Houston Matters

On Tuesday's show: Houston Mayor John Whitmire will propose an “administrative fee" tied to garbage and recycling pickup that would start out at $5 per month for the first two years and would gradually ramp up to $25 per month. We discuss the city's long history that led to this potential move and the environmental effects of neglected trash pickup.Also this hour: We discuss the state of transportation in the region.Then, response to the COVID pandemic in 2020 led some to question the wisdom of public health officials and the medical community at-large. Dr. Barry Davis of UTHealth argues they’ve helped us all prevent many other major health disasters. He makes his case in a new book, The Preventioneers.And we talk about fishing in and around Houston with Mike Gore from Texas Parks and Wildlife.Watch

On Monday's show: We discuss what we learned from the Artemis II mission, what's ahead for future Artemis missions, and how the mission moved us closer to establishing more permanent operations on the moon — and potentially going to Mars someday.Also this hour: Gardening expert Meg Tapp will answer listener questions. And we preview the Rockets' first round matchup in the NBA Playoffs.Watch

On Thursday's show: Houston City Council has approved a proposal to limit Houston police officers' cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Councilmember Alejandra Salinas joins us to discuss the details and why she supported the measure.Also this hour: From changing trends to pleasing customers and thin profit margins, running a restaurant has never been easy. But is it even harder these days with on-again/off-again tariffs and rising costs? We talk it over with some folks in the business.And an upcoming performance from the Houston Chamber Choir called The Sacred Veil explores how music can be used for healing. Watch

On Tuesday's show: Artemis II astronauts had an historic day Monday, conducting their lunar fly-by and traveling farther from earth than any other humans. We learn more about what they achieved.And we learn about HISD's plans to expand Superintendent Mike Miles' New Education System to nine more campuses.Also this hour: A handful of local breweries have closed across Houston in recent years. What are some of the market factors that are causing that? Has the craft beer bubble burst? Are people drinking other things these days -- or not drinking at all? We talk it over.And how much impact does a father figure really have? An upcoming exhibit at The Health Museum is turning to Houstonians to explore the answer.Watch

On Friday's show: We get the latest on the Artemis II mission as it continues into its second full day.Also this hour: From the recent death of a man law enforcement believed was connected to the murders of several Houston-area women, to the indictment this week of his longtime friend for his alleged involvement, we make sense of a flood of new developments in some murder cases that have sat unsolved for decades and are considered part of the so-called "Texas Killing Fields."Then, from a hoax involving the death of a 193-year-old tortoise, to the case of 400,000 stolen KitKat bars, we consider The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.And we pay a visit to the sprawling complex of commerce that is the Traders Village flea market.Watch

On Wednesday's show: We discuss the latest developments in politics in our weekly roundup.Also this hour: In this month's installment of The Full Menu, local food writers talk about some restaurants worth taking a short trip outside Houston to try.And a unique company in The Woodlands called Othram used DNA to identify a suspect in the 1990 "Lovers Lane" murders in Houston. We revisit a conversation about how they do that work.Watch