Houston Matters

On Monday's show: Newly obtained body camera footage shows an ICE agent's response after running over Houston immigrant Miguel Parra Hernández on Oct. 10. Last week, the ICE agent, Mario Alberto Morales, was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Houston Chronicle columnist Lisa Falkenberg was the first to obtain the offense report, medical records, and video from the incident, and she joins us to discuss what they reveal.

Also this hour: We discuss how Houstonians are dealing with anxiety, stress, and fatigue over tomorrow's elections.

Then, we offer listeners a chance to vent their pet peeves about life in our city.

And we get an update on the Rockets' start to the season and the relaunch of the Houston Comets.

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On Friday's show: We bring you radio from another era -- sort of.  We’re broadcasting live from Meow Wolf Houston’s Radio Tave. The interactive museum celebrates its two-year anniversary Saturday. The Fifth Ward art installation takes you inside a sort of choose-your-own-adventure science fiction story set -- at least at first -- decades ago in a community radio station.

Also this hour: Against the backdrop of Meow Wolf's Radio Tave, as we always do on Fridays, our non-experts break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.

And we hear a performance from the Houston Chicano soul band, Los Souldees.

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On Thursday's show: We reflect on the life and legacy of labor activist Dolores Huerta, who died this week at the age of 96. Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers union to improve working conditions in the nation’s fruit and vegetable fields and coined the phrase "Sí, se puede!" that became a widespread rallying cry.

Also this hour: Are political parties less respectful than they used to be? We discuss the increasingly difficult task of maintaining decorum in politics.

Then, we learn about Jasper, 1940: A Sound Installation at the Houston Museum for African American Culture, which is on view through Dec. 10, featuring archival recordings, oral histories, and contemporary voices. The recordings include Billy McCray, a formerly enslaved man from Jasper, Texas, who was interviewed by folklorist John Lomax. His account is mixed with recent recordings of his descendants.

And we chat with William Martinez, who stars in a one-man musical at Stages Houston next week called SIGNing the Song. Martinez grew up as a hearing child in a deaf household, and the show features Broadway and popular standards…and sign language. 

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

Also this hour: We take a trip through a local haunted house attraction.

And we discuss the wide variety of Halloween events taking place across Greater Houston this week.

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On Tuesday's show: New survey data from the University of Houston's Hobby School of Public Affairs looks at likely Texas voters' views on data centers and AI.

Also this hour: With tipping being an option at just about any kind of business these days, we discuss what tipping culture looks like in Houston.

Then, we revisit a conversation that considered whether Houston needs a new "big honkin' thing" such as famous landmarks like the Gateway Arch, Golden Gate Bridge, or Statue of Liberty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8BcnYkJSxU

On Monday's show: Fort Bend County Tax Assessor-Collector Carmen Turner was arrested last week after she was indicted on federal charges of misusing public funds. We get the latest details.

Also this hour: A new report sizes up how data centers could affect air quality. We take a closer look.

Then, ‘tis the season -- for college visits, applications, and early admissions. We get advice for students and their parents navigating the process.

And we recap the Texans' overtime loss to the Giants on Sunday.

On Friday's show: We recap last night's debate between candidates for Harris County Judge, Orlando Sanchez and Letitia Plummer.

Also this hour: Maritime archaeologist Mensun Bound details his 2022 expedition that led to the discovery of Endurance, explorer Ernest Shackleton's wooden ship that was lost in 1915 during an expedition to reach the South Pole. Bound will speak Saturday night at an event with the Texas chapter of The Explorers Club at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Then, our non-experts discuss The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.

And some Houston-area magicians talk about their craft.

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On Thursday's show: PFAs, those “forever chemicals,” have turned up in Houston’s bayous along with a lot of other waterways, according to a new report from Environment Texas and The Frontier Group. We take a closer look at the report and discuss what can be done about it.

Also this hour: We discuss plans to refurbish the Imperial Sugar Char House in Sugar Land after the city council there approved a $15 million infusion of future sales tax revenue to fund revitalization efforts for one of the city's historic landmarks.

Then, we visit the Houston Palestinian Festival, which took place Oct. 10-11 at Buffalo Bayou Park.

And former Houstonian and acclaimed fiction writer Bryan Washington was recently named a 2026 MacArthur Fellow. He tells us how Houston has shaped his writing and what the unrestricted fellowship, commonly known as a “genius grant,” means as his writing continues to evolve.

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On Wednesday's show: We preview the upcoming debate between candidates for Harris County Judge, which you can catch Thursday night at 7 on News 88.7, on TV 8, and at houstonpublicmedia.org. And we discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.

Also this hour: Twenty-five years after 9/11, how has growing up in the shadow of the terrorist attacks changed how Muslims grew up in America and Houston?

And we preview the Alley All New Festival, featuring staged readings of new plays.

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On Tuesday's show: Houston ISD has spent millions of taxpayer dollars building its own curriculum, and it is now sharing those materials with other school systems for free. We learn more from Houston Chronicle education reporter Nusaiba Mizan.

Also this hour: AI can summarize just about any article or book you could throw at it. But what does that mean for the future of reading and literacy?

Then, we reflect on how the classic western High Noon clashed with the anti-communist fervor of the 1950s, as outlined in Glenn Frankel's book High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic.

And we visit Bookish Fest, a recent event for readers and lovers of indie authors.

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