Idaho Matters

(SCOTT KI / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO) An Idaho state judge  ruled the state's Department of Corrections must release information  regarding the drugs used in executions from 2011 and 2012. In recent years, states that use this mode of execution have been finding it difficult to obtain the necessary drugs and have turned to different cocktails of available drugs, which have resulted in prolonged ex...

(IDAHO STATESMAN) Orange plastic bags are now a part of everday Boise life and Boise State Public Radio's Frankie Barnhill answers your questions about the  new recycling procedures .

(Aquability) Aquability  is a therapeutic aquatic program designed to help children with disabilities develop "independence and ability, enhance health and fitness, increase self-esteem and improve quality of life." We speak with Karen Morrison, the founder of the Boise-based organization, about using pools to help kids grow.

(ROOTSZEROWASTEMARKET.COM) The  Roots Zero Waste  market in Garden City bills itself as a "a neighborhood, bulk-goods, organic, non-GMO, micro-grocery store and bistro cafe." We speak with its owners about both the health and community benefits of providing locally-sourced foods free of packaging.

(pinterest) Utah recently enacted a law  that protects parents from charges of negligence when they let their children play unsupervised outdoors. The "free-range parenting" law is the first of its kind in the country and we speak to the founder of the  Free Range Kids  movement.

(RICK BOWMER / AP IMAGES) A 2016 report found that Idaho forensic services had a back-up of sexual assault evidence kits that needed to be tested. Thanks to a groundbreaking  kit tracking system , the  Idaho State Police have managed to process  more than a third of the kits, but there are many waiting to be tested. On Monday's Idaho Matters, Emily Lowe of the Press-Tribune joins Gemma Gaudette in...

(CHRIS BRONSON/IPT ) In 1990, the Boise exburb of Nampa had a small-town population of about 25,000 residents. Ten years later, it had doubled. Today there are more than 81,000 Nampans and the community is growing as housing prices in Boise are driving homebuyers into Canyon County. Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling joins Idaho Matters to talk about the growth in her community.

(Miracle League of Payette) The Miracle League of Payette  provides an adaptive baseball program for children of all abilities so every kid has an opportunity to step up to the plate and swing for the fences. We'll speak with league organizers about the program and the value of making sports accessible for all children.

(IDAHO STATESMAN ) Idaho reporter Rocky Barker has announced his retirement after a 40-plus year career covering politics, the environment and just about everything else in Idaho. Barker joined Idaho Matters to talk about his favorite stories and the ones that moved him the most.

(Trailhead) As the population of the Treasure Valley continues to swell, the region is poised to emerge as a tech hub in the Northwest.  Idaho Matters  will discuss efforts to cultivate the valley's position as a tech powerhouse with  Vynyl 's Nick Crabbs,  Trailhead 's Dan Faricy and  Sparrow Travel Media 's Christina Lankowski.

(stock) Gemma Gaudette discusses the week's events with a roundtable of Idaho journalists including Kimberlee Kruesi of the  Associated Press-Idaho , Bill Manny, community engagement editor with the  Idaho Statesman  and Betsy Russell of the  Idaho Press-Tribune .

(IDAHO STATESMAN ) For years, America has shipped its raw recyclable material to China for processing, but as of January first of this year,  China has stopped accepting shipments , which means recyclable trash is starting to pile up and fees are increasing. BSPR's Frankie Barnhill joins  Idaho Matters  to discuss the problems arising from these new recycling policies and we look at Boise's new re...

(St. Luke's) St. Luke's Magic Valley is  implementing a program that allows volunteers to care for the pets of people who require longer-term hospital stays. Many people are hesitant to seek medical care out of fear that any extended hospital stays would leave their pets unattended. We discuss this foster care for animals with St. Luke's Magic Valley.

(IDAHO LEGISLATURE WEBSITE) The  Idaho Legislature's website was hacked  two weeks ago by the Italian hacking group, AnonPlus. While no data had been stolen, just a publishing of their manifesto on the site, the hack exposed vulnerabilities in governmental websites. Boise State assistant computer science professor Hoda Mehrpouyan joins  Idaho Matters  to discuss cybersecurity in our public compute...

(DARIN OSWALD / IDAHO STATESMAN) IndieDwell  is repurposing  shipping containers into habitable homes  for a fraction of the price of a traditional brick-and-mortar home and they leave a substantially smaller environmental footprint. Could shipping containers help solve the pending housing crunch facing the Treasure Valley? IndieDwell founders Scott Flynn and Peter Gombert join Gemma Gaudette to t...

(BOISE MUSIC WEEK ) Boise Music Week  begins its 100th year of events that will include  jazz perofrmances ,  choral  and  organ  recitals and performances of  The Music Man .  We talk with Boise Music Week board president Roger Lingle and board member and director of The Music Man , Allyn Krueger, about what to expect this year and why it has sustained as the state's longest enduring annual gathe...

(Boise State University) Boise State University president Bob Kustra is retiring in June and the university has worked its field of 53 applicants down to three finalists. Today the university announced it was extending its search to consider more applicants. Boise State Public Radio's Matt Guilham joined Idaho Matters to discuss the reasons behind the decision and how the search for a new presiden...

(BSPR / NPR) Boise State University  assistant political science professor Stephen Utych,  Idaho Public Television 's Melissa Davlin and College of Idaho professor of political economics  Jasper LiCalzi  join Gemma Gaudette to break down the results of Tuesday's primary elections and  Idaho Education News ' Kevin Richert discusses the state superintendent of education race and the various bond mea...

(AP PHOTO/OTTO KITSINGER |EMILIE RITTER SAUNDERS / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO |NPR |) The primary elections have arrived and Idaho Matters spoke with Boise State University assistant political science professor Stephen Utych about voter trends in Idaho and around the country. Later, Boise State Public Radio's Matt Guilhem and Samantha Wright shared voices from polling stations across the Treasure Va...

(Evergreen state college) In addition to an extensive academic career with Idaho State University, Washington State University and Evergreen State College,  Dr. Thomas "Les" Purce  served in Pocatello as the first black mayor in Idaho. Dr. Purce joins Idaho Matters to discuss his career in both the public and private sectors.  Dr. Purce's address to the City Club of Boise can be heard on Boise Pub...

(Greg Bayne) Boise filmmaker  Greg Bayne  produced and directed two documentary features,  Jens Pulver | DRIVEN  (2011), and  Bloodsworth–An Innocent Man  (2015) and was recognized as the  2012 Sundance New Frontier Storytelling Fellow and 2015 IFP Screen Forward Lab fellow.vHis 2017 noir film,  6 Dynamic Laws for Success (In Life, Love & Money)  was shown last weekend at  The Flicks  in Boise...

St. Luke's is partnering with schools throughout Idaho to promote healthy lifestyles through walking. The  FitOne Boise  program provides walking tracks for schools and programs to make exercise fun.  Idaho Matters spoke with FitOne executive director Eric Stride and Leigh Peebles, principal of Lewis and Clark Elementary in Caldwell about how healthy students make smart students.

(ICOM) The  Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine  (ICOM) will open this summer in Meridian. Idaho's first medical school will begin classes on August 20 with 162 students enrolled and ready to learn. Gemma Gaudette spoke with ICOM's founding dean, Dr. Robert Hasty, about the programs being offered and how this could change the state of healthcare in Idaho.

(EMILIE RITTER SAUNDERS / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO) Idaho primary elections  are this Tuesday. We'll look at the history of the Gem State's closed primary and how it differs from the process with other states.  Postdoctoral Associate Matthew May of Boise State University sat down with Gemma Gaudette.

A panel of reporters joins Gemma Gaudette to discuss this week’s news affecting the Treasure Valley and Idaho. Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News and Bill Manny of the Idaho Statesman parse out the Idaho primary election ballot.