Idaho Matters

Idaho is once again on the big screen — this time in a feature length drama filmed in Sun Valley. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice has been following the news of the release of Mass and shares this update on the film with Idaho Matters.

Emily Smith watches as Larry Brown lifts a weighted ball during an occupational therapy session at Community Health Network, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, in Indianapolis. He didn’t die of COVID-19, but he’s coming to terms with the fact that his life might never be the same. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (Darron Cummings/AP / AP) Idaho’s COVID-19 test positivity rate and hospitalization rate have been de...

Wildfire season is winding down across much of the Mountain West as cold weather moves in. But it's the perfect time to set controlled, or prescribed, fires to burn unwanted dead trees and underbrush that fuel larger wildfires. Madelyn Beck with the Mountain West News Bureau, joined Idaho Matters to talk about her reporting.

FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2021, file photo Pre-K teacher Vera Csizmadia teaches 3-and 4-year-old students in her classroom at the Dr. Charles Smith Early Childhood Center in Palisades Park, N.J. As Democrats push ahead with President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion rebuilding plan, they are promising historic investments across all levels of education. The proposal includes universal prekindergarten, two...

Photos are displayed on a Dia de los Muertos alter at Grand Park Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) (Ashley Landis / AP) Dia De Los Muertos—or the Day of the Dead—is a holiday that acknowledges and celebrates loves ones who've passed away. Over two days, people throughout Latin America and the U.S. celebrate through parades, song and dance, food and more. Joining Idaho...

(LED Boise / via Facebook) Live performances are back at the Morrison Center in Boise this fall. After a long break due to the pandemic, group's like LED Boise are back in front of audiences. On Saturday, October 23, LED will showcase their new show called Silver City at the Morrison Center. However, COVID-19 will still affect the performance: as the state continues to operate at crisis standards...

( Bryan Clark / Idaho Statesman ) From Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin's news conference to the possibility of a COVID-19 endemic, the Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable has all the headlines from this week—plus what you may have missed. Let's dive into the news with help from a panel of local journalists. Our panel today: Kevin Richert, Idaho Education News Don Day, BoiseDev Audrey Dutton, Id...

FILE - In this Jan. 14, 1995, file photo, a wolf leaps across a road into the wilds of Central Idaho. Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed into law a measure that could lead to the killing of 90% of the state's 1,500 wolves. The Republican governor signed the bill on Thursday, May 6, 2021, that had passed the Senate and House with enough votes to overcome a veto. (AP Photo/Douglas Pizac, File) (Doug...

On March 11, 2020 while on the train home from work, Todd Doughty had an idea—put a list on Instagram of “happy-making things in a difficult world." Little did he know on that same day the World Health Organization would declare a global pandemic. Fast forward 19 months and this little list has turned into a book, with the lists and inspiration we need in this world right now. Todd doughty joined...

FILE - Starting Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration convenes its independent advisers for the first stage in the process of deciding whether extra shots of Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines should be dispensed and, if so, who should get them and when. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) (Wilfredo Lee / AP) As of Tuesday, 53.3% of Idaho’s eligible population is vaccinated ag...

FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2020, file photo, Ammon Bundy, center, who led the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation, stands on the Idaho Statehouse steps in Boise, Idaho. Mainstream and far-right Republicans are battling for control of the party and the state in deeply conservative Idaho. (AP Photo/Keith Ridler, File) (Keith Ridler / AP) Since the beginning of the pandemic, many public health o...

Hays House shelter ( Idaho Youth Ranch) The Hays House , a Boise shelter operated by the Idaho Youth Ranch for runaways and at-risk youth has cared for children ages 8 to 18 for 50 years. But when 10 employees quit over a stressful work environment, the decision was made to close the shelter for now. Idaho Youth Ranch CEO Scott Curtis joins Idaho Matters to tell us more.

( courtesy of Idaho Walk Bike Alliance Facebook Page) For more than a decade, the Idaho Walk Bike Alliance has had one vision in mind—to have a transportation system throughout Idaho that supports and encourages walking, bicycling and active transportation. Tomorrow, they’ll be hosting their annual transportation conference—virtually of course. Idaho Matters is joined by Cynthia Gibson, Executive...

(Matt Guilhem / Boise State Public Radio) You may remember some of our reporting on how a very large piece of central Idaho was turned into a dark sky reserve . Stretching from Ketchum to above Stanley, the reserve is a partnership designed to keep the sky as dark as possible so people can come and experience the wonder of the starry night sky. A new collaboration has pulled together to help prote...

This photo was taken celebration of life for Debi Davis, a guest at the Interfaith Sanctuary Shelter. She passed away from the Delta variant earlier this year. (Interfaith Sanctuary / Courtesy of Interfaith Sanctuary Facebook ) Idaho’s current COVID-19 surge driven by the delta variant and low vaccinations has been deadly for our homeless population. These folks are some of the most vulnerable to...

The staggering impact of COVID-19 has rocked Idaho. On top of that add a previously existing shortage of affordable housing. The heartbreak of having no where to live is that much more challenging. CATCH serves Ada and Canyon counties, helping secure stable housing and financial independence. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice recently spoke with one woman who was able to get housing assista...

For the first time this year, the Biden administration made Indigenous People's Day an official federal holiday. To mark it, we want to take a look at a little known part of the declaration of independence. Specifically, a part that showed the founding father’s very clear anti-Native American sentiments enshrined in one of founding documents. This piece is from our partners at New Hampshire Public...

(Boise State Public Radio) The history of "rogue lieutenant governors," COVID-19 quarantining and care, Warm Springs Ranch updates, Daybell case coverage — all that and more on today's Reporter Roundtable. Our panel today: Melissa Davlin, Idaho Reports Rebecca Boone, Associated Press Boise Bureau Don Day, BoiseDev James Dawson, Boise State Public Radio

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) Idaho has been in the national news this week after a back-and-forth argument between Governor Brad Little and Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin went viral. Both are republicans—and both are running for governor in the republican primary next May. Idaho Matters is joined by James Dawson, politics reporter with Boise State Public Radio News, to help us c...

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...

(Morgan Lee / AP) Eating disorder rates have surged over the course of the pandemic. According to Yale Medicine , the National Eating Disorders Association has seen increases as high as 70 to 80% in calls to its helpline at different points over the past year. What’s more: eating disorders have the second-highest mortality rate of any psychiatric diagnoses. Joining Idaho Matters to talk about this...

When he’s not hosting Morning Edition here on Boise State Public Radio, George Prentice is sifting through the latest movies and TV to give you recommendations for the good — and the not-so-good — on the big and small screens.

Neeraj Soni, M.D. walks through the emergency department at St. Luke's Boise Medical Center in Boise, Idaho on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. Idaho Gov. Brad Little said during a news conference today that "nearly all Idaho hospitals are overwhelmed with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients," (AP Photo/Kyle Green) (Kyle Green/AP / FR171837 AP) Unvaccinated Idahoans continue to be hospitalized at five and a hal...

( Idaho Statesman) As our state continues to deal with a surge of COVID-19 cases, Idaho doctors are seeing alarming trends tied to COVID-19 cases in pregnant women—including maternal deaths, increase incidences of stillbirth and neonatal intensive care unit patients that are sicker than usual. Idaho Matters is joined by Dr. Stacy Seyb, who works at St. Luke's Magic Valley as a specialist in high r...

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio News) Earlier this year republican state lawmakers passed—and governor little signed into law—a bill making Idaho’s initiative process one of the most stringent in the entire nation. A little more than a month ago, the Idaho Supreme Court struck down that law. They wrote in the majority opinion that this would result in a scheme that squarely conflicts with...