Idaho Matters

(St. Luke's Health System )   This interview originally aired Apr. 29, 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted how we grieve and heal. Families are forced to stay apart to stay healthy and it is in this space where hospital chaplains have become intermediaries, providing messages of love, support and compassion during a time of physical distancing. Joining  Idaho Matters  live today to talk m...

(Katherine Jones / Idaho Statesman) It was another busy week of news in the Gem State. With a turbulent special session of the Idaho Legislature highlighted by protests and arrests , there's plenty to dissect on the Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable. We'll learn what bills were passed , which ones weren't and what they mean for you. Plus, we'll learn about an ambitious proposal for the Expo Idaho...

(John Penny / Flickr Creative Commons) Idaho Matters is working on a series of interviews exploring Treasure Valley growth and affordability. As the valley continues to be one of the fasting growing places in the country, we are looking for your perspective on these questions:  How have Boise property taxes affected you?  As Meridian has changed from a farming town to the second largest city in th...

(Katherine Jones / Idaho Statesman) As protesters ignore mask and social distancing guidelines during the special session of the legislature in Boise this week, Idaho doctors are continuing to fight COVID-19 in hot spots like Canyon and Ada Counties. On Idaho Matters this week, we talk about mitigating risks of the virus in schools, why politicizing mask wearing is problematic for public health, a...

(Rick Bowmer / AP Images) Right after Republican Gov. Brad Little announced his decision to keep the state in stage 4 of his COVID-19 reopening plan, the Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable is here to dissect the week's news and help us understand what it means.  We cover $2.56M in state funding for the Idaho Food Bank to help with increased demand, in-person school reopening in Twin Falls and what...

(Rick Bowmer / AP Images)   The uncertainty and rapidly changing landscape for kids returning to school is creating a lot of stress and anxiety for families. And providing a place — whether it’s at home or at school — where children can safely thrive educationally and emotionally has never been more challenging.  But what about families that are unhoused during this pandemic? That makes it almost...

(British Red Cross / Flickr Creative Commons) This interview originally aired on June 9, 2020. We're now five months into the coronavirus pandemic in Idaho and there are no signs of this being over anytime soon. Thankfully, the human species has gone through this kind of thing many times before.  Joining  Idaho Matters  today is Joshua Loomis, Professor of Biology at the University of East Strouds...

(Boise State Public Radio)   As we head into election season, it’s interesting to think about all the factors that affect a candidate’s electability. Yes, the presidential election is on everyone’s minds, especially during these weeks of the two party’s national conventions. But what about those local elections for members of congress?  Boise State political science professor Charles Hunt just fin...

(Mountain Rides Facebook)   If all goes according to plan, folks in the Wood River Valley could be riding electric buses next summer. Mountain Rides Transportation Authority — Sun Valley’s public transportation organization — has plans to replace its entire diesel fuel fleet with electric beginning in 2021. Joining Idaho Matters live to talk more about this plan are Wally Morgus, executive directo...

(Elaine Thompson / AP Images ) While we've seen a slight downward trend this past week in new coronavirus cases in Idaho, our state is nowhere near past this pandemic. Especially with schools opening back up this week and next, doctors across our state are worried about what the next month will bring.  Joining Idaho Matters today to answer your coronavirus questions are: Dr. David Pate, former CEO...

(Boise State University)   Idaho State University held its first day of classes for the fall 2020 semester Monday. Meanwhile, Boise State University will welcome students to campus on August 24, and the University of Idaho plans to open classroom doors August 31.  Each school will deliver many of those classes in-person, making adjustments to class size and cleaning protocols as Idaho remains amon...

  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.  That’s a story told by University of Idaho profe...

(Osher Lifelong Learning Institute / via Facebook)   Every year, thousands of people attend lectures and take classes at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Boise State University. But like everything else, the courses — which are open to folks who are at least fifty-years-old — moved online in March.  The first lecture of the semester was Tuesday morning, and joining Idaho Matters live right...

(Ballet Sun Valley / via Facebook)   Even though we can’t go to the ballet in person right now, there is a way to stream a dance performance this Sunday specifically curated for residents in Sun Valley.  Joining Idaho Matters today to fill us in on this unique opportunity are Kelli Quinlan, executive director for Ballet Sun Valley, and Peter Boal, Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director.  As CO...

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)   Between the pandemic, the economic fallout of COVID-19 and the revolution for racial justice, several global crises are coming to a head. Another notable crisis? Climate change.  That’s the reasoning behind the city of Boise’s new Climate Action Division , championed by Mayor Lauren McLean.  Joining Idaho Matters today to talk about this new pursuit...

(Susan Walsh / AP Images)   The financial and emotional stress of COVID-19 is affecting Idaho families. Heartbreakingly, this has resulted in a measurable increase in child abuse cases with some serious enough to result in emergency care at hospitals. This is a trend we are seeing across the country and it’s on all of us to be those extra eyes and ears for spotting child abuse since the traditiona...

(Vanessa Fry)     This interview originally aired April 9, 2020.   Overnight, the coronavirus turned us parents into teachers, responsible for facilitating our kids’ education while also working from home ourselves. This has not been easy. But, there are moments of joy in the challenges.  Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve asked you, the listeners, to send us audio of how your family is dealing...

(Steve Conner / AP Images) On today's Reporter Roundtable, we discuss the upcoming special session for lawmakers during a pandemic, what cancelling Boise State University's football season means for the school's bottom line, the inequities in school reopenings  facing Latino students, and fighting wildfires during COVID-19.   Today's guests: Troy Oppie, Boise State Public Radio News Betsy Russell,...

(ROSS D. FRANKLIN / AP IMAGES)   Idaho continues to have one of the highest rates of COVID-19 per capita. As pharmaceutical companies race to find a vaccine, therapeutic treatments to help those already infected are vital.   One experimental treatment? Using plasma from the blood of people who have already recovered from the coronavirus.    The Red Cross is one of the organizations working on this...

(Keith Burrell / via Facebook)   Even though the Black Lives Matter movement has dialed up the conversation across America about racial justice, more needs to be done to address systemic racism in local school districts across our nation. Idaho is no exception. In fact, the principal of Central Academy, an alternative high school in the West Ada School District, is asking for change. Central Acade...

(Janine Vincent / Newton County Schools via AP)   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 risk. Think about it: kids already live in a u...

(Tom Davenport / AP Images)   Idaho Matters is continuing our deep dive into Idaho's racist history with Boise State University history professor Jill Gill. From Jim Crow-style practices in Boise from the 1940s and 1950s to the rise of the Aryan Nations in North Idaho in the 1980s and 1990s, we interrogate how our history of white supremacy manifested throughout the years — and what it means for t...

(David Zalubowski / AP Images) Tuesday, Idaho's Central District Health Department board voted to limit social gatherings to 10 people in Ada County (with several exemptions) and mandated masks in Valley County. That comes after Idaho was put on a White House list of states with high rates of transmission. On the same day, a board member with the Southwest District Health Department spread misinfo...

(Boise Philharmonic / via Facebook)   Like every arts organization, the Boise Philharmonic had to adjust much of their programming in response to the coronavirus pandemic in March. They’ve recently announced their 2020-2021 concert series, which includes lots of adjustments to avoid mass gatherings.  These creative solutions are what keep the Boise Phil and other arts organizations around the stat...

(DAVID STAATS / Idaho Statesman)   President Donald Trump signed an executive order over the weekend directing federal agencies to explore how they can help avoid mass evictions across the country. But, as of now, the eviction moratorium passed by congress under the original stimulus bill has expired. And that could leave hundreds of thousands of renters in our region vulnerable to eviction. In th...