Houston Matters

On Tuesday's show: The annual public school rankings from Children at Risk are out. Bob Sanborn, the organization's president and CEO, goes through the report, which is intended to help parents, educators, and community members better understand how their local schools are performing and spark dialogue on the quality of public education across Texas.

Also this hour: Newly elected City Controller Chris Hollins joins us to talk about his new role and how he plans to approach the city's looming budget issues.

And it's National Handwriting Day. We learn about how handwriting is taught in occupational therapy and consider whether it should be taught differently in school.

On Monday's show:  It appears Rice University may have settled a lawsuit brought against it and other universities over at least its knowledge of an alleged price-fixing scheme. We learn more from Houston Chronicle higher education reporter Samantha Ketterer.

Also this hour: The state says Texas soon won’t have enough full-time registered and licensed vocational nurses. But we’ll have more nurse practitioners than we need. We learn what different kinds of nurses do and discuss why there is a looming shortage of some of them.

Then, columnist Dwight Silverman talks about the latest developments in consumer technology.

And Jeff Balke updates us on Houston sports.

On Friday's show: We preview the Texans' next playoff matchup, which is Saturday afternoon against the Baltimore Ravens.

Also this hour: With the Texans back in the playoffs, the Astros being perennial postseason contenders, and the UH Cougars men's basketball team the Rockets and the Dynamo all on the upswing, the Houston sports scene is having a moment. But is it the start of a new “golden age” of Houston sports? We talk it over.

Then, from HISD Superintendent Mike Miles regretting calling off school due to the freezing weather, to a local meteorologist gaining acclaim for injecting song lyrics into his forecasts, to a Hempstead Pizza Hut going retro, we contemplate The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.

And we hear from the Houston-based bands The Mathletes and Swimwear Department, who are performing next week at White Oak Music Hall. It’s The Mathletes’ first gig in 12 years.

On Thursday's show: Harris County election officials held tests on Wednesday to prepare for the March primary election. We learn what that entails and discuss the dynamics of the county's first-ever joint primary between both the Republican and Democratic parties this year.

Also this hour: A coalition of nonprofits is planning to transform a building in Fort Worth that was once the state headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan into a cultural center and "safe space" for the community. One of the leaders of those efforts talks about the building's history and future plans for it in an excerpt from this week's edition of I See U with Eddie Robinson.

Then, Houston and Dallas both have been reporting declines in the number of homeless people in their communities, while other cities don’t seem to report the same kinds of successes. What are Houston and Dallas doing differently -- or are they overstating their successes?

And a new performance called Can We Know the Sound of Forgiveness fuses writing, art, music, and dance to explore the concept of forgiveness, and our relationship with the earth. Features Tierra composed by Gabriela Ortiz and a workshop performance by The Crossing, conducted by Donald Nally

On Wednesday's show: This week’s winter freeze is nearly over, and the Texas grid has held up well. If many were to blame for grid failures in 2021, who gets credit for this week’s relatively smooth sailing? It’s a political question and one we answer in this week’s political roundup, along with the Iowa caucuses, looking ahead to New Hampshire and South Carolina in the GOP presidential race, and other developments.

Also this hour: Former Houstonian Renée Elise Goldsberry, who won a Tony for her role as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, returns home for a concert Saturday night at the Hobby Center. She tells Houston Public Media’s Ernie Manouse how her long career in acting and singing began right here in the Bayou City.

And, ahead of a NOVA episode tonight on the James Webb Space Telescope, we hear from one of the folks behind the project that’s brought us remarkable high-resolution images from deep space.

On Tuesday's show: We have the very latest on the winter weather from meteorologist Eric Berger of Space City Weather.

Then, most schools are closed Tuesday because of the cold. Some of them were busy enough last week to make up for it, though. We check in with Houston Public Media’s education reporter Dominic Anthony Walsh to learn more.

Also this hour: We look ahead to what transportation projects are likely to affect Houston roads and highways in 2024.

Plus: The Houston Texans now know who their next opponent will be. As we prepare for Saturday’s divisional round game against the Baltimore Ravens, we recall a different era in the NFL when East Texas native and Houston Oilers great Earl Campbell was celebrated for his style of smash mouth football. It brought him great acclaim -- and a rough life after football, medically.

And a Texas-based photographer talks about his book, Lost Texas: Photographs of Forgotten Buildings.

On Friday's show: We learn the latest on freezing weather headed our way and get tips on how to prepare our homes and plants.

Also this hour: There’s no shortage of opinion in our world. Folks are more than happy to share their thoughts -- often in plain and not very impressive prose and usually in reductive and pithy sentences, memes, or emojis. That leaves us wondering: are we losing our ability to write compelling, elaborate, clearly thought-out, persuasive essays? Have we abdicated quality discourse in favor of "hot takes?"

Then, from Gov. Abbott turning his fundraising war chest on fellow Republicans who opposed vouchers, to Houston earning high marks for hosting the college football championship, our non-experts weigh in on The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week's news.

And we learn about some of the items from The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection that are on display at Holocaust Museum Houston beginning today through June 23.

On Thursday's show: We learn how ongoing United flight cancellations at Bush Airport due to the grounding of Boeing 737 Max 9 jets is affecting air travel in and out of Houston. And we discuss some recent developments at the latest Houston City Council meeting.

Also this hour: We consider where the abortion fight in Texas and nationally might be headed next.

Then, Maggie Gordon of Houston Landing explains some ongoing issues she's been reporting on within the Houston Public Library system, from employee dissatisfaction to dysfunction behind the scenes.

And the Houston Marathon is Sunday. We meet a former Rice University runner Cali Werner, who's written a children’s book about running and mental health, called Anxious Annie.

On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest in local, state, and national politics with Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina, the hosts of Houston Public Media’s Party Politics. 

Also this hour: Reporters Savanna Strott and David Leffler from Public Health Watch join us to discuss ongoing concerns over benzene levels in Channelview.

MORE: Jan. 12 Public Meeting on Benzene Pollution

And last year, the Texas Legislature passed a much larger budget of incentives to support television and film production in the state. We learn how that money has affected what's being filmed here.

 On Tuesday's show: We get an update on a deadly container ship fire at the Port of Houston on Monday.

Also this hour: We discuss the “TEXIT” movement -- the most recent effort for Texas to secede from the union -- why it has grown and what lessons we can draw from history about it.

Then, for years, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has presented a film series called Movies Houstonians Love. We talk with the latest Houstonians who have selected a film for screening: O Brother, Where Art Thou, which will be shown Jan. 13 at 7 p.m.

And, since it’s Taco Tuesday, we talk about the history of tacos with the author of a book called Planet Taco.