Elections
John Whitmire elected Houston’s next mayor
Posted on · State Senator John Whitmire defeated Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in Houston’s mayoral runoff by a margin of 65% to nearly 35%.
News
Harris County runoff election results 2023: Houston mayor, city council
Posted on · Official election results for Houston mayor, city council, and controller
Elections
Chris Hollins wins election as Houston city controller
Posted on · Former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins defeated former Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez by a margin of just over 59% to 40% in early voting results.
Politics
Houston city council candidate drops endorsements after backlash of flyer criticized as “homophobic dog whistle”
Posted on · In a statement on Saturday, Reyes-Revilla said she was publicly releasing the endorsements of Gonzalez and Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia.
Houston Matters
Houston is its own character in the Academy Award-winning film ‘Terms of Endearment’
Posted on · We reflect on the 1983 Houston-based film and its significance to the city for its 40th anniversary.
Transportation
Houston-to-Dallas high-speed rail project awarded $500,000 federal grant
Posted on · The long-envisioned initiative was one of seven high-speed rail projects across the country selected to receive grant funding from the Federal Railroad Administration, which awarded a total of $8.2 billion to 79 rail projects that are in varying stages of development.
Local
Houston-area suburbs growing much faster than city since 2020
Posted on · Houston's population increased by an estimated 1,306 residents from 2020 to 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. During the same span, Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties each grew by at least 49,000 residents.
Space
Newly-opened facility at Ellington Airport is the next step toward commercialized space flights, officials say
Posted on · The Axiom Space facility will be used to create new space suits for Artemis astronauts and build a new hub for research 250 miles above Earth.
Health & Science
Texas Supreme Court pauses lower court’s order allowing pregnant woman to have an abortion
Posted on · In a one-page order, the court said it was temporarily staying Thursday's ruling “without regard to the merits." The case is still pending.
Animals
India the tiger, two years after roaming Houston neighborhood, dies at Texas wildlife sanctuary
Posted on · The Bengal tiger was the subject of a weeklong search in 2021 that captivated the city and country as a whole.
Voting
Federal appeals court blocks new Galveston County political map, while plaintiffs seek Supreme Court intervention
Posted on · The U.S. 5th Circuit has stayed a district court’s order that the county adopt a new redistricting plan to comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans racial gerrymandering.
Houston Matters
How growing up in Greater Houston shaped the next host of ‘Texas Country Reporter’
Posted on · J.B. Sauceda grew up in La Porte and begins hosting the well-known TV show in September 2024.
Party Politics
Will Liz Cheney run for president?
Posted on · Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in national and local politics.
I SEE U
I SEE U, Episode 40: The Fans LoveSexy Fat Tony [Encore]
Posted on · Houston’s own Fat Tony breaks down the future of rap music, issues out a warning to digital music consumers, and shares his thoughts on what makes the Bayou City a cultural music innovator. This episode is an encore of the March 19, 2022 original broadcast.
Encore Houston
Episode 204: Mercury Chamber Orchestra
Posted on · Mercury performs music by Baroque-era composers from Mexico and Spain.
Houston Matters
‘Terms of Endearment’ 40 years later (Dec. 8, 2023)
Posted on · On Friday's show: We look back at the film "Terms of Endearment," released 40 years ago. The Oscar-winning movie was set in Houston and based on a book by Larry McMurtry. And we meet the next host of "Texas Country Reporter."
Houston Matters
Giving up the fight for Fairfield Lake State Park: The Good, Bad, and Ugly of the week
Posted on · The Houston Matters panel of non-experts weighs in on stories from the week’s news and decides if they’re good, bad, or ugly.
Airports
Sylvester Turner’s plan to amend Houston’s airport concessions contracts criticized by Pappas Restaurants, mayoral hopeful John Whitmire
Posted on · A proposed ordinance by Houston's outgoing mayor would require city council approval to terminate the existing concessions agreements at Hobby and Bush Intercontinental Airport as the city faces an ongoing lawsuit filed by a Pappas-led group, which was a longtime Hobby concessionaire that lost a competitive bid earlier this year.
Fort Bend
Fort Bend County, city of Arcola battle over land annexation agreement
Posted on · City officials argue the initial deal was invalid because the land tract is not adjacent to city limits.
City of Houston
City of Houston gets rid of fee for residents who request street lights installations
Posted on · Prior to the vote, a resident who wanted a new street light had to pay the first year's operational costs, about $200.
Criminal Justice
New lawsuit claims Aldine ISD’s negligence led to sexual assault of 6-year-old student on school bus
Posted on · The mother of a 6-year-old Aldine ISD student has filed a lawsuit against the district after her son was allegedly sexually assaulted for months by an older student on his school bus. The lawsuit was filed Thursday and alleges that Aldine ISD’s negligence allowed an 11-year-old student to sexually assault the mother’s 6-year-old son in […]
HISD
Houston ISD clarifies strict absence policy after widespread confusion among administrators and teachers
Posted on · Campus leaders previously said 10 absences would lead to automatic termination. According to the district’s head of human resources, the policy is more complicated.
Court
More sexual harassment charges against Pervez Agwan’s congressional campaign are likely, attorney for accuser says
Posted on · Melissa Moore, attorney for former Agwan staffer Maha Chishtey, said her firm is representing other former Agwan campaign employees who will be filing charges related to alleged sexual harassment by former senior staffers.
Houston Matters
Houston will add close to 60,000 jobs in 2024, expert predicts
Posted on · Greater Houston Partnership’s Patrick Jankowski predicts Houston will add 57,600, specifically, in 2024.
Pop Culture
The Puddery in Pearland temporarily closes due to ‘Keith Lee effect’ that prompted spike in customers
Posted on · The Houston-area dessert shop has had lines wrapping around its business since Lee, a popular food critic on TikTok, reviewed The Puddery in late November.
Houston Matters
Weekly Mexican wrestling event in East Houston brings together families and tradition
Posted on · Houston Matters visits a regular Sunday night lucha libre event in the city's Magnolia Park neighborhood.
Houston Matters
Culinary schools can help aspiring chefs, but are they worth it?
Posted on · An area chef and alum of the recently closed Art Institute of Houston's culinary school shares his thoughts.
Court
Judge grants Texas woman emergency abortion in landmark case
Posted on · "The idea that Miss Cox wants desperately to be a parent and this law might actually cause her to lose that ability is shocking and would be a genuine miscarriage of justice," Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble said after an emergency hearing Thursday.
News
AG Ken Paxton has bought several properties worth millions. He’s yet to publicly disclose them.
Posted on · Paxton, a Republican who beat impeachment charges this year, has not reported at least a half dozen properties in Florida, Hawaii, Oklahoma and Utah to the state.
Houston Matters
Forecasting the Houston job market (Dec. 7, 2023)
Posted on · On Thursday's show: What will the job market look like in Houston next year? The Greater Houston Partnership unveils its jobs forecast for 2024.
Transportation
TxDOT holding public meetings in Houston ahead of construction for I-45 expansion project
Posted on · A total of six community meetings will be held this week and next to address design and construction updates related to a $9.7 billion initiative to widen and reroute I-45 near and north of downtown.
Education
UH showcases latest inventions in effort to expedite commercialization
Posted on · Many of the inventions at the showcase were focused on the energy industry. The university plans to have three to four showcases each year.