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HPPR hosts & contributors

Marshal Allen Bailey

Western Swing & Other Things Host & Producer

Skip Mancini

Producer and host of High Plains History and Growing on the High Plains

Mike Fuller

Music Director and High Plains Morning Host

Cindee Talley

Regional Programming Director

Stephen Johnson

Open Range and High Plains Saturday Night Host

Debra Bolton

Silver Rails co-host

Lynn Boitano

Silver Rails co-host

Brother T-bone (Tony Hornberger)

Friday Night Blues host

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Crisis In The Housing Market

2:05 am

Tue May 1, 2012

Some Housing Markets Rebound, But Bargains Scarce

Credit Chris Hondros / Getty Images

While some sections of Arizona's housing market have shown signs of recovery, potential homebuyers who are looking for affordable houses have been frustrated. This file photo from 2008 shows a subdivision extending into desert scrubland.

By Ted Robbins

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 8:12 am

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The real estate market has turned around in some parts of the U.S., but many buyers aren't seeing true bargains anymore. Investors are driving up prices, and inventory is low, especially for homes priced under $250,000. That's not great news for anyone hoping to buy an affordable house to live in.

Arizona is home to one of the nation's extraordinary turnarounds. The Phoenix-area median home price rose 20 percent over the past year — 6 percent in March alone. And Tucson was recently named the nation's best market for investors. But the easy money has already been made.

2:04 am

Tue May 1, 2012

After Bin Laden, Al-Qaida Still Present As Movement

Credit AP

Thousands of Somalis gathered at a militant-organized demonstration on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia, in support of the merger of the Somali militant group al-Shabab with al-Qaida, which was announced in February by al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

By Dina Temple-Raston

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 7:16 am

A year ago Tuesday, Navy SEALs attacked Osama bin Laden's secret compound in Pakistan and may have fundamentally changed al-Qaida as we know it.

The Obama administration's top counterterrorism chief, John Brennan, spoke Monday in Washington, D.C., and seemed on the precipice of talking about the terrorist group in the past tense.

1:59 am

Tue May 1, 2012

N.H. To The Unemployed: Try An Unpaid Internship

Credit Sheryl Rich-Kern / for NPR

Electropac in Manchester, N.H., is among the companies participating in the state's unpaid internship program.

By Sheryl Rich-Kern

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 5:47 am

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Electropac, a firm that makes printed circuit boards in New Hampshire, once had 500 paid employees. Today, it has 34. But thanks to a state program for the unemployed, it also now offers unpaid internships.

Across the country, unpaid internships are on the rise for older adults looking to change careers or rebound from layoffs. In New Hampshire, a state-run program encourages the unemployed to take six-week internships at companies with the hope of getting a permanent job.

1:57 am

Tue May 1, 2012

Discovering The True Cost Of At-Home Caregiving

Next image Previous image

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Maryland resident Ida Christian, 89, began showing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in 2009. Her condition demands around-the-clock care.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Ida's husband of 42 years, Frank Christian Jr., passed away in 1990. "He was a man of few words, with no enemies, and she was a woman of a thousand words, with no enemies," says her son, Frank Christian III. "She lost her good buddy."

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Geneva Hunter (left) and her daughter, Yolanda, decided to take a hands-on approach to Ida's care. Ida lives with Geneva, and Yolanda quit her job to become Ida's daytime caregiver.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda, 43, helps Ida color at the family's kitchen table. She has been taking care of her grandmother daily for over two years and insists it is the best care for Ida.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda waits as Ida gingerly walks into the bathroom during their morning routine. According to Yolanda, some days Ida argues with her and refuses to get out of bed.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda remembers crying the first time she bathed Ida and saw how frail she had become.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda treats her caregiving responsibilities like a full-time job, keeping a daily record of what Ida eats, her activities, moods and doctors' appointments.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

"I've been watching her deteriorate since 2009. ... Back then we could still play chess and talk," Yolanda says. "It's the regression that is the hardest part."

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda zips up Ida's coat after taking her out to breakfast on her 89th birthday.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Although daily caregiving has been difficult on Yolanda, she and her mother agree that moving Ida into an assisted living facility will never be an option.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda speaks to a specialist during one of the many routine doctors' appointments.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Yolanda takes a business call in the parking lot outside Geneva's home. She had only planned to take a year off from her lucrative career in human resources, and is now trying to get back into the workforce.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Ida Christian, 89, was diagnosed with dementia in 2008. Her condition demands around-the-clock care.

Credit Kainaz Amaria / NPR

Ida Christian gets help from her granddaughter, Yolanda Hunter (left), in blowing out the candles on the cake celebrating her 89th birthday.

By Marilyn Geewax

Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 9:51 am

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Walk through any nursing home, and your first thought might be: "I need to take care of Mom myself."

Few people want to turn over a loved one to institutional care. No matter how good the nursing home, it may seem cold and impersonal — and very expensive. But making the choice to provide care yourself is fraught with financial risks and personal sacrifices.

Those who become full-time caregivers often look back and wish they had taken the time to better understand the financial position they would be getting themselves into.

Growing on the High Plains

Years ago Skip Mancini left the rocky coast of Northern California to return to her roots in the heartland. Her San Francisco friends, concerned over her decision to live in a desolate flatland best known for a Hollywood tornado, were afraid she would wither and die on the vine. With pioneer spirit Skip planted a garden, and began to learn about growing not only flowers and vegetables, but hearts and minds. If you agree that the prairie is a special place, we think you'll enjoy her weekly sojourns into Growing on the High Plains.

Contact Skip Mancini about the program.

Links to key documents regarding High Plains Public Radio's governance, finances and FCC authorizations and filings are provided below. If you have any questions or need any further information, please contact HPPR's Executive Director, Deb Oyler at director@hppr.org.

Governance:

Read more about Public Documents

The History of High Plains Public Radio

High Plains Public Radio was founded in 1977 for the expressed purpose of enriching the educational, cultural, and community life of the High Plains region. It is also dedicated to developing the self-identity of the High Plains so that the region might better appreciate its common heritage and build a sustainable future. It pursues this mission through public radio broadcasting because the medium is economical and accessible to nearly everyone.

Read more about HPPR History

The Two-Way

5:58 pm

Mon April 30, 2012

Protests Planned Across The United States To Mark May Day

Credit Spencer Platt / Getty Images

The Occupy movement will try to regain the momentum it created last fall.

By editor

A collection of activists — from labor unions to immigrant rights groups — are planning protests across the country tomorrow to mark May Day.

Of course, the highest profile organization is Occupy Wall Street, which has called for a "general strike" and says events are planned in 135 U.S. cities.

Here's how the movement describes its plans on its website:

Community: St. Louis, MO
Profession: Rabo AgriFinance

Community: Amarillo, TX
Profession: Executive Vice President, Panhandle Producers & Royalty Owners Association

Wayne Hughes has been executive vice president of the Panhandle Producers & Royalty Owners Association since 1991. He is the fourth executive vice president in the Association’s 82 year history and the longest-serving. Prior to joining the Association he worked for the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce and the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission.Wayne is a 1967 graduate of West Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and radio-tv production. He served in Viet Nam as commander of a combat motion picture team.During his tenure at the Association, Wayne has represented oil and gas producers, support companies and mineral royalty owners before the Texas and Oklahoma legislatures and in Washington DC.

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