Hello Houston

On today’s Hello Houston, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Houston native Benjamin Moser discusses his new book, Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History, which uncovers the history of Jewish thinkers who became known for their opposition to Zionism.

Then, we hear the newest edition of Tessa’s regular Friday feature, Tessa Takes On, which spotlights Houston Dash midfielder KiKi Van Zanten, who discusses her latest season with the team and her journey to the world of professional soccer.

In the show’s second hour, we talk with Keturah Wilson, the founder and CEO of The Boss Factory, who tells us about her book And Don’t Forget to Pray, which explores surviving domestic violence, healing through faith, and finding purpose after trauma.

Plus, our hosts do our regular weekly features, Current Obsessions and Last Minute Plans, by sharing the latest things that have been taking over their free time, while they also share a comprehensive rundown of events happening this weekend in the Houston area.

And, as always, our hosts Tessa Barrera and Ernie Manouse discuss today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including the passing of former State Rep. Garnet Coleman, which they discuss with Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis, several voter registration applications found to have not been processed due to an error by Texas DPS, and James Talarico challenging Ken Paxton to a debate on Fox News.

On today’s Hello Houston, former Houston Astros TV play-by-play broadcaster Bill Brown talks about his nearly thirty years with the team, his memories of calling Astros games, and his thoughts on whether they can make the playoffs this season.

Then, we do our Thursday feature, HPM in Focus, in which Houston Public Media reporter Bianca Seward helps us understand where Houston ISD stands as the district moves closer to a possible end of state control.

In the second hour of the show, we shift to food and talk with Houston-area food and travel content creator Shawn Singh, also known as shawnthefoodsheep, who rejoins us on the show to share some of his recommendations for the best food spots for Fall dining in Houston.

Plus, United Airlines pilot Captain Nia Gilliam spotlights her memoir Cleared for Takeoff, which tells the powerful story of her journey in aviation and how she found her way back to the cockpit after witnessing the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

And, as always, our hosts Tessa Barrera and Ernie Manouse discuss today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including the recently approved Harris County budget, which they discuss with Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, who explains why he voted against the property tax hike, a federal judge ordering the Trump administration to restore access to banned news outlets, the plans to redevelop Greenspoint Mall, and more.

On today’s Hello Houston, Beth Wiedower Jackson, executive director of the Astrodome Conservancy, joins us again on the show to give us the latest plans and proposals that are being considered for the 8th wonder of the world and what it would take to give it new life.

Next, we’re joined by Come From Away director and choreographer Valerie Rachelle and cast members Shawn Hamilton and Heather Hall, who tell us all about the Stages production of this Tony-nominated musical, which will run through October 18.

In the second hour, we discuss a new Environment Texas report that’s raising concerns about the water quality in the rivers, lakes, and waterways in Texas with Guadalupe Fernández, the policy strategy director for Bayou City Waterkeeper, who also talks to us about the potentially unsafe levels of E. coli found in some Houston waterways.

Plus, we learn about the North American Hockey League team, the Houston Bulls, with their Vice President of Business Operations, Devon Buckland, who explains what the team’s presence means for Houston hockey fans.

And, our hosts Tessa Barrera and Michael Adkison talk about today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including Camp Mystic being investigated by the Texas Rangers, Ken Paxton being excluded from a recent fundraiser in Dallas, a TSU poll finding that many Texas races in the midterm elections will be close, and more.

On today’s Hello Houston, we begin the show by talking with Katherine Maher, the President and CEO of NPR, who discusses how public media is changing, how NPR is navigating the loss of federal funding, and what the future of public media looks like.

Then, we’re joined by the newly crowned Miss America, Houstonian Regan Hutsell, who tells us about her journey to the crown, what this win means to her, and her community service initiative Your Body Is Your Home, which focuses on body image and physical and mental well-being.

And, we hear the latest episode of our Tuesday feature, Five Simple Questions, in which Hello Houston Executive Producer Jim Kovacik talks with Ainsley “Lady L” Landry, Houston’s popular Screen Queen, cultural decoder and storyteller.

In the second hour of the show, we talk with Peter Salib, an assistant professor at the University of Houston Law Center, who breaks down all the latest news concerning AI as concerns over the potential risks of this technology continue to grow.

Also, Oli Mohammed, Executive Director of the Houston Furniture Bank, talks to us about the current state of furniture poverty in the greater Houston area and how the organization is working to combat it.

Plus, as always, our hosts Tessa Barrera and Ernie Manouse talk about the top stories of the day, including five major TV networks suspending pool coverage of President Trump and Texas Gubernatorial candidate Vikki Goodwin filing a police report over Dan Patrick’s AI campaign ads.

On today’s Hello Houston, we discuss the Environmental Protection Agency eliminating rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from coal and natural gas power plants with Jennifer Hadayia and Thelisa Lavergne of Air Alliance Houston. 

Next, we turn to film and hear Hello Houston producer Garrett Bohlmann and longtime Houston-area film critic Joe Leydon talk about the 30th anniversary of acclaimed Houston native filmmaker Wes Anderson’s first film, Bottle Rocket.

In the second hour, David Brockman, a Christian theologian and nonresident scholar with the Baker Institute’s Religion and Public Policy Program, shares his thoughts on students being required to read Bible passages as part of a new statewide reading list for Texas public school students.

And finally, Houston Public Media’s Galveston County bureau reporter Julianna Washburn tells us about the growing existential threat coral reefs are facing in the Gulf as water temperatures along the Texas coast continue to rise.

And, as always, our hosts Tessa Barrera and Ernie Manouse talk about today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including federal immigration agents shooting and injuring a Venezuelan man in Austin, and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo joins us to explain why she's calling out Commissioner Tom Ramsey over his vote on the county's property tax increase.

On today’s Hello Houston, we talk with Alie Brumel of The Breasties and Michele Lampach of Bobbies for Change, who both tell us about Connie’s Bill and how it aims to help provide coverage for mothers who are medically unable to breastfeed their children.

Then, we talk with local comedian Liz Faublas-Wallace, who discusses how she made the move from journalism to comedy and how she found her voice on stage.

In the second hour, Stephanie Wittels Wachs, a Houston native and co-founder and CEO of Lemonada Media, talks about her new book, Last Day: How to Stop Losing Our Loved Ones to the Opioid Crisis, and how it examines the ongoing opioid crisis.

Plus, we do our regular Friday feature, Last Minute Plans, in which our hosts share a comprehensive rundown of events going down in the Houston area this weekend, while they, and Hello Houston listeners, share their own plans for the weekend.

And, as always, our hosts Tessa Barrera and Ernie Manouse talk about today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including Macklemore donating $1 million to organizations that support Palestine, the holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial speaking out, and Harris County Commissioners Court approving a property tax increase, which they discuss with Sen. Paul Bettencourt.

On today’s Hello Houston, Francisco Romero, the main Spanish radio broadcaster for the Houston Astros Baseball Club, talks to us about his career, his hopes for the postseason, and what it means to be the Spanish voice of one of baseball’s biggest franchises.

Then, Houston Public Media reporter Sarah Grunau reports live from Harris County Commissioners Court ahead of the vote on the county budget for this week’s HPM in Focus, in which we spotlight the top trending story from our newsroom.

In the second hour of the show, we talk with Eric Balliet, a retired Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations, who explains why he thinks we’re losing the war on drugs, the current state of border enforcement, and his book Kingpins & Coyotes.

And finally, our hosts and listeners share a rundown of things that are currently taking over all their free time as part of our regular Thursday feature, Current Obsessions. You can send us your questions anytime by emailing us at [email protected].

And, as always, our hosts Tessa Barrera and Ernie Manouse discuss today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including the family of a Texas woman alleging the state’s abortion ban led to her death, the University of Texas making plans to eliminate four race and gender study majors, and more.

On today’s Hello Houston, we talk with David Gantz, the Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, who breaks down the U.S.-Canada trade war with both countries imposing tariffs on each other and what this means for the broader North American economy.

Then, Ernie spotlights the arts with his weekly feature, On the Marquee. Today, he talks with Elliot Andrews and Elizabeth D'Auito, who are playing Harold Hill and Marion Paroo in Theatre Under the Stars’ production of The Music Man, which is running at the Hobby Center through September 27.

In the second hour, we’re joined by Josh Baker, an investigative journalist with the BBC and producer of the series Where is Austin Tice?, which focuses on the American journalist and Houston native who disappeared in Syria over a decade ago and the search for answers about what happened to him.

And finally, we learn about the REELpoetry International Film Festival, a hybrid festival dedicated to short films that are infused with poetry or poetic, with its founder and director Fran Sanders and poet Laurie Clements Lambeth, who also tells us about her short poetry film.

And, as always, our hosts Tessa Barrera and Ernie Manouse discuss today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including the Federal Reserve’s expected decision to raise interest rates for the first time in three years, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filing articles to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, James Talarico leading over Ken Paxton in a new poll, and more.

On today’s Hello Houston, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Erik Ibarra, co-founder of Ox St. Kitchen, and Ivan Chavez of Chavo’s BBQ, who both discuss how Latino-owned businesses are creating new opportunities and flavors in Houston.

Also, we have another edition of our Tuesday feature, Five Simple Questions, in which Hello Houston Executive Producer Jim Kovacik talks with Houston-based media personality, emcee, speaker, and community leader, Me-Me Money.

In the second hour, we’re joined by author and motivational speaker Chantell Preston, who talks about her recently released book The Success Lie: Reframing Your Reality to Thrive Personally and Professionally, and how it challenges the belief that success can only be achieved through sacrifice.

Plus, we turn to literature and talk with Jaundréa Clay and Brooke Lewis, journalists and co-organizers of the annual BIPOC Book Fest, who tell us all about this celebration of the power of diverse stories and why creating space for diverse voices is important.

And, as always, our hosts Tessa Barrera and Ernie Manouse discuss today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick using three Texas University football teams' traditions for a campaign ad, Rep. Jasmine Crockett honoring singer Chris Brown at a concert, new details revealed about a holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy case, and more.

On today’s Hello Houston, we’re joined by Dr. Luis Ostrosky, chief of infectious diseases at UTHealth Houston, who helps us understand what Houstonians should know about the recently updated COVID vaccine as we prepare to enter the Fall season.

Next, we have our first Producer Spotlight, in which Hello Houston producer William Menjivar talks with Madison Elaine Sutton, the founder and artistic director of Houston Music Classifieds, about their work connecting local musicians and music fans.

In the second hour of the show, we turn to sports and talk with broadcaster and Texans on Tap podcast host, Charlie Pallilo, about yesterday’s Houston Texans season opener, how far the team has come after 25 years, and what they hope to accomplish this season.

Plus, Madame Christine Argillet, daughter of Salvador Dalí’s publisher Pierre Argillet, joins us to tell us about her family’s connection to the famous artist, as someone who knew and grew up around him, and a rare Dalí collection that will be in Houston starting tomorrow, September 15.

And, as always, our hosts Tessa Barrera and Ernie Manouse talk about today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including leaders of Anthropic and OpenAI calling for a slowdown in AI development, Sen. John Cornyn criticizing racist tweets posted by Bo French, and the Texas Supreme Court blocking Galveston County from using its newly approved precinct map for the November election.