The Exchange

Next week, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on a proposal to reverse current rules governing internet service providers like Comcast or Verizon. We examine what it might mean for those who create on-line content, those who distribute it, and customers seeking information and entertainment.

The research keeps piling up about concussions and contact sports, especially football, and some parents are reconsidering whether to let their kids play the game. We discuss the latest research and its ramifications for parents, athletes and athletic trainers. Plus, current thinking on the recovery process, and how schools are assessing whether students are ready to return to play - or to the classroom. This program was originally broadcast on Sept. 27, 2017.

Sam Evans-Brown, host of Outside/In, the NHPR podcast about the natural world and how we use it, discusses the podcast's latest series, Powerline. We hear about how the development of the world's fourth-largest hydropower producer, Hydro-Québec, impacted French Canadians, and the indigenous people of Québec...also, how this hydropower company is connected to a controversial power project in New Hampshire, Northern Pass.

New models for education seek to provide resources and access to services for not just students with special needs (such as intellectual disabilities or learning disabilities), but for any student who may be marginalized in their community. This may include students who speak English as a second language, and students living in poverty. But individual schools and school districts still struggle to meet their students' needs, through workforce shortages, funding limitations, or exhaustive

With the holiday season upon us, we look at the outlook for N.H. retailers, as some venture into online sales; meanwhile there's also something of a retail reversal underway -- as some mega online companies go brick-and-mortar. Also, as consumer debt reaches new highs, some worry another borrowing bubble could be in the cards. And: Is the Granite State economy going strong or getting weaker?

The Gulf of Maine is home to some of the world’s most beautiful and versatile seaweeds, also known as sea vegetables, ocean herbs, or marine macroalgae. We discuss what's fueling the increasing demand for this latest superfood; it's turning up in some surprising places - from sophisticated restaurants to craft breweries. We learn the basics of foraging for seaweeds for use in home cooking, as well as efforts to develop a market for sustainably farmed seaweeds. This show was originally broadcast

As we head into Thanksgiving, difficult topics are bound to come up around the dinner table. We hear about a new effort in Nashua called 1000 Conversations, which is aimed at getting people to talk outside of their own cultural groups. Those involved say this kind of dialogue has wide-ranging benefits. GUESTS: Michele Holt-Shannon - Co-founder and co-director of New Hampshire Listens, a civic engagement initiative at the Carsey School of Public Policy at UNH. Michael Reinke - Executive Director

While dog-or-cat lovers will eagerly describe their pets' adorable habits, biologist and author John Shivik says it's not just pets, but reptiles, fish, even insects have unique personalities and behaviors. We find out more, why it matters, and what it tells us about ourselves.

A decade ago, the state board of education required local districts to adopt this approach, and since then, districts have been making the switch. We'll find out what competency-based education really means....how it's working at the classroom level....and whether it's living up to promises made.

A 10-9 vote from the House Education Committee on a school choice bill means it moves ahead. But a one-vote margin approving Keno in Rochester leads to a recount. And a county prosecutor defends her decision not to bring criminal charges against two deans at Phillips Exeter Academy for their handling of an alleged sexual assault. Watch the show via Facebook Live: GUESTS: Hadley Barndollar - Reporter, Portsmouth Herald and Exeter News-Letter. Dean Spiliotes - civic scholar in the School of Arts