Idaho Matters

People incarcerated at the Jefferson County jail vote in the 2024 general election. All Colorado jails are holding at least six hours of in-person voting as a result of a new state law. (Rachel Cohen / KUNC ) In a waiting room inside the Jefferson County Jail, in the foothills West of Denver, a few incarcerated people in gray uniforms are filling out paperwork to vote. A sheriff’s deputy brings th...

( Boise Soul Food Organization) Are you hungry? Because BoiseDev Eats is serving up some great recommendations on where to get your next meal! Whether you're looking for dinner, snacks or drinks, they've got a spot for you to try. BoiseDev Eats editor Kara Jackson joined Idaho Matters to set the table for Idaho's local food scene.

(Christine Tanner / flickr ) Micron recently made a donation that will have a big impact on the community , there was another wildfire in Southeast Boise , Ashton Jeanty is a front runner for the Heisman trophy and we get an update on the states legislative races . It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets you up to date on all the news that made headli...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/16498755@N07/">Torfaen Corvine</a> / Flickr) As people prepare for an evening of candy and frights, we thought we’d help set the mood with a look at one of America's most dark and melancholic writers, Edgar Allan Poe. Known as the “father of horror,” Poe’s work not only evoked dread but also helped to pave the way for detective fiction, leaving a...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mkilly/">Marcus Kellis</a> / Flickr) Haunted houses have been busy this month as they do their best to provide chills and thrills to the many people who pay to be scared this time of year. But did you know there's lots of places here in Boise that don’t have to put on a production at all? That’s right, they're actually haunted. We wanted to find...

(Madelyn Beck / Mountain West News Bureau) During its time of operation, the Old Idaho Penitentiary had thousands of people pass through its gates; however, not everyone who arrived got to leave. This could be why the prison is now considered one of the most haunted spots in the Gem State, prompting visits from paranormal investigators and plenty of curious tourists. Anthony Parry, historic sites...

A ghost town in Caribou County, Idaho. (Brent Watkins / Flickr) Idahoe has a large number of abandoned towns, many of which have grown from mining operations that went bust. One local blog, The Traveling Spud , is a one-stop-shop for travel adventures, and it has a great list of Idaho ghost towns that you can visit — including one or two that might be haunted! Katie Williams joined Idaho Matters t...

Protestors stand in front of the Supreme Court while Idaho v. United States is argued. (Victoria Pickering / Flickr) A new study has found that in the wake of the recent Roe v. Wade decision infant mortality rates are on the rise in the U.S. as states implement stricter abortion bans. Dr. David Pate , former CEO of St. Luke's Health System joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this study along w...

Israeli soldiers stand near trucks carrying humanitarian aid just before they cross into the Gaza Strip at Erez crossing in southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (Tsafrir Abayov / AP) On October 7, one year after Hamas attacked Israel, we had a conversation with the regional director of the American Jewish Committee. This individual gave her thoughts on the attack as well as the war that continu...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/leonardo4it/">leonardo4it</a> / Flickr) It’s no secret that climate change is impacting our landscapes, but did you know it’s also affecting our health? As extreme weather events become more common, so do threats to our air, water and food quality — all of which create a domino effect. Understanding the consequences of these stressors is more imp...

(La Luz / Wyndham Garrett ) Create a word cloud from reviews of "News of the World" or the current world tour of La Luz, and you’ll see the larger-than-life words: “Solid,” “Sweet,” “Weighty,” and “Easy to Love.” To be sure, "News of the World" songs, and particularly the lyrics, reflect how lead Shana Cleveland’s off-stage life was blown apart (spoiler alert: she’s doing amazing now). “It was som...

(Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images) It’s exactly one week until Election Day, but tens of thousands of people have already voted in Idaho, either in early voting or by mail with an absentee ballot. We’ll find out more, plus how does the state test our voting system? And can you wear your campaign t-shirt to the polls next week? Because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a lot of focus on...

In the past few weeks, we’ve been doing a lot of reporting on Proposition One - the citizens initiative that would open Idaho's primaries and establish a ranked choice voting system in Idaho. But there’s another statewide question on the ballot this year and it has to do with whether non-citizens should be allowed to vote in Idaho. You’ll see it on the ballot labeled as “Proposed Idaho Constitutio...

Morning Edition host George Prentice is joined by Todd Simis, Ella Houston and Carter Maness (Boise State Public Radio) In what has become a jaw-dropping election season, including more than a few inappropriate moments, what should America’s next generation of voters think of our electoral system? “This [election] is more interesting,” said Todd Simis, veteran educator and teacher of American Gove...

In the Mountain West battleground state of Nevada, the first votes of the 2024 general election have already been cast. Earlier this month, tribal members living in the state’s 28 tribal communities gained access to the state’s digital absentee voting system. It’s part of an effort to improve access to the ballot for indigenous voters across the state. KNPR’s Paul Boger reports for the Mountain We...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/holmesbartonholmes/">Christine Barton-Holmes</a> / Flickr) In the last five years, the Treasure Valley has seen a 26% increase in drunk driving, and 42% of fatal car crashes were related to someone driving while impaired. Valley law enforcement agencies want to bring those numbers down, so they’ve created the new Treasure Valley DUI Task Force. A...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/68751915@N05/">401(K) 2012</a> / Flickr) Did you know that Caldwell’s mayor makes $40 an hour? Or that Boise spent more last year on sewer and wastewater costs than it did for its police department? Or that you can make $17 an hour as a seasonal golf clubhouse worker in McCall? Well, now you can know all that and more thanks to a new addition to...

The U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th, 2021. (Jose Luis Magana / AP) A new podcast titled " A Good Guy " tells the story of active-duty marine sergeant, Joshua Abbott. He was part of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. What was he doing there? That’s the question the podcast wanted to answer. It’s hosted by NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and reporter and co-host Lauren Hodges. The podcast dr...

The 2023 Timberline Wind Symphony Band. ( Timberline High School) Last spring, the Timberline Wind Symphony auditioned for the Music for All National Concert Band Festival , winning the chance to go to Indianapolis. Now they’re trying to raise enough money for the trip. Band Director, José Rodríguez II, along with Timberline High students Matias Vidal-Russel and Grant Cardoza, joined Idaho Matters...

A wooden gavel. (<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/115595130@N03/">Paul and Kami McGuire</a> / Flickr) A recent shift in Idaho's public defense system has caused some issues, candidates are being allowed to use campaign money for child care , a Rigby High School student was beaten at school , an affordable housing project is back on track in Boise and today is the last day to requ...

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: The tight housing market means many people struggle to find an affordable place to live, and that includes farmworkers. So the U.S. Department of Agriculture funds a national network of workforce housing, which sounds good. But, as Rae Solomon of KUNC and Harvest Public Media reports, the federal government blocks many farmworkers from using it. RAE SOLOMON, BYLINE: A tidy apa...

Bikes from the 2023 Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway. ( Boise Bicycle Project) In anticipation of the holiday season, the Boise Bicycle Project is gearing up for one of their biggest events of the year, the Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway . For 18 years now, the nonprofit has been making wishes come true, creating dream bikes for kids all over the Treasure Valley. In order to do this though, they need your h...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dangerbarrow/">Todd Barrow</a> / Flickr) Seven storytellers from seven parts of Idaho are coming together next week to tell the intensely personal stories of their lives. It's "Story Story Night’s" latest production, and it’s called Starry Story Night: The Big Dipper because there are seven major stars in the dipper, just like there are seven sto...

A nurse fills a syringe with COVID-19 vaccine. (Orlin Wagner / AP) Southwest District Health, which covers Adams, Gem, Payette, Canyon, and Washington counties, will no longer offer the COVID-19 vaccine at its offices. After a board of directors meeting Tuesday with more than 300 public comments against the vaccine, as well as presentations from well-known doctors, including Dr. Ryan Cole, who spr...

A doctor shows what a 3D image of the breast using tomosynthesis (3D mammography) looks like on a screen. (South China Morning Post/South China Morning Post / Getty Images) When it comes to cancer diagnosis among women, breast cancer is the second most common . In recent years we’ve seen a spike in the disease, particularly in people 50 years and younger , which makes early detection critical. Luc...