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On July 24, 2008, in a wooded lot in Deerfield, a tornado began that would travel fifty miles through Epsom, Northwood, Pittsfield, Barnstead, Alton, New Durham, Wolfeboro, Ossipee, Effingham and ending up in Freedom, leaving devastation in its path. Homes were destroyed, thousands of acres of trees were downed and one life was lost. We look back at this tornado with New Hampshire residents whose lives were affected.

Guests

• Mary Stampone, New Hampshire state climatologist and a professor of geography at the University of New Hampshire
• Leslie Van Berkum, co-owner of Van Berkum’s Wholesale Nursery
• Joanne Randall, vice-chair of the Board of Selectmen and Public Information Officer for the town of Epsom
• Bill and Arlene Moffitt, residents of Epsom whose home was destroyed by the tornado
• Fred Borman, UNH Cooperative Extension forester for Rockingham County
• Dan Schroth, a stonewall maker in Pittsfield who created the business Tornadowood from the wood that fell on his land in last year’s tornado

The US has begun a major change in strategy in Afghanistan, moving more troops into the region, putting a new general in charge, launching a major offensive against the Taliban and changing the way troops interact with the Afghan people. We’ll look at whether this new strategy can succeed and what it could mean for the future of Afghanistan.

Guests

• Bill Martel, Associate Professor of International Security at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Diplomacy
• Jonathan Acuff, Assistant Professor of Politics at Saint Anselm College, former research analyst for the National Bureau of Asian Research and former officer in the United States Army

Millions of Americans now fit into the "sandwich generation" - spending significant amounts of time caring for their elderly parents as well as their children. It's an effort that often brings psychological and even financial stress. We'll look at the challenges and how some are coping.

Guests

• Gloria Barsamian, author of The Bread of Angels: Sustenance and Hope For Caregivers of Elderly Parents
• Sheila Zakre, a lawyer for seniors and a member of the "sandwich generation"

We'll also hear from

• Susan Young, executive director of the Home Care Association of New Hampshire

Many Granite Staters derisively refer to the Bay State as “Taxachusetts," but a new report from the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy suggests the number of tax and fee increases has been growing in the Granite State as well, especially in the last three budget cycles. Some say these increases are necessary in a growing state that relies on property taxes for revenue and during these tough economic times. But many others say they are feeling “nickel and dimed to death." We’ll look at what the growth of taxes and fees mean to the Granite State.

Guests

• Charlie Arlinghaus, president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy
• John DeJoie, Democratic state representative from Concord and member of the House Finance Committee

On the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, we look at the feasibility of a human voyage to the Red Planet. A manned Mars mission is a dream of many astro-philes, but such a trip poses huge challenges: the logistics of carrying food, fuel and water, astronaut fatigue and psychological demand, delays in communication, danger and, an $18 billion price tag. We’ll talk about why some say it is important to land humans on Mars, what could be in its way, and how we might get around those challenges.

Guests

• Susan Hassler, editor in chief of IEEE Magazine, which features Mars in its June’s issue
• John Gianforte, astronomy instructor for the Granite State College and cofounder of the Astronomical Society of Northern New England