On Wednesday's Houston Matters: STAAR Test results are in for Texas public school children. We discuss what they tell us about the pandemic's effect on education over the past year.

Also this hour: We discuss the latest news in our weekly political roundup.

And neuroscientist and former Houstonian David Eagleman explains a way the pandemic might’ve been good for our brains. He'll participate in a virtual event with The Health Museum on Thursday, July 1, at 6 p.m. in conjunction with the museum's current exhibit, BRAIN: The World Inside Your Head.

On Tuesday's Houston Matters: We learn why First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff are visiting Houston.

Also this hour: Houston Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee answers your questions.

Then, Dwight Silverman of Forbes joins us to discuss the latest developments in technology, including the announcement of Microsoft's Windows 11 and his guide on how to shop for a 4K television.

And Magnolia’s Lynn Rippelmeyer tells how fate — in the form of some bad weather — allowed her and her mentor to make aviation history.

On Monday's Houston Matters: We check in with Harris County Public Health on a number of items related to COVID vaccination efforts, including the plans for remaining vaccination sites in the county, what percentage of the county’s residents have been vaccinated, why a report of CDC vaccination data didn’t include the state of Texas, and what concerns remain about the potential impact of the Delta variant of COVID-19 later this summer and into the fall.

Also this hour: As cruises once again set sail from Galveston, we look back at the pandemic’s effect on the industry.

Then, when it comes to housing, is Houston as affordable a place to live as we think it is? The numbers say no.

And we get an update on Houston sports.

On Friday's Houston Matters: We talk with Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee about TxDOT’s continuation of the I-45 expansion project despite a request to stop from the federal government.

Also this hour: We break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week's news -- namely two stories of people going to extraordinary lengths to tells stories about popular fast food.

And we wrap up the week with a pair of conversations with musicians: First, Texas troubadour Joshua Ray Walker discusses his craft ahead of a show at The Heights Theater tonight. Then, we talk with Texas native Charley Crockett, who's performing on the lawn at White Oak Music Hall on Saturday.

MORE: Charley Crockett Performs on Skyline Sessions

On Thursday's Houston Matters: A company sold $1.7 million worth of counterfeit N95 masks to the city earlier this year. What happened?

Also this hour: How ideas of entitlement interfere with social change – and sometimes turn bloody. It's the subject of a new book by Dr. Kristin Anderson. She’s a professor of psychology and fellow in the University of Houston-Downtown's Center for Critical Race Studies. It's called Enraged, Rattled and Wronged: Entitlement’s Response to Social Progress.

Then: Fast cars and high-speed chases are a staple of the Fast and the Furious franchise but are problematic for Houston roadways. We talk it over in the latest installment of our monthly film segment, The Bigger Picture.

And how a local trainer is helping many of the region’s professional athletes get more out of their bodies. We visit Fairchild Sports Performance.

On Wednesday's Houston Matters: Gov. Greg Abbott has set a special session of the Texas Legislature beginning July 8. We discuss what legislative priorities might be included on the agenda for the session (which the governor sets) and all the latest news in our weekly political roundup.

Plus: One of the pieces of legislation from the recently-concluded regular session the governor vetoed is Senate Bill 474, which would expand animal cruelty laws, criminalizing unlawful restraint of a dog. We learn why he vetoed the bill, and Houston animal rights advocates offer their reactions.

Also this hour: Knocking out a flight attendant's teeth. Passengers helping detain an unruly off-duty flight attendant. What’s the deal with all the recent incidents of unruly behavior in the air?

And longtime Houston political operative Bill King changes parties -- but he's not exactly crossing the aisle. We learn where he’s headed and why.

On Tuesday's Houston Matters: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo joins us to answer your questions about issues facing the county.

Then, there’s been a lot of hand-wringing lately about the mental health toll the pandemic has taken on, well, everyone. What are local professionals actually seeing? Are there more Houstonians seeking out mental health services -- and for what? We talk with a representative of Mental Health America of Greater Houston.

And we visit Art Museum TX, a new venue in Sugar Land whose mission is to showcase work by Texas artists and specifically those from Fort Bend County.

On Monday's Houston Matters: Police Chief Troy Finner joins us to discuss some recent crime trends and other law enforcement issues in the city.

Also this hour: Today is Make Music Day, an annual global celebration of music. It’s being held in more than a hundred American cities this year, including – for the first time, formally – the city of Houston. We talk about the important role music and musicians play in the cultural life of our city. Then, we talk with some area musicians and hear them perform. And we listen back to some of our favorite conversations with musicians from the past few years.

And we get an update on Houston sports from Cody Stoots, co-host of the sports podcast In the Group Chat.

On Friday's Houston Matters: Juneteenth is now a federal holiday as of yesterday. We learn how it's being celebrated around Greater Houston, from the annual Galveston Juneteenth Parade and Picnic, to the dedication of a new mural in Galveston, to BLCK Market Houston's Juneteenth Celebration and events at the Rutherford B. H. Yates Museum.

Also this hour: How walkable and bikeable is Houston currently, and what have we learned from previous attempts to make it more so? Have any changes from the past year influenced that thinking? We talk it over.

Then, a new law limits what social studies teachers can tell Texas students about American history. Gov. Greg Abbott this week signed into law a controversial bill forbidding educators from teaching what’s known as critical race theory – an academic framework centered on the concept of systemic racism. We ask HISD history teacher Nelva Williamson how it will affect her classroom.

And, from a law allowing Texas college athletes to be paid, to what the most misspelled word in Texas tells us about the Lone Star state, we break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.

On Thursday's Houston Matters: Eric Berger from Space City Weather updates on the sweltering weather and the potential this weekend for a weather disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico bringing rain here -- or more likely -- well east of here.

Also this hour: Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed, who grew up in Greater Houston, discusses her book On Juneteenth. In it, she reflects on the history and meaning of the day and how her own family celebrated it.

MORE: Annette Gordon-Reed will be the guest on Friday's edition of Town Square with Ernie Manouse at 3 p.m., and she'll participate a livestream event with Inprint Houston on Monday, June 21, at 7 p.m.

Then, Meg Tapp of The Garden Club of Houston answers your questions.

And, with Father's Day Sunday, three sons of famous fathers talk about their dads.