Idaho Matters

Ammon Bundy speaks to the media in front of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters on Jan. 6 near Burns, Ore. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) Brian Kohberger has his first hearing in Boise in the case of four murdered University of Idaho students, Ammon Bundy files for bankruptcy , Japan still doesn’t want our fresh taters, public defender policy changes spark shake-ups , more quagga m...

Scandalized hosts Charlie Hunt and Jaci Kettler. ( James Dawson) Political scandals are nothing new, some memorable others not, yet many have had a significant impact on the United States. Which is exactly what the new podcast " Scandalized " is looking at as political scientists Charles Hunt and Jaci Kettler dive into moments in history that have changed our political landscape.

(Nancy Arehart / California Condor Reproduction Program ) On Saturday in Arizona, four California condors that were born and raised in captivity will take their first flight into the wild. Since the 1980s, when there were only 22 of the birds left in the world, the Peregrine Fund has been working to restore condor populations. One of the birds to be released is Milagra , Spanish for miracle, becau...

The Idaho Renaissance Faire. (<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobminton/">Bob Minton</a> / Flickr) Every year at the Idaho Renaissance Faire , hundreds of people gather for some unforgettable dancing, jousting and sword fighting. This year is not different, and along with having lots of fun, people will also get to learn a little bit about history. Kathlean Danes, president of t...

False-color transmission electron micrograph of a field of whooping cough bacteria, <em>Bordetella pertussis</em>. (A. Barry Dowsett / Science Source) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pertussis is on the rise. Here in the Gem State, we're seeing an outbreak in North Idaho and the Boise State Broncos almost had the home opener against Portland State canceled...

(Rasande Tyskar / Flickr) More than 50 years ago, Terry Reilly was sent to Nampa by the Catholic Church to help the farmworker community. He started a small health clinic, which over the years grew exponentially. Today, Terry Reilly Health Services operates clinics across southwest Idaho that do all they can to provide medical, dental, and behavioral health care to anyone who needs it regardless o...

(Caitlin Tan / Wyoming Public Media) Summer is wrapping up, so we’re taking a look back at something that was likely a part of many of our childhoods: summer camp. But this one is a little different. It's a partnership between a ranch in Bondurant, a wildlife non-profit and the state of Wyoming geared toward kids across the country who wouldn’t otherwise have these kinds of outdoor opportunities....

Christina Rose Hall stars in 'Always... Patsy Cline' at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. (Idaho Shakespeare Festival) Where do you begin with Patsy Cline? Well, for one, you go a bit “Crazy,” as in the 1961 song that turned pop and country music on its proverbial ear. It is likely that there are not many people in the Western World who don’t sing along when they hear the four-bar piano introduction...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/katknits/">katbaro</a> / Flickr) You may have seen it in your mailbox in the last few days: a bright, red, white and blue little newspaper called the Vote Idaho Voter Pamphlet , and it’s full of everything you need to know to vote before the November election. We wanted to know more, and because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a l...

Earlier this year, renovations on Boise's historic Assay Office began. However, as the construction crew broke ground, they discovered they were digging up more than just dirt. Artifacts were buried around the building, some dating back more than 100 years. Archeologist Chris Shaver and outreach historian Dan Everhart, both with the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office, joined Idaho Matters to...

(Troy Oppie / Boise State Public Radio ) There are nearly 100 active craft breweries in Idaho — about four times as many as in 2012. But the industry is facing challenges . Changing tastes, discerning drinkers and rising costs have many local breweries on a financial razor’s edge — and tough times are spilling into Idaho’s hop fields, too.

<i>Empty Skies and Full Creeks (South Fork of the Palouse River), Gouache & casein,</i> 2024 by Aaron Cordell Johnson. ( Aaron Cordell Johnson) Throughout Idaho flows over 100,000 miles of river. It's a resource that helps to shape our economy, communities and most recently the latest exhibit at the Sun Valley Museum of Art, where artists are sharing their experiences...

( W. W. Norton & Company) This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 14, 2024. Imagine a minor character in the classic novel Moby Dick getting her own voice and her own story. That's exactly what happens in Idaho author Tara Karr Roberts debut novel, " Wild and Distant Seas ." She joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her recent release.

( inciweb.gov) Army soldiers are headed home after a month on Idaho's fire line , renovations to the prisons execution chamber are being made, the CuMo exploration project could turn into a mine and work on the Union 93 project is at a standstill. 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 headlines this past week...

(RenoCdZ / iStockphoto) One in six children faces some kind of mental health concern each year, and 50% of mental health issues start to emerge before a child is 14 years old, that’s according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. There has been more focus on kids and mental health, especially after COVID-19 school lockdowns, but help is too often in short supply, and parents are left strugg...

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: Now to a story from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where climate change is having a subtle but serious impact on streams and rivers. As member station KUNC's Rae Solomon reports, they're becoming more acidic and polluted with heavy metals like zinc, iron and copper. RAE SOLOMON, BYLINE: It's a bright summer day in the mountains. Research geologist Andrew Manning and some...

A low-intensity burn on the recent Crawford prescribed fire near Cascade, Idaho (Steve Vigil / The Nature Conservancy ) On a Thursday morning in May, Forest Service staff and crew leaders gathered in the Cascade Ranger District Office for a briefing. They were putting a plan together for the nearby, nearly 100-acre Crawford burn on the Boise National Forest. Matt Haupt, the district’s senior fuels...

(Jamie Grill / Tetra images RF/Getty Images) According to a new report from the March of Dimes, more than 5.5 million women in the U.S. live in counties that are experiencing limited to no access to maternity care resources. Here in our state, three facilities have shuttered their maternity services since Idaho enacted its near total abortion ban in August 2022. With these closures, health experts...

Newsrooms around the country are talking about how to use AI in the wake of a recent journalism scandal in our region. A reporter in Cody, Wyoming resigned after he was caught using the technology to write stories and make up quotes. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Hanna Merzbach has more.

(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio) Tuesday, Sept. 17 is National Voter Registration Day, and 2024 marks a historic election year. In November, voters will decide the future of our country for the next four years, as well as many key state and local races. Because it’s a presidential election year, there’s been a lot of focus on not just who gets elected but also on how our electio...

(Latino Conservation Week / Traci Swift) Protecting our environment is important, especially if we want to continue to enjoy it, which is something that many people will be doing as they take part in Latino Conservation Week . The national celebration kicked off earlier this weekend and puts focus on the conservation goals of our Latino community while also providing lots of opportunities to get o...

Elizabeth Gilbert greets and talks with students from the Oregon Youth Challenge program. (Deschutes Public Library/The Penguin Group / Flickr) This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on Month 13, 2024. Maybe you saw the movie starring Julia Roberts or read the book " Eat, Pray, Love ," which was an international bestseller and sold more than 12 million copies. Author Elizabeth Gilbert has...

(f_ / iStockphoto.com) This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 30, 2024. Idaho Mom Robin Zikmund knew her son was different at an early age. While his peers were reading by the third grade, her son was still struggling. Eventually her son was diagnosed with dyslexia, but Robin wanted to do more than just have a diagnosis for her son. So she founded the Idaho chapter of Decoding Dysle...

( Custer County Sheriff) The latest on the Lava and Wapiti fires, a Boise man has been arrested in connection with a terrorist organization, two hunters have survived a grizzly bear attack and new apartments will soon go up near the airport despite objections . 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 headlines...

( ROCO Films) Since Roe v. Wade was effectively overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, putting abortion laws in the hands of states, crisis pregnancy centers have gotten a lot of attention around the country. A new movie called Preconceived takes an inside look at these centers, including Stanton Health Care in Idaho and its founder, Brandi Swindell. Kate Dumke is an Idaho native and the co-directo...