The Idaho Tax Commission reports they received 2,117 returns through Direct File in 2025, and estimates about 210,000 Idahoans qualified to use the free service.

Idaho’s Republican legislative leaders say the state constitution does not prohibit them from subsidizing private school tuition alongside funding public education.

The House of Representatives has approved a bill that funds the government through Jan. 30, bringing a close to the longest government shutdown in history, one that saw millions of Americans affected and ended with little political gain.

About 15,000 Idahoans received a portion of their food benefits last Friday. IDHW reports the remaining households, about 115,000 additional people, should receive partial benefits by end of day today.

The Child Custody and Domestic Relations Task Force has been meeting for months, allowing Idahoans across the state to share stories about how family courts have affected them.

A bipartisan group of Senate Democrats and Republicans reached a deal to reopen the government after the longest shutdown in U.S. history, voting on the first procedural step on the measure.

Idaho’s legislative budget writers are facing significant increases in routine expenses as they prepare for the upcoming session beginning in January. That financial pressure includes big hikes to anticipated employee health care costs, Medicaid spending and public education.

This winter the city of Boise is going to rip out five acres of silvery-green trees in Kathryn Albertson Park. Sounds pretty drastic, but these trees are invaders, not native plants, and they’re playing havoc with the park’s ecosystem.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture asked for the personal information of all Americans receiving food stamps. Idaho is among the 27 states that complied with the request.

Thousands of Indigenous people across the Mountain West are among those who will lose SNAP food benefits if the government shutdown continues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said SNAP will run out of money on Nov. 1.

On Nov. 4, every Boise voter will get to weigh in on whether to continue the decades-long legacy of preserving open space in the city through a third levy. City officials estimate the average homeowner would pay an extra $40 annually for the levy.

Earlier this year, Idaho officials asked homeowners insurance providers in the state for data on their operations, including information on premiums and policy cancellations. Newly released findings paint a troubling picture for the state.

As a bonus to wrap up our mini-season, we're taking you back to our live show at Treefort! Charlie revisits Howard Dean’s unforgettable “scream heard ‘round the world,” while Jaci dives into the story of a big city mayor who maybe should’ve skipped the children’s book.

A beloved Bench figure may soon become Boise’s latest historic landmark. Betty the Washerwoman has been overlooking Vista Avenue near Overland for about 65 years. On Monday, Oct. 27, the City Council scheduled a vote to decide if the iconic animatronic will become part of the town’s history.

As the government shutdown drags on, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare says it will not distribute food stamps this November. This will affect about 130,000 Idahoans, or about 6.5% of the population.

For this installment of Word of the Week, we look back on the origins of "ghost." Don't be scared! It's just a little etymology.

Feral for the free press? We are too. This October, when you pick up the NPR tee, you help NPR support Boise State Public Radio. Show your pride in public media — and wear it well. Visit shopnpr.org.

In an email exchange, a spokesperson for DHS would not say where arrested individuals were sent, what type of force was used during the event or if and how agents had restrained minors, other than to say zip ties were not used on children.

Corner crossing will not have its day in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court justices announced today it will not hear the Wyoming case, which has broad impacts for public land access across the West.

In season one, Scandalized skipped a Trump episode ... but his second term has become too scandalous to ignore. From controversial pardons to financial entanglements, Charlie & Jaci break down the new, the old and the truly unprecedented. Tune in to the latest episode wherever you get your podcasts

“The State of Idaho has defended this case vigorously for years. It would be fundamentally unfair to abandon the issue now on the eve of a final resolution,” U.S. District Judge David Nye wrote in his opinion.

Excited to be here to accept our best podcast award on behalf of my amazing Extremely American team, @radiodawson.bsky.social , Morgan Springer & @boisestatepublicradio.org

Congratulations to @hdruzin.bsky.social, James Dawson and the rest of the Extremely American team for winning a national Edward R. Murrow award for season two of the podcast.

Today, as part of the Land & Legacy series, we’ll meet some established farmers and talk about the challenges they face with growth and finding land to farm. Idaho Matters spoke with farmers and planners, city managers and experts to cover a wide array of topics, including the challenges they face.

In this week's episode of Scandalized, Charlie and Jaci revisit some of the most talked-about scandals from season one, including Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s downfall and an insider’s perspective on Gov. Mark Sanford’s infamous “Appalachian Trail” story. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

The Pentagon did not answer specific questions sent by Boise State Public Radio, but in an email, wrote the deal ”will enable the construction and operational integration of an enduring location for Qatari F-15 aircraft” and “was executed via foreign military sales.”

Minors should know the Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline is still there for them and they can call or text 988 at any time. Crisis counselors will support them as much as possible, within the scope of the law.

Idaho Matters is taking a deep dive into the loss of farmland in the Gem State. Are you a farmer? What challenges do you face as farmland shrinks in Idaho? Email us at [email protected] or leave us a voice message using the Boise State Public Radio app and tell us YOUR story.

The Idaho State Police is struggling to hire troopers in North Central Idaho. Earlier this week, it announced it was extending a deadline to apply for an open position. At full capacity, District 2 in Lewiston should have 21 troopers on staff. Right now, it has four.

Pierre the parachuting beaver is ready for Boise State’s homecoming 🦫🔷🔶

Today marks the two year anniversary of the October 7 terror attacks in Israel. About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas, and hundreds more were taken hostage. Those events started a war in Gaza that the United Nations reports has killed 65,000 Palestinians.

Last week, the Idaho Department of Agriculture began spraying the chemical on the shorelines of the Snake River near Twin Falls. It’s part of a round-the-clock effort to get rid of invasive quagga mussels for good.

The culinary journey continues with some more food fails in very public political spaces. A president gets sick in the lap of another head of state; Marco Rubio learns about the fine art of drinking from a water bottle; and U.S. Senators school us on the finer points of hot dogs and tuna melts.

If Idaho’s only Planned Parenthood clinic closed, other health centers in Idaho would see a 23% increase in patients seeking contraceptives, according to research by the Guttmacher Institute that found that federally qualified health centers can’t easily replace PP. via @idahocapitalsun.com

Come by the Boise State Public Radio Booth at See Spot Walk this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Julia Davis Park. We have lots of fun pet accessories so your best friend can show off their BSPR pride in style! We LOVE seeing your fur babies, so stop by and say hi 🐕🐾

Today is our first day without federal funding. It may sound like a loss, but to us it feels like a declaration. Our strength has always come from you. Public media belongs to you, to the people who power it. And we’re not going anywhere.

The usefulness of nearly 50 state commissions, councils and divisions is being questioned by Idaho’s government efficiency, or DOGE, task force.

The parachuting beaver became our station mascot and has inspired everything from books to t-shirts, and now … an outdoor mural at the Sun Valley Museum of Art called "The Engineer."

On Friday, the National Historic site launched a restoration project to preserve the buildings, mess hall and root cellar. Friends of Minidoka executive director Robyn Achilles said this renovation will help visitors feel the weight of America’s heavy history.

Late Thursday, federal bankruptcy judge William Thurman wrote Bundy owes St. Luke’s Health System and three of its workers $60.2 million. That’s counting interest and up from the original judgment of about $52 million.

A federal judge has ruled against the city of Buhl in a case where the city’s police chief was accused of illegally entering a private home without a warrant and using excessive force.

Idaho’s anti-BDS law, passed in 2021, requires that contractors that do business with the state sign a certification that they are not engaged in a boycott of Israeli goods. It does not apply to contracts under $100,000 or with companies with fewer than 10 employees.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed an executive order creating the Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force. He said energy demand is increasing rapidly, driven in part by the rapid growth of data centers. @murphywoodhouse.bsky.social for the Mountain West News Bureau

Gov. Brad Little is rebranding an existing nuclear energy task force in part to market Idaho as a hub for the industry. The move, announced at the Idaho National Laboratory Monday, comes as the Trump administration seeks to make the regulatory process faster and cheaper for new reactors.

Imagine a huge bird of prey … like an owl or a Red-tailed Hawk… flying right over your head and landing a few feet away. Well, you don’t have to imagine it; that’s what happens each autumn at the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise. Find out more today at noon on Idaho Matters!

Thanks to your support, we exceeded our goal for our Fall Membership Drive. All the money raised stays here in Idaho, supporting the local news & music you rely on. We could not be more grateful to you for helping us reach this goal. Despite federal funding cuts, we're not going anywhere.

Gov. Brad Little is ordering state agencies to permanently cut 3% from their budgets for the next fiscal year after ordering them to temporarily slice the same amount from their current year spending plans in August.

Hello 👀 If you start a sustaining membership to Boise State Public Radio (or increase your monthly amount) it will be matched dollar for dollar! But this won't last forever ... the match offer ends at 6 p.m. You can also get entered to win a pair of tickets to Ballet Idaho's The Nutcracker.

As Israel invades Gaza City with ground troops, Idaho lawmakers are among 250 elected representatives visiting the country this week. Republican Rep. Barbara Ehardt, Rep. Josh Tanner and Rep. Bruce Skaug, alongside Democrat Rep. Ilana Rubel, were part of the delegation on the Israeli-sponsored trip.

Hunters can get up to $100 in rebates if they show receipts for lead-free ammunition and hunt at one of 13 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuges this season. That includes the Camas National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Idaho, specifically for elk hunting.