Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, [email protected] or @townsquaretalk.

Based on data from the National Hotline, Texas reports the second-highest number of human trafficking cases in the U.S., with Houston being often referred to as a major hub.

How do you recognize human trafficking?

Changing how society perceives and values girls and women may make a significant impact.

Have numbers gone up during the pandemic?

Experts from the Houston Mayor’s Office and Prairie View A&M University join us to discuss human trafficking – its prevalence, its impact on girls and women in particular, and the work being done to prevent it.

We also talk with a survivor and national advocate for criminal justice reform.

If you see one or several warning signs and suspect human trafficking activity, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center’s hotline  by making an anonymous call to 1-888-373-7888 or text BeFree (233733).

Guests:

Minal Patel Davis

Dr. Camille Gibson

 Cyntoia Brown-Long

Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day’s most important and pressing issues.

Audio from today's show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, [email protected] or @townsquaretalk.

After 55 years, Society for the Performing Arts has changed its name to Performing Arts Houston.

 Today, the new name officially launched, along with a new website, and a new logo. And they’re announcing their new 2022-23 season!

We get the scoop on how the organization formerly known as SPA is shaking things up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GML6PRanWc

Plus, have you always dreamed of visiting space? Flying among the stars?

Today is the International Day of Human Space Flight.

Experts are here to discuss the history of space flight, as well as new opportunities to visit and continue to explore space – from the private industry to putting a human back on the moon.

Guests:

Meg Booth

Chelsea Gohd

Greg Brennecka

Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day's most important and pressing issues.

Audio from today’s show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, [email protected] or @townsquaretalk.

There's no doubt that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is aware of the progress she represents in her journey to the Supreme Court. But what does this mean for the rest of America's judicial system?

There are some who still  have comments and questions about what her appointment means for the highest court in the land.

With the issues that the Republican Senators kept bringing up at the hearings, were they just giving political theatre? Most of us need help in further understanding these issues.

And when it comes to understanding how the justices work together and how decisions are reached, it's important to also understand the impact on this process each new justice holds. 

Today, legal experts – including a Houston professor who was Judge Jackson’s classmate at Harvard Law School – join us to discuss the significance of Jackson's appointment and to field listeners' calls.

Guests:

Charles “Rocky” Rhodes

Njeri Mathis Rutledge

Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day’s most important and pressing issues.

Audio from today's show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, [email protected] or @townsquaretalk.

Cars covered in jewels!

Fur-covered cars!

Cars that look like they’re fire-breathing!

And over-the-top slab cars!

They’re not just cars, but Art-On-Wheels. And you’ll see hundreds of them at the 35th annual Houston Art Car Parade tomorrow – the first parade since the pandemic!

Houston has been at the forefront of art car culture for decades, and today we celebrate the art form and its ties to our city.

Art car artists, historians, and parade organizers from the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art join us to preview the parade and talk about all-things Art Car.

Guests:

Tommy Ralph Pace

Pete Gershon

Harrod Blank

Rickey Polidore

Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day's most important and pressing issues.

Audio from today’s show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, [email protected] or @townsquaretalk.

With jazz musicians born and bred here in the Bayou City, Houston is steeped in the world of jazz!

But what is the history of jazz?

One local jazz historian and visual artist take us on the journey of how this genre of music originated in African-American communities.

How does the jazz art form speak to you?

A legendary Grammy award-winning jazz saxophonist that toured with Whitney Houston for over seven years and will always be remembered for his sax solo on Houston’s  hit single "I Will Always Love You”, talks about how jazz speaks to him as "music of freedom". 

When it comes to presenting the best jazz the world has to offer and developing the next generation of young jazz artists, Houston performing arts organization, DACAERMA, will introduce the music of Jalen and the Jalen Baker Trio at two live events this month. 

Also, members of the famous New Orleans musical dynasty, the Batiste family, share sentiments on the legacy and passing of Chris Owens – "Queen of the Vieux Carré" .

Tune in as Houston jazz experts, artists and presenters join us to talk about what’s happening locally and nationally in the world of jazz, while listeners call in to share their comments and questions.

Guests:

Kirk Whalum

Leo Boucher

 Jalen Baker

Tierney Malone

Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day’s most important and pressing issues.

Audio from today's show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, [email protected] or @townsquaretalk.

Do you love singing competitions?

The latest is the American Song Contest, airing Monday nights at 7 pm on NBC and available on Peacock streaming. It’s inspired by the Eurovision Song Contest – with all 50 states, U.S. territories and DC vying for the top prize.

What are the challenges of producing such a massive reality competition?  What is it really like behind the scenes?

The producers from Sweden will share how they were able to bring the American Song Contest to the U.S., how they picked the acts, and the voting process.

And fresh off of his "Mr. Independent" performance this week, 19-year-old Dallas singer and self-taught musician Grant Knoche will talk about his upbringing and give insight on what went into his stage production.

We also talk to a self-proclaimed “Favorite American Eurovision Fan” and YouTube blogger who’s been following Eurovision for over a decade.

Guests:

Anders Lenhoff and Christer Björkman

Grant Knoche

Alesia Michelle

Eurovision 2022 Songs Most Talked About:

Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day’s most important and pressing issues.

Audio from today's show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, [email protected] or @townsquaretalk.

Celebrities have recently brought their medical conditions into the spotlight -- from Bruce Willis and aphasia to Jada Pinkett Smith and alopecia.

But what exactly are those conditions?

What should we know about them in order to better understand what they and others are going through, as well as to be aware of these conditions for the sake of our own health?

Today, it’s Ask-a-Doctor.

Do you have burning questions about these or other medical conditions?

What about questions about COVID? Allergies? Or even heat-related safety concerns with summer right around the corner?

Our medical expert from UT Health Houston is here to field listeners' calls and questions.

Guest:

Dr. Elena Zamora

Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day's most important and pressing issues.

Audio from today’s show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, [email protected] or @townsquaretalk.

It’s time to talk tacos, margaritas, chips and salsa, fajitas, and more! 

Nothing hits the spot better than sizzling fajitas…or crispy tacos …or just “chips and queso”.

Today, it’s all about Tex-Mex!  We'll talk about what you love to cook or order, and your “go-to” local restaurants.

An award-winning Houston chef and food writer chats with listeners who call in to share their favorite dishes and what makes Tex-Mex such a fine food and family tradition.

Plus, Alley Theatre just announced their 2022–2023 season! We'll hear about what they’re presenting to Houston audiences from a world premiere about a female bullfighter to a new adaption of a Christmas Carol.

Guests:

Rob Melrose

Adán Medrano

Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day’s most important and pressing issues.

Audio from today's show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, [email protected] or @townsquaretalk.

“I am writing to tell you about a matter that is essentially personal, but will result in some changes at work ... I will be transitioning my gender.” That was the statement CEO Wynne Nowland made to employees where she works. In today's show, Nowland will share her personal journey of coming out and her mission of humanizing trans individuals.

We will also discuss legislation impacting the transgender community, and in particular, trans youth.  

According to a report from the Williams Institute at UCLA, 15 states – including Texas – have enacted or are considering laws that would restrict access to gender-affirming care for young people.

How have these issues reached the national stage in such a polarizing manner?

In recognition of  “Transgender Day of Visibility”, a legal expert is here to discuss the latest developments in transgender laws and callers share their questions and concerns.

Guests:

Wynne Nowland 

 Pete Makopoulos-Senftleber

Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day’s most important and pressing issues.

Audio from today's show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.

US actor Will Smith holds his award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for "King Richard" as he attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the 94th Oscars at the The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California on March 27, 2022. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Town Square with Ernie Manouse airs at 3 p.m. CT. Tune in on 88.7FM, listen online or subscribe to the podcast. Join the discussion at 888-486-9677, [email protected] or @townsquaretalk.

Most were shocked by what we saw Sunday night at the Academy Awards, and there has been a lot said and written about the violent Will Smith-Chris Rock altercation.  

Often, Oscar night is an event most view in a family setting. So, how do we talk to our children about what they saw? 

How did it affect you?

Are you having trouble processing it?

Today, as we take calls from our listeners, we talk with our NPR TV critic, a licensed therapist, and a mental health counselor to help us understand what we can all learn from what happened - in terms of conflict resolution and the way we handle triggers.

Plus, we continue to highlight Houston theater companies like A.D. Players, as they share what's in store for their 2022-2023 season line-up at The George Theater.

Guests:

Jake Speck

Jayme McGhan

Eric Deggans

Veronica Cavazos 

 Dr. Richelle Whittaker

Town Square with Ernie Manouse is a gathering space for the community to come together and discuss the day’s most important and pressing issues.

Audio from today's show will be available after 5 p.m. CT. We also offer a free podcast here, on iTunes, and other apps.