Workers install new PVC pipe under a street in Denver on October 11, 2023. Denver's water department has planned nearly $2 billion in upgrades over the next decade. Many cities in the region are also facing costly infrastructure repairs that will drive up water bills in the coming years.(Alex Hager / KUNC)

Across the southwest, the amount it costs to have water piped to your homes is likely to go up. City utilities have to replace pipes and other infrastructure that's getting old, and invest in new systems that'll help them survive a drier future. KUNC's Alex Hager reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.

Morrison Center seats.( Morrison Center.)

The Morrison Center is celebrating a big birthday this year, and like most seasons, they are celebrating in style.

Our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Morrison Center Executive Director Laura Kendall to talk about their 40th anniversary and preview the upcoming season.

( Idaho Foodbank)

There are more than 100,000 people in Idaho struggling with food insecurity, unsure of where their next meal will come from.

And as we head into the holiday season, many nonprofits are making it a priority to address this issue. Which is why the Idaho Foodbank will be hosting its 26th annual Empty Bowls event to help fight against hunger.

Randy Ford, CEO of the Idaho Foodbank, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

(Towfiqu Photography / Getty Images)

Last month, Idaho joined 42 other states in a lawsuit against Meta, alleging the tech company’s platforms have significantly contributed to the youth mental health crisis by making their social media platforms addictive.

So outside of this lawsuit, and in light of recent youth suicides in the Treasure Valley, what’s being done locally to address this crisis impacting our children?

Scott Curtis, CEO of the Idaho Youth Ranch and Dr. Spencer Merrick, the psychiatrist at the Idaho Youth Ranch's Residential Center for Health and Resilience, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this.

Ashley and her Mustang Boo.( Ashley Ahearn)

Journalist Ashley Ahearn gave up the city life when she and her husband moved to the rural sagebrush country of Washington state. And things took a significant turn when she opted to adopt a wild mustang named Boo.

She brought her recorder with her and began documenting her time training Boo, which led her into an exploration into the world of Mustangs.

That journey is chronicled in her new podcast called Mustang, which is out now. Ashely sat down with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about her very personal and now, quite professional, passion.

Sometimes aerial performers attach their rigs to trees. Cuream Jackson practices skills on a maple tree in Julia Davis Park, Boise.(Arlie Sommer / Expressive Idaho)

Boise circus performer Cuream Jackson is taking a very old art and using it to contemplate race and gender identity. He comes to the circus as an aerialist, performing with silks, hoops, trapeze and his favorite, straps, considered the most difficult of the aerial disciplines.

He learned the joys of expression with his body and the rigors of training as a high school and college cheerleader in Atlanta, Georgia. Jackson started taking aerial classes after he moved to Idaho and translated those cheerleading skills to thrive in the circus arts.

Arlie Sommer brings us his story as a part of the Expressive Idaho series.

( Boise School District)

The debate on whether or not to refuse federal funding for schools has resurfaced, an update on U of I's purchase of the University of Phoenix, the Zombie deer disease has spread to McCall, there's controversy over a new park in Boise and a look at why three Idaho Freedom Caucus members were reprimanded.

It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets you up-to-date on all the news that made headlines this past week.

Our journalist panel today:

(Practical Cures / Flickr)

With ADHD and other diagnoses on the rise, today's youth are experiencing chronic levels of anxiety and depression. That's why it's important to make sure these children feel supported and understood.
 
Dr. Sharon Saline is a licensed clinical psychologist, an award-winning author, and a top expert on ADHD, anxiety, and mental health challenges. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

( Roadsidepictures / Flickr)

When Nicole McKay took the job as Director of the city of Boise's Office of Police Accountability, she soon discovered that there was correspondence dating back to a year ago.

McKay visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about that backlog, a need for more internal training and the essential nature of the OPA.

( Shane Sato)

For over 20 years, Shane Sato has been taking pictures of Japanese American veterans from World War II, capturing images of men who were fighting a war both abroad and at home as they strove to prove their loyalty to the country.

These were the members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 100th Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service, all of whom in the face of segregation and great injustice, risked everything.

 Now Sato is helping to share their stories, providing a glimpse into the past and a look at the legacies that these heroes have left behind.