Idaho Matters

Host Gemma Gaudette leads a round table discussion of the week's headlines with the region's top journalists. This week Idaho Matters speaks with Bill Manny with Idaho Public Television, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News and Scott McIntosh with the Idaho Press.

(amazon)Boise journalist Steve Bertel wrote a crime drama that takes place in the high desert. Bertel joins Idaho Matters to talk about transitioning from news writing to fiction writing.

(MCCALL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE)The McCall Winter Carnival begins today and Idaho Matterslooks at the events, food and snow sculptures.

(ADAM COTTERELL / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO)LGBTQ+ Idahoans can legally be denied employment, services and housing as the state's Human Rights Act does not recognize sexual orientation or gender identity as protected rights. Multiple efforts have been made to write this acknowledgment into the act and they've failed in the statehouse. State Rep. Maryanne Jordan (D - Boise) has introduced a bill to "Add the Words" and she joins Idaho Matters to discuss the importance of recognizing these rights.

(NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI)Rajani Dhingra has been really busy in 2019. The U of I physics graduate student worked on teams directing the farthest fly-by ever conducted of a celestial body and studied weather patterns on the Saturn moon of Titan. Dhingra joins Idaho Matters to talk about her research both inside and outside of our solar system.

(IMSA PHOTO)The Rolex 24 endurance race at Daytona International Speedway takes place this weekend and Sun Valley's Jackie Heinricher has put together the first-ever all-women racing team to compete. We speak with the driver/botanist/entrepreneur about competing in the high-stakes world of endurance racing.

(wikimedia commons)A hotline has been set up to inform travelers in Idaho of transit conditions. We learn about "511" with the Idaho Transportation Department.

(AP PHOTO/WILFREDO LEE)The federal government is entering its 33rd day of a partial shutdown and more than 800,000 federal employees either have been furloughed or are working without pay. Idaho Matters speaks with two TSA employees who are going on three weeks without pay to learn how this stalemate is affecting Idahoans.

(Snake River Seed Cooperative/Boise Co-op)The Snake River Seed Cooperative encourages regional growers to produce organic, non-GMO seed for both farmers and backyard gardeners. We meet the co-op's founder and director and learn why this program can lead to healthier communities and wealthier growers.

(Darin Oswald, Idaho Statesman)Researchers are learning about how isolation and loneliness contribute to both physical and emotional deterioration. A Boise entrepreneur is addressing the issue by offering human contact in the form of snuggling. We'll meet Charlotte Lindsay, founder and owner of Snuggle Buddiez.

(ktvb)Buy Idaho promotes Gem State businesses and manufacturers to encourage growth in the state's economy. Idaho Matters learns about all the wonderful products made right here.

(national cervical cancer coalition)January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and each year, nearly 13,000 women in America are diagnosed with cervical cancer. We talk about detection and treatment with Dr. Meghan Wallman, an OB/GYN with St. Luke's.

(IOWA PUBLIC RADIO / BOYS TOWN NATIONAL RESEARCH HOSPITAL / SKIP KENNEDY)Private insurance does not cover the costs for most hearing aids for youths. Efforts to change that are afoot in the state legislature. Idaho Matters follows up  with the representative spearheading the initiative and the mother of three children who require hearing aids.

(Marvel/Focus/20th Century Fox/Searchlight)The 2019 Oscar nominees were announced early Tuesday morning and Boise Weekly film critic George Prentice joins Idaho Matters to talk about what to expect.

(stock)Idaho led the nation in civil rights policies in the early 1960s and we talk with Phillip Thompson of the Idaho Black History Museum about those policies and the role of Martin Luther King Jr. in inspiring the movement in the Gem State.  

(sun valley/facebook)The Mountain West News Bureau presents a collaboration of regional journalists all looking at the changing ski industry including the effects of climate change, advances in technology and new paradigms in the economy of winter resorts.

(stock)Host Gemma Gaudette leads a round table discussion of the week's headlines with the region's top journalists. This week Idaho Matters speaks with Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News, Seth Ogilvie of Idaho Public Television and George Prentice of the Boise Weekly.

(geneticliteracyproject.org)January is Thyroid Health Awareness Month and Idaho Matters looks at the role this little gland plays in our overall health with St. Luke's internist, Sherwin D'Souza.

(treefort)Boiseans are gearing up for 2019 TreeFort and this year's line-up reaches back to 90's alternative rockers and forward to budding musicians. We go through the schedules for FoodFort, HackFort, AleFort and all of the other Forts.

(recomposition.info)Thursday is 'Union Day' at the Idaho Capitol and we learn about the history and contributions organized labor has made to the state's workforce and economy.