Today on Houston Matters we continue our 3rd annual State of Houston series with a look at the state of business and the economy in Greater Houston with the help of News 88.7 business reporter Florian Martin.

Also this hour…

Addressing Poverty in the Fifth Ward

Five years ago, Rice University launched a program to connect students with organizations in Houston’s Fifth Ward. The primary goal of the Community Bridges program is to sustainably reduce poverty in the area, which community leaders describe as impoverished.

One of the organizations Rice is partnering with is Small Steps Nurturing Center. It’s a preschool for economically at-risk children. We visit Small Steps to learn about the impact the Rice University program has had so far.

Imaginarium

Houston Public Media’s Tomeka Weatherspoon is hosting a new digital series called Imaginarium. It’s a weekly exploration into creativity, science, and technology, examining how imagination becomes reality. Weatherspoon tells us more about it.

Houston Refugee Project

A Houston couple is collecting the memories of refugees ages 50 and up and using multimedia to tell their stories of coming to the United States. We learn more about their project, called Memory Boat.

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