Idaho Matters

(stock) Host 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 , Seth Ogilvie of  Idaho Public Television  and George Prentice of the  Boise Weekly .

(geneticliteracyproject.org) January is Thyroid Health Awareness Month and Idaho Matters looks at the role this little gland plays in our overall health with St. Luke's internist, Sherwin D'Souza .

(treefort) Boiseans are gearing up for  2019 TreeFort  and this year's line-up reaches back to 90's alternative rockers and forward to budding musicians. We go through the schedules for FoodFort, HackFort, AleFort and all of the other Forts.

(recomposition.info) Thursday is  'Union Day'  at the Idaho Capitol and we learn about the history and contributions organized labor has made to the state's workforce and economy.

(Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman) The  2019 Women's March  takes place on the Capitol on Saturday.  Idaho Matters  speaks with the march's organizers.

(Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Collection / Boise State University) Todd Shallat, a Boise State professor emeritus of history and urban studies, has put together a  workshop  examining all that is Gothic in the City of Trees. Shallat joins  Idaho Matters  to discuss Boise's seamy underbelly.

(space.com/nasa) The moon will take on some unique properties on Sunday night; a lunar eclipse will facilitate a " super wolf blood moon " and we talk with Boise State assistant physics professor Brian Jackson about why this is every bit as awesome as it sounds.

(CREDIT MOLLY MESSICK / STATEIMPACT IDAHO) Attitudes about education and skills acquisition are changing as the global workforce evolves.  Idaho Matters  looks at the tools that will be necessary to be competitive in the 21st century workplace with Idaho Business for Education president and CEO Rod Grammer.

(Idaho Power) The City of Boise will host three open houses to facilitate discussions with the community to determine the direction of energy generation and usage in Boise. We talk with Idaho Power about efforts to bring the region to 100% renewable energy use.

(tayarijones.com/Nina Subin) Author  Tayari Jones  exploded onto the contemporary literary scene in 2002 with  Leaving Atlanta,  fiction set against that city in the 70's and 80's. Her subsequent works also drew from her background as a native Atlantan and Jones' books won multiple awards and attracted the attention of Oprah Winfrey and President Obama. Jones is in Boise as part of  The Cabin's Re...

(CREDIT ERIC WESTROM) The Idaho Walk Bike Alliance is presenting a  bicycle-themed film festival  at The Egyptian Theatre on Friday.  Idaho Matters  speaks with the Alliance about the juxtaposition of film and bikes and we re-visit a filmmaker who documented a  groundbreaking military experiment  involving commandos on bikes.

(CREDIT KYLE GREEN / IDAHO STATESMAN) The federal government has been in a partial shutdown for 25 days, as of Tuesday. We look at the impact on government services and the employees who administer them.

(pintrist/pond 5) Making New Year's resolutions is easy. Keeping them is another story. Idaho Matters speaks with Optum Idaho about the best way to stick to those resolutions, whether it means exercising, putting down that doughnut or quitting tobacco.

(Photo by Alejandro Robles) The  vaquita  is a small species of porpoise that lives exclusively in the Gulf of California. The mammal is on the brink of extinction due to irresponsible fishing methods. Boise filmmaker Matthew Podolsky has partnered with Leonardo DiCaprio to produce a documentary chronicling the plight of the vaquita.

(madidifilm.com) The Bolivian government is planning massive hydro-electric dam projects on rivers that provide life for thousands of indigenous people in the Amazon Basin. Area filmmaker Hayley Stuart traveled the rivers in a kayak to document the lives that would be affected. Stuart joins  Idaho Matters  to discuss making  "Still River, Silent Jungle."

(facebook) Idaho Youth Ranch has been providing services for at-risk youths and their families since 1953. Idaho Matters meets the organization's new CEO, Scott Curtis.

(wikimedia commons) Hewlett-Packard is committing to  funding a study  looking at the state of Idaho's educational system. Industry leaders are looking to use the results to help forecast the economic future of the state and  Idaho Matters  speaks with Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News about the initiative.

(EMILIE RITTER SAUNDERS / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO) A law degree is useful for more than just litigating and enrollment in law schools is on the increase as people find a JD useful for getting into government service, public advocacy or simply expanding a skill set.

(DOWNTOWN BOISE / FACEBOOK) There are correlations between one's location and the quality of their health.  Idaho Matters  looks at a data-gathering mission examining the health of Idahoans in the Southwest part of the state.

(stock) Host Gemma Gaudette leads a round table discussion of the week's headlines with the region's top journalists. This week  Idaho Matters  speaks with Scott McIntosh of the  Idaho Press , Don Day of  BoiseDev  and Rebecca Boone of the  Associated Press-Idaho .

(stock) The  Idaho Environmental Forum  is a nonprofit, non-partisan educational organization that encourages productive discourse on environmental issues facing the Gem State.  Next week, the IEF will meet  to outline their legislative goals for 2019.  Idaho Matters  discusses the issues that will surface in the upcoming legislative session and how they may impact Idaho's landscape and resources.

(boise state public radio) Idaho's legislative council voted to undergo mandatory ethics and workplace respectfulness training. Idaho Matters  speaks with state senator Cherie Buckner-Webb who helped develop the workshop.

(COLLEGE OF WESTERN IDAHO) Mark Browning of the College of Western Idaho discusses financial aid opportunities for students seeking a degree.

(The Wassmuth Center) International outreach efforts  by the  Wassmuth Center for Human Rights  have resulted in bicycle distribution in Cambodia, development of educational opportunities for young women in Mozambique and other initiatives from Latin America to the Balkans.  Idaho Matters  talks with the center's director about why it is important for Boiseans to connect with people around the wor...

(st. alphonsus) A new law  took effect on January 1 that requires hospitals to provide pricing guidelines for consumers online. We learn about the motivation behind this  ACA code  and how St. Luke's will be implementing it.