Flooding and Public Health, and Houston’s New Poet Laureate: Thursday’s show (May 28, 2015)

The floodwaters have mostly receded from our roadways, but they still remain in some areas around Greater Houston. As cleanup continues, we talk with Dr. Scott Lea, Associate Professor and Infectious Diseases Clinic Director, in the Department of Internal Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases at UTMB, about what lurks in those muddy puddles left behind, and why you probably don’t want your dog to frolic in any swampy waters outside your home.

Also on today’s Houston Matters:

The Greater Houston Partnership Wednesday (5/27/15) held an event examining the “State of Houston's Global Economy.” We talk with Richard Stubbe, Houston Bureau Chief and editor on energy markets for Bloomberg News, about the latest trends we’re seeing among Houston-based companies engaged in global economic activities, including (but not limited to) the oil and gas industry.

Then: A recent internal audit of the University of Houston's football stadium found top college administrators ignored an agreement tied to a fee increase that students paid to help fund TDECU Stadium. We talk with Ben Wermund, the Houston Chronicle's higher education reporter, about the audit.

Plus: Did you know children can develop arthritis? Sarah Hughes was diagnosed at a young age with a condition known as Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. We talk with Sarah and her mother about life with this condition. We also talk with Dr. John Reveille, Director of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics at the UTHealth Medical School. He’s also the Chief of Rheumatology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

And: Last week, Houston officials announced the city's new poet laureate is Robin Davidson, an Associate Professor of English at the University of Houston-Downtown. Davidson is Houston's second Poet Laureate, following Gwendolyn Zepeda, who was appointed in 2013 and just completed her term. The city's poet laureate is tasked with representing Houston by creating excitement about poetry through outreach, programs, teaching, and written work. News 88.7 Arts and Culture reporter Amy Bishop sits down with Davidson to talk about her new role.