Hello Houston (May 21, 2026)

Hello Houston (June 4, 2026)

On today’s Hello Houston, we talk with John Diamond [https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/john-w-diamond], Director of the Center for Tax and Budget Policy at Rice University's Baker Institute, who helps break down the economic fallout of the Iran War as Americans continue to experience high energy prices.   Then, Bain Wilson, the Rancher Education and Outreach Manager at Ranchbot Monitoring Solutions, joins us to discuss the New World Screwworm and the threat they pose to the U.S. cattle industry due to the harm they cause livestock.  In the second hour of the show, we’re joined by Angie Orth [https://angieaway.com/about-angie/], host of the Traveling with AAA podcast, who shares practical advice for the summer travel season as well as common travel mistakes to avoid. Plus, our hosts and listeners talk about the things that have been taking over all their free time for our regular Thursday feature, Current Obsessions. You can send Hello Houston your Current Obsessions anytime by emailing us at talk@hellohouston.org. And, as always, Ernie Manouse and guest host Tessa Barerra [https://www.instagram.com/tess1tess2/?hl=en] talk about today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including a Houston-area man accused of selling fake accessible parking placards [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/crime/2026/06/03/553600/houston-man-accused-of-selling-fake-accessible-parking-placards/] online and Houston City Council member Alejandra Salinas' proposal to allocate $3 million of Mayor Whitmire’s budget plan to address illegal dumping.

Hello Houston (June 3, 2026)

On today’s Hello Houston, we talk with Dr. Libby Cohen [https://www.raiseyourhandtexas.org/team/libby-cohen-ph-d/], Executive Director of the non-profit Raise Your Hand Texas [https://www.raiseyourhandtexas.org/], who helps us understand the state of public-school funding in Texas, as well as give us an update on the state’s school voucher program. Next, Bradley Michalakis, the Head of Dramaturgy at Alley Theatre [https://www.alleytheatre.org/], joins us to tell us all about the shows that will be in the arts organization's upcoming 2026 – 27 season, which also happens to be their 80th season. In the second hour, we’re joined by Tammi Wallace, President and CEO of the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce [https://www.houstonlgbtchamber.com/] and Avery Belyeu, CEO of The Montrose Center [https://montrosecenter.org/], who both share their thoughts on how Pride Day and Pride Month represents the progress made by the LGBTQIA+ community. Plus, Jackie Wallace, Assistant Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at the Houston Zoo [https://www.houstonzoo.org/], tells us about what will be available at the zoo this summer. And, as always, Ernie and guest host Katharine Shilcutt [https://profiles.rice.edu/staff/katharine-shilcutt] discuss today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including Ken and Angela Paxton cancelling their divorce trial, Jill Biden saying she was concerned her husband was having a stroke during the 2024 presidential debate, and Texas DPS now only giving commercial driver's license tests in English.

Hello Houston (June 2, 2026)

On today’s Hello Houston, State Representative Dr. Suleman Lalani [https://house.texas.gov/members/4285], who represents House District 76 in Fort Bend County, joins us to discuss his recent op-ed in the Houston Chronicle about what he describes as growing Islamophobia among Texas politicians. Next, we talk with Christine Holland, the CEO of local non-profit Rebuilding Together Houston [https://rebuildingtogetherhouston.org/], who tells us all about their work providing free home repair to homeowners in need across the Houston area. In the second hour of the show, Barbie Brashear, the Executive Director of the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council [https://www.hcdvcc.org/], joins us to discuss domestic violence awareness, prevention, and resources available to those who may need help. Also, Thomas Helton, the bassist and tubist for Boomtown Brass Band [https://www.boomtownbrassband.com/], Houston’s only traditional jazz group, talks to us about the band's efforts to keep the genre’s traditions alive through their music. And, as always, Ernie Manouse and guest host Katharine Shilcutt [https://profiles.rice.edu/staff/katharine-shilcutt] discuss today's top stories at the top of each hour, including the Trump administration's anti-weaponization fund being put on hold, Ken Paxton suing the city of Denton over gender-neutral changing rooms at a Pride pool event, Texas Children's Hospital creating a “detransition clinic” as part of a settlement with the state, and more.

Hello Houston (June 1, 2026)

On today’s Hello Houston, we dedicate our whole show to the official start of hurricane season, which we kick off with ABC13 Chief Meteorologist Travis Herzog [https://abc13.com/about/newsteam/travis-herzog/?userab=kabc_content_recs-577*variant_a_control-2480,wls_content_recs-584*variant_b_trending_wls-2517,wpvi_content_recs-586*variant_b_trending_wpvi-2521,otv_web_content_rec-539*variant_c_trending-2268,otv_search_page_design_unification-546*variant_b_search_redesign-2300,abcn_popular_reads_exp-542*variant_b_7days_filter-2288], who gives us a preview of what we can expect over the next several months and what residents should be looking out for. Then, Nathan Brownell, the Vice President of Resilience and Capital Delivery at CenterPoint, talks to us about how the energy company is preparing for hurricane season this year and their resiliency efforts. In the second hour, we turn to preparedness by speaking with Diana Zarzuelo, the Chief Impact Officer for the Greater Houston Community Foundation [https://ghcf.org/], who explains how families on a budget can prepare for the next big storm without spending too much money. Also, Emily Woodell, the Chief External Affairs Officer for the Harris County Flood Control District [https://www.hcfcd.org/], tells us about their flood mitigation plans for hurricane season as well as FEMA’s draft for the county’s new floodplain maps.   And, as always, Ernie Manouse and guest host Houston Public Media reporter Michael Adkison [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/author/michael-adkison/] discuss today’s top stories at the top of each hour, including premium tickets for the free FIFA Fan Festival [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/sports/world-cup/2026/05/29/553252/fifa-fan-festival-houston-world-cup/], President Trump considering replacing America’s 250th birthday celebration with a MAGA rally, a federal appeals court lifting a block on a controversial Texas immigration law, and more.

Hello Houston (May 29, 2026)

On today’s Hello Houston, Jim Szczesniak [https://www.fly2houston.com/airport-business/about/leadership/jim-szczesniak/], the Director of Aviation for the Houston Airport System [https://www.fly2houston.com/], joins us in the show’s first hour to discuss changes happening at the airports and what travelers can expect from this year’s busy summer travel season. Then, we’re joined again by Nerdtropolis founder and editor Sean Tajipour [https://nerdtropolis.com/author/seantajipour/], who breaks down the 2026 summer movie season and shares his thoughts on which releases he thinks should be on everyone’s radar. In the show’s second hour, as we come off another election cycle, we revisit a past episode of Texperts [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/tag/texperts/], in which University of Houston political science professor and Party Politics [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/shows/party-politics/] co-host Brandon Rottinghaus [https://www.uh.edu/class/political-science/faculty-and-staff/professors/rottinghaus/] explores the role County Attorneys play in local elections [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/hello-houston/2026/05/26/544491/texperts-county-attorneys-and-voting-rights/]. And finally, our hosts share a rundown of events happening this weekend in the Houston area for our regular Friday feature, Last Minute Plans, while Hello Houston listeners share their own plans for the weekend. And, as always, Ernie Manouse and guest host Brenda Valdivia [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/staff/brenda-valdivia/] talk about today's top stories at the top of each hour, including Fertitta Entertainment acquiring major Las Vegas strip operator Caesars Entertainment, President Trump calling for a gas tax holiday, Houston-area students rescued from a stuck rollercoaster at Galveston's Pleasure Pier, and more.