Posted on · Behind all the rhetoric and political discourse about President Trump’s proposed wall along the US-Mexico Border are real people who would be affected by it – border patrol agents, ranchers and undocumented immigrants. A new documentary called Beyond the Wall aims to put viewers in the shoes of those people as it explores the complex […]
Posted on · A major source of division among cities and state officials is differing opinions on what local control means — and to whom it provides the power to govern.
Posted on · A new series from The Texas Tribune highlights the struggles Texans face in paying for college in the state – and also the struggle the state faces in funding its public colleges and universities. Reporter Matthew Watkins joins us to discuss what the Tribune has found out about both plights and how it all affects […]
Posted on · On this edition of Houston Matters, we discuss how fewer business regulations might affect the environment, changes to the National Weather Service's National Water Model, and the struggle Texas and Texans face paying for college. Also, singer-songwriter Mike Doughty performs in studio.
Posted on · On Wednesday (Feb. 1, 2017), the Texas Board of Education held a preliminary vote on science standards, which some worry could make room for the teaching of creationism in science classrooms. We learn more from Texas Tribune reporter Aliyya Swaby, and then discuss famous court battles over evolution and creationism with Josh Blackman from South […]
Posted on · On Wednesday (Feb. 1, 2017), the Texas Board of Education held a preliminary vote on science standards, which some worry could make room for the teaching of creationism in science classrooms. On this edition of Houston Matters, we learn more from Texas Tribune reporter Aliyya Swaby, and then discuss famous court battles over evolution and […]
Posted on · The Texas Health and Human Services Commission delivered a final legal notice to defund Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program. In a provision under the state and federal law pertaining to Medicaid providers, the Office of the Inspector General wrote that the group is “not qualified to provide medical services in a professionally competent, safe, […]
Posted on · The Texas lieutenant governor says his priorities are passing a conservative budget, reducing property taxes and school finance reform.
Posted on · The Texas Tribune just released results from a yearlong investigation into data about police shootings from departments in the state’s 36 largest cities. That data indicates there were 656 incidents of officer-involved shootings in those cities between 2010 and 2015. But that may be an incomplete picture. We find out why the total number of […]
Posted on · Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has lost the support of a key Texas Hispanic backer, who is Houston-based. According to the Texas Tribune, Houston attorney Jacob Monty has resigned from Trump’s National Hispanic Advisory Council, following Trump’s speech on immigration in Phoenix, Arizona, Wednesday night. Monty says, according to the publication, that he will also […]
Posted on · A recent report in the Texas Tribune suggests access to mental health care for students on college campuses in Texas is at a breaking point. Counselors are burning out, pay is low and student mental health needs are surging. We learn more from Norma Ngo, the director of the University of Houston’s counseling center, and Aneri Pattani, […]
Posted on · When we think about protecting the Texas-Mexico border, we often think about stopping illegal activity happening on the other side of the Rio Grande. However, a series of reports from The Texas Tribune and Reveal highlights illegal activity happening not only here on the US side of the border but among those tasked with policing it […]
Posted on · Typically, when we talk about protecting the Texas/Mexico border, we mean protecting it from illegal activity on the other side of the Rio Grande. But reports this week from The Texas Tribune and Reveal highlight illegal activity happening not only on the U.S. side of the border but among those tasked with policing it. Those articles […]
Posted on · The state of Texas has a long — and not terribly successful — history with one contracting company: Accenture (formerly known as Andersen Consulting). Some 25 years ago, the Texas Attorney General’s office signed a contract with Andersen to computerize the state’s child support payment system. It wound up costing more than six times what the […]
Posted on · Some industry analysts are calling coal a “zombie industry” – meaning it’s dying but still functioning. So far in 2016, U.S. coal production is 32 percent lower than it was a year ago, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Meanwhile, a new study says Texans are shifting away from relying on energy […]