Idaho Matters

A computer rendering of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. (Radoslav Zilinsky / Getty Images) As the District of Idaho’s COVID-19 Fraud Task Force looks back on its first year of operation , including a dozen successful prosecutions, the man in charge says we can expect a good many more charges against what they call “fraudsters.” Josh Hurwit is the U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho...

(Leonora (Ellie) Enking / Flickr) Imagine stepping outside your front door and coming face-to-face with a giant saber-toothed cat or driving to work and having to dodge a huge mammoth blocking traffic on way. It wasn’t that long ago that giant cats, mammoths, huge bears - even a lumbering two-ton ground sloth called Idaho home. Those animals are gone now, but they had an impact on our ecosystem th...

( Berkley) Award winning and bestselling author Rosie Danan is back with her latest novel, " Do Your Worst ." Entertain Weekly writes, "If you're looking for an Indiana Jones meets enemies-to-lovers meets supernatural rom-com, then this is the book for you." We had to find out more about this book so Idaho Matters invited Danan to chat more.

(Scott Olson/Getty Images) The actors strike has been going on since July 13 with not much movement, until recently. And we've got a few movie recommendations that you won't want to miss! Our resident movie critic George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to give us some ideas of What to Watch.

(Alex E. Proimos / Flickr Creative Commons) Health officials in Ada County are investigating an outbreak linked to raw milk, as five people have gotten sick from the possible consumption of the unpasteurized dairy. Dr. David Pate , former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this issue.

(iStockphoto.com) When it comes to Idaho's rural communities, access to Emergency Medical Services can be limited. That's due in part to the fact that EMS is not considered an essential service in the Gem State. Funding and staffing issues also pose obstacles, often leaving patients in these areas with longer wait times and a reduced quality of care - putting the responsibility of these services b...

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio) If you listen to other radio stations, you'll often hear the same few songs over and over - with the same line up day to day. But on public radio you can hear a broad range of diverse sounds and styles from classical to blues to the Grateful Dead. And what better day to celebrate this variety then on Public Radio Music Day ! Carl Scheider is the host o...

Owyhee County, Idaho (hmlauer / Flickr) The land of Owyhee County has a rich history, attracting many groups in pursuit of different opportunities. From mining to ranching to military use to conservation feuds - the territory is home to countless stories and claims, each one shaping the identity of the region and the way we view it. Which is exactly what Dr. John Bieter explores in his book, " Sho...

( Viking) Author Tim Murphy is back with his latest novel, " Speech Team ." The book follows a group of Gen X classmates as they struggle with a universal issue, "can we actually move past those internalized messages of our youth?" Murphy joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his new release.

(Heather Chipps / Flickr) As Halloween gets closer, more and more people are sitting down to re-watch their favorite horror classics, whether it's Michael Myers on the hunt for Laurie Strode or a bunch of high schoolers trying to evade Ghostface. Stories of mystery and murder are always popular around this time of year, especially true stories – which Idaho has plenty of. Whitney Rivera and Camden...

(Frankie Barnhill / Boise State Public Radio) The race for Boise mayor is heating up and we wanted to take a deep dive into some the issues surrounding the upcoming November election . Dr. Jaclyn Kettler is a political scientist and Boise State University professor and she's been watching the race closely. She sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about outside interests, atta...

Devin McComas, the Executive Director of the Boise Bicycle Project, with a child on their new bike. ( Boise Bicycle Project) Each holiday season the Boise Bicycle Project provides hundreds of bikes to kids in need as part of their Holiday Kids Bike Giveaway . Volunteers work for months refurbishing bikes in anticipation of the event and this year is no different. So in order to make sure that ever...

Susan Madasci in her studio, Garden City, ID. (Arlie Sommer / Expressive Idaho) When you hear the word "blacksmith," you might think of horseshoes and iron fences. Traditional practitioners forged hand tools, kitchenware and jewelry. Today, industrial forgery is used in things like hardware, automobiles, even spaceships. But it’s also used for landscaping, architecture and art. Blacksmith Susan Ma...

(J. Stephen Conn / Flickr Creative Commons) Idaho's longest-serving death row inmate has been granted a stay of execution , there's a new officer for police accountability , an Idaho Falls lawsuit is claiming public funds where used inappropriately , some Mountain West schools could be switching to a four day school week and we take a look at this years fire season. It’s Friday, which means it's t...

(Audrey Regan<br/> / Boise State Public Radio) The Anne Frank Memorial in Boise is the only memorial of its kind in the United States and it's also one of only a few places in the world where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is on permanent display in its entirety. With construction underway for the new Wassmuth Education Center , it will also be one of a kind, as it will have a per...

Lupe Galvan painting ( Idaho Public Television) Idaho is full of creatives from dancers to weavers to architects, all with different art forms that inspire. Which is the focus of a new online series from Idaho Public Television called " createid ." The series features Gem State artists introducing us to their craft and the unique ways in which they express themselves. On one of their latest episod...

(Toby Talbot / AP) The Red Cross recently updated its eligibility criteria for blood donations, something that should increase the blood supply. But Dr. Walter Kelly, Medical Director for American Red Cross in Idaho, Montana and Eastern Oregon says that's not why they did it. He says it was the right thing to do. Dr. Kelly sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk more.

(DMITRY KISLYAKOV / Flickr) When it comes to potatoes, Idaho is the number one producer in the U.S., growing nearly 30% of the nations supply. Like many other areas of the country our state is feeling the impacts of climate change, experiencing shortages in the famous crop, as recently as last year . Which is why more farmers are making a shift towards regenerative agriculture, using sustainable p...

April 1959: Bottles containing the polio vaccine. (M. McKeown / Getty Images) Polio has been around since pre-history causing paralysis and even death for generations. By the middle of the last century it paralyzed or killed up to a half million people each year. In the 1950s Dr. Jonas Salk invented a vaccine for polio. By 1988, cases began dropping. An initiative was launched to try to wipe out p...

Sen Frank Church ( Frank Church Institute) Idaho Senator Frank Church upended Washington with his committee's investigations into our government's intelligence community and that story is the centerpiece of the best-selling book, "The Last Honest Man" by Pulitzer Prize-winning author James Risen. Risen will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming Frank Church Institute Conference and he joined Inst...

This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on July 6, 2023. Out on the upper Salmon River, a pair of forgotten apple trees have been growing sweet, red and green apples for decades. The trees sit on an old ranch east of Riggins and for a very long time, only bears were interested in the apples they grew. The big animals like the apples so much, they’ll climb the trees in the fall and shake the...

Jennifer Ackerman next to an owl. ( Sofia Runarsdotter) This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on June 28, 2023. When it comes to science, nature and birds, Jennifer Ackerman can tell you a thing or two. For over thirty years, she's been exploring mysteries of the natural world and breaking them down for people to understand. And if all that wasn't enough, she's also a New York Times bests...

"Saturday Night At The Lakeside Supper Club" book cover. ( Pamela Dorman Books ) This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on May 15, 2023. New York Times bestselling author, J. Ryan Stradal, is back with his third novel, " Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club ." His first book, " Kitchens of the Great Midwest " won the American Booksellers Association Indie's Choice Award for Adult Deb...

The College of Idaho ( The College of Idaho Facebook) One year ago, we were talking about living in a time of extreme political polarization where the problems of the day are drowned out by arguments and rhetoric, and this year is no different. With too much political noise and not enough people talking about or trying to effectively solve those problems. The College of Idaho is tackling three of...

Megan Brandel and the Open Arms Dance Project practice at JUMP, Boise, ID. (Arlie Sommer / Expressive Idaho<br/>) Each Monday, we're bringing you our series Expressive Idaho , where we visit the spaces of artists who are keeping folk traditions alive in our state. Today modern dance artist Megan Brandel, created a space for all types of bodies and abilities when she started Open Arms Dance i...