Idaho Matters

(stock)This interview was originally broadcast Thursday, May 24, 2018.Idaho lags behind the nation when it comes to colon cancer screening rates. Idaho Matters discusses the importance of early screenings with Dr. Dan Zuckerman, medical director of the Mountain States Tumor Institute and we hear first-hand about battling colon cancer with a survivor.

(Image Source/Getty Images)This interview was originally broadcast Wednesday, June 27, 2018.Social media may no longer be a new frontier for the experienced, but educating children about safe and responsible use is a changing dynamic. We look at ways for kids to stay (occasionally) plugged in while staying safe.

(AMYPENCEBROWN.COM/CONSPIRE PHOTOGRAPHY )This interview was originally broadcast Tuesday, May 22, 2018.The documentary Fattitude debuts in Boise on May 30; the picture celebrates body positivity and points out the societal inequities and stereotypes faced by overweight people. The webpage shares facts like "fat people are paid $1.25 less an hour than their thin counterparts" and "one in three doctors associate fat bodies with hostility, dishonesty and poor hygiene."We speak with the director of the film and we're joined in studio by Amy Pence-Brown, body positivity activist and founder of the Boise Rad Fat Collective.

(iStockphoto.com)This interview was originally broadcast Monday, June 11, 2018.As we try to squeeze the last bit of summer out of the season, City Center Wines sommelier Joseph DiGrigoli joins us to talk about the best wines to pair with BBQ or that freshly-caught trout and which Idaho wines make the best party cocktails.

(stock)Idaho Matters reviews the week's headlines with a team of regional journalists. This week we speak with Don Day of BoiseDev, Scott McIntosh of the Idaho Press and Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News.

(facebook)Meridian Art Week begins this Tuesday and it will draw the community together for a celebration of art, film and theater. Idaho Matters speaks with Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd and City Commissions & Committees Specialist Hillary Blackstone about the week's events.

(Facebook/Boise Philharmonic)The Boise Philharmonic announced the program for the upcoming season, and it is bold.The standards are on deck - Brahms, DeBussy, Handel - and some aggressive selections: John William's Star Wars, James Bond and Rocky scores are on the program as well as a celebration of Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday and even a pub crawl (with friends from Boise State Public Radio.) Idaho Matters meets The Phil's new music director and executive director and we'll learn what's in store for this year's Boise Phil season.

(Laurel MacDonald)The Idaho Commission on the Arts awarded a grant to Jack's Urban Meeting Place and WingTip Press to produce a Dia de Muertos event that combines printing with construction equipment.The Día de Muertos Steamroller Print Project is exactly what it sounds like - artists are encouraged to bring handmade print plates, ink and a sheet and a steamroller will press the plates and their Dia de Muertos-themed art. We'll discuss the event and look at the growing role of the holiday in Latino and American culture.Below, find a video of the 2013 Steamroller Art event:

(Summit Environmental/ProTech, provided via DEQ/Idaho Statesman)Last year, Mountain Home Air Force Base sent a shipment of hazardous waste to a municipal landfill outside of Boise. The material is the leftovers of a chemical-resistant coating used on buildings that contains a substance linked to cancer. Idaho Matters finds out what was dumped, the threat from the substance and remediation efforts.

(NuScale/energy.gov)A mini-nuclear generation reactor is slated to go online in 2023 in Southeast Idaho to provide energy for Northern Utah communities. Industry officials are citing the technology as a "game changer" for nuclear power. Idaho Matters looks at this new technology, the impact it may have on the nuclear industry and concerns about the new plant.

(Boise State University)Boise State University researcher Kurtis Cantley wants to understand the construction of the human brain so he can build an artificial brain. This is no Frankenstein experiment - Cantley sees clear parallels between the way the brain is designed to process information and the processes of computers. Dr. Cantley joins Idaho Matters to discuss the human brain, creating artificial brains and why mankind needn't worry about robot overlords.

(idfg.idaho.gov)The USDA's Wildlife Service distributes funds to ranchers in the West for wolf depredation - the killing off of predators of commercial livestock. Questions have been raised about the number of predatory wolves preying on cattle and how those funds are being divvied out. Idaho Matters discusses wolf depredation with the Idaho Cattle Association and we'll talk to a conservation organization working to protecting Idaho wolves by working with ranchers.

(St. Luke's)St. Luke's Health System is investing $3.4 million in a virtual care center - a "high tech hub" with a medical team available to provide assistance 24/7. The center will be able to connect doctors with rural Idahoans and those with mobility issues. Idaho Matters discusses this new trend in health care with St. Luke's and how this could be a game changer for underserved rural communities.

(BSPR / Universal Pictures / Toronto International Film Festival / Warner Bros.)Boise Weekly film critic (and Boise State Public Radio announcer) George Prentice joins Idaho Matters to preview his annual pilgrimage to the Toronto International Film Festival, discuss the impact of net streaming on the film industry and what we can expect at the box office in the coming year.

(flickr)Idaho is bordered by four states (and one country) with some form of legalized marijuana. Addictions specialists in the state are seeing an increase of patients looking to break an addiction to marijuana and the increased potency of the plant is forcing researchers to re-think its addictive qualities. Idaho Matters discusses the subject with two treatment specialists who have witnessed this increase of use.

(Joshua Roberts/Reuters)Verbal attacks on the integrity of American journalism have become the norm, even from the highest reaches of power. We'll look at the role of the press in America today, why our Founding Fathers had the foresight to protect it and how consumers can parse out real news from "fake news" and the response from Idaho journalists.

(Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic)The Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic celebrates nearly 30 years of festive ballooning and family activities. More than 40 balloons will lift off from Ann Morrison Park beginning on Wednesday and Idaho Matters speaks with the event's founder about the allure of these lighter-than-air behemoths and what goes into learning to pilot one.

Cartoonist Luke Martin made a name for himself by drawing comics about life in Chicago and later of his experiences as an American living in South Korea. The Illinois native recently moved to Meridian and he is chronicling his experiences as a new Idahoan in his comic strip "I'm New Here."Martin will be a featured artist at this year's Boise Comic Arts Festival this weekend. Martin joins Idaho Matters to talk about turning his observations into illustrations and what brought him to the Treasure Valley.

(Dmitry Naumov/iStockphoto/NPR)Eighteen states allow parents to refuse vaccinations for their children. Idaho is home to 8 of the 10 national "hotspots" of non-vaccinated kids. Idaho Matters looks at the reasons parents have for opting out of vaccinating their kids and the potential impact this has on the child and the community.

(EMILIE RITTER SAUNDERS / BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO)Recent data from the Idaho Secretary of State's office indicates that voting rates in many Idaho counties are below the national average and that rural voters cast ballots at a higher rate than urban Idahoans. Idaho Matters looks at changing voter trends in the Gem State with political analyst Justin Vaughn.