Idaho Matters

(DARIN OSWALD / Idaho Statesman)   Our Reporter Roundtable has shares fresh perspectives and stories you might have missed from around the Gem State this week. We'll cover new developments in the case of two missing eastern Idaho children, Stage 4 of Gov. Brad Little's coronavirus reopening plan, the racial disparities of who's affected by coronavirus and developments of the Black Lives Matter mov...

(Susan Walsh / AP Images)   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 schools closed in many areas, may actually force women...

(DARIN OSWALD / Idaho Statesman) 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 vigil in honor of George Floyd and other Black people who have been killed by police. Idaho Matters host Gemma Gaudette talks with him   about his experienc...

(Idaho Statesman )   There are new developments in the case of two missing children in Eastern Idaho. Today, Chad Daybell, the husband of the children’s mother, is behind bars. He's been charged with concealment of evidence, after police say human remains were found on his property. Prosecutors announced at his bail hearing Wednesday morning that the remains belonged to children.  Seven-year-old J...

(Charlie Riedel / AP Images)   Idaho Matters  is back with our panel of Idaho doctors to answer more of your COVID-19 questions. This week, they answer questions about kids and the coronavirus, changes to hospital visitation policies, who's following CDC guidelines, and stage four in the Gov. Brad Little's  reopening plan . The governor will announce whether the state will move to stage four on Th...

(Carolyn Kaster / AP Images)   On Friday, Governor Brad Little announced a new $100 million program that will pay workers directly to return to their jobs. Under this program, an Idaho worker on unemployment who returns to full-time work would receive a one-time bonus of $1,500, while someone who works part time would get $750.  The governor said he’s doing this because he’s concerned that enhance...

(British Red Cross / Flickr Creative Commons)   Idaho has gone a week without a resident of our state dying from COVID-19. But, the disease is still spreading in Idaho, and by best estimates we are months away from a vaccine or cure. With the state now in reopening phase three of four, it’s sometimes hard to remember we are still only a few months into this pandemic.  Thankfully, the human species...

(Madelyn Beck / Mountain West News Bureau) A couple hundred people gathered to protest racism and police violence in Missoula, Montana last Friday. It looked and sounded like a usual rally.  But interspersed between signs saying “Black Lives Matter,” and “No Justice, No Peace” were about 20 white men and women carrying handguns and AR-15s. With support from America Amplified , our Mountain West Ne...

(Elaine Thompson / AP Images)   Since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis two weeks ago, protests demanding an end to police brutality and racial injustice have swelled across the country. Of course, the right to peacefully assemble and petition the government are both protected rights under the First Amendment. But even while protesters chant “black lives matter,” video footage from bystan...

(Luca Bruno / AP Images)   Since the coronavirus first started spreading in Idaho, one concern for both the public and health officials has been the protection of folks who live in nursing homes . But as March turned to April and then to May, the state remained tight-lipped about exactly how many cases of COVID-19 exist in which facilities.  Now, we know a lot more. Of the 83 coronavirus deaths in...

(Sun Valley Institute) At one point this spring, Blaine County was one of the hardest-hit areas in the country for coronavirus infections. The area, which draws tourists from around the world for both its recreational and arts opportunities, was forced to close. The area’s shops, restaurants, hotels and arts centers went into hibernation as health officials worked to control the spread. Now, with...

(Madelyn Beck / Mountain West News Bureau)   Today, our Reporter Roundtable has all the news you need to know from the past week, including Boise's Black Lives Matter protest and vigil and how K-12 schools are planning to reopen in the fall.  Joining us today to break all this down: Boise State Public Radio’s James Dawson Idaho Ed News's Kevin Richert The Boise Weekly's Harrison Berry As COVID-19...

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)   As the state opens back up, health care and government experts are saying that being outdoors is relatively safe, since physical distancing is easier outside. But that doesn’t mean you’re totally safe when you leave your house.  And as the weather heats up, more and more folks are taking advantage of the great outdoors. The governor’s ‘Recreate Respo...

( College of Southern Idaho)   Idaho’s higher education community has been rocked by the pandemic. In the middle of the semester, classes moved to distance learning and students and professors alike were forced to get used to a “new normal.”  Now, at the College of Southern Idaho, the longtime president is retiring and will welcome its new leader July 1. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sp...

(Otto Kitsinger / Idaho Statesman)   Across the country, cities are closing streets to cars to encourage socially-distanced exercise, or to allow restaurants to seat patrons away from one another. Now, the trend has hit Idaho.  In Ketchum, Fourth Street will soon be off limits to cars, and here in Boise, downtown’s 8th Street closed today to cars following a resolution by the City Council on May 1...

(Cathleen Allison / AP Photo)   If you want to protect a species, understanding and protecting their habitat is essential. In Idaho, one of the creatures at risk of extinction is the sage grouse, named after the landscape they rely on for food and shelter. The science that’s conducted in the sage brush sea can inform the policy decisions by land managers at the Interior Department, and can protect...

(Eric Gay / AP Images)   Valley County is many Idahoans summer playground: from the fresh mountain air, to hiking and biking and sunny days on the lake, people come in droves to this area to get away and relax. With COVID-19 still being a real issue, Valley County community leaders are trying to get the word out on how to stay safe while still having fun this summer. One group that’s watching this...

(Heath Druzin / Boise State Public Radio)   Last night, thousands of Idahoans came together on the Capitol steps in Boise to mourn the lives of Black people killed at the hands of police. And while crowds were gathered outside the statehouse exercising their right to assemble, election officials were inside the building administering the first vote-by-mail election in Idaho.  The vigil was peacefu...

(St. Luke's Health System)   Idaho Matters  is back with our panel of Idaho doctors to answer more of your COVID-19 questions. This week, they answer questions about new sterilization protocol, inconsistent reporting and the risk of super-spreader events like protests.   Joining  Idaho Matters  this week are:  Dr. David Pate, a member of the governor’s Coronavirus Task Force, and former CEO of St....

(Madelyn Beck / Boise State Public Radio)   For the last week, protests have been held across the United States over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died at the hands of white police in Minneapolis last Monday. All four officers involved were fired after the killing but only one former officer has been charged in connecton with his death.  Of course, this is not the first time...

(Idaho Power / Facebook)   In the 1950s and 60s, towns across the American west were razed and relocated to make way for major hydroelectric projects. These towns were essentially drowned by the reservoirs and rivers that replaced them.  Bob Reinhardt is a history professor at Boise State University and has just begun a research project to collect oral histories of these drowned towns in Idaho. Hi...

(Flickr Creative Commons)   So many children in Idaho deal with food insecurity on a daily basis. During a regular school year, kids often have access to food through their schools. But what about summer weekends, during a pandemic? That's where the Protect Idaho Kids Foundation comes in. The group will host a picnic in the park each Sunday June 28-August 30 to feed children in need. Joining Idaho...

(Girl, Awake / Facebook)   In March, Governor Brad Little signed into law legislation setting 16 as the minimum age a person can get married in the state of Idaho. Backers of this legislation said it was needed to prevent forced or coerced marriage of young girls. A similar bill failed in the house last year. That bill would have been more strict, requiring a judge to sign off on someone getting m...

(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio)   In 2018, Idaho started a platform for health care workers to support and educate one another. Project ECHO works to share knowledge through weekly video conferences to increase the specialist knowledge among doctors in our state.  The program started here with opioid use, and has since expanded to include series on behavioral health and substan...

(Molly Wampler / Boise State Public Radio)   Tuesday, we will learn the results of Idaho's first vote-by-mail statewide primary. How might the changes election officials have been forced to put in place because of the coronavirus influence future elections?   Ada County Clerk Phil McGrane oversees Idaho’s biggest election operation and has been dealing with all the changes this year. Our Morning E...