On Tuesday's show: Texas added 5,100 upstream oil and gas jobs in February, the highest spike in more than a decade and the second highest jump more than 30 years, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Why?

Also this hour: Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis talks about issues affecting the county and answers listener questions.

Then, we learn about some of the rare species of wildlife that have been spotted around Texas recently.

And poet Nikki Giovanni shares what advice she gives to aspiring writers at Prairie View A&M University and explains why a South American bat was named after her.

On Monday's show: Pres. Joe Biden will allow Ukrainians fleeing the war into the United States. We learn how a local nonprofit is preparing to resettle Houston’s newest refugees.

And the Biden administration is suing Galveston County officials for allegedly discriminating against people of color when they redrew political boundaries for the commissioners court.

Also this hour: As we discussed recently, scientists at Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake have been in the process of carefully opening a vacuum-sealed tube filled with rocks and soil that was collected on the moon 50 years ago. NASA held onto the tube and kept it tightly sealed all this time while technology improved to the point that they could safely and effectively collect gas that might have built up within it over five decades. Well, they opened it last week. We learn how and what we might learn from it,

Then, a new book from Rice University researcher Dan Cohan discusses the combination of diplomacy, technology, and policy needed to decarbonize the world in time to save it. It's called Confronting Climate Gridlock.

And Jeff Balke updates us on Houston sports.

On Friday's show: The University of Houston Men's Basketball team is headed to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament! We discuss last night's win against Arizona and the expectations for their next game against Villanova.

And how the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a case stemming from Houston dealing with a practice that dates back to colonial times.

Also this hour: Texas has closed nearly all of the state’s public oyster reefs for harvesting, dealing a devastating blow to those who work in the industry. But state biologists say it’s necessary to protect the bivalves for the future. We learn more.

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

And a new cross-cultural production by Samskriti called A Story, a Song, and a Dance highlights the resilience shown by artists during the pandemic.

On Thursday's show: Houston City Council voted unanimously to approve the city’s contract with the Houston Police Officers’ Union after failing to pass a motion from council members who wished to delay the vote for two weeks.

And we learn about plans to expand the cancer research that won a local researcher a Nobel Prize in medicine.

Also this hour: Fire ants, Chinese tallow trees, even four-foot-long Argentine lizards -- we learn about some of the many invasive species found in and around Greater Houston and the threats they pose to the environment.

Then, in this month's edition of The Bigger Picture, we discuss some of the issues surrounding adolescence addressed in the new animated movie Turning Red.

And we learn about Ocean Filibuster, a theater experience utilizing music, video, and 3D augmented reality to convey the wonders of the earth's oceans.

On Monday's show: There are now seven separate wildfires making up the Eastland Complex wildfires near Abilene. We get an update on efforts to contain them and discuss air quality and just how much of a health threat that smoke from those wildfires was that blew southeast here to Houston on Friday.

Also this hour: Uber’s head of cities and transportation policy, Shin-pei Tsay, discusses how to develop sustainable and inclusive transportation in Houston. She speaks during the next Kinder Institute Forum, a free webinar on March 23.

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

And the UH Cougars are headed to the Sweet 16, the Houston Texans traded quarterback Deshaun Watson to Cleveland, and Carlos Correa found a new team. Jeff Balke updates us on those and other developments in Houston sports.

On Friday's show: The Houston area added more construction jobs than any other metro in the country. We examine how the industry is recovering two years into the pandemic.

Also this hour: Why a Scottish court doesn't want to extradite a prisoner to Texas.

Then: Making Daylight Saving Time permanent, an oversized potato (of sorts), and Dolly Parton removing herself from her nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- we mull over The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.

And, as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo enters its final weekened, we check in on how things went this year.

On Thursday's show: A University of Houston study identifies the Houston-area intersections with the most car crashes and the factors contributing to them.

And we take a look at the figures from this year's homeless count.

Also this hour: For St. Patrick’s Day we talk about the origins of the holiday and where we can find the influences of Irish culture here in the states and in Houston.

Then: How a recent court ruling stemming from an incident involving a Houston fire fighter might set precedent for future cases related to hostile work environments.

And we visit Virtual Realities, an exhibit the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has described as "the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of works by M.C. Escher ever presented."

On Wednesday's show: Four HPD officers dismissed in 2020 after shooting and killing Nicolas Chavez, a man suffering an apparent mental health crisis, are being reinstated, and some community members aren’t happy about it.

Also this hour: The Fed is expected to raise interest rates this week, which, as NPR’s Domenico Montenaro reported Monday, raises some political challenges for the Biden administration. We discuss that, the politics surrounding a currently-blocked directive from the governor to the state’s child welfare agency to investigate families seeking gender-affirming care, and other developments in this week’s political roundup.

Then, an area expert answers your questions about filing your income taxes.

And we chat with Houston’s own French ice cream maker, Lucienne Bellefontaine.

On Tuesday's show: Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic started in earnest here in Houston, we talk with Dr. David Persse, the Houston Health Authority, about where things stand and what the future holds.

Also this hour: Fort Bend County Judge KP George discusses issues affecting his county and answers your questions.

Then, Mike Nichols, CEO of Coalition for the Homeless, joins us to walk us through the findings of the organization’s annual homeless count.

And we talk bagels with Houston writer Rachel Teichman, author of B is for Bagel.

On Monday's show: A Texas judge has blocked Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to the state’s child welfare agency to investigate families seeking gender-affirming care for their kids, but not before some 60 corporations condemned the order.

And the Memorial Hermann health system has reached an agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, restoring access to care for some 200,000 patients.

Also this hour: A practice in the oil fields has some dire consequences for Texans, and is there any hope for regulating it? 

Then, how is Russia's invasion of Ukraine affecting America's relationship with Russia in space, particularly the International Space Station?

And Jeff Balke updates us on sports.