Idaho Matters

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.

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.

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.

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio) The all-day kindergarten debate , a protest at St. Luke’s in downtown Boise, a new lawsuit by Governor Brad Little about tents near the Idaho Statehouse, short-term rental licenses , the higher education budget , and Meta’s new data center in Kuna - it’s Friday - which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets you up-to-date o...

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.

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"...

(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.

(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.

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 Ida...

( 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 Da...

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 Ida...

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 B...

(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...

( 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 moth...

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.

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.

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 stud...

(Idaho Republican Party / Facebook) An alleged attempt to infiltrate the Kootenai Democrats , child marriage , Idaho politics , all-day kindergarten , driving off vehicle emissions , and what Meridian high school kids think about the COVID-19 pandemic - 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 pa...

(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...

( 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 Sep...

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 ava...

(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.

(Kennedy Library/Flickr) “Harmful” books , college budgets , an abortion ban , homelessness, the Ukraine invasion - 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: Kalama Hines with EastIdahoNews.com James Dawson with Boise State Public Radio News Rachel Spacek wit...

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.

(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 Treasu...