Idaho Matters

(Michael Katz / Idaho Statesman) Eastern Oregon has a new weed shop, this one in Ontario. Weedology opened last Friday and there were a number of Ada and Canyon County license plates in the parking lot. While recreational pot is legal in Oregon and now can be purchased just an hour away from Boise , it's illegal in Idaho. We talk with Idaho Statesman reporter Michael Katz who was there the day the...

(Heath Druzin / Boise State Public Radio)   According to a recent Gallup poll the Mountain West is home to some of the happiest states in the country. Paradoxically we also have some of the highest rates of depressive disorders and suicide. Researchers are trying to find out why. We talk with Mountain West News Bureau reporter Rae Ellen Bichell with KUNC in Colorado, who recently reported on a new...

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio)   This month the City of Boise asked the community to take action and join the plastics challenge: to give up one disposable plastics item. That could be straws, plastic bags, or — the big one — non-reusable water bottles. Though July is coming to an end, the discussion over single-use plastics is just getting started, and the Zero Waste Boise Institut...

(Morrison Center) "Les Miserables" is the world’s longest-running musical. It's estimated that it has been seen by 130 million people in 44 countries. A newly conceived production is touring the United States and will be on the Morrison Center stage in Boise July 30-Aug. 4. We talk with Joshua Grosso, who portrays Marius. 

(Flickr Creative Commons)   Idaho’s state board of education has a new president. In April Debbie Critchfield’s peers elected her to the position, and in May she was named co-chair of Governor Little’s K-12 education task force. One of Critchfield’s goals is better access to higher education . And just as idaho is at a crossroads when it comes to education, Critchfield is ushering in a new generat...

(Visit Sun Valley) A version of this segment originally aired on June 8, 2018.  Light pollution is the presence of artificial light in the night sky and as development has increased throughout the west, astronomers lament the lack clean, dark skies to observe the heavens. Fortunately, Idaho is home to some of the darkest skies in America and we talk about efforts to create a  "dark sky reserve"  w...

(Flickr Creative Commons)   A controversial statement from an Idaho Republican leader , an Eastern Idaho wildfire that threatened a nuclear facility and a new buffered bike lane in Boise that’s confusing some drivers. All that, plus reporter banter and commentary, on this week's edition of the Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable.  Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet  @KBSX915  using #Idah...

This year Idaho was the recipient of the 2019 Frank Newman Award recognizing Idaho’s efforts to increase the number of students going on to pursue higher education. Join our conversation as we talk with the  State Board of Educations new President and Executive Director about the changes they hope to make.  Have a question or comment for the show? Tweet @KBSX915 using #IdahoMatters. 

(Molly Messick / StateImpact)   More than 20 years ago,  Congress passed  the so-called Dickey Amendment, forbidding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from spending federal dollars to advocate for gun control. Researchers say that had a chilling effect and left a gap in both our knowledge of what causes gun violence and our ability to combat it. Now, private organizations and universi...

(Peter Oberlindacher)     Friday is the start of the annual San Inacio festival in downtown Boise. The event is named after Saint Ignatious of Loyola, the patron saint of the Basques. The free three-day event runs through Sunday, and as always there will be lots of dancing, food and live music.    If you visit the Basque Block to check out the festivities this weekend, you might want to consider s...

(Idaho Experience) Producer Marcia Franklin joins us to talk about a new documentary that offers a different perspective. “Out of the Shadows” tells the stories of two women – Jane Gay and Benedicte Wrensted - and the photos they took of Native Americans in Idaho. Interviews with Nez Perce and Shoshone-Bannock tribe members take viewers back to the turn of the 20 th century and introduce a new wav...

(Globe Newswire / Associated Press) After last year's failed levy the College of Western Idaho has scaled back their expansion, proposing three new options for funding. Join us as we discuss these options and how they could improve the student and teacher experience.

(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio) Health disparities  experienced between urban and rural communities are a result of many different factors, one of these being access to physicians. In an effort to increase this access  WWAMI  offers a  Rural Underserved Opportunities Program . This gives medical students the chance to serve in areas with doctor shortages and learn more about co...

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio) In 1992, a young girl named Liyah Babayan found herself in a strange and new place: Twin Falls, Idaho. She and her family were Armenian refugees, who were resettled by the College of Southern Idaho.  Fast-forward to today, and Liyah is a business owner in downtown Twin Falls, the mother of two children and an advocate for children who have experienced...

(John Armitage / Flickr Creative Commons)   Learning to code is like learning how to speak and write a new language, and it's a good skill to have in the marketplace. According to code.org, 58% of all new jobs in Idaho are in computing. So learning to code will increase your child's odds of securing a lucrative STEM career.  Join us for a conversation about a new program that will bring learning h...

(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio)   Idaho ranks 49th in the country when it comes to the ratio of active physicians per 100,000 patients.  And provider shortages are felt -- perhaps most strongly -- in Idaho's rural counties like Owyhee, Payette and Canyon. Now, a partnership between St. Luke's and Family Medicine Residency of Idaho is hoping to attract and retain more doctors to...

(U.S. Army Garrison Casey)   A new class action lawsuit was filed last week  challenging the way some Idaho school districts charge parents fees for sending their children to all-day kindergarten. Currently, the state only provides funding for half-day kindergarten. Some school districts including West Ada and Boise offer all-day, but charge parents fees to defray the cost.   We talk with Idaho Fa...

(Tom Woodward / Flickr) Chris Tapp has been exonerated of the murder of Angie Dodge, an 18-year-old woman who was killed in 1996. Tapp was jailed for 20 years in the case. But new  DNA analysis  pointed police to a Caldwell man who was arrested, and confessed to the murder in May 2019. However, Tapp still had the murder on his record until last week.  Idaho Matters  talks with Chris Tapp about his...

(Nae / Flickr) It’s time for our Reporter Roundtable, where we get you up to date on all the news that made headlines around our region. Joining Gemma Gaudette this week are  Betsy Russell  with the Idaho Press, Mike Sharp from  KIVI Six On Your Side Television  and  George Prentice  with  Boise State Public Radio .

(Thomas Hawk / Flickr) Summer means ice cream and the  Idaho Foodbank  has a way to indulge your sweet tooth AND help folks in need.  In the winter , the Foodbank's Empty Bowls event puts hot soup in a handmade bowl to raise money. The Third Annual Summer Empty Bowls  fills those bowls with  ice cream  for a donation as the Foodbank tries to meet its goal of 25,000 meals for Idahoans this summer. 

(Teton High School / Facebook) The  Teton School District  is dropping its Redskins mascot.  Idaho Ed News  reported on the crowded Tuesday night meeting where school trustees voted on the issue. We talk with Kevin Richert from Idaho Ed News about Teton and other Idaho schools that have controversial mascots.

If you're jumping into a pool, pond or other cool body of water during these hot days, how can you stay safe?  Idaho Matters  finds out the two big dangers are drowning and RWI's,  recreational water illnesses  caused by  germs  or chemicals where you swim.

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio) What happens when you give organic produce to pregnant women for six months? Until now, no one had tried it.  A new Boise State study  shows women who ate organic produce had lower  pesticide metabolites  in their urine than women who ate regular fruits and vegetables. Gemma Gaudette digs into the study.

(Courtesy Olma and Johan Bakker Collection and andriesse-eyck galerie / Facebook) Every two years, the City of Boise dubs a new  Cultural Ambassador  for an organization or program that elevates Boise’s arts and cultural scene. Now, the city has given the honor to  MING Studios , an international art center and residency program in downtown Boise. We learn more about the Cultural Ambassador award...

(Courtesy Grand Junction Bureau of Land Management) A  Colorado Senator  says the  Bureau of Land Management  is moving its headquarters to his state. Supporters say that will help decision makers be closer to the land they manage. Some conservationists oppose the idea.  Idaho Matters  takes a closer look.