Idaho Matters

(Mig_R / Flickr ) Last week an Oregon man was sentenced to more than three years in a federal prison for violating the “Hate Crimes Prevention Act” and trying to run over three people with a car in Boise. Matthew Alan Lehigh plead guilty to trying to run over a security guard in the Boise Public Library parking lot and two women in another parking lot four days later. Officials say these and other...

(Jens Alfke / Flickr) Over 1,000 Idaho precincts opened their polling places this morning as 43 out of Idaho's 44 counties will hold elections today. Boundary County is the only one that won't have an election because there are no contested races there. Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about what happens behind the scenes on elect...

(Guven Demir / iStockphoto) Here in Idaho, more than 300,000 people provide at-home care to family members in need, and while performing these services can be fulfilling, it can also be challenging. This is why each November we celebrate National Family Caregivers Month , taking time to recognize the important work caregivers do and ways we can help support them. Marilyn Sword, Coordinator of the...

(Scott Graf / Boise State Public Radio) Have you ever walked on the Boise Greenbelt or floated the Boise River? Then you've technically been in an Ada County Park. The county manages Barber Park and miles of trails around the Treasure Valley. After months of work and public input, the county is about to unveil a master plan for its parks and waterways. So we invited Robbie Sosin with Ada County Pa...

(Lauren Crabtree / Flickr) In 1923, Eleanor Davis became the first recorded woman to climb the Grand Teton – the namesake for Grand Teton National Park. One hundred years later, an all-female group of climbers summited the peak to celebrate her legacy. Wyoming Public Radio's Hannah Habermann went along for their recent climb, and has this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.

Citizens vote in an election. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images) Election Day is Tuesday, which means people will be heading to the polls to cast their votes for local officials taking part in the mayoral, city council and school board races across the state. We wanted to take a closer look at what voters can expect to see on their ballots, as well as what they'll need at the polling station....

(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) For many people, vaccines for flu, viruses and COVID-19 strains are extremely effective at warding off the diseases they’re designed to protect against. But for some, including the elderly and people with chronic diseases, the results can be less effective.   Dr. Laura Jenski has worked in immunology and oncology at places like Purdue and Marshall Universities, stu...

(Ellie McKinnon<br/> / Artisans For Hope) Over the last year, Idaho has become home to over 1,200 refugees fleeing war and persecution. Despite finding a safe harbor though, the resettlement process is not an easy one. Which is why programs like Artisans For Hope are working to support these new members of the community, starting with a needle and some thread. Ellie McKinnon, the Executive D...

Linda Morton-Kiethley sits at her largest loom, a tapestry loom, in her home studio in Melba, ID. She’s weaving a pattern to be installed on a handmade leather purse, a bright triangle of yarn before her, in red, blue, green and gray. (Arlie Sommer / Expressive Idaho) This week on Expressive Idaho, we head to the Melba home studio of weaver Linda Morton-Keithley. She started weaving more than 50 y...

(Sadie Babits / Boise State Public Radio) A look at where Idaho's lethal injection process stands, an update on the Lava Ridge Wind Project , how lawmakers are preparing for the 2024 legislative session and some insight into why a few state agencies are calling a new law unconstitutional . It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets you up-to-date on all...

(Idaho Shakespeare Festival / Idaho Shakespeare Festival) Where can you go to find Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express," William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Patsy Cline? The answer is next season's Idaho Shakespeare Festival, which has an amazing line up for 2024. Sara Bruner is the Associate Artistic Producing Director at the festival and she sat down with Morning Ed...

Candidates for Boise mayor are (left to right) Aaron Reis, Joseph Evans, Mike Masterson, and incumbent Lauren McLean ( Courtesy Aaron Reis, Joseph Evans, Mike Masterson, Lauren McLean) Election Day is just around the corner and the race for the Boise mayor’s seat has been heated. There are four candidates hoping to get the job and we wanted to hear from all of them. Morning Edition host George Pre...

Washing your hands often — and with proper technique — is critical in preventing the spread of communicable diseases and viruses such as COVID-19. (Max Posner/NPR) As we head into winter, the threat of a tripledemic is hanging over our heads. Just like last year, it's possible that cases of COVID-19, the flu and RSV could surge at the same, which is why it's important to take steps to stay healthy...

(Ada County Sheriff's Office ) Voters headed to the polls between now and Tuesday, Nov. 7 will decide municipal races across the state, and many school districts and counties have bond issues on the ballot as well. (Hannah Gardoski / Boise State Public Radio ) In Ada County, voters are being asked to approve a $49 million bond to expand the Ada County Jail , a more than $90 million project when yo...

(European Space Agency / Flickr) For more than 60 years, humans have been exploring space. From launching the first satellite to the moon landing to sending a rover to Mars. These breakthroughs have changed, not just how we see our universe, but the way we live in it. And today, that exploration continues. So, as NASA persists in their trek to the final frontier, we thought we'd take a look at wha...

(Sandy Paiement / Flickr) When it comes to climate change, the consequences are hard to miss, from increasing temperatures to changing weather patterns to rising sea levels.   And while we should be concerned about all these issues, there's another problem we need to be paying attention to as well, one that directly affects our health: hope. It may seem like a small thing, but it has a big impact,...

(Roger Normand / Flickr) When The Exorcist first came to the big screen nearly 50 years ago, it was received by many with shock, upending the world of entertainment.   Today, the film is a classic and is still believed, by some, to be the scariest movie of all time. Which is exactly why Marlena Williams mother forbade her from seeing it. Well, Williams did go see The Exorcist, and what she found w...

( Berkley) Since it's Halloween, we thought what better way to celebrate the holiday than by reading a book about a vampire with a bit of a twist? Jenna Levine, author of the novel " My Roommate is a Vampire, " joined Idaho Matters to talk about her new book, which is already a USA Today bestseller.

The Numana Dam fish passage project will open 65 miles of habitat along the Truckee River for the endangered Cui-ui sucker, and for the recently established migration of the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout from Pyramid Lake. Access to this habitat is essential for the recovery of the species in the wild. (USFWS Pacific Southwest Region / Flickr) Nationwide, millions of barriers - like dams - a...

(Jennifer Fisher / Flicker) Wildlife managers across the west have been stocking high Alpine Lakes with fish for decades, mostly so anglers have something to catch. As the Mountain West News Bureau's Will Walkey reports, new research is looking into how that history changed the Rocky Mountain environment, and the genetics of the fish themselves.

Ukrainian and U.S. flags fly in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters) Last February when Russia invaded Ukraine, the conflict began reshaping our world in ways most of us couldn’t have imagined. As thousands died in the war many more fled the fighting, becoming overnight refugees who were displaced all over the globe. Countries far from the fighting have become involved in a tangled web of...

The Takatori family in Parma, ID, around 1930. ( Heidi Smith-Takatori) Idaho has a rich cultural history, the influences of which can be found all across the state. And as part of this Thursdays, Nov. 2, Fettucine Forum, Dr. Priscilla Wegars and Dr. Renae Campbell will be exploring that history with a look back at one the earliest groups to immigrate to Idaho, Asian Americans. From gold mining to...

Eller combs through the Boise State University Special Collections and Archives. This <a href="https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv04782">1864 Peter Beemer Music Manuscript</a> is a record of popular Idaho tunes of the time. Eller also regularly uses the Idaho State Archives and visits small museums, archives and libraries across the state to hunt down lost songs. (Arlie...

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) The Boise mayor’s race is heating up, Senate bill 1100 has been blocked once again, state officials hope to increase enrollment in the WIC program and we give you an update on the AG's lawsuit against the Board of Education . 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 head...

(Radvydas S. / Flickr) Many of the best herding dogs in North America were in our region recently for the National Sheepdog Final. The competitors - all border collies - worked with their handlers to herd some stubborn sheep. Aspen Public Radio's Caroline Llanes has this report for the Mountain West News Bureau.