Idaho Matters

(iStockphoto.com) The bubonic plague dates back to the Middle Ages, when it killed millions of people in Europe. This was, of course, before the advent of antibiotics. Just this week, a person in Central Oregon contracted this disease. And someone else died from a virus called Alaska pox. Not to mention, we are still dealing with COVID-19 and the flu. Dr. David Pate , former CEO of St. Luke's Heal...

(Gabby Jones / Bloomberg via Getty Images) For nearly a decade, the use of e-cigarettes has grown in popularity among one of America's most vulnerable demographics, it's youth. And as a whole new generation becomes addicted to nicotine, people are looking for a way to help. Which is why Idaho Public Television has launched a new campaign geared towards prevention called " Be Smart, Don't Start ."...

( Boise State University ) What happens when you put people with different backgrounds and different core values in a room together and ask them to just listen to one another? It’s a phenomenon that’s happening more and more across the country, and Boise State has already tried it twice, last spring and last fall. There’s another Boise State Listens coming up Wednesday, Feb. 21 and we wondered how...

The Hand That Feeds, Stone and Plate Lithograph by Kathryn Polk. ( Kathryn Polk) Artist Kathryn Polk started drawing before she could even walk, using art to express herself, which wasn’t always easy growing up in the deep south in the 1950s and 1960s, when women were mostly expected to stay home and not pursue careers in things like art. Fast forward to today, and the Visiting Artist and Scholar...

The Idaho Legislature has a new school choice bill that GOP lawmakers introduced to the legislature at the end of January. Lawmakers have tried over the past several years to put some kind of program in place that would let parents choose where their kids go to school using everything from vouchers to education savings accounts, but none of those past proposals have become law. We want to take a d...

( John Bieter) Throughout Idaho, there is a rich history of Basque culture, a piece of which can be found in many of the forests across Idaho in the form of tree carvings. Known as arborglyphs, these markings were commonly left by sheepherders, providing a glimpse into the past of an often overlooked population. And for years now, Boise State University professor John Bieter has made it a priority...

blowing snow on a Wyoming interstate highway reduces visibility on a clear day obscuring other vehicles (Tom Grundy / stock.adobe.com) Idaho kids have had a few snow days this year when the weather and the roads are bad enough to cancel school and keep them at home. The Boise School District covers 450 square miles, which is a lot of roadway to look at when officials are trying to decide whether o...

(Old Idaho Penitentiary / Facebook ) With Valentine's Day just around the corner, love is in the air. Which means it's time to break out the flowers and chocolate and head to prison! You read that right. The Old Idaho Penitentiary is hosting a day of romance , and what better way to celebrate than behind bars with your sweetheart, where you'll get to learn all about the couples who were locked up...

(Mike Mozart / Flickr) The U.S. Constitution has been around for more than 200 years and has only been changed 27 times in all those years, and all those changes were done the same way. It’s not easy to amend the constitution, and the framers did that on purpose to make sure changes were widely considered and widely accepted by Americans. But now some are looking at a different way to change the c...

In today's world, it can be hard to motivate kids to ditch their screens and get outside. But for one group of kids, that hasn't been a problem because they've been spending their time chasing dragonflies as part of the " Finding Dragons Project ." The project was recently featured in the Idaho Press and looked at how high school kids and adults were studying how dragonflies were doing, their hist...

Are you uncomfortable talking about race? That’s the question that the Hillview United Methodist Church and other congregations in Idaho have been asking each other, hoping to create some honest and open dialogue about race and racism. For the next few months, they’re encouraging people to hold “racially conscious conversations book groups" and are offering reading guides and other resources for a...

The Idaho state flag hanging in the Capitol rotunda. (James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio ) The Idaho House has made a change to GOP leadership , a new bill is aimed at addressing school facilities and a look at some controversy surrounding an Idaho pharmacist refusing to fill a prescription for misoprostol. It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets...

(Bon Eats / Flickr) Many farmers across our region grow alfalfa - which is dried into hay and fed to beef and dairy cattle. But it requires a lot more water than most crops. Now, researchers are working on new technologies to reduce the amount farmers use. Still, some say allowing them to grow such a thirsty crop in the arid west is the problem. The Mountain West News Bureau's Kaleb Rondel reports...

(Bee / Through Positive Eyes ) When it comes to making change, art is one of the most powerful tools we have. It has the ability to start conversations, provide new perspectives and share stories in an accessible way. Which is exactly what over 100 people are doing as part of the Through Positive Eyes project, a wide-ranging collaboration that uses photography, video and personal interviews to sha...

(CCAC North Library / Flickr) GOP lawmakers introduced a new library bill into the Idaho Legislature this week that the Idaho Capital Sun says is a "combination" of previous bills that could restrict children’s access to some materials. And last week, we told you about a new survey that found that over half of all the librarians in Idaho are thinking about quitting their jobs because of bills like...

(elena2525 / Flickr) Last September, Idaho found quagga mussels along the Snake River in Eastern Idaho, particularly around Shoshone Falls. The mussels pose a big threat to the entire Columbia River basin because of the damage they can do to infrastructure, including irrigation, hydropower and drinking water equipment — destruction that could cost Idaho hundreds of millions of dollars per year. Id...

(Bernard Spragg. NZ / Flickr) When it comes to managing noxious weeds, it can be a time-consuming and sometimes hazardous job. Which is why officials over in Fremont County are taking a new approach, choosing to tackle the invasive plants from the sky instead of the ground. Steve Stuebner, writer and producer for Life on the Range , took a deep dive into this new method of treatment and how it's b...

(TheKarenD / flickr) This winter, COVID-19 has surged nationally. The Idaho Statesman reports Idaho's COVID wastewater levels were the highest they'd been in two years. This comes after Idaho lawmakers rejected about 16 million dollars in federal grant money that would have helped pandemic response efforts, with a direct result being that Idaho's wastewater tracking dashboard likely has less data....

( Ballet Idaho) Ballet Idaho will be returning to the stage for their first show of the year, Anthology on Thursday, Feb. 8. The performance is made up of three unique dances showcasing diverse choreography and music for a special evening of entertainment. Garrett Anderson, Artistic Director of Ballet Idaho, and Anne Mueller, Associate Artistic Director, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the...

( Idaho Power) For about two decades, Idaho has been changing the weather through a process called cloud seeding . It gives clouds a boost to produce more precipitation like snow. Now, scientists here are researching a new way to seed clouds that could work better in a changing climate. Rachel Cohen reports.

Steve Thaxton, the Executive Director of the National Resource Center. (Hannah Gardoski / Boise State Public Radio) For the first 12 years of school, there are tests, cafeteria lunches and classes you may not want to take, but you learn something new every day and can feed your mind while making friends and feeling a sense of community. But after college, it can be hard to find a place where you c...

The Idaho Legislature has a new school choice proposal this year that would give out tax credits to parents who enroll their kids in private school. Some say this will take much-needed money away from public schools, especially in rural areas, and that there are other solutions to creating better school outcomes in Idaho. We’re taking a deep dive into school choice with conversations about how thi...

Then-President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to speak at a rally in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jacquelyn Martin / AP ) A Washington D.C. district court made a ruling in a case involving former President Donald Trump on Tuesday. The court said Trump does not have broad immunity from federal protection, according to NPR . And this Thursday, Feb. 8, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments...

( Algonquin Books) You may know Ayesha Rascoe from her ten years of reporting for Reuters News Agency or from her time as a White House correspondent covering three different presidents, or maybe she wakes you up on Sundays as the host of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday. But before she started her career as a political reporter, she was a student at Howard University, and her experience there helped...

(Al Giesler / Sun Valley Museum of Art) For the seventh year, singer-songwriter Brett Dennen is returning with his Lift Series , traveling to his favorite ski towns in the mountain west for some unforgettable performances. The tour is about more than just good music, though, as Dennen works to bring a spotlight to the conservation issues facing our world today and ways we can all help to make a ch...