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As part of her "EXCEL NH" plan, Governor Shaheen
proposes a 2.5% sales tax to fund public education. The tax has received mixed reviews from the state's business community--pitting retailers against other business leaders. Laura talks with Nancy Kyle, President of the Retail Merchants Association of NH (www.rmanh.org),
and David Juvet, Vice President for Economic Development at the Business & Industry Association
of NH (www.nhbia.org).

Same sex couples in Vermont recently got rights equal to married couples following a Supreme Court ruling there. Now some Granite State legislators want to make sure New Hampshire doesn't follow Vermont's example. Laura's
guests are Beth McGuinn, with the NH Freedom to Marry Coalition, and Representative Daniel Itse, (R-Fremont), primary sponsor of a bill (HB454) to not recognize civil unions.

If the American Lung Association of NH
gets its way, no one will be able to smoke in any restaurant dining room in the state. Period. Restaurant owners aren't unanimous in opposing that plan, which several NH lawmakers have
sponsored on the Lung Association's behalf. But many restaurateurs say, since smoking is legal, it should be their choice to go smoke-free or not. Laura talks with Tom Boucher, a partner
of the T-Bones Restaurant Group (www.t-bones.com), which has four restaurants in southern NH,and Douglas Barry, President of the American Lung Association of NH (www.lungusa.org/newhampshire)

The NH legislature is grappling with several bills
affecting gun ownership and how much control the state should have over guns. From licenses for concealed weapons to handgun restrictions and sales, we'll look at how another contentious gun control battle is heating up in Concord. Laura's guests are Senator Robert Boyce R-Alton Bay, sponsor of SB96-FN, repealing requirements for licenses to carry concealed weapons and Rep. Martha Fuller-Clark, (D-Portsmouth), sponsor of HB735-FN the Consumer Safety Firearms
Protection Act. Both bills can be found at
www.state.nh.us.

Older students face often face enormous challenges when going back to school--especially trying to balance work, family life and financial concerns with doing well academically. We'll look how colleges and universities are working to accommodate adult students' unique needs. One increasingly popular option is taking courses online. Steve's guests are Karen Muncaster, Executive Director of Continuing and Distance Education for New Hampshire College (soon to be Southern
New Hampshire University) (www.snhu.edu), and Maureen Znoj, Learner Services Coordinator for the College of Lifelong Learning's Ammon Center in Manchester (www.cll.edu)