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From a new governor to a new house speaker, ethics violations in the state house, and the mighty Boston Red Sox, we?ll look back at the people, places, and things that captured the Granite State headlines in 2004 and look to their hopes, goals and thoughts for the coming year. Laura's guests are Governor-elect John Lynch, State House Speaker Doug Scamman, Gerri Whittredge, mother of a member of the Londonderry-based 94th Military Police Company who served in Iraq for 16 months, Vin Sylvia, Deputy Managing Editor of Sports for the Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News, Josh Rogers, NHPR's political reporter, Jaime Simoes, Chair of the Franklin Pierce Bicentennial Commision and Frank Bryan, Professor of Political Science at the University of Vermont.

New Hampshire's Latino population is booming. In fact, it has increased 80% in the last ten years. We'll take a closer look at who these new residents are and what challenges face them as they make a living in the Granite State. Laura's guests are Eva Castillo, a volunteer for the Latin American Center in Manchester, Ernesto Sagas, Asst. Professor of Political Science with a focus on Latin America at
Southern NH University, and Esteban Lopez who works with the Latino Initiative for the NH College and University Council. We'll also hear from Fernando Hilario who is one of the owners of Two Guys Food Market in Manchester.

*This show was originally broadcast on 6/28/04*

More and more Americans are overextending themselves, getting into credit card debt and not saving enough money. We’re taking a look at the financial picture and seeing what, if anything can be done to brighten our future and ease our monetary woes. Laura's guests are Tom Sedoric – Senior Vice-President of Investment for A.G. Edwards and Sons, a financial consulting firm with offices nationwide, and Victor Stango – Associate Professor of Business Administration for the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He also has previous experience as an economist with the Chicago and New York Federal Reserve Banks.

*This show was originally broadcast on 9/10/04*

A new book tells the inspiring story of George Washington's journey home to Mt. Vernon. He had less than a month to accept the transfer of power from Britain, bid farewell to his troops and resign his commission to Congress if he hoped to be home for Christmas. Laura's guest is Stanley Weintraub, Evan Pugh Professor Emeritus of Arts and Humanities at Pennsylvania State University and the author of numerous histories and biographies, including his latest, "General Washington's Christmas Farewell".

Grouping students by ability is one of the more contentious issues schools face. Teachers often say it makes their job easier, and some studies suggest students learn better in a homogeneous environment. But administrators and politicians tend to be less supportive. Low income students are often placed in the lower tracks, and some say a placement there means being stuck in the same track for an entire academic career. We'll talk about the pros and cons of ability grouping and what schools in New Hampshire think about the tracking system. Laura's guests are Chuck Ott, superintendent of SAU 56, and Rob Fried, author of "The Passionate Learner: How Teachers and Parents Can Help Children Reclaim the Joy of Discovery".