Idaho Matters

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020 file photo, a jogger runs along McCovey Cove outside Oracle Park in San Francisco, under darkened skies from wildfire smoke. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) (Tony Avelar/AP / FR155217 AP) On Nov. 12, a group of experts will convene to talk about timely dual challenges facing Idaho and the west: Wildfire smoke and community health. Idaho Matters talks with Luke Montro...

Thanksgiving is 21 days away and Christmas is 37 days from today. After COVID-19 shuttered shops and pushed shoppers online to national chains, the Downtown Boise Association hopes you'll think local this holiday shopping season. Idaho Matters checks in with DBA Executive Director Jennifer Hensley to learn more.

It’s getting colder, and just in time for the temperatures to begin to drop some blockbusters are on the horizon. Idaho Matters speaks with resident film critic and Boise State Public Radio host George Prentice about some new movies to keep on your radar.

Election night is behind us and the results are in. In Boise and the Wood River Valley , incumbents had a big night. How about in other parts of the state? Boise State Public Radio reporters Rachel Cohen and Troy Oppie join Idaho Matters to break down some key races in Idaho. Editor's note: Conservation Voters for Idaho is a financial sponsor of Boise State Public Radio.

Heather Haworth, left, holds the hand of her 12-year-old son Jeremy as he receives the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from medical assistant Gloria Urgell at Providence Edwards Lifesciences vaccination site in Santa Ana, Calif., Thursday, May 13, 2021. The state began vaccinating children ages 12 to 15 Thursday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (Jae C. Hong/AP / AP) After federal regulators appro...

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) It’s Election Day in Idaho, and though it's not a presidential race the stakes are high for local mayoral, city council and even school board races. Idaho Matters checks in with Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News about some unusually expensive school board races in the state.

"A Shot to Save the World: the Inside Story of the Life or Death Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine" is a new book by Wall Street Journal reporter Gregory Zuckerman. It follows scientists’ once in a lifetime race to create a COVID-19 vaccine. Idaho Matters digs into the details of his reporting.

If you’re a parent of a pre-teen, there’s a new book to get on your radar. Boise author Mindy Thompson’s “The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams” is set in New York in 1944, a time when war shaped so much of American family life. Thomspon speaks with Idaho Matters to tell us more about her new fantasy novel that is geared for kids, but will be a fun read for anyone who enjoys an escape.

Two people embrace during a community vigil to honor Jo Acker and Roberto Padilla Arguelles, who died in Monday’s shooting at the shopping center, as well as survivors of the event. (Sarah A. Miller / Idaho Statesman) It has been a difficult week in Idaho and a lot of us are still trying to come to terms with the events of the past few days. As always, the Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable panelis...

Eric Balderas, an employee at a department store in the mall, said he was about 10 yards away from a man who opened fire with a handgun. Balderas said he slipped and fell as he ran away. (DARIN OSWALD / Idaho Statesman ) Boise is still mourning the loss of two community members who were killed from a shooting Monday at the Towne Square Mall. 26-year-old Jo Acker was killed in her role as a mall se...

(Brent Moore / Flickr Creative Commons) Boise State University was recently awarded over $2 million to create a Food and Dairy Innovation Center over the next five years to meet the growing needs of the industry in Idaho. The Food and Dairy Innovation Center — or FDIC — will help create and advance new technologies, provide students hands on training and more. Owen McDougal, the FDIC principal inv...

(Idaho Dance Theatre) The mission of the Idaho Dance Theatre is simple: create, perform and teach dance so that Idaho communities can experience dance. And next week the company will be performing live once again. Marla Hansen, Artistic Director for Idaho Dance Theatre, and Lisa Young, Director of the Idaho chapter of the Sierra Club, join Idaho Matters to talk about the performance.

(Seth Lemmons / Flickr Creative Commons) Are you a diehard fan of “true crime”? Or maybe you’re fascinated by the strange, darker stories often left out of history textbooks? With Halloween weekend just ahead, we want to share a conversation Idaho Matters first aired October 4 with Mark Iverson and Jeff Wade. They are co-owners of the organization called Ida-History has a “Macabre History of Boise...

Max Cuevas, 12, holds his mother's hand as he receives the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from nurse practitioner Nicole Noche at Families Together of Orange County in Tustin, Calif., Thursday, May 13, 2021. The state began vaccinating children ages 12 to 15 Thursday. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (Jae C. Hong/AP / AP) As we continue to cover the coronavirus pandemic, we know many of you have questions...

Police and emergency crews respond to a reported shooting incident at Boise Towne Square Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. (Darin Oswald / Idaho Statesman) This is a developing news story. For the latest information, click here . Yesterday was a dark day in Boise. Two people were killed during a shooting at the Boise Towne Square Mall, and four injured victims were sent to the hospital. The shooting brought...

Monday’s shooting at the Boise Towne Square Mall has left so many of us reeling and asking ourselves how — and why — this happened. We might even feel unsafe in our community right now. Now, imagine you’re a child or a teenager. Your kids are likely feeling the same way you are — but may not have the tools to be able to process this. Cody Ward, Clinical Director at the Idaho Youth Ranch, joins Ida...

CATCH Idaho is a 501c3 non-profit that works to help families who are experiencing homelessness through a "housing first" model. (CATCH Idaho / CATCH Idaho Facebook ) The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disaster in every aspect of the world — countless deaths, borders shutting down, political upheaval and economic turmoil. One specific area that is especially experiencing the brunt of this unpreceden...

Supply chain issues — typically a rather dry topic — have been getting a lot of attention lately. That’s because of a backlog at ports around the world that’s making it a lot harder for businesses, both big and small, to stock their planned inventory. From halloween decorations to exercise equipment, medicine and toys for Christmas — most every sector seems to be affected somehow. Container ships...

The Rage of Innocence: How American Criminalizes Black Youth is a new book that confronts our country’s irrational manufactured fears of Black youth and makes a powerfully compelling case that the crisis in racist American policing begins with its relationship to Black children. Author Kristin Henning drew upon 25 years of experience representing Black youth in DC's juvenile courts. She joins Idah...

City of Good provides "Weekend Fuel Kits" (pictured above) that feed children in the Boise School District 6 meals every weekend for a month through $100 donations. These fuel kits also help support local farmers and restaurants. (City of Good / City of Good Facebook Page) City of Good is a Boise-based nonprofit that was founded at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. In fact, the pandemic...

(Interfaith Sanctuary / Facebook) It's Friday—which means it's once again time for the Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable. Today, our panel unpacks Boise City Council elections, Interfaith Sanctuary relocation updates, higher education enrollment numbers, COVID-19 coverage and more. Our panel today: Kevin Richert, Idaho Education News Melissa Davlin, Idaho Reports Margaret Carmel, BoiseDev Clark Co...

During the pandemic, some things have endured while some things have been reinvented. Book clubs are one thing that has flourished in the last year or so — with some changes due COVID. Maggie Dumont and Eliza Ruby, who organized the "Ultimate Book Nerd" book club through the Boise Public Library, join our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk book recommendations and more.

(GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKET KDROSS / Idaho Statesman) As Idaho’s population grows, people of different cultures, experiences and backgrounds are calling the gem state home. However, we’ve also seen fear and misunderstanding become more common place — and many experts believe we must learn how to discuss differences productively and find mutuality. That’s the goal of this year’s diversity, eq...

(Eric Ellingson / Flickr Creative Commons) If you’ve ever hiked some of Idaho’s tallest peaks, you may have been lucky enough to glimpse a pika scurrying around underfoot. The small, rodent-like mammals are adapted to live at high elevations, weathering long winters under the snow and eating what vegetation they can find. But as climate change begins to affect the northern rockies in ways humans c...

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on health care workers across the country as they struggle with another onslaught of patients. Employment in the industry is down by more than half a million since February of 2020 and many are reporting feeling burned out. James Dawson joins Idaho Matters to discuss his reporting on how med school students are being prepared to handle the pressure and care f...