The Exchange

Two top officials at the VA Medical Center in Manchester were removed after a Boston Globe report detailing allegations of substandard care at the facility. New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner attends the first official meeting of the Trump administration’s election integrity commission. And New Hampshire became the 22nd state and the last state in New England to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana.

Wilderness Therapy is a form of treatment that uses the natural world and wilderness settings to address behavioral and mental health issues in teens. With a history dating back to the nation’s earliest summer camps, the idea of nature as healer has deep roots. But with a tattered history of institutional abuse, patchwork oversight, and absent legislation, is this treatment option too wild to be trusted? We partner with NHPR's Outside/In to explores these issues.

The Manchester VA Medical Center is under investigation after a scathing report by the Boston Globe's Spotlight team revealed allegations by medical staff of seriously substandard care at the facility. Among the conditions described in the report: an operating room infested with flies, veterans with crippling spinal damage that might have been prevented, and obsolete surgical instruments. We look into what happened, and how these problems fit into a broader picture of trouble with the Veterans

New Hampshire's Attorney General Gordon MacDonald recently announced a criminal investigation into sexual assault allegations at St. Paul's School, in Concord. We discussed recent local stories involving private schools such as St. Paul's, as well as the broader culture in elite boarding schools that may contribute to this issue. And we talked with a N.H. lawmaker who says she'll be working on changing laws to better protect victims of sexual violence.

New England is not known for its sunny skies, but it is known for high rates of skin cancer. Why are Granite Staters highly vulnerable to this disease, including the most virulent type, melanoma? We'll look at this, and at why there's cause for optimism, particularly when it comes to prevention and a promising treatment, immunotherapy. This show originally aired on June 1, 2017.

We're talking with the three candidates who want to be the next state senator from District 16. The issues they're talking about impact all of the Granite State, including public education, child protection, taxes, and workforce development.

New Hampshire's Attorney General opens a criminal investigation into charges of sexual assault at St. Paul's School. Governor Chris Sununu signed a number of bills, including full-day kindergarten funding, a drug interdiction bill, and another tightening the definition of domicile for voting purposes. He also vetoed his first bill, regarding zoning board procedures. And Grover Norquist, of Americans for Tax Reform, visits the state to talk tax reform and support GOP congressional candidates.

Almost twenty years after a court ruling that was supposed to radically alter education funding, a new report says not much has changed. And, it says, poor and rural towns could be in for a bigger hit in terms of state dollars in the near future. We'll find out more, including what the report calls a "new education normal."

Nuclear provides about a third of New England's electricity, but that's changing, as old plants in Vermont and Massachusetts shut down. Still, there's huge debate over whether to build the next generation of nuclear. Is it a reliable, carbon-free energy source...or is it too dangerous and expensive?

Although ticks, mosquitos, and emerald ash borers get all the attention, New Hampshire is full of beneficial insects. From predators to parasites to pollinators, countless species enhance our ecosystem. We identify these helpful insects and learn how they help in our gardens, forests, and even in harsh mountain environments.