Idaho Matters

(Ted S. Warren / AP Images) ‘Put kids first.’ We hear this term a lot, but many times, children are left out of the conversation when it comes to implementing legislation that impacts these very kids and their families.  A new bipartisan nonprofit organization is aiming to change that.   The group, Idaho Children Are Primary, is made up of business leaders, educators, doctors and other child exper...

(Nancy Dowd / Flickr Creative Commons)   If you’re looking for some comic relief from the pandemic we’re all living through, how about taking a few minutes to listen to a new song by the Rock Bottom Remainders. This band, formed in 1992, includes — but isn’t limited to — authors Dave Barry, Amy Tan, Stephen King, Scott Turow and Sun Valley resident Ridley Pearson. Pearson joins  Idaho Matters  to...

(mtsrs / Flickr Creative Commons)   In mid-March, the Canadian and U.S. governments agreed to essentially shut down their shared land border in an effort to stop the spread of COVID–19. Commercial trucks can still pass through, but almost everyone else can’t. And as this shutdown drags on, small towns on both sides of the border are suffering.  Reporter Nate Hegyi brings us to one such struggling...

(Richard Vogel / AP Images)   As we continue to move through this pandemic, outdoorsy folks are finding ways to pursue their outdoor passions and recreate responsibly. With summer in full swing, more and more people are outside enjoying all Idaho has to offer.    A group of legislators from the Idaho Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus are wanting to make sure people follow safety guidelines when they’...

(Rex Parker / Flickr Creative Commons)   Forty years ago last month, the area that is the Frank Church Wilderness was designated by Congress, creating the largest wilderness area in the Lower 48.  Now, decades later, we look back on that decision with Larry LaRocco, who was on the Senate floor when the bill passed.  Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet  @KBSX915  using #IdahoMatters

(IDAHO STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY)   This interview originally aired on May 28, 2019.  Idaho has one of the largest  Basque populations  outside of Spain. The diaspora began in the late 19th century as Basque workers arrived in the region to work in the silver mines.  The skillset expanded to included sheep herding. Today, more than 30,000 Basque Americans live in Southern Idaho. Basque community le...

(LM Otero / AP Images) It was another tumultuous week in Idaho as the state continues to struggle against the coronavirus. While there are some signs that hot spots in the southwest part of the state are beginning to slow down in new cases, hospitalizations are up and another 26 fatalities were reported by the state since Sunday. With that backdrop, schools are trying to reopen.  Besides K-12 reop...

(Idaho State University)   This interview originally aired Apr. 20, 2020.   Most college students dread group projects. Dividing the work evenly is always hard, and even basic communication can be stressful. Idaho State University professor Alex Bolinger researches groups and teams, and for his honors class, he thought a textbook wouldn’t suffice.  For the past several years, he has lead small app...

(LM Otero / AP Images) News about the coronavirus changes daily, so to keep you informed about the newest research, statistics and guidance, each Wednesday,  Idaho Matters brings in a panel of medical experts to answer your coronavirus questions. One big topic today? How best to safely reopen schools in light of Idaho's continued surging case numbers and deaths.  This week, we're joined by: Dr. Da...

(Darin Oswald / Idaho Statesman )     This interview originally aired July 6, 2020.    (This interview is the first of a two-part show about policing in Idaho. You can find the second half — on defunding the police — here .) After the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May, people around the country been asking tough questions about policing in America  —  including in Idaho.  Our gu...

(Darin Oswald / Idaho Statesman )   This interview originally aired July 6, 2020. (This interview is the second of a two-part show about policing in Idaho. You can find the first half — on the history of policing and the laws that protect officers — here .) Amid the protests against the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black people by police in the the past months and...

(Elaine Thompson / AP Images) Well, we've made it to Friday and it's time for the weekly Reporter Roundtable. This week, our panel discusses the latest with  Idaho's coronavirus cases ,  mental health and COVID-19 ,  local reaction  to President Trump's suggestion that the November election could be delayed, folks showing up at Black Lives Matters  protests with firearms , and how Idahoans are  de...

(Peter Lovera / Treefort Music Fest) Treefort Music Fest was supposed to take place in downtown Boise this March. But a few weeks before the first band took the stage, coronavirus forced organizers to postpone the independent music festival.  They moved the event to September 2020 and asked folks to hang on to their tickets for the five day event.   But in mid-July, with COVID-19 cases continuing...

(screenshot / via Idaho Statesman)   As the country continues to grapple with racial injustice and questions about white supremacy in 2020, we’re taking a critical look at Idaho’s racist past. We think it’s important to examine our roots so we can better understand how we got here today and what steps we can take to be a more inclusive and equitable place for everyone.  Today’s show is the first i...

(Sean McMinn / NPR) As cases of the coronavirus rise across our state and hospital beds fill, we know many of you have questions: how exactly does it spread? What is safe, and what isn't? To get answers for you, each week we've been bringing in Idaho medical experts to answer your COVID-19 related questions.  Joining Idaho Matters today to answer your coronavirus questions are Dr. David Pate, reti...

(Boise State Public Radio) After two federal courts sided with an effort to secure online signatures for a ballot initiative, organizers with Reclaim Idaho went into overdrive to meet their August deadline.  The group’s goal is to increase the taxes of high earners to pump more money into the state’s public education system. Idaho is one of just a few states with an online signature gathering camp...

(Congressman Mike Simpson's Office / Idaho Statesman)   Stanley, Idaho Mayor Steve Botti has his hands full. Besides coronavirus, wildfires, earthquake aftershocks and routine city business, Botti has been dealing with a controversial trail plan and the retaliation that has come from moving forward with constructing that trail. Mayor Botti joins Idaho Matters live to talk about what's been going o...

(The New York Times)   “The Daily” is a five day a week audio show from the New York Times . It’s heard by more than two million listeners each week and carried by more than 200 public radio stations. It began as a podcast that launched after the 2016 election.  Starting tonight at 6 p.m., Boise State Public Radio will be one of them. Idaho Matters talks with host Michael Barbaro to learn more abo...

(John Pemble / Flickr Creative Commons)   You know him as the host of Morning Edition from NPR. Now, Steve Inskeep is also the author of a new book looking at a long ago part of western American history. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice spoke with Inskeep recently about his book “ Imperfect Union: How Jessie and John Fremont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity and Helped Cause the Civil Wa...

(Boise Bicycle Project / Facebook)   Each year,  Boise Goathead Fest celebrates celebrates the capital city's bicycling culture with a big gathering of cyclists in a downtown park. The goathead is the common name for the puncture vine, a pesky invasive weed that embeds in bike tires and causes many flats throughout the year. They're found in the Boise foothills, but goatheads can also wreak havoc...

(DARIN OSWALD / Idaho Statesman) Having trouble staying up to date on the week's news? Idaho Matters has you covered. This week on the Reporter Roundtable, we learn what happened at two eventful district health meetings about mask mandates, a concerning record number of COVID-19 deaths , a Boise nursing home facility that's taking patients from other cities diagnosed with the virus, why the state...

( Sun Valley Music Festival)   While most of the world's festivals, concert houses and theaters have gone silent this summer, the  Sun Valley Music Festival  will showcase no less than 14 concerts beginning Monday, July 27. The series will feature some of the planet's best musicians, performing in-sync from 43 cities across North America. All of the concerts are free, and will allow approximately...

(Susan Walsh / AP Images) This interview originally aired on June 11, 2020.  The coronavirus lockdown created many burdens for working mothers. Research is showing they have taken on a disproportionate share of day care, home schooling and housework.  Now, the re-opening of our country is causing a new set of problems for moms. The lack of child care options, with day care centers, camps and schoo...

(Darin Oswald / Idaho Statesman)   This interview originally aired June 11, 2020. We have since caught up with Dele Ogunrinola about a policing survey he presented to Boise city leaders. Dele Ogunrinola is a Boise State University student studying biochemistry and physics. He’s been involved in community organizing and activism since he was in high school, and recently participated at the  Boise v...

(LM Otero / AP Images) As Idaho education leaders struggle through  adapting classrooms and technology to rise to the COVID-19 challenge, there are still so many unknowns. For doctors working to combat Idaho's unprecedented surge in cases since the pandemic began, there's reason to be concerned about the risks for students, faculty and staff as the fall semester draws near.  Joining Idaho Matters...