The Exchange

After the Parkland Florida school shooting, police respond to a number of threats at high schools in New Hampshire, and the House of Representatives votes down a bill would have allowed firearms on state college campuses. Senate Republicans propose a bill to reauthorize Medicaid expansion for another five years. And a bill to raise the minimum marriage age in New Hampshire to 16 years of age is headed for a full House vote.

In his State of the State address last week, Governor Sununu declared: Life is better in New Hampshire than it was a year ago. On his list of achievements: fewer regulations, lower taxes, and school choice. On his to-do list: A ten-year plan for the state's mental health system and a revamped Medicaid expansion program.

In New Hampshire, visitors to some emergency rooms have received shockingly high bills after treatment, often involving charges for out-of-network doctors, who provided care at hospitals that were part of their insurance plans. Wednesday morning at 9, The Exchange takes a closer look at this "balance-billing."

We'll look at the President's new budget proposal and how it may impact Granite Staters, and discuss what the recent closure of several labor and delivery units at local hospitals means for our healthcare sector in New Hampshire.

With the release of Steven Spielberg's movie, The Post, we look back at the battle between the Post and the Nixon Administration over the Pentagon Papers, a secret government study about the Vietnam War that revealed the government’s lies about U.S. involvement in the conflict. The movie focuses on Katharine Graham's role as publisher of the Washington Post, as well as the constant balance between keeping government secrets classified and the need for transparency in government. This program

We parse the Governor's State of the State address for what it might tell us about his agenda for the state in 2018. EPA chief Scott Pruitt jets into New Hampshire to meet privately about water contamination. NHPR's Todd Bookman unpacks allegations made against the NH Liquor Commission. And we follow up on the court battle over the lottery ticket that's been called the "most valuable piece of paper on Earth." GUESTS: Todd Bookman - NHPR Reporter Lauren Chooljian - NHPR’s Politics and Policy

With the Winter Olympics in full swing, we look at some thrilling winter sports in N.H. An increasing number of people want to get outside in winter, and many say part of the fun of skiing down is climbing up snowy trails and mountains, or even scaling icy cliffs. Have you tried backcountry skiing or ice-climbing? We learn how to safely get started in these growing winter sports, what equipment is needed, and where it can be done.

In advance of Governor Sununu's State of the State address, we check in with four mayors on how their communities are faring: on education, the local economy, and the addiction crisis. And we ask what they'd like to hear from the Governor.

It's the time of year when students and their families navigate financial decisions, and the loans, grants, and bills associated. We ask how the rising cost of higher education and increased focus on student loan debt is changing the conversation, and we'll get an update on federal policy.

We talk with Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster about the efforts of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force to increase funding to fight the opioid epidemic. The new federal budget deal passed last week includes $6 billion in funding for opioid abuse and mental health treatment. We discuss how much N.H. might receive, who decides, and how it would be spent.