Houston Matters

On Wednesday's show: A property tax cut deal, a new candidate for U.S. Senate, and an acting state Attorney General resigning -- we discuss those and other developments in our weekly political roundup.

Also this hour: Bradley Sullivan, a local Episcopal priest, talks about what led him to challenge the notion held in some corners of Christianity that he describes as "Believe in Jesus or go to hell." He discusses his own journey of rethinking that idea and his book, For the Hurt, the Blessed, and the Damned.

And, amid baseball’s All-Star break, we remember a former Astros All-Star whose life took a couple of unexpected turns – the late J.R. Richard.

On Tuesday's show: Texas GOP lawmakers have reached a deal to cut property taxes. We learn what it took to achieve the compromise and what it might mean for property owners.

Also this hour: Map all sorts of things within Houston’s city limits, and a shape has a tendency to form. It looks like an arrow. We learn what the “Houston Arrow” represents and why.

Then, when hard jobs need doing, how do we balance the well-being of workers with meeting project deadlines? We discuss with a Texas company’s safety manager and a representative of a state labor union.

And, we discuss more than five decades of free Theatre Under the Stars at Miller Outdoor Theatre with Mitchell Greco, director of TUTS: A Celebration of Houston Stories and Songs, on stage Tuesday through Thursday this week.

On Monday's show: An investigation from the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board says the fire that burned for three days at the ITC chemical storage facility in Deer Park in 2019 could have been prevented if proper measures were in place and if "gaps in relevant regulations" did not exist.

Also this hour: When the pandemic began three years ago, more than a third of child care centers in Texas closed temporarily. Within two years, the equivalent of a third of those had closed permanently. For the rest, how have they fared since and how is that affecting families in need of affordable child care?

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

And we reflect on the first half of the Astros' season and look forward to the second half with Jeff Balke.

On Friday's show: Houston public school principals have until noon Monday to confirm whether their schools will opt into Superintendent Mike Miles' "new education system" program. News 88.7’s Rebecca Noel explains what was learned from Miles’ meeting with dozens of district principals on Thursday and what to make of some recent errors surrounding termination notices and paycheck delays.

Also this hour: We discuss the disappearance of the Astroworld theme park and why so little of its kind has come along to replace it since.

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

And we meet Houston musician Micah Edwards. Self-described as "Mr. Texas Soul," Edwards is one of several artists performing Saturday with a group of artists from NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts.

On Thursday's show: The Biden administration has announced it's devoting $1 billion to develop clean hydrogen energy. What could that mean for the Houston area, which is expected to be home to a future hydrogen hub?

Also this hour: We learn about the extraordinary measures structural engineers had to develop so that skyscrapers could be built on Houston's mushy soil. Joe Colaco, one of the engineers responsible for that -- a man who has worked on some of the world's most recognizable buildings -- explains how it works.

Then, it’s quickly become an annual symphony tradition – performing a major film score live, in sync with a screening of the movie. The Houston Symphony is doing it with Harry Potter July 14-15 and Star Wars July 28-29.

And the Houston Museum of African American Culture and Emancipation Park Conservancy are screening a couple of classic hip-hop films -- Wild Style, Beat Street, and House Party. We talk about those films, the history of hip-hop culture, and Houston’s unique place in that culture.

On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics.

Also this hour: Houston food writers talk about their favorite places to get Mexican and Tex-Mex food in the city right now, in this month's installment of The Full Menu.

And a new graphic novel called Last on His Feet tells the story of boxer and Galveston native Jack Johnson, the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion. His victory over the white former champion Jim Jeffries on July 4, 1910, was called "the fight of the century" and spawned race riots across the country.

On Monday's show: Heading into the Fourth of July holiday, we learn how abolitionists used Independence Day to make their case in pre-Civil War America. That story is the subject of Symbols of Freedom: Slavery and Resistance Before the Civil War by University of Houston history professor Matt Clavin.

Also this hour: The Houston Chronicle's Lisa Gray and the Scurfield Group's Craig Hlavaty discuss some Houstonians' holiday-related gripes and pet peeves, gathered over the last month.

And, on July 4, 1939, New York Yankees great Lou Gehrig delivered his iconic "luckiest man" speech. Gehrig was dubbed "The Iron Horse" for playing 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood for 56 years. But he isn't the only iron man of sports. We remember some Houston athletes who've achieved some astonishing feats in their sports.

On Friday's show: We discuss the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling striking down affirmative action in college admissions and where it leaves local institutions in their efforts to sustain diverse campuses.

Also this hour: Alexandra Kanik of the Houston Chronicle discusses how Houston-area neighborhood demographics have changed from 2010 to 2020 – something she did a deep dive on earlier this month.

Then, from Katy’s public schools back in the news over library books, to our extreme heat buckling Houston-area roads, we discuss The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of it all with this week’s “non-expert” panel.

And we learn about a project highlighting the history and culture of Marsh Arabs, a cultural group with origins in the Mesopotamian marshes in present-day Iraq. Part of the initiative involves the construction of a Mudhif, a traditional house made of reeds, using authentic materials shipped in from Iraq to Houston.

On Thursday's show: Thanks in part to Independence Day falling on Tuesday next week, a lot of Houstonians will have an extra-long holiday weekend and plan to hit the road or take to the air over the next several days. AAA Texas is expecting record-breaking travel numbers. We talk with AAA's Joshua Zuber about what to expect and what other factors might be driving such high holiday travel in and out of the Houston area.

Also this hour: On June 29, 2007, Apple released the first iPhone. Our world was never the same. Smartphones are ubiquitous now. We talk about how they have affected our lives and whether we’re getting any better at handling such technology at our fingertips.

Then, the University of Houston has been doing research on swarms of intelligent drones with some potential applications for disaster scenarios like forest fires. Is that something that could be used here for some of our unique disasters, like floods or chemical leaks and fires?

And this summer The Catastrophic Theatre celebrates its 30th anniversary. We reflect on the company's history and how it evolved from a nomadic, scrappy, anti-establishment theater group to being on the cover of American Theater Magazine.

On Wednesday's show: The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the “independent state legislature” theory. We discuss what the High Court’s 6-3 decision indicates and the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.

Also this hour: This month’s edition of The Bigger Picture focuses on Houstonian Wes Anderson’s new film Asteroid City and engaging young people in space.

And, on the anniversary of the start of the Stonewall uprising, we reflect on the Anita Bryant protests, which were called "Houston's Stonewall."