Idaho Matters

It’s now legal again to give someone a ticket for sleeping or camping on public property. This comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the Grants Pass v. Johnson case.

The city of Oregon wanted to fine people sleeping in public parks and possibly put them in jail if they refused to comply, and the court said that was not "cruel and unusual" punishment.

This case has its roots in Boise, under former Mayor Dave Bieter, in an older lawsuit when members of the homeless community fought back against the city’s policy of ticketing people sleeping on the street. That suit made it to the 9th Circuit Court, which said it did constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

Current mayor Lauren McLean came out against the Supreme Court’s ruling, saying criminalizing homelessness won’t solve the problem.

Jodi Peterson-Stigers, the executive director of Interfaith Sanctuary Community Housing, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the ramifications of the ruling on Boise’s homeless community.

When it comes to making memories, there's no better place to do so than summer camp.

But for kids with medical conditions, this experience can feel out of reach. Which is why the work that Camp Rainbow Gold does is so important.

For over 40 years, the nonprofit has been creating opportunities for kids diagnosed with pediatric cancer to just be kids. And now, as demand for the organization’s services continues to grow, the nonprofit has plans to add six new cabins at the state’s first medical camp.

Elizabeth Lizberg, CEO of Camp Rainbow Gold, as well as Easton Brown, one of the campers, and his mother, Paige Brown, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his effort. 

When you think of fast-growing industries in Idaho, you might think of tech businesses or agriculture. But one of the fastest-growing industries and job markets is fish and wildlife, which employs more than 4,000 people in Idaho.

These jobs include everything from wildlife conservation to fishing guides, manufacturing jet boats, scientists, and working in fish hatcheries.

Since 2012, these types of jobs have grown at a 6.6 percent rate, and that’s expected to skyrocket to more than 22 percent over the next ten years.

Idaho Department of Labor economists Lisa Grigg and Ryan Whitesides will be talking about the fish and wildlife industry footprint at a webinar on Tuesday, July 9 and they joined Idaho Matters for a preview.

Last year, four and a half million people flocked to Yellowstone National Park: a 37% increase over 2022.

They came to camp to fish, watch the wildlife, and check out the thermal geysers that spew hot water and rock out of what is a very active geologic site.

While Yellowstone seems like a summer playground, it's home to a lot of seismic activity, which can turn deadly, like in 1959 when the 7.3 Hebgen Lake earthquake killed 28 people.

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory has released its report on last year’s seismic activity at the park, and Idaho Matters asked Michael Poland to tell us about it. He’s the research geophysicist with the Cascades volcano observatory and the scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone volcano observatory.

This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 30, 2024.

When it comes to American history, especially around the 1850s, two women stand out as lightning rods for dramatic change in society.

Harriet Beecher Stowe's best-selling anti-slavery novel had a profound effect on how White people saw African Americans that some say helped lead to the Civil War.

Harriet Tubman rescued dozens of black people from slavery through the “Underground Railroad” and never stopped fighting for the rights of African Americans and women.

History professor Dr. Richard Bell from the University of Maryland joins Idaho Matters to talk more about these two amazing women.

This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 30, 2024.

You may know Patrick Hinds as one of the voices behind the tremendously successful podcast "True Crime Obsessed."

What you may not know is that Patrick is also a self professed failure, something he looks at in his new book "Failure is Not NOT an Option." He joined Idaho Matters to talk more about his new book and tour.

This summer, many U.S. citizens are planning trips aboard. In fact, more people are set to travel overseas in 2024 than any previous year.

So, if you're one of the lucky ones looking to take a trip, do you know what to do in case of a medical emergency?

Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about what you need to know before heading out of town.

With the use of technology, more people than ever are being tricked out of their money and falling victim to scams.

And one of these scams involves your pets, which is why the Idaho Humane Society is encouraging people to be cautious when it comes to communicating over the phone, especially if you've recently lost an animal.

Kristine Schellhass, the Public Relations Manager for the Idaho Humane Society, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this.

When conditions are just right, the dark night sky can light up with a curtain or ribbon of green light waving across the sky.

These are the northern lights, and they happen when solar winds from the sun crash into the atmosphere, causing an eerie and awe-inspiring green glow.

Dr. Elizabeth MacDonald is a space physicist at Nasa Goddard, and she studies the northern lights. She’s the special guest at the Boise State Physics First Friday Astronomy Talk this Friday, and she joined Idaho Matters for a preview.

The U.S. Supreme Court has handed down some big decisions in the past few weeks. We told you about the case involving Idaho’s abortion law last week, and next week we’ll take a deep dive into their decision on camping and homelessness, a case that has its roots in Boise.

Now we want to look at a couple of cases that will have profound effects on the presidency and federal rules that can directly impact our everyday lives.

Dr. David Adler, a constitutional scholar and president of the Alturas Institute, who is planning another of his Constitutional Conversations on July 8, joined Idaho Matters to break down the latest decisions from the court.