Planned Parenthood Dropped from Medicaid: Tuesday’s Show (October 20, 2015)

The State of Texas is removing Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program, leaving the state’s low-income women on Medicaid unable to seek medical services there unrelated to abortion, including cervical cancer screenings and testing for sexually transmitted diseases. The move comes in reaction to undercover videos released by the anti-abortion group The Center for Medical Progress, including one filmed inside Planned Parenthood’s Houston clinic. On this edition of Houston Matters, we talk with News 88.7 health and science reporter Carrie Feibel about the move by the state.

Also this hour: Last week (10/14/15), the Houston City Council adopted a new Arts and Cultural Plan for the city — it’s first in 22 years. The goal? To harness all the cultural assets the city has to offer, identify the programming needs of audiences and patrons and the funding needs of institutions. While the plan passed and is in effect, some arts organizations would like to see a few things addressed before moving forward. We discuss the plan with News 88.7 arts and culture reporter Amy Bishop, hear the thoughts of Gary Tinterow, director of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and talk with Jenni Rebecca Stephenson, the Executive Director of Fresh Arts.

Then: The University of Houston has become the keeper of Houston's blues history. The UH Digital Library recently published an online collection of publicity photos and books that detail recording sessions from Houston's old Duke and Peacock Record Labels. The blues history of Houston touches on the likes of Big Mama Thornton, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Bobby "Blue" Bland – and even Little Richard and B.B. King.

News 88.7's Ed Mayberry talks with the archivist at the University of Houston's M.D. Anderson Library about the latest additions to the Texas Music Collection.

And: Internationally acclaimed Irish spiritual singer and theologian, Nóirín Ní Riain, along with her two sons, Owen and Moley Ó Súilleabháin, will be in Houston for a performance. It will be a mixture of Celtic music, Irish sean-nós tradition and Gregorian chant. The family has been singing together their whole lives and has collaborated with Sinead O' Conner and Russell Crowe. They talk with Edel Howlin about their musical journey.