Idaho Matters

(Kellogg Community College / Flickr) Each year, nearly 3,000 children in the Gem State find themselves in out-of-home placements, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. For those who end up in foster care, it's important that they have an adult who can advocate for them and that's where the CASA program comes in. Through CASA, children are appointed a guardian who will help promo...

(Mike / Flickr) One month ago, at a Boise State Bronco football game, a malfunction caused a fireworks display to shoot toward spectators in the stadium . While many people did not notice what happened, at least three people were hit with embers that burned their clothes and caused concern. The opening fireworks display was suspended while the fire marshal investigated the incident. Troy Oppie, Bo...

Retiring state Sen. Patti Anne Lodge (R-Huston) says Tom Arkoosh will be the first Democrat she's voted for in 66 years of being a Republican. (James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio) A look at CWI board elections , Idaho republicans back the democratic attorney general’s candidate , oral arguments over the state's abortion ban and a legal battle over public land that could have ramifications acr...

(CREDIT TSCHOPPI / FLICKR) In the Treasure Valley, COVID-19 case levels are the lowest we've seen in months. The City of Boise has responded to this data by cutting back COVID-19 requirements. Last week, Boise's Mayor Lauren McLean said the city is moving to a more endemic stage and no longer requiring new employees get vaccinated against COVID-19. Dr. David Pate, Former CEO of St. Luke's Health S...

For the last 25 years, Boise Contemporary Theater has been bringing lively and proactive shows to the Treasure Valley. To kick off its silver anniversary season they will showcase a production that has been years in the making, it's also quite personal. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice wanted to know more about the anniversary and the upcoming show and sat down for a very special interview...

(sulit.photos / stock.adobe.com) Idaho's immunization rates haven't been good for years. Well before the COVID-19 pandemic, Idaho struggled to get kids vaccinated. Over the last two years, the opt-out rates went up, which meant immunizations went down. Kevin Richert with Idaho Education News looked at the numbers and talked with Idaho health officials about this. He joins us on Idaho Matters to ta...

(Kelsey Thomson / Boise State Public Radio) Idaho Matters is answering your questions about voting in the 2022 midterm elections. This week a listener asked us about redistricting: To help us answer this question, we invited Boise State Public Radio reporter James Dawson to talk a little bit about state and city redistricting, and why that may affect where you vote and who you can vote for. Here i...

Most Mountain West States have legalized marijuana in some form, but the rules are different on tribal landsand that could make it harder for tribes to get into this multi-billion dollar industry. And across the pond, the British Museum in London holds millions of treasures – from African artifacts to Greek sculptures. But for a young woman from our area, a feathered, beaded headdress is the most...

We want to spend some time talking about tipping. For artists, tipping is more than just a few dollars in the tip jar. Leta Harris Neustaedter brought this issue up on her Facebook page recently. She's one of the best live performers in the Treasure Valley, as well as a therapist, teacher and clinical social worker. She sat down with our Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about her recen...

The City of Boise is searching for a new full-time police chief after the mayor requested and received the resignation of then-chief Ryan Lee just a few weeks ago. At the time, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said Lee was “struggling from a management perspective.” Making matters worse, too much ill will had spilled into the members of the police department, leading some to think about leaving the depar...

(Ridley Pearson / Facebook ) Ridley Pearson is a number one New York Times best-selling author of more than 50 award-winning novels that include " Peter and the Scratchers " and " The Kingdom Keepers" series. He's releasing a new book this month, " Cautionary Tales ". Pearson joins Idaho Matters to talk more about his new release.

(Downtown Boise Association / Instagram) How often do you go online to find something, wishing you could buy it locally, but you can't find it so you end up purchasing from a national retailer instead? This was the dilemma that two women kept running into, so they decided to do something about it. Cary Fortin and Cara Oppenheimer came up with the idea of goodbuy , a free online shopping tool that...

(AP) Another challenge has been filed against Idaho's abortion law, direct questions were asked at the Idaho Supreme Court hearing , Sockeye salmon have returned to central Idaho, an update on the Lori Vallow Daybell case and Governor Little talks rebate checks . 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 headlin...

The City Club of Boise, League of Women Voters of Idaho, and Boise State Public Radio's Idaho Matters partnered to host a forum for the candidates for Ada County Commissioner moderated by Idaho Matters host Gemma Gaudette. The mission of the Commissioners: "We are partners and leaders in our communities. Our decisions are informed by a commitment to protecting the quality of life of every resident...

Dr. Michelle Chester draws the COVID-19 vaccine into a syringe at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, in the Queens borough of New York City. Australia is nearing the end of it's worst flu season in at least five years, which could be a sign of what's to come here in the United States as we head into the fall and winter and our own flu season. Dr. David Pate, Former CEO of St. Luke's Health System...

While the University of Idaho is telling its employees what they should or shouldn’t talk about when it comes to contraception, including condom use, Boise State’s president says while emergency contraception, like plan B, can’t be dispensed, nothing has changed regarding birth control. Boise State’s president since 2019, Tromp visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to also talk about a...

Wild horses run free on the Sands Basin Herd Management Area About 13 miles southwest of Homedale. The herd's bay, brown and black horses also include some paints, pintos, chestnuts and even some Appaloosas. (Courtesy Michelle Tullis / BLMIdaho) There are tens of thousands of wild horses living in the west, including some in Idaho . The U.S. Government mainly uses roundups to keep them from over-g...

(Alden Skeie / Unsplash) When you think of the history of LGBTQ+ Idahoans, often the first, and only thing that comes to mind is the dark chapter in the city’s history known as the “ Boys of Boise. ” Back in the 1950s, this McCarthy-era investigation into an alleged ‘homosexual underground’ in Boise, stained the city’s history and too often overshadows the successes and accomplishments of the comm...

(Dave MacFarlane / Flickr) Over the summer, inflation reached a 40-year-high in the U.S. and as the rate of inflation continues to go up, so do prices at the grocery store and for other day-to-day staples. Experts at the Federal Reserve and elsewhere are trying to bring that rate down. Mary C. Daly is the President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and part of her job is helping...

The 2015 dig covered a block of River Street in downtown Boise. ( Dr. William White) Have you ever lost something in your backyard? A coffee cup? A child’s toy? Decades later, the things left behind in a backyard can tell archeologists a lot about who lived there and the image they wanted to project to the world. That’s what Dr. William White found when he started digging up backyards in 2015 in B...

Campaign signs are in abundance last week for early voting at Westchester Regional Library in Miami. (Eva Marie Uzcategui / AFP via Getty Images) Idaho Matters has launched a new Elections 2022 project here at Boise State Public Radio – we want to answer your questions about voting in the upcoming midterm elections. This project is part of the work of America Amplified - an initiative funded by th...

Former Idaho state Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger looks around the room before the start of his sentencing at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. He was convicted of raping a legislative intern in April. (Sarah A. Miller/smiller@idahostatesman.com / Idaho Statesman) Cameras have been banned from the upcoming Daybell hearings , Gov. Little is facing four challengers on the No...

(Jimmy Emerson / Flickr Creative Commons) On Tuesday, the White House called Idaho's abortion policies ” extreme and backwards ." The words came after the University of Idaho sent an email to its employees that said the use of public funds to promote abortions is not allowed under Idaho law and employees that violate that law could face a felony conviction. Boise State University also told faculty...

( Hannah Gardoski) If you've had to make a medical appointment for your pet lately, you may have noticed that it's getting harder and taking longer to get treatment. It’s not a fluke, there is a shortage of veterinarians around the country and it's getting worse. The Atlantic wrote this summer that by 2030, the U.S. will need 41,000 more vets than we have now. That can make spaying or neutering yo...

It started as a song about the beauty of the mountains – and became an anthem for our region. John Denver’s "Rocky Mountain High” turns 50 years old in October and Emma Vandeneinde of the Mountain West News Bureau explains the legacy of his life and his music.