Houston Matters

On Wednesday's show: A new survey reveals the issues Houston voters are concerned about and asks whether residents have considered leaving the Greater Houston area and why. 

Also this hour: Houston-area Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who’s running for Houston mayor, answers listener questions. It’s the latest in a series of interviews with candidates for that office, as well as Houston controller, over the next month.

On Tuesday's show: It got downright chilly here in the Houston area lately. After our long, exhausting, extremely hot summer, fall has arrived, and we’re breaking out jackets. But it won’t last, and some heat is returning Friday, as we learn from Houston Chronicle meteorologist Justin Ballard.

Also this hour: In our latest candidate interview, we welcome your questions for attorney and former METRO Chair Gilbert Garcia, who's running for Houston mayor.

And TV reporter and host John Quiñones talks about beginning his career as a reporter in Houston in the 1970s and reflects on what he's learned from hosting the hidden-camera show What Would You Do? for the past 15 years.

On Monday's show: We learn more about state Proposition 5, which voters will decide in the November election. If passed, it would provide a vehicle to allocate some money from the state’s rainy day fund to four prominent Texas public research universities, including the University of Houston.

Also this hour: Veterinarian Dr. Lori Teller answers your pet care questions.

And we get an update on the Astros-Rangers series from Jeff Balke.

On Friday's show: A “ring of fire” solar eclipse is headed the Lone Star state’s way on Saturday. We learn who will be able to see it, how to do so safely, and what we’ll be able to see here in the Bayou City.

Also this hour: From an EPA threat about ozone levels here, to some final clarification about Mattress Mack not throwing any ceremonial first pitches at Astros playoff games, we discuss The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week’s news.

And the Houston Symphony’s annual Fiesta Sinfónica is Friday. Guest conductor Donato Cabrera tells us more about the concert featuring Hispanic and Latin American composers and themes.

On Thursday's show: Every year, the Episcopal Health Foundation surveys Texans to gauge where different communities throughout the state stand regarding health care. The latest report shows an alarming rise in Texans choosing to skip or delay medical care because they simply can’t afford it.

Also this hour: In our latest candidate interview, we welcome your questions for attorney Lee Kaplan, who’s running for Houston mayor.

And Houston writer Kathryn Casey tells us about largely forgotten explorer Ruth Robertson, who in 1949 mounted an expedition into the Venezuelan jungle to measure one of the world’s tallest waterfalls. Later in life, Robertson settled in Brazoria County. She's the subject of Casey’s new historical fiction novel, Angel Falls.

On Wednesday's show: From the ongoing war in Israel, to the search for a new Speaker of the House, to the Houston mayor's race, we discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.

Also this hour: Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and Houston native Ben Moser talks about his latest book, The Upside-Down World. It explores how his fascination with the Dutch masters, like Rembrandt and Vermeer, helped him build a life for himself in the Netherlands and allowed him to confront challenging questions about his craft. Moser discusses the book at an event at the MFAH on Oct. 15.

And author and cartoonist Stephan Pastis, creator of the cartoon Pearls Before Swine, talks about his new novel, Looking Up, which naturally features his illustrations. He visits Houston's Blue Willow Bookshop for an event on Oct. 23.

On Tuesday's show: Today is the last day for Texans to register to vote in the November election. We run through what you need to know about your voter registration status, where to register, and how to do so.

Also this hour: We continue our series of candidate interviews leading up to the November election by speaking with Orlando Sanchez, who's a candidate for Houston City Controller.

Then, Houston writer Bryan Washington talks about his latest novel, Family Meal.

And filmmaker John Waters talks with Houston Public Media's Ernie Manouse prior to his one-man stage show in Houston Oct. 13.

On Monday's show: A third special session of the Texas Legislature begins with the focus including school vouchers and the creation of a state deportation force.

Also this hour: We get an update on efforts – or sometimes the lack thereof – to plug abandoned oil wells in Texas bays.

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

And we get the latest on the Astros' playoff series against the Twins and the latest on Houston sports from Jeff Balke.

On Friday's show: We get an explanation of the ballot measures voters will decide in the November election, including Proposition B, which would decide whether the city stays in a regional body known as the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC).

Also this hour: We learn more about a spacecraft built in Houston that will be the first commercial craft to land on the moon and the first soft landing on the lunar surface by an American mission since the days of Apollo.

Then, we break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.

And we learn more about the Alley Theatre’s production of American Mariachi.

On Thursday's show: News 88.7's education reporter Dominic Anthony Walsh tells us about HISD’s struggle to maintain special education services after cutting 21 contractors.

Also this hour: We talk with Houston City Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin, who's a candidate for Houston controller.

Then, Dr. Peter Hotez of Baylor College of Medicine discusses his new book, The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist’s Warning.

And NPR’s Steve Inskeep talks about the lessons we can draw for our own lives from how Abraham Lincoln engaged in the divided political world of the 1860s, which is the subject of his new book, Differ We Must.

Audio from today's show will be available after 11 a.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, Stitcher and other apps.