CHIPOTLE FIRINGS. The burrito chain Chipotle Mexican Grill fired nearly 500 workers in Minneapolis after being audited by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Former employees say restaurant managers knowingly hired and kept on undocumented workers. Labor rights advocates say the case illustrates how the restaurant industry takes advantage of a broken system of immigration laws.

Guests: Javier Morillo-Alicea, President, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 26, Minneapolis, MN, http://www.seiu26.org.

UNIVERSITIES IN CRISIS. Almost all states have cut higher education since the recession began. Public colleges in heavily Latino states such as Arizona, Illinois, Florida and California are considering eliminating entire departments or declaring bankruptcy. Federal budget cuts could put many Latino-serving colleges and universities closer to bankruptcy, hundreds of professors could be laid off, and with fewer grants for school and higher tuition fees, fewer Latino students may end up graduating.

FAST INTERNET FOR ALL. The National Broadband Plan seeks to expand high-speed internet access to all communities in the United States, at the same time as using the internet to improve education, healthcare, and energy. A year after the plan was put in place, many credit the plan with helping connect schools and health centers in low-income communities while others urge the government to pay more attention to community-based broadband networks that serve rural communities. This edition is part of our Conéctate series, to help reduce the digital divide.

Guests: Keyla Hernandez-Ulloa, Spokesperson, Federal Communications Commission, Washington, D.C.; Edyael Casaperalta, Coordinator, Rural Broadband Policy Group of the Center for Rural Strategies, Los Angeles, CA, http://www.ruralstrategies.org/rural-broadband-policy-group; Joseph E. Miro, State representative, R-Delaware: Co-Chair, En Acción Taskforce, National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, Dover, DE.

TAX TIME. In an economic downturn, new questions arise when filing tax returns. How to report unemployment compensation? Are there new guidelines for the newly self-employed or those who received an income reduction? How to file and receive tips on the internet? What do working families need to know about the Earned Income Tax Credit? How tax returns can impact immigration cases? As the tax filing deadline looms, listeners are invited to call in and ask questions of an IRS spokesperson.

Guest: José Muñoz, Spokesperson, Internal Revenue Service, Chicago, IL, www.irs.gov, https://twitter.com/IRSenEspanol

JAPAN: SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE RESCUE. When the massive earthquake and tsunami hit Japan and destroyed the telephone lines, social networking became a lifeline for thousands of Japanese who were trying to communicate with their loved ones. This program brings news about the rescue efforts in the devastated areas and the vital role social media is playing in helping survivors communicate.

Guests: Tania Gelényi Martínez, Mexican-Hungarian student who was in Northern Japan during the earthquake and tsunami, Budapest, Hungary; Mariano Andrés Solía, Director, Communications and Social Media, INTUIC, the Social Media Agency, Buenos Aires, Argentina, www.intuic.com

WISCONSIN BANS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. The governor of Wisconsin signed a bill that strips public employees of their collective-bargaining rights. Workers’ rights advocates in the state say this is the first step in a campaign by the governor to cut several social programs which would adversely affect Latinos, including health insurance for legal immigrants, prenatal care for undocumented women, and in-state college tuition for undocumented students who reside and graduate from high school in the state. This measure has sparked a national debate on the labor rights of public workers.

CYBER-RADIO LISTENERS. Spread out from Utah to Sinaloa, Mexico, distant listeners tune in to Radio Bilingüe online to enjoy their favorite shows. Internet radio puts listeners in touch with their loved ones thousands of miles away, as they tune in to La Onda Tejana, La Hora Mixteca, Línea Abierta, and Acento Sabroso. How do cyber-listeners manage to tune in to the audio stream? What players and gadgets do they use? This edition is part of our Conéctate series, www.conectate.radiobilingue.org to help reduce the digital divide.

Guests: Larry Sandoval, La Onda Tejana listener, Yuma, AZ; Lic. Cresencio Ramírez Sánchez, La Hora Mixteca listener, Culiacán, Sinaloa, México; Raúl López Vargas, Executive Director, Federación de Clubes Mexicanos in Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.

CYBER-LOVE. More and more people are searching for love on the internet, using online dating sites to meet, chatting and tweeting to get to know one another, before actually meeting in person. This Valentine’s Day, relationship counselor and writer Dr. Ana Nogales joins this edition to give online dating advice to listeners. This edition is part of our Conéctate www.conectate.radiobilingue.org series, to help reduce the digital divide.

Guest: Dr. Ana Nogales, Psychologist, Nogales Psychological Counseling Inc., Santa Ana, CA, www.ananogales.com

STUDENT LOAN REFORM. Both the health reform and the financial reform laws make big changes to loans for college students. Under new law, interest rates of public loans will be lower, and eventually, repayment would be based on income instead of interest. Private student loans for the first time will be overseen by a consumer protection agency. As parents and students get ready to file for financial aid, this edition takes a look at what the new laws mean.

Guests: Victor Sánchez, Vice-president, United States Students Association, Washington, D.C., www.usstudents.org ; Laura Maristany, Executive Director of Legislative Affairs, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Washington, D.C., www.hacu.net ; Dr. Alejandra Rincón, Vice-president of Programs, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, San Francisco, CA. www.hsf.net , http://tuspalabrasdehoy.org/

LATINOS DEFEND SOCIAL SECURITY. A bipartisan commission created to address the nation’s deficit recommends increasing the age seniors can claim retirement benefits and reducing benefits for many people. In response, a number of Latino organizations have come together in an alliance to defend social security from cutbacks and call for ensuring sustainability of the benefits, which they say represent nearly all the income for almost half of Latino seniors. Members of the new coalition join this on-air conversation.

Guests: Héctor Sánchez, Executive Director, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), and Member, Latinos for a Secure Retirement, Washington, DC , www.lclaa.org ; Roy Aragón, Consultant, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Albuquerque, NM, www.ncpssm.org