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Some Facts About New Hampshire’s Infrastructure:New Hampshire has approximately 17,000 miles of state and town roads, turnpikes and interstate highways. There are 3,795 bridges in the state. As of 2010, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation plowed more than 800 lane miles of roads and put down 180,000 tons of salt for snow and ice control annually.The state was given a “C” grade by the American Society of Civil Engineers for the condition of its roads and bridges. New Hampshire was rated among the worst in the country for the poor condition of its bridges by Transportation For America. On average, bridges are older in New Hampshire than those in the rest of the country. There are hundreds of bridges on the so-called “red list,” which means that the bridges have major structural problems and need to be repaired or replaced.The state also has a poor record when it comes to public transportation. New Hampshire has no comprehensive rail system and is rated 42nd in terms of investment in public transportation according to the State Department of Transportation.The majority of New Hampshire’s infrastructure funding comes from vehicle registration fees and gas taxes. The state takes out fewer bond loans than other states and considers its funding a “pay as you go” system. The gas tax, the lowest in New England, has not been raised since 1991. The 2011 Legislature did away with a motor vehicle fee increase. That change has meant more $30 million a year in cuts to DOT.The $800 million expansion of I-93 from Salem to Manchester began in 2006, but has been delayed several times because of a lack of funding. Supporters of the expansion say it will update one of the country’s most congested highways and bring needed tourism revenue to the more isolated and less economically robust northern part of the state. Traffic on I-93 has increased 600 percent since the highway was built in the 1960s and approximately 80,000 cars now drive on it each day.Summary provided by StateImpact NH

3.4.15: The History Of Vitamins, A Text For Help, & Paula Poundstone

Colin Dunn via flickr Creative Commons
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flic.kr/p/7GCv8P

The word vitamin has only been around for just over 100 years. But today vitamins are a $36 billion dollar-a-year industry. On today’s show, we’ll look at the history and science behind a largely unregulated market. Plus, a new hotline for emotionally distressed teens aims to help teens by communicating in a space where they feel comfortable – via text message.     

Listen to the full show and click Read more for individual segments.

The Multi-Billion Dollar, Largely Unregulated, Vitamin Market

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The Multi-Billion Dollar, Largely Unregulated, Vitamin Market

A Text for Help

  • Alice Gregoryis a freelance writer who wrote about a text based crisis line in her article “R U There?”  for The New Yorker.

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A Text for Help

The Red Car Conspiracy

  • In Los Angeles, the story goes that the automobile industry sabotaged the old Red Car electric street car system, by pushing to erect the sweeping elevated concrete freeways that dominate the city. But as Eric Molinsky and Roman Mars from the podcast 99% Invisible found out, the legend of the Red Car’s demise is not entirely accurate.
  • You can listen to this story again at PRX.org.

Comedian Paula Poundstone

  • We spoke with standup comedian and frequent Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me panelist Paula Poundstoneto explain what it’s like to be a part of one of NPR’s most popular shows.
  • Paula will be performing this Friday at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, and on Saturday at The Waterville Opera House in Waterville, Maine. Find out about all her appearances at her website: PaulaPoundstone.com

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Comedian Paula Poundstone

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