Idaho Matters

(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 th...

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...

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...

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 ther...

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...

Downtown Boise ( Kelsey Thomson) 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 enhanc...

(woodleywonderworks / Flickr) Kids are heading back to school just in time for rising concerns about COVID-19 , Boise State University is ramping up its mental health services , another wrinkle in former state Rep. Aaron Von Ehlinger's rape conviction , the Department of Justice is suing Idaho over the states abortion ban and folks behind Wylder and Certified continue expanding . It’s Friday - whi...

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.

(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 b...

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 gover...

(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.

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...

(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 case...

( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP)) The Monkeypox outbreak has caused the World Health Organization to label it a ' public health emergency of international concern .' New York, California and Illinois have declared states of emergency over the virus and t...

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 o...

(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 t...

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.

( 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. Our Morning Edition host Geo...

( 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...

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...

(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 id...

(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...

(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...

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) The latest on COVID-19 , Dr. Ryan Cole defends his medical license , Idaho's newest lawsuit over abortion laws , white nationalism in the Gem State , Von Ehlinger's sentencing delay , gas retailers are mak...

(berny-s / Flickr) 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.