Idaho Matters

( 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 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 be...

( 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.

(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: Betsy Russell with the Idaho Press and the Eye on Boise Blog Rachel Spacek with the Idaho Statesman Don Day from BoiseDev Audrey Dutton with the Idaho Capital Sun

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...

(AP Images / AP Images) Omicron and its new variant could be hitting kids harder than the previous strain. Dr. David Pate tells Idaho Matters that there are some theories why that might be the case. Pate is the former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the governor's coronavirus task force. In Idaho, the number of kids in the hospital with COVID-19 is higher than any other time...

There’s been a lot of focus on the ranching industry in recent years, particularly when it comes to its impact on climate change. But family-owned non-corporate ranches have been under pressure for a long time, and some say it’s not fair to paint all ranching with the same brush. Idaho Matters has a sneak peak of Boise State Public Radio's new podcast called 'Women’s Work,' which takes an in-depth...

Everyday, we hear a lot about the dangers of climate change and how it’s impacting everything from wildfires to flooding to melting glaciers. These stories are scary and depressing and often don’t include any remedy to the problem. Dr. Jen Pierce is a professor at Boise State’s Department of Geosciences and she studies the effects of climate change in Idaho, and she looks at real solutions. Idaho...

Supporters of the homeless community, as well as unhoused individuals themselves, react to a counter protest by Idaho Liberty Dogs on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022. For the past two weeks, homeless Idahoans with the help of volunteers have been holding a demonstration with camping tents set up on the lawn of the former Ada County Courthouse in downtown Boise to draw attention to the lack of affordable h...

(Heath Druzin / Postindustrial) This month we’ve been featuring episodes of “Extremely American,” a new podcast that looks at the influence of the far-right patriot movement in Idaho and across the country. Today on Idaho Matters , podcast host Heath Druzin gives us a close-up look at the story of a well-known figure in the movement: Ammon Bundy. The episode traces Bundy’s rise to prominence after...

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) This week the southern part of Idaho returned to crisis standards of care in hospitals, as the omicron surge of COVID-19 has begun to overwhelm hospitals. Meanwhile a Boise homelessness protest is being threatened by a right-wing group, and the legislature is wrestling with what to do about higher education budgets. We catch up on these news items and more...

This is just one of four flower mixes available this year from the Treasure Valley Pollinator Project. Each mix contains milkweed to help Monarch caterpillars thrive. ( Ada Soil & Water Conservation District) Last year, we followed the Treasure Valley Pollinator Project where anyone could sign up to help pollinators like bees and butterflies by planting these flowers to provide critical food a...

MCCALL, Idaho (Jan. 4, 2022) — SNOW ROVERS — The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is returning to the West Central Mountains of Idaho Jan. 30-Feb. 3 during the 2022 McCall Winter Carnival. Part of the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown, the race features world-class mushers and is an Iditarod and Yukon Quest qualifier. This year most events will be staged in Cascade at the Lake Cascade boat ramp on Lake Cascade...

Data from Idaho Health and Welfare show how vaccinated Idahoans spend less time in the hospital and are less likely to end up in the ICU. ( Idaho Department of Health and Welfare) Once again most of Idaho is back in crisis standards of care, after state health officials reactivated those standards earlier this week. It’s only been four months since the delta variant surge made it necessary for hea...

(Jimmy Emerson / Flickr Creative Commons) A little more than a quarter of Idahoans have experienced financial hardship during the pandemic. That’s according to the latest Idaho Public Policy Survey from Boise State University. The seventh annual report asked a range of questions to help determine what motivates people who call the Gem State home, and potentially influence policy at the statehouse....

(Gold Feather Gardens / Facebook ) The ground is frosty and Idaho winter is in full effect. But Jamie Brennan with Gold Feather Gardens in Boise says it's not too early to think about spring — specifically — spring veggie gardens. Brennan tells Idaho Matters how beginners can prepare for growing season now. ( Check out her Instagram to get inspired.)

A team from St. Luke's helps a COVID-19 patient at the Boise ICU (Kristen Connelly / St. Luke's Health System) As our region deals with the highest number of COVID-19 cases we’ve seen since the pandemic started, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare activated crisis standards of care this morning for all of southern Idaho. That covers three of the state’s public health districts: Southwest Di...

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, conversatio...

(Matt Guilhem / Boise State Public Radio) Omicron continued to rage out of control this week in Idaho and schools are trying, and often failing , to stay open. The Idaho Legislature is in full swing as lawmakers debated a massive $600 million tax cut bill and put Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin on center stage over legal bills . All-day kindergarten is still making news at the Capitol and another Add th...

In the U.S. in the last two weeks, over one million kids have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Compare that number to this one: the number of children infected with the coronavirus during the entire pandemic is 9.5 million. A Primary Health medical assistant prepares vaccine for healthcare workers (Primary Health Medical Group) That means around 11% of all the kids in America who have been infected w...

After a nationwide search, the College of Western Idaho decided to stay close to home when it came to hiring a new president. Gordon Jones is the third president in the college’s history, and he comes from Boise State University where he was the founding Dean of the College of Innovation and Design. Idaho Matters talks with Jones to learn more about his vision for the future of CWI.

FILE - Registered nurse Jessalynn Dest pulls on a new N95 mask as indentations remain from another she had just removed after leaving a COVID-19 patient room in the acute care unit of Harborview Medical Center, Jan. 14, 2022, in Seattle. The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week, now that federal officials are emphasizing th...

Matt Marshall, the founder of the Washington III Percent militia, shows off his sidearm during a militia rally on Whidbey Island, Wash., in October 2020. (Heath Druzin / PostIndustrial) This month, we’re taking a look at the modern militia movement in the United States as portrayed in a new podcast called “ Extremely American .” So far, podcast host Heath Druzin has taken us to Pennsylvania and Id...

STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT - SEPTEMBER 09: Harper Shea (5), raises her hand during her first day of kindergarten on September 9, 2020 in Stamford, Connecticut. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) Many Idaho school districts aren’t waiting for the legislature to decide on all-day kindergarten, but instead are finding ways to make it happen on their own. The Boise School District is the latest district to...

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) The Idaho legislature opened the 2022 session this week and the omicron surge is causing disruptions across the state. Idaho Matters covers these topics and more during the latest edition of the Reporter Roundtable. Our journalist guests today: James Dawson, Boise State Public Radio Don Day, BoiseDev Betsy Russell, Idaho Press Kevin Richert, Idaho Educatio...