Idaho Matters

(Maria Lin Kim / Unsplash) Since last year, the number of people in Idaho experiencing food insecurity has increased by more than three percent, leaving over 200,000 Idahoans without enough to eat. And as the price of groceries and living costs continues to remain high, it's likely that the problem is here to stay, at least for a little while. Which is why the Idaho Food Bank is working to help fi...

( Flick/NPS Climate Change Response) A diverse group of researchers led by the University of Idaho are coming together to study the effects that drought and fires have on forestland. A $15 million grant from the National Science Foundation will create what's being called the Ember Institute to study the issue while also reaching out to underserved communities and people across the political spectr...

(Bruneau Dunes Observatory / Randy Davis) After nine years of hard work, Bruneau Dunes State Park south of Boise has been officially designated an International Dark Sky Park by Dark Sky International. This very rare certification means the park's two telescopes and the landscape around them can take advantage of very dark night conditions to see far into space. Greg Harman, a park ranger at Brune...

Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity, finds a small cluster of Carson Valley monkeyflowers outside of Carson City, Nev., on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau ) It’s a sun-soaked afternoon in Carson City, Nev., and Patrick Donnelly is walking down a brush-covered slope between a highway and a large shopping center. Just over a...

The Christian nationalist movement is growing in America; its schools can be found around the country, and there are YouTube channels devoted to the idea. Some church leaders have extreme views, including that women are subordinate to me and only Christians can hold public office. One of the centers of the movement is Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, where the church is hoping to make the city a ch...

A few electric vehicle charging stations are on display at the EV Charging Summit in Las Vegas in March 2024. The expo attracted people from more than 30 countries and showcased the various companies trying to make EV charging more accessible to people. (Yvette Fernandez / KNPR ) Transitioning to electric vehicles – or EVs – is much more complicated than simply adding more charging stations across...

World Refugee Day will be celebrated in Boise on Saturday, June 22. ( Idaho Office for Refugees) It’s challenging to find enough words to describe the wonderment and joy of World Refugee Day in Boise. It’s cleverly located in the downtown Grove, but it’s difficult to tell where the traditional Saturday market ends and the World Refugee Day festivities begin. As a result, thousands of people, strol...

(Canva ) June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month , a time set aside to help the one in ten Americans over the age of 60 who are targeted by elder abuse, and some estimates say that fewer than one out of every 24 cases of abuse is ever reported. The Nampa Family Justice Center and the Idaho Department of Finance are working to raise awareness about elder abuse and connect people to resources to stop th...

A neighborhood birthday Party on River Street in 1973. ( Photo courtesy <a href="https://www.boiseartsandhistory.org/programs/archives/">Boise City Archives,</a> John Hardy Family Collection, MS084.) Many areas of Boise have a rich history , but one in particular has a very important story. One which Preservation Idaho and their collaborating partners are passionate about sharing, whic...

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) Over the weekend, Dorothy Moon was reelected as Idaho's Republican Party chairwoman at the GOP convention in Coeur d'Alene. Her second term comes after a challenge from former Sen. Mary Souza, of Coeur d'Alene. Journalists were barred from most of the process. They could not attend events or committee meetings and were relegated to a corner hallway of the...

(Liz West / Flickr) As summer gets underway and temperatures continue to rise many people are turning up the AC. But for those experiencing homelessness, combating the heat isn't as easy, which is why Catch Idaho is working to provide essential items to those in need. Stephanie Day, executive Director of Catch, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this effort.

(Sarah Rahal / Flickr) BoiseDev.com has become known for reporting about all things development in Boise, the Treasure Valley and beyond, from new business to construction projects to changes in building codes and zoning laws. This year, they did a survey to find out what their readers wanted to know more about, and a large majority said food and restaurant news was a priority. And indeed, stories...

<p>Supporters of a bill that would rewrite Nevada's abortion laws rally in front of the Legislature in Carson City, Nev., on Tuesday, May 21, 2019.</p> (AP Photo/Ryan Tarinelli) Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and removed federal abortion protections, a legal chess game is taking place among states. Since Roe v Wade was overturned, nearly half of states...

The film Under G_D explores the tension between multiple faiths and the growing number of abortion bans. (Ronda Kimbrow / 123rf Ronda Kimbrow) While Idaho's near total abortion ban – which continues to push OBGYNs out-of-state due to fear of prosecution – remains in effect, polling reveals a growing number of Idahoans see the restrictions as too draconian. Most polls find Idahoans in a growing mid...

A damaged section of Teton Pass near Jackson, Wyo., on Saturday, June 8, 2024, that officials said had “catastrophically failed.” (AP / Wyoming Highway Patrol) An update on the University of Idaho's Phoenix acquisition , commuters are being impacted by the Teton Pass collapse , high school graduation requirements could be changing and a look at what a recent ruling on Florida's transgender care ba...

A string of wolf attacks on livestock in Colorado's high country has become a flashpoint in the effort to restore the animal to its native range. Ranchers want the state to kill the wolves, which were reintroduced in that state just a few months ago. KUNC's Scott Franz reports for the Mountain West News Bureau that conservationists are urging patience.

Linda Chase lived in Clark County, Nevada, during the time of active nuclear testing in the 1950s and 1960s. She contracted an autoimmune disease after being exposed to radiation. Many "downwinders" such as herself were not covered under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. She spoke at an event at the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas. (Yvette Fernandez / KNPR ) A long-standing fede...

(Veit Irtenkauf / Flickr ) You've seen them zipping over irrigation canals, diving down, and skimming the water in search of bugs with their very distinctive wings. There are 86 species of swallows, and many of them spend their summers in Idaho. These amazing birds were featured in the May issue of Wildlife Express , the Idaho Fish and Game newsletter for kids and kids at heart. We asked Vickey Ru...

(Illustration by Luisa Uribe / Random House Studio) It was nine years ago when we first brought you the story of Idaho Fish and Game parachuting beavers into what is now the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. The story spread around the world and went viral again a few months later when video of the transplanting experiment surfaced from 1948. Now the story has been captured in a chi...

( G.P. Putnam's Sons) Jessie Rosen's newest novel, " The Heirloom ," takes us on a globe-trotting adventure as the main character Shea tries to track down who first owned her heirloom ring in order to discover what kind of energy it holds. Will it be good or bad, and what will it mean for her upcoming marriage? Jessie joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio) Avian influenza outbreaks have continued to spread, a new group of people now have the option to get the RSV vaccine and another COVID-19 variant has surged. Dr. David Pate , former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these issues and the Midnight Jazz Cats jazz band joined the Roundtable in studio to share a...

From left to right: Dr. Lloyd Blake, Dr. Mark Stolpe, Bill Shepherd, Bob Phillips and Blake Olson. ( The Midnight Jazz Cats) Almost two years ago, five retirees got together to have a little fun and make a little music. They became The Midnight Jazz Cats and started playing in senior living facilities around the Treasure Valley each month to bring a bit of joy into the lives of others. Their fame...

Rachel Huchmala The Idaho night sky will soon have many new observers thanks to a grant from NASA's Science Activation Program , which will put telescopes in classrooms across the state. An effort which Boise State University's Telescopes for Teachers Program has been working hard on. Dr. Rachel Huchmala joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this endeavor.

Current estimates suggest more than 70,000 wild horses and burros roam the American west. That's more than three times the number land managers say can safely co-exist with other animals on the open range. In recent years, the Federal Bureau of Land Management has stepped up efforts to move most of those animals off public land, but where do those horses go, and why are advocates concerned that th...

Elk on the feedground in Alpine. (Caitlin Tan / Wyoming Public Media ) Some Western states choose to feed elk occasionally, but Wyoming has the nations largest feeding program. It started about 100 years ago - when winters were harsh and ranchers were upset that elk were getting into their hay yards. Now there are 22 feedgrounds statewide. But that whole system is in jeopardy due to a deadly disea...