When he's not hosting Morning Edition for Boise State Public Radio, George Prentice is taking in the best in TV and film. Our resident critic joins Idaho Matters with his top 10 moments in entertainment from 2021.

COVID-19 infections where going down in our state, but state health officials are concerned we could once again go in the wrong direction as the Omicron variant has been detected in Idaho.

Idaho Matters learns from two medical professionals about what this might mean for holiday travel and gatherings, and what it could mean for hospitals in 2022.

Before you head out to play in the snow this weekend, catch up on the stories from this week you may have missed on the Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable. Our panel this week:

During the last 30 years, climate change has impacted rangelands in the West. Now some top scientists and land managers say restoring Idaho’s rangelands could help combat climate change.

Idaho Matters learns more about this perspective from Rocky Barker, special correspondent for the Idaho Statesman.

On Monday, Gov. Brad Little proclaimed this was computer science education week in Idaho. He spent some time coding with kids at Syringa Middle School in Caldwell to spotlight how important coding education has become as the state's need for tech jobs continues to grow.

Idaho Matters talks with Idaho STEM Action Center Executive Director Dr. Kaitlin Maguire, Intuit Principal Solution Architect Erin-Todd "Jet" Hansen and Hawthorne Elementary School teacher Dr. Kellie Taylor.

December is here and the temperatures are beginning to drop around our state, and programs that serve people experiencing homelessness are anticipating that more people may be living on the streets or in their cars this winter.

Idaho Matters talks with joining us today to talk more about why this is happening and what can be done are two folks who work with CATCH, a Boise program which serves folks experiencing homelessness: Jeannette Curtis is the Director of Outreach Programs and Casey McGee is an Outreach Program Specialist.

When the pandemic hit almost two years ago, everything from work to school went virtual. The United Way Treasure Valley wanted to help kids who needed assistance with reading while doing school from home, so they created the Reading Pals Program to provide online tutoring that partners adult volunteers with elementary-aged students.

Idaho Matters learns from Executive Director of the United Way Treasure Valley Nora Carpenter how this program is helping students now, even after a return to the classroom.

Laboratory tests are suggesting three doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine offer significant protection against the fast spreading omicron variant of the virus. But studies are still ongoing to get more information about what we're up against with the latest variant, which was first identified in South Africa.

Idaho Matters talks about the possible risks that come with holiday travel and family visits with two physicians:

Theater kids rejoice: there’s a new program in Idaho that could send you to Broadway.

Public and private high schools in the Treasure Valley are being invited to participate in the Inaugural year of the Idaho High School Theater Awards Program.

The program is designed to celebrate, support and advocate for high school theater education.

Idaho Matters learns more about the program from Morrison Center Executive Director Laura Kendall.

A coalition of students from all four high schools in the Boise School District has been working on a clean energy initiative and a longterm sustainability plan.

Recently all that hard work paid off, as the school district passed a commitment on clean energy.

Idaho Matters talks with two of the student leaders behind these initiatives (Shiva Rajbandari and Sneha Sharma) along with Boise School District Sustainability Director Chris Taylor.