Idaho Matters

(Art Revival / Zero Waste Boise Institute/ReUse Market)   Most of us have some piece of art we love but never got around to hanging. It sits in storage, inspiring guilt and is never fully appreciated.  Donating it is not always preferable. What if it ends up in a home that also won’t appreciate the craftsmanship, or worse, the landfill?   The Zero Waste Boise Institute and the ReUse Market know th...

(Sajjad Safari / IIPA via AP)   The coronavirus — officially called COVID-19 — is continuing to spread around the globe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 15 cases in the U.S. , including three cases of person-to-person  transmission unrelated to global travel. As the former CEO of St. Luke's in Idaho, Dr. David Pate has an inside view into what hospitals do to prepare for pub...

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)   Boise State University President Marlene Tromp has made rural outreach to students a priority in her short time in office. Now, the university will offer a special scholarship for rural Idaho students. Idaho Matters learns more about the scholarship and what Tromp has learned so far since becoming the university's leader this summer.    Have a question o...

(daveynin / Flickr Creative Commons) When you get a bill from your doctor’s office or health insurance, do you always know line by line what the charges are for? Or, have you ever received a bill for a procedure...only to be billed again after reimbursement?   Earlier this week, state lawmakers in the House debated a bill that would reform medical debt collection. The measure is sponsored by Repub...

(Arlie Sommer / Expressive Idaho) The art of gun engraving is alive and well in eastern Idaho thanks to a few dedicated cowboys.  More than 50 years ago Dean Philbrick of Irwin, Idaho began to study gun engraving with a mentor. Now, through the Idaho Commission on the Arts’ Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, Phillbrick himself now mentors aspiring engravers, helping ensure a storied art trad...

(LUKE MAYVILLE / RECLAIM IDAHO)   In 2018,  the group  Reclaim Idaho  spearheaded an effort to expand Medicaid in Idaho, which passed with 61% of the vote. Now, the group has turned its attention to another hot topic in the state: education funding.  If passed, their new ballot initiative would increase taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations, funneling more than $170 million per year to K-1...

(Sun Valley Film Festival)   One of the highlights of Idaho’s entertainment calendar is the Sun Valley Film Festival, which continues to attract a combination of movie fans, Oscar-winning filmmakers and emerging actors and directors.  The festival runs March 18-22.    Our George Prentice visited with Teddy Grennan, executive director of the Sun Valley Film Festival, and festival director Candice P...

(DARIN OSWALD / Idaho Statesman)   The debate over how cities should elect their city councils in Idaho is expected to intensify in the coming days at the state legislature.  House Bill 413 would require cities with official populations over 100,000 to elect its city council members by district. Currently, Boise is the only city that fits into that category.    Simply put, this bill would upend Bo...

(Otto Kitsinger / AP Images)   Republicans control about 80% of both the House and the Senate at the Idaho Statehouse. Out of 105 seats, only 21 are held by Democrats.  State Senators Cherie Buckner-Webb and Maryanne Jordan have both been leaders in the Democratic caucus at the state capitol. Both plan to retire from the legislature, and won't run for re-election in the fall. They joined Idaho Mat...

(Thibault Camus / AP Images)   Democratic hopeful Michael Bloomberg has spent more than $460 million on his campaign.  And a good portion of that money has been used to hire campaign staff in our region. Why? The Mountain West News Bureau’s Madelyn Beck has been following this and joins Idaho Matters to talk about why that’s good for Bloomberg… and maybe not so good for other Democratic campaigns...

(Lucky Us Film / Narrative TV Initiative)   The Narrative TV Initiative is a Boise State University program that gives students real world experience in the television production process through the creation from start to finish of a show.    They debuted their first series, called ‘And Beyond,’ two years ago. Now, their second series is nearly ready for audiences.  ‘Lucky Us’ tells the story of a...

(Rich Pedroncelli / AP Images) Sex education in public schools is often a controversial topic. Questions of what to teach, how to teach it, and when to teach it are sensitive subjects for many parents. For the second year in a row, Rep. Barbara Ehardt (R-Idaho) has introduced a bill at the Idaho legislature to make changes to the current system.   This year’s bill is different from last year’s , w...

(Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine / via Facebook )   Three years ago, the state of Idaho faced a severe physician shortage placing them 49th in the nation for primary care doctors per capita.  In response, they implemented a ten-year plan to increase residencies for newly trained doctors in our state. Since then, Idaho has improved their standing by four places -- up from 49th to 45th when it...

(Nicholas A. Tonelli / HumaNature)   Hunting and acting are two ideas that don’t typically go together.  But for one young man, those two ways of life meld. We listen to Fisher Neal’s story as told by our partners at Wyoming Public Media.    Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet  @KBSX915  using #IdahoMatters

(Scott Samuelson / Idaho Center for the Book)   Picture books aren’t just for kids, especially not when they’re made by Scott Samuelson.  His one-of-a-kind books are works of art, combining his training in the literary arts and his discovered passion for expressing himself visually.    Now, the Idaho Center for the Book is exhibiting dozens of his works at Boise State University through May. The f...

(ETHAN WEBBER / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO) With the Idaho legislature in full swing, there is much to discuss on this week's Reporter Roundtable.  First, East Idaho News's Nate Eaton updates us on the Daybell case following Lori Daybell's arrest Thursday night. Then, Boise State Public Radio's Jimmy Dawson , the Idaho Press's Margaret Carmel and the Idaho Statesman's Scott McIntosh join Idaho Matte...

(Idaho Public Television) “We, the people of the state of Idaho,  grateful to Almighty God for our freedom,  to secure its blessings and promote our common welfare  do establish this Constitution…” ...our state constitution begins.  Created in 1889, this document has been the guiding force behind Idaho law ever since. But while the state has held up over the last 130 years, the physical copy of it...

(Chris Butler / Idaho Statesman)   About two weeks ago, Concordia University Portland announced it would be closing after 115 years leaving the future of Concordia Law School in Boise uncertain. Thursday morning that all changed when a new parent institution was named for the Boise law school. LaTonia Haney Keith, the interim dean of Concordia Law and Dr. Eric LaMott, provost and COO of Concordia...

(Jackie Johnston / AP Images)   Should the four Lower Snake River dams be torn down? The debate has been going on for decades.  Advocates of the idea to tear them down say the move would help save endangered salmon and steelhead. Opponents say the dams provide electricity, irrigation and allow barges to travel from Lewiston to the Pacific Ocean.   Idaho Statesman contributor Rocky Barker joins Ida...

(Kenneth Freeman / Flickr Creative Commons)   Expo Idaho is perhaps best known as the home of the Western Idaho Fair. County leaders are now asking citizens to participate in deciding how the site should be used. The 240-acre property in Garden City also includes the Boise Hawks baseball park, Lady Bird Park, and the now-closed Les Bois horse racing park.    Ada County Commission Chair Kendra Keny...

(Gage Skidmore / Flickr Creative Commons)   Idaho’s presidential primary is now less than three weeks away, but almost everyone’s focus will be on Nevada this coming Saturday when that state holds its own presidential caucuses.  Political teams from Idaho will be heading to Nevada to help their candidates get out the vote effort.    Boise State Public Radio's George Prentice spoke with two folks f...

(American Advisors Group / Flickr Creative Commons)   Rising property taxes in the Treasure Valley and beyond have some homeowners worried about how they will afford to stay in their homes.  Idaho lawmakers are now looking at how to provide financial relief. But one form of relief – what's known as a "circuit breaker" – already offers a tax break for some folks. Ada County Assessor Robert McQuade...

(College of Western Idaho)   Community colleges in Idaho receive some of their funding from property taxes. In the Treasure Valley, the College of Western Idaho is one of those schools. Talk of changing how property taxes are levied at the Idaho Legislature means higher education officials are keeping an eye on bills making their way through committees. Mark Browning of CWI Idaho joins Idaho Matte...

(Lacey Daley / Boise State Public Radio)   Amber Pence was Boise Mayor Dave Bieter’s intergovernmental affairs aide before she left his office to work on his reelection campaign.  Last October, Boise State Public Radio reporter James Dawson found she had been directing city staff after she left Bieter’s office at the end of May. Then, we learned from BoiseDev reporter Don Day that Pence was re-hir...

(Molly Wampler / Boise State Public Radio)   When more than 2,000 firefighters start climbing 69 flights of stairs in Seattle on March 8, each one will have their own reasons why they race to the top of the Columbia Center.  For Boise firefighter Rich Brown those reasons are very personal. He joins Idaho Matters to talk more about why this fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is so imp...