Houston Matters

On Wednesday's show: We recap the first day of suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial and discuss other local, state, and national political developments in our weekly roundup.

Also this hour: Houston food writers give recommendations for solid pizza joints around town on this month’s edition of The Full Menu.

And we learn how Houston Oilers great Warren Moon and other Black quarterbacks revolutionized professional football, which is the subject of John Eisenberg’s new book, Rocket Men.

On Tuesday's show: We discuss the start of the impeachment trial for suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton with News 88.7’s Andrew Schneider.

Also this hour: Why Dr. Heath Morrison recently left his job as the superintendent of Montgomery ISD to tackle one of the biggest problems facing education: the teacher shortage.

Then, Arturo Lopez, Houston franchise owner of TruBlue Total House Care, answers your home maintenance questions.

And we talk with author and journalist Sim Kern, whose new novel, The Free People's Village, imagines an alternate history where Al Gore won the 2000 presidential election, and initiatives against climate change produce new kinds of inequality here in Houston.

On Friday's show: A civil court judge in Harris County has granted a temporary restraining order filed by the Houston Federation of Teachers, which, for the moment, puts on hold HISD’s new teacher evaluation system. Jackie Anderson, president of the union, explains what her organization alleges and wants.

Also this hour: A few hundred particle physicists are descending on Houston next week for Quark Matter, an international gathering of researchers who study the matter that formed the universe. We learn about some of the recent breakthroughs in that field and discuss how pop culture has made this kind of science more mainstream.

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

And, on the heels of her eighth win at the U.S. Gymnastics championships, Simone Biles talks about returning to competition and how she approaches her sport -- and the spotlight -- after stepping away following the Tokyo Olympics.

On Thursday's show: What is now Tropical Storm Idalia continues to roll through the southeast’s Atlantic coast, Houstonians are poised to help folks in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

Then, a Travis County judge rules a controversial new state law is unconstitutional, but it’s still taking effect. We learn more about the court fight over the so-called “Death Star” law.

Plus: A local teachers' union is suing Houston ISD’s appointed board of managers and superintendent over changes in teacher evaluations.

Also this hour: We learn about a simultaneous heart and kidney transplant last month at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston -- the first of its kind for that institution. We also learn more about other organ transplants and how the process works for veterans in need.

Then, when Jose Altuve notched his 2,000th hit this month, Astros fans cheered while other fans – again – labeled him a cheater over the 2017 sign-stealing scandal he reportedly didn’t take part in. We discuss the challenge of shedding labels with Evan Drellich, senior writer for The Athletic, who, along with Ken Rosenthal, broke the story of Astros cheating scandal.

And the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo recently took home the award for Fair/Rodeo of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Honors.

On Wednesday's show: With new laws taking effect this week, campaigns heating up, and even an impeachment trial scheduled to begin next week, it has been an uncharacteristically busy stretch in local, state, and national politics. We discuss all the latest developments in our weekly roundup.

Also this hour: How are prisoners in Texas without air conditioning faring during the recent extreme heat?

And the Houston Music Advisory Board, which was established last year by the mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs, will hold a panel discussion on "bridging the musical gap" in Houston. We find out what that means.

On Tuesday's show: We discuss the slight drop this week in Houston's absurdly hot temperatures.

And Katy ISD voting on its “gender fluidity” transgender policy is just one example of laws and policies that impact the health and safety of children in Texas. Such laws and policies are the subject of an event Wednesday at Rice University. We talk over some of the issues that will be addressed.

Also this hour: Houstonian Gene Kranz spent decades at NASA. The longtime flight director during the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs led mission control during the moon landing and the “successful failure” of Apollo 13. Michael Hagerty has an extended conversation with Kranz, who lives in Dickinson, and has a new book out called Tough and Competent.

And the University of Houston’s LGBTQ Resource Center closes this week. We discuss why, the center’s legacy, and what resources will be available for LGBTQ students at UH going forward.

On Monday's show: Today is the first day of classes at Houston ISD under state control. We discuss a new school year of change.

Also this hour: We learn about some controversial videos approved for use in Florida public schools that, for a moment this week, seemed like they might be coming to Texas schools too. We explain why they’re not – at least for now.

Then, from streaming service news, to an improved wireless car play adapter, we discuss developments in consumer technology with columnist Dwight Silverman.

And will the Astros be able to catch the Texas Rangers and win their division -- as their fans have gotten so used to them doing? Or is there a chance they could miss the playoffs altogether, given how close the Wild Card race has gotten of late?

On Friday's show: There's no denying it's been absurdly hot this summer, but Houstonians are used to a decent amount of rain coming with that heat each summer -- the one silver lining to all the humidity we experience. However, the Bayou City is looking a little parched these days. So much so that the City of Houston has entered stage two of it's drought contingency plan. We learn what that means, take stock of the severity of the drought, and discuss the ways it's affecting our environment.

Also this hour: As school starts across the region, a retired Houston kindergarten teacher and a school mental health expert offer advice on helping kids who are starting kindergarten for the first time (and their parents) adjust to the experience.

Then, we discuss why a central Texas high school football team is not playing under Friday night lights this week and other intrigues in the news as we break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.

And a new project called Not For Sale Real Estate from artist Jody Wood uses artwork based on Houstonians who are facing eviction to raise awareness of housing insecurity -- and to raise funds to keep those people in their homes.

On Thursday's show: We discuss a recent rise in COVID cases locally and whether there’s any cause for concern.

And the team from Needville won an extra-inning thriller to advance to the U.S. championship game in the Little League World Series. Their head coach, Andy McRae, tells us about the game and about how the kids are navigating the experience of playing on such a stage.

Also this hour: Does Houston have a role to play in future debate over nuclear power and disarmament? We talk with a local history professor and with the producer of In Search of Resolution, a documentary examining the continuing dangers posed by the existence of nuclear weapons, which airs Aug. 30 at 10 p.m. on Houston Public Media, TV 8.

Then, at first, the new film Jules may seem like a breezy comedy about an alien visiting a senior citizen. But it raises some compelling questions about aging parents, independence, and dignity. The movie and those issues are the subject of this month's edition of The Bigger Picture.

And we hear the muisc of the Magnolia City Brass Band ahead of a concert on Saturday featuring works by Houston composer William R. Brusick.

On Wednesday's show: From Tony Buzbee’s last-minute entry into a Houston City Council race, to why the Texas Young Republicans is distancing itself from the Republican Party of Texas, we mull over the latest developments in local, state, and national politics in our weekly roundup.

Also this hour: We take stock of the influence and economic impact of the Hispanic community across the region with the help of Dr. Laura Murillo, the president and CEO of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which is presenting a State of Hispanics Data Summit and Business Expo today.

And Houston writer Jamie Jo Hoang comes to terms with the toll the Vietnam War took on her father and, by extension, its lasting effect on her in her new young adult novel, My Father the Panda Killer.