Houston Matters

On Friday's show: Houston is set to receive $43 million from the Department of Transportation for flood and heat mitigation, pedestrian safety, and green space. We'll learn what those improvements will look like from Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, and discuss the value of new tree canopies with Barry Ward from Trees for Houston. Also this hour: Ahead of St. Patrick's Day, we revisit a conversation about Irish-Americans in Houston. Then, following a PBS Frontline win at the Academy Awards for 20 Days in Mariupol, we'll listen back to conversations about previous Frontline documentaries with Houston connections. And we meet the founder of Hopera, a company of singers that performs opera at local craft breweries.

On Wednesday's show: Nancy Sims joins us to discuss local, state, and national politics. Also this hour: It's been four years since the COVID pandemic started--we talk with Dr. Peter Hotez about where we are today and what's in store for the future. Then, Troy Schulze talks with some of the folks behind this year's FotoFest Biennial festival.

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 ra

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.