Idaho Matters

Ashy pebblesnail. (Tyson Ehlers / Tyson Ehlers) When you think of Idaho rivers, you think of water and fish and the beauty of the landscape but down in the nooks and crannies of the waterbed are two small, slimy creatures that act as a sort of canary in the coal mine for northwest waterways. They are the Ashy Pebblesnail and Shortface Lanx and they’re disappearing from rivers around the west thank...

The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, Nevada's state fish, is the largest member of the cutthroats, with lake-dwellers weighing up to 40 pounds. For decades, they've been listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. (USFWS) For years, fish and wildlife officials have been working to help an iconic Western fish whose habitat is shrinking. That includes efforts to return the fish to a rive...

This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 8, 2024. Last year, we introduced you to a rom-com novel called "Best Men," which explored what it was like for one gay man looking for love in New York City. The book was met with much-deserved buzz, being featured on Good Morning America, the Today Show, and Bravo's Watch What Happens Live. Now Sidney Karger is back with his latest novel, "...

( Penguin Life) This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on March 6, 2023. Author Cyndie Spiegel's book, " Microjoys: Finding Hope When Life is Not Okay " provides an intimate look at all the small moments that have helped her to move forward, even in the toughest times of her life. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

( The Open Field) This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on November 21, 2022. When one thinks of Paulina Porizkova, one might remember her as the Sports Illustrated cover model from the 1980s or the wife of "Cars" front man, Rick Ocasek. Or perhaps you know her from her popular Instagram account. Now, Porizkova is revealing herself in a raw book, No Filter: The Good, the Bad, and the Beau...

The front cover of Carter Bays new novel, The Mutual Friend. This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 11, 2022. The co-creator of the Emmy award-winning show "How I Met Your Mother" is back, this time with his first novel. Idaho Matters sat down with Carter Bays to talk more about his debut novel, The Mutual Friend .

The 4.5-mile trail begins in Stanley's Pioneer Park and ends near the entrance to Redfish Lake. (Rachel Cohen / Boise State Public Radio ) The Donnelly Library goes adults only , Idaho had a primary and a Democratic caucus in one week, Magic Valley's legislative delegation shifted Tuesday and there’s an update in the Sawtooth trail dispute which has been going on since 2019 . It’s Friday, which me...

Flock Safety camera on pole. (Flock Safety) Early Sunday morning, gunshots were heard in Caldwell. Determining where those shots are coming from can be difficult for a human — but not for a machine. Caldwell Police are using a new tool called Flock Safety which can pinpoint where a gunshot is coming from and alert law enforcement officers. Flock told police where the shots came from, on Belmont St...

(Hefty / ReNew Program) Every other week in Boise trucks pick up those blue recycling containers filled with cardboard and other materials. And inside many of those blue carts are bright orange Hefty bags filled with those hard to recycle products like plastic wrappers. The Orange Bag Program, now called the Hefty ReNew Program has been around for more than five years and we wanted to check in and...

(Valley Regional Transit) Valley Regional Transit is changing up the way it does business. Starting Monday, June 3, the bus system for the Treasure Valley will look a lot different with new routes, more targeted bus service and a big expansion of their LYFT Pass. Here to tell Idaho Matters about " Change Day" are Elaine Clegg, CEO of Valley Regional Transit and Jason Rose, VRT Communications Direc...

(Chelsea Larsen / KYMfest) Every year the community comes out for a very special festival in Nampa. It’s called KMYfest and it was started by the family of Kymberlee Larsen who died tragically in a domestic assault six years ago. Chelsea Larsen, Kym’s sister, survived the home invasion that took her sister’s life but struggled with finding and navigating the resources that are out there to help. S...

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) Tuesday's Idaho primary election saw a major shakeup in the legislature as the struggle between hardliners and moderates in the GOP led to at least 15 incumbents losing to challengers around the state . So who won? And who lost? And what does it mean for school choice, Idaho Launch and other hot button issues at the Statehouse? Plus, more than 40 school bo...

FILE - In this June 14, 2007, file photo, Abraham Lincoln's iconic stovepipe hat of questioned authenticity is photographed at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill. Now that there is no concrete evidence that the felted beaver-fur hat ever sat atop Lincoln's 6-foot-4 frame, the foundation that bought the hat as part of a 1,500-piece, $23 million deal with Califor...

(J. Stephen Conn / Flickr ) What do you think of when you think of Idaho? Do you think of bank robberies, bandits, sunken silver ore and stashed loot in the Owyhee mountains? Well, that all happened in Idaho back in the 1860s, from Butch Cassidy's heist in Montpelier to a stagecoach robbery in Bannock County . These and other tales from the past are all told on " Idaho's Lost Treasures" , a new sh...

(Paint the Town / NeighborWorks Boise) Next month, homes across the Treasure Valley will be getting a makeover as Neighborworks Boise kicks off their 42nd annual Paint the Town event , giving back to those in need of a little help. Inga Hadder, Director of Communications and Community Engagement with Neighborworks Boise, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.

( Wyatt Myskow / Inside Climate News) The Owyhee Canyonlands is a large chunk of high desert land in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada that covers more than seven million acres. It’s home to plants and animals, some of which can’t be found anywhere else, and it’s a playground for many who recreate along the rocks and sagebrush and for some Native Americans it’s sacred land. Attempts to help preserve some o...

A Boise firefighter walks by all that remains of the poorly prepared home at a recent demonstration fire. (Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio ) Wildfires and other climate-fueled disasters are straining insurance markets . Recently, officials met in Boise to compare notes on how to avoid what some call the "uninsurable future." The Mountain West News Bureau's Murphy Woodhouse was there.

(Ada County Elections ) How will I know if the ballot I fill out in the election booth gets counted? How can I check how a candidate did in my precinct? In my district? These are questions that some voters started asking especially after the 2020 election and many worried about election integrity have flooded election offices around the country with requests for information, often overwhelming off...

Erica Hermsen is passionate about getting kids outside and learning about their environment. (EverWild Forest School) Moving to a new place means new experiences and new ideas and if you’re moving to Idaho from a different country you may not be familiar with the wildlife of the Gem State. Thanks to a grant from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Outdoor Learning Alliance is helping youn...

( Creative Commons CC0) A leaked conversation has caused a divide within the Idaho GOP , Meridian's empty city council seat may soon be filled, school choice campaigns are heating up and we take a look at the latest in the trial of Chad Daybell . 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....

(High Quality Fertility Centers / Flickr) For more than a year, the topic of women's health in Idaho has been a reoccurring headline. And as the state continues to face a shortage of health care providers, reports of OB-GYN specialists leaving have many worried, especially as other resources tracking women's health have been discontinued. But now, thanks to the University of Idaho, the Gem State w...

A photo of the Minidoka National Historic Site. ( Eugene Tagawa) After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor during World War II, the lives of Japanese Americans changed dramatically. Some people were taken from their homes and held in places like the Minidoka War Relocation Center, others in inland states faced discrimination and hardship and still others were serving their country in the war. A new exhibi...

A "Shelvis" — Elvis impersonator dressed in drag — officiates a wedding at the Little While Chapel on New Year's Eve 2023 in Las Vegas. New Year's Eve 2023 was a date with a repeating pattern — 12/31/23 — and a popular wedding date. There are other "palindromic" dates coming up in April, such as 4/20/24 and 4/22/24 that could prove to be popular as well. (Courtesy The Little White Chapel) Elvis-th...

(Adam Cottrell / Boise State Public Radio ) The Boise School District wants to expand its early learning program for kids three to five years of age and is considering converting an elementary school on the Bench into a new learning center for 300 kids. The district provides early childhood education at more than 11 sites, and the demand for this kind of learning is growing in the Treasure Valley....

( AP Images) There's a new COVID-19 variant, and experts are saying we could see a rise in cases this summer. Not to mention some folks under 65 are reporting they can't get a COVID booster shot. Dr. David Pate , former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about these issues and answer your listener questions.