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»2/1/10 Water Rights and The Congo Connection
Las Vegas Water authorities have been working on rural water claims for more than two decades. Last week the Supreme Court told them to start again. We take a look at what that means for the $3.5 billion pipeline project and the future of growth in Southern Nevada.

A Nevada company could be implicated in importing metals from the worst war zones in Africa. We talk with an investigator who's followed the story on three continents.

»2/2/10 Pediatrician in Haiti
First we talk to a doctor who flew to Haiti to work in orphanages and hospitals after the earthquake.

And we talk with UNLV Sociologist Shannon Monnat about her research showing that minority women are more likely to die from cancer and have fewer screenings than white women.

»2/3/10 Yucca Mountain and Higher Education Crisis
Could Yucca Mountain be about to be closed up forever. President Obama has made good on an election promise but how does the administration square that with the promise to build more nuclear plants. We look at the short future of Yucca Mountain and what could happen when more nuclear waste is created.

And faculty layoffs and huge tuition increases: That's why they're calling it the greatest financial state of emergency in decades. We'll talk with system officials about the crisis.

»2/4/10 Teen Pregnancy
The rate of teen pregnancy is again on the rise. After the great debate about whether abstinence or contraceptive education was more successful, it appears that neither is very effective. We talk with a health counselor and the principal of the Clark County School that allows pregnant students to graduate. We also meet a student who is pregnant and a teen who is running a one-woman campaign to raise awareness about the problem among her peers.

»2/5/10 Shakespeare, Water Rights, UNLV Football, NOMO, Mt Reagan, First Friday
We meet the stars of the Utah Shakespearean Festival's production of "The Taming of the Shrew." It's playing this weekend at the Cheyenne campus of the College of Southern Nevada.

And rural Nevadans say that Las Vegas wants to steal their water and make those northern counties dust bowls. The water authorities, they charge, have rigged the studies and concealed embarrassing scientific tests, but Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager hits back, arguing that White Pine officials have sabotaged any chance for an intelligent scientific debate.

Then can the new man work miracles? Or at least, can he get a winning football program? We ask the new UNLV athletic director about that.

»2/8/10 African-American History Museum and State of the State Preview
How do you tell the story of African-Americans? Lonnie Bunch of the Smithsonian Institution is working on that question and we ask him how he does it.

But first, Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons plans to slash as much as $900 million from the state budget. It's the latest round of cuts as the state's revenue nosedives. We ask leaders of key interest groups - business, unions and schools and colleges - where they think the ax should fall.

»2/9/10 State of the State Post-Mortem
Gov. Gibbons has laid out his ideas on how to balance the state budget, but $900 million is a big hole to fix. We talk with Speaker Barbara Buckley and other Nevada legislators who have the really hard job of actually rewriting the budget. Will it be just more cuts or will there be some tax increases as well?

»2/10/10 Walking Away and Future of Conservatism
It used to be called "walking away" but economists are now calling it "strategic default." That's when you could pay the mortgage but decide to give the keys back to the bank just because the house has become a bad investment. So is "strategic default" a sin or is it just good business sense?

Then, is conservatism dead or will populist anger with President Obama and the advent of the tea party revive the movement? One expert who wrote the book on modern conservatism will have his say.

»2/11/10 Seasons of Light and Food Insecurity
We talk with photographer, Jeff Mitchum, who shoots the best landscapes in the West - even if he has to hang with rats and bugs to do it.

And it used to be called hunger but now the sociologists call it "food insecurity." One in eight people in the valley are unsure about being able to buy food. If we're talking about nutritious and healthy food, the numbers are even higher. Julie Murray of Three Square will tell us what can be done to make sure people can feed themselves well, even in these tough times.

»2/12/10 Rugby Tournament and Winter Olympics
A few big rugby players recently visited our studios. They are in town for the Rugby Sevens this weekend. That's the tournament that pits the big-name teams like South Africa and Fiji against each other. Thousands of fans are flying in from all over the world to pack Sam Boyd Stadium.

We also talk with a UNR alum who's hoping to strike gold this weekend at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Then the recent rains have left conditions optimal for planting and weeding. Norm Schilling joins us from his garden.

And Senator Richard Bryan tells us more about the history of the 1960 Winter Olympics. It was not only full of firsts for the Olympics, but for the state of Nevada.

»2/15/10 Inside the FLDS, Leaving Atlantic City and The Value of Nothing
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has several towns established in Nevada, Utah and Texas. The normally secretive group gave National Geographic unprecedented access to dispel the idea that the polygamous group was a cult. We talk with the reporter investigated the FLDS for the magazine.

We also talk with the Wall Street Journal's Alexandra Berzon about MGM Mirage's decision to sell out in Atlantic City.

And we hear from Economist Raj Patel who says we need to strike a better balance between price and our real values.

»2/16/10 Senior Suicide
Nevada has the highest rate of senior suicides of any state. It's a subject that isn't often discussed, but on Tuesday we're going to discuss it on KNPR's State of Nevada.

Do you have a story or experience with the subject of senior suicides? We'd welcome your story or your thoughts in helping us to gain some insight into a topic that rarely draws attention.

We talk with the heads of the state and national suicide prevention centers, and with a woman who answers the phone at the crisis hotline.

Our guests include: Jerry Reed, Suicide Prevention Resource Center; Linda Flatt, Nevada's Office of Suicide Prevention; and, Debbie Gant-Reed, Crisis Call Center.

»2/17/10 Medical Marijuana and the War on Drugs
Most of us think that franchise means Burger King or McDonalds, but weed is the latest industry to sell franchises. Medical Marijuana Inc. has sold its first franchise in Nevada. We meet the new owners as well as the man who set up the corporate headquarters. We ask them why they're setting up in Nevada and why they need a franchise to sell marijuana.

And the United States has only 5% of the world's population but it uses 60% of the world's drugs. That number alone is enough to suggest that we have no chance of winning the war on drugs or so argues Dr. Stephen Frye. His book "TWENTY-FIVE REASONS TO LEGALIZE DRUGS--WE REALLY LOST THIS WAR!" explains why he thinks the war should be over. We talk to him about why the war is a lost cause and what we should do to wean our society off its dependence on drugs.

»2/18/10 Teen Fathers
It's like Laurence Fishburne said in "Boyz in the Hood,"

"Any fool can make a baby, but it takes a man to be a father."

Teen fathers join us to talk about how their lives have changed as they prepare to raise a child.

Often discussions about teen pregnancy revolve around the teen mothers involved.

But what about the young men? Who are their role models, and what's being done to reach them? How are they preparing for these life-altering changes ahead, and do they even want to to be fathers?

»2/19/10 Latino Voters Tea Party and Food Talk
The just-announced 2010 James Beard Foundation Awards' list of restaurant and chef awards semifinalists includes many famous Las Vegas chefs. Foodies, Max Jacobson and John Curtas visit with the Vice President of the James Beard Foundation. And we learn what specialty foods southern Nevadans really like to eat. Then Max and John face off in another round of "Eat It or Beat It."

But first, polls show Latinos in Nevada are mostly democrats. But does that mean they'll fall in line with their party's candidate? Hispanic Republican, Brian Sandoval wants to capture some of those Latino votes, but is his last name enough to sway voters? Meanwhile, Democrat, Rory Reid is fluent in Spanish and is using that to connect with the Latino electorate. We talk with political leaders, a pollster, and a political scientist about what makes the perfect candidate for Latinos.

And on Wednesday the Tea Party Nation announced that it will hold its next convention in Las Vegas. Why are they coming and what will they do here?

»2/22/10 Viva ELVIS and Special Session
Pull on your sequin suit and lace up your blue suede shoes. . . Elvis is in the studio! We talk to the cast and crew about Cirque du Soleil's newest show (and tribute to the King), Viva ELVIS^TM!

The Nevada Legislature will meet for a special session on February 23, it's third since 2008. On the chopping block this time are cuts to education and all state funded agencies. And legislators are coming up with a myriad of solutions to solve the gap that could mean fee increases, larger class sizes and a prison closure. We talk with legislators about what Nevadans can anticipate from the special session.

»2/23/10 Human Trafficking and Special Session
Human trafficking is nothing new to Las Vegas. From women in the back rooms of massage parlors to workers smuggled in trucks, trafficking comes in many forms, but many cases often aren't reported. People are afraid to speak out, fear deportation, or don't even know they're being victimized to start with. So what are law enforcement and local groups doing to change things? We talk to an FBI expert who deals with trafficking, and with a social worker who's first in line to help victims after a police raid.

Then we talk to a reporter on the ground in Carson City, where the special session is starting.

»2/24/10 Child Soldiers
Imagine a young boy. Every night, he doesn't sleep in his own bed. Instead, he walks miles to sleep on the muddy floors beneath a local hospital. Because if he doesn't, the local militia might abduct him and force him into their army. This is Uganda. These children are called "night commuters."

We talk to a Ugandan boy who has spent most of his young life hiding from the militia. He's sharing his story with Las Vegas students, thanks to a nonprofit group and high school teachers.

»2/25/10 Children Outside, Bus Rapid Transit, and Trumpet Festival
When's the last time your child jumped off a tree swing? Built a fort? Chased after frogs? Richard Louv, author of the bestseller Last Child in the Woods, thinks kids today are missing the great outdoors in favor of iPods and video games. But playing outdoors inspires creativity and lowers anxiety. Richard Louv and Allison Brody of UNLV's Public Lands Institute tell us the secrets to getting kids outside in Southern Nevada... and where to go.

But first, last week, Las Vegas received $34 million for a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line on Sahara Avenue. Proponents say BRT lines operate more like trains than buses, they're fast and efficient, affordable and comfy. But experiments with BRT in other cities have yielded mixed results. Could you benefit from the new BRT lines throughout the city? Would you jump on a bus? Share your thoughts.

Then what did Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Arturo Sandoval and Quincy Jones have in common? They all played the trumpet. Four world-class trumpeters join us for an insider's look at performing worldwide and why kids still love the trumpet.

»2/26/10 WTC Memorial, Special Session and LV Philharmonic
The Atomic Testing Museum is adding two artifacts from the World Trade Center to its permanent collection. On this program we're joined by two veterans from the 9/11 attacks to talk about what those events mean almost a decade later. The lives of many Americans were changed that day. Did it touch you? Share you story here.

Then, Governor Gibbons says he set to blow the whistle on the special Session but the lawmakers want to play on. We catch up with the budget cutting in Carson City.

Join us for a special performance, as the Concertmaster and principal cellist of the Las Vegas Philharmonic perform in our studios. Also, conductor David Itkin joins us to talk about what's next for the Philharmonic.

And conductor David Itkin joins us to talk about what's next for the Philharmonic.