The final installment of State of Affairs airs today at 1pm on WFPL. We’ll spend the hour looking back at moments from our 14-year run, and we hope you’ll join us with your thoughts and memories at 877-814-8255.

Julie Kredens announced the end of State of Affairs at the end of today’s show.

The first thing we want you to know is that we’ll have a big celebration show on Thursday at 1pm and 9pm – looking back at some of our most memorable moments – favorite callers, unforgettable guests, life-changing stories – and we want you to join us to let us know if there’s a moment or two that’s stuck with you as you’ve listened.

What’s next? WFPL has been committed to local talk for 14 years, and we’re keeping that commitment. State of the News – the popular Friday roundup of important local and regional news – will continue at 1pm.

We’ll also be launching regular news specials (like tomorrow’s examination of Mayor Fischer’s first 100 days in office), where we devote significant time to discussing local news or other topics that listeners tell us are important.

From day to day, we’ll air Here and Now from PRI, which will provide a framework for local interviews with newsmakers, authors, academic experts, and civic groups. It will be similar in style to Morning Edition and All Things Considered, which provide a framework for our local news and in-depth reporting in the mornings and afternoons.

Why the change? It’s time. Our resources for local talk are limited, so we need to focus on high quality and high impact for the work we do. We also need to align local talk more closely with Louisville Public Media’s goal of increasing its journalistic output to better serve the community.

What’s happening with Julie? We’re working on a concept for a new series of interviews that will showcase Julie’s ability to interact with guests and create really magical radio. Watch for more news about that.

Today at 1pm on State of Affairs, Julie Kredens is joined by former Alderman Steve Magre, historian and current Metro Council Member Tom Owen, and Lisa Pisterman, author of Louisville’s Germantown and Schnitzelburg. Join us with your neighborhood memories at 877-814-8255.

Television & film expert David Inman joins Julie Kredens on State of Affairs today to look back at the history of television in Louisville, the topic of his latest book. Join us with your local TV memories at 877-814-8255.

You rush home along the interstate, maybe you cross a bridge, turn left onto your street, get out of your car, walk to the front porch and there it is, the package you’ve been waiting for all week. Chances are you won’t give your journey another thought, much less the journey of the package. But how did that box of shoes end up on your front porch? Or better yet, how did some wood, nail and leather end up as a pair of shoes on your front porch? Join us on Wednesday when we listen back to a conversation about logistics – what it is and the importance to a business, the consumer and the local economy.

A drug-resistant superbug, once thought to be rare, is spreading through healthcare facilities in Southern California. It’s called CRKP, and it’s in a league of bacteria – much like another well-known superbug, MRSA – that have proven highly resistant to an array of antibiotics. These days we have a seemingly endless variety of soaps, disinfectants, anti-bacterial lotions, and hand gels, but when it comes to germs, are we going overboard? And do we really know the best way to prevent the spread of those microbes that do us the most harm – like superbugs? Tune in this Tuesday as we listen back to a conversation we had about how germs work, and how to keep them from making us sick.

Despite the unsettling recent snowfall, Spring has, in fact, sprung. That means it’s time for garden enthusiasts to get out there and play in the dirt. It also means it’s time for our semi-annual show on all things gardening in Kentucky! Bob Hill & Jeneen Wiche join us to talk spring to-do lists, garden preparation, planting dates, and maybe even a few new trends & flowers for 2011. Call in to share your questions and tips for a bountiful year in the Bluegrass.

Another work week has come & gone, and that means it’s time for another edition of State of the News. The week we’ll talk about what happened at the ethics committee hearing for Councilwoman Judy Green, check in on business news, and find out what’s going on in the Indiana statehouse now that the Democrats have returned.

A House bill to raise the drop out age in Kentucky failed in the Senate for the third time during the last General Assembly session. Current estimates put the drop out rate in our state at more than 2%, though in today’s economy 6% of high school dropouts never find work and the rest work only half as much as students who finish high school. The differences in employment potential & earnings between drop outs and college graduates are even more staggering. So why do kids continue to leave school? We listen back to a conversation on why students drop out and what we can do to encourage them to graduate.

STATE OF AFFAIRS 03/29/11: Did you stand in line for your iPad 2? Having trouble deciding which to take along on spring break – the Nook or the Kindle? Are your friends tired of you re-tweeting everything your latest love interest posts? If so, you might be a techie. And if you are – or if you just want to be – join us on Tuesday for another edition of Tech Talk. Our technology gurus will answer your gadget questions and dispense advice on keeping all your devices connected and running smoothly.