Idaho Matters

A dog eagerly awaits adoption in an animal shelter. (iStockphoto.com) Many animal shelters in our region are bursting with unwanted cats and dogs and the problem is linked to COVID-19 and the nation’s housing crisis . First, Wyoming Public Radio’s Eric Vigil takes us to a shelter for the Mountain West News Bureau. Then Boise State Public Radio's Troy Oppie looks at how Treasure Valley pet shelters...

(Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images) Affordable housing has reached a crisis point in Blaine County as real estate prices continue to skyrocket. Ketchum officials want to raise $1.5 million for affordable housing through a local option tax, which could be on the ballot in May. Then it would be up to voters and the initiative would need 66% of the vote to pass. Amanda Breen is a member of the Ketchum Cit...

(blackthorne57 / Flickr) The Iranian Revolution in 1979 marked a turning point in the country’s history, leading to destabilization, protests and government crackdowns, especially on protesters. In September Human Rights Watch reported that Iranian security forces killed protesters in what has become known as Bloody Friday . Arvin Farid is Iranian by birth and American by choice. He was just a chi...

(Thomas Hawk / Flickr) A proposed bill could eliminate marriage licenses , Idaho legislatures modify testimony ban for minors , a push for more career technical education funding, how federal officials are addressing the crisis of missing indigenous people and Mountain Home may soon have a new casino . It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets you up-to...

(iStockphoto.com) The debate over school choice is heating up in Idaho. Earlier this week, the Senate Education Committee introduced a proposal to repeal our state’s Blaine Amendment, which is a clause that bans public spending on religious schools. And last week conservative Idaho legislators released language for a bill that would create education savings accounts, basically allowing parents to...

(Matt Sayles / A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images) Netflix subscribers listen up because there are changes afoot! There’s also a big controversy going on over an Oscar nomination and Harrison Ford has been very busy. Our resident movie critic George Prentice joins Idaho Matters to catch us up on the latest news from Hollywood.

(Drew Angerer / Getty Images) Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced it plans to let the Coronavirus Public Health Emergency expire in May. During the announcement, the White House said it’s a sign that federal officials believe the pandemic has moved into a new, less dire phase. As you might imagine this move carries both symbolic weight and real-world consequences. Dr. David Pate,...

(Westend61 / Getty Images) Starting today 150,000 people in Idaho who are on Medicaid will get a letter in the mail that says if they can’t prove they are still eligible for coverage they’ll be kicked out of the health insurance program . That could leave tens of thousands of people without health care coverage . The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has resources in place to help folks who g...

(Bart / Flickr) The company that supplies drinking water to most of the Treasure Valley wants to raise its rates by 24% . Veolia is asking the Idaho Public Utilities Commission for the rate hike, saying it has spent $70 million to improve water quality and safety. Angela Palermo reports on business and public health for the Idaho Statesman and joins Idaho Matters to help break this down.

Afflicted continues through February 11th at the Danny Peterson Theater ( Erin Cunningham / Danny Peterson Theater) A new play at the Morrison Center in Boise explores some of the themes that came out of the Salem Witch Trials in puritan New England in 1691. The play is called “ Afflicted: Daughters of Salem ” and it looks at some of the events leading up to the trials. Cast member Karen Fichtman,...

The shooting at the Boise Towne Square Mall in 2021 caused shock and anger in the Treasure Valley after Jacob Bergquist shot and killed two people, including a security guard. He later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after firing at Boise police. A new investigative report from the Idaho Statesman finds that Bergquist’s home was littered with bullet casings and covered in bullet holes, in t...

(Boise State Public Radio) Boise State Public Radio turns 45 years old this year, and we continue to grow, adding new staff and anew translator in Pocatello and KLCZ in North Idaho. Our General Manager, Tom Michael sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to more about the state of the station, including the past and future of Boise State Public Radio.

( G.P. Putnam's Sons) A new novel, The Hunter , puts to rest some tropes about suspense novels, small town crime and police corruption. The book’s author, Jennifer Herrera, joins Idaho Matters to talk more about her newest book.

(Jimmy Emerson / Flickr Creative Commons) The number of Idahoans who feel the state is on the wrong track is growing. A majority of people feel the state is growing too fast and that property taxes are too high and an astonishing 43% of residents worry about paying their bills each month. More than a third of people say the state’s economic condition will only get worse over the next two years. Th...

(Benson Kua / Creative Commons attribution-share alike 2.0) This Thursday, Feb. 2, the Fettucine Forum will be hosting an event that looks at the history of queer spaces throughout Idaho , beginning in the 1970s. The lecture will explore where and how LGBTQ+ members found one another, built community and ultimately found a home right here in the Gem state. Dr. Lisa McClain and Boise State Universi...

(Illinois Soybean Association / Flickr) Restoring ecosystems is no easy task as we try to repair some of the damage humans have done to planet earth. And food production can be very hard on nature, especially if those practices don’t take whole ecosystems into account. Author and agroecologist Nicole Masters has made a study of regenerating our food production systems and she says you have to star...

(Benson Kua / Creative Commons attribution-share alike 2.0) A bill has been introduced banning "vaccine materials" in food , the Attorney General is questioning the legality of LGBTQ+ policies that are in place in many schools, Lori Daybell is asking for her case to be dismissed and we take a look at what will happen if Medicaid expansion ends and how it could impact rural hospitals in Idaho . It’...

(Flickr Creative Commons) Just a year ago Ryan Lee was the Chief of the Boise Police Department and not many people knew of then-Captain Matt Bryngelson. Fast forward to 2023 and Lee has since resigned in the shadow of one controversy. Two months later, racist remarks linked to Bryngelson further rocked the department. Boise City Council President Holli Woodings calls the controversy shocking. Our...

Cobalt is an important component of lithium ion batteries, like those in many electric vehicles (Keith Srakocic / AP) Electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular. But one barrier is the network for recharging them – especially in the rural west. Experts say long EV road trips are a new frontier. That’s because the charging infrastructure that makes them possible is still emerging. KUNC’s...

A doctor listens to a child's breathing. (B Busco / Getty Images) A nationwide shortage of over-the-counter children’s medicine is impacting the supply in the Treasure Valley. Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was closely monitoring pediatric ibuprofen and acetaminophen supplies, which have been hard to come by since late last year due to a rise in respiratory illne...

( Days for Girls) Here in Idaho, 11% of the population lives below the poverty line according to the United States Census Bureau . Out of that 11%, the number of women living below the poverty line is more than 100,000. These numbers are important because living in poverty doesn’t just limit your access to housing or food, it can also limit your access to period products, an important and often ov...

Between Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, the newly discovered comet is slated to draw nearest to Earth — 26.4 million miles away to be exact. ( Dan Bartlett/NASA) Its formal name is C/2022 E3 and it's described as a fuzzy, bright green comet that hasn’t visited the solar system in tens of thousands of years. Dr. Irwin Horowitz, past President of the Boise Astronomical Society, says this may be the only chance y...

The U.S. Supreme Court (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) The U.S. Supreme Court was dubbed the least dangerous branch of government by Alexander Hamilton. But the court has lately been in the middle of some of America's biggest controversies. From laws around abortion and gun rights to voting rights and religion to gerrymandering and presidential power and all of these issues have a direct effect...

The sound of enthusiastic barking dogs have been ringing through the West Central Mountains as sled dogs and their mushers roam up and down the mountain paths for the fifth annual Idaho Sled Dog Challenge! There are shorter races on the docket, plus the 300-mile big race which draws top mushing teams from around the country, and this year six Idahoans are taking part. Montana musher Nicole Lombard...

( Chicken Soup for the Soul ) Next week, a new installment of an inspirational classic is coming out, " Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons Learned from My Dog ." Local author Jan M. Flynn has two chapters in the new book and joins Idaho Matters to talk more about humans best friend.