Idaho Matters

(Ridley Pearson / Facebook ) This interview originally aired Oct. 8, 2020.  Finding books your kids will love can be a difficult task. Thankfully this is where New York Times bestselling author Ridley Pearson comes in. From his series Kingdom Keepers to Peter and the Starcatchers, Pearson takes iconic locations and characters and adds new twists and turns.  He’s done the same thing with his most r...

(National Cancer Institute / Unsplash)   Over the last eight months, we’ve talked often about the mental health issues that folks are experiencing during the pandemic. Many people are accessing mental health care for the first time during COVID-19, using video chat and telehealth options that weren’t as widely available before.  Telehealth in general has boomed due to COVID-19, but when it comes t...

(Blaine County Sheriff / Facebook )   This year was historic for wildfires. Smoke from western states was detected across the United States and as far as Europe. As climate change continues to worsen our fire seasons, it’s critical to understand how this smoke impacts our health and how to best protect ourselves from this smoke.  This Friday, Boise State University is hosting the Rocky Mountain Re...

(Mark Lennihan / AP Photo)   President-elect Joe Biden is set to take office in January. But even with a change in political power, two influenctial forces that have driven financial markets in 2020 will most likely stay the same: the Federal Reserve and the pandemic. In fact, stocks went soaring Monday after news of encouraging data about a potential COVID-19 vaccine. So what could the next few m...

This interview originally aired Aug. 18, 2020. Back in 1966, a mining company had a plan to develop an open-pit mine in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington state. Endangering the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area, local and national conservationists got to work.  In a story that defies what you’d might expect, the underdog won, and the mining company never broke ground as originally planned.  Tha...

(Darin Oswald / Idaho Statesman) Between the results of Tuesday's local elections, record-breaking coronavirus numbers and news with how the Idaho economy is faring, there's a lot for our Reporter Roundtable to discuss. Joining Idaho Matters today are Boise State Public Radio's James Dawson , the Idaho Press's Erin Bamer  and BoiseDev's Don Day .  As COVID-19 cases spread through the U.S. and Idah...

(Ted.com / Screenshot )   This interview originally aired Oct. 6, 2020. In 2015, a Ted Talk by podcast host Roman Mars went viral. In the talk, Mars, whose podcast ‘ 99% Invisible ’ looks for good and bad design elements all around us, tackled an issue he’s particularly passionate about: city flags.    Mars says fewer things give him more joy than a well-designed flag.  But at the end of that Ted...

  Young people have been at the center of some of the organizing that seems to be defining this moment in history. They have led sustained protests against ongoing racial injustice and police brutality, climate injustice and gun violence, and they’ve organized and gotten people registered to vote. For many members of Gen Z, people born after 1996, this is the first year they were eligible to vote...

( Luke Anderson)   As the country continues to wait anxiously for the results of the presidential election, one thing is for sure: we remain a deeply polarized nation. That’s the focus of the first season of a new podcast called “ Facing West ” from the Mountain West News Bureau .  Community engagement reporter Nate Hegyi is the host and he joins Idaho Matters live to tell us about a cross-region...

(Janine Vincent / Newton County Schools via AP) This interview originally aired Aug. 13, 2020. Even though COVID-19 seems to be not affecting children’s bodies as much as it is adults, the disease is not being so kind to children’s minds. No one is immune to the stress that comes with a pandemic and related quarantining. However, many mental health experts believe children may be at a particular r...

(Dana Quinney)   Dana Quinney grew up in Ketchum during the 1950s. She became a field biologist and college professor, eventually settling into her lifelong passion of being a writer. Her memoir “Wildflower Girl” was published last year and just won 2019 Book of the Year by the Idaho Library Association. Quinney joins Idaho Matters live to talk more about her book and the award. Have a question or...

(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio) While the country continues to hold its breath for the presidential election results , on the state and local level we have a clear picture of where Idaho is headed . From federal offices to state legislative races, consequential local elections and record-breaking turnout, there’s a lot to dissect over the next several days. Joining Idaho Matter...

( St. Luke's Health System) Joining Idaho Matters to give us the latest in coronavirus news and research, as well as to answer your coronavirus questions, is Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System and a current member of the Idaho coronavirus taskforce.  Have a coronavirus question you want answered? Tweet or email us: idahomatters@boisestate.edu. Read the full transcript here: GAU...

(Rachel Cohen / Boise State Public Radio) This interview originally aired Oct. 1, 2020. During World War II, thousands of Japanese Americans were ordered by the U.S. government to be incarcerated in remote camps. The order, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt, was meant to prevent Japanese people on American soil from taking up arms and bringing the war inside U.S. borders. Today, that period i...

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio) Here on Idaho Matters and Boise State Public Radio, we’ve been hearing from young people voting in their first general election; young people who were born in the U.S and were automatically eligible to vote once they came of age. But what about the perspectives of new Americans? What is it like to vote in your new country during an election when so man...

(via Facebook / Idaho Botanical Garden) The Idaho Botanical Garden's 'Winter Garden a Glow' event has been a staple of holiday activities in the treasure valley for more than two decades. And this winter wonderland will continue this year, just with some new rules in place in order to keep everyone safe during the pandemic. Erin Anderson with the botanical garden shares what's in store this year w...

(Heidi Ware Carlisle ) The Idaho bird watching community is close. That’s why last year, when a rare bird made a stop at one bird enthusiast’s house, dozens of their birding friends stopped by to check it out. Heidi Ware Carlisle is the Education Director at the Intermountain Observatory at Boise State University. She joins Idaho Matters to talk a little more about that rare bird, and the birding...

  We’re just hours away from election day 2020. One big question that will be answered once the votes are tallied: could 2020 be the year when young voters break turnout records, and possibly swing the election one way or another?  Our Morning Edition host George Prentice spoke with two people working to get out the vote on Idaho college campuses. Cheyon Sheen is a student and the Government Relat...

(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio)   Last week we heard from three election officials in different parts of Idaho about how they’re dealing with an unusual year. Today, we’re continuing our conversations with the folks volunteering to make sure every vote counts during this pandemic election.  Idaho Matters welcomes University of Idaho law students Danielle Strollo and Jeannette M...

(Charles Sykes / Invision/AP)   This interview originally aired Sept. 17, 2020. Latino USA is an award-winning public radio show led by journalist Maria Hinojosa, which is celebrating its 25th year as an hour-long program. Boise State Public Radio is proud to announce we've added Latino USA to our lineup.  Ever Saturday, you’ll be able to hear the show at 6 p.m. right here on Boise State Public Ra...

(Lonesome Larry Project)   This interview originally aired Oct. 1, 2020. Last winter, we introduced you to a Boise middle school student behind the “Lonesome Larry Project, a project by Topher Jones to save the sockeye salmon. His approach? Selling socks.  In just one year, Topher has raised more than $12,000 to protect the sockeye and other threatened fish in the western United States. Topher and...

(Ada County Elections) We're just a few days away from a consequential general election and COVID-19 is continuing to strain our healthcare system in Idaho. So, plenty to talk about on this week's  Idaho Matters  Reporter Roundtable. Boise State Public Radio's Heath Druzin , BoiseDev's Margaret Carmel and Idaho Ed News's Kevin Richert  tell us what we need to know (and might have missed).   As COV...

(Guy Hand / via Facebook)   Over the last several months, there’s been a movement to return to localism — ironically sparked by a global pandemic. As communities watch their neighbors and friends struggle financially, and as some get sick with the coronavirus, the reaction has been to turn to each other for support and nourishment, both literal and figurative. Perhaps the best example of this is a...

(BABE VOTE / via Facebook) It’s been a busy fall for Boise 16-year-old Shiva Rajbhandari‏. In his spare time he works with Babe Vote, a non-partisan group that helps register voters in our state and encourages people to commit to a voting plan. Since Rajbhandari‏ is underage he can’t vote yet, but he’s already registered more than 400 people to cast their ballot during this unique and consequentia...

(Sofi Serio) Historically, young adults have had low voter turnout compared with other demographic groups. But could 2020 be different?  According to NPR , early voting numbers this election have far outpaced numbers from 2016. Young adults between the ages of 18-29 in Texas, Minnesota, Virginia and several more states are all reporting early voter turnout that dwarfs the same metric last general...