George Prentice
Verified- Host of Morning Edition, Boise State Public Radio
- Editor, Boise Weekly
- Host, The Connector: Idaho Daily News
Boise
Host of Morning Edition @KBSX915
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Articles by George Prentice
SCREEN: ‘Wicker:’ A feisty tale of love, acceptance and bed-breaking sex
I’m assuming that, by now, you’ve come upon the provocative trailer for “Wicker,” promising a ribald comedy co-starring Olivia Coleman, Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debecki, Alexander Skarsgard and Richard E. Grant. I promise you that there is much more than a man made of, well, wicker. So much more. Perhaps I should start with the source material for this tale: a short story from Ursula Wills-Jones.
McCall’s ‘Woodstock’ turns logs into winter heat
Imagine a quaint city park in a resort community - McCall in particular. Now imagine turning that same park into something that looks like a lumber mill. “This year, I think it’s the 17th year and we call it Woodstock,” said Linda Klind, who heads up Heartland Hunger, also known as the McCall Food Bank.
SCREEN: How lunch with ‘Marty’ became the funniest documentary of the year
By now, you know that I take these essays on movies quite personally. From very early on, my relationship with film has evolved to be the great love affair of my life. That’s not to say that I occasionally look at my dispatches to you as consumer reporting. Full admission to an evening at the cinema has become a considerable expense of late. But more often than not, I’m looking for something that touches my heart.
Here’s how Idaho is caught smack dab in the middle of a trade war
On Sept. 17, Canadians woke to the following headline in their nation’s newspaper of record, The Globe and Mail: “[Prime Minister] Carney’s Davos Speech Diagnosed the Problem. His EU Speech lays out the cure.” Indeed, the newspaper's op-ed column touched many points of the globe: Ottawa to Washington, D.C. to Davos, Switzerland, back to Ottawa and then on to Strasbourg, France. And in between the lines was, of course, Boise, Idaho.
SCREEN: Co-stars Hawke, Crowe make ‘The Weight’ a winner
The elements of a good adventure are all here: A wrongly accused antihero. A single parent torn from his child. A shrewd villain. An opportunity for immense wealth All framed by the Great Depression. But note that I said “good.” What makes “The Weight” superb is Ethan Hawke.
Here’s why Boise State’s new president ‘likes to take on the toughest problems’
Dr. David Hahn’s resume is more than impressive – it’s eye-popping. You could spend the better part of a week poring through his research papers, analyses and details of his many patents. He worked at Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and he’s a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Optica and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. And make no mistake; Hahn is an engineer in every sense of the word.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: September 11, 2026
McClatchy Media has laid off more than half of the Idaho Statesman's newsroom, the new Montpelier Idaho Temple is opening its doors for limited-time public tours, there's been another death on Teton Pass, Boise State campus sees changes as construction projects progress and officials are facing questions over immigration data sharing. Plus, Idaho voters will decide this November whether to approve a proposed amendment that critics say could reduce certain individual rights.
Who says midlife is the middle? Allison Aubrey tells us about 'a third turn'
Allison Aubrey has probed for plain-spoken truths from so-called "power players" at the World Economic Forum in Davos. When COVID swept the planet, she reported more than 200 stories on the global pandemic. And for her investigative work on the link between pesticides and the decline of bees, she won a James Beard Award. But one of her more challenging conversations (which lasted a nanosecond) occurred at the kitchen table. “It was a very typical summer morning. I was tap-tapping on my computer.
SCREEN: Pop queens, sobriety and mending a broken heart
The word “survivor,” particularly when it comes to entertainers, has become such a trope. For goodness’ sake, it’s the ultimate reality/game show on the tube. And when a Real Housewife or Love Island contestant groans about being a “survivor,” you can’t reach for the remote fast enough. But then there’s Logan Lynn.
Rats. Smoke. Heat. We checked a lot of boxes in our chat with the new CDH director
Sad to say, it’s not new that the climate disrupts our well-being. “I would say the environment has always played a significant role in our health,” said Kristin Ryan. “Throughout history we’ve been impacted by our environment – positive and negative -and always will be.” But it’s clear that the summer of 2026 has been a challenge, particularly for southern Idaho. “Smoke from wildfire is very unhealthy to breathe.
Same forest, new legend: 'The Heart of Robin Hood'
There are countless stories, ballads, plays and films about Robin Hood. But very few of them put Marion at the center of the medieval adventures in Sherwood Forest. But here comes “The Heart of Robin Hood,” running through September at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Jaclyn Miller “It’s a wonderful adaptation,” said Jaclyn Miller, director of the ISF production. “The thing that really drew me to it was … well, we already have this idea of Robin Hood. We all grew up with this hero and this myth.
Here’s why Boise’s 9/11 memorial is so personal to the artist
As millions, no doubt, will commemorate this year’s 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Boise’s World Trade Center Memorial invites something quite personal: peace and solitude. “It’s a place to reflect on what happened,” said Boise Mayor Lauren McLean. “And it’s a place to be thankful for what we have as a country. It’s a place to go for reflection.” In 2013, artist J.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 21, 2026
Micron has made a big announcement, AG Labrador is challenging Judge Winmill's ruling on abortion access, attention is turning to the state's upcoming Senate race, Boise will soon have more affordable housing and we got a sneak peek at how Boise State University's president is settling into his new role.
Pickleball is booming in Boise. Now the city could convert nearly half its racket courts
Boise tennis and pickleball communities have not historically seen eye to eye. In 2025, the City of Boise backtracked, returning some pickleball courts in Northwest Boise back to tennis courts. That all came in the wake of a lawsuit from a couple who complained about what they said was “relentless” noise from pickleballers. This is how we reported it on Aug.
How about something tastier, healthier (and local) for lunch this school year?
The stereotype of the American sack lunch isn’t pretty. In fact, the contents of many sack lunches don’t meet some of the basic goals for healthy development, according to the National Institutes of Health. And then there’s the old-as-time stereotype of white bread slapped around something that passes itself off as nutritional. Chef Adan Callsen wants to change all that by spending many of his Saturdays with Treasure Valley families, all in search of something different if not better.
SCREEN: Shouldn’t ‘Tony’ be a dish served colder?
The first time many of us heard of Anthony Bourdain was the summer of 1999 in the pages of The New Yorker. He had sent an unsolicited essay to the magazine, titled “Don’t Eat Before Reading This.” Within a year, he would use the essay as a foundation for what would be a runaway bestseller in 2000: “Kitchen Confidential.” The New York Times raved. “This is one bitter, nasty, searing, hard-to-swallow piece of work,” wrote the Times’ Thomas McNamee.
SCREEN: Do you believe in magic? Then you need to visit “The Magic Faraway Tree”
I’m almost afraid to use the words that jumped to mind when I had the pleasure of watching “The Magic Faraway Tree” the first time (I’ve watched it three more times since). I thought that audiences had given up on things like being heartfelt or sincere. But then “Toy Story 5” came along, and audiences responded. “Yes,” I thought., “I do believe in magic.” And so, my guess is, do you. So, here goes. “The Magic Faraway Tree” is as sweet as it is dazzling and as funny as it is heart-tugging.
Reading, writing and a moment of silence. Here’s what different in Idaho schools this year.
Alarm clocks are being set a bit earlier this week for hundreds of thousands of Idaho families as many students head back to school.That includes thousands of little going to school for the first time. Stacey McKenna “There is something that never gets old about the beginning of a school year,” said Stacey McKenna, principal at Jefferson Elementary School on the Boise Bench.
This Idaho health expert has some advice on preventing food illness
E. coli, listeria and salmonella are common outbreaks. But this season, the U.S. has seen the biggest outbreak of the parasite cyclospora in history. “What we’ve really been seeing this summer is how produce can be impacted,” said Dr. Kathryn Turner, chief of the Bureau of Environmental Health and Communicable Disease of Public Health at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
Idaho huckleberry season takes a hit after low snowpack, late frost
From the Boise Foothills to the Coeur d’Alene National Forest, Ponderosa Park in McCall to the Teton Valley – huckleberry foraging is a rite of summer here in the Gem State. And then there's the delicacies: huckleberry jam, huckleberry pie, huckleberry ice cream. But huckleberry hunters will be saddened this summer. A one-two punch has hit Idaho’s state fruit.
This new 'Winter’s Tale' is a perfect respite from our long, hot summer
Having already established himself as the genius who perfected the dramatic arc, William Shakespeare upended the theatrical world when he wrote “The Winter’s Tale." It’s nearly impossible to categorize. It's not necessarily a full-tilt drama. Yes, it's a comedy, but not throughout. Was it history's first "dramedy? “It opens with tragedy … this intense jealousy. Then, it evolves into a romance. Then, it feels like a comedy near the end,” said actress Gina Daniels.
SCREEN: Tracking a brother's life in 'Jimmy in Saigon'
Peter McDowell didn’t know his brother. Well… hardly. “Jimmy was the oldest in our family. He was born in 1948,” Peter told me. “He was 19 years older than me. I was the youngest born in 1967. So, when he suddenly and mysteriously died in 1972, I was only five years old and I didn’t really know him. In fact, one of my earliest memories of my life was his death. I only have shadowy memories of him as a person.” I met Peter McDowell recently.
'The answer is in the air': ER doctor links infant's hospitalization to wildfire smoke
There are a lot of data points lately, particularly when it comes to high temperatures or the Air Quality Index, but when you put a face or voice to Idaho's current crisis, it can be heartbreaking. "I had a patient yesterday that was seven weeks old," said Dr. Ethan Sims, emergency physician and executive director of Idaho Clinicians for Climate and Health. "The patient had been coughing and struggling to breathe for about two weeks and had been seen by their pediatrician several times.
Kalimotxo and solomo, Boise? Prepare for the feast of San Inazio
Saint Ignatius, or Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), founded the religious order of the Society of Jesuits. “He’s considered the patron saint of the Basques,” said Lael Uberuaga, one of Boise’s best know-it-alls for all thingsBasque. “So, his feast day is July 31.” Ignatius died July 31, 1556, and the feast that honors him is celebrated in hundreds of communities across the globe – from the Basque Country (where he was born) to Rome (at the mother church of the Jesuits) to Idaho.
This filmmaker traced his brother's mysterious 1971 death to Vietnam
Peter McDowell didn’t know his brother. Well … hardly. “Jimmy was the oldest in our family. He was born in 1948,” he recalled. “He was 19 years older than me. I was the youngest, born in 1967. So, when he suddenly and mysteriously died in 1972, I was only five years old and I didn’t really know him. In fact, one of my earliest memories of my life was his death. I only have shadowy memories of him as a person.” For much of his young life, Peter thought his brother Jimmy had died in the war.
How wildfire smoke is impacting communities in Idaho
Wildfire smoke has become a familiar part of summer in Boise. The fires may be hundreds of miles away, but their effects reach across the region. As wildfires have grown larger and more frequent, communities in the Treasure Valley have seen worsening air quality, disrupting daily life and closures of major transportation routes like I- 84 between Ontario and Baker City.
Here's what to expect from this year's Ironman in Boise
The numbers are daunting: 100 professional Ironman competitors, approximately 1,500 more athletes and triple digit temperatures are some of the components of the upcoming Ironman 70.3 race. “Our athletes will start catching shuttles to Lucky Peak at around 3:30 in the morning,” said race director Jason Michaud. “Our pros will enter the water at about 6:25 a.m.” Boise Ironman athletes will travel 70.3 miles. What will follow will be Idaho’s toughest swimming/cycling/running competition, bar none.
A queer Methodist minister didn't feel safe at an Idaho hospital; her conference won't return to Boise next year
Held on June 20 at Boise's Cathedral of the Rockies, the annual Oregon/Idaho conference of the United Methodist Church centered on the theme: “Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully and Lead Courageously.” But there was little joy during a lengthy and often-emotional debate over whether the conference should return to Idaho.
Boise Mayor and Deputy Police Chief respond after recent incidents on the Greenbelt
After two recent incidents on the Greenbelt, including one where a homeless man was charged with murder, two Idaho legislators sent a press release blaming Boise Police for not doing enough to enforce the state's anti-camping ordinance. The release, sent by House Speaker Mike Moyle (R-Star) and Rep. Bruce Skaug (R-Nampa), said if they had, the alleged murder of 25-year-old Jordan Harbst may have been prevented.
How hot is too hot? Idaho Power talks thermostats, heat waves and saving money
The word “scorch” likely entered the English language in the 15th century, according to Dictionary.com. It links back to Scandinavian culture and the word “skorpna,” which meant “shriveled” or “dried up.” That’s what a good many of us are feeling this summer, as the National Weather Service office in Boise reminds us that “a significant heat wave is underway for the Intermountain West.” In fact, triple-digit heat is in the outlook stretching through the rest of the week and into next week.
How zoning codes affect affordable housing in Idaho
How a city writes their zoning codes can make a huge influence on how much housing is available in a community. And the Gem State Housing Alliance took a deep dive into how those codes are affecting 28 communities in six regions across Idaho. It’s their new Idaho Statewide Zoning Code Analysis.
Some of Idaho's best cycling events (and one is the cutest) are happening this weekend
Traffic managers will be out before sunrise to close off the roads around the Idaho Statehouse, but the highlight of the Boise Twilight Criterium won’t happen for many hours later. Before the pros begin, hundreds of kids will take over the streets around the Capitol – four races in all. There’s a two-lap race for 9 and 10 year olds, one-lap races for 7 to 8 year olds and 5 to 6 year olds, and perhaps the most popular event of the morning: a half-lap race for 3 and 4 year olds.
BSPR welcomes George Prentice back from medical leave
Listeners may realize they are again hearing the voice of George Prentice on Boise State Public Radio, after a nearly four-month medical leave. George shares about his journey and recovery and what's next. Transcript generated by software Troy Oppie: It's Morning Edition on Boise State Public Radio News, and I am so jazzed this morning to be welcoming back to our airwaves, Mr. George Prentice, the one and only. George, thank you for joining us this morning. George Prentice: Troy.
SCREEN: Bar none, ‘The Invite’ is the funniest movie in a very long while
The last thing you’ll hear in “The Invite” (and let’s be clear: you WILL hear it, because if you don’t see “The Invite,” I’ll never talk to you again) is the 1930s jazz standard, “I’m Confessin’ That I Love You.” I won’t tell you who’s playing the song. I won’t even tell you if more than one person is plunking out the tune on a piano.
Grassroots organizers are pushing back against this week's Allen & Co event in Sun Valley
Some like to joke that the annual Allen & Co. event in Sun Valley is “summer camp for billionaires.” But an increasing number of opponents say this week’s gathering of media and tech titans in Idaho is no laughing matter. Allen & Company, a Manhattan-based boutique investment bank, puts a pretty tight lid on public access to its Sun Valley event. That said, they routinely leak their guest list to entertainment media outlets.
SCREEN: Celebrating the joy of storytelling through dance
The coupling of dance and film was a union meant to be. Rudolph Valentino brought the tango to the still-silent medium in the 1920s. What would follow would ultimately elevate both art forms. In the 1930s, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers would make fewer than 10 films, but their partnership would end up setting the gold standard of dance on film. In the 1940s, “The Red Shoes” proved that dance would not simply serve as a plot device. Indeed, it was the very plot itself.
SCREEN: Being American at the movies
Leave it to the French, only about 10 years after they gifted us with the Statue of Liberty, they gifted us with something equally inspiring. It was 1895 when the Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere patented the Cinematographe’. No, the U.S. didn’t invent the art form, but it’s a fair argument to say that we perfected it. In fact, it was a steady stream of immigrants, from Charlie Chaplin to Billy Wilder, who looked at America through their own lenses. And it’s been quite a journey.
For this Boise filmmaking duo, there’s no place like home
The sheer outburst of “Misophonia’”s cleverness, joy and whip-smart humor pretty much secured a promise for me: no matter where Bella and Gracie Hall’s budding film careers might take them, I’ll always be eager to get a ticket. The Boise-based siblings are just getting underway with their careers but I’m already an unabashed fan. Their early work is as innovative as it is authentic.
‘Does Sound Heal?’ A simple question. Extraordinary findings
I’ve often felt that there are a few films that notably arrive in our lives (versus arriving in the cinema). As an example, say you’re stumbling through adolescence, and a first viewing of “To Kill a Mockingbird” floods your conscience with principles you didn’t know existed. Or perhaps you watch classmates being drafted into an undeclared overseas war’ and the documentary “Hearts and Minds” hits you like a hot iron to the face.
You have 48 hours to create magic. Ready, set, go!
The idea is somewhere between a stroke of madness and a brainstorm. And for 20-plus years, i48 has inspired hundreds of people, each with a film lurking somewhere in their imagination to team up and embark on a creative mission unlike any other. “My best piece of advice?” asked i-48 co-director Josie Pusl in a moment of introspection. “Try not to be too ambitious.” Now, take note that she’s not saying you shouldn’t swing for the fences.
You never saw (or heard) this one coming
You and I haven’t visited for a fortnight or two — and I’ll have more to say about that in the next couple of weeks — so I wanted something special to share with you this week. Rumor has it that there’s a new Star Wars-ish blockbuster opening this week; come on, I don’t think anything a critic has to say about it will mean a lick of difference. Anyway, I’ve got a winner for you. In fact, the entertainment value of our flick-of-the-week is pound-for-pound the season’s best.
Movie review: The best-known, unknown comic genius of our time
It took fifty years for us to get a rather definitive look at Lorne Michaels in 2025’s bestseller, “The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live.” But given how much celebrating there was a year ago when SNL was celebrating its golden anniversary in what turned out to be a marathon of a party – what with a glorious SNL-themed concert-for-the-ages at Radio City Music Hall and the somewhat less entertaining anniversary show, televised a week later on NBC – it was pretty easy for Susan Morrison’s...
Planet Money's first book: ‘It's not like any other you’ve seen before’
It happens all too often. You’re nearing the end of an episode of Planet Money, particularly an episode that successfully thrashes away all of the gobbledegook so we can get a clearer, plain-spoken story about our own personal economy. You know; the things that truly matter in our lives. It's a Planet Money episode like that that you wish could go a bit longer, not unlike a really good page-turner.
Movie review: ‘Dear George: I’m Kevin Eggers.’ Real-life lawyer in "TOW" grew up in Boise
Goodness knows, I’ve received a lot of mail (probably hundreds of letters) regarding some of my reviews through the years. Not so randomly, here are three: 1. The time a very well-known Idaho official (a very, very well-known one), wrote that her son thought I was a … well, I can’t print what he said. He was pretty upset over my review of the first Avengers film. Let’s just say he thought I was full of beans. I was and I am. 2.
The stuff movies are made of: In his first trial, this Boise lawyer fought and won a landmark case
Kevin Eggers was fresh out of law school but something inspired him to approach a down-on-her-luck Amanda Ogle. Living out of her car, she was barely scraping by and the cruel irony is her car was stolen. Basically, everything she owned was stolen with it. Making matters worse, a towing company wouldn’t let her have her car back until she shelled out thousands of dollars in “fees.” “Hi my name is Kevin Eggers. I work for the Northwest Consumer Law Center. I overheard what you’re going through.
This librarian solves Idaho RECA mysteries so others can collect the rewards.
It was the late 1970s when the term “downwinders,” gained prominence. Initially, it referred to people who lived not far from nuclear test sites in Nevada. But in time, it included countless more people who lived in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Beginning in the mid 1950s and continuing to the early 1960s, families and their heir may have been exposed to radioactive contamination.
At Idaho Shakespeare Festival, a new Macbeth reexamines ambition and blame
Is Macbeth a stereotypical gurgling stew of power, lust and desire? Or is it a story of a lost couple, haunted by their choices? Is toxic ambition thrust upon them? Or were they always destined for defeat? It’s likely that all of the above are there at the door to greet us when we arrive to visit a new Macbeth and Lady M. But we, as an audience, bring so much baggage with us: all of the previous tellings of the "Scottish play" we’ve seen on stage and screen over the years.
In-person tax help and preparation for free? Here's Boise State's VITA
Taxes are expensive enough. Preparing taxes is also a pricey expense. Tax preparers, personal accountants and tax preparation software are all an out-of-pocket transaction when our pockets are already cashless. Which brings us to VITA – the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program through Boise State’s College of Business and Economics Department of Accountancy. Simply put, it puts some of the best and brightest accounting students at Boise State in front of taxpayers. And everybody wins.
Idaho fourth graders can answer these questions. Can you?
Are you smarter than a fourth grader? Careful; don’t answer so quickly. In fact, have fun with it. That’s the whole idea of the Are You Smarter Than a 4th Grader Family Trivia Night at Jump April 2. “Our programs are guided by five themes, presented in the American Association for State and Local Histories: Unfinished Revolutions, Power of Place, We the People, American Experiment and Doing History,” said Christina Wilkens, City of Boise Arts and History’s Education and Public Program Manager.
These researchers say Boise’s free school breakfast program is ‘enormously successful'
The very idea of a free breakfast for all school kids is … well... no one can argue against it being very nice. But when trustees in the Boise School District agreed to a free breakfast program – with a price tag over $2 million – there were several assumptions. Will it improve the well-being of students? Might it improve their academic performance? Will it improve absences or tardies? And how might it have an impact on student behavior?
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