Wanna Know Idaho

Idaho is rich with geothermal activity. The state boasts dozens of natural hot springs for soaking, some close to city centers and others a hike away. But when Wanna Know Idaho listener Ted Eisele moved to Idaho in 1980, it wasn’t the natural hot springs that caught his attention about geothermal. What really blew him away was the fact that Idaho’s state buildings — like the Capitol and the state Supreme Court — were heated using geothermal systems. Ted had a lot of questions: In this latest episode of Wanna Know Idaho we talk with John Chatburn, the administrator of Governor Little’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources and Dr. Travis McLing, a research scientist at the Idaho National Laboratory to answer Ted’s questions, and so much more. Here's what they had to say: What Gem State curiosity should we look into next? That's up to YOU. Submit what you want to know below and you could be featured in an upcoming episode.

Back in 2016, Wanna Know Idaho listener Marshall Simmonds was out on a summer bike ride with some friends on the Boise Greenbelt. Suddenly, a bike tire popped. Then, another. Soon, Marshall and his friends found themselves walking their bikes back home with 18 popped tires, thanks to a patch of goatheads, or puncture vine, that had made its way onto the trail.

Up until her retirement a few months ago, Debra Smith taught high school English in Meridian. Every year, she had her 11th graders read "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry.

Michael Kramer-Duffield had just moved to Idaho and was looking for work in the restaurant industry when COVID-19 swept through. He's out of work, but like many of us, getting antsy and knows he could be putting his free time to use. "Public health officials tell us that the biggest thing we can do to help our community is to just stay at home," he said. But there had to be ways for him to help safely right now, which led him to ask Wanna Know Idaho : We called up Amy Little, CEO of the Idaho Nonprofit Center , to find out what she's been hearing from nonprofits across the state. What support do they need? And, how can prospective volunteers find an organization that fits their skills and passions best? We want you to hear what she had to say: Here's a longer list of ways to help right now: Offer to read books via video call to the kids of friends or relatives to give their parents some time off. Deliver food for Meals on Wheels . Check in with neighbors by writing notes or calling

Walking her dogs every evening in Meridian, Wanna Know Idaho listener Morgan Keating began to wonder: what’s up with all these seagulls? And s uddenly, birds of all kinds were everywhere. ( Cue the cliche Hitchcock montage.)

Yesterday would have been Abraham Lincoln’s 211th birthday.

When Robin Fehlau was planning her move to Boise eight years ago, something peculiar kept throwing off her housing search: homes in Boise County kept on showing up, all of which were miles and miles away from her office.

You may have been wondering what Wanna Know Idaho has been up to lately. Rest assured: We'll be back in June! You can always submit a new question here. In the meantime, subscribe to LOCKED, a new podcast coming this summer from Boise State Public Radio and the Mountain West News Bureau. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Audio warning: The following includes graphic descriptions and a reference to self harm.

The region's volcanoes represent the northeastern portion of the Pacific's "Ring of Fire" and 12 million years ago, Idaho saw much more volcanic activity than it does today. The latest installment of Wanna Know Idaho imagines a Gem State covered in lava-spewing volcanoes.

On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted. The volcano 50 miles north of Portland sent out a lateral blast first, killing David Johnston, one of the scientists who had been monitoring the mountain months leading up to the blast. There was a 5.1 earthquake and a landslide, and every tree, animal and person within miles died.

Wanna Know Idaho is your crowd-sourced podcast. We're looking for your votes to determine which story we should report next. Each of these questions were submitted by curious folks in the community just like you: _ _ So which one will it be? Rally your friends to vote too; share this link on social media to garner as many votes as possible! Voting closes Monday, February 18. For more 'Wanna Know Idaho' content, follow host Frankie Barnhill on Twitter Copyright 2019 Boise State Public Radio

Wanna Know Idaho asked Idahoans to submit questions they want answered about our state. In the latest edition, host Frankie Barnhill seeks to answer the question on everybody's mind - "what happens to the poop at Zoo Boise?" Barnhill joins Idaho Matters to flush out the answer.

When you search "zoo poo" on the internet, one of the first things that comes up is a link to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. You quickly learn that the facility sells composted animal waste to people in the Pacific Northwest, and at least one person says it makes amazing garden fertilzer.

Update! This voting round is closed. Here is the winning question: "I ride my bike past Zoo Boise often and I always wonder: where does all the poop from the animals go?" - Colby Spath We'll report this story and plan to publish the week of January 28. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss the episode when it goes live! We're kicking off the New Year with a new question voting round. One of these listener-generated stories will be featured on Boise State Public Radio's the Wanna Know Idaho podcast. But it's up to YOU to decide which one!

Melissa Hamilton lives in McCall, Idaho with her young family. She works at the University of Idaho extension office in Cascade, and she identifies as being a member of the West Central Mountains. When she heard Wanna Know Idaho was featuring the region on the podcast, her first thought was not a question. It was a statement she's heard repeated many times:

Wanna Know Idaho traveled to Idaho's West Central Mountains to answer this question from McCall resident Fred Coriell: "What impacts will an open-pit mining operation, like the one proposed by Midas Gold, have on our region?" Cascade-based reporter Monica Gokey has the story for this episode of the podcast .

UPDATE: Mining stories are complicated, and we want to take the time to tell this story right. So be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss our complete Wanna Know Idaho episode on the Stibnite Gold Project coming in November. In the meantime, here's a preview.

For this round of Wanna Know Idaho – we’re headed to the West Central Mountains. Have you ever wondered… How Cascade Reservoir became Lake Cascade? Or why the average age of people in the region seems to be higher than in other parts of the state? Or maybe you’re wondering about the potential impacts of an open pit mine that's been proposed by the Midas Gold Corp.? Which one of these listener questions should Wanna Know Idaho tackle next? The deadline to have your say is Tuesday, Oct. 16 at midnight. Cast your vote here: _ _

Depending on where you live in Idaho, you might find that prices at your local gas station are 30-40 cents higher per gallon than in neighboring Wyoming and Montana. So...what’s up with that? On this episode on Wanna Know Idaho , we’ll take a look behind the pump, to try and figure out some of the market forces at work in the Gem State. (Hint: think distance from oil fields and refineries, Idaho's explosive growth , extreme weather events, state taxes and geopolitics. Yep, it's complicated.) First, let’s drive southwest from Boise to meet this episode’s winning question asker. "As I travel through different states, everytime I came into Idaho I noticed that the gas prices and diesel prices went up," question asker John Lawson says. "Except on the western side of the state; but on the eastern side of the state they went up drastically from Montana or Wyoming into Idaho." "So, I wondered why." John bought his Chevy truck when the price of diesel was less than $3 per gallon. Now he pays

Update -- This voting round has closed. The winning question : "What about the prices we pay at the pump: Why does it seem like the price of gas is higher in the Gem State than in surrounding states?" Be sure to subscribe to the podcast here! We've narrowed down some great listener questions for the upcoming September episode, and now we need you to vote. Here's the thing: so far, this voting round is the closest we've ever seen in the history of Wanna Know Idaho! Have you ever wondered… How the Treasure and Magic Valleys got their names? Or, how rural internet connectivity is working in Idaho? What about the prices we pay at the pump: Why does it seem like the price of gas is higher in the Gem State than in surrounding states? Time is running out to get in your vote...and this election is neck and neck! Which one of these listener questions should Wanna Know Idaho tackle next? The deadline to vote for the September podcast topic is midnight Thursday, Sept. 13th! Vote here. For more