Idaho Matters

(Idaho Black History Museum) June 19, 1865 was the day slavery was abolished in Texas and unofficially throughout the Confederate states. This day,  Juneteenth , is the day America commemorates the abolition of one of the darkest stains of our nation's history.  Idaho Matters  discusses the importance of this observance with state senator Cherie Buckner-Webb and  Idaho Black History Museum  execut...

(boisegoatheadfest.com) Boise bicyclists turned out in droves last summer for the first annual Boise  Goathead Fest  - a celebration of all things bike and the collective efforts to remove prickly goat head seeds from hiking and biking trails. We talk with event organizer and  Boise Bicycle Project  executive director Jimmy Hallyburton, Boise Foothills restoration specialist  Martha Brabec  and Bo...

(Chadd Cripe/Idaho Statesman) Host Gemma Gaudette leads a roundtable discussion of the week's headlines with the region's top journalists. This week we speak with Scott McIntosh of the  Idaho Press  about new a closure by the Texas billionaire Wilks brothers of a private road leading to public lands. Don Day from  BoiseDev  discusses new building plans coming to downtown Boise and Boise State Publ...

(Alex E. Proimos / Flickr Creative Commons) June is  Men's Health Month  and  Idaho Matters  speaks with St. Luke's urologist,  Dr. Robert Jackson , about prostate and testicular cancer screenings, heart health and the importance of keeping fit.

(indiedwell) LEAP Charities  partnered with the National Housing Trust Fund and the Idaho Housing and Finance Association along with builders  IndieDwell  to create  Windy Court , a housing development in West Boise built out of shipping containers. The concept creates affordable housing options in one of the fastest-growing housing markets in the country.  Idaho Matters  talks with Leap co-founde...

(MATT GUILHEM / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO) The Boise Parks and Recreation department has implemented new measures to keep  the ponds in city parks clean  and free of e. coli, bacteria and algae blooms. Parks & Rec director Doug Holloway and Environmental Division Senior Manager Haley Falconer join  Idaho Matters  to talk about keeping the city's ponds clean, safe and swimmable.

(Erik Richardson) Family physician Dr. Erik Richardson uses his YouTube program, " FamilyMed ," to connect viewers with educational medical videos. Richardson joins   Idaho Matters  to talk about using social media to educate Idahoans.

(kellysundberg.com) For years,  Kelly Sundberg  endured horrific domestic battery at the hands of her husband. After being found guilty of assault, her husband's only sentence was to write a letter of apology. Sundberg writes about her experience in  Goodbye, Sweet Girl: A Story of Domestic Violence and Survival , which is being issued in paperback. She joins us to share her story and bring awaren...

(courtesy: Opera Idaho) Considering Matthew Shepard  tells the tragic story of the senseless killing of a Wyoming college student in the form of an opera. Shepard was 21 years old when he was beaten, tied to a fencepost, set on fire and left for dead by two men who had offered him a ride. Opera Idaho presents  Considering Matthew Shepard  and on Thursday,  Idaho Matters  speaks with Dr. Michael Po...

(st. luke's) St. Luke 's has opened the first dedicated pediatric trauma program in Idaho and we speak with Dr. Kathryn Beattie and Dr. Kendra Bowman on filling this medical niche in a growing community.

(IDAHO STATE POLICE) The state is putting the screws to out-of-state hemp industries by refusing to recognize federal hemp transport guidelines.  Idaho Matters  speaks with  Concordia University School of Law  associate professor  Ryan Stoa  about pot, hemp, the law and you.

(lynda wolters/facebook) Author  Lynda Wolters  suffers from a rare form of cancer that is terminal. She used the written word to bring attention to the commonalities people have with each other in an effort to draw communities together. Wolter joins  Idaho Matters  to discuss her latest book that collates the voices of cancer patients and survivors.

(Paul Aitken/Facebook) 20 years ago,  Cathedral of the Rockies  music director  Paul Aitken  composed a choral piece that captures the hope and despair felt by WWI soldiers on the fields of Flanders in Belgium. This month, Aitken will travel to Flanders to conduct a performance of " Flanders Fields " and he joins  Idaho Matters  to talk about the importance of the piece and performing it at the si...

(thehungercoalition.org) St. Luke's is partnering with the  Hunger Coalition  to alleviate instances of food poverty in the Wood River Valley.  Idaho Matters  talks with Erin Pfaeffle, director of community engagement with St. Luke's and Jeanne Liston, executive director of the Hunger Coalition about these efforts. 

(City of Boise) Boise's Water Renewal Service  employs innovative technology to cleanse the city's used wastewater. On Tuesday's  Idaho Matters , we talk with  Boise Public Works  director Steve Burgos and communications director Colin Hickman about how they reclaim 10 billion gallons of water a year and where that water goes.

(eldermistreatment.usc.edu) June is National Elder Abuse Prevention Month and the  Justice Alliance for Vulnerable Adults  (JAVA) is partnering with Assistant U.S. District Attorney Sean Mazorol to bring attention to the warning signs of elder abuse.  Idaho Matters  talks with Marozol and Mary Holden, JAVA's coordinator about spotting the signs of and reporting elder abuse.

(downtownboise.org) The  American Cancer Society's Relay for Life  takes place on June 21 and we talk with  ACS - Ada County 's Whitney Stoolman and Armelene Matson about the organization's premier fundraising event.

(localwiki) After the American Library Association  determined late fees  constitute social inequity in 2018, the Boise Public Library is considering dropping the enforcement of fines.  Idaho Matters  talks with the library's Sarah Kelley-Chase about eliminating the economic barriers that discourage library use and how it has worked in communities like Meridian, Caldwell and Eagle.

(pinterest) In the old days, food marketers relied on cartoon characters, quirky commercials and colossal packaging to sell products. Today, it is all about selling sustainability. Putting the words "organic," "GMO free" or "free range" on the box seals the deal. Marketers and retailers have been hip to this shift for years and most consumers are playing right into plan. We talk with University of...

(Samantha Fleenor/Facebook) 2016 CDC guidelines  regarding the prescription and discontinuation of opioid pain medications were initiated to curtail the growing addiction epidemic. Doctors and pharmacists were given non-mandatory recommendations on how much to prescribe and when to stop refills; in some municipalities, counties and states, lawmakers used these guidelines to pass legal restrictions...

(idahorefugees.org) Friday, June 20, is World Refugee Day — a time when people in Idaho and around the globe recognize the struggles of the world's refugees and efforts to provide relief, security and freedom for these populations. Kara Fink and Salome Mwangi of the  Idaho Office for Refugees  join Idaho Matters to talk about Boise's legacy as a refugee-welcome city and  events downtown  commemora...

(FLUOR IDAHO) Guest host George Prentice leads a round table discussion of the week's headlines with the region's top journalists. This week we speak with  KIVI 6 On Your Side 's Mike Sharp about new crime fighting technology being used by Nampa police.  Associated Press  reporter Rebecca Boone parses out a ruling involving Idaho dairy farmers and the veterinarians  accusing them of human traffick...

(JidoBG/Wikimedia) Films like  Armageddon  and  Deep Impact  paint a catastrophic picture of asteroid strikes on Earth, and they can be cataclysmic. Ask the dinosaurs. That's why scientists like  Alessandra Springmann  of University of Arizona’s  Lunar & Planetary Laboratory  keep eyes on the skies to monitor near-Earth passages of asteroids and other celestial debris. Springmann is the guest...

(Idaho State University) Kevin Satterlee was appointed last summer to lead Idaho State University and he joins  Idaho Matters  to talk about the challenges, the successes and his ambitions for the university.

Women's Voices from the Oregon Trail  tells the stories about and contributions of the pioneer women who braved the 2,000 mile journey across the continent to settle the West in the 19th Century. The book is being re-published in a 25th Anniversary edition and author Susan Butruille will be signing copies at  Rediscovered Books on Thursday evening . Butruille joins  Idaho Matters  with publisher K...