The Exchange

Scare tactics and catchy slogans don't work, many experts now say. But if that's the case, then how best to keep people from becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol? We find out what works, what doesn't, and where most efforts take place: While many look to schools, our guests say it requires a much broader approach. This program is part of NHPR's Crossroad project, a station-wide look at the addiction crisis and its impact on the state.

The long-standing current use program gives favorable tax treatment to landowners who preserve open space, typically farmland or forest. But current use has always had detractors, who say it sets up an unfair tax system, and reduces revenue available to towns.

There are 27 springs in New Hampshire that some Granite Staters use as their primary water source. NHPR's Outside/In visited these springs, and investigated the truth and myth behind the raw water movement. Why are some people turning to unfiltered water, and what should you know about spring drinking? Visit the Outside/In website to hear their episode, and subscribe to their podcast, and to see the test results for contaminants from three springs in New Hampshire.

American kids are grappling with chronic stress and toxic anxiety, even as parents seek the balance between "helicopter" and "free-range" parenting. Ned Johnson, co-author of a new book, "The Self-Driven Child" says brain science shows that stress has physical effects on the developing brain with long-term ramifications. So what's a parent to do? In the "Self-Driven Child," he advocates for a radical shift in the dynamic between parent and child to develop greater self-reliance and resilience in

There have long been complaints that the state's extensive training and certification requirements for some fields have led to workforce shortages, and the House recently passed a bill for a less restrictive approach. But opponents say caution is warranted - to protect the public and professional integrity.

New Hampshire students join thousands around the country in walking out of their classrooms to protest school shootings and NRA influence. The New Hampshire Attorney General finds that a state trooper was justified in shooting and killing an unarmed Enfield man. And Secretary of State Bill Gardner, with 42 years on the job, faces a rare re-election challenge -- this time, from former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Colin Van Ostern.

New Hampshire is now tied for the second oldest population in the country and beginning to see the pressure on healthcare, services, and housing caused by the "silver tsunami." In his new book, "The Longevity Economy," a uthor Joseph Coughlin says the future is both older and "technologically-enabled." He makes the case for rethinking aging and retirement not as a burden, but as an economic catalyst that could transform business and society. GUEST: Joseph Coughlin, author of "The Longevity

This week, Granite Staters are meeting, many in blizzard conditions, to hash out their town's budgets and priorities -- either in the traditional town meeting form, when voting and discussion take place on the same day, or as part of a newer form of town government, known as SB2, which involves a deliberative session and a separate day for voting. We're sitting down with four seasoned town moderators to discuss how local government is working nowadays in their towns. GUESTS: Peter Basiliere :

To celebrate 20 years of Something Wild on NHPR, we take a look at how New Hampshire has changed in terms of nature and ecology over the two decades the program has been on the air. For 20 years, the hosts of Something Wild have been giving listeners a bit of an insider’s view, whether interviewing a logger or a limnologist, a dendrochronologist or a bear rehabilitator, or by visiting a dark vulture nesting cave, a lofty peregrine cliff nest, or a chaotic and guano-filled tern colony. Earlier

In the southern region of New Hampshire and on the Seacoast, vacancy rates are low, housing prices are high, and there is a lack of affordable housing for families and young adults. In the northern and western parts of the state, substandard housing remains a problem. As part of the The Balance series on NHPR about the cost of living in the Granite State, we look at why our state continues to have issues, and how some cities, like Londonderry , are turning to mixed community developments.