Houston Matters
Episodes
On Monday's show: We get an update on the latest COVID-19 numbers and early voting turnout. Also this hour: We discuss the flood mitigation projects the Army Corps of Engineers is proposing in an interim report. A virtual public meeting is being held today from 1-3 p.m. If you miss the meeting but still want to comment on the proposals in the report, the Army Corps of Engineers will accept public comment through Nov. 2 by... Re...
On Friday's show: CHI St. Luke’s is breaking ties with two major health insurers. We examine what that means for Houstonians. Also this hour: It's been a particularly bad week in the energy sector as ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods told employees layoffs are inevitable. Then, we break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week's news. And Houston writer Bryan Washington writes unapologetically about Houston in his d...
On Thursday's show: How the City of Houston is tackling an 11 percent increase in violent crime. Also this hour: We learn how the pandemic might be affecting the social development and mental health of our children. Then, in the latest installment of The Bigger Picture, we take a closer look at the new Netflix film The Forty-Year-Old Version, about a struggling New York playwright who suddenly decides to try her hand at a hip-h...
On Wednesday's Houston Matters: The Houston Federation of Teachers weighs in on recent HISD school closures due to COVID-19 cases. Also this hour: We discuss recent news in our weekly political roundup. Then, we learn how first responders are dealing with their stressful jobs during the pandemic. And we talk with the directors of Houston Grand Opera’s first show of its all-digital season, which is about a centuries-old Flemish ...
On Tuesday's Houston Matters: Texas typically ranks low in voter participation, but just a week into early voting, Texans are casting their ballots in record numbers. How might that affect the rest of the election? Also this hour: Energy expert Daniel Yergin discusses how energy policy has come up in the presidential campaign with News 88.7’s Kyra Buckley. Yergin’s latest book is The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of N...
On Monday's Houston Matters: HISD students return to in-person classes. And we get an update on COVID-19. Also this hour: How much information does a government owe its citizens? We elect many of our leaders, but is there a reasonable limit to the amount of knowledge we should have about those leaders — like their state of health, for instance? Then, local activist Eesha Pandit talks about how women have used their voices in po...
On Friday's Houston Matters: A new rule allows Texas social workers to turn away clients with a disability or who are LGBTQ. Also this hour: We get an update on the Houston economy from Patrick Jankowski of the Greater Houston Partnership. Then we find out why the Astros were mentioned during the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett as we discuss The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week's......
On Thursday's Houston Matters: Record numbers turned out for the first day of early voting in Harris County. We discuss that and some legal battles and glitches affecting voting across Greater Houston. Also this hour: We discuss the latest news in our weekly political roundup. And we offer you a chance to vent by sharing your Houston pet peeves.
On Friday's Houston Matters: Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that bars in Texas can reopen at 50 percent capacity for in-person service next week — as long as their county governments choose to allow it. We get clarity on what will happen next when the governor’s order goes into effect Wednesday. Also this hour: With early voting beginning Oct. 13, Brandon Rottinghaus, co-host of Party Politics, answers your questions abou...
On Thursday's Houston Matters: Houston is in the middle of a housing crisis. But even with rental assistance programs and the CDCs national eviction moratorium in place, some of Houston's most vulnerable are still losing their homes. We find out why. Also this hour: Our next candidate interview features a conversation with Democratic Congressional candidate Sri Preston Kulkarni. He’s running to represent District 22 agains...
On Wednesday's Houston Matters: Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health, gives us an update on the COVID-19 situation in the region. And we get an update on Hurricane Delta, which is expected to land on the Gulf Coast Friday evening or early Saturday. Then our political roundup includes the latest in local, state, and national politics. Plus Roman Mars, host of the podcast 99% Invisible, discusses his ...
On Tuesday's Houston Matters: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is facing calls to resign amid new allegations of improper influence, abuse of office, and bribery. We learn what’s behind these new allegations. Also this hour: We talk with Congressional candidate Mike Siegel. He's the Democrat challenging incumbent Rep. Michael McCaul in the 10th Congressional District. It's the second in a series of planned interviews w...
On Monday's Houston Matters: Today is the deadline for Texans to register to vote in the November election. We consider which court battles changed the nature of our election, including the 2013 strike down of the preclearance provision in the Voting Rights Act, which required federal approval for changes in election procedures in Texas and other Southern states. Also this hour: Elective procedures that were put on hold during ...
On Friday's Houston Matters: The case against chemical company Arkema has been dropped without going to a jury. News 88.7’s environment reporter Katie Watkins explains why. And Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered Texas counties to reduce the number of locations where voters can drop-off their absentee ballots to just one each. Some Democratic counties, like Harris County, had set up multiple drop-off locations in what they call an eff...
On Thursday's Houston Matters: Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins is seeking to send mail-in ballot applications to all registered voters. The state argues that violates the Texas Election Code. News 88.7's Andrew Schneider has the latest. Also this hour: A new worldwide network of scientists is dedicating itself to catching viruses before they make the jump from animals to humans, and it includes two researchers at the Univ...
On Wednesday's Houston Matters: An update on concerns over the water supply in Lake Jackson after the death of a young boy was traced to a brain-eating amoeba in the drinking water. Also this hour: Our political roundup includes a recap of the first presidential debate of the general election. Then, PBS turns 50 next week. Its President and CEO Paula Kerger joins us to discuss public television’s legacy and future. And the Hous...
On Tuesday's Houston Matters: Getting caught for some crimes in the City of Houston might not have to end with spending a night in jail anymore. We learn more about the Houston Police Department's new cite and release program, which is modeled on a similar one used by the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Also this hour: The oil and gas industry knows it needs to embrace new digital technology. So why are so few companies...
On Monday's Houston Matters: We discuss the Houston Chronicle's investigative series called Exposed, which examines how all levels of government failed to prepare for a pandemic leaders knew would someday arrive. Also this hour: New York Times's columnist Charles Blow asks the question, "Is there really a racial reckoning?" as part of a lecture series on social justice at the Rothko Chapel. Then, Dr. Karen Wuer...
On Friday's Houston Matters: We talk to education reporter Jacob Carpenter about reports of positive COVID-19 cases at area school districts as more campuses open for face-to-face instruction. Also this hour: Michael Hagerty talks to former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who says the real conflict in America is between forces larger than Republicans versus Democrats. That's the topic of his latest book, The System: Who Rigge...
On Thursday's Houston Matters: How a new automated service is clearing up Harris County Public Health's backlog of positive COVID-19 cases. Also this hour: Houston is diverse, but is it inclusive? A new study from a D.C. think tank suggests…not so much. What findings from the Urban Institute suggest about racial and economic disparities in the Bayou City. Then, in this month’s installment of The Bigger Picture, we look at A...