Houston Matters

What Is Houston’s One True Nickname?

Posted on · Houston sure has a lot of nicknames. There is something inherently cool about a city that isn’t just one thing. Our city’s many nicknames reflect Houston’s connections to climate (the “Bayou City”), culture (“H-town”), industry (“Space City”) — even our openness a decade ago in taking in Hurricane Katrina evacuees (“The Big Heart”). Classy. We […]

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Conversations We’re Thankful For: Wednesday’s Show (November 25, 2015)

Posted on · Each day on Houston Matters, we, the producers of this program, are tasked with examining the issues, ideas, people, places and events that define Greater Houston. We're thankful to have the opportunity to bring you what we believe is a valuable service for the region. We're also thankful we have each other to bounce ideas […]

Good, Bad and Ugly

Katrina Anniversary and Red Light Fatalities: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Houston News

Posted on · From memories of Hurricane Katrina ten years after the storm, to Harris County working on a plan to consolidate its jails, to Houston leading the nation in red-light fatalities: our panel of “non-experts” parses The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the week’s news. This week’s panel of non-experts is comprised of: Wayne Ashley, […]

Houston Matters

Checking in On a Katrina Evacuee 10 Years After the Storm

Posted on · Among the many evacuees that ended up in Houston after Katrina was Terrance Veal. He and 22 relatives shared a two-bedroom apartment for six weeks. Not long after, Veal shared his story as part of the Survivor to Survivor Stories oral history project Surviving Katrina and Rita in Houston. News 88.7's Syeda Hasan caught up […]

Houston Matters

Displaced By Katrina, New Orleans Church Members Still Gather Today in Houston

Posted on · When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, people scattered. Some decided to stay in their “new towns.” In Houston, displaced members of one New Orleans church — Franklin Avenue Baptist Church — created a new church here. News 88.7's Laurie Johnson reports.

Houston Matters

Houston Chronicle Photographers Recall Covering the Chaos After Katrina

Posted on · Ten years ago this weekend, Katrina made landfall. The category three hurricane and its ensuing flooding devastated New Orleans and other communities along the Gulf Coast. More than a thousand people died. Tens of thousands more were displaced. A slow response from emergency managers and public officials made matters worse. As awful as it was […]

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Remembering Katrina: Friday’s Show (August 28, 2015)

Posted on · Ten years ago this weekend, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast. On this edition of Houston Matters, we look back. We hear the accounts of Houston Chronicle photographers Melissa Phillip and Brett Coomer, recalling the lead-up to Katrina, the storm itself and the aftermath. They were at the New Orleans Superdome and the […]

Houston Matters

The Influence of Louisiana Transplants on Houston

Posted on · It's hard to say just how many Louisiana transplants there are in Greater Houston, but their influence is notable. Cajun and Creole culture, from food to music and beyond, can be found here. And that influence began long before the influx of New Orleans transplants, who came here during or after Hurricane Katrina. We discuss […]