Houston Matters

On Friday's show: While Hurricane Isaias is heading far east of Texas, we take a closer look at the first Atlantic hurricane of the season and how it might affect weather here with the help of Eric Berger, meteorologist with Space City Weather.

Also this hour: Our non-experts break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.

And Houston Chronicle arts editor Cary Darling considers the essential films set in Houston or about our city that all of us should see.

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On Thursday's show: Houston ISD has lost roughly twice the number of students district leaders had initially projected. We learn what the loss of nearly 10,000 in enrollment means for the district.

Also this hour: We talk with organist Roger Sayer ahead of a performance this week at St. Luke’s Methodist Church. Sayer was the organist who collaborated with Hans Zimmer on the rousing score to the movie Interstellar.

And Tony Diaz, founder and director of Nuestra Palabra, tells us about the organization’s first Houston Text Fest on Oct. 17, a day of workshops, panels, readings, and open mics amplifying Latino literary voices across Greater Houston.

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

Also this hour: In the latest installment of The Full Menu, local foodies talk about good places to get dishes with a comforting fall vibe.

And we preview this week's Adventurous Electric Guitar Festival at Rice University and hear a performance from one of its participants, Houston musician Kelly Doyle.

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On Tuesday's show: From core curriculum changes, to a centennial construction project, a lot is happening at the University of Houston these days. We talk with UH Chancellor Dr. Renu Khator about the state of the university system and the issues facing it, its flagship campus, and higher education as a whole.

Also this hour: Pianist Daniel Anastasio, ahead a concert in Houston on Friday.

And we talk with Houston filmmaker Cristopher Rodriguez, director of the film, Journey, screening this week at the Regal Edwards Houston Marq’E. It tells the story of a young undocumented man who’s deported to Mexico, but tries to find his way back to his family across the border.

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On Monday's show: Watchdog groups say Texas public schools lost nearly $300 million because of school vouchers. And Galveston ISD has a week to comply with a court order to display the Ten Commandments in its classrooms. We discuss those developments in public education.

Also this hour: We offer listeners a chance to vent their pet peeves about life in our city.

And we get an update on Houston sports.

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On Friday's show: The Trump administration is seeking to ban diesel exports for 90 days to stifle rising fuel prices. But how might that hurt refineries and oil and gas companies in Greater Houston?

Also this hour: We consider how the growth of AI is affecting jobs here in Greater Houston and what our future workforce will look like as the technology develops.

Then, from Astros players criticizing fans who booed their playoff performance, to a new junior hockey team in Houston being forced to delay their debut, our panel of non-experts weighs in on The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.

And we talk with filmmaker Mye Hoang, the director of a new documentary called 25 Cats from Qatar, which will be shown Sunday at River Oaks Theatre. The film tells the story of a Milwaukee woman who flew to Qatar to rescue 25 cats, bring them back to the United States, and get them adopted. It was not easy.

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On Thursday's show: Chris Brown, who serves as Mayor John Whitmire’s financial integrity director, has admitted to working 15-hour weeks for a $127,000 salary but defended his work at a tense city council meeting. Houston Public Media's Dominic Anthony Walsh tells us what happened and updates us on the latest developments from City Hall.

Also this hour: A federal judge has ruled that Texas has to accelerate its timeline to install air conditioning in all state prisons by the end of 2029. The judge seemed to suggest the state was slow-playing the installation, which may fit an attitude about prison conditions built around the notion that people in prison are being punished not by doing time, but how they do that time. We discuss that and other observations about the ethics surrounding Texas prisons.

Then, since we Houstonians tend to do a lot of driving and gas prices are so high these days, keeping our cars in peak condition is more important than ever. In that spirit, we welcome your long-term car care questions for Jeremy Robertson of Christian Brothers Automotive.

And we talk with Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, who’s also a musician. He and his band The Hi-Seas will perform Friday night at the Continental Club.

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

Also this hour: We learn how the Trinity River has shaped the politics, economy, and environment of Texas and Houston from Scot McFarlane, author of The River That Made Texas: A Forgotten History of the Trinity.

And two local arts groups celebrate the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and novelist Ayad Akhtar with events in the coming days. Akhtar will hold a reading on Oct. 5 of his latest novel, The Radiance, with Inprint Houston. And Houston's Shunya Theatre is staging a production of Disgraced, the play that won Akhtar the Pulitzer Prize for drama. We learn about both.

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On Tuesday's show: We remember former Houston health authority Dr. David Persse, who has passed away at age 66.

And we get an update on the latest step toward a proposed desalination plant in Galveston.

Also this hour: Ahead of Stand Down Houston, an event on Oct. 2 promoting education, career, home ownership, and other resources for veterans, we discuss benefits available to veterans in Greater Houston and how to access them.

Then, we talk with Katya Suvorova, who grew up here in Houston, and is the author of the new book Ungrateful Immigrant Daughter: A Memoir From the Child of a Mail-Order Bride.

And we preview this weekend's Festival Chicano at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

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On Monday's show: We examine how the new flu season is shaping up.

Also this hour: We discuss the future of commercial spaceflight, ahead of the latest SpaceX launch taking astronauts to the International Space Station.

Then, we talk through the latest stories in the world of education, including how politicians statewide may address K-12 education if elected in November and how school districts like HISD exit from state control.

And the Astros became the first team in MLB history to win their division with a .500 record. We talk about their chances against the White Sox in the playoffs.

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