Posted on · In June of last year, we presented the 2016 Houston Matters Road Show in front of a live audience at the Asia Society Texas Center, including a conversation with Houstonian and longtime tennis star Zina Garrison. In the 1980s and 90s, Garrison was a fixture in professional tennis, routinely among the top womenâs singles players […]
Posted on · President Donald Trump was sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2017. And before the ceremony, we asked you to share what you want him to know about Houston as part of NPR's A Nation Engaged project. On this edition of Houston Matters Weekend, we hear some of your answers and discuss them with Brandon Rottinghaus, […]
Posted on · What makes a great suburb? A report from Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research examines ways Houston suburbs can improve. The study is based on five case studies of Houston suburbs, including Sugar Land and The Woodlands. On this edition of Houston Matters Weekend, Kyle Shelton, the man behind the research, joins us to […]
Posted on · A question that perplexes potential home buyers and renters: where’s the affordable housing for the rest of us? The Search for Affordable Housing has More than 50 percent of Houston housing consumers in the middle- to lower-income market, making less than $50,000 a year. Many are "rent-burdened," which means they spend more than the recommended […]
Posted on · It happened in a flash — 2016 is almost in the Mixdown HMW 123116books. It's been a busy year for Greater Houston, so we're taking some time today to recap this past year's biggest developments with our beat reporters, covering transportation, education, politics and arts and culture and business. On this edition of Houston Matters […]
Posted on · A while back, Houston Matters went on a search to identify Houston’s signature food. Many major cities are known for a particular signature food. Chicago has deep dish pizza, Philadelphia has cheese steaks, and St. Louis has toasted ravioli. And while, yes, we have Tex Mex in Houston and kolaches — and great barbecue and […]
Posted on · Houston Matters was ground zero for the launch of Public Media's year-long DiverseCity initiative, an ongoing look at the many was race effects our lives in Houston. We started with an hour-long town hall to talk about law enforcement and people of color intersect. We hear an excerpt of that dialogue. Our guests include: Harris […]
Posted on · Following fatal police shootings of black men captured on video in Louisiana and Minnesota, Robert Muhammad, a Nation of Islam representative and student minister, suggested a number of ways to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the black community, including more face-to-face contact, more community involvement and more de-escalation and tension-reduction training for officers. […]
Posted on · Much is made about Houston's lack of zoning. But Matthew Festa, a law professor from South Texas College of Law Houston, argues Houston doesn't really look that different from most other cities. On this edition of Houston Matters Weekend, we talk with Festa, and others around town, about whether a variety of land rules, regulations […]
Posted on · The NFL is working to curb domestic violence by partnering with an organization called A Call to Men, which teaches "healthy, respectful manhood." The group's CEO, Tony Porter, and Troy Vincent, a former NFL player and the league's executive vice president, are in town to talk about the program. On this edition of Houston Matters […]
Posted on · Almost like a drumbeat, Houstonians know – and love to repeat – the notion that we are the "most diverse city in America." And Dr. Stephen Klineberg, co-founder of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, says that's correct. And that might be enough to give Houstonians with civic pride a case of […]
Posted on · Recently, News 88.7's Gail Delaughter noted how often she hears folks ask "why can't Houston be more like" a city where they used to live, particularly when it comes to transportation and mass transit. We talk about such examples with Gail, as well as the city's planning director Patrick Walsh, and Ryan Holeywell from the […]
Posted on · New rules proposed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the stateâs Health and Human Services Commission would change the way fetal tissue is disposed of after medical procedures like abortions, requiring burials or cremation instead of long-standing procedures allowing disposal in sanitary landfills. But it would also apply to miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies terminated in […]
Posted on · Everybody knows in Texas, you can't be the team with the losing record. But that's not the case with our state government's record suing the federal government — mostly for things like overreach. So why do we have such a contentious relationships with the feds? And are taxpayers getting anything out of these big lawsuits? […]