This Saturday, Julia Davis Park will be filled with music as Opera in the Park returns for its third year.

Opera Idaho is hosting a free concert and inviting everyone to come and get a taste of opera music. Rafael Moras, tenor and guest artist for Opera in the Park joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

There is an obesity epidemic in the United States. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, more than two in five American adults are obese and nearly one in five American children are obese.

So is a drug used to help decrease blood sugar levels in type two diabetics the answer to weight loss?

There’s a debate raging on whether or not Ozempic, and other drugs like it, should be used to treat weight loss because it could possibly be sending the wrong message.

Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help break this down.

Playing at the park, on the swings or slide, is a regular part of childhood for most kids. But for those who do not have access to a park with the right kind of equipment playtime can be a challenge.

That's why the City of Boise recently opened a new accessible playground at Pine Grove Park.

Bonnie Shelton, the communication and marketing superintendent for Boise Parks and Recreation joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the park.

The allure of the American cowboy attracts many visitors to our region. But cowboys don’t only exist in the West. They’re known in Italy, where the tradition goes back centuries and has a surprising connection to Buffalo Bill Cody.

Our region is catching up to the pickleball boom. Sometimes described as a cross between ping-pong and tennis, the sport has expanded beyond retirement communities.

The Mountain West News Bureau’s Will Walkey reports.

What did you do in your spare time during the COVID-19 pandemic? Two women got together with some very talented folks to make 100 rugs based on fairy tales.

Rug hooking is an old art that’s seeing a resurgence. This huge project was created by rug hooking teachers who spent untold hours bringing fanciful creatures and illustrations to life. Those 100 rugs are traveling the country and will be in Garden City Friday, 7.

Susan Elcox is with the Treasure Valley Rug Hookers and helped bring the Hooked on Fairy Tales Exhibit to life. She joined Idaho Matters to talk more.

This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on April 19, 2023.

There are so many struggles facing parents and children in today’s world, then throw in any type of difference and those struggles can multiply.

Meg Zucker, who was born with a genetic condition herself, knows those struggles and she wanted to give parents and caregivers some tools on how to support their children. And that's exactly what she did, with her new book, "Born Extraordinary: Empowering Children with Differences and Disabilities."

This episode of Idaho Matters originally aired on January 24, 2022.

Grace Cho emigrated to the U.S. as a baby and grew up in a small rural town in Washington state, the daughter of a White American father and a Korean mother.

When Grace was a teenager, her mother experienced the onset of schizophrenia.

Cho's new memoir "Tastes Like War" — which was a 2021 National Book Award finalist — chronicles her time trying to reconnect with her mom, through food, conversation and a search into the history of her mother. Idaho Matters talks with the author.

When it comes to learning, having the right kind of support inside and outside of the classroom is important. This is why schools all over Idaho are taking part in a new strategy known as community schools to help aid their students.

Community schools work with local partners to help ensure students have what they need to succeed, whether that's food, clothing, school items or other kinds of care. Hayley Regan, the Collaboration Manager for United Way of Treasure Valley, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about community schools and how they work.

In May, 100 teams of kids from around the country gathered outside Washington DC and shot chicken eggs into space as part of the American Rocketry Challenge.

The middle and high-school-age kids that took part in this challenge are the best of the best, beating out 800 teams and 4,500 students to get to the finals. And two teams from Idaho got to go this year, the Spudniks and the Rigby Rockets!

Our senior producer Samantha Wright wanted to find out more so she sat down with Rick Stoddard, a teacher at Galileo STEM Academy and student Calvin Knight to talk about the American Rocketry Challenge.