Houston Matters

On Tuesday's show: We talk with Jennifer Hadayia from Air Alliance Houston about a number of developments in environmental news, from highway projects and emissions to new federal standards and lawsuits from the state

Also this hour: Reporter Roxanna Asgarian shares what her book We Were Once a Family reveals about inequities in the child welfare system.

Then, allergist Dr. Dat Tran joins us to answer questions about getting allergy relief.

And we go behind the scenes of a new concert series at the University of Houston-Downtown.

On Monday's show: NPR's Franco Ordoñez joins us to discuss the Republican National Convention's spring meeting in Houston that took place on Friday.

Also this hour: After losing an hour of sleep from Daylight Saving Time, we talk about how to get back on proper rest with sleep expert Kristin Eckel-Mahan.

Then, we answer your gardening questions with Meg Tapp from the Garden Club of Houston.

And the NFL free agency period starts today. We'll talk with Jeff Balke about what moves the Houston Texans might consider.

On Friday's show: We discuss President Biden's State of the Union address and any implications for Texas with Texas Southern University professor Michael O. Adams.

Also this hour: We revisit a conversation with death row exoneree Anthony Charles Graves from I SEE U.

Then, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the week's news, including an investigation into the Houston Police Department, and a Texas land swap with SpaceX.

And Ernie Manouse talks with the local author of a book about Academy Award winner Hattie McDaniel.

On Thursday's show: HISD announced it will increase teachers' hourly pay as part of 2024-2025 compensation plan, which would take effect July 1 if approved by the board. However, reporter Dominic Anthony Walsh explains why the plan might not actually be the raise it seems.

Also this hour: We discuss how civic engagement has changed over the years – how much harder it is to actually get people from opposite sides of the political spectrum to engage with one another, how social media and cable news bubbles have created entirely separate worlds for the most partisan, and whether there’s a way to put that genie back in the bottle.

Then, we discuss how researchers and scientists are contemplating the use of AI, particularly as it starts to fall in the hands of consumers.

And, from the 1970s to the early 2000s, some radio stations were doing things a little bit differently – including here in Houston. The new documentary Runaway Radio tells the story of KLOL-FM, an iconic rock station – and a different time in radio. 

On Wednesday's show: We learn the results of primary election day in Texas, and our political analysts discuss what it all means -- along with all the other developments in politics -- in our weekly roundup.

Also this hour: Food writers talk about their favorite places to eat in Montrose and Midtown in this month's installment of The Full Menu.

And what if Harpo Marx and Salvador Dalí made a screenplay? Well, they did. The movie never got made, but we learn how a graphic novel by a Houston native brings it to life in a colorful way.

On Tuesday's show: Today is primary election day in Texas. We check in with the Harris County Clerk and learn how redistricting is causing back-and-forth shifts in political power in Houston's suburbs.

Also this hour: Slightly fewer folks have attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo so far this year. Is it a temporary hiccup, or is a post-pandemic attendance bump over? We discuss with rodeo president and CEO Chris Boleman.

Then: It’s tax season! We find out what’s new this year and welcome your tax questions for CPA Jason Sharp, tax partner with Crowe, LLP. Send your questions now to talk@houstonmatters.org.

And we visit Rec Room Arts to learn how what is billed as Houston’s smallest theater brings shows to life in a such a cozy venue.

On Monday's show: A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Texas law that would have allowed local police to arrest people suspected of being in the state illegally and created a state deportation force. We learn the latest in the battle over Senate Bill 4.

Also this hour: We offer Houstonians their monthly opportunity to vent about their pet peeves.

And we talk about the new seasons for the Dash and the Dynamo and some major soccer tournaments with matches in Houston recently.

On Friday's show: As the Houston-built Odysseus lunar lander goes dark, we reflect on what went right during the mission, what went wrong, and what it means for future space missions with Eric Berger of Ars Technica.

Also this hour: From a big day for renewable energy in Texas, to Houston now being home to the oldest person in America, we break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.

Then, with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo underway, we learn about the history of Black rodeos and Black cowboys in Texas.

And we talk about the phenomenon of translating popular movies into musicals as Beetlejuice the Musical comes to The Hobby Center March 5-10.

On Thursday's show: Harris County Jail has failed a safety inspection for the fifth time. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards has deemed the facility noncompliant with the state's safety standards. News 88.7 reporter Lucio Vasquez explains why.

Also this hour: Over the years, Texas and other states have passed laws requiring kids to get more physical education at school. We learn why those laws really didn't work.

Then, we hear from British actor Eric Kofi Abrefa of the Starz series BMF in an excerpt from this week's edition of  I See U with Eddie Robinson.

And what started as a Juneteenth mural in Galveston has expanded to other American cities. We meet Reginald Adams, the artist behind it all.

On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.

Also this hour: With HISD in the early stages of a state takeover, we learn about a Texas school district preparing to transition out of it. The superintendent of Marlin ISD near Waco shares lessons from that district's seven years under state control.

And we preview the Moody Center’s Spring Fling concert at Rice this weekend. It features a country singer and an R&B duo and is being billed as an "alternative to the crush and expense of the Houston Rodeo."

On Tuesday's show: We learn about a conference on crime and public safety in Houston tomorrow.

Also this hour: Duncan Klussmann, the former superintendent of Spring Branch ISD, explains the problems he has with how that school district is handling its current financial issues, which is a subject he outlined in a recent opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle.

Then, we revisit the case of Texas death row inmate Ivan Cantu, who is scheduled to be executed this week. A true crime podcast investigation into his story, new evidence, witnesses recanting, and former jurors coming forward with concerns about his conviction have led some high-profile activists to take up his cause.

And we visit the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, where a new installation called Haha Real fuses animation and video game graphics with traditional art and an immersive soundscape by a Houston-born musician. And the whole thing is inspired by the classic children’s story The Velveteen Rabbit.

On Monday's show: We get an update on the Houston Avenue street project saga.

Also this hour: With the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo getting under way, we talk about the history of the trail rides that lead up to each year’s event with the head of the committee who organizes them and with photographer Ray Viator, who has a new book documenting them called All Trails Lead to Houston: Riding to the Rodeo.

Then, columnist Dwight Silverman discusses some recent developments in consumer technology.

And we get an update on Houston sports.

On Friday's show: An unmanned spacecraft built by a Houston company has landed on the moon, making it the first commercial landing on the lunar surface and the first American spacecraft to make a soft landing there since the Apollo program ended in the 1970s. We learn about the landing and what the Odysseus lander will do during its mission.

Also this hour: Saturday is Hockey Day in Houston. An event at Saint Arnold Brewery is designed to promote hockey at all levels in the Houston area. We reflect on some of Houston's hockey history with a former player from the Houston Aeros, we discuss where and how hockey is being played in Greater Houston, and we get the latest on more serious talks about bringing an NHL team here.

Then, we meet some of the local artists creating installations for the Houston location of Meow Wolf.

And, from the Houston-filmed movie Reality Bites turning 30 years old, to John Oliver making Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas a unique offer, we discuss The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.

On Thursday's show: Spring Branch ISD will no longer employee librarians, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, a district spokesperson confirmed to Houston Landing. We learn about the budget constraints behind this move and how the district plans to keep libraries running at its campuses.

Also this hour: The new film The Taste of Things explores love between a chef and his personal cook. We discuss the movie and meet one of Houston's own restaurateur couples on this month’s installment of The Bigger Picture.

Then, we hear an excerpt of a conversation with author and anti-racism activist Ibram X. Kendi from this week's edition of I See U with Eddie Robinson.

And we talk with filmmaker and Houston native Alex Stapleton, who’s directed an episode of God Save Texas, a series of three documentaries that just premiered at Sundance and that's based on a book of the same name by Lawrence Wright. Stapleton’s contribution is called “The Price of Oil,” and it explores how the oil industry has been a defining economic force in Houston, and specifically on Black people, including multiple generations of Stapleton’s family.

On Wednesday's show: New polling is out as early voting has begun in primary elections. We discuss that and all the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.

Also this hour: Actor Alan Cumming is bringing his Not Acting His Age tour to The Hobby Center on March 6 and 7. Ahead of that, the Scottish-born, Tony Award-winning star of stage and screen talks with Houston Public Media's Ernie Manouse. 

And we learn how traditional school book fairs have evolved with the ever-changing landscape of literacy.

On Tuesday's show: Early voting begins today in the March primary election and continues through March 1. We preview what's on the ballot.

Also this hour: We discover what sociologist Michael Sierra-Arévalo learned from spending more than a thousand hours riding with police officers around the country, which he details in his book, The Danger Imperative. He explains how the perception of a "war on cops" has affected law enforcement -- and the public's encounters with police.

Then, the issue of racism is deeply complex, and, historically, it’s not been as simple as white discrimination against people of color. Sometimes a member of a group that’s often discriminated against can discriminate themselves. That’s a subject Fordham University law professor and race relations expert Tanya Hernández explores in her book Racial Innocence. We hear an excerpt of her recent hourlong conversation on I See U with Eddie Robinson.

And the film Reality Bites premiered in movie theaters 30 years ago this week. The movie is remembered today by some as the quintessential Gen X movie. Whether it is or not, film critic Joe Leydon reminds us it may be the quintessential Houston movie.

On Monday's show: Today is Presidents' Day. Who were the best presidents in our nation's history? Who were the worst? We talk with University of Houston professor Brandon Rottinghaus about the Presidential Greatness Project and its latest survey and ranking of those who've held our nation's highest office.

Also this hour: We learn how a group of Black soldiers known as "the Blue Helmets" made history in World War II and moved forward the cause of African Americans in the military. An exhibit about them is on display now at the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum through June 30.

Then, veterinarian Dr. Lori Teller answers pet care questions.

And we get an update on Houston sports from Jeff Balke.

On Friday's show: We learn about some recent developments in education, including some concerns about the way the written portion of some STAAR tests will be graded in the future and news about declining student enrollment at HISD since the pandemic.

Also this hour: Three years after a deadly winter storm knocked out power across Texas, what has changed -- and what hasn't?

Then, we break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week, including Drake, 50 Cent, and several others musicians all being registered to vote at the same house in Katy.

And writer and former Houstonian Suzette Mullen discusses her new memoir, The Only Way Through Is Out, which explores her decision to come out later in life. She’s holding a book signing at Brazos Bookstore on Feb. 22.

On Thursday's show: Ahead of next month's primary election, we talk with Sean Teare, who's running for Harris County District Attorney against incumbent Kim Ogg, who visited us herself for a candidate interview recently.

Also this hour: We discuss what happens when the public’s right to know bumps up against an individual’s right to privacy. Law professor Amy Gajda examines that subject in her book, Seek and Hide: The Tangled History of the Right To Privacy.

Then, we learn how a groundbreaking study by two Black psychologists, often referred to as The Doll Test, helped form the backbone of the legal case that ended school segregation. Author Tim Spofford tells the story in his book, What the Children Told Us. We hear an excerpt of his hour-long conversation on this week's edition of I See U with Eddie Robinson.

And a mother and daughter we met a decade ago while attending college together tell us us what’s happened in the years since.

On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.

Also this hour: In celebration of Valentine's Day, some Houstonians share their love stories. And listeners share some of their favorite love songs.