Radio Boise Podcast

Jonathan Kuntz returns to take a deep dive into predatory gambling. Moving beyond ethics and morals, this episode brings hard stats and real-world examples to unpack how modern gambling targets teens, drains middle-class savings, and impacts banks. Jon is a professor emeritus at Boise State University's College of Business and Economics. He has studied gambling policy and its economic impacts for decades and serves as chairman of the national board of the Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation. His latest concerns extend into the rapidly expanding world of prediction markets—where billions of dollars can be wagered on everything from elections to sporting events.

Hosted by Esteban Anastasio, who pays homage to his "Jesus" and "Santa Claus" Frank Zappa, with N-Lite/Negative Light/Venice Submerged/The Lifestyle You Deserve from 1976's Civilization Phaze III. Followed Wolves in the Throne Room with I Laid Down My Bones Among the Rocks and the Roots live at Roadburn, and completing the suite with Ode to Solitude (Somnium Obmutem) by Estatic Fear from 1996. Be weird, be beautiful, say the Captain.

Congress, political parties, and elections can seem complicated from the outside. But how did we get here, and what does it actually take to become a candidate? We recently spoke with Charles Hunt, an Associate Professor of Political Science at Boise State University. Hunt earned his Ph.D. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, and his research focuses on Congress, congressional elections, representation, and political candidates. He’s also the author of Home Field Advantage, which examines the role a candidate’s local roots can play in congressional elections. In our conversation, we covered the history of how we became Democrat vs. Republican, dabbled into how Congress and congressional campaigns work, and what it takes for people without political experience, but may be just as qualified, to run for office.

Hosted by Jodi Eichelberger. Porch Night, a collaboration with The Idaho Historical Museum, features three storytellers who do the setup, then come back later in the episode to tell us how they stories all end up. With three terrific stories. From Fort Hall, to the James Castle House to the Boise Soul Food Festival, this episode has you covered.

What does it really take to run a towing company and what happens behind the scenes? In this episode, we sit down with Michael Ellis, the young owner of Longhorn Towing in Boise. Michael started in the towing business at just 18 years old in 2022, when his family chose to invest in him rather than send him down the traditional college path. They helped him get his first tow truck, and from there, he began building a business of his own. I first became interested in the towing profession after I needed a tow myself. On the way to the dealership, I ended up sitting in the cab with one of Michael’s drivers, and that ride gave me a completely different perspective on an industry most of us rarely think about—until we need it. So what does towing actually look like from the inside? In this conversation, we talk about the realities of running a towing company, the ethics and controversies surrounding towing, what a typical day is really like for a tow operator, and the role towing companies play in keeping a city moving.