of the Boise Astronomical Society, says this may be the only chance you’ll ever get to see it.
Horowitz visited with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the best opportunities to see the comet in the coming days and exactly where to find it.
Is the U.S. Supreme Court the least dangerous branch of government?
Jan 24, 2023
The U.S. Supreme Court(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
The U.S. Supreme Court was dubbed the least dangerous branch of government by Alexander Hamilton.
But the court has lately been in the middle of some of America's biggest controversies. From laws around abortion and gun rights to voting rights and religion to gerrymandering and presidential power and all of these issues have a direct effect on our lives.
Dr. David Adler is the President of the Alturas Institute, which is a nonprofit that works to promote “the constitution, gender equality, and civic education." He’s been immersed in the Supreme Court for much of his career and he’ll be talking about the Supreme Court on Jan. 26 at the OSHER Lifelong Learning Institute.
Sled dogs race through Idaho's West Central Mountains
Jan 24, 2023
The sound of enthusiastic barking dogs have been ringing through the West Central Mountains as sled dogs and their mushers roam up and down the mountain paths for the fifth annual Idaho Sled Dog Challenge!
There are shorter races on the docket, plus the 300-mile big race which draws top mushing teams from around the country, and this year six Idahoans are taking part.
Montana musher Nicole Lombardi won the 2022 Idaho Sled Dog Challenge’s 100-mile race. She's registered to compete in the 2023 100-mile race. (Melissa Shelby / Melissa Shelby Photography)
Dog musher Nicole Lombardi won the Idaho 100-mile race last year and she just won this year's 100-mile race at the Eagle Cap Extreme. She says the Idaho Challenge is special.
“I really love that race. The community is great. I can tell you. I always look forward to driving through the small towns and looking at the ice sculptures. But specific to the race, you know, there's a whole community that comes out. The school kids come out and they look at the dogs,” says Lombardi.
She’s been racing dogs for a while now and sort of fell into the sport.
“I got my first sled dog because I was looking for a running partner, a dog that would run trails with me. And I quickly realized that I was going to be outmatched by my dog,” Lombardi laughs. She took part in a clinic with the Cascade Sled Dog Team and started racing.
Montana musher Nicole Lombardi with one of her dogs. She won the 2022 Idaho Sled Dog Challenge’s 100-mile race. She is registered to compete in the 2023 100-mile race. (Melissa Shelby / Melissa Shelby Photography)
There’s a lot of up-and-down elevation in the Idaho race; the Challenge’s co-founder says it’s like going 500 miles in a 300-mile race.
Idaho Sled Dog Challenge promotions director Eliza Barclay says they brought back the Ceremonial Start to the race this year, which is a great chance to meet the mushers, talk to judges, and even bid on a sled ride. She says everyone’s invited to watch this year’s races, but she asks spectators to leave their dogs at home.
“Please don't bring your pets, your pet dogs. These dogs are working dogs. They love to run. That's what they do. And it's like if you're running a big race yourself, you really don't need distractions … so bringing your pet dogs, it just causes distraction,” says Barclay.
She says there are a lot of spots where you can watch the mushers during the races and you can also track them in real-time online.
“All of the mushers have live tracking devices on them. So if you follow the live tracking, that will give you the most accurate estimate of when you can see them coming in,” she says.
If you want to do more than just watch the dogs, Barclay says the Challenge always needs volunteers.
The big race starts on Jan. 30.
On Feb. 2, 2022, a sled dog team approaches the finish line of the 300-mile race. (Melissa Shelby / Melissa Shelby Photography)
Learning from our pets: The lessons we take away from our dogs
Jan 24, 2023
Local author Jan M. Flynn has two chapters in the new book and joins Idaho Matters to talk more about humans best friend.
Bringing together producers: Harvest and Hearth holds third annual event
Jan 24, 2023
(Liz Ahlberg / Flickr)
Have you ever wanted to grow strawberries? Or grow mushrooms? Or raise goats? Or try your hand at small-scale farming or ranching? These and other questions, like how to use worms to make the best compost, will be answered at the third annual Harvest and Hearth event next month in Caldwell.
The event brings local producers together for a day of classes and networking to help farmers, ranchers and anyone who wants to learn more about the food they eat. Jessica Harrold is the Program Coordinator at the Ada Soil & Water Conservation District and she joins Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Keeping people housed in the Treasure Valley
Jan 23, 2023
( Creative Commons 2.0, 3.0, Shutterstock)
During the pandemic, a couple of things happened in the Treasure Valley.
A lot of people couldn’t pay their rent, due to illness or losing their job, or other factors. And the cost of rent in the area skyrocketed, as the housing crunch in the valley continued to grow out of control. Those factors lead to an unprecedented number of folks facing eviction.
We wanted to see how the clinic is doing so we invited Jason Dykstra, a U of I Law Professor who directs the housing clinic, Morgan Decarl, the Eviction Court Program Manager at the nonprofit Jesse Tree and Gavin Gilbert, a U of I student who works in the clinic to join Idaho Matters.
'Of Ice and Men:' a history of humanity and the cold
Jan 23, 2023
( Pegasus Books)
On another rather cold January morning here in Idaho, we consider ice, not so much what the natural elements have delivered to our doorstep, but the ice that we create for our comfort, for our consumption, our leisure for so much of our lives. But at what cost?
That’s just one of the many questions at the heart of a new book. It is titled "Of Ice and Men.” Its author is Fred Hogge he chatted with our Morning Edition host George Prentice.
'Windfall' author chats with Idaho Matters
Jan 23, 2023
( Sourcebooks)
Erika Bolstad is a long-time journalist who has reported on environmental issues, politics and more for places like Climatewire, The McClatchy Washington Bureau, Anchorage Daily and even the Gem State's very own Idaho Statesman where she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for her work in breaking news.
It’s a memoir set on the prairies of North Dakota that explores family history, the effects of the oil industry on the West and the possible consequences of inheritance. Bolstad joins Idaho Matters to talk more about her book.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: January 20, 2023
Jan 20, 2023
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
Trying to solve the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people
Jan 19, 2023
Protesters raise awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls on May 5, 2022.(Will Walkey)
In 2021, more than 9,500 Indigenous people were reported missing through the FBI’s National Crime Information Center. That’s a higher rate of disappearance than the general U.S. population. Murder is also the third-leading cause of death among Native women, according to the Urban Indian Health Institute.
Despite the progress the federal government has made recently, a recent summit made clear how much work remains in solving the persistent, intractable crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people.
Keep your dog on a leash to save deer in the Boise Foothills
Jan 19, 2023
Elk have a snack on the Boise River WMA.( Idaho Fish and Game)
Every winter up to 10,000 elk and mule deer migrate to an area of the Boise Foothills to eat, rest and wait for the cold weather to pass.
Right now the animals are living on the 18,000 acres of the Boise Front trying to conserve their limited fat reserves so they can survive the winter.
They don’t have any energy to spare and running away from a loose, unleashed dog could mean the difference between life or death for the animal.
Matt O'Connell is a regional conservation officer with Idaho Fish and Game and he joins Idaho Matters to explain why keeping your dog on their leash is so important to big game.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Idaho needs you
Jan 19, 2023
CEO Hillary Xoumanivong joins Idaho Matters to tell us more.
How do you nominate a film for an Oscar?
Jan 19, 2023
(Stefani Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images)
Can you believe it? It’s almost time for the Oscars again. What happened to 2022?
Oscar nominations are around the corner and we want to understand just how those nominees are chosen. Plus, Avatar 2 continues to dominate the box office, so we check in on what else is going on with its director James Cameron.
Our resident movie critic and Morning Edition host George Prentice returns to Idaho Matters.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: January 18, 2022
Jan 18, 2023
(Demetrios Manolatos / Flickr)
There was a flurry of news reports after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released information Friday that they were investigating whether the bivalent Pfizer vaccine could be linked to a higher risk of stroke in people 65 and older.
The CDC saidseveral studies indicated it is “very unlikely” that there is a “true clinical risk” and it was investigating the data, but the announcement prompted a lot of questions.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to help make sense of this new information.
FARE Idaho introduces first-ever 'Field to Fork' Festival
Jan 18, 2023
(Neil Conway / Flickr)
We have occasional opportunities – perhaps at a farmers market – to source our food. FARE Idaho would like to change that, beginning with their first-ever “Field to Fork Festival,” on Jan. 19 at JUMP in downtown Boise.
Katie Baker, the Executive Director of FARE Idaho, spoke with Morning Edition host George Prentice about her organization’s hopes for the festival, and how unique it is to mash up a trade show with a moveable feast for consumers.
A conversation with author Leah Konen
Jan 18, 2023
Acclaimed author Leah Konen is back with a new domestic thriller, "You Should Have Told Me." She joins Idaho Matters to talk about her latest novel.
A new congressional committee upsets those protecting the Frank Church legacy
Jan 17, 2023
(THE FRANK CHURCH INSTITUTE/Boise State University)
A new House subcommittee is investigating what they call the weaponization of the federal government and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and other republicans insist on comparing their subcommittee to the "Church Committee," the highly regarded bipartisan inquiry of the 1970s.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Monica Church, the Executive Director of the Frank Church Institute and Dr. Stephanie Martin, the current holder of the Frank and Bethany Church Chair of Public Affairs at Boise State University, to talk about the name that many have chosen to call the committee.
Preventing human trafficking in Idaho
Jan 17, 2023
January is National Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention month and a group of folks have gotten together to offer training on how to spot and prevent this crime from occurring.
However, one of the biggest obstacles officials have is convincing Idahoans that human trafficking happens here, making it harder to get the public’s help to stop it.
Jeannie Strohmeyer, Executive Director of the Nampa Family Justice Center, Paula Barthelmess with Idaho Community Outreach Behavioral Services and Taylor Cook, the Human Trafficking Project Coordinator for the Nampa Family Justice Center and a trauma therapist for Revitalize Counseling joins Idaho Matters to talk about this crime and why it hides beneath the surface for so many.
Largest dam removal in history set to take place later this year
Jan 17, 2023
(Nicholas K. Geranios / AP Images)
After nearly five decades of advocacy, four dams are about to be demolished to help salmon, but they’re not the dams we’re usually talking about. These dams are on the Klamath River in Oregon and California.
The restoration project will help re-establish salmon habitat, improve water quality and result in the largest dam removal ever seen, anywhere. Rocky Barker joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this project.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: January 13, 2023
Jan 13, 2023
Bryan Kohberger, the 28-year-old criminology Ph.D. student accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November.(Matt Rourke / AP)
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
A look ahead at Idaho's 2023 economic trends
Jan 12, 2023
Money
Last year the economy saw a steep decline in consumer sentiment, an increase in inflation and added pressure to the cost of living crisis.
This year economists like Robert Spendlove are visiting with Idaho lawmakers to discuss these trends and provide insight into how they may change or stay the same in the coming months. He'll also be providing economic updates, which will help legislatures decide how to spend or not spend taxpayer money. Spendlove joins Idaho Matters to talk more.
Will the College of Western Idaho ever get a Boise campus?
Jan 12, 2023
(Globe Newswire / Associated Press)
The College of Western Idaho is one step closer to building a permanent campus on the Boise river.
The community college bought the property on Main Street in 2015, which caused some controversy. Then the school failed to get enough votes on a bond in 2016, which further slowed the process to get its own campus.
CWI leases space in different parts of Ada County to hold classes for its students and is eager to build a permanent home on the 10-acre property along the river.
Don Day, the founder and editor of Boisedev.com, joined Idaho Matters to talk about the school's next steps.
Sharing the history of indigenous communities in Idaho
Jan 12, 2023
A new exhibit coming to the Idaho State Museum will bring the stories from four indigenous communities to life using videos, games and artifacts.
The hope is that visitors will get a better understanding of the issues that face indigenous communities today and to highlight sustainability and practices that go back generations.
The exhibit “Roots of Wisdom: Native Knowledge. Shared Science” includes contributions from the five federally recognized tribes in Idaho. Liz Hobson, administrator of the Idaho State Museum and Johanna Jones, with the Office of Indian Education, join Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Bridging the healthcare gap in southwestern Idaho
Jan 12, 2023
(TheKarenD / flickr)
Terry Reilly Health Services delivers care for tens of thousands of patients in clinics across the Treasure Valley. Over the last 50 years, it's grown from a neighborhood clinic to over a dozen clinics and much more.
They're adding new clinics in 2023, according to Heidi Hart, chief executive officer of Terry Reilly Health Services, who sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: January 11, 2022
Jan 11, 2023
(Jo / flickr)
What’s going on with the new variant of COVID-19 in the U.S. and in China? Do those rapid tests work on the new strain? And bivalent boosters have been around since August - are they having any impact?
Joining Idaho Matters to answer these questions is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke’s Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
Will Idaho see a second wave of the flu?
Jan 11, 2023
Idaho is still seeing very high flu activity in the state and the Centers for Disease Control says that many flu seasons have a second wave. In good news, the H3N2 strain of influenza which has been detected in about 80% of flu cases across the nation is a good target for this year's flu vaccine.
Dr. Leslie Tengelsen is the State Influenza Surveillance Coordinator at the Department of Health and Welfare and she sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice for an update on the flu.
Uniting against hate in Idaho
Jan 11, 2023
(Mike Gifford / flickr)
The College of Idaho will be hosting an event for a very important initiative, “United Against Hate.”
The initiative is nationwide and strives to connect community members with local government and law enforcement to help build trust and better combat hate crimes. The event is happening on Jan. 16 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Langroise Center for Performing & Fine Arts in Caldwell.
Joining Gemma to talk more about the initiative is the U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho, Josh Hurwit.
Idaho Matters breaks down the 2023 State of the State address
Jan 10, 2023
Idaho Gov. Brad Little's second inauguration in January 2023.(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
On Monday, we brought you live special coverage of Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s State of the State speech. It’s when the governor releases his proposed budget and talks about the policies he’d like to see the Idaho legislature approve during the current session.
This year, Little continues to make education a top priority, but he had other concerns as well, including raises for state police and money for bridges and water. All of these proposals will affect Idahoans, from the roads we drive on, to the water we drink, to the money we pay in taxes. So we wanted to take some time to break down what the governor wants from lawmakers.
Kevin Richert, Senior Reporter and Blogger with Idaho Education News, Clark Corbin with the Idaho Capital Sun and James Dawson with Boise State Public Radio News joined Idaho Matters to help break it all down.
Idaho Matters takes a look at the upcoming legislative session
Jan 09, 2023
(Troy Maben / AP Photo)
The Idaho Legislature kicked off its 2023 session on Monday and unlike in past years no one is quite sure what’s going to happen inside the walls of the Idaho Statehouse.
There are dozens of new faces among the 105 lawmakers, after retirements, redistricting and election battles overturned long-held seats. A lot of those new republican lawmakers lean more conservative and without a voting track record it’s difficult to get a feel for what kind of legislation might shake out this year.
Jaclyn Kettler, Associate Professor of Political Science at Boise State University, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about all of this.
Idaho Attorney General Labrador moves to dismiss charges against Sara Brady
Jan 09, 2023
(Aaron Kunz / Aaron Kunz from Idaho Public Television)
Last Thursday, Idaho's new Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced that he was moving to dismiss charges against Sara Brady.
She was arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing in 2020 in a Meridian park that was closed due to COVID-19. Labrador said the case was a “profound waste of precious taxpayer resources."
Meridian’s mayor and chief of police protested Labrador's move, calling it “political grandstanding” and saying it was a “slap in the face” to Meridian police and law-abiding citizens.
Troy Oppie, Boise State Public Radio News Reporter and host of "All Things Considered," joins Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Mexico starts new program to help reunite families
Jan 09, 2023
Our region has a large number of Mexican immigrants – and many have been unable to see their relatives for years.
Now the Mexican state of Tlaxcala is opening an office here to help reunite families across borders. The program is part of a larger initiative from the state, located east of Mexico City, to provide resources to Mexican nationals living in the United States. The agency does this in part by running reunification programs and paying half of all travel costs for visits up to 30 days.
Hanna Merzbach reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Idaho Matters debuts on KISU FM
Jan 09, 2023
(Jamon Anderson, KISU FM.)
Idaho Matters is branching further out into Eastern Idaho as we debut the show on KISU FM.
KISU broadcasts out of Idaho State University and reaches Pocatello, Chubbuck, American Falls and Blackfoot and has translators in Idaho Falls and Rexburg, which reaches places like Shelley and Island Park. Their audience keeps growing, with almost 230,000 residents in their listening area and a whole lot of Bengal fans in their audience!
Jamon Anderson, the general manager of KISU, joins Idaho Matters to talk more.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: January 6, 2023
Jan 06, 2023
Bryan Kohberger, right, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, is led away following a hearing in Latah County District Court, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool)(Ted S. Warren / AP)
University of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger gets first court date, the Idaho Supreme Court upholds the state abortion ban, we dig into the circumstances behind the former Boise OPA Directors dismissal and a look at why St. Luke's is now offering its own insurance plan.
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.
A preview of the 2023 Idaho Legislative Session
Jan 05, 2023
(Matt Guilhem / Boise State Public Radio)
Thursday morning, the Idaho Press Club hosted its legislative preview with Gov. Brad Little and a panel of lawmakers, who took questions on the record about their priorities for the 2023 Idaho Legislative Session.
Boise State Public Radio News Reporter James Dawson has been watching the action all morning and joins Idaho Matters for more on what to expect in this year's session.
Corpus Christi House helps fill important need for homeless
Jan 05, 2023
( Corpus Christi House)
For many of us home is a place of reprieve, the place we go to eat, shower and sleep.
For those experiencing homelessness though, not having a permanent address can make taking care of these basic needs difficult. Especially when many shelters are only open from 5:00 pm to 8:00 am, leaving many people without shelter during the day.
That's where organizations like Corpus Christi House come in, helping to fill that gap and providing a place to go during daytime hours.
Chad Summervill, a member of the Board of Directors for Corpus Christi and Shelter Coordinator Duane Paris, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about filling this need.
An update on the water crisis in the west
Jan 05, 2023
202 was a bad year for the Colorado River. The long drought in the southwest grew worse, and demand for the river’s water continued to outstrip supply.
States are scrambling to find some compromise and cut back on demand before 2026, when the current guidelines for the river expire, but climate change is only making that job harder, shrinking supplies with no end in sight. KUNC’s Alex Hager reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: January 4, 2022
Jan 04, 2023
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact Idaho)
Along with COVID-19, RSV, and the flu, the Centers for Disease Control is now worried about an outbreak of strep throat. Meanwhile, Ohio is dealing with an outbreak of measles and some are concerned that there may be a new mystery illness out there.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joins Idaho Matters to break this all down.
National Park Service acquires new land near City of Rocks
Jan 04, 2023
(Courtesy National Park Service )
Near the end of 2022, the National Park Service purchased 105 acres of land neighboring the City of Rocks National Reserve.
The area is home to much natural beauty, including granite outcrops of Train Rock, portions of Graham Creek, aspen groves and moose habitat. Tara McClure-Cannon, Acting Superintendent for City of Rocks National Reserve joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this purchase.
Toys are flying off the shelf - and you may be surprised who they're being bought for
Jan 04, 2023
When the pandemic started, many items flew off the shelves – including toys. Now, years later, toy stores are still seeing their sales grow, and consumer bases expand.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel reports.
Suspect arrested in University of Idaho murders
Jan 03, 2023
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
On Friday, police in Pennsylvania arrested a suspect in the murder of four University of Idaho students. Bryan Kohberger is a student at Washington State University, which sits around eight miles away from the U of I in Moscow.
Kevin Richert, Senior Reporter and Blogger with Idaho Education News, has been following the story closely and he joined Idaho Matters for an update.
School vouchers, school choice and the 2023 Idaho legislative session
Jan 03, 2023
(Thomas Hawk / Flickr)
The Idaho Legislature starts next week and the topic of school vouchers will likely take up a large chunk of time and effort. For many people on both sides of the school choice debate, "voucher" can be a dirty word, which can carry negative assumptions along with it.
Kevin Richert, Senior Reporter and Blogger with Idaho Education News wrote an article about "the v-word," as he calls it and joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about it.
New program helps support mental health of Idaho students
Jan 03, 2023
( Boise School District)
Here in Idaho and around the country, students are struggling with their mental health and schools are in short supply of professionals that are equipped to handle their needs. That's why resources like The Student and Family Assistance Program are so important.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about the program are Idaho's Central District Health Program Manager, Rebecca Sprague, BPA Director of Business Development, Kelly Carew and Katie Azevedo, BPA's Director of Education.
Nampa School District helps conserve water with Smart Rain program
Jan 03, 2023
(Steve Schroeder / Flickr)
When we think about water conservation we don’t often think about schools, but that's exactly where one charity organization is focusing. Smart Rain for Smart Kids is a program committed to saving water and here in Idaho, the Nampa School District has partnered with them to help in that conservation.
The Director of Operations for the Nampa School District joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the program and how it's being implemented in Canyon County schools.
Idaho Matters 2022 Reporter Roundtable: A year in review
Dec 30, 2022
5 years later: Life after the Las Vegas shooting
Dec 29, 2022
It’s been 5 years since a gunman killed 60 people and injured hundreds more at a Las Vegas music festival. what does life look like now, for the people affected by the shootings? We wanted to share the experiences of survivors, first responders and those who lost someone.
KNPR's Senior Producer Kristen Kidman reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Preserving the history of Amache
Dec 29, 2022
It’s been some 80 years since thousands of Japanese Americans were sent to live in internment camps in places like Minidoka, Idaho. Now the National Park Service is developing plans to restore one of those sites.
Emma Vandeneinde of the Mountain West News Bureau reports on the plan in the series, “Saving Amache.”
A recent archaeological find sheds new light on the Basque language
Dec 29, 2022
The writing on the Mano de Irulegi was not immediately apparent when it came out of the ground and only revealed itself to researchers after they (Sociedad de Ciencias Aranzadi / www.aranzadi.eus)
The Basque language is a non-Indo European language in Western Europe, spoken by people living in the mountains between France and Spain.
The isolated language has puzzled scholars for centuries. For many years, it was believed to only be spoken and showed up in writing about 500 years ago. Julie Luchetta reports on a new discovery, announced in November, that has rocked the Basque community here and across the world.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: A year in review
Dec 28, 2022
(Alex Proimos / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 23, 2022.
Each Wednesday we bring you the Doctors Roundtable, where we answer your questions about COVID-19. But since it’s almost the end of 2022, we wanted to take a look back at the last year of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to look back at another challenging year in public health.
After Dark: A journey into Idaho's night life
Dec 27, 2022
Michael Runsvold, founder and head baker of Acme Bakeshop, dusts loaves of bread with flour before they're baked.(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
As we approach the end of the year, the days are short and the nights seem to last forever.
The team at Boise State Public Radio is leaning into the darkness to share stories that take place at nighttime and that bring you to spaces that are bustling – or undisturbed – after the sun sets. It’s a series we’re calling After Dark.
Idaho Matters 2022 Reporter Roundtable: A year-in-review
Dec 23, 2022
'Private Idaho' host Carl Scheider breaks down his top ten music choices of 2022
Dec 22, 2022
(Lure Design for NPR)
As we wrap up the year, we wanted to reflect on some of the music that made 2022 great. To help us out, we asked Carl Scheider to join us.
He’s the long-running host of the music show Private Idaho which airs each Saturday at 10 a.m. on our sister station KBSU.
Secret Santa gives back to East Idaho
Dec 22, 2022
(CSA Images/Printstock Collection / Getty Images)
During the holidays, Secret Santas are everywhere. But over in East Idaho, one particular Secret Santa has been serving up some extra holiday cheer to some very deserving folks.
Nate Eaton with Eastidahonews.com is one of Santa's helpers and joins Idaho Matters to share some of these people's wonderful stories.
Idaho Matters: Top 10 favorites in movies and television
Dec 22, 2022
As 2022 comes to a close, Idaho Matters wanted to look back at some of the films and television that inspired and entertained us. Morning Edition host and resident movie critic, George Prentice joined us to share some of his favorites.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: December 21, 2022
Dec 21, 2022
A doctor listens to a child's breathing.(B Busco / Getty Images)
As a "tripledemic" of respiratory illnesses takes hold, some pharmacies here in the United States are placing limits on the number of over-the-counter medicines customers can purchase to help with their symptoms, in particular children’s pain relief medication.
Spikes in cases of Flu, RSV and COVID-19 led to a 65% increase in the sales of pediatric pain and fever relievers in November compared to last November, according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this.
Protecting Idaho wildlife through the winter
Dec 21, 2022
We’ve gotten a lot of snow lately in the mountains of Idaho and it got really cold really fast this year.
People who live in the Wood River Valley have been adapting to all the snow and having some great winter fun, but for the animals the sudden, early, winter weather caught them off guard and they need your help.
Blaine County, Bellevue, Hailey and the Bureau of Land Management are teaming up to get the word out on how you can help deer and elk who are struggling right now.
The BLM Shoshone Outdoor Recreation Planner, John Kurtz, Keri York with the Wood River Land Trust and Steve England with the Hailey Police Department join Idaho Matters to talk more.
The power of books: Recommendations for your next read
Dec 21, 2022
Across the United States libraries have found themselves in the middle of controversy due to the books on their shelves. And here in Idaho we’re seeing the same thing, not just in our libraries, but in our schools and statehouse as well.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with the co-owner of “Rediscovered Books” and “Once and Future Books," Laura Delaney to talk more about the role books play in our lives.
Idaho's Jewish community plans celebration amid rising antisemitism
Dec 20, 2022
(iStockphoto.com)
In 2021 antisemitism peaked, increasing 34% from previous years, reaching an all-time high. That’s according to the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that monitors anti-semitic behavior and incidents.
Instead of intimidating the Jewish community though it's brought them closer together, at least here in Idaho. And that will be part of the celebration as the public gathers Tuesday evening at the Capitol to kick off Chanukah.
Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.
Idaho native named Rhodes Scholar
Dec 20, 2022
Rhodes Scholar, Kaya Evans. (Joe Hughes)
This year Idaho native Kaya Evans became one of just 32 people in the United States to be named a Rhodes Scholar. The scholarship is one of the oldest international awards of its kind, allowing recipients to study at Oxford University.
Evans graduated from the College of Idaho in 2021 and joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this prestigious honor.
Inflation sparks new interest in alternative currencies
Dec 20, 2022
Some precious metals dealers have seen a recent uptick in people interested in alternative currencies as inflation has risen.
One company is taking advantage of that trend by creating a new way to spend, buy and sell gold. The company that makes it is using new technology to simplify buying and reselling a precious metal. The Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walkey reports.
'The Whale': A conversation with Idaho native Sam Hunter
Dec 20, 2022
(M_Heigl / Flickr)
The movie “The Whale” is gaining critical acclaim around the globe. It stars Brendan Fraser and tells the story of a reclusive English teacher who is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter.
The movie is an adaption of a 2012 play written by Idaho native Sam Hunter, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice got to sit down with Hunter to talk about the new movie.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: November 18, 2022
Dec 16, 2022
Hospitals in Idaho are seeing a large influx of people suffering from respiratory illnesses, including RSV, which most often affects children.
Health officials are responding to the increased need for help. St. Luke's has created a Suction Clinic in Boise for children and the health system is working on similar clinics in Meridian and the Magic Valley.
Leaders at St. Luke's are now meeting twice a day to find out how many beds are available in their hospitals, along with trying to keep up with the need for medical staff and supplies.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare held a news conference on Thursday to discuss the surge in cases of flu, RSV, and COVID-19 in Idaho, which has created a "triple-demic."
Dr. Kenny Bramwell is St. Luke's Children’s System Medical Director and joins Idaho Matters to give us an update.
Read the full transcript below:
SAMANTHA WRIGHT: From the studios of Boise State Public Radio News, I'm Samantha Wright, filling in for Gemma Gaudette. This is Idaho Matters. Hospitals in Idaho are seeing a large influx of people suffering from respiratory illnesses, including RSV, which most often affects children. Health officials are responding to the increased need for help. St Luke's has created a suction clinic clinic in Boise for children, and the health system is working on similar clinics in Meridian and the Magic Valley. Leaders at St Luke's are now meeting twice a day to find out how many beds are available in their hospitals, along with trying to keep up with the need for medical staff and supplies. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is holding a news conference later today to talk about the surge in cases of flu, RSV and COVID in Idaho, which has created a triple demic. Dr. Kinney Bramwell is St Luke's Children's System medical director, and he joins us again to give us an update on all of this. Welcome back to the show, Dr. Bramwell.
DR. KENNY BRAMWELL: Thank you, Sam. Happy to be here.
WRIGHT: All right, so let's start off with what's the situation right now at St Luke's with this surge? What are you seeing at your children's hospital?
BRAMWELL: You know, what I would say is we're having a very severe need for patients needing to be admitted to the hospital because of the respiratory illnesses that they have. This is a little earlier than we have on normal years. The biggest problem is, is both the fact that it came probably eight weeks earlier than usual and the fact that we haven't needed this many patients to be admitted in prior years. So it's a it's a challenge to be sure.
WRIGHT: Do we know why it's coming so early?
BRAMWELL: Well, if you if you take a 20 or 30 year view of all of this prior to COVID, we would have very predictable seasonal spikes in a handful of different viruses. Rsv has always been a major player, if not the major player for children's hospitals. And I'll come back to that in a bit. We see influenza every respiratory season. Covid is now another member of the family of of very bothersome viruses for certain populations. The thing that happened during COVID, it turns out that a lot of the stuff that we were doing distancing, masking, staying home when we were sick stopped. The overwhelming majority of viruses, not just some we had in prior years, always seen a very severe, very severe spike of RSV in the December through April or January through April of every prior year. During COVID, we didn't see a single RSV case for 18 months. Wow. And then in July of 21, we saw a big spike, largely because everybody sort of came out of hiding and masking, stopped to large degrees and people gathered. And then the small infants and toddlers that hadn't seen RSV got it the summer before last. So I think we're getting closer to having our normal seasonality of RSV. This year, it came in October instead of December or January, which which surprised us a bit.
WRIGHT: Well, let's talk about beds. Do you have enough beds for your young patients?
BRAMWELL: That's a great question. As of today, we're okay as of this morning's meeting. You mentioned that that we're doing that twice a day. It's a it's a morning and an afternoon incident command meeting similar to a lot of the incident command work that we were doing doing during COVID. This is maybe a little more frequent. I think our incident command structure was largely once a day or many times was once a day during the worst times of that pandemic. So we are we are doing that twice a day now. And we have people from both the the Boise and the Meridian, sorry, Boise and Magic Valley campuses talking about what things are like at the ground in their hospital, how how they are doing as far as beds, how they're doing as far as staffing, how we are doing in those different locations, as well as our other ERs and how we are doing in the region with with other kids sort of waiting, hoping to be admitted from whichever E.R. they're at initially.
WRIGHT: Well, what happens if you if you run out of bed somewhere? I mean, is it a is it a shuffle game.
BRAMWELL: To a degree? It's it's an ongoing challenge. We have done a handful of things in this recent surge that we've done before, and we've also done a handful of things that we've never done before. And I'll try and share those with you. We have had plans in place for for many years about what to do when we have the seasonal spike in these respiratory illnesses. So some of those include admitting the youngest infants to the neonatal intensive care unit in a sort of special or separate part of the NICU to prevent infection to the other kids that are there. We can admit older teenagers say we're using above 14 years and 40 kilos as the cutoffs, and then those teenagers can be admitted to adult floors in our Boise campus. We have. Tried to open up additional beds within the hospital for these ongoing needs. We are trying to keep some children at our critical access hospitals like McCall, Elmore and Wood River. We've opened up the section clinic, which I suspect we can come back to. We have brought in additional advanced practice providers so nurse practitioners and physician assistants, as well as additional docs to deal with the increased load. The part that's different that we haven't done in the past largely have to do with those last two comments that I made opening up the section clinic, which we've never done. I don't believe anyone's done in the state before and sort of bringing in additional manpower from our own employees to come and help the pediatric hospitalist with this large surge of patients.
WRIGHT: Wow. Talk about these suction clinics. What? What is that? How does it work?
BRAMWELL: Okay, so it's probably relevant to talk a little bit about RSV and what it does. Rsv stands for respiratory syncytial virus. It affects it affects all of us. We all get it. And for most of us, it's like a cold. You have a runny nose, maybe you have a sore throat, you have a little cough. It's not that big of a deal. But if you're very small, it can be really difficult. The three main things that RSV does to very small infants and toddlers is it swells their nasal passages. There's a lot of debris in their. And it almost swells. It shut. And these small infants and toddlers sometimes have trouble eating and drinking because their noses are completely swollen shut. You know, you can't suckle a breast or a bottle if you can't breathe through your nose. So So that's problem one is their nose. Their nasal passages swell shut. Problem, too, is they get weak and tired and dehydrated because they can't eat. And problem three, the same sort of inflammation and sloughing that happens in the nasal passages also happens inside the lungs. So occasionally, some of the sicker infants and toddlers will have low oxygen levels and they will need supplemental oxygen for a few days. So if we back up to what is your initial question, what is the suction clinic? What the suction clinic does is after a patient is seen, let's say, in one of our emergency departments, because that's why the most common occurrence they get seen there.
We determine that the child has RSV or has bronchiolitis, which is the illness caused by RSV. If the child doesn't need to be admitted to the hospital, we can then refer that infant to our suction clinic where they come later that day if they need to, or the next day they can come any time over the next five days and get their nasal passages suctioned. And what that does is it allows families to keep their infant at home and take care of them at home. And it's very convenient for families. I mean, it's hard to have your six week old admitted to the hospital. And the other thing that it does is it allows these patients to not need to be admitted to the hospital or to be a repeat er patient. If we back up a year ago, all these kids that are being seen in the section clinic would have needed to come back to the ER or excuse me sometimes to be admitted to the hospital to get this ongoing suctioning. So what the suction clinic does is it gives all of these families a way to continue to be at home if that's medically safe.
WRIGHT: Wow. Okay. And you're putting together some other suction clinics around the state.
BRAMWELL: Yeah, well, since we. Since we hadn't ever done this before, we we had to sort of test it and see how it worked and see what the problems were and see what the challenges were and see where we sort of tripped and fell and could have done it better. So what we did initially is we we had a requirement that in order to be referred to these clinics, you had to be seen at one of our facilities by either an ER doc, a pick U, a pediatric ICU doc, a pediatric hospitalist, or one of our general pediatricians in the Treasure Valley. It wasn't meant to be elitist as much as it was to sort of see how things went with a small portion of referral providers. And we did that for the first three weeks. And then this week, Monday, 1212, we opened it up to to anyone who is able to do orders and referrals in our electronic medical record. So we opened it up really broadly to all of those referring docs and advanced practice providers, and we've opened up additional locations. We opened up Magic Valley on Monday of this week. We opened up Nampa yesterday and I believe today we are opening up facilities or suction clinics both at Fruitland and in Meridian, and I think we'll have more next week.
WRIGHT: Wow. We're speaking with Dr. Kimi Kenny Branwell. He's St Luke's Children's System medical director, about the triple demic of flu, COVID and RSV that's hitting Idaho. So I'm guessing since you're opening up so many of these suction clinics that they're working.
BRAMWELL: Yeah. So far and I've got newer data from this morning, but as of yesterday we've had 218 kids referred to these clinics and just over 100 of them have presented in the next handful of days. And there have been a total of 55 patients who've been seen about 100 times. Not not, not each, but total. There have been about 10% of those patients who get referred to the suction clinic who once they are seen and suctioned the respiratory therapist caring for them says you are sicker than you were being discharged or being referred here. So we're going to take you to the emergency department to be evaluated. So about about 10% of the patients who have been seen have needed to be taken from the suction clinic down the hallway to the emergency department, and about 5% of those patients. So so half of the ones who go to the ER then then end up needing to be admitted. It's, it is unfortunate that that. Some of these kids sort of progress in their illness. But the benefit is that a year ago, all 100 plus of them would have been E.R. patients. So this is been really helpful for keeping the vast majority of these infants out of the air and out of the hospital, particularly now that the ERs are swamped as well.
WRIGHT: Well, yeah, you're you're you're keeping beds open for the the sicker kids. And you're I mean, it's just better overall if you don't have to go into the hospital, whether it's stress or or you know, with parents or money. I mean, it's it's I would think that would be a win win.
BRAMWELL: Yeah, it's been it's been a really nice upgrade that we've been able to open this up in the last few weeks.
WRIGHT: You mentioned you've never done the suction clinics before. Speaking as as a doctor who's been practicing for a while, how unusual is this? I mean, is this is this an indication of of how bad things are? Or are you just getting better at figuring out ways to to get around some of these problems?
BRAMWELL: To be totally honest with you, Sam, the first time I ever heard of this was almost three years ago with my grandson, who was living in Salt Lake City at the time. And my daughter called me and told me that her son had RSV and they were going to the suction clinic. And I said, What is that? And he basically went to a hospital a few times the first two days, and then once a day, the few days after that, and stayed completely out of the hospital. And I remember thinking at the time, what a what a fabulous thing for families and what a fabulous thing for for my own grandson. And boy, she would be great if we could do that. So we we put it we put it on the list of things to do soon. And then we got sort of distracted by COVID and we were not seeing gigantic numbers of RSV. But I will tell you that, you know, eight weeks ago or ten weeks ago when we when we saw this coming because of what had happened in other parts of the country and in the southern hemisphere, we said let's let's make a run at this. Let's see if we can open this up and and really, in essence, get this started in the next month. And I am I am just thrilled that that we got going and we got permission and blessing from all of the different entities that needed to review this sort of thing. So I would say St Luke's pulled out all the stops to get this, to get this up and running to help the community.
WRIGHT: Wow. That's that's just amazing. I guess I'm going to wrap up with what what should parents be looking for when it comes to RSV and their kids being sick? What should they look for in terms of, you know, just being sick and then an emergency situation where maybe they they need to go and get help?
BRAMWELL: Yeah, those are great questions. Know the best thing that you can do in the prevention category is if you know that someone is sick, try not to be too close to them. If you know that someone has a cough and you have a four week old, do your best to keep the people who are coughing away from your four week old if you can. Sometimes that's a sibling and they're licking each other. The the thing to do once you get sick is to sort of keep an eye on how the infant or toddler is doing, if they're having trouble breathing or if you watch them breathe sort of without a shirt on and you can see their ribs moving or you can see the muscles between their ribs, or if they do what we call abdominal breathing, where their belly is going out, when their lungs are going in, or if they head bob where they're just lifting their head as another way to help them breathe. All of those things are worrisome. And I and I would I would seek medical care. Another another thing to think about is how active is the child if they're if they're able to eat and drink, that's fantastic. And that's reassuring. And that's that's really good news. But if you find that previously, let's say the infant was able to take an ounce and a half or two ounces and now they do half an ounce and they pull off and they just cry. I would I would seek some medical attention for for that infant because this this is somewhat nefarious. How it sneaks up on you and how children just have sort of progressive difficulty breathing because of the nasal swelling.
WRIGHT: Wow, This is great advice and good news about the the suction clinics. We've been speaking with Dr. Kenny Bramwell, the St Luke's Children's System medical director, about RSV that's hitting Idaho. I want to thank you so much for coming on and telling us more.
BRAMWELL: Thank you, Sam.
The llama diaspora through and beyond South America
Dec 15, 2022
Present-day range and approximate size of llamas throughout South America.( Drawing by Colleen Campbell)
In 1912 a llama named Spook was living in New York's Central Park Zoo, far from his home in the South American highlands, and his story along with others like him are the basis for a new article that traces the llama diaspora through and beyond South America.
This very large natural avalanche occurred out the Warm Springs drainage west of Ketchum.( Sawtooth Avalanche Center)
The Sawtooth Avalanche Center has been very busy since it opened up two weeks ago for the winter season. Here’s just a sample of what’s happened in the last week:
On Monday, a skier was caught and carried by an avalanche on an out-of-bounds run on Bald Mountain.
A large avalanche occurred in the Warm Springs Drainage near Frenchman's Hot Spring, which hit a car and a building.
Della Mountain west of Hailey saw several avalanches, blocking the Big Wood River and causing minor flooding.
At least three houses were hit by avalanches in Ketchum.
Highway 75 near Galena Summit was blocked by an avalanche, it reopened on Monday.
And you thought you had a busy week!
The Director of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center, Scott Savage and Avalanche Specialist for the National Avalanche Center and Avalanche Forecaster for the Sawtooth Avalanche Center, Chris Lundy joins Idaho Matters to talk about what they've been seeing this winter.
Northwestern Shoshone Nation helps restore the site of the Bear River Massacre
Dec 15, 2022
In 2018, the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation purchased land in Southeastern Idaho. For decades it was used for farming. But that hid a much darker history.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s Will Walkey reports on efforts to restore the land.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: December 14, 2022
Dec 14, 2022
Unless it's strep throat, antibiotics are unlikely to help you get over a sore throat.(iStockphoto.com)
There’s another virus causing problems in Idaho. Strep throat is now making the rounds, along with COVID-19, RSV, and the flu.
Plus, if you’ve already had COVID and think the worse is over, think again. New research is showing that the long-term after effects of the coronavirus can really mess with your brain.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this.
Spreading holiday cheer in Boise with window art
Dec 14, 2022
As you’re traveling around Boise and shopping for the holidays, you may have noticed shop windows painted with snowy trees, snowmen and bright red and green holly.
We wanted to know who paints all those great scenes so we tracked down winter window painter Alyse Madison. For the past 30 years, she has been painting her cheerful winter scenes on local shop windows.
She joins Idaho Matters to talk more about what she does.
A year on the stage with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival
Dec 14, 2022
(Idaho Shakespeare Festival)
As the year winds down and we think back on 2022 and forward to the new year, what better time to sit down with the head of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival to talk about how things went this year and what wonders they have in store for 2023.
Charlie Fee is the Producing Artistic Director of the festival and he sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about how this year played out for the company.
Could Yellowstone National Park erupt soon?
Dec 13, 2022
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on July 27, 2022.
When our summer intern Jack Bevan heard rumors that Yellowstone National Park could explode soon and start a new ice age, he had to find out if there was any truth to it.
First, he set out to find if Yellowstone or any other volcanic formations in the northwest, like Mount St. Helens, were likely to blow up soon and he found himself learning all about volcanoes and geysers from a Boise State University graduate student and researcher.
Maggie Holahan has been listening to the sounds made by the Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone National Park to learn more about it. She Joined Idaho Matters to discuss Yellowstone, volcanoes, and the possibility of an eruption.
Intern Jack Bevan helped produce this segment.
Best-selling author Ridley Pearson sits down with Idaho Matters
Dec 13, 2022
(Ridley Pearson / Facebook )
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on October 10, 2022.
He recently came out with a new book, "Cautionary Tales". Pearson joins Idaho Matters to talk more about his new release.
'No Filter:' An honest conversation with Paulina Porizkova
Dec 12, 2022
( The Open Field)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 21, 2022.
When one thinks of Paulina Porizkova, one might remember her as the Sports Illustrated cover model from the 1980s or the wife of Cars frontman Rick Ocasek. Or maybe you know her now from her popular Instagram account.
The science behind sleep and getting a good nights rest
Dec 12, 2022
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 10, 2022.
Sleep-related problems affect somewhere between 50 to 70 million Americans, which is a public health concern, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association.
Dr. Aric Prather is a world-renowned sleep scientist and expert clinician who believes he’s cracked the code to helping even the most restless sleepers get a good night’s rest. He sat down with Idaho Matters to give us some tips about getting better rest, as well as talk about his new book, The Sleep Prescription.
The impact of book bans on Idaho students
Dec 12, 2022
(GwynethJones -The Daring Librarian! / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on September 20, 2022.
Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, Harriet Beecher Stowe; these authors share more than just a legacy of classic literature and a place in school curriculums. They’re authors whose works have been banned from classrooms over the years for content some deemed controversial or obscene.
Across the country, books are once again being challenged in schools and libraries, with librarians holding the line to make sure there’s access to materials some find inappropriate. Here in Idaho, the pressure to remove books from library shelves is coming from activist groups and the GOP party.
Dr. Jonathan Friedman, the director of free expression and education programs at PEN America, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about book banning.
Digging up the past in Boise's River Street neighborhood
Dec 09, 2022
The 2015 dig covered a block of River Street in downtown Boise.( Dr. William White)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on October 4, 2022.
Have you ever lost something in your backyard? A coffee cup? A child’s toy?
Decades later, the things left behind in a backyard can tell archeologists a lot about who lived there and the image they wanted to project to the world.
That’s what Dr. William White found when he started digging up backyards in 2015 in Boise’s River Street neighborhood, an area where African Americans and immigrants were forced to live more than 100 years ago.
A guide to keeping your kids safe in the digital era
Dec 09, 2022
(Christine Lynch / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on September 21, 2022.
Research shows 96% of children under the age of four have used a mobile device, and in this day and age it's almost impossible for parents to monitor and protect their children at every turn when it comes to electronics.
That's where Catherine Pearlman, a licensed clinical social worker and parenting expert comes in. Pearlman has written a new book that teaches children how to be safe in the digital space. It's called "First Phone: A Child's Guide to Digital Responsibility, Safety, and Etiquette." She joins Idaho Matters to talk more about her book and how parents can help their children be responsible while using technology.
Author Matthew Delmont looks at the history of African American veterans in World War II
Dec 09, 2022
( Viking Penguin)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 7, 2022.
Half American is a new book written by civil rights expert and Dartmouth history professor Matthew Delmont. It looks at American history in a whole new light, from the perspective of African Americans who fought in World War II, both abroad and at home.
Delmont joins Idaho Matters to talk more about his new book.
A conversation with rock icon Melissa Etheridge
Dec 08, 2022
( Elizabeth Miranda)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on September 12, 2022.
For decades Grammy winning singer and songwriter Melissa Etheridge has been baring her soul with songs that include I'm The Only One, Come To My Window and I Want To Come Over, just to name a few. She joined Idaho Matters to talk about her biggest hits, life and her most recent tour.
What to watch with Idaho Matters: A preview of potential Oscar winners
Dec 08, 2022
( Hannah Gardoski)
It's the holiday season, which is a great time to curl up with loved ones and watch something good. So grab your blanket and some popcorn because we've got recommendations!
Morning Edition host and resident movie critic George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to talk about some movies you won't want to miss.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: December 7, 2022
Dec 07, 2022
Doctors say don't delay getting the flu shot this year.(FatCamera / Getty Images)
RSV continues to spread across the country and the virus, which commonly hits children, has been filling up hospitals and overwhelming health systems.
The flu and COVID-19 are not helping, with levels of both rising in many areas. As hospitals become more stressed experts are becoming increasingly worried about the long-term effects of the coronavirus, especially on the brain.
Dr. David Pate, the former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about RSV and long-COVID.
Coping with stress through the holidays
Dec 07, 2022
(alans1948 / Flickr)
Holidays are fun and festive and stressful! Getting everything done, while interacting with family members, can be a challenge and can spike your stress levels.
Laurie Strand is a counselor and the founder of Resiliency Rising in the Sun Valley region. She sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the stress of the holidays and how to handle it.
Homegrown radio station helps showcase Idaho musicians
Dec 07, 2022
(Brandie B. Minchew / Flickr)
It’s always been a challenge for musicians to get their songs played on the radio, especially if their music doesn’t fall into a handful of popular categories that dominate the radio dial.
But the internet has opened up new avenues for artists who couldn’t find a home in the past. Jake Santiago wanted to find a way to showcase artists, especially Idaho musicians.
So he started up his own internet radio station a few months ago called Alaric Radio and he’s been picking up steam and listeners ever since.
Read the full transcript of the episode below:
GEMMA: From the studios of Boise State Public Radio News, I'm Gemma Gaudette. You're listening to Idaho Matters. So it's always been a challenge for musicians to get their songs played on the radio, especially if their music doesn't fall into a handful of popular categories that tend to dominate the radio dial. However, the Internet has opened up new avenues for artists who couldn't find a home in the past, and Jake Santiago wanted to find a way to showcase artists, especially Idaho musicians. So he started up his own Internet radio station a few months ago. It's called Alaric Radio, and he's been picking up steam and listeners ever since. So let's take a quick listen.
JAKE: We have three great featured artists today. Our first artist is T.K. Crazy. He is an Idaho resident. T.K. performs in the local Idaho area. He has a deep admiration from where he's from here in Idaho. T.K., thank you so much for your submission. Here is your song. Rep your state. [MUSIC PLAYS]
GEMMA: And Jake is joining us live now. Hey, Jake. Welcome to Idaho Matters.
JAKE: Hey, Gemma. Thank you so much for having me.
GEMMA: So how did you get the idea to start your own local radio station?
JAKE: So as many things start, sometimes it's just by mistake. I actually am. I'm an actual artist myself. I came out with a song a few months back called Werewolf Origin Story, and it's just titled Alaric, My radio DJ Name. And, you know, it's kind of submitted out there. I got it on a few radio station, things like that. And I went down to the Meridian Downtown Trunk or Treat, and I was just kind of telling people about my music and everything else. And one of the bigger stations doesn't matter who kind of just shunned me away almost for asking about like where I could submit for independent music. And so it really bothered me.
GEMMA: That's interesting. So I'm assuming that's what then made you decide like, Well, you know what? I'll do this myself.
JAKE: Correct. So that night actually, I went on Facebook just saying, Hey, trying to get some more songs for some inspiration, because at that time I was going to write a new song, kind of just put my emotions out there like everybody else. And then I start thinking I was like, I got about 20 or 25 submissions overnight and I woke up to them all and I said, Why am I not celebrating these wonderful artists? And not not all of them are from Boise. I'm actually international now, so I have France coming to me, Canada, Germany, all that. But I'm I'm pretty laser focused on trying to find some more Idaho musicians.
GEMMA: Yeah. So what kind of music do you play on the stage on the show?
JAKE: As of right now, I do have rock and roll mostly, and then I am accepting hip hop and rap, but I am open to all genres, so.
GEMMA: Okay. And you, as you mentioned, So you let anybody submit their music to you, right? And have you been surprised by the number of people who who are submitting, but but also who are making music out there?
JAKE: Yes. Well, as I mentioned, I do get submissions from everywhere and it is an open it's tunes by Alaric dot online. You can put your music submission there. You can listen to previous shows. You could read about me personally. I have a little bio on there. And then I also do some skits. So I do skits, probably every other show, maybe every two shows, depending on my time, of course. But they're a lot of fun. And the local artists that I've had on like. TK Crazy, Axiom Tha Wyze. This week I'm going to have the Real Zero. They're all great artists and I'm just trying to get them on the air so people recognize them, come together as a community and celebrate them.
GEMMA: And you really, as you said, you want to see more local musicians, right? Even though you've got people from France, as you said. You also want to make sure local musicians get an opportunity.
JAKE: Absolutely. Actually, I was just going to mention that I was going to be at it's called New Colony. Now they're doing a name changeover, but they were craft brewers of Boise and they're having a ska punk band show this Friday that I will be attending with my booth, my Alaric radio banner to anybody that wants to come talk to me. It starts at 6:00.
GEMMA: And I also heard that you're going to have a free event at the Knitting Factory as well.
JAKE: Yes. So this is actually my friend Michael Swan's resurrected tattoo. He's the owner of that tattoo shop. This is his art convention. So he's going to have about 25 to 30 very unique vendors. It's not going to be the usual suspects. This is all geared towards art. There's going to be live performances by quite a few people. There's going to be a celebrity there. There's going to be raffles, there's going to be prizes, there's going to be food and, of course, some drinks for the adults as well.
GEMMA: Well, I have to say, I love it that you have found this niche and that you're showcasing local talent in this way. So I appreciate you coming on the show today.
JAKE: Thank you so much, Gemma. Absolutely. And I am recently an LLC, so I am here to stay.
GEMMA: I love it. Well, welcome. We have been speaking with Jake Santiago. He is the host and creator of Alaric Radio. We will, of course, put a link to the radio station on our website so you can find it easier.
Boise Mayor places OPA Director on administrative leave
Dec 06, 2022
(Lacey Daley / Boise State Public Radio)
The Boise Police Chief is asked to resign, a former Boise Police captain is confirmed to have made numerous racist comments along with participating in a conference for white supremacists, prompting an investigation into those allegations. Now, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean has put the Director of Police Accountability on administrative leave.
BoiseDev.com has been following all of these stories and when readers reached out and asked why the city was taking such quick action on former Captain Matthew Bryngelson, but took little to no action on a series of complaints against the former police chief, BoiseDev started asking questions.
Don Day, founder of BoiseDev joined Idaho Matters to talk about some of these questions.
Nampa names its snowplows and it's adorable!
Dec 06, 2022
It’s the first week of December and we’ve already have some pretty good snowstorms, which have caused havoc with driving conditions.
The Nampa Street Division has a fleet of snowplows ready to take on the white stuff this year and for the very first time, those snow plows have names. Nampa held a name-that-snowplow contest and elementary students from around the city got to pick names like “Frosty the Snowplow” and “Darth Blader.”
Don Barr, Street Superintendent for the city of Nampa, Amy Bowman, Director of Communication for the city, Chelsea Bailey, a first grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary and one of her students, Drezdyn Englund joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this special project.
Taking care of the Boise Foothills trails
Dec 06, 2022
(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)
As temperatures drop and Idaho starts to see more snow, some trails are being closed to help protect popular recreation spots within the Boise Foothills.
Boise Parks and Recreation Director, Doug Holloway, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the closures and why they're important.
Julia Tai will conduct Handel's 'Messiah' for Boise Philharmonic
Dec 06, 2022
Julia Tai is one of the most dynamic young conductors on stages across the planet, conducting in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico and here in the Northwest – Seattle. Plus, she's the music director of the Missoula Symphony Orchestra and much more.
Tai will be conducting the Boise Philharmonic for this year's holiday performances of Messiah. She sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk more.
New faces mean big changes for 2023 Idaho Legislature
Dec 05, 2022
( J. Stephen Conn / Flickr)
Next year’s session of the Idaho legislature will look very different after November's election replaced almost half of the 105 legislators at the Idaho statehouse.
That could make for a very dynamic legislative session, at a time when lawmakers will be looking at a variety of issues that will affect all Idahoans. Boise State Public Radio News Reporter James Dawson joined Idaho Matters to more about the upcoming legislative session.
Idaho political reporter Betsy Russell stepping down after 40-year career
Dec 05, 2022
( Brian Myrick / Idaho Press)
For anyone who follows the Idaho Legislature, the Eye on Boise blog is an invaluable tool for keeping up with Idaho politics.
The blog can be found online at the Idaho Press and the reporter behind it, Betsy Russell, often writes dozens of blog posts each day when the legislature is in session. The rest of the year, she keeps up on every aspect of Idaho news.
Last month Betsy announced that she was retiring after nearly 40 years covering Idaho politics, though she’ll still do a little part-time work for the Idaho Press. She joins Idaho Matters to talk about her time as a reporter.
NASA's Orion spacecraft makes its way back to earth
Dec 05, 2022
On flight day 11, NASA’S Orion spacecraft captured imagery looking back at the Earth from a camera mounted on one of its solar arrays. The spacecraft is currently in a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon.( NASA Office of Communications)
Back in August, NASA launched its first flight of the Artemis I mission, hoping to re-establish the presence of American astronauts on the moon so they can stay there long-term.
In less than a week, the Orion spacecraft will be returning to earth and the results of the trip will tell us whether or not the Orion is ready to transport people on its next mission. Boise State University Associate Professor Brian Jackson joined Idaho Matters to discuss Artemis I.
Boise Bicycle Project needs help to give kids their dream bike this holiday
Dec 05, 2022
This year, they still need your help to make sure each child who is dreaming of a bicycle this holiday season gets one. Jimmy Hallyburton and Devin McComas of the Boise Bicycle Project joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the giveaway.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: December 2, 2022
Dec 02, 2022
Bouquets of flowers sit on the ground in front of the University of Idaho sign after four students were found dead. (Richard Rodriguez / Boise State Public Radio)
An update in the Michael Vaughan case, welfare checks increase at the University of Idaho, Gem state moves to dismiss Satanic Temple abortion lawsuit and an anti-SLAPP law may be necessary to help protect free speech. 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.
Our journalist panel today:
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
The bird rescue and rehabilitation center takes in injured birds and nurses them back to health so they can be released back into the wild. Baby birds who end up at the large renovated barn are raised by volunteers who must feed them every 30 minutes, 12 hours a day!
These baby western kingbirds were rescued and raised at the Ruth Melichar Bird Center in Boise.(Katie Estes)
Jennifer Rockwell is the Director of the Center. More than 20 years ago, she was headed to the grocery store when she saw an injured bird on the side of the road. She brought it to the Center and signed up as a volunteer. Now she’s the Director and she says it’s not a job, it’s a mission and an honor to help these injured and abandoned birds.
The Center helps all kinds of birds, from western kingbirds to ducks to a pair of helpless baby screech owls who came into the Center filthy and covered in fleas. The Center cleaned them up, fed and raised them, and released them back into the wild when they were old enough.
The Center is part of the Animals in Distress Association which rescues not just birds, but mammals like beavers, squirrels, and raccoons. AIDA survives on donations and with the help of hundreds of volunteers who spend long hours feeding and caring for the animals that come through its doors.
Rockwell has one message for anything about to pick up a baby bird in your backyard - Don’t! There’s a very good chance that the bird has parents close by. She says too often well-meaning people rescue birds and animals that don’t need rescuing, which hurts their chances of survival. Check with AIDA before picking up what appears to be an abandoned animal.
If you do rescue an injured bird, don’t feed it and don’t put it in water. Get in touch with the Ruth Melichar Bird Center and volunteers there will help out.
The rescued western kingbirds are all grown up and ready to go back to the wild!(Katie Estes)
Local Kitchen Collective helps feed Boise
Dec 01, 2022
( Jenna Damron)
Last year in Idaho, over 152,000 people were experiencing food insecurity according to the Idaho Foodbank.
Unfortunately, many of those same people do not qualify for government programs, like food stamps, due to their income. Groups like the Boise Kitchen Collective are working to help fill that gap.
Jenna and Seth Damron joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the importance of a home-cooked meal.
A bird only found in Idaho is in danger of extinction
Dec 01, 2022
A female Cassia Crossbill in the South Hills(Craig Benkman / Courtesy of Craig Benkman )
A bird that only lives in Idaho was already thought to be heading toward extinction when a large wildfire burned much of its territory a few years ago. As Rachel Cohen reports, researchers are now trying to assess the damage.
Fewer birds are migrating as populations decline
Dec 01, 2022
Thousands of birds have flown over our region as they migrate south but bird watchers are noticing fewer species and fewer birds than last year. Emma Vandeneinde of the Mountain West News Bureau looks into the trend, she started by joining bird watchers on a recent hike.
An update in the investigation of former Boise Police Captain Matt Bryngelson
Nov 30, 2022
(Boise Police Department / Facebook)
We want to bring you an update on a story we brought you last week about racist rhetoric from retired Boise Police captain Matthew Bryngelson.
He recently spoke at the American Renaissance Conference in Burns, Tennessee. The organization’s website is part of the New Century Foundation which the Southern Poverty Law Center calls “a self-styled think tank that promotes pseudo-scientific studies and research that purport to show the inferiority of blacks to whites.”
American Renaissance portrays whites as superior to black people and says people of color commit more crime than white people.
On Wednesday, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean held a news conference to talk about the case, announcing the independent investigator selected to review the Boise Police Department and Bryngelson. Michael Bromwich, at Washington DC firm Steptoe and Johnson, will lead the investigation.
Bromwich recently investigated widespread corruption in the Baltimore Police Department and is representing the Phoenix Police Department while they are under federal investigation. McLean said she selected him out of several recommendations.
Since the news came out last weekend the Boise Mayor’s office, the Boise Police Department and many others have condemned Bryngelson’s views and McLean launched an investigation.
The city is still negotiating a contract with Bromwich and there is no timeline for when the investigation will begin. Our All Things Considered host Troy Oppie was at the press conference and he joined Idaho Matters for an update.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: November 30, 2022
Nov 30, 2022
A health care worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.(Lynne Sladky / AP)
Central District Health says a local high school student has been diagnosed with tuberculosis. Health officials say the student attends Centennial High School, and the department is investigating and sending letters to anyone who may have had close contact.
According to officials, there is no on-going risk for contracting the bacterial infection at the school, and most people who are exposed don’t actually become infected. The Health Department stated that three of the five tuberculosis cases in Idaho last year were in Ada County.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this.
Find your perfect Christmas tree with George Prentice
Nov 30, 2022
(Lucia / Flickr)
With Thanksgiving behind us, many people’s thoughts turn to Christmas and putting up the tree.
Lindsay Schramm, the owner of the North End Organic Nursery, says that gone are the days of buying your tree on Christmas Eve as she expects all her trees to be long gone by then. Schramm spoke with our Morning Edition host George Prentice about the Christmas tree industry and how sustainable it is.
Supporting local through the holidays
Nov 29, 2022
(Sean Gallup / Getty Images)
The holidays are fast approaching which means gift shopping is in full swing. During this season many local businesses desperately depend on this time of year and the earnings they make, which often helps them into the next year.
Cary Fortin and Cara Oppenheimer, Co-founders of goodbuy joined Idaho Matters to talk more about some innovative ways to support local through the holidays.
Understanding the importance of bladder health
Nov 29, 2022
( David Seibold / Flickr)
It’s one of those topics nobody likes to talk about, but millions of Americans have issues like urinary incontinence or an overactive bladder. November has been dubbed “Bladder Health Month” to try to get more people to talk about these common problems, and find resources to fix them.
Dr. Jennifer Gruenenfelder is a urologist with St. Luke's in Boise, Meridian and the Wood River Valley who also specializes in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. She joins Idaho Matters to with us more about bladder health month.
Rivers and lakes along the west are drying up
Nov 29, 2022
The Great Salt Lake is drying out, the lake reached record lows this year and Utah lawmakers are scrambling for solutions. One key factor in protecting the water will be preserving the largest river that feeds the lake.
The Great Salt Lake isn't the only one drying up though, so is the Colorado River. Communities that rely on the river are already feeling the pinch. Many large cities throughout the southwest are well-positioned to weather the coming crisis but for some small towns, like Page, Arizona, the threat of losing their water supply completely is no longer hypothetical.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s Will Walkey and KUNC's Alex Hager Reports.
Boise nonprofit serving up some good, one meal at a time
Nov 29, 2022
( City of Good)
Since 2020, the nonprofit City of Good has provided over 80,000 meals to Idaho residents experiencing food insecurity.
Today they are continuing to support community needs with a sustainable food system. Britt Udesen, Executive Director of City of Good joined Idaho Matters to talk more about their work.
Ninth Circuit considers case against Idaho's law banning transgender athletes
Nov 28, 2022
The law was passed in 2020 but a Federal District Court judge put it on hold that same year after a Boise State University student filed a suit against it. The case has devolved into an argument over whether that student has standing in the suit, and lawyers for both sides argued before three judges last Tuesday.
Boise State Public Radio News Reporter James Dawson listened to those arguments and joins Idaho Matters for an update.
Nonprofit helping Idaho refugees pursue a higher education
Nov 28, 2022
( One Refugee)
So far this year, over 1,200 refugees have resettled here in Idaho according to the Idaho Office for Refugees. Among those resettling are students.
When it comes to pursuing a higher education many students run into similar challenges, from student debt to the cost of living. But for students resettling into a new country and culture, there are often even more barriers.
That's where the organization One Refugee comes in. The nonprofit is focused on supporting students with refugee backgrounds - assisting with academic, financial and professional development.
Jeanie Levinski, Idaho's One Refugee director and Niya Nyasha, a senior at Boise State University, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the program.
Idaho motorcycle club added to the National Register of Historic Places
Nov 28, 2022
( Owyhee Motorcycle Club)
The Owyhee Motorcycle Club has been around since 1935 helping develop the sport of off-road motorcycle racing in Idaho.
Story Story Night returns with a feast for the senses
Nov 28, 2022
( Chelsea Harada)
Story Story Night returns on Nov. 29 with a feast for the senses. The show's 13th season will kick off with an exploration of taste, from finger-licking good food to cocktails.
Head chef of KIN, Kris Komoro along with Craft Bartender Aisling Gammill and Artistic Director of Story Story Night Jodi Eichelberger joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming show and what we can expect from the rest of the season.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: A year in review
Nov 23, 2022
(Alex Proimos / Flickr)
Each Wednesday we bring you the Doctors Roundtable, where we answer your questions about COVID-19. But since it’s almost the end of 2022, we wanted to take a look back at the last year of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to look back at another challenging year in public health.
Boise City Council members and union reps react to controversial former police captain
Nov 22, 2022
( Nicholas D. / Flickr)
Over the weekend we learned that a former Boise Police captain was speaking at the American Renaissance Conference in Burns, Tennessee.
The organization’s website is part of the New Century Foundation, which the Southern Poverty Law Center calls “a self-styled think tank that promotes pseudo-scientific studies and research that purport to show the inferiority of Blacks to Whites.”
American Renaissance portrays White people as superior to Black people and says people of color commit more crimes than White people.
The Idaho Statesman reports the retired Boise Police captain, Matthew Bryngelson, has appeared on the website before under the apparent pseudonym of Daniel Vinyard. Vinyard wrote web posts for the blog site and was interviewed at one point talking about what it’s like to be a White cop.
Since the news came out, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean's office, the Boise Police Department and others have condemned Bryngelson’s views. McLean said she is launching a full investigation.
The South Fork Willow Creek area covers 320 acres east of Avimor and north of Hidden Springs.( Land Trust of the Treasure Valley)
Over the last few months, the nonprofit Land Trust of the Treasure Valley has been working to raise funds to purchase an important piece of Boise Foothills land east of Avimor.
The 320 acres are home to elk, black bears, mule deer and other wildlife. It’s also a prime spot for development and for that reason in need of protection.
Eric Grace, the Executive Director of Land Trust of the Treasure Valley, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this open space and why it's important to protect it.
Fighting against inflation with soup
Nov 22, 2022
This could be the most expensive Thanksgiving in recent memory. Food prices continue to go up and shoppers are doing their best to stretch their dollars at the grocery store.
We asked one of Idaho's best chefs to give us some inflation-busting hacks and Chef Joyce Doughty told us to think about soup! Chef Doughty sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to share some soup tips that are as mouth-watering as they are economical.
No suspects but plenty of misinformation in U of I stabbing case
Nov 21, 2022
(Jeremy Yoder / Flickr)
Over the weekend, the Moscow Police Department released a few more details about the case of four murdered University of Idaho students.
Boise State Public Radio reporter James Dawson joins Idaho Matters for an update.
Idaho Red Cross expands in Nampa and Twin Falls
Nov 21, 2022
Shandra Sterner outside the hospital with her family and her newborn son Kyler.( Red Cross of Idaho)
People who give blood in Idaho helped save the life of Shandra Sterner in September.
Shandra gave birth to her son Kyler in Twin Falls this fall and began bleeding uncontrollably. For the next four days and seven surgeries, doctors tried to find out where she was bleeding internally.
She was kept alive thanks to blood donated by people in Boise, Pocatello and Twin Falls. By the time doctors found the problem, Shandra needed close to 90 pints of blood, eleven gallons, to stay alive.
Fortunately for Shandra and other people who need blood, Idaho and Montana are two of the top-producing blood states in the nation and because of that, the Red Cross is building two new blood donation centers in Nampa and Twin Falls.
Shandra Sterner and the CEO of the American Red Cross of Idaho, Montana and east Oregon, Nicole Sirak-Irwin joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this story.
Alley Repertory Theater is back on stage
Nov 21, 2022
(Chaz Gentry / Alley Repertory Theater)
Ally Repertory Theater is back up and running this season with new classics like Cabaret and In the Next Room. Artistic Director Buffie Main joins Idaho Matters to discuss the theater's new line up.
'No Filter:' An honest conversation with Paulina Porizkova
Nov 21, 2022
( The Open Field)
When one thinks of Paulina Porizkova, one might remember her as the Sports Illustrated cover model from the 1980s or the wife of Cars frontman Rick Ocasek. Or maybe you know her now from her popular Instagram account.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: November 18, 2022
Nov 18, 2022
Bouquets of flowers sit on the ground in front of the University of Idaho sign after four students were found dead. (Richard Rodriguez / Boise State Public Radio)
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.
What we know: The latest from the U of I quadruple homicide
Nov 17, 2022
(Richard Rodriguez / Boise State Public Radio)
After four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death Sunday morning, Moscow Police spent almost three days telling students and the broader community there was no threat then reversed course Wednesday during a news conference.
Moscow Police Chief James Fry said they have not identified a suspect yet. Few other details emerged from Wednesday's press conference, leaving many frustrated and scared, with students leaving school a week before the scheduled Thanksgiving break.
Boise State Public News reporter James Dawson joins Idaho Matters for an update.
Will there be enough water for farmers next year?
Nov 17, 2022
(Chrispo / Flickr)
The Idaho Water Supply Committee held its fall meeting last week and experts said that much of the state is in trouble when it comes to having enough water.
A hot July and August drained many reservoirs and many of them, including the Big Wood, Big Lost, Salmon Falls Creek, Henry's Fork and Snake River Basins will need a lot of water and snow this winter to fill back up. Without that water farmers and irrigators will face a difficult growing year in 2023 and that could affect Idaho's economy.
Public lands become dumping ground for illegal trash
Nov 17, 2022
Just a small part of the trash illegally dumped on Idaho Public Land near Wendell.( Idaho Department of Lands)
A crew of folks gathered northeast of Wendell recently to clean up piles of trash illegally dumped on public land. Trailers and pickups were filled to the brim with trash, including couches, mattresses and even an old freezer.
While dumping trash on public lands is not a new phenomenon, the frequency and amount of trash has been growing steadily over the past few years. Despite the fact that there’s a spot just five miles away where it’s free to drop off your trash.
Scott Phillips, Policy and Communications Chief for the Idaho Department of Lands joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this problem.
The power of gratitude: COVID survivor thanks St. Alphonsus ICU staff
Nov 17, 2022
( Saint Alphonsus)
Last year Torena Sauer was a patient at Saint Alphonsus hospital, despite taking all the necessary precautions, she caught COVID-19 and pneumonia.
Struggling to breathe, she was admitted to the intensive care unit unsure if she would live. She did live though and just a few months ago returned to Saint Alphonsus, not as a patient, but as a visitor. She had come back to show her appreciation to her care team with a gift, a piece of art portraying the tree of life.
Torena along with Dr. Joshua Holweger, a member of her care team, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this story.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: November 16, 2022
Nov 16, 2022
(srutipriya00 / Flickr)
Last week, Idaho Health and Welfare reported the first flu death in Idaho this season. The man was over 65 and lived in Nez Perce County.
Over the last five years, an average of 45 people have died from the flu in Idaho each year, most of whom were over 65. Flu is on the rise in Idaho and around the country, especially in eastern and southeastern states.
Now, as RSV and COVID are hitting the country at the same time, officials are calling it a “triple threat” or “tripledemic” and reminding folks to be extra careful during the upcoming holiday season.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the flu and what we're seeing in Idaho.
Mobile clinic helps distribute abortion pills along Colorado border
Nov 16, 2022
Some states in our region and around the U.S. are restricting abortions. Now efforts are underway to connect women with abortion medications – a dose of two pills that can be taken at home.
A mobile clinic is operating along Colorado's border, so women from out-of-state can pick up the pills. KUNC’s Leigh Paterson reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Cyberbullying and how to stop it
Nov 16, 2022
( hrlori / Flickr)
A quick note, we will be talking about bullying and suicide during this segment, so if you feel this might be triggering, please feel free to step away from this interview.
As the COVID-19 pandemic kept kids out of school and stuck at home, they spent more and more time online, not only for schoolwork but to chat with friends they couldn’t see for fear of catching the coronavirus. That created more opportunities for cyberbullying and, for kids who were isolated, that bullying became a nightmare.
A new film called The Upstanders takes a deep dive into cyberbullying, from the point of view of the victims and the perpetrators, and it looks at the latest research into why it happens and ways to stop it. A group of folks are bringing the film to Jump in downtown Boise Thursday night and anyone can come to see the movie and join a discussion on how to stop bullying.
Executive Director and Co-founder of the Speedy Foundation, Shannon Decker and Colbi Twiss, the marketing manager with the Children's Home Society of Idaho join Idaho Matters to talk more.
Excavation continues in the Michael Vaughan case
Nov 15, 2022
Fruitland Police spent the weekend digging up the backyard of an area home. KTVB has been reporting they’re looking for the remains of Michael Vaughan, who was five years old when he went missing in July of 2021.
KTVB reporter Alex Duggan, who has been following this story, joins Idaho Matters for an update.
RSV shows up early in Idaho
Nov 15, 2022
Stethoscopes are pictured in an intensive care unit.
RSV, the respiratory virus that usually hits kids and toddlers, is spreading in Idaho.
Normally the virus is mild in kids and adults, but can be severe in babies and toddlers. RSV cases fell during the COVID-19 pandemic as people took steps to protect themselves from viruses, but as people have relaxed those protections, the virus is making a resurgence around the country.
Dr. Kenneth Bramwell is the St. Luke's Children’s System Medical Director, he’s been watching kids come into the hospital with RSV, and he joined Idaho Matters to talk to us about what he's been seeing.
Idaho's ski season has officially started
Nov 15, 2022
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA(Eclectic Jack / Flickr)
We had our first snowfall last week in the Treasure Valley and ski areas across Idaho are beginning to open, meaning only one thing, it's time to break out your winter coats and snowboards.
Tony Harrison, Publicist for Ski Idaho, Geordie Gillett, General Manager of Grand Targhee and Jeff Colburn, General Manager with Silver Mountain joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming ski season and what it means for Idaho's economy.
Meridian's Kleiner Park opens new pickleball courts
Nov 15, 2022
(Dennis Amith / Flickr)
The sport of pickleball is growing in the Treasure Valley. It’s sort of a mish-mash of badminton, tennis and ping pong and it’s a lot of fun to play and watch.
Demand for places to play pickleball is up, especially in Meridian,so the city got together with the owners of a local apartment complex to build four new pickleball courts at Kleiner Memorial Park.
Officials unveiled the new courts Tuesday and Meridian Parks and Recreation Director, Steve Siddoway joined Idaho Matters to talk about the public-private partnership.
Telling the story of Boise through pictures
Nov 15, 2022
( David R. Day)
Anyone who lives in Boise knows the City of Trees is beautiful. Whether it’s the sunset glow over the foothills or the hidden green pathways of the Greenbelt, there’s always a good picture to be found around town.
Author and photographer David R. Day has been taking pictures of Boise, lots of pictures. He has put over 250 of them into a new coffee table book.
Day teamed up with the managing editor at BoiseDev, Gretchen Parsons, to add almost three dozen stories to the book called Boise: City of Trees and they both joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the book.
What we know about the alleged homicide near University of Idaho
Nov 14, 2022
( Richard Rodriquez / Boise State Public Radio)
Four students from the University of Idaho were found dead on Sunday in a Moscow apartment. KTVB is reporting that police are investigating it as a homicide.
Sunday evening University President C. Scott Green released a statement saying the four people were “believed to be victims of homicide.” The students were identified by Moscow Police Monday morning as:
Ethan Chapin, 20 years old, of Conway, WA
Madison Mogen, 21 years old, of Coeur d’Alene
Xana Kernodle, 20 years old, of Avondale, AZ
Kaylee GonCalves, 21 years old, of Rathdrum
Classes were canceled on Monday and will resume on Tuesday. The university says it is working to help police and that Moscow Police do not believe there is an active threat to the community.
The Moscow Police Department says they responded to a call on King Road for an unconscious person. When officers arrived, they found the four victims deceased.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and ask anybody who may have information to call the Moscow Police Department at 208-882-COPS. Details are limited at this time and currently, nobody is in custody, according to Moscow Police.
A news release says police do not believe there is ongoing community risk based on information gathered during the preliminary investigation.
University of Idaho students have support options through the Counseling and Testing Center. The university has also opened the fourth floor of the ISUB for immediate counseling support from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday.
Without much information being released to the public at this time, rumors are circling, especially among students at U of I. Alex Duggan with KTVB has been following this story and joins Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Former police officer files lawsuit against City of Boise
Nov 14, 2022
(Lacey Daley / Boise State Public Radio)
Former Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee left his post in September under a cloud of controversy. Now, a former Internal Affairs Captain has filed a lawsuit against the city of Boise, saying officials did not protect police officers working under Lee.
KTVB reporter Alex Duggan has been following this story and joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this story.
A look at the cost of housing in Ada County and why prices have recently increased
Nov 14, 2022
(DavidDubov / Flickr)
Idaho has one of the fastest-growing populations in the United States according to the United States Census Bureau, and this growth has been reflected in our housing market.
Homes prices in Boise have been going up dramatically for the past few years, reaching a peak this May when the median price for a home in Ada county topped $600,000. However, with rising interest rates and rising inflation housing prices started to drop in June and kept dropping through the summer.
But in October prices ticked up again, which seemed odd considering interest rates have continued to rise, making it harder for buyers to purchase a home.
Cassie Zimmerman, Project Manager for Boise Regional Relator and Jeff Martel, designated broker and owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate 43° North join Idaho Matters to talk about this discrepancy in the housing market.
Meeting the new Executive Director of the Wassmuth Center
Nov 14, 2022
(Audrey Regan)
Since the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights was first founded in 1996, it has been a center of diversity and learning in the heart of downtown Boise.
Home to the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, the Wassmuth Center’s mission is education and encouraging respect for human dignity. After 16 years with the organization, Dan Prinzing will be retiring next year and the center’s board of directors have chosen a new executive director.
Christina Bruce-Bennion joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the future of the Wassmuth Center.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: November 11, 2022
Nov 11, 2022
Idaho Gov. Brad Little speaks on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Boise, Idaho. Little won re-election.(AP Photo/Kyle Green)(Kyle Green / AP)
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.
A look at Idaho's grocery tax and how people feel about it
Nov 10, 2022
Grocery cart loaded with fresh fruit and bread moving through the aisle. (cottoncandylola / Flickr)
So here’s a question, how much did you spend on groceries this week? Idaho's six percent tax on groceries is back in the news, thanks to some comments on election night and a new survey by the Idaho Statesman.
The Statesman asked Idahoans how they feel about the grocery tax, which wasn’t popular in the best of times. But now, since the price of food skyrocketed this year - it turns out a large majority of folks, both Democrat and Republican, want to get rid of it.
Ryan Suppe covers state politics for the Idaho Statesman and sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
The science behind sleep and getting a good nights rest
Nov 10, 2022
Sleep-related problems affect somewhere between 50 to 70 million Americans, which is a public health concern, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association.
Dr. Aric Prather is a world-renowned sleep scientist and expert clinician who believes he’s cracked the code to helping even the most restless sleepers get a good night’s rest. He sat down with Idaho Matters to give us some tips about getting better rest, as well as talk about his new book, The Sleep Prescription.
A night at the Flicks with George Prentice
Nov 10, 2022
(The Flicks)
It's been a cold and wet week, which makes it perfect weather to curl up under a blanket with a good tv show or head to the theatre.
Our resident movie critic George Prentice joins Idaho Matters to give us recommendations on what to watch this weekend and what people are watching at The Flicks.
Breaking down the general election results with Idaho Matters
Nov 09, 2022
Helping kids and adults cope with ADHD
Nov 08, 2022
(Practical Cures / Flickr)
Even though Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, can be difficult to diagnose - it's estimated that six million children in the United States have it. More adults are also being diagnosed every day.
Founder and CEO of K-Counseling and Anxiety Treatment Lisa Schiro joins Idaho Matters to talk more about coping with ADHD.
How does same-day voter registration work in Idaho?
Nov 08, 2022
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio)
Idaho Matters is answering your questions about voting in the 2022 midterm elections. This week, listeners asked us about same-day voter registration and how it works.
We talked with Boise State Public Radio Reporter James Dawson to help us answer your questions.
If you haven't already registered to vote, are you still able to?
Well, the good news is there is same-day voter registration here in Idaho. So yes, as long as you meet certain requirements, you are eligible to cast a vote and register to vote on the same day.
How does same day voter-registration work?
First, you have to figure out where your precinct is, which involves going online or calling your county clerk's office and giving them your address. They will then tell you where your nearest polling location is. You can also look up your polling place online if you live in Ada County.
From there you should be able to register.
What do you need to bring with you?
Once you’ve figured out which voting district you belong to you’ll need to bring a form of ID. You can bring a state-issued ID card, whether that's a driver's license or a student ID. And then, just in case, you should also bring a few different forms of ID that prove your residency. This can be a utility bill, a lease agreement, a mortgage, etc. A bill that will not work is a cell phone bill.
Beyond registering, what else does same-day registration allow you to do?
Many people's polling places have changed due to redistricting, so if that's the case you can update your address. If you are unaffiliated and if you want to, you can also affiliate with a party.
Do all counties in Idaho let you register to vote on the same day?
It is a state law to register to vote on the same day as an election. This is not a law unique to Idaho, other states also have same-day voter registration.
If you registered at the last election, do you have to register again?
If you registered to vote in the 2020 election you should not need to register again. The only exception would be if you moved during that time period.
Then you would have to go to your new polling place and update everything, but you don't need to register again. However, if you haven't voted at all within the past four years then you will need to re-register to vote.
Does same-day registration help turnout at the polls?
From what we’ve seen in the past, Yes. Many people lead busy lives, especially if they work multiple jobs or have a family.
Voting can be an easy thing to space out on, so the ease of access certainly helps increase turnout.
Once I’ve registered to vote can I bring my phone into the booth with me to look things up while filling out the ballot?
Idaho does allow you to bring your phone into the booth and look things up. They also allow you to take a selfie with your ballot if you want to, though you are not able to do that in every state.
You’ll want to keep in mind though that you are not allowed to take pictures of other people voting because it’s illegal.
As a reminder: We’ve talked about this before, but why have polling places changed and how do people find their new polling place?
Polling places have changed because of redistricting. Every ten years with the new census, we recombine all the maps and districts.
But the reason why this is important for precincts is because those have changed, too. Dozens of polling places, if not more, have changed in Ada County alone. So it's not going to be an uncommon experience for people who are realizing that the place that they voted for the past ten years is no longer where they need to vote.
Go on to voteidaho.gov and you'll be able to find your polling place there, or you can also call your county elections office and they'll be able to point you in the right direction.
This project is part of the work of America Amplified, an initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to support community engagement journalism in public media.
The dangers of releasing non-native species into Idaho wilderness
Nov 08, 2022
Officer Brian Marek holds a 3.5-foot alligator that was captured in New Plymouth( Idaho Department of Fish and Game/Brian Marek)
The life of a conservation officer is never dull. Enforcing wildlife law takes them to the mountains, desert, rivers and forest.
In their positions, they do everything from conducting population counts to working with biologists to catching and relocating wildlife, like alligators, which is exactly what they picked up from one Idaho resident just a few weeks ago.
Matt O'Connell, Southwest Regional Conservation Officer and Josh Royse, Southwest Regional Supervisor join Idaho Matters to talk more about the wandering alligator.
LED lights up Morrison Center stage
Nov 08, 2022
LED's "Kid Lightning" premieres November 19 & 20 at the Morrison Center.(Daniel Rosenthal / Daniel Rosenthal)
Many artists and creative organizations were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, more than two and half years later these artists and organization are finding their way back to audiences, one such organization is LED.
Lauren Edson, the artistic director of LED and Andrew Stensaas, the creative director join Idaho Matters to talk more about the organization's upcoming performance.
Boise's elderly homeless population struggles to find shelter
Nov 07, 2022
(Interfaith Sanctuary / Facebook)
Older folks who can’t find a place to live and adults who can’t take care of themselves are living on the street in Boise. And they are at serious risk of harm or even death.
That’s the scary conclusion of some disturbing reporting from Margaret Carmel, a reporter with BoiseDev.com. She took a deep dive into how Boise's emergency shelters are struggling to care for our growing elderly homeless population. It’s a story that’s very painful to read, but also a story that we need to talk about.
Carmel joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this growing problem.
Author Matthew Delmont looks at the history of African American veterans in World War II
Nov 07, 2022
( Viking Penguin)
Half American is a new book written by civil rights expert and Dartmouth history professor Matthew Delmont. It looks at American history in a whole new light, from the perspective of African Americans who fought in World War II, both abroad and at home.
Delmont joins Idaho Matters to talk more about his new book.
Making food more accessible with rooftop gardens
Nov 07, 2022
Can city rooftops become a source of food? One professor in our region thinks so – she’s researching how plants grow under rooftop solar panels and the synergy between the two could offer more accessible food for cities.
Meanwhile, more and more buildings are being built with a green roof. Emma VandenEinde of the Mountain West News Bureau reports.
Hunting for scorpions in the Idaho desert
Nov 07, 2022
The northern scorpion (Paruroctonus boreus) is the most widespread and smallest scorpion in Idaho, reaching a length of up to two inches.( Greg Lasley on iNaturalist.org)
Late at night, in places like Idaho's Bruneau Sand Dunes, adventurers armed with black lights wander around - overturning rocks and peeking into cracks in the dirt.
They’re looking for scorpions, which glow in the dark and this activity is a growing hobby in places like Idaho.
Adare Evans, Aquatic Education State Coordinator with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and writer for Wildlife Express, joins Idaho Matters to tell us more about this hobby and scorpions in Idaho.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: November 4, 2022
Nov 04, 2022
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Troy Oppie, host of All Things Considered with Boise State Public Radio
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
Family turns to agritourism to help keep ranch afloat
Nov 04, 2022
Many of our region’s family-owned ranches and farms don’t always have an easy go of it – especially in the off-season. But some are starting to look to agritourism for some supplemental income.
Let’s take a trip to a 600-acre ranch in Wyoming, where the owners have built a corn maze to keep their farm alive.
A look at the history of Russian expansion
Nov 03, 2022
(Rogiro / Flickr)
Every day we see new headlines of the war going on in Ukraine as Russia continues to try and annex the country by force.
Russia has a long history of taking over territory as it has moved eastward, but for many, that’s all it was, history. Until Russia invaded Ukraine this year.
Dr. Megan Dixon joins Idaho Matters to give us a historical perspective on the expansion of Russia and talk a little about what's happening on the ground right now.
A BSU research team chases deadly volcanic mudflows in Guatemala
Nov 03, 2022
Ashley Bosa and a fellow researcher set up mudflow monitoring equipment in the shadow of Fuego Volcano in Guatemala.( Dr. Jeffrey Johnson)
An erupting volcano can be quite dramatic, as bright orange lava explodes from the cone and oozes down the sides of the mountain.
But volcanoes also spew out rocks and mud, which can turn into fast-moving mudslides known as lahars. While not as colorful as lava, lahars are quick and deadly — pouring thousands of tons of material with little or no warning for the people who live near them.
A Boise State professor and his team of students have been studying lahars in Guatemala and are working to create an early warning system for these catastrophic events.
Dr. Jeffery Johnson, a Professor of Geophysics along with Ph.D. candidate Ashley Bosa and Master's student Jerry Mock joins Idaho Matters to talk more about their research.
Idaho nonprofits struggle to meet community need
Nov 03, 2022
Idaho nonprofits are struggling to meet the needs of folks coming through their doors.
According to a new report, about half of the state’s nonprofit organizations don’t have the staff or the capacity to help the people who need it. The CEO of the Idaho Nonprofit Center, Kevin Bailey sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about that new report.
Beethoven's music still strikes a chord after 200 years
Nov 03, 2022
(cliff51 / Flickr)
It's been more than two centuries since we first heard the music of classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
Dr. Brian Hodges, Professor of Cello and Coordinator of Chamber of Music at Boise State University joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this upcoming performance and lecture.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: November 2, 2022
Nov 02, 2022
A doctor listens to a child's breathing.(B Busco / Getty Images)
Now that November has arrived we are that much closer to the holidays, there could be more outbreaks of COVID-19, the flu and RSV, which is affecting thousands of kids around the country.
Dr. Davide Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to talk about what we should be looking out for over the next few months.
New research finds living microbes in wildfire smoke
Nov 02, 2022
( bugcer / Flickr)
Despite the late start to this year's wildfire season, Idaho has seen plenty of flames, as have many of the surrounding states, and with those flames comes smoke.
Smoke from wildfires can travel hundreds and even thousands of miles away, carrying with it pollutants that contribute to poor air quality and bad health. It was recently discovered smoke may have one other passenger, living microorganisms.
University of Idaho fire sciences professor Leda Kobziar and doctoral student Phinehas Lampman joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these live microbes and what they could mean for our environment and health.
Restoring soil health after a wildfire
Nov 02, 2022
Wildfire season has stretched longer and become more damaging in our region.
Now researchers are looking at how microbes in the soil can be restored to health – so it can support plant life. Emma Vandeneinde of the Mountain West News Bureau takes us into their lab.
Remembering the Bear River Massacre
Nov 01, 2022
Former Chairman of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, Darren Parry.( Darren Parry)
In 1863, near what is now Preston Idaho, a group of U.S. soldiers attacked a Shoshone village.
Today the attack is called the Bear River Massacre and over 450 Shoshone men, women and children were killed. Darren Parry will be talking about Bear River this week as part of Boise's Fettuccine Forum and joins Idaho Matter to discuss this important piece of history.
Boise woman says transphobia likely triggered her attack at the downtown library
Nov 01, 2022
The mid-October arrest of a Boise man, accused of assault including the use of his vehicle as a weapon, garnered plenty of media attention. A short time later, he was also accused of burning a Pride flag that had been flying outside a Boise home.
But what was not widely known at the time of the arrest of Matthew Lehigh, was that his first alleged assault was on a transgender woman at her workplace – the Boise Downtown Public Library.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with June Meissner to talk about the incident, the support she received from friends and colleagues and her frustration that Idaho law prevents it from being considered a hate crime.
A case of mistaken identity: Is it a Cicada Killer Wasp or a Murder Hornet?
Nov 01, 2022
The Murder Hornet is on the left, the kindler, gentler Cicada Killer Wasp is on the right. Note the Murder Hornet has a much bigger head than the wasp.( Hanna Royals, Museum Collections: Hymenoptera, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org)
Murder Hornets have a very fierce and well-deserved reputation. They kill off beneficial honeybee hives and carry a very nasty sting.
They’re also an invasive species, so when they first showed up in Washington state two years ago they were met with dismay and apprehension by bug experts and people who rely on honeybees alike.
Now people in Idaho are on the lookout for these nasty critters, but it turns out another type of bug, this one beneficial to Idaho's landscape, looks a lot like the murder hornet.
That’s a problem when well-meaning Murder Hornet hunters try to kill off the wrong bugs, and it’s something University of Idaho extension entomologists Jason Thomas of Minidoka County, and Brad Stokes of Elmore County are trying to prevent.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: October 28, 2022
Oct 28, 2022
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.
Idaho Hunger Coalition: Plight of homeless Peruvian families is greater than a housing dilemma
Oct 27, 2022
The Wood River Valley has a long, rich history with Peruvians. So, post-pandemic, it was not surprising to see a new stream of Peruvian families to the Sun Valley region. But something is very different this year.
The region's employers need workers to fill a long list of job openings, in all corners of the service industry. And while Peruvians have indeed been anxious to meet that need, their own needs – for housing, hunger and much more – have been left out of the conversation.
What to watch this Halloween weekend: Two new films, a powerful documentary and a Halloween favorite
Oct 27, 2022
(Yasmina Galé / Flickr)
With October winding down, that means one thing, we're getting closer to film award season. Over the next two months, we've got movies hitting both the big and small screen that you won't want to miss.
Morning Edition host and resident movie critic, George Prentice joins Idaho Matters to give us a preview of films to watch out for, as well as what we can watch this weekend.
The importance of health care planning
Oct 26, 2022
Bubbie holding Adam's hand and looking at photos
(Getting Better Shots / Flickr)
If your husband were to suddenly pass away, would you know how to get in touch with your life insurance agent? If your mom went into a coma, would you know how to find her regular doctor?
There are dozens of details within our day-to-day lives that we don’t write down or share with other family members, and that can make a death or serious illness even more traumatic for those you love.
That's why making a plan for your loved ones is important. It's a kindness that will help them at the hardest time in their lives.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 26, 2022
Oct 26, 2022
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact Idaho)
Could the United States be headed towards a tripledemic, where we see the flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, like RSV, spreading at the same time?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, respiratory illnesses are appearing earlier and in more people than recent years, and there’s been an early increase in flu activity across the country as well. Data compiled by ABC News, as of Monday afternoon, showed that pediatric bed occupancy in the U.S. is the highest it’s been in two years, with 75% of an estimated 40,000 beds filled with patients.
So what does all this mean for Idaho? Dr. Davide Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins us to answer that question.
St. Luke's introduces its own insurance plan
Oct 26, 2022
(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)
St. Luke's Health System has created its own insurance plan, saying it wants to make health care coverage more efficient with less stress.
The plan is available as part of the offerings on Idaho's health insurance exchange, known as Your Health Idaho, which is currently in the middle of its open enrollment period.
St. Luke's Health Plan President, Matt Wolff and Health Plan COO, Amy Johnson join Idaho Matters to talk more about the new insurance plan.
Who is responsible for the voter advisory on the ballot?
Oct 25, 2022
(Thomas Hawk / Flickr)
Idaho Matters is answering your questions about voting in the 2022 midterm elections. This week, listeners asked us about the advisory question on this year's ballot.
Who is responsible for the Voter Advisory on the ballot?
How did it get on the ballot especially when the legislature is trying to eliminate voter initiatives?
The question mixes several distinctly different topics. Is information available?
We talked with Boise State Public Radio Reporter James Dawson and Clark Corbin with the Idaho Capital Sun to help us answer these questions.
What is a voter advisory?
Voter advisories are a little confusing, but the most important thing to know is this is a non-binding advisory question. Whichever way people vote, it is not going to pass or repeal anything.
The main question it's asking is whether or not Idahoans approve or disapprove of the special session law, House Bill 1, that was passed in September. The bill invested over $410 million in education spending and provided another rebate check to residents who filed income taxes in Idaho in 2020 and 2021.
Whichever way people vote, it's not going to have any effect on what has already taken place. However, it could inform what might happen in the future and how that money is allocated.
How often do we see advisory votes on the ballot?
Advisory questions are very rare. In the past 28 years, from 1994 to 2022, there were only two times when there were advisory questions on the ballot.
The question is asking about a few different things, why combine them into one question?
There's no real answer for the phrasing specifically, aside from the fact that it covers what the legislature and Gov. Brad Little accomplished in passing House Bill 1 in September.
Some lawmakers wondered why they were voting on a bill that had so many different topics, which was argued that it could be unconstitutional in Idaho because you have to have a single subject on a bill.
When it comes to why the question contains so many things; tax cuts, rebates and more school funding, those are all very popular things, not just in Idaho, but across the country. If people overwhelmingly say, yes, we approve of this, then they have more ground to say, look at the great job we did back in the special session and this is what you can look forward to in the coming years after this election.
How did the question get on the ballot?
The question is part of House Bill 1 from the special session. On page 14 of the bill text, it said this advisory question will be put on the November ballot.
Gov. Little's press secretary said the language was agreed upon between the governor's office and the legislators who co-sponsored the law in the weeks leading up to the September special session.
Is the language used in the advisory question neutral?
Corbin spoke with political scientist David Adler and some other people about the language in the advisory question, which uses phrases like “hardworking Idaho taxpayers,” “record budget surplus,” and “historic inflation,” – they thought this wasn't neutral language, but rather persuasive language intended to sway a voter into supporting it.
"Why wouldn't I support giving the hard-working Idaho taxpayers their money back? Why wouldn't I support a record increase in education funding?" are questions some might have after reading the language of the advisory question.
There's some concern if the legislature was really interested in how the public thought about this, maybe the language should be more neutral and maybe it should have been written by an outside third party, say, someone from the attorney general's office or something like that.
But that did not happen here, it was written by the people who wrote and supported the law itself and there are people who are saying it appears to be persuasive language as opposed to neutral language.
Why is the question on the ballot, especially when lawmakers have been making it harder to get citizen initiatives on the ballot?
The voter advisory is different than a citizen's ballot initiative because citizens are not involved at all – the voter advisory came straight from the legislature and the governor's office. A citizen's ballot initiative is essentially the people of Idaho bypassing the legislature to write their own laws, like in the 2018 election when Idaho voters overwhelmingly signed-off on expanding Medicaid coverage to the state’s working poor.
"I think the legislature is sort of guarding its own power when they crack down on the initiative process and pass laws that make it more complicated and difficult to qualify an initiative for the ballot," said Clark. "So [the advisory question is] seemingly a similar-type thing but the source is totally different. This goes around the citizens. They're not involved whatsoever. And so I think one way to look at that would be the legislature wanting to guard its power."
What will be done with the results of this advisory question?
It's not necessarily known what will be done with the results, but the stakes seem fairly low. We do know there is going to be a lot of changes in the Idaho legislature, with at least 40 legislators out of 105 being new.
If 60% or more of voters say yes, we approve of this, then that's something legislators can point to during budget negotiations and floor debates. With that, they can say we'll push back on your next election cycle if there is any action for further budget cuts or repealing education funding.
Bottom line: The advisory question really holds no power
Yes, it's non-binding and if you don't feel comfortable with it, just like anything else on the ballot, you can leave it blank or vote however you feel. Officially, whichever way Idahoans vote, nothing will happen.
This project is part of the work of America Amplified, an initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to support community engagement journalism in public media.
A new crowdsourcing project is asking for your pictures of the Old Idaho Penitentiary
Oct 25, 2022
A photo of the Old Pen Administration Building. ( Idaho State Archives collection)
For 101 years, the Old Idaho Penitentiary was in operation on the outskirts of Boise. Built in 1807, the old pen was the site of 10 executions, 500 escape attempts, women prisoners and some very famous people who spent time behind its walls.
Despite this history there aren’t a lot of pictures of people inside or outside the prison gates.
The Idaho State Archives has prisoner mugshots and a small collection of photos taken inside the prison, but the Idaho State Historical Society is working to uncover new resources, in this case, pictures to tell the complete story of the Old Idaho Pen.
So the old Pen is launching a crowdsourcing project, asking for your help to find pictures that may be in your family collection.
Jacey Brain, Visitor Services Coordinator at the Idaho State Historical Society and Interim Historic Sites Administrator, Anthony Parry joins Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Idaho Dance Theatre is 'Taking Flight'
Oct 25, 2022
( Idaho Dance Theatre)
Idaho Dance Theatre has been bringing eclectic dance experiences to the Treasure Valley for years.
This season though, there is change in the air. Artistic Director, Marla Hansen and Associate Artistic Director Nathan Powell joined Idaho Matters to talk about upcoming performances and what audiences can expect to see.
Hunting on public lands is becoming more crowded
Oct 24, 2022
(Stefano / Flickr)
Hunters are always looking for the perfect place to harvest a deer or elk. And once they find it, they often go back year after year for decades.
But now, many hunters complain that their hunting spots on public land are getting too crowded. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Madelyn Beck reports.
This Boise State professor has a nurse-driven plan to build cultural bridges, bonding caregivers and seriously ill refugees
Oct 24, 2022
Dr. Katherine Doyon has a plan. She wants to create the building blocks for what will be a first-of-its-kind bridge between Idaho healthcare providers and refugees.
Over the next two years, Doyon and a community advisory board – compiled of healthcare providers, refugees and refugee advocates – will design a guide to bridge clinicians and refugees, communicatively and culturally.
She spoke with Morning Edition host George Prentice to share her enthusiasm for the soon-to-launch project and how it could, quite literally, save lives.
Author of 'The Paris Bookseller' on Idaho Matters
Oct 24, 2022
(Glen Scarborough / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on January 11, 2022.
What do Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald and E.E. Cummings all have in common? The modernist writers all lived in Paris in the 1920s.
And the person who brought them together was Sylvia Beach, an American woman who owned the bookstore Shakespeare & Company. Idaho Matters talks with author Keri Mare about her new novel, which chronicles that time through Sylvia Beach's eyes.
Ballet Idaho celebrates 50 years of dance
Oct 24, 2022
( Ballet Idaho)
This year marks a very special anniversary for Ballet Idaho. Since 1972, the company has been celebrating stories of the human spirit through dance.
50 years later they are commemorating this accomplishment with the performance of four different programs. Laura Curry, Executive Director of the company and the Artistic Director, Garret Anderson joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the history of Ballet Idaho and what they have in store for us this season.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: October 21, 2022
Oct 21, 2022
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.
Alex Duggan Investigative Reporter with KTVB in Boise
A startling revelation from a member of the Boise City Council
Oct 20, 2022
(Lacey Daley / Boise State Public Radio)
Councilwoman Lisa Sánchez turned more than a few heads during last week’s workshop session of the Boise City Council.
Lawmakers were being briefed on affordable housing – or the lack thereof. Sánchez was disappointed – not in the analysis per se, but she said it was the latest in a long line of not being at the table in conversations regarding housing.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice broke this story and has an update.
Treasure Valley faces dental staffing shortage
Oct 20, 2022
(Gardner/Fox Associates, Inc / Flickr)
Throughout the nation, dental practices are experiencing a shortage in staffing. And here in the Treasure Valley we’re seeing the same issue.
Without hygienists, dental assistants and front office personnel it can be hard to meet the high demand for care that many dental offices are experiencing on the back end of the pandemic. But here several school districts in Idaho are working to address this shortage with training programs that allow high school students to gain experience as dental assistants, setting them up for success in the workforce.
Dr. Kim Keller, Idaho State Dental Association President and co-owner of Nampa Smiles, Crisha Bollinger, Director of the Nampa School Districts Dental Assisting Program at Skyview High school and Saige Rigby, a Nampa School District dental assisting student joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this shortage and programs helping to fill it.
A chat with fretless guitar master Ned Evett
Oct 20, 2022
Ned Evett(Rene Hartfield)
Ned Evett is a pioneer in making music on guitars that don’t have “frets” - those little ridges that most guitarists use on the neck of the instrument.
For more than 30 years he’s been creating both guitars and music that are out of the ordinary, leading to Guitar Player Magazine calling him the "the world's first fretless guitar rockstar" and USA Today says he’s the "the king of the glass-necked guitar."
He’s a Nashville boy with very strong Boise roots and he’s coming to the Treasure Valley on Wednesday for a special concert at the Sapphire Room at the Riverside Hotel.
We asked Ned about playing a guitar with frets and how he made the very dramatic switch away from using frets at a New Years Eve concert in McCall in 1990 after he smashed his normal guitar on stage. He went fretless and never looked back.
Without frets, he kept wearing out the necks of normal guitars, so he started building his own glass-necked guitars. He says they’re beautiful and produce a unique sound like no other.
When he isn’t making music or hanging out with Joe Satriani, Peter Frampton, Steve Morse and Andy James teaching folks how to play the fretless guitar at the G-4 Guitar Experience in Las Vegas, he spends time animating and writing comic books.
He joins Idaho Matters to talk about his life and music.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 19, 2022
Oct 19, 2022
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, almost half a million people in Idaho have been officially diagnosed with coronavirus and nearly 5,200 people in the Gem State have died.
Over the last week, we have seen 354 new cases of COVID-19 in Idaho and a week ago 37 people showed up in the emergency room with COVID-19 symptoms. So the coronavirus is still with us, but what is the situation in Idaho and in the U.S.? And with people still getting sick, why is the vaccine booster rate so low?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to help us answer these questions.
What you need to know about flu season in Idaho
Oct 19, 2022
(cayannalove / Flickr)
Long before COVID-19 appeared on planet earth, influenza was killing thousands of people every year around the globe.
And the flu is still a killer, not to mention the pain and suffering it can cause, let alone the impact it has on work, productivity and the health care system. Now that the fall season has arrived in the Gem State so has the flu, and while Idaho's influenza coordinator says the severity is hard to predict, she always advocates getting a flu shot.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Dr. Leslie Tengelson with Idaho Health and Welfare to find out more about this year's flu season.
Yellowstone still recovering after a summer of record flooding
Oct 19, 2022
This summer, Yellowstone National Park was hit by a historic flood that made international headlines. Now, construction crews are in a race to rebuild roadways before winter sets in.
New centers will help Idaho kids in crisis
Oct 18, 2022
The proposed Youth Behavioral Health Community Crisis Centers are designed in part to keep kids out of places like the Juvenile Corrections Center Nampa.( Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections website.)
When a teenager in Idaho is experiencing a crisis, maybe with drugs or thoughts of suicide, there is too often no place for them to go.
Without a safe place to go for a few hours to get calm and get help, these kids end up either in a hospital or in jail. This can make their trauma worse and further complicate the problems they’re trying to work through.
To try to help those kids Idaho Health and Welfare and the state’s Department of Juvenile Corrections are working to create Youth Crisis Centers around the state where a kid in trouble can spend 24 hours in a safe space to de-escalate the crisis and get help they need.
Monty Prow, the Director of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections and Ross Edmunds, Behavioral Health Administrator for Health and Welfare joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these youth crisis centers.
Kids getting kids out to vote
Oct 18, 2022
With the midterm elections less than a month away, there’s an energized push to get the vote out, and an equally energized effort to register new voters – and in particular, young voters.
The Idaho nonprofit Babe Vote is run by high school students and their goal is to register, educate and engage voters.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with high school student Amaia Clayton and activist Sam Sandmire to talk more about Babe Vote and upcoming deadline for Idahoans to pre-register online.
Land and water fights in the West lead to court cases and controversy
Oct 18, 2022
Few things are more valuable to a farmer in the west than water, and when there’s not enough to go around, tempers can flare over water rights.
In rural Nevada, a shrinking aquifer forced one ranching community to grapple with water scarcity in a real way. And it's not just water that can lead to fights in the west, fence lines and getting access to public lands is also a volatile subject.
Some people are using a practice known as corner crossing to get across private property on their way to public land and it’s causing controversy.
The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel and Will Walkey report.
Idaho crops could soon be more resistant to climate change
Oct 17, 2022
(John Miller / AP Images)
A new grant awarded to the University of Idaho will soon help farmers grow crops that will be more resistant to climate change.
The program's research will center around some of the state's most popular produce: including potatoes, chickpeas, wheat and sugar.
Jodi Johnson-Maynard, Head of the U of I Department of Soil and Water Systems and Sanford Eigenbrode, a professor of Entomology joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this new approach to agriculture.
Finding a dialogue in a time of political polarization
Oct 17, 2022
The College of Idaho( The College of Idaho Facebook)
It’s no stretch to say that we are living in a time of often extreme political polarization, where the problems of the day are drowned out by arguments and rhetoric, leaving no one talking about or trying to effectively solve those problems.
The College of Idaho and a group of partners have decided to try and change that by launching the school’s inaugural Policy and Politics Forum later this month. C of I is bringing together a wide group of speakers from current and former lawmakers to legal experts. There will also be people who build houses, make school policy and create city laws, along with former governor Butch Otter, to talk about the problems facing Idaho today.
Stelios Panageotou, Political Economy Assistant Professor at the College of Idaho and Mckay Cunningham, Director of On-Campus Experiential Learning at C of I joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming forum.
Idaho's CASA program faces volunteer shortage
Oct 17, 2022
(Kellogg Community College / Flickr)
Each year, nearly 3,000 children in the Gem State find themselves in out-of-home placements, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
For those who end up in foster care, it's important that they have an adult who can advocate for them and that's where the CASA program comes in. Through CASA, children are appointed a guardian who will help promote their best interest, following their case from start to finish. However, here in Ada County and several other areas, there's a shortage of volunteers.
Kathryn Seebold, Director of Family Advocates joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this need and the Court Appointed Special Advocates Program.
Fire marshal investigates firework mishap at Boise State football game
Oct 17, 2022
While many people did not notice what happened, at least three people were hit with embers that burned their clothes and caused concern. The opening fireworks display was suspended while the fire marshal investigated the incident.
Troy Oppie, Boise State Public Radio news reporter and local afternoon host of All Things Considered, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about what happened.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: October 14, 2022
Oct 14, 2022
Retiring state Sen. Patti Anne Lodge (R-Huston) says Tom Arkoosh will be the first Democrat she's voted for in 66 years of being a Republican.(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
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.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 12, 2022
Oct 12, 2022
(CREDIT TSCHOPPI
/ FLICKR)
In the Treasure Valley, COVID-19 case levels are the lowest we've seen in months. The City of Boise has responded to this data by cutting back COVID-19 requirements.
Last week, Boise's Mayor Lauren McLean said the city is moving to a more endemic stage and no longer requiring new employees get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Dr. David Pate, Former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to talk about this move.
‘The Persistent Guest’ takes stage at Boise Contemporary Theater
Oct 12, 2022
For the last 25 years, Boise Contemporary Theater has been bringing lively and proactive shows to the Treasure Valley. To kick off its silver anniversary season they will showcase a production that has been years in the making, it's also quite personal.
Idaho's childhood immunization rates decline
Oct 11, 2022
(sulit.photos / stock.adobe.com)
Idaho's immunization rates haven't been good for years. Well before the COVID-19 pandemic, Idaho struggled to get kids vaccinated.
Over the last two years, the opt-out rates went up, which meant immunizations went down.
Kevin Richert with Idaho Education News looked at the numbers and talked with Idaho health officials about this. He joins us on Idaho Matters to talk more about what he found out.
How does redistricting affect where I can vote and who I can vote for?
Oct 11, 2022
(Kelsey Thomson / Boise State Public Radio)
Idaho Matters is answering your questions about voting in the 2022 midterm elections.
This week a listener asked us about redistricting:
To help us answer this question, we invited Boise State Public Radio reporter James Dawson to talk a little bit about state and city redistricting, and why that may affect where you vote and who you can vote for.
Here is Gemma's interview during Idaho Matters:
Gemma Gaudette: So, Jimmy, let's start with Sue's legislative district. Why did her district change?
James Dawson: Yeah, and this is something a lot of people probably noticed. So every ten years with the new census, every single state in the country goes through what's called redistricting at not only the state legislative level, but the congressional level. And the idea is to make representation as even as possible to account for places that either grew or maybe shrunk. So you have to create these districts with as even of a population as you can within a certain margin, while also making sure that it makes sense geographically. So you're not going to group up, let's say, the Boise's north end with Idaho City, right. Because there are two very different places with different needs and they might not necessarily feel like they would be represented well by the same person. And so that's kind of a very, very basic understanding of what's going on here.
Gemma Gaudette: And Jimmy, to be clear, this happens every ten years because it's based on the census, because that's when we take the population around the United States every ten years. So it has to align with the population, whether there's been a growth or a deficit.
James Dawson: Exactly. Yeah. And you want to have as even of a population in these districts, at least to start out the decade as you can. Obviously, we saw, you know, a very uneven growth here in Idaho over the past several years where the largest district out kind of like in eagle/Meridian had tens of thousands of people, more than the smallest district, for example.
Gemma Gaudette: So Sue says that she can't vote for the same lawmaker anymore. Is that a normal part of redistricting, Jimmy?
James Dawson: Yeah, it can be. So a lot of these boundaries got tweaked in Boise as Sue noticed, greater Ada County, not to mention Canyon county because of that explosive population growth. And for some people, the line between districts maybe just shifted a couple streets over. And if you think about it from the lawmakers perspective, too, sometimes they're put into these entirely new districts with a whole lot of people they've never represented before. They could face another one of their fellow lawmakers at the state house in a primary if their boundaries shifted. So it's, you know,
Gemma Gaudette: Okay, So then congressional districts, those can change as well, Correct? So folks like Sue may find themselves even voting for a different U.S. representative.
James Dawson: Yeah. And the big shift would be kind of in the west, Boise, Southeast Boise or Southwest Boise area, rather. It's not as complicated for now because Idaho, we only have these two US House members, right? And so they basically just draw a line in the Treasure Valley and call it a day. So for the next ten years, that dividing line is Eagle Road, where it used to actually, like I said, be within the city of Boise and Idaho, barely missed out on getting a new congressional district this year. So come 2031, if we keep growing like this, they're going to have to make those harder choices and maybe even make parts of the Treasure Valley, their own congressional district.
Gemma Gaudette: Which would then give us three representatives on Capitol Hill?
James Dawson: Exactly. Yes.
Gemma Gaudette: Right. And that has been something we've been looking at with growth. Okay. So Sue talked about where she votes, Jimmy, that changed, too. We know that's part of redistricting. So my question then is this, What happens if your voting places change? You don't know it. You show up to the old spot on Election Day. Can you vote there or do you have to go to the new place now?
James Dawson: You're going to have to go to the new place. Thankfully, the very helpful folks who are at these precincts will be able to tell you where that is. So like Sue said, she got the postcard with where she's supposed to vote, her new districts and all of that. If for whatever reason you didn't get a postcard, maybe you just recently moved or for whatever reason got lost in the mail, you can go online to voteidaho.gov. You enter in some information. If you have a state ID for example, it should point you in the right direction. Or you could also call or visit your local county elections office and they can help you out to.
Gemma Gaudette: Okay, Let's switch to the other half of Sue's question. And this is in regards to the city of Boise and then the district's four city council members. This is something that is brand new. And can you kind of compare this, I guess, Jimmy, right, to state redistricting. Why is the city of Boise now using districts for its council candidates? Because in the past, if you lived in Boise, you could vote for every candidate.
James Dawson: Exactly. Yeah. And so this was a law passed by the state legislature in 2020. It requires Idaho's biggest cities like Boise to move to a district system. It's a fairly common system, even in some smaller towns and cities across the country. It Just hadn't been adopted here for whatever reason that might be. You know, the legislators at the time, which we should say were mostly, if not all Republicans, basically saying that they were tired of seeing all of the Boise City Council members be from a very select, very wealthy group of neighborhoods, namely the North end and East end. And so now theoretically, you're going to have more representation from folks who might live on the bench or West Boise or Southwest Boise, just to name a few neighborhoods. And theoretically, that would increase representation for people who live in those areas. And it's not just for Boise.
Gemma Gaudette: So the next time they have a council seats up, Jimmy, they will have to do this as well in those two cities.
James Dawson: Yes. And Meridian already adopted their redistricting map in June. That process in Nampa and Boise is still ongoing and you can still, if you live in these areas, you can still submit your comments and talk about what you like or dislike about the proposed maps. But both of them hope to get that done by the end of the year.
Gemma Gaudette: Mm hmm. So, Jimmy, we know that redistricting across the country, right? Whether it's at a state level or a local level, can be really contentious. So how does Idaho do this? Because a lot of times when we talk about redistricting, we hear about gerrymandering, you know, all of these things that negatively impact voters. But we have a fairly decent system in place in Idaho.
James Dawson: Yeah, Idaho, since like a lot of Western states actually does an independent redistricting system, whereas, you know, other states in the in the Midwest or out East or in the South might just leave it up to the state legislature to vote through these plans. Now, that's not to say that our system is nonpartisan. Some other states have that, but ours is a six member council appointed, three members by Republicans, three members by Democrats. And they can't, for example, have been former lawmakers within a certain period of time. And they can't run for election in these districts for, I think, five years, several years. And so that is a way to try to ensure that politics won't creep in as much. Of course, there's always going to be, you know, politics getting in there. But that's kind of the scene that we have here in Idaho.
Gemma Gaudette: So before I let you go, Jimmy, I mean, bottom line for folks like Sue is that, you know, this year you might just have to do a little bit more digging just to find out maybe who you can vote for if you're in a new district, you know, things like that, because it might be a little confusing on Election Day.
James Dawson: Absolutely. And if you, for whatever reason, want to avoid all of that, don't forget, you can still request an absentee ballot up to, I believe, October 28th. You still have some time to do that. If you just want to skip the line, don't worry about going in person. You could go vote at one of the early voting locations. You know, Ada County has several Canyon County, I believe, has that. Lots of counties do. So there are other options if you just want to avoid that hassle.
Gemma Gaudette: Well, as always, Jimmy, we appreciate you.
James Dawson: Thank you.
This project is part of the work of America Amplified, an initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to support community engagement journalism in public media.
Tribal lands work to protect marijuana laws and cultural artifacts
Oct 11, 2022
Most Mountain West States have legalized marijuana in some form, but the rules are different on tribal landsand that could make it harder for tribes to get into this multi-billion dollar industry.
And across the pond, the British Museum in London holds millions of treasures – from African artifacts to Greek sculptures. But for a young woman from our area, a feathered, beaded headdress is the most meaningful, she wants it returned to her tribe.
Wyoming Public Radio’s Emma Gibson and Taylar Stagner report for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Why tipping is about more than just the money
Oct 11, 2022
We want to spend some time talking about tipping. For artists, tipping is more than just a few dollars in the tip jar.
Leta Harris Neustaedter brought this issue up on her Facebook page recently. She's one of the best live performers in the Treasure Valley, as well as a therapist, teacher and clinical social worker.
She sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about her recent experience.
Boise Police Chief is out; listening sessions, anonymous survey scheduled for the department
Oct 10, 2022
The City of Boise is searching for a new full-time police chief after the mayor requested and received the resignation of then-chief Ryan Lee just a few weeks ago.
At the time, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said Lee was “struggling from a management perspective.” Making matters worse, too much ill will had spilled into the members of the police department, leading some to think about leaving the department.
The Mayor sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the reasons leading to her decision to show Lee the door, the process of finding a new chief and how she’ll be holding a series of listening sessions with the rank-and-file let’s take a listen to their extended interview.
Best-selling author Ridley Pearson sits down with Idaho Matters
Oct 10, 2022
He's releasing a new book this month, "Cautionary Tales". Pearson joins Idaho Matters to talk more about his new release.
Two Boise women help support small businesses
Oct 10, 2022
(Downtown Boise Association / Instagram)
How often do you go online to find something, wishing you could buy it locally, but you can't find it so you end up purchasing from a national retailer instead?
This was the dilemma that two women kept running into, so they decided to do something about it.
Cary Fortin and Cara Oppenheimer came up with the idea of goodbuy, a free online shopping tool that helps you buy local. They join Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: October 7, 2022
Oct 07, 2022
City Club of Boise - Ada County Commission Candidates
Oct 06, 2022
The City Club of Boise, League of Women Voters of Idaho, and Boise State Public Radio's Idaho Matters partnered to host a forum for the candidates for Ada County Commissioner moderated by Idaho Matters host Gemma Gaudette.
The mission of the Commissioners: "We are partners and leaders in our communities. Our decisions are informed by a commitment to protecting the quality of life of every resident of Ada County in a fiscally responsible manner."
Candidates:
District 3: 1 vacancy, 2-year term
Tom Dayley – REP
Anthony (Tony) Jones – IND
Patricia Nilsson – DEM
District 2: 1 vacancy, 4-year term
Rod W Beck – REP (Incumbent & Chair of the Ada Co. Commissioners)
Stan Ridgeway – DEM
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: October 5, 2022
Oct 05, 2022
Dr. Michelle Chester draws the COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, in the Queens borough of New York City.
Australia is nearing the end of it's worst flu season in at least five years, which could be a sign of what's to come here in the United States as we head into the fall and winter and our own flu season.
Dr. David Pate, Former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming flu season and answer your questions.
A conversation with Dr. Marlene Tromp
Oct 05, 2022
Boise State’s president since 2019, Tromp visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to also talk about a concerted effort to attract more in-person, in-state freshmen, new financial opportunities for students and her level of involvement with the high-profile football team.
Advocacy groups encourage fertility control among wild horses
Oct 05, 2022
Wild horses run free on the Sands Basin Herd Management Area About 13 miles southwest of Homedale. The herd's bay, brown and black horses also include some paints, pintos, chestnuts and even some Appaloosas.
(Courtesy Michelle Tullis / BLMIdaho)
There are tens of thousands of wild horses living in the west, including some in Idaho.
The U.S. Government mainly uses roundups to keep them from over-grazing the land, but advocacy groups want more of a focus on fertility control. The Mountain West News Bureau's Kaleb Roedel reports.
The history of LGBTQ+ in Idaho
Oct 04, 2022
(Alden Skeie / Unsplash)
When you think of the history of LGBTQ+ Idahoans, often the first, and only thing that comes to mind is the dark chapter in the city’s history known as the “Boys of Boise.”
Back in the 1950s, this McCarthy-era investigation into an alleged ‘homosexual underground’ in Boise, stained the city’s history and too often overshadows the successes and accomplishments of the community today.
Dr. Lisa McClain, professor of history and gender studies at Boise State University, and graduate student Rachel Taylor have been moving past the Boys of Boise controversy to look not only at successes but how religion and rural Idaho fit into the LGBTQ+ community in the Gem State.
Over the summer, inflation reached a 40-year-high in the U.S. and as the rate of inflation continues to go up, so do prices at the grocery store and for other day-to-day staples.
Experts at the Federal Reserve and elsewhere are trying to bring that rate down.
Mary C. Daly is the President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and part of her job is helping to set America's monetary policy.
Over the last four years on the job, Daly has been working to connect economic principles to concerns in the real-world.
She dropped by Boise State University for a talk last week and to chat with folks in Idaho and she sat down with Idaho Matters to talk about inflation and her trip to the Gem State.
Digging up the past in Boise's River Street neighborhood
Oct 04, 2022
The 2015 dig covered a block of River Street in downtown Boise.( Dr. William White)
Have you ever lost something in your backyard? A coffee cup? A child’s toy?
Decades later, the things left behind in a backyard can tell archeologists a lot about who lived there and the image they wanted to project to the world.
That’s what Dr. William White found when he started digging up backyards in 2015 in Boise’s River Street neighborhood, an area where African Americans and immigrants were forced to live more than 100 years ago.
Dr. White is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of the forthcoming book, “Segregation Made Them Neighbors: An Archaeology of Racialization in Boise, Idaho.”
What are the rules around campaign signs in Ada County?
Oct 04, 2022
Campaign signs are in abundance last week for early voting at Westchester Regional Library in Miami.(Eva Marie Uzcategui / AFP via Getty Images)
Idaho Matters has launched a new Elections 2022 project here at Boise State Public Radio – we want to answer your questions about voting in the upcoming midterm elections.
This project is part of the work of America Amplified - an initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to support community engagement journalism in public media.
We’ll be answering your questions each Tuesday on Idaho Matters.
To help us answer this week’s question we’ve invited Rachel Bjornestad, Public Information Officer and Ryan Head, the Deputy Director of Development and Technical Services at the Ada County Highway District to tell us where you can, and cannot, put campaign signs.
We want to answer your questions about voting in the upcoming midterm elections. Do you know where to vote? How to vote? What are the deadlines and what has changed since the last election? Text "Boise State PR" to 855-670-1777 and follow the prompts.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 30, 2022
Sep 30, 2022
Former Idaho state Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger looks around the room before the start of his sentencing at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. He was convicted of raping a legislative intern in April.(Sarah A. Miller/smiller@idahostatesman.com / Idaho Statesman)
Idaho lawmaker discusses abortion policy following University of Idaho memo
Sep 29, 2022
(Jimmy Emerson / Flickr Creative Commons)
On Tuesday, the White House called Idaho's abortion policies ”extreme and backwards."
The words came after the University of Idaho sent an email to its employees that said the use of public funds to promote abortions is not allowed under Idaho law and employees that violate that law could face a felony conviction. Boise State University also told faculty members earlier this month that they could face felony charges if they violate the law.
Sen. Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise), who has taught at Boise State and who helped create an advocacy program to support victims of sexual violence, joins Idaho Matters to talk more.
Treasure Valley faces veterinarian shortage
Sep 29, 2022
( Hannah Gardoski)
If you've had to make a medical appointment for your pet lately, you may have noticed that it's getting harder and taking longer to get treatment.
It’s not a fluke, there is a shortage of veterinarians around the country and it's getting worse. The Atlantic wrote this summer that by 2030, the U.S. will need 41,000 more vets than we have now. That can make spaying or neutering your pet a bigger challenge and a new study says fewer pets are getting fixed, which is leading to more dogs and cats at some animal shelters.
Dr. Jeff Rosenthal, CEO of the Idaho Humane Society in Boise, joins Idaho Matters to talk about the shortage of veterinarians.
Iconic 'Rocky Mountain High' song turns 50
Sep 29, 2022
It started as a song about the beauty of the mountains – and became an anthem for our region.
John Denver’s "Rocky Mountain High” turns 50 years old in October and Emma Vandeneinde of the Mountain West News Bureau explains the legacy of his life and his music.
Grab a blanket and cozy up - fall movies and tv are here
Sep 29, 2022
(Máté Petrány / Flickr)
Our Morning Edition host and resident movie critic, George Prentice, is back from the Toronto International Film Festival and is looking ahead to the fall offerings in both movies and TV. Idaho Matters decided to check in and see what he recommended we watch this weekend.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: September 28, 2022
Sep 28, 2022
Masks hang from an IV pole at a hospital.(Jenny Kane / AP)
The world is a different place than it was two and a half years ago.
Before we knew the term COVID-19, the possibility of a global pandemic seemed like the stuff of Hollywood movies, not something we'd live through or for many, not survive. Now as we live with the sorrow and the change the pandemic brought, we ask, has it taught us anything?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to answer this question.
City of Boise re-writes zoning with more diverse representation
Sep 28, 2022
(City of Boise / via Facebook)
The city of Boise is re-writing its zoning codes, which is no easy task. The city’s codes have not been updated this way for over 50 years and officials wanted to get more diverse input from the people who live in the city during this process.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Lindsay Moser, the Community Manager for Planning and Development Services, Kyle Patterson, Director of Innovation and Performance for the city and Tara Bingham, a Boise State master's student who interned with the city.
Death cap mushrooms are back in Boise
Sep 28, 2022
A death cap mushroom pops up through grass in a Boise residential neighborhood.(Susan Stacy / Posted by joemat on iNaturalist)
Over the weekend, the death cap mushroom was likely identified for the second September in a row in Boise.
The extremely toxic fungus is a concern for parents and pet owners. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Madelyn Beck reports what it is, how it got here and what to do about it.
Idaho’s Latino community: past, present and future
Sep 27, 2022
( 150 years Latinos in Idaho Corrido Project Facebook Page)
As Idaho’s Latino community continues to grow, we wanted to take a minute during Hispanic Heritage Month to talk about the past, present and future of the community in the Gem State.
In the past, Hispanic Idahoans have played a huge part in the economic and cultural development of Idaho. Currently, Latinos face a variety of issues, including income inequality and finding access to healthcare.
Natalie Camacho Mendoza, the owner of Camacho Mendoza Law and Ana Maria Schachtell, Project Director of the Idaho Corrido Music Project, joins Idaho Matters to explore some of these themes.
Getting more mental health resources into rural Idaho
Sep 27, 2022
McCall, ID(Amy Goodman / Flickr)
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of people struggling with anxiety and depression.
However, these higher rates aren't just being seen among adults, but children as well. According to St. Luke's Health System, one out of four kids in Idaho suffers from mental illness. And mental health resources can be hard to find in many rural parts of the state.
St. Luke's has made getting help to rural communities a priority and will be holding a screening of the Ken Burns documentary "Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Health," along with an open discussion in McCall. The plan is to hold more of these discussions in Twin Falls and Hailey.
Dr. Gretchen Gudmundsen, a clinical psychologist and Erin Pfaeffle, Senior Director of Community Health and Engagement at St. Luke's Health System, join Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.
Celebrating Day of the Dead in Sun Valley
Sep 27, 2022
Dia de los Muertos altar( Sun Valley Museum of Art)
Each year during the fall, families come together to celebrate Dia De Los Muertos honoring loved ones who have passed away, an for a small window of time, welcoming their souls back for a brief reunion with the living.
This year the Sun Valley Museum of Art is commemorating the day of the dead with a series of events featuring artists, authors, music and workshops. Kristine Bretall, Director of Performing Arts and Lectures at Sun Valley Museum of Art and Regina Marchi, Rutgers Professor and author joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the program.
The resignation comes five months after a tort claim was filed by another officer. KTVB crime reporter Alex Duggan joins Idaho Matters to break down the latest on the story.
Governor Brad Little declines debate invitation
Sep 26, 2022
Little said the people of Idaho already know his track record.
Both of Idaho's U.S. Representatives, Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, also said they would not take part in a 30-year tradition of debate on Idaho Public Television.
The host of “Idaho Reports,” Melissa Davlin, is also the host and producer of “Idaho Debates” and she joins Idaho Matters to talk about this story.
So is Idaho part of a national trend? And what does it mean for voters when candidates won’t debate? Idaho Matters asked Jaclyn Kettler, associate professor of political science at Boise State University, to answer these questions.
Amtrak service could be returning to Boise
Sep 26, 2022
Since the last Amtrak train pulled out of the Boise Depot over two decades ago, there have been efforts to reinstate the service.
However, it wasn't until recently that those efforts gained traction with a recent program that could renew 750 miles of train routes through Boise and much of southern Idaho.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Bre Brush, Boise Mayor McLean's Chief Advisor on Transportation, to talk more about the Corridor ID Program.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 23, 2022
Sep 23, 2022
He joined Idaho Matters to give us a peek at the red carpet and what to expect at the box office.
Idaho college students work towards peace
Sep 22, 2022
Suely Sandra Cardoso Soeiro and Emily Freko(Bennett Williamson / College of Idaho)
Each year college students from around the country participate in the Davis Projects for Peace. The program's goal is to encourage young adults to develop innovative, community centered and scalable responses to our world's pressing issues.
College of Idaho students have been part of this mission since it began in 2008 Brian Bava, Vice President of Enrollment Management at College of Idaho, Emily Freko, a current student and Suely Soeiro, a recent graduate join Idaho Matters to talk more about what College of Idaho students have been doing this past year.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at the Idaho State Museum
Sep 22, 2022
Danza Azteca Tonatiuh( Idaho State Historical Society)
We're in the middle of Hispanic Heritage month, which runs through October 15, and the Idaho State Museum is hosting an event Saturday that features music, art, food and history.
Liz Hobson, the Director of the Idaho State Museum, and Mari Ramos with the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce join Idaho Matters to talk more about the event and roots of Hispanic Heritage month.
New grants to assist with food insecurity in Boise
Sep 22, 2022
Here in Idaho, and much of the United States, families are facing food insecurity. And even though many of the people in this situation are employed, they are still unsure of where their next meal will come from. Our Morning Edition Host George Prentice sat down with Kate Nelson, City of Boise Director of Community Partnerships, to take a look at a new effort that could help fill an important gap in our local food systems.
Cows + manure = bioplastic?
Sep 22, 2022
(Joris van Baalen / Flickr)
As an agricultural state, Idaho has a lot of cows and with a lot of cows comes a lot of manure.
For many farmers this can quickly turn into a pollution headache, especially when it's time for disposal. However, this waste could soon become an important facet of sustainability. Over the last few years, cow manure has been reused to make, not just fertilizer, but electricity, fuel, packaging and now plastic.
Erik Coats, Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Idaho, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this unique commodity.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: September 21, 2022
Sep 21, 2022
NIOSH-approved N95 masks are recommended to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 omicron variant.(Jennifer Swanson/NPR)
On Sunday President Joe Biden said the COVID-19 pandemic was over.
Speaking on CBS's "60 Minutes," Biden raised concern among health officials who are trying to get Americans to take a new booster shot, all while trying to convince congress to come up with $22 billion for testing and more research into the coronavirus.
This comes after a report last week in the Idaho Capitol Sun that said as many as 10% of adults in Idaho are suffering from effects of long-Covid, which is far higher than the national average.
Dr. David Pate, Former CEO of St Luke's Health System and current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to talk about this and answer your questions.
Idaho students help feed community with college garden
Sep 21, 2022
Andrea Schumaker in the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Campus Garden. ( College of Western Idaho)
On Friday, students from the College of Western Idaho will serve up a five-course dinner in Nampa, made with the produce grown in the CWI garden.
Farm to Fork meals are a unique way to showcase local agriculture and sustainability. Andrea Schumaker, the Chair of AG programs at CWI and the organizer of Farm to Fork joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event taking place this Friday, September 23.
A guide to keeping your kids safe in the digital era
Sep 21, 2022
(Christine Lynch / Flickr)
Research shows 96% of children under the age of four have used a mobile device, and in this day and age it's almost impossible for parents to monitor and protect their children at every turn when it comes to electronics.
That's where Catherine Pearlman, a licensed clinical social worker and parenting expert comes in. Pearlman has written a new book that teaches children how to be safe in the digital space. It's called "First Phone: A Child's Guide to Digital Responsibility, Safety, and Etiquette." She joins Idaho Matters to talk more about her book and how parents can help their children be responsible while using technology.
Constitutional scholar looks at changing abortion laws
Sep 20, 2022
Abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion protesters demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021. (Andrew Harnik / AP)
On June 24 the Supreme Court of the United States overturned its 1973 ruling of Roe v. Wade and gave states the power to decide abortion laws.
That ruling was an "unprecedented power grab” according to Dr. David Adler, who says it relegates women to second-class citizenship. Dr. Adler is a constitutional scholar and he speaks and writes frequently on the constitution and presidential power.
This week Dr. Adler will be giving a lecture on recent Supreme Court decisions, as well as the January 6 hearings at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State. He joined Idaho Matters to share more about his upcoming talk.
The impact of book bans on Idaho students
Sep 20, 2022
(GwynethJones -The Daring Librarian! / Flickr)
Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, Harriet Beecher Stowe; these authors share more than just a legacy of classic literature and a place in school curriculums. They’re authors whose works have been banned from classrooms over the years for content some deemed controversial or obscene.
Across the country, books are once again being challenged in schools and libraries, with librarians holding the line to make sure there’s access to materials some find inappropriate. Here in Idaho, the pressure to remove books from library shelves is coming from activist groups and the GOP party.
Dr. Jonathan Friedman, the director of free expression and education programs at PEN America, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about book banning. He will be in Boise later this week as part of a panel discussion at the City Club of Boise where they will discuss what kinds of books are being challenged and why. They'll also take a look at who should and should not be deciding what books make it onto the library shelves and into our children's hands.
Is Idaho teaching “porn literacy” in school?
Sep 19, 2022
The national headlines were based on an article by the Idaho Freedom Foundation, which said the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare purchased sex education courses from a group that “advocates for teaching elementary students about porn literacy.”
Kevin Richert, the Senior Reporter and Blogger at Idaho Ed News and has been following this story and joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Monkeypox prevention in Idaho
Sep 19, 2022
Visual examples of Monkeypox. ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Back in July, Idaho's first case of Monkeypox was reported. Since then, 11 more cases have been confirmed.
Central District Health has been working on raising public awareness about Monkeypox; what it is, how it spreads and who is most at risk.
Sarah Wright, Epidemiologist with CDH, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the disease.
Predicting wildfire behavior with fuel moisture
Sep 19, 2022
Taylor Zarifis plucks live leaves off of sagebrush to demonstrate how to collect samples to measure fuel moisture levels. (Madelyn Beck / Mountain West News Bureau)
The world of wildland firefighting has a lot of wonky lingo, but one key phrase is "fuel moisture" - and no, we're not talking about oil and gas. It refers to how much water is in certain plants that could fuel a wildfire.
The impact of climate change on our drinking water supply
Sep 19, 2022
The Colorado River is drying up and the major cities in the west that depend on it are scrambling to boost their supplies and keep taps flowing. Climate change is already cutting into the amount they get from Mother Nature, so some cities are finding ways to reuse the water they already have.
'Drunk on Love' author sits down with Idaho Matters
Sep 19, 2022
(Jeremy Pettitt / Flickr)
Writing powerhouse Jasmine Guillory has written eight novels in just four years. Her work has been praised by numerous media outlets including NPR, The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly.
She joined Idaho Matters to talk about her latest novel "Drunk on Love".
The story of six Kentucky nuns who built a hospital in India
Sep 16, 2022
(Michal Svec / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 20, 2022.
In 1946, six nuns from Kentucky made a journey to one of the poorest states in India to start a hospital and train women to become nurses.
This never before told story is being memorialized in a new book, “Sisters of Mokama.”
The book’s author, who is also the senior opinion editor at the New York Times, Jyoti Thottam joins Idaho Matters to talk more about her book.
'The Fisherman and The Dragon' author sits down with Idaho Matters
Sep 16, 2022
(Kevin Lawver / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on August 12, 2022.
Author Kirk Wallace is out with a new book and the story sounds like the plot to a great whodunit movie, but here's the twist: it's true! He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about The Fisherman and The Dragon.
Could Yellowstone National Park erupt soon?
Sep 15, 2022
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on July 27, 2022.
When our summer intern Jack Bevan heard rumors that Yellowstone National Park could explode soon and start a new ice age, he had to find out if there was any truth to it.
First, he set out to find if Yellowstone or any other volcanic formations in the northwest, like Mount St. Helens, were likely to blow up soon and he found himself learning all about volcanoes and geysers from a Boise State University graduate student and researcher.
Maggie Holahan has been listening to the sounds made by the Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone National Park to learn more about it. She Joined Idaho Matters to discuss Yellowstone, volcanoes, and the possibility of an eruption.
Intern Jack Bevan helped produce this segment.
Carter Bays sits down to discuss his debut novel
Sep 15, 2022
The front cover of Carter Bays new novel, The Mutual Friend.
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 11, 2022.
The co-creator of the Emmy award-winning show "How I Met Your Mother" is back, this time with his first novel. Idaho Matters sits down with Carter Bays to talk more about his debut novel, "The Mutual Friend".
Why reading is critical to your child's future
Sep 14, 2022
(ThomasLife / Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on August 1, 2022.
Literacy in the United States is at a critical level. One statistic shows that 43 million Americans between the ages of 16 to 65 can't read well enough to fill out a job application.
So, is the concept of reading out loud to our kids enough to get them ready for school? Writer, educator and literacy advocate Maya Payne Smart doesn't believe it is and she's challenging this idea in her new book, "Reading for Our Lives".
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on July 29, 2022.
The Editor-in-Chief of CrimeReads, Dwyer Murphy, is debuting his new novel - a gripping crime fiction titled, An Honest Living. Dwyer joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his book.
How to have hard conversations with your kids
Sep 14, 2022
A bunch of children playing and running around a playground at a church party.( Flickr)
This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 23, 2022.
As we continue to see heated debates around social justice issues, education freedom and how post-pandemic life might look - what seems to be lacking is a place for kids and caregivers to find resources to be able to talk about these issues and attitudes.
Amber O'Neal Johnston, author of the book "A Place to Belong: Celebrating Diversity and Kinship in the Home and Beyond", joins Idaho Matters to talk about fostering open dialogue around discrimination, race, gender, disability and class.
Breaking down the controversy over Boise Pride
Sep 13, 2022
(Tom Magliery / Flickr)
Days before this year’s Boise Pride Festival was set to kick off, the new chair of Idaho's Republican Party, Dorothy Moon, issued a news release stating that two Pride events, Drag Kids and Drag Story Time, were encouraging the sexualization of children. And she called on sponsors to withdraw their support.
The tactic worked. After people from all over the country started contacting these organizations, many withdrew including Zion's Bank, Idaho Power, Idaho Central Credit Union and Capital Educators Credit Union. Others like Blue Cross of Idaho remained.
Idaho Matters breaks down how this narrative of grooming and sexualization of children has taken center stage in politics. We spoke with Pride organizers about what Pride Festival and drag really are and we look at these moral panics; what are they and how do they relate to what led up to last weekend’s Pride events?
Boise-based reporter Heath Druzin, the creator of the Extremely American podcast, joins Idaho Matters along with Joseph Kibbe, vice president of this year's Boise Pride Festival and Boise State University professor Jen Schneider.
Celebrating Mexico through music at the Idaho Botanical Garden
Sep 13, 2022
This weekend, the Idaho Botanical Garden will be full of music. Opera singers Cecilia Lopez and Levi Hernandez, along with pianist Nathan Salzar will be celebrating Mexican Independence Day with musical favorites, bringing the community together to commemorate an important moment of freedom.
Celebrando a México is an outdoor event and performers will be moving around the garden as the event unfolds. If you miss a performance in one spot, you can still catch them later on.
Doors for the event open at 1 p.m. and performances begin at 2 p.m. The three artists joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the event and what people can expect to hear.
Idaho Air National Guard jets train and compete at Hawgsmoke 2022
Sep 12, 2022
More than three dozen A-10's line up on the tarmac at Gowen Field in Boise.(Michael Martin)
There are 37 large fighter planes lined up in two rows at Gowen Field and they're glinting in the hot afternoon sun. Standing in the shadow of one of these jets is Colonel Ryan Richardson.
“It's a dream come true. I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world. Yeah, the airplane is a absolute dream to fly. The pilots love it.”
Col. Ryan Richardson (Michael Martin)
Richardson is the commander of the 124th Operations Group and he's wanted to fly planes since he was a kid growing up in Idaho and Montana.
“I started off in fourth grade. I knew I wanted to be a pilot. I didn't know I wanted to fly the Warthog until pilot training, when I started to meet pilots in the community. And it didn't take me too long - between the people that are in our community and the mission that we do protecting the folks on the ground - that I knew this was the aircraft I had to be in. And I've been lucky enough to be in it for a while now,” Richardson says.
The aircraft he's talking about is the A-10 C Thunderbolt II, affectionately known as a Warthog. The A-10 squadron based at the Idaho Air National Guard at Gowen Field in Boise is known as the Skullbangers.
“Skullbangers, the greatest fighter attack pilots in the universe. It's the 190th Fighter Squadron. We've got 21 jets, about 37 pilots right now,” according to Richardson.
The Skullbangers are just a part of the 124th Fighter Wing, which is made up of about 1,300 men and women.
Nose art on Warthogs at Hawgsmoke 2022.(Michael Martin)
“We're largely made up of part-time Guardsmen. They're just members in your community. So we have ranchers, we have airline pilots, we have businessmen all over, not just in the 190th, but all over the Wing. They're members of the community."
One of those members is Chief Master Sergeant James Ovanek, who lives in Nampa.
“And I joined the Idaho Guard in 2005 as a C-130 crew chief. Before I was hired full-time, I worked at Chuck E. Cheese, where I came up to be the assistant manager…”
Hold on a minute. Chuck E. Cheese?
“Working at Chuck E. Cheese is like, kind of like herding cats.”
Ovanek was active duty military for six years. When he got out, he did the part-time gig working at Chucky and at the Guard until he switched to full-time work out of Gowan Field. Now he works for the Warthog’s Engine Shop.
One of the four A-10's from the Idaho Air National Guard competing in Hawgsmoke 2022.(Michael Martin)
He works on ejection seats, hydraulics, fuel systems, and he works with about 100 other folks keeping the Idaho Air National Guard's A-10s in the air.
“We work alongside our traditional Guardsmen and our full-time force. We're brothers and sisters outside of here, you know, because we're neighbors and we work in the same industries when we're not out here. And it's an amazing sense of pride,” says Ovanek.
Each squadron competing at Hawgsmoke 2022 has its own personalized artwork.(Michael Martin)
Pride is a big part of what's about to happen out here. Gowen Field is hosting Hawgsmoke 2022, a competition where 15 different Warthog squadrons test their skills against each other. Each team has four pilots and a crew that keeps their planes up and running.
“It's a competition and it's amazing training,” Richardson says. “So the competition itself brings in A-10 units from all over the world. We've got Guard, active duty and reserve here.”
The planes take off from Gowen Field and fly about 70 miles to the southeast.
“From there they've got a very fast-paced, challenging tactical problem to solve. It involves low-level navigation to a target area, some low-level weapons employment. There'll be a gunnery and bombing competition,” says Richardson. "The best part of Hawgsmoke is the chance to get the community together in one place and the cross-talk and relationships that we develop, especially in the Guard.”
“So the opportunity to talk tactics with other squadrons, build relationships with these people that we may deploy with someday, share ideas, has been, I think, the most rewarding part," says Richardson.
Relationships are the best part of the job, says Chief Master Sergeant Ovanek.
"Interacting with everybody I work with. That's, that's probably the best, you know, and in the end, standing out here on the flight line and watching their planes take off every day. It's incredible. It never gets old. Never gets old."
The Idaho Air National Guard “Skullbangers” took home first place with the 2022 Overall Team Award. It’s their fourth Hawgsmoke win, which makes them number one in the world.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II, from the Idaho National Guard’s 124th Fighter Wing, Boise, Idaho, fly’s away from a gunnery target during the Hawgsmoke 2022 gunnery competition at the Saylor Creek Bombing Range, south of Mountain Home, Idaho, Sept. 8, 2022. The pilot had just completed a strafing run with the GAU-8 Avenger cannon. . (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Joshua C. Allmaras)(SMSgt Joshua Allmaras/SMSgt Joshua C. Allmaras / Idaho Air National Guard)
Rock icon Melissa Etheridge comes to Boise
Sep 12, 2022
She'll be performing those songs next week during a performance in Boise at the Morrison Center. Etheridge joined Idaho Matters to talk more about life and music.
Honing your craft: How joining a writers group helped three women publish their books
Sep 12, 2022
(BookMama / Flickr)
Writing can be a lonely profession - spending hours behind a computer screen with doors shut, in complete silence.
That may be the image that comes to mind when picturing the stereotypical author. But books are not always written in a vacuum, at least not for one group of local authors.
After joining the Aero Caffe Writers Group, each one published their own written works. Authors Kelly Jones, Glida Bothwell and Laura Kelly Robb sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about the Boise writing group and their novels.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 9, 2022
Sep 09, 2022
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.
Idaho StoryCorps: A love story to remember
Sep 07, 2022
David Pettyjohn, left and Geoffrey Parks, right. ( StoryCorps)
It was just a bite to eat, a way to reconnect among old school friends.
“So we have a fantastic dinner. I mean, it was great and I felt something,” says David Pettyjohn. He hadn’t seen Geoffrey Parks since they lost touch after school. They met in eighth grade and were friends through middle and high school.
And when it was time for their 20-year high school reunion, David wanted to rekindle that friendship, meeting for dinner once a week.
“It was just great. You know, we picked up the friendship, right? Kind of where we left off. We're both nerds. We love talking about maps, all of those things,” says David.
Then one night they were having dinner at the Iron Star BBQ in Oklahoma and ”this is where things took a little turn,” says David.
“You remember what I'm about to say?” he prompts Geoffrey.
“Yeah,” Geoffrey says.
“The waiter just jokingly said, Hey, you guys out on a date? And I just jokingly, like, reached over, and I was like, Oh, honey, are we? And then what did you say?” prompts David again.
“We have not yet defined the relationship,” teases Geoffrey.
“And I was like, What? In my head, I'm like, wait. Geoffrey, is he thinking, what? What? So that kind of opened up possibilities. So shortly after I said, you know what? I'm just going to make a move. There's so many questions. I'm attracted to him. He kind of seems like he's attracted to me,” says David.
So, during the next night out, “finally I just reached over and grabbed your hand and you took it back,” David remembers.
“I remember getting in the car and you leaning over, and we had our first kiss,” said David. “I remember the drive back the next day, we held hands the entire way, and it was very sweet.”
After three years of dating, David started thinking about marriage. “I wasn't planning this and I just said, hey, Geoff, have you ever considered, you know, what do you think about getting married? And you said, I'd consider it, but, I’d have to be proposed to.”
But the couple had some concerns. “some of my family was … they weren't, what's the right word? On board. Accepting of where my life was,” says Geoffrey.
“And we were making progress,” said David.
“We were making progress,” Geoffrey agrees. “My mom and dad would come over and have lunch or dinner, and that was good, you know, kind of reconnecting that relationship. But, thinking about all of the things that would need to be planned, all of the things that would be confronted at the wedding, David and I decided to put a stop on official, big ceremony plans.”
“Because we knew what we were going to do, that we were going to have a ceremony. We were looking to do it in Oklahoma somewhere and then fly to New York,” explains David.
That was the other concern. This was before the U.S. Supreme Court case in 2015 that required all states to grant same-sex marriages. So they couldn’t legally get married in Oklahoma at the time.
So they put the big ceremony on hold, as David explains, realizing that “a wedding is not important. We are. So we just said we're just going to fly to New York, get married, and then just have a lunch reception.”
It was legal for same-sex couples to get married in New York in 2002.
“So, yeah, flew to New York, had a fantastic wedding, flew back to Oklahoma,” says Geoffrey.
That’s because Oklahoma didn’t recognize their New York marriage.
“It was that weird feeling of getting in a plane and realizing that all the rights that you had were gone when we landed back in our home,” says David.
It wasn’t until 2015 when that changed, after the Supreme Court ruling that also required states to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
“And Oklahoma had to grant us those rights, like it or not. So they did. That was a good day,” says Geoffrey.
David points out they also had that big reception. “We had about 60 people.”
“And much to our delight, my parents came over for that,” says Geoffrey. “That was important for them to see the friends and family that we have that supported us and our relationship.”
Eventually, the couple came to the Gem State.
“We had never been to Idaho. We knew we loved the Rockies. We often go to Colorado, New Mexico, but had never been to Idaho. So it was great to kind of make that leap,” says Geoffrey. “It's been good to kind of have our space, our place to kind of make our life together.”
“I think that we live in a part of the city and have relationships that are very open and accepting to us and who we are,” says Geoffrey. “But we do, I think, have to exercise a bit of caution in some settings.”
“But I will say this,” says David. “I travel the state for my job. I never hide that I have a husband. And you also, when you travel, you never hide. And we have been really fortunate that we have not encountered that.”
“So, you know. Life. We'll see where it goes in future. But the journey so far has been fantastic,” says Geoffrey.
“It has been” says David, “And Geoffrey, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“And I'm so excited that we get to share our story that we've been able to share with friends over the years. So here's to many, many more years,” says David.
“Indeed. Indeed.”
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: September 7, 2022
Sep 07, 2022
The new booster shot would be an update to Pfizer's current version of the shot, which was designed for the original strain of the coronavirus.(Nam Y. Huh / AP)
Another vaccine is coming out for COVID-19 and it's got many people confused and wondering why and if they need this latest shot.
Dr. David Pate, Former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this and answer your questions.
The votes are in: Idaho Matters looks at the Boise School Board election results
Sep 07, 2022
(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio)
The Boise School District held an election Tuesday for five of the seven seats on the Board of Trustees.
omething that used to be a rather sleepy kind of election has changed dramatically, thanks to issues like COVID-19, critical race theory and banning books in school libraries.
Idaho tree nursery helps fill 'critical need'
Sep 06, 2022
Baby trees from the Franklin H. Pitkin Forest Nursery. ( Andrew Nelson)
Reforestation plays an essential role in mitigating climate change and revitalizing our ecosystems, but it can be hard to plant new trees when you don’t have enough seeds.
According to a recent study from Frontiers, nurseries across the country are short more than two billion seedlings annually. Seeds aren't the only thing in short supply, but the people that help grow them.
Director of the Franklin H Pitkin Nursery, Andrew Nelson joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the nursery and its efforts.
Adding more native stories to TV and movies
Sep 06, 2022
New indigenous stories are hitting tv screens - like the latest season of Fox's Reservation Dogs and Dark Winds on AMC.
That sort of native storytelling is rare on TV and in the movies. The 2021 Hollywood Diversity Report says less than one percent of top film roles were native in 2020.
But some organizations are investing in indigenous representation in the media. Plus, we visit a canyon in central Utah and take a look at what life might have been like a thousand years ago.
Digging deeper into Idaho's Chinese history
Sep 06, 2022
In the 19th century, when gold mining was all the rage in the west, thousands of Chinese miners settled into what became known as the Gem State.
However, much of Chinese history in Idaho has been erased over time. Now there's a growing effort to educate and celebrate that rich legacy.
'Killers of a Certain Age' author sits down with Idaho Matters
Sep 06, 2022
( Penguin Random House)
New York Times bestselling author, Deanna Raybourn is back with a new novel. It's called Killers of a Certain Age and she joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new book.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 2, 2022
Sep 02, 2022
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
Reclaim Idaho keeps close eye on special legislative session
Sep 01, 2022
(Keith Ridler / AP)
Thursday at 8:00 am lawmakers gathered in the statehouse in Boise and gaveled in a special session of the Idaho legislature.
The session was called by Gov. Brad Little, who is the only one who can call a special session, and Little said his goal is to cut taxes and boost education funding. Little pulled together a lot of bipartisan support on a bill that will use some of the state’s $2 billion surplus to give everyone a one-time tax rebate and cut income taxes by more than $150 million.
The other half of Little’s proposal would put $410 million into Idaho education. Most of that $330 million will go to K-12 education, which is the same amount of money that Reclaim Idaho's voter initiative would put into education if it passes in November.
Luke Mayville is the Co-founder of Reclaim Idaho and has been working for months to get the Quality Education Act on the ballot. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the special session.
Micron to build $15 billion plant in Boise
Sep 01, 2022
Micron says it will create 2,000 direct jobs and over 17,000 new American jobs by 2030. The company will get federal tax support, thanks to the CHIPS and Science Act and support from the Idaho legislature.
BoiseDev.com has been reporting on the possibility of such a plant since November and has been following the story ever since. Founder and Editor of BoiseDev.com, Don Day, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Hawgsmoke fighter jet competition comes to Boise
Sep 01, 2022
An A-10 Thunderbolt II “Warthog” fighter jet in action.(Picasa / IDANG)
Next week A-10 fighter jet crews will compete against each other in the desert outside Boise, think NASCAR but with fighter jets.
The competition is called Hawgsmoke and the 190th Fighter Squadron from the Idaho Air National Guard is pretty good at it. They won the competition for the third time last year and are hosting the event this year.
Lieutenant Colonel Jason Cobb with the 190th Fighter Squadron joined Idaho Matters to talk more about Hawgsmoke 2022.
Idaho Matters previews the Toronto Film Festival
Sep 01, 2022
( George Prentice)
The Toronto International Film Festival is not only a place for movie studios to wheel and deal and find new films to put into theaters in the future. It's also a great place to look for future Oscar-winning movies.
Our Morning Edition Host George Prentice heads to Toronto each year to check out what's new in the world of film and he Joined Idaho Matters for a preview of this year's festival.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 31, 2022
Aug 31, 2022
(Photo by Steven Cornfield on Unsplash)
Just hours ago, the first major upgrade to the current COVID-19 vaccine got approved by the FDA. ABC News is reporting they could be available by next week.
And just after students started going back to school COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Idaho. Concerns about Covid, Monkeypox and Polio are on the minds of many of our listeners, just as flu season approaches.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this and answer your questions is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
Boise Entrepreneur Week Returns
Aug 31, 2022
Boise Entrepreneur Week is fast approaching. If you're not familiar, it's the largest entrepreneurial event in our state and one of the largest in the west.
And the goal is simple and straightforward - to celebrate and build Idaho's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Nick Crabbs and Tiam Rastegar, co-chairs of this year's event, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Idaho StoryCorps: Finding hope in the kindness of a stranger in Boise
Aug 31, 2022
Marisela Pesina and Lisa Sanchez.(StoryCorps)
"How ... how is this happening to me?"
That’s what ran through Lisa Sanchez’s mind as she rummaged through her purse looking for change to buy enough gas to get to work. She had a good job, a house, a car … but she didn’t have enough money to get by, let alone buy some gas.
It was the Great Recession and times were tough for a lot of people.
“I’m happy to say I survived,” Lisa told her friend Marisela Pesina.
And she wasn’t afraid to talk about surviving, especially when she started her campaign for a seat on the Boise City Council in 2017.
“I talked about things that you're not supposed to talk about in polite company. I talked about having to sell my blood at the Biomat on Overland Road to purchase food and to put gas in the car. I talked about dumpster diving at a fruit stand after hours to get food. Because I was working at the State of Idaho. I was working as a civil rights investigator with the Human Rights Commission here in Idaho. And so even though I, on the surface, I looked like I had it all together, when it came down to it, no, I was struggling,” she remembered.
“I'd say one of the lowest moments for me at that period of time was I remember driving to work and I looked at the gas gauge and it was on fumes and I thought, I'm going to have to pull over and just put in what I've got in my purse,” she told Marisela.
She says as people struggled during the recession, desperate people were “gassing and dashing,” filling up their gas tank and driving away without paying, so gas stations started requiring customers to walk inside and put their cash on the counter before they could start pumping.
“So I remember going inside and I knew I didn't have any folding money in my wallet and I just dumped all this change out on the counter. And I'm like however much change that is, that's how much gas I'm putting in, because it was expensive, kind of like it's been recently.
“And I remember seeing this little hand reach over and put about three bucks on top of my pile of change. And it was a skater kid. And he looks at me and he goes, 'Gas is expensive, Miss. That's why I ride a skateboard. God bless.'
"How ... how is this happening to me?" Lisa asked herself.
“I have a college degree. I speak two languages. I work for the State of Idaho. I own a home, I have a car. But what I don't have is $5 for one gallon of gas,” she said.
But...
"Thank goodness it's happening to me in a place like Boise, Idaho, where there is a family that has raised a young person to be observant enough and conscientious enough and generous enough and gracious enough to see that somebody in their midst needs help. And then they offer that help, and they do it in such a way that leaves the person feeling uplifted and not pitied.”
Because I think about what the young man said to me, "gas is expensive, Miss. That's why I ride a skateboard."
And what he was saying to me in phrasing it that way is ... this is about the circumstance and not about you. You didn't do anything wrong. This is just the situation we're all in and here I'm going to help you.
In 2017, Lisa decided to become the first Latina to run for a seat on the Boise City Council.
“That was my first campaign speech, me sharing that with people. And that's how I believe I was able to win my first race because I was willing, I think, to tell the truth about my lived experience.”
Being that open and honest, she said, “that's something that - despite the fact that the majority of people who live in Boise, Idaho, are white - they still found something that they could relate to with me, a short, fat, Mexican American renter,” she told Maricela as they both laughed.
“And it says something about the communities that we live in, and I think the times that we're living in Maricela, that people are turning to people like us, people who have not traditionally been in these leadership roles. In the past, it's been Latino men, now it's Latinas like us.”
Lisa is the only person serving on the Boise City Council who rents her home. She told Maricela, “as the only person who is low-income serving on that council, I bring those challenges, those difficult moments, to my decision-making. I realize that there's a reason why I had to go through the challenges of the last recession ... so that I could relate to my constituents.
Boise City Council member Lisa Sanchez and her friend Marisela Pesina recorded their conversation at Storycorps, a national initiative to record and collect stories of everyday people.
Excerpts were selected and produced by Boise State Public Radio.
How to protect your catalytic converter from thieves
Aug 30, 2022
A catalytic converter(follettmotors_com / Flickr)
In the middle of the night a row of cars, including yours, sits parked along the street in a quiet residential neighborhood.
A criminal disappears underneath the first car and 30 seconds later crawls back out with a large chunk of metal. He’s just stolen your car’s catalytic converter and he moves quickly down the street sliding under cars stealing more converters, which can bring him hundreds or thousands of dollars when he resells them.
This crime is on the rise around the country and in the Treasure Valley and local law enforcement agencies are working to stop it.
Detective Dennis Peppley and Sargent Phillips with the Nampa Police Department joined Idaho Matters to tell us how we can help keep our cars safe from thefts.
How Ada County fights West Nile Virus
Aug 30, 2022
(Brian Valentine / Flickr)
Summer is a season known for outdoor activities; from picnics, camping, swimming and bike rides, to bug bites.
It's not uncommon, especially after a day out in the sun, to find a bite or two. And no surprise, the main culprit often turns out to be the mosquito. Mosquitos can be nasty pests that carry some not-so-fun diseases, like West Nile Virus.
Sit down for some of Grandpa’s Southern BBQ
Aug 30, 2022
Lloyd and Loretta Westbrook.( Anissa Winn Photography)
Tomorrow morning, pitmaster Lloyd Westbrook will fire up the smokers at Grandpa’s Southern BBQ in Idaho Falls. His wife, Loretta, will start mixing up cornbread and by 11:00 am people will start streaming in for baby back ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, gumbo, red beans, rice and peach cobbler.
Producer and Podcaster Monica Gokey spent some time at Grandpa’s for the latest episode of Gravy a podcast production of the Southern Foodways Alliance, that tells stories about the changing American South.
Picturing alien life forms using science
Aug 30, 2022
Smaller than a penny, the flower-like rock artifact on the left was imaged by NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover using its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera on the end of its robotic arm. The image was taken on Feb. 24, 2022, the 3,396th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.( NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Stop and think about all the aliens you’ve ever seen on tv and in the movies, from the Klingons on Star Trek to Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars, to the short little child-like beings in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Boise buys a mobile home park for affordable housing
Aug 29, 2022
(Joe Cawley / Flickr)
It's not a new story, an old mobile home park goes up for sale and residents face losing their homes.
We've heard this story a lot lately, as growth makes the land underneath these sites worth a lot of money. Last week the City of Boise bought the latest mobile home park in this situation, saying it is preserving affordable housing.
Senior Reporter with BoiseDev.com, Margaret Carmel has been following the sale of this Boise Bench property and joined Idaho Matters for an update.
Idaho’s affordable housing situation is ‘dire’
Aug 29, 2022
According to one group, Idaho has a shortage of over 24,000 affordable rental units. And they say housing insecurity can lead to depression, anxiety, and a greater chance of COVID-19. It's also creating a shortage of doctors and nurses.
Reporter Kelcie Moseley-Morris with the Idaho Capital Sun joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
A look at the history and future of Idaho's rivers
Aug 29, 2022
The debate over whether or not to breach the four lower Snake River dams is not a new one.
Over the last several months there has been renewed interest in the issue, from political discussion to conservation campaigns, to protests and now, an art exhibit. The Sun Valley Museum of Art is presenting a new exhibit, Dams: Reservoirs, Reclamation, Renewal, and it just opened.
The Curator of Visual Arts at the Sun Valley Museum of Art, Courtney Gilbert, and Boise-based artist, Rachel Tannalach joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the exhibit.
Learning never ends - Boise State’s Osher Institute
Aug 29, 2022
Osher Institute Gerrymandering Class with Dr. Jeffrey Lyons.( Extended Studies Marketing)
The transatlantic slave trade, Putin's Russia, Ice Age floods in the Columbia River Basin, reproductive rights and gun violence; are just some of the topics from this fall's semester of classes at Boise State's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Thanks in part to lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, Osher is expanding who and how folks can take classes like these. The Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Dana Thorp Patterson joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about the program.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 26, 2022
Aug 26, 2022
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.
Federal judge partially blocks Idaho abortion ban
Aug 25, 2022
Abortion-rights advocates and abortion-rights opponents demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, as the court hears arguments in a case from Mississippi, where a law would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, well before fetal viability.(Andrew Harnik / AP)
Idaho's latest abortion law goes into effect Thursday, with some restrictions.
James Dawson, Boise State Public Radio reporter, joined Idaho Matters to break down the very latest information.
How a new card is helping the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in Idaho
Aug 25, 2022
The new Communication Card from the Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.(Idaho Council For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing / Idaho Council For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing In Partnership With The Northwest ADA Center Of Idaho)
Close to a half a million people in Idaho are deaf or hard of hearing and face daily barriers to communication.
Council Executive Director, Steve Snow, along with his interpreter Leah McElwee, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the new card.
Read the full transcript below.
Gemma Gaudette: Close to a half a million people here in Idaho are deaf or hard of hearing, and they face daily barriers to communication. Something as simple as a traffic stop can be a safety issue for both a driver who is deaf and for a police officer if the two sides cannot quickly communicate with each other. So to help break down that barrier, that barrier, rather. The Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has created a new communication card that the driver can use to communicate quickly with law enforcement. So here today to talk about this new card is council executive director Steve Snow, who joins us today with his interpreter, Leah McboiseElwee. I want to welcome both of you to the program.
Steve Snow: Thank you for having us here today, Gemma. It's really wonderful to be back on your show.
GG: Well, Steve, it's a pleasure to have you. Can we talk first about that scenario that I mentioned in the intro, which is when someone who is deaf gets pulled over by a police officer for a traffic stop, can you help us understand how difficult that can be for someone who is deaf or hard of hearing?
SS: Yes, I would be happy to. And thank you so much for asking that question. Law enforcement officers in general, just any interaction with the deaf community, it is generally a challenge. So the clear reason for this is barriers in communication. So with the general public, when there is a traffic stop, people already feel that anxiety. They feel just that fear of, oh my goodness, something is wrong. But fortunately, they have that ability to directly communicate and have that conversation so it can reduce the chance of mistakes happening in the midst of that situation. So if a deaf driver is pulled over, they too feel that anxiety. But it's two or three times as bad because they can't predict exactly what will happen during that interaction and how they will communicate with the officer. So when that happens, if it happens at night, if it's dark, they might struggle to see the officer. There are times when police officers will shine flashlights into the window. And so then the deaf individual is unable to see the facial expressions. And so combined with that natural anxiety, the body language of the deaf person can look tense. And so potentially the law enforcement officer could interpret that anxiety as coming from some other cause, potentially drugs or just some other reason. And so just those assumptions can lead to more confusion and can cause safety issues. And this safety issue does not only happen within the state of Idaho. This is a national problem within the deaf community and happens across a variety of situations and locations. It can cause harm and lead to death if there is that misunderstanding, if there are those assumptions, if that deaf person cannot hear the law enforcement officers’ orders and follow those directions that are given.
GG: So, Steve, as you were talking, it hit me that, you know, one thing that hearing people are taught when they learn to drive about being pulled over is leave your hands on the steering wheel where a police officer can see them. You communicate with your hands. So how scary or frustrating then is that situation when you get pulled over and you're trying to somehow communicate? But at the same time, I mean, who knows what would happen if you take your hands off the steering wheel?
SS: Yes. So one of the common problems that happens just across the board with deaf and hard of hearing people is they try to use written communication, a paper and pen to communicate. And of course, during that moment, there's that moment of anxiety, there's that moment of fear as the officer is walking up to the door and they think, I need to communicate, I need to get a paper and pen out. It's a natural response. And usually that paper and pen is in the glove compartment. And so they often will go to reach for something. And all the law enforcement officer sees is they're reaching for something. And there can often be that assumption that it could be a gun, it could be something else they're reaching for. So, yes, that hand movement can cause problems. So when police officers first arrive on the scene, they don't have it in their brain that they're going to meet a deaf person. That's never their first assumption. So when they when they are walking around the car and see that reach, their natural process is is different. But when they once they recognize that the person is deaf, then there is usually a little more flexibility. But in that first moment response, if they see that hand movement. There's going to be confusion. There's going to be issues that arise from that. Afterwards, it might not be an issue, but yes, in that initial instant, it can cause problems.
GG: So, Steve, I want to talk about the communication card. I'm looking at it right now. Before we get into the details of that, though. What then should a deaf person or hard of hearing person do right away when they get pulled over in that situation with a police officer? Because once again, even if you have this card, it might be next to you. Right. So you're going to have to pick it up and hand it to the police officer. And that in just in that brief moment may also cause more anxiety on both sides.
SS: Yes, and that is a good question. Generally, we always try to tell the deaf community in that moment when you are first pulled over, put the card in the visor of your car and you can pull it down quickly since it's above you and then place your hands on the steering wheel or let your hands rest on the steering wheel. And then as the officer approaches, you can use just a gesture to point to the ear, which is generally understood as being deaf, and then point to what you're going to do, point to where you keep that card and wait for the officer to respond to that. And if the officer nods, then you can slowly reach and grab that card and give it to the officer. But in that moment, it is important to have your hands on the steering wheel and wait until the officer approaches. So you want to either have it accessible before the officer is by your window or leave your hands on the steering wheel until you have permission to access that card.
GG: So, Steve, I have to say this communication card is genius. My oldest brother was deaf, deaf from birth. And so many times ran into issues and not, as you mentioned, not just with police officers. It is every interaction you have with a hearing person, frankly, who doesn't know sign language. So we are going to put this communication card up on our website so people can see it. But first, tell us how you came up with this communication card.
SS: This is not our first rendition of this. We have had a different kind of communication card in the past, but it was more limited. There were not icons on the card. Everything was written in written English. And so we put that out for community feedback and realize that that was not as effective. So we made a lot of edits to it and added icons and then asked one police department to for their feedback to for their advice in the process. And then we decided to make those final edits and send it out. Several other states have also produced a similar type of communication card. So we have also looked at what they have developed and kind of picked and chosen what we think will be most effective here in Idaho.
GG: So, Steve, let's go through the card itself, because as you mentioned, it has pictures. So it has icons pictures and it has some text. Can you describe a little bit and what I really appreciate about this is that it has information for the deaf or hard of hearing person to be able to point to. But also it has information to help the police officer as well, or even if someone's in a situation where they need emergency assistance.
SS: So with this card, there are two different sides, the front and the back. So the biggest font is at the top and it clearly shows I am deaf or hard of hearing. So that is in a large font at the top. So that is clearly visible to anyone who's there so they can first see the reason why this is being used. So I am deaf or hard of hearing provides that clarification and then it has simple a simple explanation under that of how to use the communication card and tips for working with the law enforcement officer. So it says, please use eye contact before speaking. So if you're looking in a different direction, it will be harder for the deaf individual to understand, use an interpreter or a variety of other options that will help the law enforcement officer to see what avenues are available. And then at the bottom, it shows different icons for how to best communicate with that person. So there is an icon that represents interpretive services. Some people prefer to communicate through text or written notes. Some individuals do utilize lip reading. And so I do want to make one aside with lip reading, there is a common misconception that all deaf people can lip read and that is simply not true. There are very few deaf individuals who rely on lip reading, so approximately 30% of English words are clear through lip reading, so a very small percentage. So even individuals who are relying on lip reading are having to, based on context, fill in that additional 70%. So you would have to be careful with lip reading.
There is another icon that indicates that an individual utilizes hearing aids or other assistive devices and will be able to communicate that way. And then on the back of the card is where the police officer can point to different icons to indicate why they pulled over the individual so generally and then other requests that the officer can make. So, for example, your license, your registration, your insurance, and then below that is where it shows why the police officer would pull you over. So whether that's speeding, failing to stop at a stop sign, not having your seatbelt buckled, not following traffic stop lights or various other violations so they can point to those most common there to show what has happened and so the driver can understand what was going on. And then at the very bottom, the deaf person can point to what kind of assistance they need if it is an emergency stop. So if they're needing to ask where's the hospital or if they need a tow truck or need to know where they can get gas. So there's different icons that the deaf driver can also use to help reduce that communication issues that arise. And then at the very bottom, it does say emergency contact information. And so we do encourage the deaf community to write the name of another person, really anyone there that they can contact if something arises, they aren't able to communicate very well. There is that phone number there that the police officer can call for that contact information.
GG: And Steve, I would think that this card might come in handy for other things besides a traffic stop, as you mentioned, with having these icons where if there's an emergency like, you know, there's an icon for a hospital, if your car has broken down, I would assume that a driver who is deaf or hard of hearing could use this to communicate, maybe even with a good Samaritan who pulls over and wants to help.
SS: Yes, exactly. There are many different icons that could be added, but we were did have to limit our selection. We couldn't put everything onto the card. We wanted the icons to be large enough. So we did have to prioritize what we felt would happen the most or what's the most common issues to provide the visual accessibility on the card.
GG: So Steve, before we wrap up, how does someone get this card?
SS: You can contact our office and email us at info at CDF dot Idaho dot gov and you can ask for copies. We will pass out multiple copies and we will be happy to mail those to anyone within the state at no charge. And then we have not done this yet, but we plan to disburse some of the cards and put them at various police stations across the state. And our hope is that we will be able to do trainings with those police officers and give them copies of those cards. So. They are exposed to it and they can potentially keep them in their cars or at the station for community members to pick up as needed. We haven't yet dispersed those to the stations, but we hope to do that in the near future.
GG: And what a good idea, because I would hope that police officers would want to maybe carry one of these cards in their vehicles as well. So, Steve, I want to thank you so much for your time today. Really appreciate this conversation. We've been talking with Steve Snow, the head of the Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and his interpreter, Leah McElwee, when discussing a new communication card to help deaf drivers and hard of hearing drivers as well as law enforcement communicate during a traffic stop or an emergency situation, we will put a link with more information and a picture of that new card on our website, Boise State Public Radio. Org. Steve, thanks for your time today.
SS: Thank you so much for having us here today.
Rattlesnakes: The sharks of the West
Aug 25, 2022
( Photo courtesy of Dave Jensen, Owner of Wasatch Snake Removal, LLC)
People have always feared the unknown and that fear transforms some animals into monsters in our minds, like sharks in the ocean, or rattlesnakes in the West.
The Mountain West News Bureau's Madelyn Beck hiked up to the Boise foothills to learn more about these villainized snakes.
Take a trip to the Yuma County Fair!
Aug 25, 2022
It's county fair season around our region, with the Western Idaho Fair going on right now in Garden City.
From Kootenai County in Idaho to Los Alamos in New Mexico, people come together at this time of year to celebrate farm life.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 24, 2022
Aug 24, 2022
Testing capacity for monkeypox is being rapidly expanded.(Pablo Blazquez Dominguez / Getty Images)
Where are we with COVID-19 and what will the future of vaccinations look like?
Dr. David Pate, Former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force, joined Idaho Matters to answer these questions and give us an update on the number of Monkeypox cases in Idaho.
Idaho StoryCorps: How one man gave up drinking for the sake of his kids
Aug 24, 2022
Hannah George Sharp and her father Thomas George( StoryCorps)
Thomas George got drunk for the first time to celebrate his graduation from eighth grade. He was just thirteen.
Drinking alcohol quickly became a habit. He and his high school friends went out every weekend and drank.
He told his daughter, Hannah, that his drinking continued through college and affected all parts of his life, including a series of jobs he held and lost. He was still drinking when he met his wife, Hannah’s mother.
“After you and Mom got married, a few years after … is when you got sober. But when did you realize that you needed to get sober and how did you start that process?” asked Hannah.
By then, Thomas said, he would start drinking beer at 8:30 in the morning, as soon as his wife left for work.
“I'd only have one an hour, so I never really got drunk. But I maintained that level I needed to not … be in the shakes or anything. And it went on like that for years, and I didn't think your mom knew anything about it.”
But his wife did know and Thomas only found out later that she was considering taking their two kids, Hannah and James, and leaving her husband.
It was 1994 when Thomas made the decision quit drinking and get help. On November 28, after he called Alcoholics Anonymous, his wife asked Thomas if he had any beer left in the house.
“And I had it hidden under the seat of the minivan. I had it hidden in a toolbox in the garage. I had it hidden in a golf bag in the garage. And I went and started dumping them all down the drain. And as I was pouring the last one down the drain, I just diverted it and put it in my mouth and poured it all down my throat, it was running down my neck. And your mom had this horrified look on her face and she said, what are you doing? And I said, If I'm never going to drink again, I'm going to remember my last beer. And that was the last time I ever had a beer.”
“And how long have you been sober?” asked Hannah.
“Since November 29th, 1994, which is a bit over 27 and a half years. I'll be 28 years in November.”
“My family. My kids, my wife, my marriage,” said Thomas. “I wouldn't have any of that. I wouldn't have any of that if I wasn't able to maintain sobriety. Your mom, as you know, was no nonsense. And no doubt that if I were to start drinking again, she would tell me to leave. She doesn't need any of that nonsense in her life. I would lose my kids. You know, the thought of losing my kids really bothered me.”
Hannah says she wanted to get her father to talk about his path to sobriety for himself and because it might help other people.
“I just want to say thank you for sharing. I know some of that was so hard to talk about. I think it's really, really important to talk about. I think sobriety is a good story for other people to hear. To hear what a sober life could be like if they don't have one.”
Hannah’s voice starts to break.
“The thing, especially now as a parent, that I admire most about you, is that you were willing to do anything to keep your kids. I think there's probably a lot of people in the same situation. So that's why I wanted to talk about it. So, thank you.”
“Thank you, Hannah, for asking me. I'm glad I got to be able to share that with you.”
Thomas paused for a minute.
“You were actually the immediate trigger for my realizing I needed to go to AA,” he told his daughter. “It was one morning I woke up, really hung over. You were probably two, a little over two. James was an infant and your mom left for work. And I was sitting on a couch in the family room, just sick. And you wanted to play, and I asked you to go play by yourself for a little while. I didn't feel good. And you walked away. And the next thing I know, you had gone in the refrigerator and you had gotten a can of beer out, and you walked over and handed it to me.”
With a shaky voice, Thomas continued, “And I was terrified for two reasons. My immediate fear was, oh my God, what if she does this in front of her mother? Her mother is going to wonder why."
“That really set the stage. And it was only days later that I had my final drunk and got sober, started walking that path. So, thank you.”
Thomas says there were other benefits to getting sober. “I got to work on myself. I got to … be a better person and care about other people that I didn't care about when I was drinking, you know? It was always about the party, the good time, even at the end when there were no more good times and I wasn't going out drinking, I wasn't having fun. It was just drinking to not be sick.” Once he quit drinking, we went on to quit smoking and get healthier. “And now I'm going to get to be an old man and a grandfather,” he says with a smile in his voice.
Thomas George and his daughter Hannah George Sharp recorded their conversation at StoryCorps, a national initiative to record and collect stories of everyday people. Excerpts were selected and produced by Boise State Public Radio.
Copyright 2022 Boise State Public Radio
More than just the numbers - how Idaho growth is changing the state
Aug 23, 2022
Idaho Matters takes a look at population growth in the Gem State and how those numbers have changed over the last 10 years.
More Idaho kids are anxious and depressed than ever before
Aug 23, 2022
(Wonderlane / Flickr)
Since the pandemic the number of people struggling with anxiety and depression has increased dramatically across America, resulting in what the white house is calling a mental health crisis.
It's not just adults struggling with mental health issues though, it's kids too.
Here in Idaho the number of children experiencing depression and anxiety has climbed ten percent since 2016. That number comes from the new Kids Count report released just this month.
Christine Tiddens, the Director of Idaho Voices for Children, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the health needs of children in Idaho.
Is your neighbor worried about climate change? The answer might surprise you
Aug 23, 2022
A new study says that kind of misperception can have a real impact when it comes to making climate policy. Dr. Gregg Sparkman is an assistant professor at Boston College and one of the authors of the research and sat down to speak with our Morning Edition host George Prentice about the study.
Breaking down barriers through better transportation
Aug 23, 2022
Unlike a conventional bike lane, protected bike lanes physically separate cyclists from cars.(Parth Shah / NPR)
The grant will assist with 12 projects that are geared towards improving safety and access to transportation in Boise and Garden City.
Tom Ferch, Transportation Funding Coordinator and Tom Laws, Program Manager with ACHD joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the future of these projects.
Federal judge hears case against Idaho's abortion law
Aug 22, 2022
In the case of the United States of America v. The State of Idaho, the Department of Justice is challenging Idaho’s 2020 abortion trigger law, which is set to take effect on Thursday.
Monday's hearing was about whether Judge Winmill will block the law from going into effect this week, while the case itself moves through the legal system.
Boise State Public Radio reporter James Dawson covered Monday’s hearing and joined Idaho Matters for an update.
Demand for abortion services rise in Colorado following abortion bans
Aug 22, 2022
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade many states, including Idaho, have put severe limits on who can get an abortion.
However, in Colorado abortion providers are seeing a sharp rise in demand from out-of-state patients, including some in desperate situations.
KUNC’s Robyn Vincent reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
It's not one-size-fits-all: What women should know about menopause
Aug 22, 2022
( H. C. / Flickr)
Women approaching menopause don't always know just how much the transition will affect their lives.
The ups and downs, brought on by the amount of estrogen in the body, can cause depression, anxiety, weight gain, hot flashes, sleep issues ... and that's just a few of the side effects.
Idaho State University has a 12-week program designed to help women going through these changes. It's called Menopause Matters and the next class starts soon.
Andrea Jeffrey, the coordinator at the ISU-Meridian Nutrition Clinic joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this innovative program.
Watch Earth's latest Moon mission take off from Twin Falls
Aug 22, 2022
A full Moon is in view from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 14, 2022. The Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft, atop the mobile launcher, are being prepared for a wet dress rehearsal to practice timelines and procedures for launch. The first in an increasingly complex series of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and using the Moon as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.(Cory Huston / NASA)
One week from today NASA will launch the Orion spacecraft into space to orbit the moon.
The Artemis-1 mission is the first step to putting American astronauts back onto the surface of the moon. And you can watch that launch live in a kind of virtual visual surround sound, in a first-of-its-kind experience at the Faulkner Planetarium in Twin Falls.
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.
Exploring the Central Idaho Sawtooth Mountains
Aug 18, 2022
( Rachel Cohen)
Travel with us to the Salmon River north of Ketchum. Ducks are swimming, beavers are building dams and a pair of sandhill cranes observe a waterfall in the early morning light.
The Sawtooth National Recreation Area is home to more than 700,000 acres of mountain peaks, 700 miles of trails and more than 300 alpine lakes … all in central Idaho. This month marks 50 years since the SNRA was formed by the U.S. Congress.
Rachel Cohen went to the Sawtooths to look at the past, present and future of this natural area. She joined Idaho Matters to talk about her experience in this wild and beautiful landscape. She asked many questions in her multi-part series, including:
The August movie blues - What to Watch on Idaho Matters
Aug 18, 2022
(iStockphoto)
August is not the best month to see a good film as movie studios often dump films they expect to underperform in late summer.
So our resident movie critic, George Prentice, put together a list of some of his best tv and streaming shows, for all of you who want to turn up the air conditioning and settle down for an end-of-summer couch cuddle!
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 17, 2022
Aug 17, 2022
(Tim Lauer / Flickr Creative Commons)
As of last week, over one million people in the United States have died from COVID-19 and 500 people each day are dying from the virus.
The Wall Street Journal reports that according to the CDC, schools and workplaces don’t have to screen healthy people and students, the six-foot distancing rule has been dropped and unvaccinated people don’t have to quarantine after exposure to COVID.
This comes as kids are heading back to school in Idaho.
So is the COVID-19 pandemic over? Has the virus or the science changed? Dr. David Pate, Former CEO of St Luke's Health System and a current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force joined Idaho Matters to break this down.
The latest on Idaho's teacher shortage
Aug 17, 2022
(Terry McCombs / Flickr Creative Commons)
Last spring, Idaho Matters told you about a teacher shortage in Idaho, one that had educators worried about the upcoming fall semester when kids of all ages would head back to school.
The school year for the Boise School District has started and we wanted to check back in with Idaho Education News, which first reported on this story.
Kevin Richert, Senior Reporter and Blogger at Idaho Education News joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Farmers should watch out for the wheat stem sawfly
Aug 17, 2022
Our region has some of the nation’s largest producers of winter wheat – states like Colorado, Idaho and Montana. Persistent drought threatens millions of acres of the crop, and a small, native bug has become a huge problem.
KUNC’s Rae Solomon reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Affordable housing out of reach in Idaho
Aug 16, 2022
(Ashley Brown / Flickr)
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the cost of rent in Boise has gone up almost 40 percent, according to an analysis from BoiseDev.com.
Andrew Aurand, the Vice President of Research with the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which released the new report and Executive Director of Jesse Tree, Ali Rabe.
Get planting with Boise Urban Garden School
Aug 16, 2022
(Mark Levisay / Flickr)
The Boise Urban Garden School, or BUGS for short, is on a mission to teach both youth and adults the fundamentals of gardening through science and environmentally friendly lesson plans.
Executive Director of BUGS, Alex Brooks, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about the unique program.
No more soccer games: climate change and your health
Aug 16, 2022
(Vince Patton / OPB)
Has your child ever had their soccer game canceled because it was too smoky outside to play?
Well, that's exactly what happened to Dr. Ethan Sims' family. Dr. Sims, an ER doctor at St. Luke’s and the head of Idaho Clinicians for Climate and Health, is partnering with the Health System to host a new lecture series looking at climate and health. The second installment, Wildfire Smoke and Human Health is set for Wednesday.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Dr. Sims and Stephanie Wicks, the Manager for Sustainability and Environment Compliance for St Luke's Health System to talk more about the upcoming event.
Counting Chinook salmon from the sky
Aug 16, 2022
(Jeff Smith / Flickr Creative Commons)
On a cold morning, a fish biologist puts on a helmet, steps into a helicopter and starts flying along the middle fork of the Salmon River. She looks out the window and starts counting the spots where Chinook salmon are spawning.
That biologist is Carli Baum and she works for Idaho Fish and Game. She wrote the story of how she counts fish nests from the air in a recent article that helps people better understand how the folks at the department do their job every day.
Carli joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Idaho Supreme Court won’t stop abortion laws while lawsuits continue
Aug 15, 2022
(AP)
Late Friday afternoon, the Idaho Supreme Court said it would not stop Idaho’s abortion trigger law from going into effect on August 25.
Is Idaho’s history of hate repeating itself?
Aug 15, 2022
From right to left, Vincent James Foxx, David Reilly and Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin pose together in a screenshot from one of Foxx's video's on his web site Daily Veracity. Foxx, a white nationalist, claims to have ties to McGeachin.( Daily Veracity )
Druzin joined Idaho Matters to talk about some of those events, including arrests in north Idaho and swastikas at Boise’s Anne Frank memorial, and what the intersection of hate and politics could mean for the Gem State.
Classes in the Boise School District are back in session this week
Aug 15, 2022
(Jay Peeples / Flickr)
Well, it's that time of year! Kids are headed back to school and for students in the Boise School District, that starts this week.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Monica Nydegger, the Principal of Hawthorne Elementary and Robb Thompson, the Boise High Principal to talk a little about the new school year.
What you need to know about Idaho's dandelions
Aug 15, 2022
Nature writer Richard Mabey says dandelions — along with many other weeds — were inadvertently brought to America by European farmers.(Michael Urban / Getty Images)
Last week, Idaho Matters took a look at a program that's helping to reduce pesticides in Boise city parks. We talked a little about dandelions and how they're not as evil as people might think, especially since they're native to the area ... or so we thought.
Not so long after the interview Idaho's Plant Doctor, Sierra Laverty put together a video that shared some very important facts about the plant.
She, along with Daniel Murphy, the founder of Awkward Botany joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 12, 2022
Aug 12, 2022
Idaho Statehouse(Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio)
'The Fisherman and The Dragon' author sits down with Idaho Matters
Aug 12, 2022
(Kevin Lawver / Flickr)
Author Kirk Wallace is out with a new book and the story sounds like the plot to a great whodunit movie, but here's the twist: it's true! He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about The Fisherman and The Dragon.
A look at YIMBY and Boise rezoning
Aug 11, 2022
(Joshua Lindgren - BSPR)
The city of Boise is rewriting its zoning code at a time when its population has exploded, due in part to millennials, many of whom don’t want a car or a single family home. That’s according to Max Holleran, author of Yes to the City: Millennials and the Fight for Affordable Housing.
Holleran sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about some friction to YIMBYism or ‘yes in my backyard’ and how more cities like Boise are rethinking density. And we talk with Tim Keane, Boise's new Director of Planning and Development Services about the role YIMBY is playing in Boise's re-write of zoning codes.
More Idaho men consider vasectomy after Roe v. Wade reversal
Aug 11, 2022
(netzanette)
We’ve talked a lot about abortion laws, lawsuits and other legal actions.
For clinics like the Idaho Urologic Institute however, the response has been a little different.
Their doctors have seen a sharp increase in the number of men requesting information on vasectomies. They’ve seen a 60 percent increase in the number of men calling to consider scheduling an appointment.
Dr. Nicholas Kuntz, a board certified urologist at the institute, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the phenomenon.
Boise Goathead Fest returns
Aug 11, 2022
It’s that time of year again, time for the annual Boise Goat Head Fest! If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a pedal-powered wonderfully-weird celebration taking place in downtown Boise on August 27th.
Executive Director of the Boise Bicycle Project, Jimmy Halliburton, and Foothills Restoration Specialist with Boise Parks and Recreation, Martha Brabec, join Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event.
That's right, the state known for its famous potatoes doesn’t have any spuds to spare. Normally Idaho produces almost one third of all U.S. potatoes, but this summer it's hard to find the familiar spud in your local grocery store.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice found that out the hard way when he went shopping for dinner.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 10, 2022
Aug 10, 2022
This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virus particles, left, and spherical immature particles, right.(Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner / CDC via AP)
Has like the United States has hit a COVID- 19 plateau?
Health experts say the current status of the coronavirus is a dramatic improvement compared to last winter, when there were four times as many hospitalizations and nearly six times as many deaths at the peak of the first Omicron wave.
Meanwhile, monkeypox continues to spread across the globe. Last week U.S. Health and Human Services declared Mmonkeypox a public health emergency in America.
As of yesterday 9,492 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with monkeypox, including eight in Idaho, and 600,000 doses of the vaccine have gone out to states. However, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says as many as 1.7 million people may be at high risk for contracting monkeypox. So, as NPR reports, federal officials are stretching the supply of the vaccine as much as possible.
Joining Idaho Matters to answer your questions about COVID-19 and monkeypox is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
Taking pesticides out of Boise parks
Aug 09, 2022
Here's a look at Ann Morrison Park under the pilot program. ( Boise Park and Recreation)
If you live in Boise, you may have seen more dandelions and clover in your neighborhood park over the last three years.
That’s actually by design. Boise Parks and Recreation is wrapping up a pilot program to reduce pesticide use in the city’s parks.
The city says less pesticide means more protection for our groundwater. It’s better for pollinators and increases plant biodiversity, while protecting human health.
Daniel Roop, the Sustainability Specialist with the Boise Parks and Recreation Department, joins Idaho Matters to talk about the program and about how dandelions are not the devil incarnate.
After hearing the segment one Boise State Public Radio listener had some feedback.
How does Idaho investigate claims of discrimination?
Aug 09, 2022
(Thomas Hawk / Flickr)
How does Idaho investigate claims of discrimination?
Answering that question led Idaho Business Review reporter Caite Clark to profile the Idaho Human Rights Commission, which has been around since 1969 when the Idaho Legislature created the independent state agency.
She joins Idaho Matters for a deep dive into the IHRC.
A new program is incorporating indigenous culture into STEM curriculum
Aug 09, 2022
(BES Photo / Flickr Creative Commons)
A new program focused on STEM curriculum for grades k-12 is partnering with four Native American tribes to incorporate indigenous knowledge and practices into classroom learning.
The project is led by a team at the University of Idaho and based on an important premise: that our relationship with our environment and ecosystem is integral to how we understand the world around us.
By acknowledging the absence of indigenous principles in current education courses, the program hopes to bridge gaps and provide support for Native American youth who might be interested in working in an interdisciplinary field.
Project leader and U of I Associate Professor in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, Dr Vanessa Anthony-Stevens and Shoshone-Bannock Fisheries Research biologist Dr. Sammy Matsaw joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the program.
A love story for fans of true crime
Aug 09, 2022
Love in the Time of Serial Killers book cover. ( Berkley)
Author Alicia Thompson has a new book out, and it’s a little different: a rom-com for those obsessed with true crime. It's not your typical love story, but it works, really!
PhD student Phoebe Walsh is writing her dissertation on true crime when she meets her new neighborhood serial killer .... or is he just a weird nice guy who might just win over her heart?
So what all is in Idaho's Quality Education Act?
Aug 08, 2022
Reclaim Idaho supporters gather at the Idaho State Capitol. Signatures in support of the Quality Education Act fill the backpacks; they were later delivered to the Secretary of State.(Andrew Severance / Boise State Public Radio News )
The Quality Education Act will be on the Nov. 8 ballot and it will likely appear as Proposition 1.
Organizers from the nonprofit group, Reclaim Idaho, successfully qualified the initiative to appear before voters in November.
Now, there’s questions over whether or not the education funding ballot initiative could have unintended consequences, that being reversing the Idaho Legislature’s 2022 tax cuts. According to state officials, this could increase taxes for low income families.
Reclaim Idaho Founder Luke Mayville joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the issue.
A new hope for declining salmon populations
Aug 08, 2022
Ice Harbor Dam( Rocky Barker)
“Nothing has ever worked.” That quote comes from writer Rocky Barker, who says all the attempts to reverse the decline of Snake River salmon in Idaho, Oregon and Washington have failed.
That includes everything from fish ladders to putting salmon in trucks and driving them past the dams that keep them from reaching their spawning grounds.
Now though, Barker says there are hopeful signs that the fish might begin to recover. For 35 years he’s reported on salmon, and even though he’s retired from the Idaho Statesman, he’s still writing about the fish. Rocky Barker joined Idaho Matters to talk about his newest article Will Salmon Finally Win This Year?, which is out now.
Drought and overuse drain Colorado River's Lake Powell
Aug 08, 2022
Dead cottonwoods, long buried under the still waters of Lake Powell, have reemerged as "ghost forests."(Alex Hager / KUNC)
Lake Powell is the nation’s second-largest reservoir but climate change and overuse have dropped the water level to a record low, leaving the water supply uncertain for tens of millions in the southwest.
KUNC’s Luke Runyon took a boat trip to report on the changing landscape for the Mountain West News Bureau as part of his ongoing coverage of the Colorado river, produced by KUNC and supported by the Walton Family Foundation.
If you're local to the area you’ve probably heard the phrase “Boise nice” before.
Well, it's more than just a saying. There’s a nonprofit dedicated to spreading this idea throughout the city. Rourke O'brien, co-founder of the Boise Nice Project, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the friendliness of the city and how the Boise Nice Project is helping to enhance it.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 5, 2022
Aug 05, 2022
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.
Our journalist panel today:
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
An end of summer lineup: What to Watch with George Prentice
Aug 05, 2022
With temperatures on the rise, once again many folks are likely staying inside and wondering what to watch this weekend. Our Morning Edition host and resident movie critic, George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to give us a few recommendations.
Idaho Supreme Court hears arguments from Planned Parenthood on abortion lawsuits
Aug 04, 2022
(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
Wednesday, Idaho Supreme Court Justice Robyn Brody called two of Idaho's abortion laws "a bit of a maze," which is turning out to be a bit of an understatement.
Brody and the other justices were listening to oral arguments in two lawsuits by Planned Parenthood challenging the state's abortion laws. These arguments included Idaho's trigger law, which will ban most abortions in Idaho when it kicks in later this month.
Boise State Public Radio Reporter James Dawson was watching those arguments and joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about what happened.
Idaho law professor breaks down federal lawsuit against Idaho's abortion law
Aug 04, 2022
Thousands of abortion-rights activists gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court after it overturned the landmark <em>Roe v Wade</em> case and erased a federal right to an abortion.(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
Earlier this week, Idaho Matters reported that Idaho was being sued by the Justice Department over its abortion law. This is the first major legal action the federal government has taken against a state over abortion laws following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in June that overturned Roe v. Wade.
In the lawsuit, Attorney General Merrick Garland says Idaho's 2020 abortion law would violate a federal law that applies to hospitals that receive Medicare funding.
Shaakirrah Sanders, a professor at the University of Idaho and visiting professor at Penn State Dickenson Law, and Boise State Public Radio Reporter James Dawson joined Idaho Matters to break down the federal lawsuit against Idaho's abortion law.
Idaho lawmakers react to Biden administrations lawsuit against Idaho
Aug 04, 2022
(Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)
Idaho political leaders reacted strongly when they heard about the Biden Administration lawsuit against Idaho's abortion ban. Responses varied between Raúl Labrador, Lawrence Wasden, Terri Pickens Manweiler and Scott Bedke.
Democratic Sen.Melissa Wintrow and House Minority Leader Rep. Ilana Rubel joined Idaho Matters to share their reactions as well.
Conservation deal a key to Indigenous survival in New Mexico
Aug 04, 2022
The Sacramento Mountains are seen as an "island in the sky," a refuge of forest land in the otherwise harsh southern New Mexico desert.(Kirk Siegler / NPR)
Officials in New Mexico recently celebrated the purchase of 50,000 acres to create its largest state-owned recreation area. The deal carries special meaning for tribes in the area and it's one of the biggest public land acquisitions in the U.S. this year.
Emma Gibson of the Mountain West News Bureau has more.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: August 3, 2022
Aug 03, 2022
(Seth Perlman / AP)
The Centers for Disease Control website shows Ada, Canyon, Twin Falls and Boise counties are in the red zone for COVID-19 transmission.
The community level is high and the CDC is recommending people wear a mask while indoors in public. Though anyone who has been anywhere in public lately in Idaho knows there aren't very many masks being worn.
This comes amid new reports of cases of "long COVID" in Idaho and as we get ready to get the kids back to school as summer comes to an end.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this and other COVID concerns is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable looks at Monkeypox
Aug 03, 2022
( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP))
Former CEO of St Luke's Health System and current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force joined Idaho Matters to help us break this down.
Feed Me Seymour! Little Shop of Horrors comes to Idaho Shakespeare Festival
Aug 03, 2022
Feed Me Seymour! (Not an actual Twoey plant, this is a fringed yellow tulip).(John / Flickr)
It's a love story ... it's a horror story ... it's a gardening story? It's the Little Shop of Horrors and it opens at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival on Friday.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice gave Idaho Matters a sneak peek of the musical, where he sat down with the two co-stars before the play opens.
Three Idaho abortion laws, four court challenges. Idaho Matters breaks it down
Aug 02, 2022
(Tamanoeconomico / Wikimedia Commons)
The U.S. Supreme Court effectively overturned Roe v. Wade back in late June with a decision that allows states, including Idaho, to put their own laws in place regarding abortion.
Once that decision became official, Idaho's trigger law which will ban most abortions in the state, began counting down to August 25 when it will take effect. However, that law and two more abortion laws are being challenged in court by Planned Parenthood. Two of those challenges will be heard Wednesday by the Idaho Supreme Court.
And on Tuesday, the Department of Justice said it is Idaho over the abortion ban, saying the soon-to-be enacted ban violates a federal law requiring hospitals receiving Medicare funds to perform emergency medical care.
Boise State Public Radio Reporter James Dawson has been following these court cases and Joined Idaho Matters to break it all down.
Judge puts hold on abortion ban in Wyoming
Aug 02, 2022
A new law banning abortions in Wyoming was put on hold by a state judge last week. That means services continue at the state's one clinic that provides them.
How long that will last, though, is uncertain, as the judge only blocked the law temporarily until she can hear a lawsuit by abortion rights advocates. The Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walkey reports.
StoryCorps returns to Boise
Aug 02, 2022
( Boise State University)
StoryCorps is back in Boise and the giant silver recording trailer arrived in our parking lot Tuesday afternoon and set up right outside the Boise State Public Radio Studios.
StoryCorps has been recording the memories of people around the country for years and you can sign up to record yours during the mobile tour in Boise through September 2.
25 years of protecting the beauty of central Idaho
Aug 02, 2022
( The Sawtooth Society)
25 years ago a group of people who loved to live and play in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area got together to support the huge wilderness in central Idaho.
Since 1997 the Sawtooth Society has been helping to build, restore and maintain trails in order to preserve open space and Idaho forest land. The society has also helped clear close to 5,000 trees from more than 600 miles of trails in the SNRA.
Patrick Pettiette is on the Executive Committee of the Sawtooth Society Board and joined Idaho Matters to talk about the groups 25th anniversary.
The fragile nature of Ada County's air quality
Aug 01, 2022
Will Ada County keep testing the emissions from your car?
The answer to that question will determine the future of the Ada County Air Quality Board, at a time when climate change, electric cars and the Treasure Valley airshed are top of mind for many, including the city of Boise.
Our Morning Edition Host George Prentice sat down with Boise City Councilman Patrick Bageant, an Ada County Air Quality Board member and Boise's Climate Action Manager, Steve Hubble, to talk about the future of the air we breathe.
Why reading is critical to your child's future
Aug 01, 2022
(ThomasLife / Flickr)
Literacy in the United States is at a critical level. One statistic shows that 43 million Americans between the ages of 16 to 65 can't read well enough to fill out a job application.
So, is the concept of reading out loud to our kids enough to get them ready for school? Writer, educator and literacy advocate Maya Payne Smart doesn't believe it is and she's challenging this idea in her new book, Reading for Our Lives.
Saving sagebrush and its ecosystems
Aug 01, 2022
(Randall Russell / Flickr)
Across the West, sagebrush is a keystone species, a habitat that is essential for wildlife, ranching and other native plants.
It's in danger though. Over the years sagebrush populations have shrunk dramatically, in large part due to climate change. Researchers at Boise State University are working to change this. Becoming the first to sequence the genome of the sagebrush, considering its size and complexity, is no easy feat.
Boise State University Assistant Professor Sven Buerki joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this milestone and what it will mean for local ecosystems.
How to stay safe in Idaho's heat
Aug 01, 2022
(photonut-mi / Flickr)
This weekend the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory as temperatures neared 107 and though it looks like we'll get a break from the triple digits for the rest of the week, it's still going to be hot.
This means people will need to take extra care while out in the sun, especially when working outdoors. High temperatures can put you at risk of certain illnesses and injuries, which can be fatal, so it's important to know how to take care of yourself.
David Kearns, the Area Director of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Idaho, joined Idaho Matters to give us some tips on what to watch out for and how to stay safe in the hot weather.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 29, 2022
Jul 29, 2022
Gas prices are displayed at a station in Burbank, Calif., on April 27. Gas prices have surged along with other consumer goods, hurting pocketbooks across the country.(Mario Tama / Getty Images)
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.
The Editor-in-Chief of CrimeReads, Dwyer Murphy, is debuting his new novel - a gripping crime fiction titled, An Honest Living. Dwyer joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his book.
Aaron von Ehlinger pardoned of previous convictions by State of Idaho
Jul 28, 2022
Former Idaho State Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger testifies on his own behalf during day three of his rape trial at the Ada County Courthouse, Thursday, April 28, 2022. (Brian Myrick / Idaho Press)
Former State Legislator Aaron Von Ehlinger will not be sentenced this week as originally scheduled.
Monday a judge granted his request to delay sentencing until a motion to either re-try or to acquit him of the charges plays out. Prosecutors called the request to push sentencing, 'delaying for delay's sake.'
Von Ehlinger's rape conviction is not the first time the former Idaho House Member broke the law. Between 1996 and 2013, he was charged with 15 offenses on eight occasions and pleaded guilty five times. Von Ehlinger was pardoned by the state of Idaho for those previous convictions, just 56 days before he would be accused and eventually convicted of the rape of a legislative intern.
Morning Edition Host George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to talk about the pardon.
BIPOC Playwrights Festival returns for a second year
Jul 28, 2022
The BIPOC Playwrights Festival is August 1st-6th in Boise.( Boise Contemporary Theater)
Over the course of six days, playwrights, directors and actors will workshop and perform two new plays, Being Black Outside and Fear and Wonder, ending with a special performance of Hold These Truths on the final night.
Playwrights Vinecia Coleman and Jason Tseng, along with Producing Artistic Director Ben Burdick joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming festival.
Author of the 'Dead Romantics' joins Idaho Matters
Jul 28, 2022
(Scott Denny / Flickr)
Many people may recognize Ashley Poston's name from her popular young adult novels, which have been feature in Teen Vogue and Entertainment Weekly. This summer though the author decided to switch things up, writing her first adult novel, with a bit of a supernatural twist.
Poston joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her book, imposters syndrome and love.
13-year-old cyclist races to victory
Jul 28, 2022
(Boise Twilight Criterium )
For more than 20 years the Boise Young Rider Development Squad has worked with kids, here in the Treasure Valley, who are interested in cycling. They've provided support for those new to the sport as well as an opportunity for competition.
This summer there's been one member of the program, in particular, who has been no stranger to competition, 13-year-old Tessa Beebe. In the last two months she has won five national titles and just a few weeks ago placed third in Boise's 35th Annual Twilight Criterium.
Tessa, along with her coach Douglas Tobin, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her love for cycling and the BYRDS program.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 27, 2022
Jul 27, 2022
(Macau Photo Agency / Unsplash)
Cities and counties throughout the United States are considering re-instating mask mandates as COVID-19 cases and hospitalization continue to rise.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this and answer your questions is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
Could Yellowstone National Park erupt soon?
Jul 27, 2022
When our summer intern Jack Bevan heard rumors that Yellowstone National Park could explode soon and start a new ice age, he had to find out if there was any truth to it.
First, he set out to find if Yellowstone or any other volcanic formations in the northwest, like Mount St. Helens, were likely to blow up soon and he found himself learning all about volcanoes and geysers from a Boise State University graduate student and researcher.
Maggie Holahan has been listening to the sounds made by the Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone National Park to learn more about it. She Joined Idaho Matters to discuss Yellowstone, volcanoes, and the possibility of an eruption.
Intern Jack Bevan helped produce this segment.
A belated book launch celebrates three local authors
Jul 26, 2022
(R. Karthik / Flickr)
As we all know, over the last few years, COVID-19 has put a damper on live events, from concerts to festivals to book launches. While virtual get-togethers are fun, they're just not quite the same.
That's why The Cabin is holding a Belated Book Launch Party Wednesday night at Lost Grove Brewing, celebrating local authors who published their books during the pandemic. The celebration starts at 7 p.m. and there will be live music, beer, trivia and prizes.
Novelist and screenwriter Samantha Silva, journalist Kim Cross and award-winning poet Emily Pittinos joined the Idaho Matters show to talk more about the event, as well as their books.
A tour through the Basque Festival of Jaialdi
Jul 26, 2022
Photos from the book cover of Jaialdi: A Celebration of Basque Culture.(John C. Hodgson / University of Nevada Press)
Every five years Boise hosts one of the biggest Basque festivals in the world, bringing thousands of people to the Gem State to eat, dance and sing.
Jaialdi has been described as a gift from Boise's Basque community to anyone who wants to come and take part. There's a new book out about this unique festival. "Jaialdi: A Celebration of Basque Culture" is a collaboration between Basque American journalist Nancy Zubiri and photographer Jon Hodgson.
Zubiri joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her book, as well as the culture and traditions behind the celebration.
How wildfire smoke can affect your tap water
Jul 26, 2022
Smoke rises from the Black Forest Fire near Colorado Springs.(Kirk Siegler / NPR)
A December wildfire tore through neighborhoods near Boulder, Colorado destroying hundreds of homes before it was extinguished the next day.
The fire left its fingerprints all over the area. Months later, residents had a smoky taste and smell in their water. That required an expensive fix, one that could become more common in towns and cities across the west. KUNC's Alex Hager reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Ada County receives grant to help kids stay out of the juvenile justice system
Jul 25, 2022
( Ada County Juvenile Detention Center website)
There's a growing trend across the country to try and keep non-violent kids and teens out of juvenile detention by "wrapping" them in services that will hopefully steer them away from crime.
Since the late 90s, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, almost every state has reduced the number of kids behind bars by working to change their behaviors.
Ada County Juvenile Services just received a $600,000 grant to set up a Juvenile Assessment Center to help kids in trouble. The Director of Ada County Juvenile Services joined Idaho Matters to talk about the grant and more.
Keeping your home safe from wildfires
Jul 25, 2022
The Moose Fire, near the Idaho-Montana border, has grown to 56 square miles. 800 people are fighting the blaze and two pilots were killed last week in a helicopter accident while on the fire.
Large wildfires like this one can cause people who live in or near the wilderness to worry about how to best defend their homes. With wildfire season growing longer and stronger across our region, companies that do prevention work are staying busy. The Mountain West News Bureau's Kaleb Roedel tagged along with one of them.
Boise local is among the first to return to overseas service with the Peace Corps
Jul 25, 2022
(Camila Gurrado / Flickr)
In 2020 the Peace Corps evacuated nearly 7,000 volunteers from over 60 countries as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe.
Now, two years later, the program has started to return volunteers to overseas service. Among those returning is Boise local Gregory Ripke. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his upcoming mission.
Psychiatrist Dr. Lynn Fenton on her new memoir, Aurora
Jul 25, 2022
(Circled Thrice / Flickr)
A warning, this interview does talk about shootings and gun violence.
Dr. Lynne Fenton is the only psychiatrist in the history of the United States to be publicly revealed as the doctor of a mass shooter.
Ten years after the deadly shooting at a Colorado movie theater, Dr. Fenton is telling her story in a new memoir, "Aurora: The Psychiatrist Who Treated the Movie Theater Killer Tells Her Story." Dr. Fenton joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her book.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 22, 2022
Jul 22, 2022
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.
Pocatello church receives recognition for civil rights activism
Jul 21, 2022
The Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, centered in one of Idahos largest African American communities, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of their work for black American civil rights in the Gem state.
For nearly 100 years the church has served as an epicenter for political activism and community engagement, its leaders and members not only providing spiritual guidance, but advocating for the congregations civil liberties as well.
Outreach Historian with the State Historic Preservation Office, Dan Everhart and church member Alfreda Vann joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the church.
Calling all 'Book Lovers'
Jul 21, 2022
( Penguin Random House)
With more than one million copies of her novels sold, New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry is back with her newest novel, Book Lovers.
A charming new film, the resurgence of game shows and shark week
Jul 21, 2022
(louisevichie / Flickr)
With the dog days of summer in full swing, some folks are staying indoors, which means you might be wondering what to watch on the big and small screens. Resident movie critic and Morning Edition host, George Prentice joined Idaho Matters with a few recommendations.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 20, 2022
Jul 20, 2022
Nurse manager Lucy Golding draws up doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine March 14 in Stamford, Conn. Moderna has begun enrolling infants and young children into a vaccine trial.(John Moore / Getty Images)
For people who have been waiting for a more traditional COVID-19 vaccine, health experts say that Novavax vaccine may be for you.
Late last week, regulators authorized the nation's first so-called protein vaccine and this week the CDC gave it a thumbs up. Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this, plus other COVID-19 issues is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
A conversation with Boise's mayor
Jul 20, 2022
High profile shootings, including one not that long ago at the Boise Towne Square Mall, have sparked concerns among Boise City officials. These officials include Boise mayor Lauren McLean, who says there are things that can be done to make people safer.
McLean also wants your input as Boise rewrites its city code and recreates its library system. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with the mayor to talk more about these issues.
'Nora Goes Off Script' author sits down with Idaho Matters
Jul 20, 2022
(Brian McKechnie / Flickr)
Annabel Monaghan is best known for her young adult novels, including A Girl Named Digit, which was optioned by the Disney Channel.
This summer however, Annabel released her first adult novel, which is perfect if you have plans to lounge on the beach. The author joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book, Norah Goes Off Script.
What does the Roe v. Wade reversal mean for Idaho?
Jul 19, 2022
(Richard Rodriguez / Boise State Public Radio)
Ahead of the show, we want everyone to know that we will be talking about issues that may be upsetting to some listeners.
We'll be discussing the recent controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. This episode will discuss abortion, pregnancy and medical procedures and most importantly though, we will hear from you. We will be playing voicemail messages from listeners, some of whom have very strong opinions about this topic.
Joining Idaho Matters for these important conversations are Reporter James Dawson, University of Idaho Professor Shaakirrah Sanders and Executive Director for the Idaho Academy of Family Physicians, Liz Woodruff.
Advocates complete a 1,000 mile journey to save Idaho's salmon
Jul 18, 2022
Three months ago, we spoke with two members of a four-women team who were embarking on a conservation campaign that would take them on a 1,000-mile journey, starting at the source of the Salmon River and ending in the Pacific Ocean.
Their goal during this voyage was to advocate for the removal of four lower Snake River dams and the suspension of the Stibnite Gold project, just northeast of the cascade, in order to help save Idaho’s salmon from extinction.
Libby Tobey and Brooke Hess have now completed their expedition and joined Idaho Matters to talk more about their travels and what they saw.
Illegal lease agreements found in Boise
Jul 18, 2022
(Ashley Brown / Flickr)
With the explosive growth in the Treasure Valley and the rising cost of rent, it can be incredibly tough to find a place to live.
As rents shoot up more and more people are financially forced to move, which means more people are signing new lease agreements.
The nonprofit Jesse Tree has been looking at some of those agreements and finding questionable, sometimes even illegal, clauses that adversely affect the renter.
Executive Director Ali Rabe wants to get the word out about what is and is not legal when it comes to your lease and joined Idaho Matters to explain.
How some states are working together to help save Monarch butterflies
Jul 18, 2022
(Barbara Friedman / flickr)
Monarch butterflies are in trouble.
Populations of both the Eastern and Western butterflies have been dropping dramatically. Western monarchs have seen a 99 percent drop in their numbers since the 1980’s.
A variety of factors are at play, including climate change, pesticides and loss of their habitat to human encroachment.
In 2020 the Fish and Wildlife Service said monarchs may need to be on the endangered species list, but held off listing them for the moment.
Dr. Karen Oberhauser is a professor of entomology and director of the arboretum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and she joined Idaho Matters to talk about monarchs.
DACA turns ten and many dreamers are still facing an uncertain future
Jul 18, 2022
( Poder of Idaho)
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA. This policy protects undocumented children, who are eligible, from deportation.
Though the program provides certain protections it does not provide a pathway to citizenship, leaving many who are part of the DACA program with an uncertain future.
This Thursday in Nampa, PODER of Idaho is hosting a panel discussion that will look at the importance of DACA, as well as its history and current status. Immigration attorney, Monica Salazar, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 15, 2022
Jul 15, 2022
A tale of love and tragedy at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival
Jul 15, 2022
Well, it's no secret that our Morning Edition host George Prentice loves Shakespeare and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.
So when he found out that Sara Bruner was going to direct Romeo and Juliet, which opens this weekend, he had to sit down with her and Angela Utrera, who plays Juliet in the the production.
How can Yellowstone flood in the middle of a drought?
Jul 14, 2022
Last month, Yellowstone National Park and surrounding areas were hit by historic flooding, though much of our region remains in a severe drought.
How can those extremes occur side-by-side? Wyoming Public Radio's Caitlin Tan reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
A new documentary chronicles the life of one Ukranian family
Jul 14, 2022
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Steven Wright lived and worked in the country with his wife and two daughters. Needless to say life has been very different since then.
Wright will talk about his experience before and after a new film at the Flicks in Boise is aired. It's called "The Earth is as Blue as an Orange." The movie chronicles the life of another family and their day-to-day struggles in Ukraine as the war continues.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Wright to find out more about his story.
A look at the challenges many immigrants in Idaho are facing
Jul 14, 2022
(City of Ketchum / Facebook)
Back in June, Idaho Mountain Express published a story about one woman's perilous journey from Peru to Idaho in the hope of finding a better life for herself and her children.
Her story is one that has been experienced by countless immigrants south of the border.
The article follows Simona as she faces dangerous landscapes, kidnapping and even the threat of death, before finally finding herself in Ketchum Idaho.
Without a penny to her name, Simona took on three jobs, working tirelessly until she had enough money to bring her three sons to the Gem State.
Despite having saved them from impending violence her family still faced risk. Being undocumented residents of the United States meant that the possibility of deportation lurked around every corner.
Simon's story is just one of many that The Alliance of Idaho hears every day. The nonprofit group helps "protect the human rights of immigrants and their families" by providing access to legal services, education and more.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about the challenges that immigrants in Idaho face are Executive Director of The Alliance, Becky Lopez, Director of Communications and Development Sarah Sentilles, immigration and human rights lawyer Luis Campos and Attorney Sam Linnet.
A walk through the forests around McCall
Jul 14, 2022
Poet Marie Fuhrman is Idaho's current writer in residence. She uses nature soundscapes to inspire her writing that often focuses on issues affecting native people in the west.
In this seasons final episode of Expressive Idaho, Arlie Sommer follows Fuhrman for a walk in the forests around McCall where the author lives.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 13, 2022
Jul 13, 2022
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Its been nearly two and half years since the coronavirus pandemic started and health officials around the world are saying the most infectious and transmissible variant to date has arrived.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this and what it means for Idaho is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
A conversation with Pulitzer prize-winning author Elizabeth Kolbert
Jul 13, 2022
It's not everyday you can take a journey to Devils Hole, Nevada, the Great Barrier Reef, the Mississippi Delta, the Chicago River and Southern Iceland with a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. However, that is exactly what Elizabeth Kolbert does with her new book, "Under a White Sky, the Nature of the Future."
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice chatted with Kolbert just before her appearance at the Sun Valley Writers Conference.
Take a journey through Idaho's wilderness with Baratunde Thurston
Jul 11, 2022
Baratunde spent some time on an Idaho ranch for his program America Outdoors.(Part 2 Pictures/Twin Cities PBS)
“The outdoors can be a source of escape, of freedom from all the stresses of our lives,” says New York Times best-selling author and podcaster Baratunde Thurston. “It determines how we work, where we live, and ultimately who we are.”
Thurston is an outdoor enthusiast and he has been traveling all around the country, meeting people who live and play in the outdoors, and to also find out how climate change is impacting some of our favorite places.
“I'm all about exploring the outdoors that shape us as Americans. This country is wild. And its natural landscapes are as diverse as its people,” says Thurston.
Baratunde does a little mountain biking on his trip to Idaho.(Part 2 Pictures/Twin Cities PBS)
He has documented his travels in a new series on PBS. It's called America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston.
“We think we invent things and create things and define ourselves by ourselves. But that's not the whole story. The truth is, we are co-authors with the world around us,” says Thurston.
Tuesday, the second episode, Idaho Tied to the Land, will air on Idaho Public Television.
“Idaho was like the shocker episode for me. And if I had to pick one where I'm like, well, this just blew me away the most, it was your state because you've got everything and you're hiding it, you know, you're tucked away in between these mountains and squeezed between some other states,” he says.
He traveled all over the state for his program.
“I also spend time with the Shoshone Bannock tribe, the Salmon People, as they refer to themselves up on the South Fork of the Salmon River, who've been here even longer than any of us. And being able to tap into their relationship with nature, even the language they use Brother Salmon, Father Tree, witnessing the beauty and some of the sadness, you know, of what's happening to our environment,” says Thurston.
He was planning on hunting salmon with tribe members but it never happened.
“They called off because the water levels were too low, because the temperature was too high, the salmon too scarce, and the ones they found too soft,” Thurston says, “They were kind of being slowly cooked in their own home, which is a pretty literal metaphor for what's happening to a lot of our species as the planet heats up.”
Backcountry pilot Lori MacNichol is the President/Owner of McCall Mountain Canyon Flying Seminars LLC. (Part 2 Pictures/Twin Cities PBS)
Thurston met ranchers, hikers, and one wilderness pilot who showed him more than just Idaho’s beautiful landscape.
“You know, I just feel blessed that I have this wonderful opportunity to be a pilot and have access to the uncrowded wilderness in the backcountry, fly in and land on an airstrip of sorts, and enjoy being unplugged off the grid in this wonderful environment,” says McNichol.
Before this experience, Thurston had only been to Idaho once, while driving through to somewhere else. So he was intrigued to spend some time here and in the other states he visited for America Outdoors.
Baratunde tries his hand at roping during his visit to Idaho.(Part 2 Pictures/Twin Cities PBS)
“I wanted to do this show to reconnect with the little kid in me that grew up doing a lot outdoors and being very connected as a Boy Scout, as my mother's son, who took me and my friends out to the wilderness to escape a declining Washington, D.C. in the 1980s during the crack wars,” Thurston says.
And there’s another big reason he wanted to do this show.
“This country feels extremely divided right now, and it's because it is in many ways. However, all the people that we put on this show share this love of the common ground that we literally share. And so this show is a great way to see the beauty of the country literally and also metaphorically and kind of celebrate the diverse landscapes as well as the diverse people and our common bond to nature,” says Thurston.
Baratunde Thurston stands in the sunlight in an Idaho barn during his horseback riding trip.(Part 2 Pictures/Twin Cities PBS)
A special robot from the University of Idaho can help people after a stroke
Jul 11, 2022
University of Idaho College of Engineering therapeutic robots used for physical therapy and rehab in Spokane at St. Luke's Rehabilitation Medical Center.(Melissa Hartley/University of Idaho Photographic / Photos by Melissa Hartley, University Creative Services.)
According to the World Stroke Organization, 14 million people each year have a stroke which can cause varying degrees of disability.
Paralyzed arms or legs, weakness and movement limitations can greatly reduce the quality of life after a stroke. The damage from a stroke differs from person to person, so identifying that damage is crucial to targeting individual therapy that will best help each patient.
Associate Professor in U of I's Department of Mechanical Engineering, Joel Perry and Chris Bitikofer, who is completing his doctorate in mechanical engineering this summer joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
The legacy of Erma Hayman and her River Street home
Jul 11, 2022
Over the years, the River Street Neighborhood in Boise has seen many changes.
According to the Boise City Department of Arts & History, River Street, for the better part of a century, was the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in Boise. Home to immigrants from around the world and later, due to housing segregation, home to many of the city’s African American residents.
Despite the changes that this neighborhood has seen, as families move away and houses are sold and rebuilt, there is one home that has remained, the Erma Hayman House.
In 2018 the City of Boise set out to preserve this piece of rarely discussed history, planning to transform it into a cultural site for education, art and community.
Interim Cultural Sites Program Manager for the Boise City Department of Arts & History, Kristen Hill and History Program Manager Travis Jeffres joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about the history and future of the Erma Hayman House.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 8, 2022
Jul 08, 2022
Trey and Sophie read Holland.(arrathoonlaa@att.net / Flickr)
This form, to remove racial covenants from homes, is available at all county clerk offices in Idaho(Ada County Clerk)
Idaho has a long history with racial injustice and one of many examples was discriminatory housing practices with racial covenants and redlining.
This practice wasn’t unique to Idaho. The language was widespread in the United States with massive subdivisions built following World War II excluding non-white buyers.
During the 2022 Idaho Legislature session, state Sen. Melissa Wintrow brought a bill to change this language. As of July 1, Idaho homeowners can now ask for that language to be removed from their property deeds.
“This law shines a light on the fact that the U.S. government and state governments actively deprived people of color access to the American dream and that has long-lasting effects over generations. Because property is the way we pass down generational wealth. People can get ahead that way,” says Senator Wintrow.
She says by incorporating racist attitudes, values and beliefs into law, a system of discrimination is created.
“This doesn't erase decades or centuries of discrimination, but it does finally acknowledge that the state played a part in this and that we need to address this and denounce it going forward,” according to the Senator.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this, and the history behind racial covenants are Senator Wintrow, Mckay Cunningham, professor at the College of Idaho, and Zoe Ann Olson, Director of the Idaho Fair Housing Council.
First grade inventor finds a way to keep kids safe
Jul 07, 2022
Daniel Kang receiving his award at the US Invention Convention Nationals.(Jacob for J. Lindsey Photography/Photo by Jacob for J. Lindsey Ph / Ingu Kang)
For many parents, it is not uncommon to worry about their child's safety, especially when it comes to protecting them from things like cars and bikes.
He and his parents, Ingu and Nayoung joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his invention and how he created it.
Magic Valley panel discusses issues facing the Hispanic community
Jul 07, 2022
(Richard Rodriguez / Boise State Public Radio)
This afternoon our meet and greet series, Another Round, was in Twin Falls with All Things Considered host Troy Oppie.
Troy sat down with the College of Southern Idaho Center Director and Hispanic community liaison, César Pérez, to give Idaho Matters a preview of an upcoming panel event that will be looking at issues facing the Hispanic community.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 6, 2022
Jul 06, 2022
A computer rendering of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.(Radoslav Zilinsky / Getty Images)
Could Idaho be in another surge? According to CDC guidelines, COVID-19 transmission levels in Ada County are high once again.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about what that means and answer your questions is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
Keeping a Norwegian art alive in Idaho
Jul 06, 2022
Rosemaling is a decorative painting that adds colorful embellishments to things like wooden platters, containers and furniture of Norwegian homes.
Immigrants came to the U.S. with their most precious possessions stored in hand-painted trunks. On this edition of Expressive Idaho, we hear from Joanne Hultstrand, a Rosmaler in Boise who's carrying on this painting tradition.
She received the 2020 governors awards in the arts by The Idaho Commission on the Arts, for excellence in folk and traditional arts. She has mentored five students through The Idaho Commission on the Arts Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program.
Producer Arlie Sommer brings us her story.
Debt collectors on social media
Jul 05, 2022
(supremature / Flickr)
When you open up Facebook, you could see a friend request from someone you don't know, and that someone could be a debt collector.
A new rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau went into effect last November that changes the way debt collectors can try and contact you. Those changes include things like Facebook, email and even text messages.
This could make it easier for debt collectors to track down lost money, but it also means that new scams designed around the rules are becoming a problem. To help us sort out the new rules, and when someone is trying to collect a real debt, Idaho Matters asked for some help from the Consumer Finance Bureau Chief with the Idaho Department of Finance Erin Van Engelen.
Flooding in Yellowstone and it's impact on the communities around the park
Jul 05, 2022
The recent flooding around Yellowstone National Park also created challenges for gateway towns like Gardner, Red Lodge and Cooke City in Montana. That includes lost homes and possibly lost livelihoods.
For travelers who can no longer access the park through those towns, there's another Montana entrance: West of Yellowstone, the most popular gateway to the park. Mountain West News Bureau Reporter Madelyn Beck was there last week.
One program is helping to provide free produce for seniors
Jul 05, 2022
(Andrea Duenas / Flickr)
Now that summer is here outdoor markets are officially in full swing and one of those markets is focused on providing free local produce to seniors.
Last year Caldwell became the first in the state to offer a senior nutrition program through its farmers market, which is now offering benefits beyond produce. The Program Manager for University of Idaho Extension and Co-facilitator for the Caldwell Health Coalition, Lindsey McConnell-Soong.
A historic first for Boise's Chabad Jewish Center
Jul 05, 2022
A few years ago, as the need for more services grew, it continued to grow and moved to a building on Maple Grove road. Now the center is expanding to add Idaho's first kosher kitchen, children's library and the state's first Jewish ritual immersion pool.
Wednesday is the groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion, which the center's director calls "the beginning of a new and exciting era for Judaism and the Jewish community in Idaho."
Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about the center.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: July 1, 2022
Jul 01, 2022
A picture of the November 2021 rockslide on State Highway 55 20 miles south of Cascade.( Idaho Transportation Department)
Two Bishops and a Morning Edition host
Jun 30, 2022
Idaho has a new Episcopal Bishop. He was ordained last Saturday in an elaborate ceremony at the Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise.
Before the ceremony, our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down for a fascinating conversation about faith, hope and the search for God when tragedies happen.
The art of duck carving
Jun 30, 2022
The art of hunting demands close attention to wildlife. In the fall, waterfowl hunters lure their prey by mimicking calls and setting out decoy birds. Some hunters go the extra distance, carving and painting decoys by hand - a stunning homage to the living animal.
In this edition of Expressive Idaho, we hear from hunter and decoy carver Tom Matus and his apprentice Justin Seelig, who are participating in the Idaho Commission of the Arts Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Producer Arlie Sommer brings us the story.
Solving the mystery of the oldest barn in Ada County
Jun 30, 2022
The Schick Barn.( Frank Eld)
“It's really quite an interesting story about the oldest barn in Ada County and possibly in the state. Undoubtedly one of the oldest still standing, having been built in c. 1865,” says Frank Eld, also known as 'The Barn Whisperer.’
Eld is talking about the Schick Barn in the Foothills north of Boise, just 15 minutes from downtown. It sits on a piece of Idaho's agricultural past.
The historic Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead was built in the 1860s and is the longest continuously inhabited home in Idaho.
The main house of the Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead.(Ann Goodwin / Ann Goodwin Photography)
The home, barn, and five other buildings sit along Dry Creek, surrounded by lush green trees, a white picket fence, friendly goats and a small flock of chickens!
This merry band of chickens, and some friendly goats, live at the farm.(Ann Goodwin / Ann Goodwin Photography)
The Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places thanks to the Dry Creek Historical Society which works to protect and restore the site and to share Idaho’s history through the story of the farm.
Eld, a self-proclaimed barn enthusiast and restorer, is helping the Society repair the Schick Barn.
“The construction of the barn is unique and not typically western,” says Eld.
The barn, along with the Farmstead, was built in the 1860s by Phillip Schick who settled in Dry Creek Valley after coming to Idaho during the mining boom. He grew food for the early settlers of Boise and the miners in the Boise Basin.
Schick built his barn using techniques not commonly found in the West and Eld began an investigation that led him all the way across the country to find out why.
“My barn research and eventual trip to upstate New York validated my suspicions that Schick built what he had known from his upbringing in New England versus following a typical western construction technique on his posts and beams,” Eld explains.
When the Society began restoration, volunteers found an unusual broadaxe inside, which became another piece of the mystery that Eld had to unravel.
The mysterious broadaxe found in the Schick Barn.( Frank Eld)
“As a Finnish log construction researcher and historian,” Eld says “I know a bit about axes and when I saw this one, I knew it wasn't one usually used in the west. I eventually tracked its origins to a manufacturer in New Hampshire and actually visited there and consulted with the Historical Society archivist about the axe. It turns out to be a shipwright's axe used primarily in New England building ships.”
Frank Eld's investigation into the mysterious broadaxe led him to New Hampshire to the site of the factory that made it.(Frank Eld )
Eld’s ongoing research, including tracking down the maker of the broadaxe, has helped him paint a clearer picture of Phillip Schick and the history of the Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead. And learning that history, and sharing it with visitors to the farm, is what the Dry Creek Historical Society is all about, according to Cyndi Elliot, president of the non-profit group.
“Part of the mission of the Dry Creek Historical Society…is education,” Elliot says. The volunteers dress in period clothes and let visitors see how a farmstead worked…long before grocery stores, pharmacies and the internet.
Eld says going to a historic site like this farm, makes history come alive.
"That's why the Farmstead is so important. Because this is where people experience history," Eld says.
The Schick home in 1895.(Dry Creek Historical Society )
A deep dive into the safety of Idaho Highway 55
Jun 29, 2022
A large rockslide on Idaho State Highway 55 closed down the road between Smiths Ferry and Round Valley Road just before Thanksgiving 2021.( Idaho Transportation Department)
The story came about after three landslides hit the road between Boise and Valley County in less than a year.
BoiseDev.com reporters Margaret Carmel and Autum Robertson investigated the story for six months, sifting through public records and emails, and Margaret joined Idaho Matters to share what they found.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 29, 2022
Jun 29, 2022
Doctor holding Paxlovid pills for the treatment of covid-19.(Diverse Stock Photos / Flickr)
We’ll find out what that is and why it can be a problem for some - and how Idaho is doing when it comes to COVID-19 infection.?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force joined Idaho Matters to talk about this and other COVID-19 news.
High school student running for spot on the Boise School Board
Jun 29, 2022
(Joe Wolf / Flickr)
A Boise high school senior is running for a seat on the Boise School District Board of Trustees.
Shiva Rajbhandari made the announcement earlier this month, saying students deserve a voice in their education. He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the issues he's seeing in schools and the changes he'd like to make.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 29, 2022
Jun 29, 2022
Doctor holding Paxlovid pills for the treatment of covid-19.(Diverse Stock Photos / Flickr)
We’ll find out what that is and why it can be a problem for some - and how Idaho is doing when it comes to COVID-19 infection.?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force joined Idaho Matters to talk about this and other COVID-19 news.
Growth and birth rates could effect Idaho college enrollment
Jun 27, 2022
(James Dawson)
Idaho has been working for years to try to get more kids to go on from high school to college with mixed success.
New challenges have popped up, the covid-19 pandemic is one of the biggest, but there are other factors that are causing concern for Idaho colleges which want to recruit more students to keep their doors open.
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News, explored these challenges and joined Idaho Matters to talk about it.
Idaho Power helps fish and habitat on the Snake River
Jun 27, 2022
Idaho Power recently completed its second island floodplain project as part of its Snake River Stewardship Program, designed to improve habitat and water quality.(Idaho Power)
Last fall, Idaho Power finished adding 16 acres of floodplain to an island in the Snake to help fish thrive in that river.
Rippee Island sits between the Swan Falls Dam and Marsing.
This is desert land and the sun can warm the water in the river to a deadly degree for fish.
By creating a narrower, deeper channel the river stays cooler and keeps the bottom of the river cleaner which is better for the fish.
Jim Chandler joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this project. He’s the fisheries and water quality leader with Idaho Power.
Southern Wyoming towns hurt by drought, water main break
Jun 27, 2022
Our region’s long drought is putting pressure on drinking water supplies. Add in a water main break and the situation can be catastrophic.
Idaho Matters takes a look at one area that had a week-long loss of drinking water this spring and is now restricting usage.
Boise Public Library gets new mental health coordinator
Jun 27, 2022
Folks at the Boise Public Library get a lot of questions from patrons, usually about books.
But sometimes those questions are more personal in nature.
So the library has hired a mental health coordinator to help out.
Ashley Hammond, the new coordinator and Jessica Dorr, the director of the library, sat down with Idaho Matters.
Here's what the Roe v. Wade ruling means for Idaho
Jun 24, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court(Jose Luis Magana / AP)
Just after 8 a.m. Friday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, reversing Roe v. Wade, the court's five-decade-old decision that guaranteed a woman's right to obtain an abortion.
As protests continue in Washington D.C. outside the Supreme Court, trigger laws outlawing abortion in certain states are going into effect around the country.
Idaho has its own law on the books regarding abortion that is designed to kick in 30 days after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Now that abortion rights have been returned to individual states, what does this mean for Idaho and the nation?
We pose that question to Shaakirrah Sanders, a law professor at the University of Idaho and currently a visiting professor of law at Brooklyn Law School.
Idaho House Minority Leader shares her reaction to Roe v. Wade
Jun 24, 2022
Political leaders across Idaho have weighed in on Friday’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which sends control of abortion rights back to U.S. states.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little welcomed the ruling, calling the right to an abortion a "judicial creation."
But House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel said the ruling reversed 50 years of precedent.
"It eviscerated the fundamental constitutional right to privacy, opening the door to big government to police the intimate details of our personal lives," she said.
Rep. Rubel joined Idaho Matters to discuss her reaction to the Roe v. Wade decision.
Idaho's Planned Parenthood reacts to abortion decision
Jun 24, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling Friday overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. In Idaho, that means an abortion ban with few exceptions is set to go into effect in 30 days.
Planned Parenthood says it will continue to provide abortion care in Idaho as long as it's legally able to.
Morning Edition Host George Prentice spoke with Mistie DelliCarpini-Tolman, the Idaho State Director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates about the U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Conserving water in the West becomes critically important
Jun 23, 2022
As water reservoirs in the West drop dramatically, federal officials say seven Western states must conserve more water now.
A talk with Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee
Jun 23, 2022
The Federal Reserve has hiked interest rates, housing prices are still sky high in Idaho and local companies may be feeling the pinch when their employees can’t find a place to live.
Idaho Matters takes a deep dive into these topics with a mid-year economic update.
What to watch: Mr. Malcolm's List, Brian Wilson and Back to the Future
Jun 23, 2022
(Zachary Long / Flickr)
It looks like summer weather may finally be here and we’ve got tips on which shows to watch when those warmer temperatures drive you inside to beat the heat.
Idaho Matters turns to our resident movie critic – and Morning Edition host – George Prentice for tips on Mr. Malcolm’s List, Brian Wilson, Back to the Future and George’s best Christopher-Lloyd-as-Doc-Brown-impersonation!
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 22, 2022
Jun 22, 2022
Controversy over childhood vaccines may make it too easy to embrace what appear to be new vaccine benefits.(Dmitry Naumov / iStockphoto)
Both the FDA and the CDC have given the green light for COVID-19 vaccines for America's 20 million kids who are six months and older. The Biden administration is making ten million doses available this week.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are now available for younger kids, and parents may have questions now that the authorization has finally been approved.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of Idaho's Coronavirus Task Force joined Idaho Matters to talk about this and other COVID news.
Celebrating cultures from around the world in Boise
Jun 22, 2022
Black and white hands joined together(wantedtemo97 / Flickr)
For many, travel over the last few years has been limited, but this weekend you’ll have the chance to visit 15 international cultures, all without leaving Boise.
Starting Friday the World Village Festival is back for three days of music, dancing, food, art and more. Celebrating the Treasure Valley's diverse and growing community, all while ditching the airline fees.
Co-founders of the international festival Dayo Ayodele and Donna Kovaleski joined Idaho Matters to talk more about what people can expect to see this weekend.
How beavers are helping to reduce the effects of climate change
Jun 22, 2022
A new study lays out all the ways that beavers are helping reshape rivers and streams and creating healthy waterways that are more resistant and resilient to the worst effects of climate change. KUNC’s Alex Hager has more for the Mountain West News Bureau.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 17, 2022
Jun 17, 2022
Celebrating Juneteenth through the eyes of a 9-year-old Idaho girl
Jun 17, 2022
Monday marks the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth. The holiday commemorates the freedom of the last slaves in the nation, as news of the Emancipation Proclamation finally made its way to slaves in Texas, two years after president Abraham Lincoln's speech.
The day has special significance to one Idaho family.
Two years ago, when COVID-19 was keeping everyone indoors, our Morning Edition host George Prentice spoke with Phillip Thompson, the Executive Director of the Black History Museum in Boise.
However, the real star of the interview was Zaida, his 9-year-old daughter.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 15, 2022
Jun 15, 2022
This is a close view of a specimen, prepared for the CDC serologic test to identify the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which is a sign of past infection with the virus that causes COVID-19.(James Gathany / CDC PHIL Library)
The FDA is meeting Wednesday to consider giving the COVID-19 vaccine to kids five and under, a day after they voted to authorize the Moderna shot for kids six and up.
A new blood test could tell you if you're protected against COVID-19 and catching omicron is not a good way to build your immune system against future infections.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to break down all the latest news on COVID-19 and answer your questions.
The healing art of flamenco dancing
Jun 15, 2022
Stephanie Laishy founded Flamencos United to spread awareness about the dance through performances, teaching, and bringing world famous flamenco performers to Idaho. She hosts workshops and shares a message embedded within the dance: art is healing.
Arlie Sommer brings us this story as a part of the Expressive Idaho series.
“What is Idaho known for?” Attacks on LGBTQ communities are fueling internet searches on the state’s history of racism and exclusion
Jun 14, 2022
(screenshot / via Idaho Statesman)
Idaho has been in the national news quite a bit this past week: First there was the video of the pastor making rounds on social media. Then Boise Police reported more than 35 pride flags were stolen in Boise's North End. And then this past weekend police in North Idaho arrested 31 men from the white supremacist group Patriot Front on charges of conspiracy to start a riot at a Pride celebration.
Those three events have caught the attention of the nation, and it has people searching the internet with terms like: White supremacy in Idaho, Nazis in Idaho. Aryan Nation headquarters. And questions like: What is Idaho known for? Is Idaho racist? Or why is Idaho so conservative?
Having Idaho in the news for events like these is hard. Reporting on these events is also hard. And so understanding how we got here today and what steps we can take to be a more inclusive and equitable place for everyone means, we’ve got to take a critical look at our past.
So we’re bringing you an episode we did in the summer of 2020 with Dr. Jill Gill, a Boise State history professor. In this interview, we start looking at Idaho’s racism beginning during the Civil War and continuing through the 1920s and 1930s when the Ku Klux Klan had more than 10 chapters in Idaho. We'll look at how "white flight" from Confederate and northern states began to build Idaho's anti-Black reputation, and how the politics of leaders including Sen. William Borah supported racist policies.
Zoo Boise prepares against bird flu
Jun 14, 2022
A West African crowned crane pecks around its enclosure at Zoo Boise.(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
Since January more than 40 million birds have been affected by Avian Influenza or bird flu.
Five counties in Idaho have reported outbreaks of the virus, which is highly contagious among birds. Backyard producers and commercial operations, with flocks numbering from a handful to two million birds, have had to kill their birds when they’ve become infected.
Zoos across the country are working hard to protect their birds from catching bird flu and Zoo Boise is no exception. Executive Director Gene Peacock joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.
A year-long look at Idaho wildflowers
Jun 14, 2022
(Jay Krajic)
Idaho has some of the most spectacular wildflowers in the country. They bring color and joy across the landscape of the Gem State.
They’re more than just pretty though, they are an integral part of the history and culture of our state.
Lauren Melink and Jay Krajic, with Idaho Public Television, have produced a new episode of Outdoor Idaho that focuses on Idaho's wildflowers. They joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about the show and the wildflowers of our state.
The impact of climate change and dams on fish populations in Idaho
Jun 14, 2022
Warming waters and large dams make it hard for many fish species to migrate and spawn. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel looks at the impact in our region – and efforts to help threatened and endangered species.
Ain’t Misbehavin opens at the Shakespeare Festival
Jun 14, 2022
On Friday the Idaho Shakespeare Festival will premiere the musical Ain’t Misbehavin. This Tony Award-Winning show focuses on the big band jazz music of Thomas “Fats” Waller.
Our Morning Edition host George Prentice got a chance to sit down with Murray Horwitz, who created the musical.
Preparing for smoke ahead of wildfire season
Jun 13, 2022
(Courtesy Idaho Department of Health and Welfare )
As summer approaches and we all start to make plans for our favorite outdoor activities, there’s one more thing we should be preparing for and that's wildfires.
Protecting your health through the smoky months can be a lifesaver and that's why each year the Northwest Air Quality Communicators Group hosts a Smoke Ready Week during June.
This week will feature a new theme everyday, specific to smoke to help people prepare as they start to spend more time outside. Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about Smoke Ready Week is Assistant Professor Luke Montrose from the School of Public and Population Health at Boise State University.
A deadly fungus that causes White-nose syndrome in bats is found in Idaho
Jun 13, 2022
Hibernating Myotis bat (Rita Dixon / Idaho Fish and Game)
Dr. Rita Dixon, Idaho Fish and Game Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator, says she’s concerned but not surprised that the fungus has made it to the Gem State.
She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the fungus and how people can help to stop the spread.
Step inside an Idaho Death Cafe
Jun 13, 2022
(Umami / Flickr)
There is one thing that everyone has in common, we’re all going to die sometime.
The other thing that most of us have in common is that it’s not a comfortable topic to talk about.
Death Cafes were invented to help people talk about all the aspects of death. It's a gathering of people, usually strangers, who drink a cup of tea, eat a piece of cake and bring up anything about death that they would like to talk about.
Death Cafes have been around since 2011 and have been in Boise for nine years.
The next Boise Death Cafe is set for tomorrow at Dry Creek Cemetery. Organizer Amy Pence-Brown joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about the upcoming event.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 10, 2022
Jun 10, 2022
A classroom of empty chairs and desks. (Emory Maiden / Flickr)
Take a trip to a saddlemaker's workshop!
Jun 10, 2022
Nancy Martini gives a tour of her saddle making workshop, Challis, ID, October 6, 2021(Arlie Sommer/Photo by Arlie Sommer for Expres / Arlie Sommer)
Saddle-maker Nancy Martiny is known for her detailed flower leather carvings. She ranches and builds saddles at her home in the high mountain desert of the Pahsimeroi Valley, near May, Idaho.
In 2021, she received the Idaho governor’s award in the arts for Excellence in Folk and Traditional Arts. Arlie Sommer brought us into the saddlemaker’s workshop to understand the value of a custom saddle.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 10, 2022
Jun 10, 2022
A classroom of empty chairs and desks. (Emory Maiden / Flickr)
According to the Idaho Alliance for Ukrainian Immigrants and Refugees Idaho is now home to nearly 200 Ukrainians who have been displaced by the war.
Despite this new safety many families do not have access to resources normally offered to refugees. This has significantly limited the help they are able to receive for things like transportation, housing and education.
However, a new center recently opened with the goal to fill this gap. The ‘Ukrainian Welcome Center’ is currently working to provide assistance with documentation, food, clothing and other necessities.
Will Idaho have enough water this summer?
Jun 09, 2022
Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Region. Major Storage Reservoirs in the Boise & Payette River Basins...also known informally as the "Teacup" map.( Bureau of Reclamation)
Idaho remains in a drought, despite all the wet, cold weather this spring.
So, we’re taking a look at our water supply, how recent storms have made a difference in drought conditions and whether we’ll have enough water to get through the summer.
Joining Idaho Matters to answer all of our water-related questions is Erin Whorton, a water supply specialist with the National Resources Conservation Service Idaho Snow Survey.
How the Tony Awards saved Broadway: What to Watch with George Prentice
Jun 09, 2022
Another snap from New York City. This is Broadway and 54th near Colbert Studios.(Shutter Runner / Flickr)
Our resident movie critic, George Prentice takes us down memory lane, looking back at some of his favorite moments at the Tony's and how the award show saved Broadway.
Meet the first Astronomer-in-Residence at the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve
Jun 09, 2022
As part of that outreach, Idaho's Central Dark Sky Reserve will host the first astronomer-in-residence, starting this month.
Catherine Slaughter is a proto-astrophysicist who is coming to the reserve next week and she joined Idaho Matters to tell us more about her residency.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: June 8, 2022
Jun 08, 2022
(Tim Reckmann / Flickr)
While test positivity rates for COVID-19 have been going up in Idaho, including the eastern part of the state, Idaho Public Television reports that hospitals appear to be handling the surge.
It’s hard to know how many people have been getting COVID lately since at-home rapid tests are not counted by most public health districts and are often not reported to any agency.
However, we do know that the amount of coronavirus has increased in Boise’s wastewater.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, joins Idaho Matters to break down all the latest news on COVID and answer your questions.
How state hospitals handled the COVID-19 pandemic
Jun 08, 2022
State Hospital South in Blackfoot, Idaho.( Madelyn Beck / Mountain West News Bureau)
The pandemic has wreaked havoc in many nursing homes and prisons.
State psychiatric hospitals say they controlled COVID-19 a lot better, though there are some notable exceptions. Mountain West News Bureau reporter, Madelyn Beck, joined Idaho Matters to tell us more.
How psychedelic-assisted therapy is being used to treat PTSD and other mental health conditions
Jun 07, 2022
The theme of the 25th annual Sun Valley Wellness Festival is “Coming Home” and the festival returns in person this year to explore our social health, well-being and how they define our collective wellness.
The keynote speaker is Dr. Rick Doblin, Founder and Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. He sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about his institute’s research, the FDA approval timeline, and his definition of wellness.
A possible change in Boise's housing market
Jun 07, 2022
We wanted to know more so we asked Paul Schwedelson, the growth and development reporter at the Idaho Statesman.
Gas prices rise in Idaho
Jun 07, 2022
(Michael Kappel / Flickr)
Yesterday gas in Idaho was $4.90 cents a gallon, on average, and $5 dollars is rapidly approaching.
The cost of gas in the Gem State went up 18 cents over the last week, 43 cents over the last month and stands at $1.62 more than one year ago.
Matthew Conde, the Public and Government Affairs Director of AAA Idaho, Joined Idaho Matters to talk more about increasing gas prices and what drivers can do to ease the pain at the pump.
A Boise State professor looks to history to save animals on the brink of extinction
Jun 07, 2022
A vicuna family unit grazing in Pampa Galeras, Puru, 2009.(Emily Wakild)
In the last 500 years, more than 1,000 animals and plants have gone extinct. Many scientists say we’re in earth’s sixth mass extinction.
Many species, such as the passenger pigeon, can no longer be found on our planet and more are on the brink of going extinct every day.
Two researchers wanted to know what lessons could be learned from past extinctions, and from some of the success stories, that could be applied to animals in trouble today.
Co-author Emily Wakild, professor of history and director of environmental studies at Boise State University, joins Idaho Matters to talk about the forum.
Planned Parenthood Idaho takes a look at state abortion rights and how they could change
Jun 06, 2022
America is waiting for a much-anticipated ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on the future of Roe v. Wade and soon the Idaho Supreme Court will hear arguments on an Idaho abortion law.
The head of Idaho’s Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates says she’s furious and she’s not backing down when it comes to abortion.
She sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the current state of abortion services in Idaho, how Planned Parenthood is strengthening its regional partners and how a growing number of Idaho companies are supporting abortion rights.
50 years of historic preservation in Idaho
Jun 06, 2022
In 1972 a group of concerned citizens gathered together to form a group, whose goal was to preserve the architectural heritage of Boise from bulldozers.
For the past 50 years, Preservation Idaho has worked to save the state’s historic character, while adapting to population growth, and changes in how we have approached historic preservation over time.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk about its 50th anniversary are the President of Preservation Idaho, Paula Benson and Dan Everhart, the Outreach Historian with the State Historic Preservation Office.
High school students work to protect Idaho's wolves
Jun 06, 2022
File photo(Denali National Park and Preserve)
Last month, two wolves spooked a herd of sheep in the Boise foothills. The frightened sheep jumped into a deep gully to try and escape the wolves, piled on top of each other in the gully and 143 of them died.
This incident has sparked a new conversation about wolves and livestock in Idaho.
However, a group of kids from Timberline High School have been talking about wolves, especially about protecting them. Now the students aren’t just talking, they’re acting - after pups from the nearby Timberline Pack were killed by wildlife services biologists.
Reporter Clark Corbin with the Idaho Capitol Sun took a deep dive into wolves and a new Idaho law, put in place last year, expanding hunters’ abilities to kill the animals. He joins Idaho Matters to talk about what he found out.
Nampa helps raise awareness of elder abuse
Jun 06, 2022
( Creative Commons CC0)
According to the National Council on Aging, one in ten Americans 60 and over experience some form of elder abuse.
This issue affects nearly five million people each year, yet statistics on elder abuse are often limited and underreported.
This month the Nampa Family Justice Center is hosting a walk to help raise awareness of elder abuse.
Joining Idaho Matters today to talk more about this issue and elder abuse awareness month is Jeannie Strohmeyer, the Executive Director for the Nampa Family Justice Center and Program Coordinator, Alyssa Groen.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: June 3, 2022
Jun 03, 2022
Answering the big questions of the universe
Jun 02, 2022
With the final observation of the distant galaxy cluster Abell 370 — some five billion light-years away — the Frontier Fields program came to an end. Abell 370 is one of the very first galaxy clusters in which astronomers observed the phenomenon of gravitational lensing, the warping of spacetime by the cluster’s gravitational field that distorts the light from galaxies lying far behind it. This manifests as arcs and streaks in the picture, which are the stretched images of background galaxies.(NASA, ESA/Hubble, HST Frontier F / ESA/Hubble)
How much matter is in the universe? How do you measure things like the size or weight of something like that? What is dark matter and why is it important to us?
Dr. Andres Salcedo, with the University of Arizona, spends a lot of time thinking about these big questions and he’ll be giving a talk at 7:30 p.m. Friday as part of the First Friday Astronomy Event at Boise State University. He sat down with Idaho Matters for a preview.
Before his talk, the Boise Astronomical Society will help anyone who wants to know more about their telescope with a hands-on tutorial, so bring your scope to Boise State at 5 p.m. Friday!
Michelle Stennett is stepping down from the Idaho Senate
Jun 02, 2022
(Troy Maben / AP Photo)
After 13 years with the Idaho Senate, Senate Minority Leader Michelle Stennett (D-Ketchum) will be retiring. She sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about her decision to step away from the legislature, the experiences that brought her to where she is now and how grateful she is to have served in the Idaho Statehouse.
Idaho Matters chats with best-selling author Minda Harts
Jun 02, 2022
Minda Harts is the author of "You Are More Than Magic."(Minda Harts / Twitter)
Minda Harts is the CEO and best-selling author of "You Are More Than Magic," a book about helping women of color advocate for themselves and find their voice. She joins Gemma Gaudette to talk about building relationships and facing workplace challenges.
Kids of all abilities get ready to race in the 2022 Capitol Classic
Jun 01, 2022
Six-year-old twins Charlie and Milo are excited to be running in the 2022 Capitol Classic Children's Race(Saint Alphonsus Health System)
On Saturday, kids will gather at the Boise Depot and race to the Idaho Statehouse for the 38th Capitol Classic Children’s Race.
The race began in 1983 to help kids get interested in running and fitness.
And this year, six-year-old twins Charlie and Milo are eagerly preparing for the race.
They’ll get to run for free…thanks to a scholarship from Saint Alphonsus, the YMCA, and a group called IncludeAbility which works to get kids with physical and intellectual challenges into sports.
Here to break it all down for Idaho Matters is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke’s Health System and a current member of Idaho’s Coronavirus Task Force.
Boise Airport rebounds to pre-pandemic levels
May 31, 2022
The Boise Airport saw record travel over the President’s Day long weekend and during spring break, and the final tally from Memorial Day weekend is likely to follow suit.
According to Director Rebecca Hupp, summertime travelers flying in or out of Boise can expect big changes at the airport.
Hupp sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the airport’s steady growth in services, airline partners, and above all, passengers.
The decline of vultures
May 31, 2022
Raptors around the world are in trouble as population growth and other factors threaten their existence.
Vultures, in particular, are at increased risk. Their numbers have declined dramatically around the globe.
Evan Buechley is the Vice President of International Conservation at the Peregrine Fund and has been studying vultures in Ethiopia for a decade.
He joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the status of vultures and his upcoming presentation at Snake River Raptor Fest 2022.
A safe space for raptors
May 31, 2022
It was almost 30 years ago when people who care about raptors got together to help establish the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.
This spot, south of Boise and east of Mountain Home, has falcons, eagles, hawks and owls who find a safe space to build nests and raise chicks each year.
The nonprofit Birds of Prey NCA partnership was formed in 2015 to protect those raptors and the land they call home.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about Raptor Fest and how raptors are doing at the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation are Steve Alsup, a raptor biologist and President and Co-founder of the partnership, and Vice President Leah Dunn.
The Snake River Valley wine region celebrates its 15th anniversary
May 31, 2022
(Anna King / Northwest News Network)
When people think of Idaho, their next thought is often potatoes. But once you hit the Snake River Valley, you'll find more grapes than you will spuds, and this year those grapes are celebrating a 15 year anniversary.
According to the Idaho Wine Commission, Idaho's first American Viticultural Area opened in 2007. Over the years, it has grown from 15 wineries to more than 40, clearing the way for two more AVAs and producing more than 400,000 gallons of wine a year.
Now, thanks to the Snake River Valley Wine Region, Idaho is not only a haven for potato lovers but wine connoisseurs as well.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this anniversary and wine is the Executive Director of the Idaho Wine Commission, Moya Dolsby and Crystal Potter, the Co-Owner of Potter Wines and a Board Chair with the Idaho Wine Commission.
How do we talk to our kids about the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas?
May 30, 2022
The school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 fourth graders and two teachers dead has cast a shadow over much of the nation. And in the wake of this tragedy, a lot of our children are turning to us with questions. We're bringing you this conversation with Gemma Gaudette and Cody Ward, the clinical director at the Idaho Youth Ranch, about how to talk with our kids about events like these. This interview originally aired on October 26, 2021 – just a day after the shooting at the Boise Towne Square Mall.
How genetic testing led a food lover to live without a stomach
May 28, 2022
On this special podcast exclusive, Gemma shares an interview our Boise State Public Radio News Director Sáša Woodruff had with NPR's Consider This team about a personal medical decision she made, what life's been like since then and the ethics behind genetic testing.
Idaho lawmaker talks about gun safety
May 27, 2022
NPR reports it’s the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, only behind Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012.
While the details of the shooting continue to unfold, the issue of guns and keeping our kids safe has become the focus of the entire nation.
This year a group of students in Idaho, who have been affected by gun violence, approached lawmakers in the Idaho Legislature, hoping to come up with some solutions when it comes to guns and safety.
Democratic Senator Melissa Wintrow listened to the stories of these students and worked with them for months to craft a resolution that would get the legislature to “encourage Idaho's residents and institutions to continue to educate, promote, and implement safety precautions for firearms access and storage.”
Senator Wintrow joins Idaho Matters to talk about what happened to this resolution and about some of the other gun safety bills she has introduced.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 27, 2022
May 27, 2022
Building in a glass of water.(Jeanne Menjoulet / Flickr)
Idaho, like much of the country, is facing drought conditions. Officials at the state and local level are taking steps to make sure there’s enough water to go around.
The city of Meridian has been taking proactive steps in water planning and conservation and wants to share information with the community about both its surface and groundwater supply, at a town hall Thursday night.
Meridian Public Works Director Laurelei Mcvey says the city has a “robust and stable supply” of drinking water. She joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the city’s drinking and irrigation water supply.
A new kind of heart pump saves lives in Boise
May 26, 2022
Dr. Robert Saeid Farivar in surgery.( Saint Alphonsus Health System)
A man from Nampa recently became the first patient in this region to receive a new kind of heart pump before undergoing surgery.
Without this device, he would not have been able to receive the operation he needed to live.
According to Saint Alphonsus Health System, this new piece of technology helps the heart pump blood during and after cardiac surgery, which lets the heart rest until it can pump on its own again.
Joining Idaho Matters is the doctor who performed this amazing surgery, Dr. Robert Farivar, who is the cardiovascular surgery Medical Director at the Saint Alphonsus Heart Institute in Boise.
Buzz Lightyear, Maverick and Elvis - Oh my! What to watch from Idaho Matters
May 26, 2022
With the first, official day of summer just around the corner, Idaho Matters sits down with resident movie critic, George Prentice, to find out what movies are worth seeing.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 25, 2022
May 25, 2022
This move comes as statewide cases of COVID-19 are ticking up, and Ada County continues to be a hotspot for cases.
Last Friday, when the Board of Health met, the level of the virus found in Boise’s wastewater had more than doubled in less than a week.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk about COVID-19, masks and the latest news is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St Luke's Health System, and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
Surel's Place celebrates its 10th anniversary with a show you won't want to miss
May 25, 2022
Surel's Place is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a new performance that will showcase some of the best musical, dance and visual artists on the planet. Boise will be the second city in the nation to hear the new compositions performed live.
We wanted to find out more about the show called “Ourself Behind Ourself, Concealed,” so we’re turning over the microphone to our Morning Edition host George Prentice.
Forest Service suspends prescribed burns following the New Mexico wildfire
May 24, 2022
( Brett Miller)
At 8:00 this morning almost three thousand people were fighting a gigantic wildfire in New Mexico, which has burned more than 300,000 acres.
It was last month when a prescribed burn, conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, escaped resulting in the Hermit's Peak fire. That fire later joined the Calf Canyon outbreak, creating the largest wildfire New Mexico has ever seen.
According to a report from NPR hundreds of structures have burned and many people are angry, sparking backlash against prescribed burns, not just in New Mexico, but across the West.
Friday the Forest Service put a pause on prescribed fires while a 90-day review of protocols takes place.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about the risks and benefits of prescribed fires is the Outreach Coordinator for the Idaho Prescribed Fire Council, Brett Miller.
Big cats come to Boise
May 24, 2022
A remote camera captures a radio collared cougar in Griffith Park.(STEVE WINTER/National Geographic Creative / National Geographic Creative)
Big cats like tigers, leopards and jaguars are some of the world’s most magnificent animals, and some of the hardest to find.
Photographer Steve Winter has been tracking these cats from Asia to Latin America in an effort to share their beauty and help save them one picture at a time.
Steve will be speaking about his work and sharing his photographs Wednesday night at the Morrison Center in Boise. In the meantime, he joins Idaho Matters to talk more about his adventures.
Shaping the city of Boise as it continues to grow
May 24, 2022
Cities in Idaho have been struggling with a shortage of affordable housing and trying to find solutions anywhere they can.
For some, density is one of those solutions, an idea that can spark conversation and sometimes conflict in communities. The city of Boise is looking at density in new ways, thanks to its new Director of Planning and Development services.
Our morning edition host George Prentice sat down with Tim Keane to find out more about his vision for Boise.
Idaho Falls' nuclear history
May 23, 2022
So here's a question:what was the deadliest nuclear accident in U.S. history? If you said Three Mile Island, you’d be wrong.
Back in 1961, a nuclear reactor in Idaho Falls known as SL-1 melted down and killed three people. It also exposed thousands of people in eastern Idaho to radioactive gas.
A new season of the Wild Thing podcast focuses on this little known Idaho event, the science behind nuclear energy and what the future of nuclear energy looks like.
Podcaster Laura Krantz joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this story.
Listen to the first episode of Wild Thing, Season 3: Going Nuclear
May 23, 2022
Wild Thing podcast host and creator Laura Krantz grew up in Idaho Falls, so maybe it's not shocking that the third season of her podcast starts with a little-known meltdown of an experimental reactor in Idaho Falls in 1961. We've got the entire first episode for you to listen to, right here.
How to have hard conversations with your kids
May 23, 2022
A bunch of children playing and running around a playground at a church party.( Flickr)
As we continue to see heated debates around social justice issues, education freedom and how post-pandemic life might look - what seems to be lacking is a place for kids and caregivers to find resources to be able to talk about these issues and attitudes.
Amber O'Neal Johnston, the author of the book "A Place to Belong: Celebrating Diversity and Kinship in the Home and Beyond", joins Idaho Matters to talk about fostering open dialogue around discrimination, race, gender, disability and class.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 20, 2022
May 20, 2022
Baby formula is offered for sale at a big-box store on Jan. 13 in Chicago. Baby formula has been in short supply in many stores around the U.S. for several months.(Scott Olson / Getty Images)
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 19, 2022
May 19, 2022
A registered nurse stirs a nasal swab in testing solution after administering a COVID-19 test in Los Angeles, Calif. Increased testing could help in efforts to detect and track new variants like omicron.(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
We are more than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic and new subvariants of the omicron variant are spreading rapidly around the world, especially in the United States. In fact, St Luke's Health System is reporting a testing positivity rate of 14%.
So what does that mean and will we see another surge? Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this number and COVID-19 testing is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St Luke's Health System, and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
Sawtooth National Recreation Area celebrates 50 year anniversary
May 19, 2022
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this anniversary are Rocky Barker, former Idaho Statesman reporter and a board member of the Andrus Center, as well as current Idaho Statesman reporter Ian Stevenson.
Breaking down Idaho's primary election results
May 18, 2022
( Boise State Public Radio)
Voters went to the polls on Tuesday for Idaho's primary election, setting the stage for the November contests.
Who won, who lost and what does it mean for Idaho?
This year is shaping up to be another extreme fire season. So having this backup may be especially helpful. For the last few years, the Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems team has been in higher demand.
Mountain West News Bureau reporter Madelyn Beck joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the MAFF'S program and what fire seasons look like for this crew.
A look back at the missions leading up to Apollo 11
May 17, 2022
Copy of Artwork for Moon Art Contest( Leathan Li)
In 1961 President Kennedy issued the challenge of landing “a man on the moon.” Eight short years later, the Apollo 11 mission set three men on the lunar surface.
However, before Neil Armstrong was able to take “one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind,” more than 400,000 men and women had to figure out how to make it happen.
On Tuesday, a new exhibition at The Discovery Center is recognizing some of the people that took part in that effort.
The Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission exhibition features larger-than-life posters of the space program and space race. Alongside those posters are eight winning student art pieces from an accompanying art competition.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about the exhibition is education director of The Discovery Center, Emily Mahon, and two of the winning artists from the competition, Leathan Li and Sienna Meuser.
Idaho's new bilingual resource for Hispanic voters
May 16, 2022
Dozens of empty ballot boxes are lined up as Ada County prepares for the 2012 Primary Election.( Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio)
A new resource for Spanish-speaking voters was recently released. Contamos Idaho is a bilingual website that wants to make the voting process more accessible for Idaho’s Hispanic community.
As Idaho grows, so do its Hispanic residents, who according to the 2020 U.S. Census makes up 13% of Idaho's population.
Contamos Idaho hopes to take its first steps in breaking down barriers for Spanish-speaking Idahoans who will soon be turning in their ballots.
Antonio Hernandez, the civic engagement coordinator of Conservation Voters for Idaho, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about Contamos Idaho.
Boise celebrates International Museum Day
May 16, 2022
( Associated Press)
Monday, May 16 is International Museum Day and this coming weekend Boise museums will be teaming up for a day of celebration, featuring all of the cultural attractions in our area.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about what you can expect to see at next Sunday's celebration are Cindy Busche with the City of Boise and Annie Gavica with the Basque Museum.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 13, 2022
May 13, 2022
One social movement is helping to build community by keeping the planet a little cleaner
May 12, 2022
A basket of produce and other goodies given away to the Buy Nothing community.( Liesl Clark)
“Buy less and share more,” is the motto of the Buy Nothing Project. Their community has more than five million members, making it one of the largest gift economies in the world.
So how does a gift economy work? Well, nothing in the community is sold, but rather given away for free, making everything from a grill to a gallon of milk equal value.
The project operates within simple parameters: you can gift an item, ask for an item or show gratitude.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about the project is Buy Nothing Co-founder Liesl Clark and Marnie De Bois, a local member of the Buy Nothing community.
A new program hopes to breakdown barriers in the food market
May 12, 2022
(Guy Hand)
Many of us are familiar with the phrase “from farm to table” and have dined at restaurants that source their food locally.
However, have you ever stopped to consider how hard farmers have to work to get their food to that table?
Well if you haven't, we’ll let you in on a little secret, it's often no easy feat. As a result, this means that farmers usually have to be very good at wearing many hats, from farming to business management they take on many roles. If that wasn’t already enough there can also be additional challenges such as language barriers and limited funds.
One program hopes to make this process easier for some farmers though, Global Gardens and Fare Idaho are partnering to help connect restaurants and farmers from the refugee community.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this program are Global Garden’s Program Manager, Rabiou Manzo and Executive Director of Fare Idaho, Katie Baker.
A voters' guide for Idaho's upcoming Primary Election
May 12, 2022
A sign is displayed for voters to guide the way at a precinct during an election.(Brynn Anderson / AP)
With Idaho's primary only five days away, it sure would be nice if there was a place where you could find out where to vote, if you’re registered to vote, who your candidates are and maybe a bio of each person running for office.
It turns out there is such a place! The vote411.org website from the League of Women Voters of Idaho.
Jean Henscheid, the legislative liaison for the league, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the league's online voter guide.
One of the most anticipated films of the year and some real-life drama on Broadway
May 12, 2022
The temperatures will be going up this weekend and after you’re done spending time in the sun you’ll probably want something to watch as you wind down.
Well, that's where our resident critic George Prentice comes in! He has all of the movie and tv recommendations that you won’t want to miss.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 11, 2022
May 11, 2022
President Biden announced that Americans would be able to receive a third booster shot against COVID-19.
100 million people in the U.S. could get COVID-19 this fall and winter, according to the Biden administration, which is warning of new omicron subvariants.
The Washington Post also reports we’re approaching one million deaths from COVID-19 across the country.
Here to talk about these grim statistics along with other coronavirus news and your questions is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
Carter Bays sits down to discuss his debut novel
May 11, 2022
The front cover of Carter Bays new novel, The Mutual Friend.
The co-creator of the Emmy award-winning show "How I Met Your Mother" is back, this time with his first novel. Idaho Matters sits down with Carter Bays to talk more about his debut novel, The Mutual Friend.
Boise examines unique affordable housing options
May 10, 2022
The sign at the entrance of the mobile home park near Shoshone Park the City of Boise is considering purchasing. (Margaret Carmel / BoiseDev)
Affordable housing is hard to come by these days so residents of a mobile home park in our region were understandably worried when the property that their homes were on went up for sale.
The Treasure Valley is no stranger to this situation, where a long-established mobile home park is sold to a developer and the residents have to move out, and often face much higher housing costs somewhere else.
That's the scenario facing residents of a mobile home park on the Boise Bench. The city wants to buy up the property for an immediate affordable housing project. A city council member says it would keep dozens of people in their homes.
Senior Reporter for Boisedev.com Margaret Carmel joins Idaho Matters to talk more about this story and other efforts the city is looking at to provide affordable housing.
The Idaho Writers Guild lends a helping hand to aspiring writers
May 10, 2022
A stack of books from Ann Arbor District Library.( Flickr)
If you’ve ever wanted to write the next great novel or just get that story you wrote published, support from other writers and from your hometown can be critical.
The Idaho Writers Guild provides that support for authors at all stages in their careers. They help writers network, learn new skills and find the connections they need to thrive, and they have a new event coming up that pairs authors with beer.
Local author Troy Lambert is on the Idaho Writers Guild board and joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the Guild's upcoming conference and Boise Books and Brew's first-ever event.
Boise State lab compiles the number of children missing worldwide
May 09, 2022
Here's a question for you, how many children go missing around the globe each year?
If you don’t know the answer, you’re not alone. It turns out no one does and no one has been looking for an answer, until now.
A small research lab at Boise State University has been working for the past year to find that number and build a statistical model that the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children can use to update it each year.
Carl Siebert, the head of Boise State’s Program Evaluation and Research Lab, and research associate Harrisen Hagens join Idaho Matters to talk more about the research they are doing.
Keeping Canyon County kids in school and their families housed
May 09, 2022
(Casey Serin / Flickr)
According to the non-profit group Jesse Tree, at least half of the people who rent live paycheck-to-paycheck and move from home to home.
All that movement means kids get shipped from school to school, disrupting their education.
Now the United Way of Treasure Valley and Jesse Tree are getting together for a program to help families at risk of eviction in Canyon County. The goal is to keep families housed while keeping kids in one school where they can build stability.
Ali Rabe, the Executive Director of Jesse Tree and Nora Carpenter, President and CEO of United Way of Treasure Valley, join Idaho Matters to talk more about the program.
A historic church in Boise's North End gets a new beginning
May 09, 2022
Jon Swarthout teaching the Maypole Dance on May 1st 2022.( Daniel Olson)
A landmark church in Boise’s North End is getting a second chance at life.
The Immanuel Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1907. After the 1970’s though the church was sold and fell into disrepair, eventually ending up on Idaho's “Top 10 most endangered” historic sites list.
Here's where the building's Cinderella story begins. After years of neglect the Treasure Valley Institute for Children's Arts bought the property and began renovating it, all with the intention of turning it into a children's art school.
Idaho Matters sits down with TRICA CEO Jon Swarthout and Kay Hummel, the great-granddaughter of the church's original chief architect, to talk more about the renovation.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: May 6, 2022
May 06, 2022
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.
What Idaho's past abortion bill tells us today
May 05, 2022
Anti-abortion rights protesters singing and chanting anti-abortion slogans outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.(Eman Mohammed)
On Monday, a draft opinion on abortion by the U.S. Supreme Court was leaked by Politico. The leak pointed to the court overturning Roe v. Wade, which would put an end to constitutional protections for abortion and give control back to individual states.
An article was published in the Washington Post on Wednesday looking at Idaho’s history with abortion laws and how history might inform the future.
The authors of that article, historian and columnist Marc Johnson, as well as political scientist at the University of Montana, Robert Saldin join Idaho Matters to talk more about the past and what we might expect to see in the future.
Idaho's primary race for governor feels a little familiar
May 05, 2022
(Roam Yocham / Boise State Public Radio)
Idaho’s primaries are less than two weeks away. On the GOP side, eight candidates are running for governor.
Governor Brad Little is being challenged by his own lieutenant governor, something that hasn’t happened since 1938 in a race that is described as eerily similar to the 1966 Republican Primary.
The Boise Bureau Chief at the Idaho Press Betsy Russell and historian Marc Johnson both wrote recent articles about the race and its historical connections. Today they both join Idaho Matters to give us a history lesson and talk more about the upcoming pprimary election.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: May 4, 2022
May 04, 2022
(Richard Villalon / Adobe Stock)
The Washington Post is reporting that more vaccinated people, often the elderly or immunocompromised, are dying of COVID-19.
Throughout the pandemic, the majority of deaths in the U.S. came from people who did not get vaccinated. However, the Post says that 42 percent of people who died of COVID in January and February were vaccinated.
We wanted to ask Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force, why this was happening and talk more about other COVID-19 news.
A deadly mushroom has shown up in Boise
May 04, 2022
A Death cap mushroom found in Idaho last fall by Susan Stacy, a member of the Southern Idaho Mycological Association.( Susan Stacy)
People who know mushrooms say there will be more of them. The Death Cap mushroom can be deadly if eaten.
A member of the Southern Idaho Mycological Association found the Death Cap mushroom and the group is now on a mission to educate folks on how to spot them in order to protect people and their pets.
Joining the show to talk more about why the mushrooms are showing up in Boise is the President of the SIMA group, Krista Willmorth.
Call your doctor or the poison control center (800-222-1222) immediately, if you or someone you know has ingested an unknown wild mushroom.
If a pet has eaten an unidentified mushroom, call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at 888-426-4435 or a veterinarian or veterinary emergency clinic.
What would a Roe v. Wade reversal look like in Idaho?
May 03, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court(Jose Luis Magana / AP)
According to a draft opinion leaked to Politico, the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.
A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half of the United States and could have huge ramifications for this year’s elections.
University of Idaho law professor, Shaakirah Sanders joins Idaho Matters to talk more about what this could mean for Idaho and other states.
Are batteries the future for Idaho Power?
May 03, 2022
An artist rendering by Powin, the Portland-based company that will be providing the batteries for Idaho Power storage.(Bertholt Schroeder / Powin)
It may be cool now, but that won’t last for long!
Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer of Idaho Power, Adam Richins, joins Idaho Matters to tell us exactly where our power comes from and why the company wants to build its first battery storage facility.
Downtown Boise welcomes back summer events
May 03, 2022
(Joshua Lindgren - BSPR)
After a two-year pause, downtown Boise's signature summer events will be back, and we’re told they’ll be better than before!
Executive director of the Downtown Boise Association Jennifer Hensley joins us to talk about what we can expect this summer.
Guilty verdict in von Ehlinger trial
May 02, 2022
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)
On Friday, a jury found a former Idaho lawmaker guilty of raping a 19-year-old intern last year.
Aaron von Ehlinger is a former House member who could face life in prison.
We should note that during this segment we will be talking about sensitive subjects, including rape and descriptions of sexual violence.
Our own James Dawson covered von Ehlinger's trial in Boise and was there for the verdict. He joins Idaho Matters today to talk more about what he saw in the courtroom, as well as what's next for the case.
Reclaim Idaho says it has enough signatures to bring education funding proposition to the ballot this November
May 02, 2022
Amy Pratt, a volunteer for Reclaim Idaho, gathers signatures by going door-to-door in Idaho Falls in October 2018 to encourage voters to expand Medicaid eligibility in Idaho. Social distancing measures are making the kind of campaigning needed for ballot measures nearly impossible.(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
Supporters of an initiative to inject millions of dollars to Idaho schools said they have enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
Reclaim Idaho gathered nearly 97,000 signatures by the April 29 deadline, which now have to be verified by county clerks and then the Secretary of State. The group expects between 25% through 30% of signatures will be declared invalid during verification.
“[Signers] might not be registered to vote, they might have written their name down not quite legibly, they might have written down a different address than the address where they’re registered,” said Luke Mayville, co-founder and director of Reclaim Idaho. “There are a number of reasons why someone’s signature can be counted as invalid.”
He said the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and a new law greatly increasing signature requirements to get initiatives to statewide ballots created a big challenge. The new law was struck down by Idaho's Supreme Court last August.
Nearly 65,000 verified signatures are required to get the initiative on the ballot, according to the Idaho Secretary of State. Petitioners also need to get signatures from at least 6% of registered voters in at least 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts.
Mayville said Reclaim Idaho received enough signatures to qualify 20 legislative districts - two more than the minimum. About 20,000 people signed the petition during April, he added.
The Quality Education Act would add an additional $323 million annually to schools by adding a 4.5% tax on Idaho taxpayers' income above $250,000 ($500,000 for joint filers), and by returning the state’s corporate tax rate to 8%. In February, Governor Little signed a bill that lowered the corporate tax rate to 6%.
Mayville said the response to the proposed initiative was universally positive across the state. Reclaim Idaho will launch an education campaign leading into Election Day.
“We strongly believe that if we can inform the voters of Idaho about what this issue is and the positive impact it can have on their communities, we will win in November,” he said.
The Secretary of State should announce verification results sometime in July. Mayville said he expects the Quality Education Act will appear on the ballot as ‘Proposition 1.’
Reimagining our meat system with the Women's Work podcast
May 02, 2022
For many ranchers their connection and control of their livestock ends when the animals are shipped off the ranch to either be grain-finished and fattened up in a feedlot or sent to slaughter and processing at a large corporate-owned facility. But that's starting to change as women carve out their place in the meat supply chain.Ashley Ahearn has been visiting working ranches across the West in her podcast Women's Work and today we listen in on one episode where she meets rancher Cory Carman who is leading the charge, marketing her beef – and the beef of other ranchers she’s partnered with in the Northwest – to urban, eco-minded consumers.You can listen to all of the Women's Work series wherever you get your podcasts.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 29, 2022
Apr 29, 2022
Candidates for Idaho Office of Secretary of State debating on stage at Idaho Public Television. ("Idaho Debates" / Idaho Public Television)
Candidate debates, the latest on North Idaho College, and college enrollment. It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable where Idaho Matters gets you up-to-date on all the news that made headlines this past week.
Our journalist panel today:
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Ed News
Boise City Council votes in favor of Interfaith Sanctuary's move to State Street
Apr 28, 2022
(Interfaith Sanctuary / Facebook)
After 20 hours of hearings the Boise City Council voted to let the Interfaith Sanctuary move from its downtown location to a new building on State Street.
The vote was 4-2 in favor of the move. To get those votes, members of the council put a cap on the number of beds at the sanctuary and added 30 new conditions to the project.
The process to get to this point has been a long one for the Interfaith Sanctuary. Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about this story are senior reporter Margaret Carmel with Boisedev.com and Executive Director of Interfaith Sanctuary Jodi Peterson.
Idaho's Constitution takes a road trip
Apr 28, 2022
Constitution of the State of Idaho( AR1-20106983, Idaho State Archives)
A new traveling exhibit on Idahos Constitution opens today at the community library in Ketchum. The goal of the exhibition is to look at the document’s early history, as well as the conservation efforts taking place to help restore the document.
The Executive Director and Historic Preservation Officer for the Idaho State Historical Society, Janet Gallimore, Joins us to talk more about what you can expect from this exhibit.
Neil Simon, the Duke and a murder mystery – what to watch from Idaho Matters
Apr 28, 2022
Portrait of Duke Ellington and Sonny Greer, Aquarium, New York, N.Y., ca. November 1946. Photograph by William P. Gottlieb, Library of Congress.(Photographs from the Golden Age of Jazz: the William P. Gottlieb Collection at the Library of Congress / Flickr)
Movie and tv expert, George Prentice, joins Idaho Matters to give us some terrifyingly good recommendations on what to watch and catch us up on the latest updates from streaming services like CNN+ and Netflix.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 27, 2022
Apr 27, 2022
This is a close view of a specimen, prepared for the CDC serologic test to identify the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which is a sign of past infection with the virus that causes COVID-19.(James Gathany / CDC PHIL Library)
According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three out of every four kids in the U.S. have probably had the coronavirus. That same report also says that close to 60% of all Americans have had COVID-19.
Former CEO of St. Luke’s Health System, Dr. David Pate, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about these numbers and COVID-19 in Idaho.
Stop me if you've heard this one: 24 comics compete for the title of Best Comedian in Idaho
Apr 26, 2022
Beth Norton, Kat Lizarraga, and Hailee Lenhart-Wees pose for a picture next to big foot. ( Katjy Wees)
How do famous comedians become famous? The short answer … they bomb, a lot. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities to fail have been hard to come by, especially since Boise's most popular comedy club Liquid Laughs closed in 2020.
However, a new competition is helping comics take one step closer to fame, with the hope of finding “The Best Comedian in Idaho.”
Over the course of three days in May, 24 comics will compete for money and titles in the hopes of being the last comic standing.
The three comedians that put the show together join Idaho Matters to talk more about the competition, cold spaghetti, building a wall around Idaho and the joys of parenting - even if you aren’t a parent.
Three Idahoans talk about Idaho laws on faith healing
Apr 25, 2022
(Vladimir Agafonkin / Flickr)
Currently in Idaho, faith healing is legally exempt from medical neglect laws. The "Campaign to Protect Idaho Kids” has been working to change that.
In January they held a forum to talk about religious exemptions and they’ve created a new video designed to start conversations about this issue.
Joining Gemma to talk about this difficult issue are:
Former First Lady Patricia Kempthorne, Founder and CEO Twiga Foundation, Inc.
Roger Sherman, Executive Director Idaho Children’s Trust Fund/Prevent Child Abuse Idaho
Bruce Wingate, the founder of the “Protect Idaho Kids Foundation”
Healing hearts and minds through collaborative dance
Apr 25, 2022
Open Arms dancers rehearsal their new project THREADS.(Ted Harmon / Open Arms Dance Project)
When Megan Brandel started the Open Arms Dance Project she wanted a way to let anyone create art through dance.
And when Open Arms Dance Ambassador Heather Marie joined the group six years ago, she found an inner joy and peace.
The pair joined Gemma to talk about their upcoming performance of THREADS on Thursday, April 28 at the Morrison Center in Boise and their mission "to create greater joy and compassion with dance that opens hearts, minds, and arms."
Read the full transcript below:
Gemma Gaudette: You're listening to Idaho Matters. I'm Gemma Gaudette.
Gemma Gaudette: The music you're hearing right now comes from the group, the Afrosonics. It's a new outreach project between the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights and the Open Arms Dance Project. Open Arms is a community of dancers of all ages and abilities who use their diverse bodies to create art and healing. On Thursday, Open Arms will premiere their dance, which is called THREADS at the Morrison Center at Boise State University, and they want to invite all of us to take part. So, joining us live today are Megan Brandel, the founding artistic director of the Open Arms Dance Project, and Dance Ambassador Heather Marie. I want to welcome both of you to the program.
Megan Brandel: Thank you so much, Gemma.
Heather Marie: Thank you, Gemma.
Gemma Gaudette: So, Megan, oh, it's so great to have you guys and the music. Sounds so great. Megan, what is the Open Arms Dance Project and why did you decide to create it?
Megan Brandel: I created it in 2008, so over 13 years ago, and I created it to perform at the World Special Olympics that were held in Boise in 2009. And it is inclusive in the broadest sense of the term, but more specifically of people with and without disabilities. And those disabilities can be either seen or unseen. So, we might have a dancer in a wheelchair, or we have dancers who you're not even able to tell they have a disability.
( Open Arms Dance Project)
And we try to blur the lines between who has a disability and who doesn't and who helps each other. And we all just are this big supportive community. The other aspect is we are multigenerational. So, ages seven to 76.
Gemma Gaudette: Oh, wow. So, Heather, how did you get involved with open arms?
Heather Marie: I got involved about six years ago. I was taking an adaptive dance class and some of our dancers were at that and they said, oh, come check out Open Arms. And one thing led to another. And here I am.
Gemma Gaudette: What's it like when you when you get on stage and you're able to perform?
Heather Marie: Oh, it's very uplifting and it makes me feel very happy. And it just makes my heart and my soul just full of joy. To be performing with our group.
Gemma Gaudette: So, Megan, you do a lot of dance performances. To us about this particular performance coming up at the Morrison Center and what people may see and experience.
Megan Brandel: Yeah. So, this is oh, this is our first time performing on the Morrison Center stage, which is amazing for us.
( Open Arms Dance Project)
Gemma Gaudette: Yeah.
Megan Brandel: And it really, you know, being on any stage, but especially the Morrison Center stage, helps us literally amplify and project our message out there in really wonderful ways. The Morrison Center is brilliant in that they will be able to do full stage projection of this, these wonderful plants moving through water. It'll project all over our bodies during one of our sections of perspectives. That's our dance, one of our live dances. And there's just so many capabilities at the Morrison Center to make this performance both accessible for us as dancers. There will be over 12 dancers with disabilities on that stage, which is pretty trailblazing. I don't know that that has ever happened there before and then also accessible for audience members. So, there's a ASL interpretation which the Morrison Center does all the time. It's the first time that we have offered that as Open Arms and there's audio description for blind audience members. So that's all super exciting.
Gemma Gaudette: And Megan, you're also showing a mini-documentary. It's called "Upstanders with Open Arms." What's that about?
Megan Brandel: Oh, gosh, this is amazing. And I just got to see it two days ago, and I need to share it with Heather still because she's a big part of this. And I'll let Heather talk about this, too. I brought the ambassadors to two separate schools with second graders. I took the Wassmuth Center curriculum, Upstanders, anti-bullying curriculum, and we taught it through movement and really embodied it. And then one of the schools we taught at had students, lots of new Americans and refugees that spoke at least nine different languages. And so, I reached out to the Afrosonics and I said, can you make a song with a bunch of different languages that really then has this curriculum in there also? And that's the song you just heard. But Heather yeah, what do you think of the Upstander program?
Heather Marie: I really love it because it intertwines dance and also the importance of the anti-bullying in our schools, which is such a big topic today going on with the students. And it taught us how to teach them how important it is to love everybody using our dance, no matter what our disability or age, that we're all the same and we all have a message and we're all important. And that really was special just to see how the kids interacted with that and getting to dance with them was really special in that way, too.
Gemma Gaudette: And Megan, you mention that this amazing music that we heard at the beginning of this segment does come out of this new anti-bullying program. Can you talk about the song itself? I mean, it was just lovely and so uplifting.
Megan Brandel: Yeah. So I reached out and I've been working with Dayo and Todd of the Afrosonics, and I gave them a list of the languages the kids speak. And then through Global Lounge, they brought in different performers. There's a rap section and there's this lovely big section, I believe, in Swahili. I don't know what it says, but when I let those second graders dance to it, there was one little girl who speaks Swahili and she just came alive and she, like, stepped up and started dancing. And so I am really excited to figure out what that section says that inspired her to just jump right in there. And it spoke to her and in her own language. And that was beautiful.
Gemma Gaudette: Heather. What does dance mean to you? What is it like? And then even more so, what will it be like to be up on the Morrison Center stage? I mean, this is a big venue.
Heather Marie: Yes, dance is important to me. I have a disability that affects my balance. It's called cerebral palsy and it makes my balance really uneasy. And so dance has been very strengthening and empowering for me over these years. And it's given me an inner joy and an inner peace that I never really had. And so being able to express that through the movement that we've created on the Morrison Center stage is just going to be amazing for me and I'm really excited about it.
Gemma Gaudette: Yeah. Well, you should be. So, Megan, how can people get tickets? Because the performance is this Thursday at the Morrison Center.
Megan Brandel: Yeah, it is. And so just go directly to the Morrison Center box office or their website and that'll take you to Ticketmaster. And the tickets are we have $5 tickets for anybody with a disability. For students, seniors and military. And then you can choose between $15 or $20 tickets if you don't fit into any of those groups.
Gemma Gaudette: Well, best of luck to you. What a wonderful thing you are sharing with the community. We are going to actually play some more of that amazing song from the Afrosonics right now. A big thank you to Megan Brandel, the founding artistic director of the Open Arms Dance Project, and Dance Ambassador Heather Marie, talking about their performance of THREADS. It's this Thursday at 7:00 PM at the Morrison Center. Thank you both so much.
Megan Brandel: Thank you, Gemma.
Heather Marie: Thank you, Gemma.
Copyright 2022 Boise State Public Radio
Four women travel over 1,000 miles to save Idaho's salmon
Apr 25, 2022
Alia Payne (left) and Brooke Hess (right) after a trip down the river. ( Danielle Katz)
This Friday four women, along with their support team, will begin a 1,000 mile journey to bring awareness to the issues posed by four lower Snake River dams, and one stibnite mine in order to help save Idaho's salmon from extinction.
Their conservation campaign uses skis and paddles, following the natural migration path of the salmon, all the way from source to sea. Along the way they hope to connect with the surrounding communities and start conversations about the threats facing endangered salmon species.
Two women from the team join Gemma to talk more about their mission and the impact they hope to have.
Possible lawsuit in Boise Towne Square Mall shooting
Apr 25, 2022
Police and emergency crews respond to a reported shooting incident at Boise Towne Square Monday, Oct. 25, 2021(Darin Oswald / Idaho Statesman)
It’s the latest twist in a story that left two people and the shooter dead, while shocking Boise residents.
Nicole Blanchard is a reporter with the Idaho Statesman and has been following this story. She joins Idaho Matters with an update.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 22, 2022
Apr 22, 2022
Jackpots, including the Powerball jackpot, are on display in California.(John Locher / AP)
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.
New report finds extremist groups doxx private and public officials in Idaho
Apr 22, 2022
A flier distributed in Boise neighborhoods revealed the names, addresses and phone numbers of a judge and prosecutor working on a recent criminal case involving anti-government activist and gubernatorial candidate Ammon Bundy.( Boise State Public Radio)
Idaho extremist groups are doxxing public and private officials when they disagree with legal orders or opposite viewpoints.
That's the conclusion of a new in-depth report from our Boise State Public Radio reporter James Dawson and Audrey Dutton, senior investigative reporter with the Idaho Capital Sun.
They tell Idaho Matters about several recent high profile cases and how they examined the line between free speech and victimizing another person.
Help your brain, and save Monarch butterflies, by planting flowers
Apr 22, 2022
(Brad Smith / Flickr Creative Commons)
Monarch butterflies, those iconic black and orange insects, are struggling to survive.
Over the past 20 years, their population has dropped dramatically. This is due in part because their main source of food, the native milkweed plant, is disappearing thanks to growth, development and farming.
The story of six Kentucky nuns who built a hospital in India
Apr 20, 2022
(Michal Svec / Flickr)
In 1946, six nuns from Kentucky made a journey to one of the poorest states in India to start a hospital and train women to become nurses.
This never before told story is being memorialized in a new book, “Sisters of Mokama.”
The book’s author, who is also the senior opinion editor at the New York Times, Jyoti Thottam joins Idaho Matters to talk more about her book.
Dead Man Walking comes to Opera Idaho
Apr 20, 2022
Image from Opera Idahos "Dead Man Walking" show. ( Opera Idaho)
Opera Idaho is continuing its 49th season with a modern American piece, “Dead Man Walking.”
It’s based on Sister Helen Prejean's acclaimed 1993 memoir of the same name, which tells of her time working with death row inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
Conductor Sara Jobin and general director Mark Junkert join Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming performance.
Should you still travel with a mask? One doctor says yes
Apr 20, 2022
Travelers make their way through Miami International Airport on Tuesday.(Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
This week a federal judge struck down the Biden administration mask mandate for planes, buses, and other public transit.
So far, six major airlines have all made masks optional. This has left many people confused and worried about what to do while flying on a plane.
Joining Idaho Matters to help sort out the confusion is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St Luke’s Health System and current member of the Idaho coronavirus task force.
A new musical dives into the Boys of Boise scandal
Apr 19, 2022
The Howdy Pardner Drive-In stage from the new musical "The Show on the Roof."(Benjamin Burdick)
“The Show on the Roof” is playing now at the Boise Contemporary Theater and the creative team behind it - Tom Ford and Alex Syiek join Gemma talk about the inspiration behind the musical.
Nampa middle school students try their hand at building a better world
Apr 19, 2022
The "Quack & Save" Team and the "Composting Clubhouse" Team from West Middle School won the Ciena Solutions Challenge for solving problems with real solutions to build a better world.(Nampa School District)
We talk a lot about the problems facing our planet - both big and small - but too often we don’t spend time trying to solve those problems.
Students at West Middle School decided to change that by taking an everyday problem and designing a solution.
Two teams of students are getting $2,500 in cash to build their solutions, after winning the Ciena Solutions Challenge which uses the United Nations sustainability principles to encourage kids to build a better world.
Joining Gemma are two students, Angelina and Eadyn and their math teacher Maddie Dew.
Fractured North Idaho College faces controversy
Apr 19, 2022
(idahoednews.org)
North Idaho College is in the middle of a controversy, after the president was fired, board members resigned, and the school’s accreditation is in limbo.
The changes came to light when one man, who sat on the board of trustees for eight years, was re-elected to a third four-year-term in November 2020.
IdahoEdNews.com calls him a quote “polarizing presence at the core of NIC’s dysfunction.”
Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with IdahoEdNews.com has been following this story and joins Gemma with the latest.
Boise hearings on Interfaith Sanctuary spark conversation on housing and homelessness
Apr 18, 2022
The plan was to move Interfaith to the much bigger building and double the shelter’s ability to serve people experiencing homelessness.
Fast forward to four oclock on Monday when the Boise City Council starts five days of live testimony - both for and against - Interfaith’s move and then takes a vote that will decide the shelter’s future…one way or another.
Gemma takes a deep dive into the problem of housing and homelessness in Boise and other areas of Idaho. She also looks at the housing crunch outside Idaho as too many are “Priced Out” of a place to live.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 15, 2022
Apr 15, 2022
(John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, Pool)
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.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 15, 2022
Apr 15, 2022
(John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, Pool)
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.
In her music she uses ‘Historical Ornamentation,’ improvising around classics written for the cello by composers like Johann Bach. She believes the notes that Bach wrote are not static instructions, but living works of art.
Juliana joins Idaho Matters to demonstrate exactly what this sounds like and talk about what inspired her to want to play.
Musician Juliana Soltis shares the joy of improvising
Apr 14, 2022
Juliana Soltis sits in a chair playing a cello.(TeresaTam / Studio)
In her music she uses ‘Historical Ornamentation,’ improvising around classics written for the cello by composers like Johann Bach. She believes the notes that Bach wrote are not static instructions, but living works of art.
Juliana joins Idaho Matters to demonstrate exactly what this sounds like and talk about what inspired her to want to play.
Looking for movie and tv recs this weekend? George Prentice has you covered.
Apr 13, 2022
George Prentice and Amy Poehler talk on stage at the Coffee Talk event at the Sun Valley Film Festival.(Sun Valley Film Festival )
Even though it’s spring it still feels like winter outside, which means you might be looking for new films or tv shows to occupy your evenings. Well, look no further! Idaho Matters catches up with resident critic George Prentice on what to watch and his time at the Sun Valley film festival.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 13, 2022
Apr 13, 2022
The Lantana Flower can look like the COVID-19 virus at some stages of development.(Jim & Robin Kunze
/ Flickr)
The BA.2 variant of the omicron strain of the COVID-19 virus has become the dominant strain in more than 60 countries, including the U.S.
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho coronavirus task force, told KTVB-TV this week that BA.2 is the dominant strain on the west coast and in Canada, which is already seeing a surge in coronavirus patients.
More than 4,000 Idahoans have officially tested positive for omicron, including BA.2 and the variant is the dominant strain in Idaho.
Idaho kids face a mental health crisis made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic
Apr 06, 2022
Students wear masks May 17 outside a school in the Israeli city of Modiin. Israeli students in all grades went back to school last month.(Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images)
According to the Associated Press, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts have been warning of a mental health crisis that will face American children.
That crisis is now playing out.
We are seeing increased depression, anxiety, panic attacks, eating disorders and even suicidal ideations. This is all according to teachers, administrators and education officials, as well as mental health experts.
Dr. David Peterman is CEO of Primary Health and also a practicing pediatrician. He joins Gemma Gaudette to talk more about this.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 6, 2022
Apr 06, 2022
(After Clinic Hours / Flickr)
From the BA.2 surge to kids and boosters there’s a lot to talk about on Idaho Matters with our medical expert.
Joining Idaho Matters today:
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the state's COVID-19 task force
New Caldwell distribution site to help Canyon County food insecurity
Apr 05, 2022
(Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio)
The COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation have put a strain on many households in the Treasure Valley. Many have found some relief in the form of food distributions put together by various groups.
One of those groups, WICAP, had been holding these free events in Caldwell until they lost their distribution site. After a short hiatus, they will be back in action soon.
Idaho Foodbank's director of programs and partnerships, Jamie Hansen, is here to talk more about the need in Caldwell and Canyon County.
Read the full transcript below:
Gemma Gaudette: The COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation have put a strain on many households in the Treasure Valley. A lot of families have found some relief in the form of food distributions put together by various groups. Now one of those groups, WICAP, had been holding these free monthly events in Caldwell until they lost their distribution site. After a short hiatus, though, WICAP will be back in action with a food distribution one week from today at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Caldwell. So joining us today to talk about the need in Caldwell and in Canyon County as a whole is the Idaho Food Bank's director of programs and partnerships, Jamie Hansen. Jamie, nice to have you on the program.
Jamie Hansen: Thanks for having me, Gemma. I appreciate it.
Gaudette: So for folks who may not be familiar, can you just quickly explain what food insecurity is?
Hansen: Absolutely. And there's two definitions that we operate under. One is food insecurity and one is nutrition insecurity. So food insecurity is defined more as the lack of consistent access to enough food, and that's for every person in the household. Sometimes this is a temporary situation. Maybe they had medical bills that month or a one time expense, or it could be a longer lasting period of time in their life. Nutrition insecurity is is kind of where we're heading as a nation to describe access and timeline, just like food insecurity, but also to concentrate on the overall health and well-being of individuals, to live an active, healthy lifestyle. So roughly last year in the £30 million that we distributed, 87% was considered nutritious. We're really working towards that nutrition security goal.
Gaudette: So I know before the pandemic, progress was really being made in reducing food insecurity here in our state. However, can you talk about how COVID-19 impacted that progress?
Hansen: Oh, my goodness. Just like everything else, right? So we saw a dramatic increase in costs. Transportation and food costs went up significantly. Right now, transportation costs are holding steady about 35% higher than they were before the pandemic. So this extends to Idaho families as well, as you know. So we're super grateful for our agriculture and manufacturing food donors and everyone else that has contributed to the food bank. All of that food goes to our 466 partners across the state, including the wonderful WICAP in Caldwell, who offers their monthly distribution to the community. But we're starting to see the numbers change a little bit. We saw a dramatic increase when COVID hit, specifically in 2020. We're starting to see the numbers of people needing food decreasing and we're looking at why is that? What is the change, what's the shift, especially as other expenses continue to hold strong.
Gaudette: So there are so many people that experience food insecurity, but they don't qualify for assistance programs. Right? So what is why is it so important then to to fill that gap? And then how do organizations like WICAP and the Idaho Foodbank help do that?
Hansen: Great question. Yes, some folks don't qualify for social service resources like SNAP or food stamps, as they used to be called. And so it's going and again, in the short term or long term, going to a food pantry, local food pantry, it can really help them offset their expenses. So some food pantries offer government-based programming, which does have an income eligibility. Oftentimes here in Idaho, that's called TFAP or The Emergency Food Assistance Program. But there's also a bunch of donated items that are purchased by our warehouse for pantries to distribute, that does not require income verification. So it's a really great avenue for folks who may be again, in that one-time food insecurity moment or in a long time food security issue.
Gaudette: So I think it's worth pointing out that rural communities experience much higher rates of food insecurity. And people might be surprised by that. But according to the Idaho Foodbank website, 75% of our state's 44 counties are considered rural. So, Jamie, have you seen that need growing in in more of our rural areas areas in particular during the pandemic?
Hansen: It's so fascinating. Yeah. National data, we have about 63% of the United States considered rural and 91% of those counties have the highest rates of overall food insecurity. And like you said, about 75% of Idaho's is labeled rural by our government. But what we see is all of the barriers of infrastructure. So when we think of really healthy, fresh food, it's oftentimes fresh produce, fruits and vegetables. It could even include frozen items, protein, vegetables, again, across the board. We need a diverse diet in order to be healthy. And it takes a lot of infrastructure to house and support in a food safety way. So the Idaho Foodbank has a network of refrigerated trucks that can help deliver these items to rural communities. But the pantries have to have coolers and freezers and square footage to store these items in the long term. Oftentimes, delivery to these rural communities is only once a month, or they may only be able to get down into the Meridian warehouse once a month, or the Pocatello or the Lewiston warehouse once a month. So the infrastructure is extreme, but yet we see the need greater in the rural areas. It's an unfortunate barrier to food access.
Gaudette: If you're just joining us, let me reintroduce our guest. We're talking with Idaho Foodbank director of programs and partnerships, Jamie Hansen. So what are some of the needs that we're seeing in our communities?
Hansen: Sure. I mean, this isn't a surprise to anybody listening or to you, Gemma. Housing, childcare and food costs have continued to rise, and that has a really large impact on folks' wallets right their, their monthly budget. Here in the Treasure Valley, we see our numbers really shifting. So our mobile distributions have maintained their popularity and their access points. That would be Mountain Home, Nampa and Caldwell. And it looks like we're still serving about 500 households at the Caldwell distribution every single month through WICAP. Again, phenomenal partner of the Idaho Foodbank. And that's next Tuesday, April 12th, as you said, Gemma and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints parking lot off of Kimball Avenue there in Caldwell. And how that distribution supports the community is it's a mobile distribution, so folks can drive-through and grab a prebuilt box or select fresh product from the line that would work well for their household. And this is an extremely important aspect because choice is how we ensure food is getting consumed, it's getting used and it's nutritious and what the household needs and wants. So as folks drive through, they're able to grab the items that they're able to use, and they only have to give us a little bit of information, roughly the ages of the households and the number of people in their household and no other information is connected. So that means there's some anonymity. That means that there's less opportunity for potential judgment or speculation, and it's a very comfortable distribution. And so that's one of the ways that we've seen the needs shift, is rather than going into a pantry where folks are shopping, which is an awesome setting, folks are feeling more comfortable, whether that's because of health reasons or exposure to COVID potentially in that drive-thru model.
Gaudette: And why is the distribution site in Caldwell so, so important? And I mean even more important now that it had been closed for a little while?
Hansen: Absolutely. WICAP has done a phenomenal job. Again, my hat is off to them. It is so difficult to find a location that serves the mobile distribution need. And again, 500 households, imagine 500 cars lined up. That is no easy feat. And in a window of time that's fairly narrow. This distribution runs from 11 a.m. until to or when the food runs out. And what they do is they have an opportunity to work directly with individuals and also work for them to other resources. So other pantries in the area that folks may be able to visit, maybe other health resources such as mental health or housing, child care needs. And they also are able to provide services translated into Spanish. So they do have some opportunity to communicate with folks who have Spanish as their first language. And that really increases access for our neighbors as well.
Gaudette: How can people get involved if they're interested in volunteering or donating? Because I also know that that's a big part of the need as well.
Hansen: Absolutely. Oh, my goodness. I can't stress that enough volunteers make this happen. We are really encouraging folks to check out the Idaho Foodbank dot org website. There is a food map locator not only where you can find or share with your friends and family where to find food, but also where you can find local food pantries to volunteer at. And I believe WICAP would be welcoming of any volunteers that would like to help out at the mobile distribution or in their pantries. They have pantries all over Canyon County. If they if folks are unable to volunteer, it is a physical job lifting boxes in and out of of trucks or into coolers or storage units. Of course, donations are always welcome. We say that every dollar counts. A dollar to the Idaho Foodbank can provide enough food for up to four meals. And those meals are distributed again across the state. We have 466 food distribution points in the state of Idaho that we support through the food bank.
Gaudette: Well, I want to thank you so much, Jamie, for coming in and talking to us more in-depth about this. We've been speaking with Jamie Hansen, the Idaho Foodbank director of programs and partnerships about food insecurity in Canyon County. The community collaborative known as WICAP will hold a food distribution next Tuesday in the parking lot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Caldwell from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or until food runs out.
How one woman used Porcupine Caribou to explain climate change in the West
Apr 05, 2022
"There are thousands and thousands of caribou moving in elegant harmony and balance with the swift-moving seasons here in the far north," says Dr. Sara Dant.( Dan Flores)
In 2019, Dr. Sara Dant took a two-week float trip on the Hulahula River north of the Arctic Circle.
Here she realized what wild America once looked like and as thousands of "Porcupine Caribou" flowed around her tent she suddenly knew how to write about climate change in the West.
Gemma Gaudette: More Idaho Matters right now. I'm Gemma Gaudette. In 2019, Dr. Sara Dant took a two-week float trip on the Hulahula River north of the Arctic Circle. And as she stood staring across a huge landscape that has never been touched by cars or cows or buildings, she realized what Wild America once look like and as thousands of porcupine caribou flowed like a river around her tent, she suddenly knew how to write about climate change in the West. Dr. Dant is the Brady presidential distinguished professor and chair of history at Weber State University. She'll be speaking about her trip to the Arctic and about her book, Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West at the City of Boise's Fettuccine Forum this Thursday evening. And she's joining us live now. Welcome to the program.
Dr. Sara Dant: Thank you so much for having me. I'm looking forward to this.
Gemma Gaudette: So, Dr. Dant, where was this trip that you took back in 2019?
Dr. Sara Dant: So we were on a trip in the Arctic, so above the Arctic Circle, right over the solstice, which was equally incredible. And it's kind of on the northern tip of Alaska. And the Brooks Range is one of the northern mountain ranges in Alaska. The Hulahula River, which is the river we were on, flows north out of the Brooks Range, out across the coastal plain to the Beaufort Sea, literally the last edge of North America before you get to the pole. So that's where we were.
Gemma Gaudette: Okay. Can we stop for a minute? Because I am so curious to know how the Hulahula river got its name.
Dr. Sara Dant: Well, indeed. I mean, that's that's a great story when you're up in Alaska and you're talking about the Hulahula. But.
Gemma Gaudette: Yeah.
Dr. Sara Dant: It's not a surprise, actually. It was Hawaiian whalers who had followed whale hunting over to the Beaufort Sea, which is where a lot of whales go to fatten up. And they put on a lot of their blubber there. And so these whalers from Hawaii were there. They saw the river. They explored it a little bit and they named it the Hulahula.
Gemma Gaudette: So describe the landscape on this trip, because you were looking at thousands of acres where, I mean, literally there's been no evidence of human beings.
Dr. Sara Dant: It was it was a great privilege of my life, I think, to to have this experience. And so we we started actually the headwaters are pretty close of the Hulahula are pretty close up in the Brooks Range. So we actually start in the foothills of the Brooks Range. And then it was a 12-day float trip on the river. And about the halfway point or so we flushed out of the mountains and out onto this vast coastal plain where you can see for scores of miles in every direction, basically until you you can't see any farther because of mist or the curvature of the earth. And and so, yeah, it was this astonishing sort of juxtaposition of jagged, gorgeous peaks and then this coastal plain that just spread out until you felt like almost literally at the end of the earth was to the north.
Gemma Gaudette: So you've called the porcupine caribou the life force in that area. What was it like when they started flowing around your tent?
Dr. Sara Dant: You know, the the porcupine caribou migration, it's a 1500 mile annual circuit that they make every year. And they come out of the mountains and they flow out onto the coastal plain because they need to drop their calves. And the reason they do that is because they need to get away from the wolves that are in the mountains that that also have young to feed. And so it's a it's this very ancient ritual that all of this ecosystem has developed over time, so that everyone gets to do what's necessary to advance their species in the time that's allotted to them. And so, I mean, literally, there's there's tens of thousands of them flowing out of the mountains, along the river corridors. They their ankles make this interesting clicking sound as they go past. So, I mean, that was one of the ways I knew in the middle of the, I'm going to use the word night, but there's no such thing at the solstice above the Arctic Circle. But at some point when I was trying to sleep because it was quote-unquote night, I could hear this this clicking and chuffing and huffing and unzip the door of the tent. And there they were, just moving past grazing, walking. It was unbelievable.
Gemma Gaudette: Let me reintroduce you for folks who are just joining us. We're talking with Dr. Sarah Dant. She is chair of history at Weber State University. She'll be talking about climate change in the West this coming Thursday at Boise's Fettuccine Forum. So how did you go from watching these porcupine caribou migrate to writing a chapter on climate change in your book, which is called Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West?
Dr. Sara Dant: For me, it was a chance to think about the West that there once was this this vast landscape teeming with with life and with possibility. And in some ways, the last frontier of Alaska is what primal America must have once been. And so as I was watching this caribou migration, these ancient patterns, I was also really keenly aware that all of this is in flux because of climate change. And we had the privilege before we started the trip. We flew into Arctic Village, which has an entire population of 152 people. And one of the people one of the one of the 152 is this incredible woman named Sarah James. She is a Gwich'in tribal elder, and she has long been an advocate for the caribou and her people who are called, the Gwich'in's are what that means is basically caribou people. And she was talking about the kinds of climate change and development threats that were facing her people, their land and the caribou. And I couldn't help but see the strong parallels between many of the challenges she was describing here in what seemed to be so far remote north, where we're not that dissimilar really from what we're facing in the west today. So it was kind of this, aha, here's how I here's here's how I can get at this idea in the West.
Gemma Gaudette: So your book also covers you cover numerous topics, including the environmental legacy of Idaho Senator Frank Church. Can you talk just a little bit about that chapter and why it was important to put that in the book?
Dr. Sara Dant: To me, Frank Church is one of those remarkable individuals who manages to make a difference. And any time I can find an example for class or for talks or even for my own personal experience of of how one person really does matter and how one person really can make a difference. I like to feature that if I can. I think of Rachel Carson, for example, or Aldo Leopold and Frank Churches is right in there. And the thing that's striking to me is that a lot of people don't know this about Frank Church. His environmental legacy is really powerful. And yet to me, what's as powerful about Church's legacy is not just what he got accomplished: Wilderness Act, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Land and Water Conservation Fund and on and on, but also the way in which he went about doing it. Church was all about consensus. Let's find the middle 80% and let's work together cooperatively to find the common ground that can lead us all forward. And I just feel like that's an incredibly powerful model.
Gemma Gaudette: Before I let you go, one of the things that you'll be talking about at Boise's Fettuccini Forum is how to balance the environment and the economy. I mean, can we really do that?
Dr. Sara Dant: I absolutely think so. And this idea of sustainability is exactly that. It's not that we aren't going to continue to use resources. We are. But we have to realize that we need to do so responsibly and that there are ways that our species can coexist with all of the other species on the planet in a way that is beneficial for all. I really do think that a healthy economy is a healthy environment, and a healthy environment brings a healthy economy.
Gemma Gaudette: Well, I want to thank you so much for the really interesting conversation. We've been talking with Dr. Sara Dant. She is the Brady presidential distinguished professor and she is chair of history at Weber State University. She will be speaking about climate change and her trip to the Arctic at the City of Boise's Free Fettuccini forum this Thursday night. Thank you so much for the conversation.
Dr. Sara Dant: Thank you. It's my pleasure.
Gemma Gaudette: Absolutely. Up next, we find out why so many people are quitting their jobs.
How one woman used Porcupine Caribou to explain climate change in the West
Apr 05, 2022
"There are thousands and thousands of caribou moving in elegant harmony and balance with the swift-moving seasons here in the far north," says Dr. Sara Dant.( Dan Flores)
In 2019, Dr. Sara Dant took a two-week float trip on the Hulahula River north of the Arctic Circle.
Here she realized what wild America once looked like and as thousands of "Porcupine Caribou" flowed around her tent she suddenly knew how to write about climate change in the west.
She will be speaking about her trip and her book, "Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West, at the city of Boise's Fettuccine Forum on Thursday night.
Week of the Young Child
Apr 05, 2022
Group of kindergarten kids friends arm around sitting and smiling fun(Rawpixel.com - stock.adobe.com / 157478360)
The value of early childhood education continues to be debated here in Idaho. Research is showing that it's more than only preparing for a child for primary school. It aims to develop a child's social, emotional, cognitive and physical needs so a solid foundation can be built for lifelong learning and well being. Today we're joined by Beth Oppenheimer and Shearlynn Bauder with the Idaho Association for the Education of young children to talk more about the Week of the Young Child.
A new book called, "Generation Sleepless", uncovers one of the biggest threats to our teens physical and mental health...sleep deprivation. One of the authors, Heather Turgeon, is here to talk more about what's impacting our kids sleep and what we can do to help them get better rest.
A deep dive into the 2022 Idaho legislative session
Apr 04, 2022
Idaho Statehouse(Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio)
The 2022 Idaho Legislature officially ended last week after three months in Boise. Today we are taking a deep dive into what did and didn't get done in this year's session. We're talking with three reporters who covered the action closely, Betsy Russell, the Boise bureau chief at the Idaho Press and the voice of the eye on Boise Blog, Margaret Carmel, senior reporter with Boisedev.com and our own James Dawson from Boise State Public Radio News.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 1, 2022
Apr 01, 2022
Idaho Senate(Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio)
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers talks about his new book
Mar 31, 2022
(W.W. Norton & Company)
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers' new novel, "Bewilderment", looks at climate change and animal extinction through the eyes of a widowed father and his nine-year-old son. Powers is coming to the Egyptian Theater in Boise on April 18th as part of The Cabin's Readings and Conversations Series and he joins Gemma now.
How Idaho small businesses are recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic
Mar 31, 2022
Michael Fong, Region X Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration( U.S. Small Business Association)
The new regional head of the U.S. Small Business Administration has been traveling around the Pacific Northwest listening to small business owners to find out what teir struggling with during the pandemic recovery. Mike Fong is in Boise today to hear from women business owners and others.
Looking at Idaho's new abortion law, and the lawsuit against it, from a legal perspective
Mar 31, 2022
Idaho's new abortion law is facing a lawsuit. Wednesday, Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, filed a petition in Idaho Supreme Court to block the law which is set to go into effect April 22nd. The Idaho Legislation bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before most women are aware they're pregnant. It also allows family members of what the law calls a "preborn child" to sue the abortion provider. University of Idaho law professor Shaakirah Sanders is here to talk about the law as well as the lawsuit.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 30, 2022
Mar 30, 2022
(Diverse Stock Photos / Flickr)
From the rapidly spreading BA.2 variant to approval for a second booster, there’s a lot to talk about on Idaho Matters with our medical experts.
Joining Idaho Matters today are:
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the state's COVID-19 task force
Copyright 2022 Boise State Public Radio
The Art & Soul of Idaho's Magic Valley
Mar 29, 2022
This quilt by Deana Steele was the 2020 Grand Prize Winner in the Art & Soul of the Magic Valley Festival and Contest.(Art & Soul of the Magic Valley)
There are only a few days left to enter the 12th Annual "Art and Soul of the Magic Valley" art festival. This festival is a little different from most because any artist from anywhere in the world can enter. Joining us are Melissa Crane, the executive director of the Magic Valley Arts Council and Art Hoag, who helped create the festival.
How Nampa came together to help kids and community during COVID-19
Mar 29, 2022
(ortolina/Flickr)
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of tragedy and turmoil dominated by stories of death, anger and fear. But at times that uncertainty and confusion caused some people to pull together to solve the problems that the coronavirus created. We wanted to tell one of those stories so we asked Amy Bowman with the Nampa mayor's office, Mitch Minnette, CEO of the Nampa Chamber of Commerce and Mari Ramos, the director of operations at the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to help us.
Mexican printmaking and political discourse in Sun Valley
Mar 29, 2022
For generations, artists in Mexico have used printmaking as a way to share news and political opinions as well as to celebrate cultural traditions. The Sun Valley Museum of Art is opening a new exhibit on Friday called "The Mexican Graphic Tradition: Printmaking and the Political". Joining us are Courtney Gilbert, Sun Valley Museum of Art curator of visual arts and artist Christie Tirado.
Idaho lacks the doctors it needs to keep up with growing Alzheimer's trend
Mar 29, 2022
Adrean Cavener, Executive Director of the Greater Idaho Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association(Bell Photography)
This segment we'll break down some of the numbers from a new report by the Alzheimer's Association and talk about what they mean for people and their families affected by the disease. Our guest is Adrean Cavener, the executive director of the Greater Idaho Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
Money tips for 2022
Mar 29, 2022
(NY times)
With rising interest rates, inflation and high gas prices many folks are nervous about finances as we head into the second quarter of 2022. Jason Norris with Ferguson Wellman will walk us through what we need to know.
Idaho musician Charlie Sutton talks about his new album Trout Takes
Mar 29, 2022
(Dark Aperture Photography)
Idaho musician Charlie Sutton tackles the theme of fishing and fish with his new album "Trout Takes". It features everything from the peace that comes with fishing to a song that's sung from a trout's perspective. Charlie joins Gemma to talk about his new collection of songs.
An update from Reclaim Idaho on their education ballot initiative
Mar 28, 2022
Reclaim Idaho Volunteer Coordinator Sam Sandmire talks to a potential petition signer in Wallace, Idaho.(Luke Mayville, Reclaim Idaho Co-founder)
Reclaim Idaho has just over a month to collect enough signatures to get their "Quality Education Act" initiative on the ballot. Their goal is to pass the initiative which would raise taxes for some tax brackets and invest that money into the state's K-12 education system. Luke Mayville, co-founder of Reclaim Idaho and Sam Sandmire, the volunteer organizer for the group, join Gemma to talk more about their efforts.
Lawmakers approve raises, bonuses, and better benefits for Idaho's teachers
Mar 28, 2022
Idaho Statehouse(Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio)
The Idaho legislature made big investments this year in the state's K-12 education system. They approved an eleven percent increase to the K-12 budget, bumping it up to $2.3 billion dollars. Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News, has an update on where that money will go.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 25, 2022
Mar 25, 2022
Idaho Matters chats with award-winning author Dr. Rita Woods
Mar 24, 2022
Dr. Rita Woods won the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction last year for her novel "Remembrance." NPR called the book "A complex story of loss and survival told across 200 years by four women, united by the color of their skin." Dr. Woods is coming to Storyfort in downtown Boise this week. She talked earlier with host Gemma Gaudette.
Telling the story of 50 inspiring Latinas shaping Idaho and the next generation
Mar 24, 2022
Two women are working on a new book that will profile 50 inspiring latinas who are shaping Idaho and the next generation. Maria Gonzalez Cardenas and Emily Wakild, a professor of history at Boise State University are creating the new book and join Samantha Wright now.
Telling the story of 50 inspiring Latinas shaping Idaho and the next generation
Mar 24, 2022
Two women are working on a new book that will profile 50 inspiring latinas who are shaping Idaho and the next generation. Maria Gonzalez Cardenas and Emily Wakild, a professor of history at Boise State University are creating the new book and join Samantha Wright now.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 18, 2022
Mar 18, 2022
Nonprofit works with landlords to help Idaho families find permanent housing
Mar 17, 2022
Affordable housing is a crisis in Idaho and it's also the greatest barrier to housing people who are experiencing homelessness. However, one local organization, Catch, has had some success. Here to talk more about that are Stephanie Day, executive director of Catch and Caleb Roope with the Pacific Companies, who makes home a possibility for families.
Shelter dogs from Louisiana head to Boise to find new homes
Mar 17, 2022
Liam and Ettie came to Boise on the last “Flight to Freedom” by Greater Good Charities.(Ellie Snyder/Greater Good Charities)
More than 40 at-risk shelter dogs from shelters in Louisiana boarded a plane this morning and started their flight to new homes in Boise.
When they land they'll head to the Idaho Humane Society and will soon be up for adoption. The non-profit group "Greater Good Charities" put this "Flight to Freedom" together and we're joined by their chief marketing officer Noah Horton.
Idaho Matters previews the Sun Valley Film Festival
Mar 17, 2022
(Sun Valley Film Festival)
Today Idaho Matters takes a closer look at this year's Sun Valley Film Festival. Woody Harrelson and Amy Poehler are on the list to be honored by the festival. Our resident film critic and Morning Edition host George Prentice joins us for a preview.
Our Oscar picks from Idaho Matters movie reviewer George Prentice
Mar 17, 2022
(rocor/Flickr)
It's almost time for this year's Oscars and our movie expert George Prentice is back with his picks for some of the top awards.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 16, 2022
Mar 16, 2022
A COVID-19 rapid test.(Diverse Stock Photos / Flickr)
It's been more than two years since the pandemic began and we wanted to take a look back and look ahead - to the surge overseas of a new variant.
And we talk about a protest Tuesday that caused a lockdown at St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise.
Today Gemma talks to Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke’s Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force.
A new lawsuit could kick tents off Idaho Capitol Annex
Mar 16, 2022
( George Prentice)
Calling it a public health hazard, Governor Brad Little filed a lawsuit Tuesday over a tent encampment next to the Idaho Statehouse.
The cluster of tents and protesters gathered on the lawn of the Idaho Capitol Annex in January to protest rising home and rental prices.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk about the protest, and the lawsuit, is Boise State Public Radio reporter James Dawson.
Authors, poets, journalists and podcasters converge on downtown Boise for Storyfort
Mar 15, 2022
Carissa Wolf(Carissa Wolf)
The Treefort Music Festival starts next week in downtown Boise and alongside all the bands and music, festival-goers will hear from authors, journalists and podcasters at Storyfort. Joining us now is Christian Winn, the organizer of Storyfort and one of this year's storytellers, Carissa Wolf, a lecturer in the Boise State Sociology Department who also co-directs the Idaho Media Initiative.
Potatoes move over! Hops are a growing business in Idaho
Mar 15, 2022
Workers prepping hop fields at Gooding Farm in Parma for the 2022 growing season.(Gooding Farms)
Idaho farms produce the second-most hops in the country - now 16% of domestic production - more than four times what Idaho produced in 2012. Joining us to talk about the business of hops and beer are Diane Gooding from Gooding Farms in Parma, Jeff Alworth, author and journalist who runs the Beervana Blog and Stan Hieronymus, journalist and author of "For the Love of Hops".
How Daylight Savings Time affects Idahoans
Mar 15, 2022
(caren_ep Flickr)
Daylight Savings Time has arrived again. The twice-a-year clock change can be a grueling adjustment affecting sleep, productivity and even safety. Dr. Karin Johnson is a sleep medicine specialist and asn associate professor of Neurology at U-Mass Chan Medical School Baystate. She looks at how "springing forward" can affect your health and has some tips to make the switch a little easier.
The ramifications of HB675: A look into transgender care for minors
Mar 15, 2022
( Diverse Stock Photos/Flickr)
Over the last few years there's been a growing political tide threatening to take away gender affirming healthcare for minors...including the advancement of House Bill 675 here in Idaho. Joining Idaho Matters are two licensed professional therapists, Jamie Lange-LPC and Dianne Piggott, along with Shannon Mclean, mother of a trans child and Shauna Jones, also the mother of a trans child and Chelsea Gaona-Lincoln, the Idaho Programs Manager, Legal voices and Dr Jeffrey Pennings, a family medicine physician.
Exploring the visual vocabulary of Idaho artist James Castle
Mar 14, 2022
There's a new exhibit of Idaho artist James Castle called "Ways of Knowing" at the James Castle House Museum. Joining Gemma today are Andrea Merrell, the collection manager for the James Castle Collection and Archive and Kristin Hill, cultural sites program coordinator with Boise's Arts & History Department.
Lessons learned after two years of COVID-19 in Idaho
Mar 14, 2022
Dr. David Peterman, CEO of Primary Health Medical Group(Primary Health Medical Group)
As the Chief Executive Officer of Primary Health Medical Group, Dr. David Peterman is on a mission to change the way we react to the next pandemic. He talks with Gemma Gaudette about his thoughts on what went wrong with the process.
A study of sagebrush in the Boise Foothills could help preserve the plant across the West
Mar 14, 2022
Boise State EPSCoR GEM3 project, Bittleston Lab group field work in Dry Creek collecting sagebrush, photo by Priscilla Grover(Priscilla Grover/Boise State University)
Sagebrush is on the decline in the west including Idaho, thanks in part to wildfires and loss of habitat.
Leonora Bittleston is an assistant professor in the department of biological sciences at Boise State University and she's studying the bacteria and other microscopic "bugs" that live on the leaves of the sagebrush plants in the Boise foothills. She's here to talk with Gemma about the study.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 11, 2022
Mar 11, 2022
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: March 9, 2022
Mar 09, 2022
(biologycorner / Flickr)
From long COVID to the BA.2 variant, there's a lot to talk about on Idaho Matters with our medical experts. We take a deep dive into the symptoms of long COVID and a new study that shows damage in brain scans of people who had a mild case of COVID-19.
Joining Idaho Matters today are:
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the state's COVID-19 task force
Dr. Ryan Williams, the medical director for Direct Covid Care, a monoclonal antibody clinic in Boise. He’s also a hospitalist at Saint Alphonsus in Boise and manages several skilled nursing facilities throughout the Treasure Valley
Everything you didn’t know about Boise’s winged residents: Canada geese!
Mar 08, 2022
( Boise State Public Radio)
If you've gone by any park, golf course or pond in Boise you've seen them: Canada geese are everywhere. Honking, sometimes hissing, walking down the Greenbelt and yes .... pooping.
Idaho does see four different types of geese, most commonly the Canada goose, which is both a migratory and a resident species here in Boise. Canada Geese tend to migrate twice a year, in September or October to avoid the cold and back to the breeding sites in April, May or early June.
Snow geese also make their way through Boise on the migratory journey, either coming south or heading north. You can usually see them near the Snake River, according to Victoria Runnoe with Idaho Fish and Game and the MK Nature Center.
We also see greater white-fronted geese and Ross's geese.
Year-round geese in Boise
But back to Canada geese. Here in Boise, we have pretty much planted the welcome mat with all the grass in our area, as Canada geese are grazers.
"So your soccer fields, and our parks and backyards and green spaces are pretty much a buffet," said Runnoe. "And they allow these resident geese to just hang out. They've got the habitat, the food, water and shelter in a specie that they need to survive. And so why leave?"
(Boise State Public Radio )
While they do eat grass, Canada geese do not have teeth. All members of the waterfowl family have serrated edges on their bills, called lamellae. The lamellae helps geese to pluck the grass and other plants to pull them up.
How geese fly
When geese do fly, you notice that they fly in a V shape as an energy saving maneuver. Runnoe said Canada geese can migrate 1,500 miles in 24 hours, so the more energy they can save, the better. In the V formation, the goose in front has air spiraling off the wingtips, creating a tip vortex that makes a little bit of lift for the bird behind it.
"So each bird behind the leader of that flock benefits by the tip vortexes from the birds in front of it," said Runnoe. "They can save 20 to 30% of their energy by flying that way."
The geese do shift positions so everybody gets a turn being the leader. They also beat their wings exactly the same, allowing them to take advantage of that tip vortex.
Goose poop
Everybody and everything poops ... especially geese. If you've walked down the Boise River Greenbelt, you know this as fact.
Canada geese can produce about a pound of poop a day. Runnoe says this is because the grass passes through their system quite quickly.
( Boise State Public Radio)
With an increased number of resident geese and the added migratory population, this can lead to an increased amount of poop during certain times of the year.
Geese protections
The Canada goose is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. The act does allow for the legal harvest of geese, but it's hit or miss on if you will like the taste of goose or not.
You should also try and move away from geese, especially if you notice it is nesting or has babies nearby. They will hiss and sometimes chase you if you get too close, but it is a protective thing, said Runnoe.
And if you notice a goose is injured, Idaho Fish and Game recommends you call Animals in Distress, a local nonprofit that helps injured wildlife recover.
BSU scientists record the Hunga Tonga eruption in Stanley, Idaho!
Mar 08, 2022
Work in cryoscience requires accessing remote field sites in winter. Zach (middle) visits his instruments with skis.(Boise State University)
Earlier this year, Boise State PhD geophysics student Zach Keskinen was studying very low frequency sounds up at Banner Summit not far from Stanley. As part of his research…he buried special microphones in the snowpack to record the sounds of things like avalanches. It just so happens those mics also captured the sound made by an erupting underwater volcano in the island nation of Tonga. Zach joins Samatha Wright along with Volcanologist Dr. Jeffrey Johnson…who co-operates BSU’s infrasound lab…and spends his time studying volcanoes to talk about their experience.
Helping Treasure Valley families keep a roof over their heads
Mar 07, 2022
(Ashley Brown / Flickr)
Last year, the non-profit group Jesse Tree helped 668 families at risk of losing their homes and that's more than double the number they were able to help in 2020. They have a 95% success rate when it comes to keeping the folks they help in housing. Ali Rabe is here to talk more about the dramatic growth of the organization.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: March 4, 2022
Mar 04, 2022
Why the Oscars are boring and red pandas: What to Watch on Idaho Matters
Mar 03, 2022
No, not this red panda. We’re talking about Pixar’s new movie “Turning Red.”(Mathias Appel / flickr)
March is the month for the Oscars and this year's ceremony is set for Sunday, March 27. According to our resident movie expert & Morning Edition host George Prentice, this year's broadcast will be dramatically different.
Homelessness, Ukraine, compassion; Idaho faith leaders talk about matters of faith
Mar 03, 2022
(Interfaith Sanctuary / Facebook)
Next month the Boise City Council will decide whether Interfaith Sanctuary can move from downtown Boise to a new building on State Street. A group of 39 clergy and lay leaders of faith from around the Treasure Valley have written a letter in support of Interfaith's move. Today we've invited three of those leaders to join us to talk about homelessness in the Treasure Valley along with the impact of COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and about matters of faith.
CDC, face masks, kid vaccines, and long COVID - answering your questions on the Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable
Mar 02, 2022
(Diverse Stock Photos/Flickr)
From new CDC mask guidelines to the efficacy of a COVID-19 vaccine, there’s a lot to talk about on Idaho Matters with our medical experts.
Joining Idaho Matters today are:
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the state's COVID-19 task force
Dr. Ryan Williams, the medical director for Direct Covid Care, a monoclonal antibody clinic in Boise. He’s also a hospitalist at Saint Alphonsus in Boise and manages several skilled nursing facilities throughout the Treasure Valley
Idaho’s first Flyball team, the Boise FlyDogs, is looking for more dogs and their humans
Mar 02, 2022
Idaho is well-known as a dog-loving state, in fact we’re consistently listed as one of the most dog-friendly states in the country. So when Jody Metcalf moved to Boise from Alaska she was surprised that there were no “flyball” teams in Idaho.
What is flyball? It's a dog sport where two teams of dogs relay race against each other while holding a tennis ball and jumping over obstacles!
Jody decided to start up an Idaho team because she says it’s a great way to bond with your dog, meet new people, and have a lot of fun!
Joining Idaho Matters are Jody Metcalf, the founder of the “Boise Flydogs” team and her dog “Ivy.”
100 years of mining in Idaho's Silver Valley
Mar 01, 2022
Dr. Bradley Snow spent 10 years researching the history of mining in the Silver Valley. He's a teaching professor in Montana State University's Department of History & Philosophy. He'll be talking about that history at the City of Boise's Fettuccine Forum on Thursday and he joins Idaho Matters to talk about the economic and environmental effects 100 years of mining and smelting has had on towns like Wallace and Kellogg.
University of Idaho tries to keep bacteria off the International Space Station
Feb 28, 2022
(University of Idaho)
An experiment by students at J. Russell Elementary School in Moscow has become a research project at the University of Idaho that was sent into space. It could one day help astronauts on the International Space Station. Joining Gemma to talk about the experiment is Dr. Matt Bernards, an associate professor in Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of Idaho and Director of the Nasa Idaho Space Grant Consortium.
Fleeing Kyiv - Idaho Matters tells one man's story
Feb 25, 2022
Snow covers Kyiv's city center in December.(Efrem Lukatsky / AP)
Reuters is reporting that 100,000 Ukrainians have fled their homes after Russia's invasion started on Wednesday night.
While some are leaving the country, most of them are staying and trying to find any safe space away from the fighting.
That’s exactly what happened to Eugene. He’s 30-years-old, works for an app company, and had to flee his home in Kyiv Wednesday night.
Idaho Matters senior producer Samantha Wright got the chance to talk to Eugene Thursday night about what he’s seeing in Ukraine.
Hope and help for caregivers in Idaho
Feb 25, 2022
( Creative Commons CC0)
Right now in Idaho tens of thousands of people are caring for a loved one who cannot care for themselves. The Idaho Caregiver Alliance estimates one in four Idahoans are taking care of a parent, grandparent, child, spouse, or other member of their family.
It can be a heavy burden and caregivers often struggle to find the resources they need.
Joining Idaho Matters are Dr. Sarah Toevs, the director of the Center for the Study of Aging at Boise State, Destinie Triplett, the director of community partnerships with the Idaho Caregiver Alliance and Adrian Rodriguez, a public health major at Boise State and a past caregiver.
University of Idaho experts weigh in on Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Feb 24, 2022
A Ukraine army soldier walks in the town of Schastia, near the eastern Ukraine city of Lugansk a day after Russia recognised east Ukraine's separatist republics and ordered the Russian army to send troops there as "peacekeepers."
Overnight, Russian military forces and Russian-backed separatists invaded Ukraine using planes, missiles, helicopters and troops.
Russian president Vladimir Putin authorized the military action which is coming from Ukraine's eastern, northern, and southern borders.
Joining Idaho Matters are Florian Justwan, an associate professor of political science at the University of Idaho and Erin Kimball Damman, a clinical assistant professor for the International Studies Program at the U of I.
On Feb. 24 they will join other U of I faculty members at 5p.m. for a virtual panel discussion about the causes and consequences of the war in Ukraine.
Face masks, vaccine boosters, COVID-19 and heart issues - answering your questions on the Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable
Feb 23, 2022
(Pordee_Aomboon / Shutterstock)
Friday, February 25 will mark two years to the day that health officials with the CDC said the coronavirus was heading towards pandemic status, as it had already met two of the three criteria needed to be considered a pandemic. The required factors were illness resulting in death, sustained person-to-person spread, and worldwide spread.
Joining Idaho Matters to talk more about where we are almost two years into this pandemic are:
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the state's COVID-19 task force
Dr. Laura McGeorge, St. Luke’s System Medical Director, Primary Care
The Power of Regret: A conversation with NYT bestselling author Daniel Pink
Feb 22, 2022
(DanPink.com)
Gemma talks with New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink about his latest book,"The Power Of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: Feb. 18, 2022
Feb 18, 2022
Idaho Senate(Samantha Wright / Boise State Public Radio)
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. Our journalist panel today:
Olympics, Oscars and a new Law and Order: What to Watch this weekend
Feb 17, 2022
(Ed Stevenson / Flickr)
As we head into the weekend our very own George Prentice is here to talk about what to watch on tv and in the theater.
Filmed By Bike Back in Boise
Feb 17, 2022
(Filmed By Bike Festival)
For the sixth year in a row, "Filmed By Bike", is back for a stop in Boise. This film festival showcases all things bicycle related. Nina Schaeffer, development and communication specialist for the Idaho Walk Bike Alliance and Ayleen Crotty, Filmed By Bike Festival Director, talk with host Gemma Gaudette.
Restoring sagebrush at Boise’s Military Reserve Park
Feb 17, 2022
BSU's Megan Cattau and her students planted 500 sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings in Boise's Military Reserve Park.(Megan Cattau)
Last April, we told you about a project in the Boise Foothills to change some trails into bike paths and others into one-way walking trails. In the Military Park Reserve, one trail was split, with one path for downhill biking and the other for walkers.
An assistant professor at Boise State and the students in her Service-Learning designated class decided to plant seedlings along the two trails as part of an experiment to find the best ways to restore native species.
Megan Cattau, who teaches human-environment systems and Martha Brabec, a foothills restoration specialist for the city of Boise, join Idaho Matters to talk about the project.
Ada County landfill switches to renewable natural gas
Feb 17, 2022
(Ada County Landfill Facebook Page)
The Ada County landfill works hard to make itself as "green" as possible. A new project will make the process cleaner while reducing greenhouse gas emissions & making more money to keep the landfill going. Ada County Commissioners Rod Beck and Kendra Kenyon are here to talk more about it.
Idaho deactivates crisis standards of care but Omicron still spreading rapidly
Feb 16, 2022
St. Alphonsus uses Wandervans like this one as mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinics to visit churches, schools, and community centers throughout southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon. The retrofitted vans include refrigeration to keep vaccines cold while traveling.(Saint Alphonsus Health System)
Crisis standards of care have once again been deactivated in Idaho. As of Tuesday, Idaho Health and Welfare officials said the omicron wave is starting to slow, but hospitals are still facing large numbers of severely ill patients.
Joining Idaho Matters are Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke’s Health System and a current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force and Dr. Casi Wyatt, an infectious diseases physician with training in epidemiology, who works at Sawtooth Epidemiology & Infectious Diseases and is a partner with St. Alphonsus Health System.
A new investigation into a $3.5M state contract reveals some unsettling facts
Feb 16, 2022
Idaho Education News is investigating a $3.5 million dollar state contract to create a "data dashboard" so parents and teachers could see everything from how their kids are doing in school to how the pandemic has effected their education. But the dashboard isn't up and Governor Brad Little's point person for the project has left his state job to work for the company building the new site. Idaho Ed News senior reporter Kevin Richert joins us to talk more about this story.
The growing rise in the use of fentanyl is putting a strain on Idaho’s crime lab
Feb 15, 2022
As the region's population grows, so does the amount of drugs coming through the gem state and that includes the dangerous drug fentanyl. Madelyn Beck has been reporting on this story and shares how this is straining crime labs in states like Idaho.
Five Idahoans join the Utah Wild professional ultimate frisbee team
Feb 15, 2022
Dr. Sarah Staller from Boise is #24 on the professional ultimate frisbee team Utah Wild(William Brody Brotman/Ultiphotos)
Five Idaho players made the team this season and their first game is March 11 in Arizona.
Imagine combining football, soccer, and … frisbees. It's called ultimate frisbee and Idaho is part of a team that plays across the Mountain West.
Idaho is part of team “Utah Wild” and its mission is to “advance visibility, equity, and high-quality competition for women and non-binary players within the sport.” They also have a whole lot of fun playing the game.
Joining Idaho Matters are Leah Smith, one of the co-founders of the “Utah Wild” and Dr. Sarah Staller, who when she isn’t delivering babies in Boise, is player number 24 on the team!
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: Feb. 11, 2022
Feb 11, 2022
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. Our journalist panel today:
Is it time to make masks optional in schools? One Idaho pediatrician weighs in
Feb 10, 2022
( Photo Courtesy Primary Health)
Is it time to make masks optional in schools? It’s a question being debated around the country, especially in areas where omicron has already peaked.
In Idaho, masking in schools has at times been a divisive issue among parents and was even debated in the legislature this week.
Idaho Matters talks about this with Dr. Peterman, the CEO of Primary Health Medical Group. He’s also a pediatrician and wants to dispel some myths about kids and masks.
Treefort Music Fest aims to balance fun with COVID safety for 10th year in Boise
Feb 10, 2022
(Matthew Wordell / Treefort Music Fest/Twitter)
Treefort Music Fest is returning to its regular March timeslot this year. After the pandemic disrupted the event in 2020 and 2021, organizers are hoping for a smooth event this spring — but with added COVID-19 precautions in place.
The 5-day festival begins March 23 and will take place at both indoor and outdoor venues around downtown boise. Idaho Matters learns more from Festival Director Eric Gilbert.
Variants, masks mandates, boosters: Idaho doctors answer more questions about omicron
Feb 09, 2022
Doctors and nurses mask up to treat COVID-19 patients at St. Luke's Health System in Boise.( St. Luke's Health System)
As parts of Idaho continue to be under crisis standards of care and the state's test positivity rate is at 34%, could we be seeing a decrease in the current surge?
Idaho Matters looks at this question and more from listeners with former St. Luke's Health System CEO Dr. David Pate and Dr. Kenny Bramwell who is the System Medical Director for St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital.
How the latest pandemic deployment is affecting members of the Idaho National Guard
Feb 08, 2022
(Crystal Farris/Idaho Army National Guard / Digital)
On January 31, Governor Brad Little deployed the Idaho National Guard for the third time in this pandemic. This time the guard is supporting Primary Health Medical Clinic locations in the Treasure Valley, and the Idaho Department of Corrections.
Idaho Matters talks with Boise State Public host and reporter Troy Oppie to learn more about what Guard members have experienced during their work in the community.
A look at Boise's plan for more bike and walking paths
Feb 08, 2022
( City of Boise)
Last week the Boise City Council unanimously approved the Pathways Masterplan. According to the proposed plan, once finished more than 75% of Boise residents will live within half a mile of a pathway. Proponents argue this will make it easier — and safer — for more people to get to work, school and grocery stores.
Idaho Matters talks with Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and City Council Member Jimmy Halliburton about this new plan.
During the Great Resignation in Idaho, a social psychologist helps us cope with difficult coworkers
Feb 08, 2022
(Penguin Books)
Office work has changed dramatically during the pandemic. One thing that hasn’t changed? Dealing with difficult coworkers.
Idaho Matters talks with social psychologist Tess West about in her new book "Jerks Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do about Them."
A new collaboration helps Idaho renters at risk of eviction stay in their homes
Feb 07, 2022
( Creative Commons 2.0, 3.0, Shutterstock)
Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the skyrocketing cost of rent in the Treasure Valley, more and more people are facing eviction and homelessness.
Last year there were nearly 900 eviction hearings in the valley and 2,500 people were left without a place to live.
In an effort to help those at risk of eviction in Idaho, a new collaboration has emerged. With the help of a roughly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Idaho Legal Aid, Jesse Tree and other groups are working together to help stop evictions and housing insecurity in the Mountain West.
Idaho Matters learns more about this new effort from Sunrise Ayers, Deputy Director of Idaho Legal Aid and Ali Rabe who is the executive director of Jesse Tree.
Getting rid of old racist language in Idaho housing deeds
Feb 07, 2022
The first known deed containing a covenant in the Twin Cities, May 26, 1910. The passage containing the covenant is highlighted.(Minnesota Historical Society / Hennepin County Recorder's Office)
A new bill working its way through the Idaho legislature would let homeowners get rid of discriminatory and racist language on their housing deeds. Despite the fact that these race-based covenants have been illegal for decades they still pop up in older documents, usually when someone is buying a home.
Idaho Matters learns about the history of these covenants and an update on the bill stands from Idaho Press reporter Alexandra Duggan.
'Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?' author talks with Idaho Matters
Feb 07, 2022
( Penguin Books)
Idaho Matters talks with author Lizzie Damilola Blackburn whose new novel "Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?" tells the story of a Nigerian British woman living in London. Along the way the protagonist grapples with society’s standards of beauty and colorism, along with the and the ever-present pressure for women to settle down.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: Feb. 4, 2022
Feb 04, 2022
(Charlie Litchfield / AP)
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. Our journalist panel today:
Idaho Matters on what to watch from the Oscars to the Olympics
Feb 03, 2022
United States players celebrate after a win over Finland in a preliminary round women's hockey game at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)(Petr David Josek/AP / AP)
With the cold snap of winter still upon us, you may be looking for new films and TV to fill up your evenings. Idaho Matters has new recommendations from our resident critic George Prentice to give us fresh recommendations this month.
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