Idaho Matters

( Primary Health Medical Group) Medical clinics around Idaho have been overwhelmed with a huge influx of patients as the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads rapidly through the population. One of the Treasure Valley’s largest health care providers — the Primary Health Medical Group — hasn’t been able to keep up with demand. Dr. David Peterman is the CEO of Primary Health Medical Group. (Pri...

(Intermountain Healthcare) Omicron is causing a significant surge in Idaho COVID-19 cases as the state's vaccination rate remains below the national average. Although hospitals are not in crisis standards of care, Dr. David Pate tells Idaho Matters why he is worried we may be headed in that direction in the coming weeks. Pate is the former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and current member of the...

A bench in Manitou Park in Boise is made from recycled plastics in the city's orange bag program. (Troy Oppie / Boise State Public Radio) About 20% of Ada County residents dutifully fill orange bags with hard to recycle plastics: foam, bubble wrap, plastic grocery bags and most food containers. Initial efforts to turn those bags back into diesel fuel fizzled. Now, a new company wants to turn our p...

Boise City Council is holding a public hearing Tuesday night in regards to an ordinance for short term rentals. Boise Mayor Lauren MccLean hasn’t given much information about what this ordinance would entail. Idaho Matters talks with Idaho Statesman reporter Kyle Land to learn more about this hot button issue.

As we enter year another year of the pandemic, one thing we know for sure: Many children have suffered trauma during this time. One of the most effective ways to heal a child from trauma is to have a caring consistent adult engage in their lives. Idaho Matters talks with Emily Johnson, CEO of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Treasure Valley to talk more.

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.

Real 3%ers Of Idaho leader Eric Parker gives a speech at a John Birch Society rally protesting pandemic measures in Twin Falls, Idaho in August 2020. Parker has become one of the country's most prominent militia leaders. (Heath Druzin / Post Industrial ) Idaho Matters presents the second episode of "Extremely American," a podcast hosted by Idaho-based journalist Heath Druzin. In this episode from...

(Samantha Wright) It's the Friday Reporter Roundtable when we get you up to date on all the news that made headlines this past week. Our panel includes Clark Corbin with the Idaho Capital Sun, Kevin Richert, senior reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News and Margaret Carmel, senior reporter with BoiseDev.com.

A health worker at St. Luke’s Health System prepares a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine (St. Luke's Health System ) We are officially three years into the COVID 19 pandemic. With a new variant blazing across the world it feels as if no one is immune. Today on the Doctors Roundtable Dr. David Pate, current member of the Idaho Coronavirus Task Force and Dr. Darin Lee, an emergency department phys...

(Ulf Andersen ) Boise is home to one of the most accomplished living novelists in the U.S. Anthony Doerr’s new book “Cloud Cuckoo Land” comes after he won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel “All the Light We Cannot See” in 2015. Idaho Matters talks with Doerr about his expansive and ambitious new book, which is set in part in a fictional Idaho town.

(Penguin Publishing) 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 join us to talk about their new book, "Stacked: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management."

(Idaho Ed News) The 2022 Legislative Session is less than a week away and with a one point six billion dollar surplus, what does that mean for education in Idaho. Kevin Richert with Idaho Education News is here to take a deep dive into that issue.

Amy Pence-Brown is a body image activist based in Boise, Idaho. (Chrissy Johnson / amypencebrown.com) Day-to-day life has seen some huge changes over the past 18 months. Maybe we’ve also seem some changes in ourselves—maybe our hair has gotten longer, maybe we wear sweats more than jeans. And: maybe our bodies have changed. Idaho Matters is joined by body image activist Amy Pence-Brown to help unp...

(Polaris Project) Human trafficking is a multi billion dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to almost 25 million people around the world. Globally there are two general categories of human trafficking...sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Idaho isn't immune to this crime either. Joining us to talk more is Jennifer Zielenski, Executive Director of the Idaho Anti Trafficking Coalition.

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio News) 2021 was a record breaking year for the Idaho Legislature in more ways than one. So, what could be in store for the 2022 Session that begins next week? Our James Dawson covers the legislature for Boise State Public Radio News. He joins us now to talk more about what is expected.

(Intermountain Healthcare) A ground-breaking vaccine came out to fend off COVID-19, but Idaho's rollout was choppy and a deadly delta variant surge took many lives — primarily among the unvaccinated. Fast-forward to the end of the year, and the state's case numbers are down but a highly contagious omicron variant is knocking at our door. Regular guest Dr. David Pate — the former CEO of St. Luke's...

Members of the House ethics committee confer with their lawyer, William Myers III, during the first day of an ethics hearing involving allegations Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger (R-Lewiston) raped a volunteer staffer. (James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) Idaho Matters is looking back at the big stories from 2021 in Idaho politics, culture, growth and more. Our special roundtable: James Dawson, Boise...

Idaho Matters did a special episode of our Doctors Roundtable looking at public health equity and engagement with the Latino population in the Gem State. (Boise State Public Radio ) The pandemic has forced us to see and rethink quite a lot. It has brought into focus some of the barriers and blind spots in our healthcare system, and how marginalized groups suffer because of that. We’ve heard repeat...

Aurelia Flores takes photos of an original barrack at Farmway Village which is known to the farmworkers as El Campo de Caldwell. Flores lived at Farmway Village as a child with her parents who ran the village store. (SARAH A. MILLER / Idaho Statesman) Didn't get the chance to follow the news this week? We go beyond the headlines on this edition of the Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable. Journalist...

The Yasur volcano in Vanuatu spews liquid chunks of rock from its lava lake not far from Dr. Jeffrey Johnson and actor Will Smith. (Dr. Jeffrey Johnson / Boise State University) A while back, Boise State University volcanologist Dr. Jeffrey Johnson took actor Will Smith and well-known climber Eric Weihenmayer inside an active volcano on a small island in the South Pacific Ocean to learn about the...

Kate Winslet accepts the award for outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie for "Mare of Easttown" at the 73rd Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images) (Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP / Invision) When he's not hosting Morning Edition for Boise State Pub...

Medical professionals pronate a 39 year old unvaccinated COVID-19 patient in the Medical Intensive care unit (MICU) at St. Luke's Boise Medical Center in Boise, Idaho on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. (AP Photo/Kyle Green) (Kyle Green/AP / FR171837 AP) COVID-19 infections where going down in our state, but state health officials are concerned we could once again go in the wrong direction as the Omicron v...

( Idaho Department of Health and Welfare) Before you head out to play in the snow this weekend, catch up on the stories from this week you may have missed on the Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable. Our panel this week: Melissa Davlin, Idaho Public Television and Idaho Reports Host Audrey Dutton, reporter with the Idaho Capital Sun Don Day, founder and editor of BoiseDev

(Idaho Statesman) During the last 30 years, climate change has impacted rangelands in the West. Now some top scientists and land managers say restoring Idaho’s rangelands could help combat climate change. Idaho Matters learns more about this perspective from Rocky Barker, special correspondent for the Idaho Statesman.

BOISE, Idaho (Dec. 6, 2021) -- Idaho Gov. Brad Little joined students at Syringa Middle School in Caldwell today to code alongside them during the school’s Hour of Code Celebration with help from student Ben Ferro. In addition, the governor proclaimed Dec. 6-12 Computer Science Education Week in Idaho at the event. According to the Idaho STEM Action Center, schools and organizations are staging ov...