Idaho Matters

Soloist Elizabeth Kanning ( Ballet Idaho) This month, Ballet Idaho will be kicking off its 51st season with a lineup of new and returning favorites that promise to fill the stage with suspense, drama, magic and of course unforgettable dance. Artistic Director of Ballet Idaho, Garrett Anderson and principle dancer, Graham Gobeille joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming season.

(Thanasis Zovoilis / Getty Images) Planning for the future is important, especially when you're dealing with a disease like dementia. Managing the day to day difficulties of life can become an insurmountable challenge that impacts not just yourself, but everyone around you. Which is why making a plan now is so important. Nurse practitioner Rebecca Robinson with St. Luke's Palliative Care Team and...

A homeless man pushes his belongings along a Los Angeles street. (Mario Tama / Getty Images) In 2021, over 2,500 people went from housed to homeless in the Treasure Valley. In July, federal rental assistance money ran out in Ada County and a week later the number of eviction court hearings more than doubled, from 20 a week to 50 a week. Attempted solutions to homelessness in Boise have been ongoin...

( NASA) An amazing ring of fire solar eclipse will blaze across the sky later this month and Idaho will be able to see a large part of it. And the Northern Lights have been wavering in and out of our area, which just adds to the things to watch in the sky! Dr. Irwin Horowitz is the past president of the Boise Astronomical Society and he sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to help us...

Downtown Boise ( Kelsey Thomson) Whether you live in Boise or are just a visitor to Idaho's capital it's possible that you've heard of some of the unique attractions the city has to offer. Alive After Five, Treefort Music Fest, Festival of Trees, Freak Alley, the Greenbelt, the Basque Block, the Black History Museum, the Anne Frank Memorial, the list goes on and on. To help you out, someone has co...

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador. (Carolyn Kaster / AP) Invasive mussels have been found in the Snake River, an attorney from the AG's office says she's being retaliated against , more housing units could be coming to Boise, an update on a possible special session of the Idaho Legislature and a look at the legacy of J.J. Saldaña. It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable w...

(Richard Vogel / AP) It’s Boise National Electric Car Week and while automakers – domestic and foreign – continue to invest billions into the evolution of electric vehicles for many consumers, electric vehicles are still a subject of curiosity. The Biden Administration’s massive clean energy push has produced a number of federal incentives for consumers; while Idaho’s investment is more focused on...

March 2020 excerpts from Clare Johnson's <i>Post-it Note Project</i> (2005-present, continuing perpetually). ( Clare Johnson) This month, the James Castle House welcomed its fall artist in residence, Clare Johnson . Her work delves into themes of loss, nostalgia, memory and history - using several different methods, including poetry and dip pen drawing. As an artist,...

(Jenna Maurice / Tor Books) Vampires, magic, faustian bargains author Victoria Schwab has written about it all. She's penned more than 20 books and has an incredible following of readers. You may know her from her "Shades of Magic" series , her Cassidy Blake character, the "First Kill" vampire series or, " The Invisible Life of Addie Larue ." The Cabin is bringing Victoria to the Egyptian theater...

(louisevichie / Flickr) The writers strike may be finally over, so what does that mean for new movies and shows? Our resident movie critic George Prentice joined Idaho Matters to help answer that question and give us a few recommendations on what to watch.

A nurse fills a syringe with COVID-19 vaccine. (Orlin Wagner / AP) The rollout of the latest COVID-19 vaccine has been running into some obstacles. There's high demand, insurance headaches and supply delays from coast to coast. The CDC signed off on the latest vaccine almost two weeks ago for everyone ages six months and up after cases started rising again in late summer. Health experts are hoping...

A dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is displayed at a clinic. (Elaine Thompson / AP) The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced Wednesday morning that four children in Nampa have been diagnosed with Measles. They were unvaccinated and got the disease after being exposed in the home of someone who was infected while traveling internationally. Dr. Christine Hahn, the Medical D...

Quagga Mussels infesting an Idaho license plate. (Sen. Michelle Stennett<br/> / Jeremy J. Gugino) The confirmation of quagga mussel larvae in the Snake River last week is a discovery that's long been dreaded for the Pacific Northwest. By last Tuesday, the popular waterfront park in the Snake River Canyon was shut down and nearby lakes and river access points were closed to recreationists wit...

(Ogedn / Flickr) It may feel a bit cooler out there, but it's still wildfire season in Idaho and as more houses are built in the wildland urban interface it's important to know how to protect our homes from fires. Boise State's Hazard and Climate Resilience Institute is hosting a free workshop on just this topic and Dr. Brittany Brand, Professor and Director for the Institute, joined Idaho Matters...

Natasha and three of the dishes from her new cookbook - shrimp scampi alfredo, classic greek salad, and turkey meatball soup. (Vadim Kravchuk and Kristin Casemore) “I'm going to show you how to make baked apples and wait till you see what's inside. We'll start with the filling in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and grated nutmeg.” That’s food blogger Natasha Kravchuk sharing her recipe...

Samuel D. Hunter (left) talks about authoring The Whale, starring Brendan Fraser (right). ( Josiah Bania, A24) It's been a busy year for Sam Hunter, the writer and playwright who grew up in Moscow, Idaho. His award-winning play "The Whale" came out on the big screen starring Brendan Fraser, who took home the Oscar for the role of Charlie. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Hunt...

J.J. Saldaña and Rebecca De León ( Rebecca De León) It was this weekend when we first heard the devastating news that J.J. Saldaña, a leader in Idaho's Hispanic community, passed away in his sleep late last week. J.J. was more than just a non-stop advocate for Idaho's Latino community, he was warm and genuine and a truly beautiful person. Once we heard of his passing, our Morning Edition Host Geor...

A statue of Harriet Tubman at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Maryland. (Craig James) When it comes to American history, especially around the 1850s, two women stand out as lightning rods for dramatic change in society. Harriet Beecher Stowe's best-selling anti-slavery novel had a profound effect on how White people saw African Americans that some say helped lead to the C...

The Middle with Jeremy Hobson. (The Middle) A lot of Americans are neither right or left of center … instead they fall in the middle. That’s exactly who the new show “ The Middle with Jeremy Hobson ” is looking for: folks who are in the middle politically, geographically or philosophically. The Middle got its start during the 2022 midterm election, when people called in and tuned in to listen to c...

Freightliner. (raymondclarkeimages/flickr) A Boise school board member gets arrested, truckers need more places to park as they move our stuff around the country, an update on the Bingham County Republican Central Committee , the case against a former Jefferson County Prosecutor and the Bonneville School District needs employees. It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when...

Not so long ago, thousands of people traveled from the east coast to the west coast on horses and covered wagons looking for gold or land or just a better life. Those that came to, or through, Idaho followed the Oregon Trail which at times was just a set of ruts through tall grass. The Oregon-California Trails Association works to preserve the Trail and educate folks about the history behind it. A...

(Darien and Neil / flickr) Next month, millions of borrowers will have to start paying on their student loans after three and a half years of a break from the federal government. The loans went on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic but now after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the Biden Administration the program is coming back online . However, as many as 5,000 people in Idaho will have their...

( Idaho Renaissance Faire ) This weekend, Sept. 23 and 24, you can take a trip back in time with the Idaho Renaissance Faire . The experience will be complete with sword fights, royalty, fire breathers and even a little bit of magic. The president of the faire, Kathleen Danes and faire treasurer and public relations VP, Janet Hothouse joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming event .

(Hidetsugu Tonomura / flickr) This summer offered southern Idaho farmers a respite from wildfires, but smoke is an increasing long-term concern for potato growers. Rachel Cohen reports on researchers who are trying to figure out how it affects the crop.

(Katherine Blunt) It has been almost two months since the deadly fire in Maui destroyed the town of Lahaina and it’s been almost five years since a fire decimated the town of Paradise, California. Could an aging utility infrastructure, along with wildfire risk, be a major culprit behind these disasters? Wall Street Journal reporter and author of the book “California Burning " Katherine Blunt joine...