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Houston Matters

Houston Public Media

Houston Matters is a radio program airing weekdays at 9 am on Houston Public Media News 88.7 FM in Houston. During each hour, we’ll investigate the issues and ideas, people and places that make Houston…well…Houston! We’ll talk about current events, politics, education, health care, the environment, business, transportation, arts and culture, literature, sports and leisure. But we also hope that what we do each day on Houston Matters serves as the beginning of a conversation

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49:45

Cougars fall just short (April 8, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/04/08

On Tuesday's show: So close…and yet so far. The Houston Cougars fell two points short of a men's college basketball national championship Monday night, falling 65-63 to the Florida Gators.In a near-reversal of Saturday's come-from-behind win in their Final Four matchup against Duke, this time it was the Coogs who led most of the way. They built a 12-point second-half lead only to see the Gators charge back to take a last-minute lead and hang on.Kris Gardner of Houston Roundball Review recaps the

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49:40

UH plays for a title (April 7, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/04/07

On Monday's show: The University of Houston's men's basketball team will play tonight for the national title against Florida after a stunning comeback victory against Duke Saturday in the men's Final Four. Jeff Balke previews the game.Also this hour: The year's first widely recognized hurricane season forecast says we could see a busier than normal 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, with as many as 17 named storms and nine hurricanes. Meteorologist Justin Ballard of the Houston Chronicle interprets

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51:20

Controversial bills in the legislature (April 4, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/04/04

On Friday's show: A number of fascinating and controversial bills are getting hearings these days in Austin over abortion, religion in schools, and high speed rail. We discuss them all.First, we examine a bill that would directly impact a long-debated proposed high speed rail line between Houston and Dallas. Then, we learn about legislation that would offer doctors and nurses guidance on when they could, in the rarest circumstances, provide an abortion in Texas.And this week’s “non-expert” panel

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50:10

Clashing over the city’s overtime expenses (April 3,...

Houston Matters ·

2025/04/03

On Thursday's show: Houston Mayor John Whitmire clashed with the city's chief financial officer, Controller Chris Hollins, during the city council meeting this week after the controller's office presented an explosive report on overtime expenditures by the police, fire, and solid waste departments. We learn more and get an update on other developments affecting the city from News 88.7 reporter Dominic Anthony Walsh.Also this hour: Houston native Debbie Allen talks about an effort to help people

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50:00

The week in politcs (April 2, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/04/02

On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.Also this hour: Food writers talk about some of their favorite places to take kids to eat (and play) in the latest edition of The Full Menu.And blues singer ZZ Ward talks about her music ahead of an April 6 concert in Houston.

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49:45

Identifying a serial killer’s victims (April 1, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/04/01

On Tuesday's show: While some things about the City of Houston's financial situation have improved over the last year, the city still faces some significant financial challenges, according to its latest financial report. Analysts from the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University reviewed that report and share what they found.Also this hour: Matt Lanza from Space City Weather talks about a growing trend in weather forecasting: too much hype.Then, investigative reporter Lise Olsen talks

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48:14

Railroad crossing safety (March 31, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/31

On Monday's show: A bipartisan bill to create a grant program for safer railroad crossings is headed to the Texas House after the Senate recently passed it unanimously. Senate Bill 1555 was filed after the death of Sergio Rodriguez, a 15-year-old Houston ISD student who was struck by a train while walking to Milby High School. We learn more about the bill from one of its co-authors, Sen. Carol Alvarado, a Houston Democrat who's also a Milby graduate.Also this hour: We explore how changing Medicaid

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50:00

Future of Texas water (March 28, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/28

On Friday's show: Even on rainy days like this, it doesn’t take much to remember the extreme heat and occasional drought we suffer through in Houston summers. We learn what those ever-hotter summers may do to our water supply and what’s being done to prepare for potential shortages in Texas and Greater Houston.Also this hour: From a protest over the removal of bike lane dividers, to an area school district trying out some Bible-infused curriculum, we discuss The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the

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49:29

Stormy weather for Opening Day (March 27, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/27

On Thursday's show: There’s potential for some heavy rainfall, maybe even a bit of flooding, over the next 36 hours. We look at the forecast with Houston Chronicle meteorologist Justin Ballard. And we preview the new Astros season, which begins tonight against the Mets.Also this hour: We talk over Houston’s credit landscape, saving for retirement, and other financial planning concerns with the help of certified financial planner Juan Hernandez Ariano from WealthCreate Financial.Then, on this month’s

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49:22

The week in politics (March 26, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/26

On Wednesday's show: We discuss the White House security breach and other developments in national, state, and local politics in our weekly roundup.Also this hour: Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock, the board chair of METRO, joins us to outline her organization's new transit initiative, METRONow, and to discuss other issues related to public transportation in the region.And we continue our quest to craft the ultimate Houston sandwich by going in search of Houston’s best veggies and condiments.

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50:09

Passing the ADA (March 25, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/25

On Tuesday's show: We learn how potential cuts to FEMA funding might affect Houston's ability to respond to and recover from natural disasters.Also this hour: Longtime Houston activist Lex Frieden reflects on what it took to get the Americans with Disabilities Act passed and signed into law in 1990. That story is the subject of an episode of American Experience called Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act, which airs tonight at 8 on Houston Public Media, TV 8.And we learn about

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50:05

Houston’s real estate market (March 24, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/24

On Monday's show: State government can move fast or slow. Consider the speed with which the Texas Senate passed a bill calling for public schools to display the Ten Commandments, and how, so far, Gov. Greg Abbott seems to be slow playing what should be a simple call for a special election in a Houston-area Congressional district. News 88.7's Andrew Schneider updates us on both stories.Also this hour: We discuss the latest developments in residential real estate here in Greater Houston, which has

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50:15

The latest on the Pauline Road Fire (March 21, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/21

On Friday's show: We get an update on efforts to contain a wildfire near the Sam Houston National Forest.Also this hour: We revisit the origins of civil rights protests here in Houston, and a figure at the center of them.Then, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the week's news.And with astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back on Earth after an extended stay in space, we revisit a conversation with astronaut Scott Kelly, who set a record for continuous time in space.

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49:00

Law enforcement and ICE (March 20, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/20

On Thursday's show: The Houston Police Department (HPD) says its stance of leaving immigration enforcement in the hands of federal agencies has not changed, even though a local family says a man was detained by the department and then handed over to federal agents.Also this hour: There are a lot of options out there when it comes to online education and certifications. Some may be useful. Others may be scams. Some may help your job search. While others may harm it. We discuss what area recruiters

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50:13

The week in politics (March 19, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/19

On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.Also this hour: Acclaimed author Emma Donoghue talks about her latest novel, The Paris Express, a work of historical fiction inspired by a very real train crash in Paris, the aftermath of which has been immortalized by a famous photograph of a steam engine hanging out the second-floor window of a train station. Donoghue, who's known for her historical fiction and her novel Room, the screen adaptation of which

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49:10

Payday lending (March 18, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/18

On Tuesday's show: Houston ISD, like many school districts across Texas, has been addressing teacher shortages in recent years by hiring uncertified teachers. A bill in the Texas House would end the practice. We learn what the bill says and what it would mean for schools here in Houston and across the state.Also this hour: More than half of all payday lending fees issued in the country are paid by Texans, according to the nonprofit advocacy group the Center for Responsible Lending, We find out why

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49:10

Legislature update (March 17, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/17

On Monday's show: Texas lawmakers filed more than 800 bills by Friday’s deadline, bringing this legislative session’s total to more than 8,600. But only a handful will actually become law. Blaise Gainey of the Texas Newsroom explains what happens next.And we hear what the Houston Police Department is preparing for this week with the rodeo underway, March Madness kicking off, St. Patrick’s Day, and spring break.Also this hour: We learn about the complicated racial politics and history of the

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50:36

Hockey Day in Houston (March 14, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/14

On Friday's show: We discuss the long-term effects of COVID-19 five years after the beginning of the pandemic.Also this hour: Hockey Day in Houston is on Saturday, and we'll talk with one of the organizers of that as well as a former player.Then, our non-expert panel discusses the good, the bad, and the ugly of the week's news.And Laura Walker previews a new comedy whodunnit by a local playwright.

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51:09

David Brancaccio (March 13, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/13

On Thursday's show: At-Large City Council Member Letitia Plummer talks about efforts to address cancer concerns in Houston's Fifth Ward.Also this hour: David Brancaccio from the Marketplace Morning Report joins us to talk about reporting from the Houston Rodeo.Then, we consider parallels between Elon Musk heading up DOGE (The Department of Government Efficiency) and Houstonian Jesse Jones' non-elected role in alleviating the Great Depression.And we learn all about the new edition of the Official

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49:32

The week in politics (March 12, 2025)

Houston Matters ·

2025/03/12

On Wednesday's show: The Texas House is debating private school vouchers while the U.S. House votes on a budget. We discuss those and other developments in politics in our weekly roundup.Also this hour: CERAWeek, one of the most important annual conferences for the energy industry, is happening now in Houston, bringing in executives, foreign ministers, top officials, and more than 10,000 participants to discuss energy strategies in a time of climate change and political upheaval. We learn how

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