Houston Matters

On Wednesday's show: We examine a new poll of voter attitudes and opinions as we draw closer to the November election.

Also this hour: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.

Then, a new report from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research says a majority of Houstonians are cost-burdened by their rent. What does that mean, and how can renters deal with that?

And we revisit the long-lost story behind the Astros’ famous rainbow uniforms.

On Tuesday's show: Lots of extreme summer heat and little rain -- it's led to drought conditions in some parts of Greater Houston, such as Galveston County. Conditions there have led the county's Office of Emergency Management to put a burn ban into effect in unincorporated areas in hopes of preventing wildfires.

Also this hour: Gov. Greg Abbott is refusing to remove buoys from the Rio Grande that the Justice Department says are illegal. Abbott says Texas has the right to defend its borders from “invasion.” We discuss the latest on this recent border standoff.

Then, what should we make of a rise in incidents of syphilis in the Houston area, and what should we do about it?

And we revisit a conversation from last year about where the Houston area ends and, well, "outside Houston" area begins. One of our guests offers an elegant suggestion: if you’ve passed a Buc-ee’s, you’re officially out of town!

On Monday's show: Saharan dust rolling in, smoke and haze arriving from Canadian wildlires, and the extreme heat and humidity -- is breathing the air in Houston generally worse for you these days? And is all of this a harbinger of what future summers will be like here with climate change?

Also this hour: Bob Sanborn of Children at Risk says he’d give state lawmakers a grade of D+ or maybe a D- for what they did for kids and families this year during the legislative session. He explains why.

Then, veterinarian Dr. Lori Teller answers your pet care questions.

And we get an update on sports from Jeff Balke.

On Friday's show: There’s plenty of info out there about gun deaths but far less about gun-related injuries. Houston City Council Member Abbie Kamin wants to change that. She thinks a "comprehensive gun violence injury dashboard" is needed and could help to reduce such incidents. She tells us more.

Also this hour: Testifying has been emotional this week in Austin in hearings over a lawsuit filed on behalf of women in Texas who were denied abortions despite serious health complications during pregnancy. The lead plaintiff, Amanda Zuwarski, shares her story with us. And an expert walks us through the exceptions under which women are still supposed to be able to get an abortion in Texas and whether that’s clear to health care workers.

Then, HISD plans to tie teacher pay to test scores. And the In-N-Out burger chain is establishing a new non-masking policy here in Texas. Our non-experts weigh in on those and other stories in The Good the Bad and the Ugly of the week.

And we talk with some folks behind this year’s Houston Shakespeare Festival productions of Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing.

On Thursday's show: A vote has been delayed twice now at Houston City Council over a Heights daycare center’s call for the creation of an alcohol-free zone within 300 feet of its facility in order to prevent future bars or liquor stores from opening nearby. We learn more about the story and why the vote continues to be delayed from News 88.7's Ashley Brown.

Also this hour: It's been a year since the new 988 crisis hotline number was introduced. How effective has it been?

Then, we talk with Houston-based artist JooYoung Choi, whose work is on display this summer at Rice University’s Moody Center for the Arts.

And the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston performs the famous comic opera The Pirates of Penzance this weekend and next.

On Wednesday's show: Under a confidential new plan, the new state-managed leadership at Houston ISD plans to base teacher pay on test scores by the 2025-26 school year. We talk with News 88.7 education reporter Dominic Anthony Walsh about how the plan would operate and how he learned this information.

Also this hour: Razor wire, a wall of buoys, accounts of migrants being mistreated -- reports from the border are prompting calls for federal intervention into the Abbott administration’s efforts in Texas. We discuss the politics of border security and other developments in politics in our weekly roundup.

Then, we talk about the city beneath the city -- downtown Houston's tunnel system.

And we visit Explore Asia, a new permanent, interactive exhibit at Asia Society Texas dedicated to exposing visitors to five different Asian countries and the life and culture there.

On Tuesday's show: We discuss efforts from two Texas Congressmen to urge the EPA to not let the state regulate its own carbon capture efforts.

Also this hour: We talk with two Houston-area state representatives, Armando Walle and Lacey Hull, who landed on Texas Monthly's list of Best Legislators. 

Then, entomologist Erin Mills, of the Houston Botanic Garden, joins us to talk about insects and bugs.

And we discuss the state of animal welfare in the region with the Gulf Coast Animal Welfare Alliance and partners from the City of Rosenberg Animal Control & Shelter and Houston Pets Alive!

On Monday's show: We get an update from TxDOT on the years-long I-69/610 project that is nearing completion.

Also this hour: We discuss a recent Houston Chronicle investigation that found police response times were the slowest in decades.

Then, Houston Chronicle Tech Columnist Dwight Silverman returns to talk about the latest developments in consumer technology.

And we discuss Houston sports with Jeff Balke.

On Friday's show: We talk with Lynly Egyes, the legal director at the Transgender Law Center, about a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.

Also this hour: Texas beaches offer sun, sand…and polluted water. More of that than any other beaches across the country, according to a recent report. We learn more.

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

And we visit the Brick Rodeo LEGO Fan Exhibition, held last weekend in Sugar Land.

On Thursday's show: Concerns are being raised about some nearby development encroaching on unmarked graves at historic Olivewood Cemetery.

Also this hour: Odds are pretty good just about anything you buy in Houston got here thanks to a truck driver. So, why are truckers so often underappreciated? We learn about some new fforts to support them.

Then, many Houstonians who work in the energy sector know the search for underground oil and gas is a high-tech endeavor. But it wasn’t always that way. Back around the turn of the 20th century, wildcatters sometimes employed methods that were, let’s say, less than scientific. We hear the story of Laura Lee Weinzierl, a pioneering geologist and paleontologist whose work was at the heart of transforming those practices and, in turn, reshaping the Texas economy and making Houston the energy capital of the world.

And the theft of catalytic converters from cars is still a problem around the region. We discuss what can be done to protect against it.