Idaho Matters

(Eric Follet) The James Castle House hosts artists of various backgrounds around the year. Named after the self-taught artist who lived in the home in the early to mid-20th century, the house allows current-day writers, painters, sculptors and more to break away from their daily return and focus deeply on a project.  The current artist-in-residence is Eric Follett. The Idaho-based writer and lingu...

(Bamboo and Barbed Wire / Facebook) The internment of Japanese Americans in Idaho during World War II is a dark part of our history that’s inspired art and social criticism. This Thursday and Sunday , the Idaho State Museum in Boise will screen a documentary, called “ Bamboo and Barbed Wire ,” on the Minidoka camp in South Central Idaho.   The documentary asks viewers to consider how our past prej...

(Idaho State Archives) We know about the delegates back in 1889 who wrote Idaho’s constitution. But who actually wrote it down, putting pen to paper to capture it for posterity? That’s the question the Idaho State Archives gets the most when it comes to the constitution. But no one knew the answer...until now.   Idaho Public Television decided to solve this mystery. With the help of a detective fr...

(Molly Messick / StateImpact)   In January, Idaho state lawmakers debated a bill that would have allowed more sexual assault survivors to get protection orders against their assailants. The bill, introduced by Democratic representative Melissa Wintrow, died after lobbying from the National Rifle Association.  Boise State Public Radio reporter Heath Druzin dug into the story and joins Idaho Matters...

(Idaho Statesman )   The case of two missing children in Idaho has garnered national attention.  Their mother's arrest and arraignment on Friday is the latest in the story. Lori Vallow's attorney told a judge her client is innocent, and argued successfully for her bond to be lowered. East Idaho News reporter Nate Eaton has been following the story since the beginning and joins Idaho Matters live b...

(Idaho Statesman)   As spring weather in parts of Idaho begins to make an appearance, you might be daydreaming about warm gatherings with friends and family on a green patch of grass in a local park. In Boise, Parks and Recreation officials are already planning for the busy spring and summer months by taking a new strategy  to maintain those green spaces.   Pesticides are one tool the department h...

(Luma Jasim)   Since the 1930s, the Boise Art Museum has been committed to showcasing local Idaho artists. Every three years, the museum selects a couple dozen Idaho artists — not limited by medium —for a special exhibit.  This year, 23 artists representing eight cities across the Gem State were selected.    Luma Jasim and Goran Fazil are two of those artists from Boise. They join Idaho Matters li...

(ETHAN WEBBER / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO) This week's Reporter Roundtable has a little bit of everything from the week's news: abortion funding at the state legislature, possible restrictions for transgender athletes in Idaho, state officials preparing for coronavirus spread and the arraingment of an Eastern Idaho woman in connection to the disappearance of her children.  Listen as journalists  Ja...

(NASA)   For the last few years, scientists have been studying “fast radio bursts” in the night sky. These are radio pulses from space that are only milliseconds long.  These bursts have probably been around for billions of years, but humans have only known about them for the past dozen years or so.    But what exactly are these flashes of light? Stars colliding? Aliens? Neutron stars? That’s the...

(Kyle Green / Idaho Statesman)   Idaho loses close to $500 million annually because of child care issues, according to a new  U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation report. The findings are part of the chamber foundation’s “Untapped Potential” study that looked at four states across the country. Each state report revealed the cost of child care challenges but also provides opportunities to unlock eco...

(Keith Ridler / AP Images)  In July, NASA plans to launch the next Mars rover into space.  There are four goals for the Mars 2020 mission: find out if there was ever life on Mars, look at the climate and geology of the red planet and prepare the way for humans to go there.   The Idaho National Laboratory is providing the power supply , known as an RTG for the mission. INL provided RTGs for the New...

(Kevin Morris / Flickr Creative Commons)   According to a 2016 study by Johns Hopkins , more than 250,000 people in the United States die every year because of medical mistakes, making it the third leading cause of death in our country after heart disease and cancer.  A new in-depth documentary will be screening next week in Boise that looks at what many call a silent epidemic, focusing on the peo...

(Depressed Cake Shop)   Eating cake usually signifies a celebration: a celebration of a birthday, a wedding, a graduation, a retirement. But there’s  an upcoming event  in Boise that will turn this paradigm on its head: the Depressed Cake Shop. The event started in California several years ago. The fundraiser is this Saturday and organizers hope to bring folks together for support and to break dow...

(Idaho Statesman / McClatchy)   With Super Tuesday in the rearview, it's almost Idaho's turn to weigh in on the presidential primaries. Tuesday March 10, Idaho voters will head to the polls to cast their ballot for who will represent the Democratic, Republican and Constitution Parties in the general election later this year. In 2016, Idaho Democrats used the caucus system, which some look back on...

( Shiva Shafii)   Idaho’s largest and oldest performing arts organization is changing leadership. Laura Reynolds is the Boise Philharmonic’s new executive director, and joins Idaho Matters to talk about her new position.  Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet  @KBSX915  using #IdahoMatters

(Idaho Statesman) Idahoans with a bachelor’s degree earn close to $32,000 more per year on average than those with only a high school diploma. That’s according to a new study from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. The new study also shows the gap widens around Boise, where people with a bachelor’s degree earn almost $38,000 more. And folks with college educations in Idaho see a higher percentage of...

(Idaho Dance Theatre / Facebook)   Idaho Dance Theater is prepping for its latest performance. Coming up this week, the performance, called Vigor, will focus on active strength and energy of the body and the mind. Marla Hansen is the artistic director and joins Idaho Matters to talk more about the show.    Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet  @KBSX915  using #IdahoMatters

(Elsie Cree)   In late 2019, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to create a task force – called “Operation Lady Justice” – that would address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in the United States. The order was one of the first federal acknowledgements of the epidemic.    According to the Department of Justice, indigenous women and girls face higher rates...

(Brynn Anderson / AP Images)   Last week, we spoke to the former head of St. Luke’s health system about how hospitals are preparing for COVID-19, or the coronavirus. There are no coonfirmed cases of the virus in the state yet, but state officials are preparing for that to change.    Recent cases — and six deaths from a senior citizen facility in Washington state — have many Idahoans on edge. But w...

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)   We’re excited to share the most recent episode of our podcast Wanna Know Idaho . The podcast explores the curious elements of life in Idaho… with you, our listeners! This month, we answer the question, “Crows in Nampa, so many geese in Boise, and a flock of seagulls every night in Meridian at dusk -- has the Treasure Valley gone to the birds?”   Podc...

(Ted S. Warren / AP Images) Between 1938-1976, the federal government built four dams on the Snake River. The dams are authorized for hydropower, navigation, recreation, fish and wildlife, water quality and irrigation. But damming any major river has serious implications for wildlife – in this case: salmon.  Well before European-Americans realized the power of the Columbia River and its offshoots,...

(Charles Knowles / Flickr Creative Commons) This interview orginally aired Dec. 19, 2019 There was a time earlier this decade when  getting on a list with a national magazine  or online publication was a big deal for Boise and Idaho. But as the city's population continues to grow -- perhaps in part because of the exposure from these lists -- public opinion about these accolades seems to be shiftin...

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)   This Wednesday, the Gem State is celebrating “Idaho Day,” a nod to the day when President Abraham Lincoln created what was then the Idaho Territory. For a year in the 1860s, the territory encompassed modern-day Idaho, Montana and most of Wyoming. Lincoln was putting his stamp on the west during the Civil War, ensuring that rebel forces would not get...

(LAND TRUST TREASURE VALLEY) Les Bois Film Festival is returning to Boise this weekend. The event, which is locally produced, features films about conservation and the outdoors.  Hollie Conde is with the Land Trust of the Treasure Valley, the organization that puts on the festival, and joins Idaho Matters to talk more.    Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet  @KBSX915  using #IdahoMatter...

(ETHAN WEBBER / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO) Today on the Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable, Boise State Public Radio's Heath Druzin , KIVI's Mike Sharp and BoiseDev's Don Day chat legislature news and more.  Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet  @KBSX915  using #IdahoMatters