Idaho Matters

Stethoscopes are pictured in an intensive care unit. Since April 1, over 23,000 people have lost their Medicaid health insurance in Idaho. According to Idaho Health and Welfare, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the department was not allowed to drop people from Medicaid even if they were no longer eligible for the coverage. It was called " Medicaid Protection ." But last December, Congress reversed t...

(Andrew Moore / Idaho Shakespeare Festival) Next month, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival will start a new season on the grassy hillside in South Boise. This year includes the return of a carnivorous plant , an electropop comet and Dracula. Oh, and there will be some Shakespeare too! Charlie Fee is the producing artistic director of the festival and will be directing two of the plays this season. He...

( Boise Contemporary Theater) Next week, the Boise Contemporary Theater will begin previews for its latest production, The Christians . The play is about a pastor, a congregation and one sermon that will challenge the faith of its church. Producing Artistic Director Benjamin Burdick joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming performance.

( Habitat for Humanity) Earlier this year, we told you how our local Habitat for Humanity was working to get people into homes and found out how they were working with Congress to try and find more solutions to Idaho's growing housing crisis. The program is planning to build a new home in Star and they are taking applications from families hoping to own their own home. Janessa Chastain, the Execut...

President Biden removes his mask before speaking about the pandemic outside of the White House on Tuesday afternoon. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images) For the last three years, the United States has been under a national emergency to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan congressional resolution to bring it to a close just weeks before it was set to expir...

( City of Boise) When COVID-19 hit Idaho three years ago officials were looking for ways to determine how hard the virus was hitting cities like Boise. It was in May 2020 when the City of Boise started analyzing its wastewater for the virus because people can shed the virus in wastewater before they get sick. This became a useful tool for many trying to track and treat the illness. Haley Falconer,...

(Garden City Public Library / Idaho Children's Trust Fund) Idaho gets almost 23,000 calls every year from people that suspect child abuse, neglect, or abandonment, according to Health and Welfare. Even though not all those calls indicate child abuse, that’s a really scary number. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Roger Sherman, the Executive Director of the Idaho Children's Trust...

(Tim Stewart / Flickr) Our region is known for its stunning hiking trails, like those in the Boise foothills. Another famous and well loved hiking system is the Colorado Trail, stretching hundreds of miles from Denver to Durango. Now, a new archival collection is shining a light on the woman who spearheaded its completion. KUNC's Natalie Skowlund reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.

(JGI/Tom Grill / Getty Images/Tetra images RF) When Roe v. Wade was overturned last summer, allowing states to decide how far they want to ban abortions, Idaho’s near total abortion ban went into effect. The only exceptions are in the case of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. This law, and others in Idaho restricting abortion, have caused some doctors who practice in the state to con...

A community corn field at the Jemez Pueblo in north-central New Mexico, seen here on March 17, 2023. The Pueblo, which is largely supported by farming, irrigates its farms with snowmelt from the surrounding mountains. (Kaleb Roedel / Mountain West News Bureau ) For 40 years, a tribe in our region has been working to access the water they feel they’re owed by the federal government. And those effor...

( Dutton) Natural Beauty is the debut novel by Ling Ling Huang. This behind-the-scenes look at the beauty industry examines issues of consumerism, race, identity and self-worth. The book has already been optioned for a tv series. Huang joined Idaho Matters to talk more about her new book.

(CCAC North Library / Flickr) The Idaho Legislature wrapped up last week after trying and failing to pass a bill to address a growing controversy in Idaho and across the nation, removing books from libraries that some consider obscene or inappropriate for kids. More and more libraries and librarians are caught up in what is becoming a more polarized world. Next week Emily Drabinski will be speakin...

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's exhibit, "Americans and the Holocaust," surfaces the complexity of national attitudes and concerns that weighed heavily on the nation's role during the Holocaust. (Eslah Attar/NPR) On Monday evening, historian Rebecca Erbelding will be looking back at how young Americans responded to the Nazi Holocaust. The lecture is part of the traveling Americans an...

Black-legged ticks, also known as deer ticks, can carry Lyme disease. (Kenneth H Thomas / Science Source/Getty Images) As the planet continues to warm and seasons begin to change many people are starting to see warmer winters and earlier springs which makes it easier to spread infectious diseases, especially as insects have more time to reproduce and expand into new territory. St. Luke’s is hostin...

( Twelve) Opening statements began Monday in Boise in the murder and conspiracy trial of Lori Vallow Daybell. She’s charged with the deaths of two of her children. Portland-based journalist and author Leah Sottile has written a book about the case, called “ When the Moon Turns to Blood .” She sat down with All Things Considered host Troy Oppie.

(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is being questioned by the Attorney General's office, efforts to override Gov. Little's library veto failed , Idaho's population continues to grow and we take a look at why Planned Parenthood Northwest is suing AG Raúl Labrador . It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters get...

Sylvia Poggioli is hanging up her headphones. Yes, that Sylvia Poggioli, NPR's longest-serving reporter on the international desk. She’s covered three popes, war in the Balkans, immigration in Europe and so much more in her 51 years in journalism. She joined Idaho Matters from Rome to talk more.

Teachers will learn experiments like this one, which shows how things rust. (Jessica L. Economy / Boise State University) Dr. Harold Ackler pours salt and hydrogen peroxide into beakers of water in a science lab on the campus of Boise State University. “So this one is a corrosion experiment,” says Dr. Ackler, the Clinical Assistant Professor and Materials Teaching Lab Coordinator, as he starts rip...

(Alan Krakauer / Flickr Creative Commons) In two week,s hundreds of journalists, scientists and government representatives will gather in Boise to talk about everything from climate change, wildfires, biology and the natural environment. The Society of Environmental Journalists Conference is a chance to exchange ideas and learn more about the issues affecting our planet. Meaghan Parker, the Execut...

(chuwy / Getty Images) Chances are, at some point in your life, you’ve heard about the benefits of practicing mindfulness. These benefits include reducing stress, decreasing depression, lowering anxiety - the list goes on. Dr. Cara Gallegos , an Associate Professor at Boise State's School of Nursing, wanted to see if practicing mindfulness could have these same benefits for parents, particularly p...

An image the Marburg virus made with an electron microscope and then colorized. (BSIP/UIG / Getty Images) A deadly virus is spreading out of Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea. It’s a form of hemorrhagic fever, which has no cure. How concerned should we be here in Idaho? We’ll answer that question and take a look at your questions about Shingles and COVID-19. Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's H...

( Les Bois Film Festival) How many times have you heard us say, "paint me a word picture? or describe what it looks like?" Well, this time, I just don’t think we can do that. Imagine a six foot high tortoise, crawling along a rocky landscape or a pair of 12 foot high bighorn sheep playfully bumping heads on a huge cliff. That’s just a small part of the amazing nature scenes you’ll see this weekend...

( Sun Valley Museum of Art) What happens when you combine improv comedy, a group of slightly wacky singer-songwriters and dinner theater? On Friday in Ketchum, you’ll get Parlor in the Round , a night of singing, song creation, fun, and storytelling - thanks to the Sun Valley Museum of Art ! The founder and host of Parlor in the Round , Kevin Worrell, singer and songwriter Barbra Lica and American...

(Ute Grabowsky / Photothek via Getty Images) It’s no secret that many kids in America are struggling with mental health issues. Studies from across the country and in Idaho are showing an alarming rise in the number of children and teens who struggle with sadness, depression and even thoughts of suicide. The number of mental health professionals is dropping, thanks to a growing shortage of experts...

(Talo Pinto / Flickr) Here in Idaho, collaboration is a big part of, not just protecting public lands but solving natural resource issues, wilderness designation, restoration and protection issues - from the Owyhee's to the panhandle. And these collaborative efforts are being used as a model to help resolve other natural resource problems facing the west. John Robison , the Public Lands Director f...