Idaho Matters

(unkown) Michael Ames's book " American Cipher " tells the story of Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. Army private who spent five years as a captive of the Taliban to later be released in a controversial prisoner swap. Many have called Bergdahl a deserter; others have pointed to mental health issues. Ames joins  Idaho Matters  to share insight into the life of this Idaho native.

(Heath Druzin / Boise State Public Radio) The  Guns & America  series looks at the  popularity of the AR-15  semi-automatic rifle. The firearm's name and design are licensed to numerous manufacturers and can be customized with a plethora of attachments, making it one of the top-selling rifles in America. Heath Druzin, Boise State Public Radio's  Guns & America  reporter, joins  Idaho Matte...

(SUN VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL) The  Sun Valley Film Festival  begins on Wednesday with industry luminaries like David Crosby, Meg Ryan, Fisher Stevens and Idaho native Aaron Paul in attendance. Boise Weekly film critic George Prentice will also attend the festival and he joins  Idaho Matters  for a preview.

(owyheeinitiative.org) The  Owyhee Initiative  is a compact agreed upon by several "national, regional, and local stakeholders" that would preserve the environmental and economic future of Owyhee County. The Owyhee Initiative Implementation Act was introduced by Senator Crapo in 2009 and signed into law by President Obama.  Idaho Matters  looks at the impact of this act as it nears its 10th annive...

(EMILIE RITTER SAUNDERS / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO) Concordia Law School  in Boise has been trying to procure full accreditation from the American Bar Association since it opened in 2012. Last week, the school  received full accreditation , allowing law students to graduate with a full JD and qualify to take the Bar exam in most states. Concordia Law Dean Elena Langan joins  Idaho Matters  to talk...

Gemma Gaudette leads a round table discussion of the week's headlines with the region's top journalists. This week,  Idaho Matters  speaks with Kevin Richert of  Idaho Education News , Mike Sharp of  KIVI 6 On Your Side  and Rebecca Boone of the  Associated Press .

Surel's Place  artist-in-residence  Matthew Gray Palmer  is committed to creating 100 drawings and 30 paintings during his 3+ week stay in Boise. Palmer joins  Idaho Matters  to explain why he is doing this and the message behind his exhibition,  Alluviam: Sifting in the Sandbox of Self .

(Olivia Weitz) Olivia Weitz joins us to present the final installment of  Expressive Idaho  ​as she takes us to Idaho's Buckaroo Country to learn the art of saddle making.

(nwcua/Caped Credit Union) The CapEd  Read to Rise  program encourages kids to read through a school competition with a unique prize and the credit union's Annual Movie Trailer Contest has high schoolers producing their own  film trailers . We speak with Todd Christiansen, CapEd's Senior Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, about the programs.

(muuv yoga boise) There are more than 20 yoga studios in Boise and Idaho Matters looks at the growth of this 5,000 year old practice with MUUV Yoga Boise instructor, Mikayla Latta.

(LACEY DALEY / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO) We check in with Storyfort's Christian Winn for a rundown of this year's  Storyfort  schedule and talk with the Boise State Public Radio voices that are participating.

(pbs) Paula Vogel's  Indecent  examines the controversy surrounding a 1923 Broadway play that scandalized New York with a tale of a Jewish brothel owner.  Idaho Matters  speaks with Buffie Main of  Alley Repertory Theater  about censorship, sex and religion.

(Sun Valley Institute) The Sun Valley Institute and Warm Springs Consulting are partnering to present a Resiliance Workshop  in Hailey to discuss ways to grow Idaho sustainably and to prepare for a future that includes the effects of climate change. We discuss the issues with Amber Beig of Warm Springs Consulting and former Blaine County commissioner Larry Schoen.

(Idaho High School Activities Association/twitter) Everybody has seen them at little league or youth soccer games -  the parents  that scream, yell and curse at the refs, the coaches, the other parents - and sometimes the kids. They ruin something that should be fun and enriching for kids and they're making it hard to hire refs and umps to officiate these games. We look at ways youth sports organi...

(Katherine Jones/Idaho Statesman) Cheeky Boutique founder Jessi Roberts joins  Idaho Matters  to talk about her book,  Backroads Boss Lady .

(DARIN OSWALDIDAHO STATESMAN FILE) Outdoor enthusiasts and loggers often make strange bedfellows but both are feeling the impacts of restricted access to public lands by private landowners.  Legislation was in play  to stop this practice by landowners like the Wilks Brothers of Texas, but state lawmakers  killed the bill  on Monday. Idaho Statesman reporter Nicole Blanchard joins  Idaho Matters  t...

(treefort) Treefort  keeps growing and programming for  kids and families  is the next Fort-frontier.  Idaho Matters  speaks about booking all-age shows and events for kids with Nathan Walker of the Boise All-Ages Movement project and Briana Moore of Treefort.

Idaho State University biology student Amanda Smolinksi is working with Idaho National Laboratory's  neutron radiography  program to study the effects of oceanic pollution. We talk with Smolinski about researching the insides of sponges to gauge heavy metal pollution levels.

(Lady Bizness / Facebook) Alisha Donahue and Jynx Jenkins are  Lady Bizness  - a comedy duo that pokes fun at both the most routine and ridiculous aspects of everyday life. They perform at Liquid Lounge this month and they join us in studio to talk about what is so damn funny about Boise.

(Ingrid Taylar/Wikimedia) Tariffs on certain Chinese goods were scheduled to  increase from 10% to 25% on March 1 . That increase was blocked by the Trump Administration, but the current tariff rate is having an impact on Idaho's family businesses. We look at the scope of that impact with Kirk Adams, a member of the  Idaho District Export Council , Jos Zamzow, co-CEO of  Zamzows  and Melanie Kraus...

(IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME / Idaho Statesman) Freelance journalist Rocky Barker has been tracking the  dwindling numbers of the Selkirk caribou  and he joins  Idaho Matters  to illustrate the effects of encroachment and climate change on the iconic steer of the Northwest.

(mountainhumane.org) Animal advocates in the Wood River Valley are anticipating the opening of a new adoption and education center. We talk with Jo-Anne Dixon, executive director and medical director of  Mountain Humane  in Hailey.

(shopaitribes.org) Leaders of the region's  Native American tribes meet in Boise  on Thursday and Friday for a conference to raise awareness and understanding of Native culture and history and to maintain a dialogue with leaders of all communities.  Idaho Matters  discusses the conference with Norm Cavanaugh of the  Duck Valley Reservation  and Ed Keener, creator of the  Kessler-Keener Foundation...

(FACEBOOK VIA TWITTER) Gemma Gaudette leads a round table discussion of the week's headlines with the region's top journalists. Idaho Matters  speaks with Bill Manny of   Idaho Public Television , Kevin Richert of  Idaho Education News  and Scott MacIntosh of the  Idaho Press . This week we discuss pictures of Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, legislative activity affecting Idaho education and...

(NASA /ESA/DLR/Freie Universitat Berlin) The recent discovery of water on Mars has changed our relationship with the red planet. On Friday's  Idaho Matters , we speak with postdoctoral research associate  Dr. Ali Bramson of the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory about what this means for habitability on Mars and how it can be used as an outer space rest stop.