Idaho Matters

TED Talks were founded in 1984 as a conference of speakers bringing together new ideas about the melding of technology, entertainment and design in contemporary culture.  Since 1990, TED has produced annual conferences that have featured such speakers as Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Jane Goodall and Bono.TED-X events are smaller, regional TED Talks; TED-X Boise will take place on Saturday, May 5th.  Speaker Brian Fretwell joined Idaho Matters to talk about the process of developing a TED-X presentation and his speech, "What a 15-year-old Meth Addict Taught Me About Leadership."

The University of Idaho remains in the spotlight for the mishandling of sexual assault complaints placed more than five years ago. In 2013, three different women accused a football of sexual harassment and assault, the university's management of the subsequent investigation has come into question.Idaho Statesman reporter Chadd Crippe joined Idaho Matters to bring the story up to date.

A recent poll conducted by the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children found 76% of Idaho voters support state-funded pre-kindergarten education. Despite the support, the 2018 State Legislature failed to address the need for early education.Beth Oppenheimer, Executive Director of Idaho AEYC joined Idaho Matters in studio to discuss the need for pre-K and efforts to motivate lawmakers into discussing the value to students and the community.

When Madeline Rose Scott was asked to photograph refugees arriving to Boise for placement, she saw an opportunity to document the humanity of the resettlement process. She photographed several refugees fleeing civil war and violence just hours ahead of Donald Trump's travel ban on select Muslim countries. She captured the fear, the trepidation and the relief shared by so many who came to start a new life.Six months later, Madeline re-visited the new residents of Idaho to document the changes in their lives since settling in. The pictures are displayed in an exhibit entitled "The Lucky Ones: A Visual Story of Idaho enriched by Refugees Arriving in Uncertain Times." The images will be on exhibit at the Idaho Black History Museum through August 15th.  Madeline Scott was joined in studio by Megan Schwab, Community Engagement Specialist with the International Rescue Committee, the Boise-based agency that aids refugees with resettlement.

The Boise Little Theater celebrates its 70 year of ongoing production with Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman." Director Frank Wright joined Idaho Matters to discuss the enduring resonance of the play and the history of Idaho's oldest theater company.

In 1994, Fred Lawrence and Paul Jenkins were sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Donna Meagher in Montana. Twenty-three years later, their sentences have been vacated, and DNA evidence points to another man, already in prison.Lawrence and Jenkins owe their freedom to the efforts of the Montana Innocence Project, with DNA analysis from Greg Hampikian, director of the Idaho Innocence Project. Hampikian joined Idaho Matters in studio to share the story of the search for Donna Meagher's real killer.

By most indices, the Treasure Valley is the fastest growing region in the country, rapidly driving up property values.  But unlike similar booms in Atlanta, Phoenix and Las Vegas, new housing starts are not matching the explosion in population.While current homeowners are thrilled to see their values skyrocket, those prices are pushing newcomers to the housing market further away from Boise in search of a deal.  Listings are fueling bidding wars; cash offers 10-15% over list is becoming the norm with homes closing within hours of their listing.  Idaho Matters discusses the state of real estate in the Gem State with Breanna Vanstrom, CEO of Boise Regional Realtors and Heather Jauregui, a loan originator with Prime Lending.

The Rescued Film Project collects undeveloped film, of any type, from submitters around the world.  Founder Levi Bettwieser develops the film and exhibits it on his website and in galleries.  He is currently exhibiting at the Gem Center for the Arts in Boise.  The exhibit is a display of the sometimes eclectic, sometimes mundane routines in the everyday lives of people everywhere - spread across nine decades.  Bettwieser joined Idaho Matters in studio to talk about collecting old film and what snapshots tell us about ourselves and culutre.

On Saturday, the City of Boise will open the James Castle House to the public after three years of renovation.  The site was home to James Castle for more than half of his life; the hearing-impaired artist was self-taught and used his drawings to communicate with others.  In the forty years since his death, his work has been on exhibition around the world and pieces have sold for thousands. Recently, a trove of never-before seen paintings and drawings were found in a wall during the renovation.  Rachel Reichert, cultural sites manager and Kristen Hill, the cultural program coordinator with the James Castle House to learn about the building's legacy and the life of James Castle.

(OTTO KITSINGER / AP IMAGES)The three top Republicans vying for the party's gubernatorial nomination met to debate the issues on Monday night. U.S. Representative Raul Labrador, Idaho Lieutenant Governor Brad Little and area businessman Tommy Ahlquist addressed abortion, faith healing, climate change, guns and lowering taxes.Idaho Education News reporter Kevin Richert sat on the panel asking the candidates questions; he joined Gemma Gaudette on Idaho Matters to share his impressions of those left by the candidates.Copyright Boise State Public Radio 2018

Progressive outdoor enthusiasts and conservative hunters and anglers gathered together in Boise earlier this month to express their mutual desire to preserve Idaho's public lands.While displeasure with the Trump Administration is expected from Idaho's bluer citizens, many Trump supporters are expressing frustration with Washington's public lands policies. The opening of national parkland and monuments to oil and natural gas drilling, mining and further development has vexed conservationists on both sides.  Idaho Statesman reporter Rocky Barker covered this gathering and joined Idaho Matters to parse out the nuances of the struggle over public lands.Copyright Boise State Public Radio 2018

Idaho is losing out on thousands of jobs and, as a result, millions in undeclared wages.  This could have a devastating impact on Idaho's workforce and economy if the trend isn't reversed.State Representative Sally Toone of Gooding has ideas about planting the seeds for cultivating a strong, STEM oriented workforce for the Gem State. Representative Toone joined Idaho Matters from her district to talk about introducing STEM curriculum at a young age, and the value of pre-kindergarten programs in instilling educational values from an early age.Copyright Boise State Public Radio 2018

The Idaho Shakespeare Festival begins its 2018 season with an unconventional play from the mind of Stephan King.Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee joined Idaho Matters in studio to discuss the line-up, the underlying themes of this year's program and what makes the work of Shakespeare so alluring after four hundred years.Copyright Boise State Public Radio 2018

(Robin Rausch)Dr. David Grinspoon looks at the catastrophic events in Earth’s four-and-a-half billion year history and considers the positives. The Planetary Science Institute astrobiologist focuses much of his work on how changes in planetary climate could allow for life to exist.In his newest book, Earth in Human Hands, Grinspoon notes that for the first time, humans are in control of the future of earth, rather than natural events. Earth in Human Hands was named one of NPR's Science Friday "Best Science Books of 2016."David Grinspoon will be speaking at Boise State University Monday April 23rd, he sat down with Idaho Matters to talk about the relationship between humans and the Earth.Copyright Boise State Public Radio 2018

(CREDIT TOM DAVENPORT AP FILE)The Southern Poverty Law Center has been investigating and documenting hate groups in America since 1979; the group was formed in 1971 as a nonprofit civil rights firm.Today the organization sits on an endowment in excess of $400 million and has become the primary source for chronicling hate groups.Idaho Statesman reporter Sven Berg traveled to Northern Idaho to speak with members of groups that made the SPLC’s HateWatch, he reported his findings in the Sunday edition of the Statesman. Sven joined Idaho Matters in studio to parse out his findings.Copyright Boise State Public Radio 2018 

(Molly Messick for NPR)This time of year Idaho farmers take to the fields in full force, planting crops, and making irrigation systems ready for the summer growing season.This year many are  wondering about clouds of uncertainty hanging over the future of farm exports.Unless you have a direct connection to the land you may not realize the impact agriculture has on the Idaho economy, as well as the effect foreign affairs have on Idaho farmersNow in a spiraling dispute between the US and China that country is targeting a number of farm products. Are Idaho farmers and ranchers in danger of losing lucrative foreign markets? Sean Ellis of the Idaho Farm Bureau and Mike Williamson, a fourth generation orchard owner and operator joined Idaho Matters to discuss the impact these tariffs and a withdrawal from the TPP could mean for Idaho's agricultural communities. Copyright Boise State Public Radio 2018

Gemma Gaudette discusses the concept and mission of Boise State Public Radio's new daily news program with the station's GM, Tom Michael.Over the past few years, Boise State Public Radio has become a news leader across the region. There have been strategic discussions among the station management about how we could further enhance our news service while also looking to better engage the community.We soon began to focus on creating a local/regional show that would mirror the qualities of NPR's best shows: civil discourse while providing in-depth discussions on issues that matter most to our listeners.Idaho Matters will be the place on-air and online where folks with different views can talk with each other, exchange ideas, debate with respect and come away richer out of the experience. We look forward to developing this program into the local news/public affairs show of record.We hope you'll engage with us! You can email the show directly, tag the station in a tweet, send us a message on Facebook or drop us a