Idaho Reports is the longest-running public policy show in the West, and we are celebrating our 50th anniversary this year! Many of the debates at the statehouse have stayed the same over the past five decades, but a lot has changed too.
We’ve heard the lawmakers’ takes on this year’s legislative session. Now it’s the governor’s turn to weigh in. Idaho Reports was invited to interview Gov. Brad Little at his home and ranch in Emmett and talk about the legislative session.
Former Gov. Phil Batt died on Saturday, March 4th, on his 96th birthday. Batt served Idaho for decades, and between his negotiations on nuclear waste management, his human rights work, and his Republican party chairmanship, he made an impact that helped shape the Idaho we know today.
Award-winning artist Delia Dante, owner of FireFusion Studio in downtown Boise, has honed her metal and glass enameling craft for over two decades. A welder and sculptor, Delia combines modern technology with traditional craftsmanship, most recently incorporating 3-D prints and electroplating. A teacher by nature, Delia leads classes for the community and hopes people become “Metalheads” like her.
Fred Choate is one of Idaho's most recognizable and beloved landscape painters. In this piece, he shares how he started painting, and what it does for him.
Go behind-the-scenes in this Emmy award-winning piece about Open Arms Dance Project in Boise as it rehearses for its biggest concert ever, and then performs. You’ll also meet some of the members of this inclusive, multi-generational company, which includes dancers with disabilities and others who identify as able-bodied.
Former Idaho Legislator Hy Kloc, who was born in Germany in a camp for people left homeless by World War II, tells the story of his parents surviving the Holocaust and bringing their young family to America.
There’s something about listening to music outside that feels good. Sitting around a campfire, watching a sunset, breathing fresh air, immersed in a musical soundscape. In this special, we let the music breathe. From mountain music to soft folk to a string quartet inspired by nature, let us take you on a musical journey.
Smoke ‘n’ Fire 400 Bikepacking Race: For most people, traveling by bicycle is just about getting somewhere, eventually. For others it’s about getting somewhere, in a very timely fashion. The Smoke ‘n’ Fire is a 426-mile self-supported bike packing race that traverses some of the great geography of Idaho. It is a fully self-supported, self-sufficient mountain bike race. The race takes riders anywhere from 3 to 7 days to complete.
In World War II, 44 Japanese American men at Minidoka resisted government conscription into the US military, refusing to be drafted by a country that considered them less than full citizens. Their case is being retold 80 years later by the Friends of Minidoka – and by a group of Idaho lawyers who wrote and produced a play.
Haunted houses. Creatures in the forest, in the sky, in the water. Why are we drawn to tales of the monstrous and mysterious? Idaho Experience explores the Myths, Monsters and Legends of Idaho.
Sewage or wastewater treatment systems have made all the difference to our life spans. But how do they work? Follow what happens after you flush.
Everyone should spend time in Nature. It’s healthy and you can learn a lot. But you don’t have to travel far to find a natural setting. Most urban environments have kept a piece of the wild. Take a tour of one small section of Boise’s Greenbelt with conservationist Steve Burns and see what urban wildlife you can find.
The "Fighting Oligarchy Tour" on Monday featuring U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, drew a full venue of roughly 12,500 people to the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
Earlier this month, the Valley Lookout reported on a federal lawsuit from several major publishing companies and authors, as well as individual Idahoans and a public library district, seeking to overturn the library materials law that took effect last year, also known as House Bill 710. Associate producer Logan Finney visited the Donnelly Public Library earlier this month to see their one-room facility and ask why they decided to join the lawsuit.
Gov. Brad Little joined members of the Idaho Press Club for bacon with remarks about the legislative session and where he stands on all those headline-grabbing bills and other news.
Idaho artist Yidan Guo aims to make her watercolor paintings as rich in color and substance as oil paintings, and is gaining acclaim for her works. We follow Guo as she researches and paints two portraits for her series on immigrant women and learn more about how her own immigrant experience informs her art.
One thing that wasn’t in the governor’s proposed budget was a recommendation to classify emergency medical services as an essential service. That classification would set up a state funding stream for local EMS agencies. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare also didn’t request that change in their budget.
Gov. Brad Little delivers his 2025 State of the State Address with commentary from Idaho Reports guests Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News, Dr. Stephanie Witt of Boise State University's School of Public Service, and Lori Wolff of the Division of Financial Management.
As the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare turns its attention to improving the foster system, Cadence Wright, now 18, hopes state leaders don’t forget to listen to the children affected by those policies.
Marcia Franklin talks with playwright Samuel D. Hunter about his work, including “The Whale,” which was adapted into a movie with Brendan Fraser, who won an Academy Award. The two also discuss the role of Idaho in his works, and the importance of the humanities.
Idaho’s economy is heavily reliant upon agriculture, but the ag industry involves more than just the dairy producers and ranchers and farmers. It requires supporting industries like packaging and transportation and large animal veterinarians. Idaho Reports looks at what the state is doing to alleviate the vet shortage.
This week’s election saw big wins for Republicans across the nation, and Idaho was no exception. That includes a huge defeat for Proposition One. Latah County Republican precinct committeewoman Cindy Agidius, Latah County Treasurer BJ Swanson, and University of Idaho professor Markie McBrayer discuss the results, as well as the implications for public policy moving forward.
We dive into Proposition One – what it would do, what it might cost, and what supporters and opponents are saying.
We dive into Proposition One – what it would do, what it might cost, and what supporters and opponents are saying. This week, Melissa Davlin sits down with Luke Mayville, spokesperson for Idahoans for Open Primaries, and Rep. Brent Crane, House State Affairs Committee chairman, to discuss their philosophical stances regarding the voter initiative.
This week, Melissa Davlin sits down with Luke Mayville, spokesperson for Idahoans for Open Primaries, and Rep. Brent Crane, House State Affairs Committee chairman, to discuss their philosophical stances regarding the voter initiative.
Idaho for decades has urged residents and visitors to clean, drain and dry all watercraft, and inspect them for invasive species that might be transported into the state from other waterways. The state first detected invasive quagga mussel larvae last fall in the Snake River at Twin Falls, taking rapid steps to treat that stretch of river and stop the invasive pest from spreading.
Idaho has 12 youth assessment centers across the state, targeted at keeping kids out of “the system" and helping families with their needs before problems get worse. The centers are one reason juvenile incarceration in the state has decreased. Earlier this year, producer Ruth Brown visited one center in Burley to learn more about the services they offer and how they help youth.
Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder joins us after last week’s primary election to reflect on his campaign and his sixteen year career in the Idaho Senate. We discuss whether he would have done anything differently, and what might be next for him.
The Idaho Department of Correction has announced its medical team could not establish an IV line during an attempt to execute Thomas Creech. During a press conference, IDOC Director Josh Tewalt said the medical team made eight attempts to establish an IV line in Creech’s hands, arms, legs, and feet. During some attempts, they couldn't access a vein, Tewalt said. In others, they accessed poor quality veins that may not have withstood the injection attempt.
There are lots of factors in how quickly organic material decomposes into compost, including creatures called decomposers. Find out what kind of things are part of nature’s clean-up crew.
In the lead-up to the 2022 election, Raúl Labrador campaigned on the promise that he would be more aggressive in defending state sovereignty. After nearly a year in office, we checked in with him about his challenges to state agencies, ongoing abortion litigation, and his approach to his job as Idaho’s chief legal officer.
The needs and viewpoints of rural residents have often clashed with urban population centers. That tension is part of the story of the west. But a few years ago, residents in eastern Oregon proposed a solution to their long-simmering frustration at being outvoted: Moving their state border so conservative Oregon residents could join ruby red Idaho.
Idaho’s liquor ban started in 1916. The nation followed suit four years later, but it was about more than shots in a glass. It was about representation. It was about rebellion. And it was about the nation’s first reckoning with federal regulation gone wrong. From booze hidden in boots to smashing bars with hatchets, prohibition brewed an overflow of illegal activity for more than a decade.
The Idaho Office of Performance Evaluation published a report this year on the sustainability of the direct care workforce, which estimated 33,000 elderly people and people with disabilities in Idaho use direct care workers. The report estimated the state needs at least 3,000 more direct care workers than are currently employed, a problem that will only get worse.
For years, tribal leaders across the country have been trying to educate the public on the high rate of missing and murdered Indigenous people. This summer, producer Ruth Brown spent time on the Nez Perce and Coeur d'Alene reservations, speaking with tribal members about the scale of the problem, what needs to change, and the voices that need to be heard.
Visit three of the artists who opened up their studios in October, 2023 for "BOSCO," an annual event in Boise, Idaho, put on by the Boise Open Studios Collective Organization. Over two weekends, visitors were able to drop by nearly 100 studios to see artists at work and to purchase art.
Education coordinator Megan Mack from the Moscow Contemporary art gallery talks about a few of her favorite works in the "Timescape(s)" group exhibition for emerging Pacific Northwest artists.
She traveled around the country for decades as Idaho's most celebrated folk musician. But for Rosalie Sorrels, “way out in Idaho" was always home. Sorrels passed away in 2017 at the age of 83. Now a new exhibit of her memorabilia is on display at Albertsons Library at Boise State University. It's part of a joint project between the Idaho Commission On The Arts and Boise State Special Collections and Archives.
On Tuesday, August 22, 2003, Idaho sheep ranchers Frank Shirts and Henry Etcheverry spoke about the economic situation facing Sheep Ranchers alongside a trail near the Boise Foothills Learning Center outside of Boise. Henry’s daughter Dominque Etcheverry also spoke.
They've heard all the jokes about their name, and even have a few of their own! But rug hookers take their art form very seriously, and spend countless hours perfecting it, including dying their own wool. Recently, the Treasure Valley Rug Hookers in Boise, Idaho held its biggest exhibition yet, showcasing nearly 100 rugs from all over the country that re-imagined the "Golden Age of Illustrated Fairy Tales."
This week, we sit down with Gov. Brad Little for the second part of a two-part interview discussing his views on the 2023 legislative session, as well as what the coming years may bring. Plus, a voter initiative has been filed that may change the way Idaho holds elections.
Last week, Idaho Reports was invited to interview Gov. Brad Little at his home and ranch in Emmett. In part two of our two-part interview, Gov. Little shared his thoughts on education initiatives the legislature passed this year, the state's economic prospects, and whether he plans to run for a third term as governor.
The debate over whether libraries or parents should be responsible for what children read has not been limited to the statehouse. Over the last several months, Idaho Reports has followed discussions between community members and local library districts across the state, and what might come next in the debate.
This week, we take a look at the life and career of Gov. Phil Batt, who died Saturday, March 4th, on his 96th birthday. Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, Sen. Jim Risch, Gov. Butch Otter, and Gov. Brad Little share memories of their friend and mentor.
Idaho Reports episode aired during Festival Pledge time. Featuring a memorial look back at the influence of former Gov. Phil Batt. Roundtable discussion with all four surviving Idaho Governors
The Senate Transportation Committee advanced a bill on Tuesday that would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain a restricted driver’s license in Idaho. Our reporter Samantha Martinez takes a closer look at the proposal, and how it would affect some Idaho families.
Open Arms Dance Project, an inclusive dance group in Boise, Idaho, performs a dance about physical and emotional strength at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts. It was choreographed by Megan Brandel and Open Arms dancers, and performed on April 28, 2022. The group includes members with disabilities and those who identify as able-bodied.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield pitched her budget proposal to the legislature’s joint budget committee this week, seeking nearly $2.5 billion in funding for K-12 schools. One of the smaller pieces of the proposal was Gov. Brad Little’s recommendation for 5 percent raises for classified employees, such as bus drivers, school cafeteria workers, tech employees, and paraprofessionals.
One in four Idahoans, or roughly 369,000 people, live with a disability. For those people, the rate of violent victimization is nearly four times higher than those without a disability, according to the recent report. Only about 38% of those violent victimizations will be reported, while the rate is closer to 45% for people without disabilities.
Idaho Reports visited the Coeur d’Alene River Basin over summer to report on the decades-long effort to mitigate historic mining waste in the Bunker Hill Superfund site, including a recent influx of funding from the state for local projects benefiting Lake Coeur d’Alene.
When do different creatures sleep and why? Visit ZooBoise and find out!
Most of us agree that the best part about Idaho is its gorgeous, wide open spaces. But there’s a risk for those of us who live or play outside of metropolitan areas: If you get injured, it may take a while for help to reach you. That’s no surprise, but that wait may be longer than you expect.
With better equipment, more training opportunities, increased inclusion and decreased stigma, people with physical challenges are increasingly able to enjoy the outdoors, including competing in major races. This episode of Outdoor Idaho features athletes with disabilities who are breaking barriers and defying labels, and looks at how Idaho is poised to be a destination for para-sports.
Republicans have worked for decades to overturn Roe v Wade. Now that a leaked draft opinion has signaled that coming reality, what’s next for Idaho? One thing is for certain: Even after a trigger law goes into effect, the conversation at the statehouse won’t be over.
Humans have found different ways to deal with sewage through time. Romans had sewers. In the Dark Ages, we tossed human waste into pits or even the street. Find out when we started treating sewage and why. And find out what you should not put down your drains.
Humans aren’t the only creatures with skin. Mammals, amphibians and birds have skin too. Animal skin does much of what human skin does, but some animal skins have amazing properties. Join us on a tour of animal skin at ZooBoise.
In Idaho, raising spuds is a traditional way of life. From planting to harvest, potato farming provides not only food, but culture too. Dubbed the “potato state,” more than half of Idaho’s counties grow potatoes. But beyond the numbers, what matters is the goodwill of Idaho’s agricultural community. Join Outdoor Idaho as we dig into what it truly means to live and work in “Spud Country.”
Arrowrock Dam was built in 1915, and, at the time, was the tallest concrete dam in the world. The dam was raised five feet in 1935-37 and now has a storage capacity of 272,200 feet. Take a tour inside this amazing structure and learn how dams work.
Simply, a dam is a structure that blocks a waterway and allows the water to be used differently. There are natural and human-made dam. Learn how people use dams in their everyday lives and find out how scientists once airdropped beavers to improve back country habitat.