On Wednesday's Houston Matters: If nothing changes, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas are predicted to exceed previous records from the height of the pandemic last summer. How are hospitals preparing?

Also this hour: Local experts discuss the latest news in our weekly political roundup.

Then, will college students returning to campus be required to wear masks? It depends on where you’re enrolled. We learn how area colleges and universities are preparing for the start of the fall semester amid the latest surge in COVID-19 cases.

And a group of college friends tied to a brutal crime returns to campus for their ten-year reunion. That's the setup for a new suspense novel from Houston writer Ashley Winstead called In My Dreams I Hold a Knife.