Idaho Matters

(City of Meridian)Tammy de Weerd announced she would not seek a fifth term as Meridian's mayor. De Weerd joins Idaho Matters to talk about skippering the bedroom community through unprecedented growth.

(DARIN OSWALD/Idaho Statesman)One of the many challenges met by recently-released state inmates is a lack of identification. This can make it difficult to rent a home or get a job and it creates further problems when dealing with the DMV or probation departments. A new program makes sure recently released felons are not starting over from behind the eight ball by providing ID on release.

Sometimes wounds of war affect veterans in ways that make having children difficult. Recent legislation has proposed the government help these veterans with fertilization services. On the Wednesday edition of Idaho Matters, we discuss these efforts and ask why they haven't been previously addressed.

(Idaho Transportation Department)The Real ID Act of 2005 was a post-9/11 attempt to normalize government-issued ID standards across the country. Beginning in 2020, Idahoans will need a Star Card to board flights and enter federal buildings. Idaho Matters talks about the new ID standards with the state's DMV.

(File )The J.A. and Kathryn Albertsons Foundation recently commissioned a study of youth and education in Idaho. We talk about the results of the 'Idaho At Risk' report and look at the correlations between educational policy today and the state's economy of tomorrow.

(Junius Brutus Stearns)Harvard Business School professor David A. Moss will discuss the origins of the U.S. Constitution on Thursday at the capitol. Moss joins Idaho Matters to talk about James Madison, the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and their correlations to events today.

(Assistance League of Boise)The Assistance League of Boise is partnering with Kohl's and some Treasure Valley school districts to provide low-income students with the opportunity to shop for new clothes. We talk to the league about the Teen Retail program and how big a role some fresh clothes can play in a child's life.

(NPR/Eric Ball)The Treasure Valley's first pediatric urgent care facility will soon open in Meridian. Idaho Matters looks at the growing market for specialized urgent health care.

(sistermaryschildren.org)Sister Mary's Children out of McCall has partnered with a community in South Africa to help at-risk youths in a formerly segregated region still recovering from the effects of apartheid. Idaho Matters talks with the organization's founders about people helping people around the world.

(Shutterstock)Boise Weekly film critic George Prentice joins Idaho Matters to talk about Green Book, Black Panther, Roma and all of the winners at the 91st Academy Awards.

(stock)Gemma Gaudette leads a round table discussion of the week's headlines with the region's top journalists. This week Idaho Matters speaks with Melissa Davlin of IPTV's Idaho Reports, BoiseDev's Don Day and KIVI-TV's Mike Sharp.

(boise state university)Boise State University and CapEd Credit Union have partnered to provide a program to allow adults who are still carrying college credits to apply them to a degree program. The Passport to Education program creates a pathway for adults to finish their degrees while accommodating a busy schedule.

Boise Weekly film critic George Prentice stops by to preview the 91st Academy Awards, airing this Sunday.

(Idaho Court Reporters Association)Court reporters are in short supply in Idaho and the dwindling numbers are causing backlogs in the courts. Appeals have been made to the legislature. We talk with the state's court administrative director and the Idaho Court Reporters Association about the role of the court reporter and what this shortage could mean for the state's justice sysytem.

(THE NATURE CONSERVANCY)The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a 54-year-old congressional act that helps federal, state and local governments to purchase land for preservation and public use. Questions were raised as it was allowed to expire this past October, but last week, it was permanently renewed and we look at how the LWCF helps conserve Idaho lands.

(file)GLSEN conducts a bi-annual survey of middle and high school students, asking about treatment of LGBTQ+ youth. The results of the 2017 survey have been compiled and they cast Idaho schools as being unwelcoming to LGBTQ+ students. We talk with GLSEN about conducting the survey and we talk with a recent graduate about his experience as a gay teen in a Boise-area school.

(file)An education budget was approved by the Idaho legislature on Monday. It calls for a 6.1% increase over last year — just short of state school superintendent Sherri Ybarra's request. We talk with Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News about the budget and the state's new funding formula for schools.

(CREDIT USDA NRCS)The Gem State is seeing some staggering snowfall this season. Idaho Matters checks in with NRCS water supply specialist Ron Abramovich about what this snowpack means for the state's water supply.

(FRANKIE BARNHILL / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO)If an Idahoan finds they have been underpaid by their employer, they have a six-month window within which to file a complaint. State representative Mat Erpelding would like to extend that window to a year.

(Ethan Webber / Boise State Public Radio)BSA Troop 1-G in Meridian is one of Idaho's first all-woman Boy Scout troops. The scouts began admitting women on February 1 of this year. We meet the troop's scoutmaster and one of the state's first female boy scouts.