Idaho Matters

(Fusion Medical Animation / Unsplash) Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise once again. In California, cases are rising so quickly that the state is set to meet or surpass the number of cases seen in the summer of 2022, according to the California Health Department. Here in Idaho, we're also seeing more COVID cases. So what's going on, and how will this potentially impact the start of school for kids...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/68751915@N05/">401(K) 2012</a> / Flickr) Idaho’s fiscal year started on July 1. The state government is already ramping up for next year’s Idaho legislative session, and state agencies have just a few weeks left to send their budget proposals to legislators, who will spend our tax dollars. Jason Norris keeps a close eye on Idaho's economy. He’s t...

Hundreds of pro-abortion rights advocates rallied in front of the Idaho Capitol Saturday May 14, 2022. They were protesting a leaked opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that's poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a constitutional right to the procedure. (James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) In the two years following Idaho's near-total abortion ban, a new coalition has formed to pu...

(Richard Vogel / AP) Earlier this month, officials in Idaho announced where they want to build new electric vehicle charging stations in communities like Bliss, Fruitland, Pocatello and Jerome. This endeavor is part of a federal program to expand the nation’s charging infrastructure, which wants to offer public charging stations every 50 miles along a national network. It’s a lack of available cha...

( Idaho Botanical Garden) This summer, the Idaho Botanical Garden celebrated a special anniversary honoring 40 years of community building and an appreciation of nature. Now, as more and more visitors find their way to this gathering space, the nonprofit is making big plans for its future. Erin Anderson, Executive Director of the Idaho Botanical Garden, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

( Idaho Conservation Corps) Earlier this month, weather sensors were placed throughout a Boise neighborhood to document how heat is impacting our urban areas. The project, which is being spearheaded by a youth-led research team with the Idaho Conservation Corps , aims to show how additional tree canopy could provide a possible solution to rising temperatures here in the Treasure Valley. Lisa O'Fla...

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio ) Last week, work began in the foothills to make improvements to the popular Hillside to Hollow Reserve in order to establish a more accessible trail. Lisa Duplessie, foothills and open space superintendent with the Parks and Recreation Department, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these improvements.

An hour north of the Mexico border and 30 miles from the Coachella valley lies Bombay Beach. The township is located on the shoreline of California’s largest lake – the Salton Sea. But the saline lake has faced similar challenges to Utah’s Great Salt Lake. Receding shorelines. Exposed lake beds. An uncertain future. KUER’s Saige Miller reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.

A hydrothermal event is seen in Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park in 2009. Yellowstone officials say a similar explosion on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, sent tourists running for cover and destroyed a boardwalk. They say such events are relatively common. (AP / USGS) Lawmakers react to President Biden's decision to step down, an update on the recent explosion at Yellowstone National Park, less...

(Picture provided by USACE) This week, levels at Lucky Peak began to lower in preparation of a new project that will help to restore the Turner Gulch Boat Ramp. Which means if you're looking to get out on the lake you may want to do so sooner rather than later. Christopher Silbernagel, operating project manager of Lucky Peak, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this project.

President Joe Biden, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris stand on stage at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting, Feb. 3, 2023, in Philadelphia. (Patrick Semansky / AP) The presidential election was turned upside down when President Joe Biden announced Sunday he would not seek reelection. Dr. David Adler, President of the Alturas Institute and a constitutional scholar, will be holdin...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/polispol/">Pol Turrents</a> / Flickr) You may have noticed we've had a lot of presidential politics going on lately, and that can be depressing. So, we wanted to take a look at the role comedy plays in this kind of news cycle. Our resident movie critic and Morning Edition host George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to talk more and give us an idea...

( Johns Hopkins University Press ) This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 26, 2023. The Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic that started just over four years ago in Idaho. While we still struggle with cases of COVID-19 and its variants, many are looking back to figure out what we did right and what we did wrong, with an eye toward the next global out...

Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and President Joe Biden arrive for an event in the East Room of the White House, May 9, 2024, in Washington. (Evan Vucci / AP) On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced he was stepping out of the race and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to replace him as the nominee to run against former President Donald Trump. Monday, we took a deep dive into what ha...

The Mandela Washington Fellows on Boise State's campus. ( Lainey Rehkemper) Last month, many of Africa's leaders arrived in Idaho to take part in the Mandela Washington Fellowship . Among them are activists, doctors, educators, and engineers,all looking to make a difference within their communities. Over the last five weeks, they’ve been finding more ways to do that through workshops and trainings...

( The Cabin) For nearly 30 years, The Cabin has served as a literary hub, bringing people together through stories. And as the nonprofit’s community of writers, students and book lovers has grown, so has their need for more space. Which is why they have launched a campaign to help renovate the historic building. Kurt Zwolfer, executive director of The Cabin Center for Readers and Writers, joined I...

(Idaho Public Television / Right of Way) Before humans came to Idaho, animals migrated across the state without barriers like fences, roads or barbed wire. We have wreaked havoc with how wildlife tries to get where it needs to go, but now that’s changing as we’ve realized how much of an impact humans have. Now, we're trying to mitigate those impacts, by using special fencing that mimics historical...

President Joe Biden, right, walks with Vice President Kamala Harris on May 13, 2021, in Washington. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, July 21, ending his bid for reelection following a debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press ) On Sunday, President Joe...

(City of Toronto / CC by 2.0) A new law has put restrictions on library book challenges , there are a growing number of evictions in the Treasure Valley , reading scores for Idaho students are still lagging, improvement is needed in the Forest Services fire program and we take a look at Project 2025's plan for education. It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Mat...

Water-scooping aircraft collecting water from Redfish Lake takes photo of the Bench Lake Fire on July 14. ( U.S. Forest Service-Sawtooth National Forest) One week ago, a wildfire broke out eight miles south of Stanley, next to Idaho's iconic Redfish Lake. The fire is still relatively small by Gem State’s standards, at about 2,000 acres, but it’s threatening some of the most popular camping and rec...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/9372697@N06/">blawton44</a> / Flickr) The number of Idahoans traveling to Montana to receive abortion care has tripled in the last year. According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, in 2022, 32 Idahoans traveled to Montana to get an abortion. In 2023, the year our state’s abortion ban went into total effect, 88 people went to Montana...

(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/150802872@N04/">Johnson Purimitla</a> / Flickr) This weekend, cyclists from around the world will compete in the last two stages of the Tour de France race. Among these athletes is Boise native Matteo Jorgenson, who attributes his start in the sport to BYRDS , a youth cycling program here in the Treasure Valley. Douglas Tobin, President of BYRDS,...

Three counsels to U.S. President Gerald Ford meet with members of the Select Senate Committee on Intelligence in Washington, D.C., June 26, 1975. They brought White House files with them to aid panel's investigation into where orders to assassinate Cuban Premier Fidel Castro originated. From left are: seated, James Wilderoffer, counsel; Roderick Hills, counsel; Philip Buchan, counsel; Sen. Frank C...

(The Flicks / via Facebook) Idahoans will be considering an open primaries initiative this November, which includes a ranked choice voting component. A new film called "Majority Rules" looks at this issue and there’s a sold out special screening on Wednesday, July 17, at The Flicks in Boise, which will include a panel discussion after the film. Former Gov. Butch Otter will be there, as will the di...

( ISU AmeriCorps Programs) More than 20 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, September 11 has become the biggest day of service in America. It’s a day when many give back to their communities to honor those lost that day. Last year, Idaho State University’s Institute of Rural Health got a grant from AmeriCorps to plan community outreach events in Pocatello, Boise and Kellog...