Idaho Matters

(Macoulter17 / Flickr) Our region is losing millions of acres of agricultural land to development. And those trends may continue as land prices keep rising. The Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walkey reports from Wyoming on some ranchers who could make a fortune by selling their land but are choosing not to.

Peter Billingsley from the 1983 classic, "A Christmas Story." (IMDB/Getty Images) For the last 40 years, one Christmas movie has steadily gained a following of faithful viewers and has gotten bigger each year. The flick is broadcast for 24 hours from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day on networks like TBS and TNT.   If you’re familiar with the catch phrases “I triple dog dare you” or “you’ll shoo...

Gray Wolves in Idaho. (John M Jarvey<br/> / Flickr) Boise City and Ada County Commissioners agree to build a new affordable housing project, the Idaho Secretary of State says he can’t enforce a new GOP voter deadline , a bike path in Garden City gets closed down by an HOA and what’s next for the Snake River, after Idaho had to poison a chunk of the waterway to kill off invasive quagga mussel...

In the 1950s, the U.S. was trying to develop a nuclear-powered engine that the Navy could use for submarines and aircraft carriers, and much of that work was done in the Idaho desert near Idaho Falls, at what would become the Naval Reactor Facility.   Three prototypes were built at the facility, including one that powered the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine that hit the water in...

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) A new mystery illness has been making dogs sick from the East Coast to Oregon, and Idaho may have the disease as well.   It looks like Kennel Cough, but it’s resistant to antibiotics and can, in some cases, lead to a deadly pneumonia that can strike pups in 24 hours. Despite a year-long investigation by the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, v...

( Nitza Salazar) During this time of year, there are all kinds of Christmas pageants and nativity plays where kids get a chance to go on stage and play the parts of Mary, Joseph, and the three wise men. But some kids with special needs and abilities don’t always get a chance to take part in these activities .   One woman has been working to change that. She’s putting together a “Special Stars” per...

Bob Hope was a movie star legend, starring in hit after hit for decades, and he used his star power and his comedic wit to bring joy and laughter to U.S. troops far away from home for fifty years.   Hope took part in his first USO show in 1941 and went on to provide morale-boosting programs around the globe throughout World War II. But he didn’t stop when the war was over; he was still on stage wi...

An electron microscopic image of mpox virus particles. (Smith Collection/Gado / Gado via Getty Images) Earlier this month, two cases of Mpox were confirmed in Ada County and just last week Central District Health confirmed local transmission of the virus with four additional residents in Ada County and one person in Canyon County being diagnosed with Mpox. Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's...

Kristen Hill provides a guided tour of the James Castle House gallery with live American Sign Language interpretation. (Brandon Loureiro / The James Castle House) For over forty years, artist James Castle drew inspiration from his home, creating impactful work that challenged certain aspects of the art world. Today, that same house has provided similar inspiration for 22 other artists all of whom...

Jon Patrick O'Brien and Jaime Nebeker in "The Thanksgiving Play." (Brooke Burton / Boise Contemporary Theater) Thanksgiving may have ended, but over at the Boise Contemporary Theater they're still celebrating the holiday, though not in the way you may think. It's with their new production of " The Thanksgiving Play ." Benjamin Burdick, Producing Artistic Director, joined Idaho Matters to...

( Dominifarm Animal Sanctuary) Giving Tuesday was Nov. 28, a day designed to raise much-needed cash for nonprofit organizations. Each year, Boise State Public Radio celebrates the day by giving back to the community. We ask you to to nominate your favorite local nonprofit and then we select two nominees to receive $1,000 in on-air messaging grants. This year those two nonprofits were Gr8ter and th...

(Chandler Cruttenden / Unsplash) Snow is beginning to fall high in the Rockies, forming the main water supply for the Colorado River. KUNC's Alex Hager talked with climate and water management experts about what this winter will bring, and what's at stake.

(Yasin Ozturk / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Across Idaho, nonprofits are providing essential services, helping those in need to find safe and affordable housing. Without the proper resources though this work isn't possible, which is why each year the Idaho Housing and Finance Association hosts the Avenues for Hope Housing Challenge raising funds that help support Idahoans experiencing homeles...

A pack of wolves in Yellowstone National Park are spotted from a wildlife tracking plane (Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park) Gray wolves are one of the most controversial animals in the west. And how you manage the species depends on where you're standing. The Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walkey reports from one area where that friction is part of daily life.

"Lift Off" by Wendy Blickenstaff. ( Wendy Blickenstaff) Have you ever wondered where artists get their ideas? What inspires a painter to put a picture on canvas? What inspires a songwriter to write words and a melody? The Boise Open Studio Collective wanted to explore what inspires artists to make art so they asked songwriters to give a song to a visual artist, that artist then created a painting...

( OSU Press) University of Idaho professor Alexandra Teague is out with her latest work and this time it's a very personal look at what some would say was a quirky childhood. The memoir " Spinning Teacups " takes us across America from Florida to Idaho and many stops in between. Teague joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

(Nicole Sheffer / Flickr) There are only 55 eye banks in the United States and Boise is home to one of them. The goal of these facilities is to help restore the sight of thousands of people each year through the generosity of people who agreed to donate their eye tissue after they have passed on. November is eye donation month and the nonprofit group Envision Eye Bank is trying to get the word out...

( Giraffe Laugh) The City of Boise is rapidly approaching the completion of The Franklin , an affordable housing apartment complex in the Central Bench area. And along with retail spaces it includes a childcare facility for 80 kids, ranging in age from infants to pre-k. Last month, Giraffe Laugh Early Learning Center broke ground on the new facility, which will help alleviate the shortage of child...

(Sue Milks / Flickr) As it gets colder, wild birds can struggle to find the food they need, especially the backyard birds that stick around all year. For the last 17 years, the MK Nature Center has been helping people in the Treasure Valley feed the birds with it’s annual bird seed sale , and this year’s sale is set for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1 and 2, and will include live bird presentations an...

( Ashley Ahearn) The West has tens of thousands of wild horses. And sometimes it seems there are almost as many opinions on what to do with them. In a new podcast Mustang , Ashley Ahearn examines controversies surrounding the horses -- and works to train one. This series for the Mountain West News Bureau is adapted from her podcast. In part one, she introduces us to these wild horses and the myths...

(Alex E. Proimos / Flickr Creative Commons) As we approach the fourth anniversary of the emergency of COVID-19, as well as the Doctors Roundtable , we thought we'd take some time to look back at the last year of public health - which turned out to be a busy one. Despite the official end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, there were plenty other health issues including the emergence of some n...

(iStockphoto.com) Whether we like it or not, our kids are growing up in a digital world and it's all at their fingertips. So how do we as parents and caregivers navigate this? Dr. Devorah Heitner joined Idaho Matters to walk us through some steps that she's laid out in her newest book, " Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World ."

(Ken Lane / Flickr) Geothermal energy is a unique feature of the Mountain West. It powers Yellowstone's geysers and heats dozens of buildings in Downtown Boise. Now researchers in Utah are exploring new ways to tap into that underground heat, as a substitute for fossil fuels. KUER's David Condos reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.

Workers install new PVC pipe under a street in Denver on October 11, 2023. Denver's water department has planned nearly $2 billion in upgrades over the next decade. Many cities in the region are also facing costly infrastructure repairs that will drive up water bills in the coming years. (Alex Hager / KUNC) Across the southwest, the amount it costs to have water piped to your homes is likely to go...

Morrison Center seats. ( Morrison Center.) The Morrison Center is celebrating a big birthday this year, and like most seasons, they are celebrating in style. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Morrison Center Executive Director Laura Kendall to talk about their 40th anniversary and preview the upcoming season.