Idaho Matters

(Skid Row Marathon) The documentary  Skid Row Marathon  tells the story of four men who were inspired by a California judge to use marathon running to lift themselves up from Los Angeles' infamous homeless corridor.  Interfaith Sanctuary  is sponsoring a viewing of the film on Monday, December 3.  Idaho Matters  talks with the film's director, Gabi Hayes, about this inspiring story.

(Scott Olson/Getty Images/NPR) The airports and roadways will be jammed as folks head out of town to celebrate the Thanksgiving weekend with friends and family.  Idaho Matters  checks in with  AAA  and the  Boise Ai rport  to find out how to save time on the road and in the air.

(FOX PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES) We all have that uncle who loves to espouse the virtue of a border wall or that cousin who gives you the stink-eye for eating turkey and is eager to discuss the nuances of the killing fields of Thanksgiving fowl.  Idaho Matters  talks with an etiquette consultant about how to tolerate the intolerable on Thanksgiving.

(pintrist) Because alcohol will surely play a role in dealing with family during the holidays, we discuss wine and cocktail pairings that go great with green bean casserole.

(The Argyros/Facebook) The Argyros  is the newest performing arts center in Ketchum and it promises to deliver a "high-tech performance and event facility designed to inspire and enrich artists, residents and visitors from around the world." We learn about Ketchum's newest attraction.

( idahofoodbank.org) The holidays are a time for gathering around food. For many in the Treasure Valley, the source of their next meal is a mystery. We talk with the Idaho Foodbank about alleviating some of that insecurity around the holidays.

(AP/Minnesota Public Radio) Utah and Missouri joined 31 other states in making marijuana legal for medicinal use. While it is still illegal in Idaho,  the state has conducted programs  looking at the efficacy and safety of using Cannabidiol (CBD) for treating epilepsy in children. The cannabis by-product is used to treat an array of ailments, but it's still considered marijuana in many jurisdictio...

(CREDIT ADAM COTTERELL / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO) Advances in solar, wind and hydroelectric technology have allowed energy to be generated on smaller scales and these generators band together to move larger blocks of unused energy back to the grid. We look at the Gem State's contribution to the larger energy grid via renewable energies.    

(facebook) The decision by a number of Middleton Elementary School teachers to wear inappropriate Halloween costumes and post pictures online is still resonating with communities in the Treasure Valley. Idaho Matters talks about the impact on students with the University of Idaho's Michael Satz, who penned an opinion piece for the Idaho Statesman on the issue.

(John Daley / CPR News / NPR) The  FDA recently  announced a planned ban on flavored e-cigarettes in an effort to curb the growing number of teens who use vaping products. We speak with St. Luke's  Mountain States Tumor Institute  about this phenomenon, the health implications and their use as smoking cessation devices.

(midas gold) Boise State Public Radio's  Wanna Know Idaho  looks at the Midas Gold's Stibnite Mining Project and answers the question, "What impacts will this mining operation have on our greater community here?" We speak with the podcast's producer, Frankie Barnhill, about what she learned about the project.

(Kevin T. Quinn / Flickr) It’s just three days until Thanksgiving and you may be getting ready to sit down with a loved one that you don’t get to talk to very often. Storycorps is hoping you will see that as an opportunity to record an interview and create a bit of oral history in America. It’s called the “ Great Thanksgiving Listen ” and it started out encouraging high school students to sit down...

(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  Idaho Public Television 's Bill Manny, Scott McIntosh from the  Idaho Press  and  BoiseDev 's Don Day.

(Olivia Weitz) Expressive Idaho 's  Olivia Weitz visits a young ranch-hand learning the Western Art of saddle making.

(Kelly Hopping) Boise State assistant professor Kelly Hopping was traveling in Tibet when a friend stopped to buy an odd-looking fungus. This lead Hopping to research the impacts of climate change in the Himalayan region and her findings are startling. Hopping talks to  Idaho Matters  about the  decline of caterpillar fungus  and our warming planet.

(Shutterstock) Pancreatic cancer  is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in America and we learn about advances in detection and treatment, and meet a survivor.

(st. luke's) Having 'end-of-life' conversations are difficult, and oncologists find they have these discussions as a matter of nature. St. Luke's MSTI medical director Dan Zuckerman talks about those conversations.

(DreamWorks / MGM / Warner Bros / Disney) Rocky returns , the world's  wettest superhero  and a glimpse into the  Jim Crow-era South  are a few things you'll see on the silver screen as the year draws to a close.  Boise Weekly  film critic (and Boise State Public Radio weekend warrior) George Prentice stops in to talk about the films playing out 2018.

(amazon) University of Concordia law professor Ryan Stoa's  Craft Weed: How Family Farming can Remain in Marijuana’s Future  examines the parallels between the craft beer industry and the growth of cannabis distribution. Stoa joins  Idaho Matters  to look at how these business models could work.

Payton McGriff saw an opportunity to help girls in impoverished Sub-Saharan nations better their futures by attending school. With some fellow business students from the University of Idaho, McGriff formed  Style Her Empowered . They teach girls in Togo to sew their own school uniforms, overcoming one of the largest obstacles to education in Africa. McGriff joins  Idaho Matters  to talk about thei...

(stock) Dealing with cow waste has been a challenge for dairy farmers in Idaho since the Gem State became America's third-largest dairy producer in 1980.  Researchers at Idaho National Laboratory are studying  the economic benefits of turning cow flops into fuel and yes, there is gold in them thar hills of manure.  Idaho Matters  speaks with an INL researcher about their pungent findings.

(Saint Alphonsus) Saint Alphonsus'  Festival of Trees  is a 35-year tradition that invites the public to see a magnificent display of Christmas trees and holiday revelry at the Boise Center. The event welcomes the holiday season to Boise while raising funds for healthcare in the Treasure Valley.  

(Alexandra Beier/Getty Images/File) The State Department of Education released the  results of this fall's reading scores . The results are not positive. We talk with Idaho Education News reporter Kevin Richert about why this year's reading numbers are below last year's.

(University of Idaho/Anew Foods) Everybody has made a batch of cookies or brownies and thought, "These are really good ... people would buy these." We discuss the path from foodie daydreams to marketable product with  Albertsons  and the  University of Idaho's Food Technology Center .

(deathcafe.com) Death Cafe  takes the discussion of dying out of the zone of discomfort and makes it something socially palatable. The focus isn't on grief counseling — it's more about having honest discussions about buying the farm " with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives ."