Idaho Matters is a wonderful way to stay up to date, meet people and understand there's much more to this great state. Hosted by Gemma Gaudette on Boise State Public Radio News, it features arts and politics, growth and education, and the interesting stories that make Idaho unique. Send us your questions, comments or story ideas by emailing idahomatters@boisestate.edu or sending us a voicemail using the "Talk To Us" feature on the free Boise State Public Radio app.
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The campaign rhetoric, struggles for political power and results of the 2022 election converge in the 68th meeting of the Montana Legislature. Join us Monday mornings for The Session — a breakdown of the latest action we’re watching in the statehouse, produced by Montana Public Radio, Yellowstone Public Radio and Montana Free Press.
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Informed and creative public radio for the New West. Listen for news and views, music discovery, cultural commentary and enlightening conversation.
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Supporting the mental health of Idaho youth with upstream prevention
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(Ute Grabowsky / Photothek via Getty Images) Across the United States, kids are struggling with their mental health and here in Idaho, we're seeing the same problem. One which was made even more stark after the suicide of four Boise students late last year. Now as the community joins together in support of our kids, one group is working on a way to…
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Managing flooding on the Boise River Greenbelt
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(James G. Edmondson2014 / Flickr) As the weather warms up, snow is melting and water is filling up the Boise River, sometimes overflowing the river banks. That can mean flooding on the Greenbelt, and Boise Parks and Recreation spends a lot of time each year managing closures and keeping the public up-to-date on what's closed and what's open. And wh…
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'The Weight of Nature:' An author interview with Clayton Page Aldern
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The book cover of "The Weight of Nature" by Clayton Page Aldern.( Dutton) The Earth's changing climate, from hotter days to more dangerous weather events, could be impacting our brains in ways we are only just learning about. Clayton Page Aldern, a journalist who also holds a master's degree in neuroscience and public policy, delves into this issue…
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Solutions to increasing energy in the West
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Wind turbines in the west.(Dennis Schroeder / National Renewable Energy Lab) As the need for energy grows across the west and more focus is being shifted to low-carbon resources, people are asking important questions like: How do we bring this kind of energy online reliably? And how do we deliver that new energy safely to the communities that need …
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Creating safe places for children with HOPE
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(lori05871 / Flickr) April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and in an effort to bring more awareness to our community, we're taking a few minutes each week to focus on important work that's being done to help ensure healthy outcomes for Idaho kids. Amanda Mills, the strengthening families specialist with the Idaho Association for the Education of Y…
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'Kid Lightning' brings a unique story to the stage
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The production of "Kid Lightning" will take to the stage on April 26th and the 27th. (LED ) Award-winning arts organization LED is back with two performances of Kid Lightning at Boise's Morrison Center. Lauren Edson, co-founder of LED, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the upcoming production.By Gemma Gaudette
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Why Idaho students are advocating for wolves in a new documentary
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Wolves howl in a forest. (John Flesher / AP Images) A new film being made in Idaho, "Children of the Wolves," features a group of Timberline High School students and a wolf pack from the Gem State. Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with executive producers Matt Podolsky and Seth Randall, as well as film director Barb Kensing, to talk mo…
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Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 12, 2024
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(Emilie Ritter Saunders / Boise State Public Radio) A case heading to the U.S. Supreme Court could have big impacts on Idaho's abortion care, a new library bill has been signed into law, plans for a veterans home in Boise have been postponed and a roundup of this years legislative session. It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundta…
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How do you solve a problem like a new production of The Sound of Music? Look at it through a modern lens
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The creative team behind The Sound of Music, produced by Boise State, include Darrin Purdy, Gordon Reinhart and Caitlin Burke. A crisis of faith. The struggle of single parenthood. And a growing threat of racist demagoguery. Any one of these themes could be the foundation for 21st century drama. But together they were the pillars of a 1959 Broadway…
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From Yellowstone to the Bundys, this new book reconsiders the toxicity of our modern myths
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Betsy Gaines Quammen is the author of True West, Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America.( Torrey House Press, Betsy Gaines Quammen) Betsy Gaines Quammen, who chronicled the infamy of the Bundy family in the bestselling American Zion, says that experience inspired her to further examine the truths and myths of modern American western culture. T…
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How some groups are using indigenous science to restore ecosystems
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(Dave Kimble/USFWS Mountain-Prairie / Flickr) In 2015, the Soda Fire burned 280,000 acres of mostly sage grouse habitat in southwest Idaho. Immediately after the wildfire was out, officials went to work trying to restore the landscape using thousands of pounds of seeds, herbicides and millions of dollars to keep out invasive plants and provide food…
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Local book service offers new way for Idahoans to explore the world of literature
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An Idaho Talking Book Service device. (Idaho Talking Book Service / Idaho Commission for Libraries) The world of literature can take you many places, from a cell in the prison of Château d'If to the halls of Netherfield and the skies of Neverland. Books open different realities, and that's something everyone should have access to too. Which is why …
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How one small instrument has inspired generations of Idahoans
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(Robert Bales / Flickr) Every year, one small instrument draws hundreds of people together in Yellow Pine, Idaho. For more than 30 years, the harmonica has played an important role in this mountain community, bringing people together to celebrate not just music but a unique history with the Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival. And in anticipation of thi…
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Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: April 10, 2024
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(iStockphoto) The World Health Organization is reporting there's an upswing in diphtheria cases due to under vaccination. Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this as well as other public health concerns.By Gemma Gaudette
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A look back at the 2024 legislative session with Rep. Brooke Green
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The Idaho Senate gathers in the Statehouse in Boise, Idaho. (Keith Ridler / AP) The 2024 Idaho Legislative Session came to an end on Wednesday. And as lawmakers wrap up the states business for another year, our Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with Rep. Brooke Green (D-Boise) for her take on what did and did not happen during the sessi…
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How Idaho native Cristy 'Code Red' Nickle is making a big comeback
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(Kultura PR International LLC / Tri-Digital Group ) The new documentary "Code Red: Diaries of Madness" will be premiering Friday, April 12 to audiences across the country. The film follows Idaho native Cristy "Code Red" Nickles as she prepares to make her comeback in the world of competitive bodybuilding after nearly 20 years away from the stage. N…
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Nonprofit helps to support local food producers with new restaurant
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( City of Good ) City of Good is a Boise-based nonprofit that works to build a sustainable food system by supporting local food producers as well as making sure there is equitable access to local food for everyone. Now, it has opened a restaurant. Britt Udesen, executive director of the City of Good, joined Idaho Matters to talk more.…
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Final jury selection made in Chad Daybell trial
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Chad Daybell, left, sits with his defense attorney John Prior during his preliminary hearing in St. Anthony, Idaho, on Tuesday, August 4, 2020.(Joan Roark / Pool/Associated Press) A jury has been picked for the Chad Daybell murder trial. The pool of 50 people was whittled down to 12 jurors and six alternates who will sit through the two-month death…
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A breakdown of Donald Trump's Project 2025
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump.(Paul Sancya / AP) Former President Donald Trump has a blueprint for his transition back into the Oval Office if he wins the election in November, and it's called Project 2025. What is this project, and what would it do? Dr. David Adler, a constitutional scholar and president of the Al…
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( Dance for Parkinson's Idaho) Each Monday afternoon, a special group of dancers gather in downtown boise for an hour of music and movement. And while the participants of this class are not training to be on stage, they are working towards something important: a renewed connection with their bodies. Something that many people diagnosed with Parkins…
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(Marco Saccardi / Flickr ) Boise is known as the City of Trees, and despite being in a desert, it has a fairly substantial urban forest. More and more researchers are finding that trees aren't just beautiful to look at: they also provide health benefits, from lowering blood pressure to helping babies grow and thrive. And cities and companies are wo…
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A conversation with Debbie Critchfield: The impact of education policy on Idaho schools and kids
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Idaho's Superintendent of Public Instruction has been watching the Idaho legislature closely this year as lawmakers consider giving public schools a giant chunk of the state budget. Debbie Critchfield is in her second year as the head of Idaho's public K–12 school system, and now that the legislature is wrapping up, she's about to go on a statewide…
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'The Bump:' An author interview with Sidney Karger
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Last year, we introduced you to a rom-com novel called "Best Men," which explored what it was like for one gay man looking for love in New York City. The book was met with much-deserved buzz, being featured on Good Morning America, the Today Show, and Bravo's Watch What Happens Live. Now Sidney Karger is back with his latest novel, "The Bump," whic…
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Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: April 5, 2024
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The Idaho state flag hangs in the State Capitol in Boise, Idaho.(Kyle Green / AP) OB-GYNs are leaving Idaho, the legislature has passed a bill restricting access to certain books in libraries, lawmakers have approved a new transportation budget and immigration law could be changing in Idaho. It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Round…
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Idaho primaries: Everybody pays for them, far from everyone votes
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Nick Troiano is founding executive director of Unite America and author of The Primary Solution.( George Prentice, Unite America) Idaho is inching toward another primary season. But that also means an election that is defined, in large part, by who’s inside and who’s outside. The “closed” GOP primary means a good many Idahoans don’t participate in …
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An update on the Change Healthcare cyberattack
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(National Cancer Institute / Unsplash) In February, a company called "Change Healthcare" was hit by a cyberattack. We hear about companies getting hit by hackers every day and it often becomes background noise because we aren't always directly affected. But the Washington Post has reported that as many as 50 percent of the medical claims in the U.S…
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How death doulas are assisting people at the end of their life
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Bubbie holding Adam's hand and looking at photos(Getting Better Shots / Flickr) Dealing with the loss of a loved one is never easy, even when you know it's coming. And it can be even harder when you're the one leaving people behind. Which is why some families choose to enlist the help of a death doula, a person who provides guidance and support for…
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Lack of snow threatens the sport of skijoring
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(Jessica Robinson / Northwest News Network) Each winter, the sport of skijoring brings lots of money and visitors to small communities in our region. But this all depends on snow, and this year, it's been tricky. Wyoming Public Radio's Caitlin Tan reports for the Mountain West News Bureau.
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What to Watch: Movies to see and movies to avoid
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(ciaraanicolee / Flickr) There are some new movies out in theaters; we'll tell you what's worth checking out and what to avoid, plus one of TV's best comedies is signing off for the last time. Resident movie critic George Prentice joins Idaho Matters to help us figure out What to Watch.By Gemma Gaudette, George Prentice
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FILE - In this May 22, 2001, file photo, a worker moves children's play equipment away from a watch tower and off the property of the former headquarters of the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations, near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Nearly two decades after the compound was demolished, far-right extremists are maintaining a presence in the Pacific Northwest. White nati…
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There are only a few days left in the 2023 legislative session. The recent decision to ban Missoula Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr from the House floor derailed legislative business. Host Mara Silvers and reporters Shaylee Ragar, Eric Dietrich and Amanda Eggert discuss what to expect in the final days of the session and the last minute deals on the b…
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The Session Week 16: Tensions are running high
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As the 2023 legislative session sprints to the finish line, tensions are running high over bills targeting transgender Montanans and environmental regulation. Host Corin Cates-Carney and reporters Arren Kimbel-Sannit, Ellis Juhlin, and Mara Silvers discuss what to expect in the final days of the legislature as lawmakers scramble to reach sine die.…
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The Session Week 15: Housing policy, school choice, and a historic number of bills
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Host Nadya Faulx and reporters Shaylee Ragar, Eric Dietrich, and Alex Sakariassen discuss lawmakers finding agreement to advance housing zoning policy, the unclear future on housing subsidies, dueling visions of what school choice policy should look like in Montana and legislative staff working thousands of hours of overtime to keep up with all the…
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The Session Week 14: Last-minute bills, LGBTQ rights and a jungle primary
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Last week was another major deadline for lawmakers to pass bills out of one house and send them to the other. We saw hundreds of bills move through both chambers, and saw a push from lawmakers to introduce new legislation in time to meet that deadline, including some that opponents say would have a "chilling" effect on legal challenges to state dec…
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The Session Week 13: Constitutional amendments, affordable housing, and climate
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As we enter the home stretch of the 2023 legislative session, Republican lawmakers have proposed a slew of constitutional amendments ahead of a looming deadline. At the same time, lawmakers are debating measures to address the affordable housing crisis in the state and proposing rules about what local governments should and shouldn't be able to do …
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The Session Week 12: GOP controls the budget and lawmakers collaborate on elk management
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A 14 billion dollar budget passed out of the Montana House with support from the Republican supermajority. Democrats don’t have the power to change it, but they still tried. Host Nadya Faulx and reporters Eric Dietrich, Ellis Juhlin, and Arren Kimbel-Sannit discuss the debate over how the state should spend tax dollars. The spending plan calls for …
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The Session Week 11: Healthcare funding, childcare initiatives, and vaccine bills
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Reporters Shaylee Ragar and Keely Larson join host Mara Silvers to discuss how lawmakers have been digging into funding healthcare, as well as lingering impacts of the pandemic when it comes childcare legislation and vaccine bills.
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The Session Week 10: Past halfway point, lawmakers buckle down on the budget
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Hundreds of bills were left on the cutting room floor at the legislative session's midway point. Now, as lawmakers head into the second half, they're turning more of their attention to finalizing the state’s next two-year budget. Host Corin Cates-Carney and reporters Ellis Juhlin and Eric Dietrich discuss what they're watching now that the Legislat…
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On March 8, The Session team hosted a live event answering audience questions about the 68th meeting of the Montana legislature. The panel, featuring host Corin Cates-Carney and reporters Mara Silvers, Eric Dietrich, Shaylee Ragar, Ellis Juhlin, and Arren Kimbel-Sannit, has been edited for the podcast.…
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The Session Week 8: Deadline rush includes abortion access debate
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Reporters Mara Silvers and Shaylee Ragar discuss this week's deadline for lawmakers to pass general bills out of their original chamber. There’s a lot of policy to consider, including rules about access to abortion. Join us for this free, digital-only event on March 8 at 7:00 p.m. as reporters and editors from Montana Free Press, Montana Public Rad…
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The Session Week 7: Indigenous Peoples Day, property taxes and redistricting
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This week, reporters JoVonne Wagner, Eric Dietrich, and Shaylee Ragar join host Nadya Faulx to discuss the defeat of a bill that would have established Indigenous Peoples Day in Montana — and what’s next for the lawmakers who introduced it — along with debates over property taxes and redrawing legislative districts.…
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The Session Week 6: Health department spending and colliding world views
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Today is legislative day 31 of 90 -- meaning we're a third of the way through the 68th Legislature. This week, lawmakers are starting to piece together the biggest part of the state budget -- health department spending -- and world views about LGBTQ rights are colliding over rules for public schools. Host Corin Cates-Carney and reporters Mara Silve…
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The Session Week 5: The judiciary, tax rebates and the budget surplus
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Host Mara Silvers and reporters Arren Kimbel-Sannit, Shaylee Ragar, and Eric Dietrich discuss what legislation moving forward could mean for injunctions and the judiciary, what lawmakers have in store for the state's $2.5 billion budget surplus, and what those plans mean for everyday Montanans.
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The Session Week 4: A speech, a crowded hearing room and the cost of defending laws
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Governor Greg Gianforte delivers a State of the State address that focuses on economic growth but lawmakers are turning their attention to social issues. Host Nadya Faulx and reporters Shaylee Ragar, Mara Silvers, and Austin Amestoy discuss the governor’s State of the State speech, debate over transgender rights and abortion, and why the state is a…
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The Session Week 3: Relationships in the Capitol
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The Session Week 2: Taxes, missing persons and child welfare
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Bills to reform Montana tax policy, support missing persons search efforts and overhaul Child Protective Services move through the Legislature. Host Mara Silvers and reporters Ellis Juhlin and Shaylee Ragar discuss the legislation they're watching this week -- along with the schisms between and within the parties that are starting to form.…
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The Session Week 1: “The House is ready for business”
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Montana lawmakers take their oaths of office and begin their work in the state capitol. Host Nadya Faulx and reporters Shaylee Ragar, Ellis Juhlin, and Arren Kimbel-Sannit discuss a rules debate that's dividing the GOP, how moderate Republicans are working with Democrats, a Montana Freedom Caucus, and the beginnings of the state budget.…
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The Session Preview: “Everybody smile, we’re running the place”
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With the 2022 election over, Republicans hold power not seen in the state capitol in nearly a century. The governor has released his budget. Lawmakers have elected leadership and will arrive in Helena on Jan. 2 to begin their work. Host Corin Cates-Carney and reporters Shaylee Ragar, Eric Dietrich, Ellis Juhlin, and Arren Kimbel-Sannit discuss last…
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'We can't wait for it to break.' Jackson Hole Fire/EMS seeks funding to replace satellite stations
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'We can't wait for it to break.' Jackson Hole Fire/EMS seeks funding to replace satellite stations by KHOLBy KHOL
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June 29 | Airport reopens, Teton County, ID, commissioners look to update zoning
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June 29 | Airport reopens, Teton County, ID, commissioners look to update zoning by KHOLBy KHOL
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