Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (June 16, 2026)

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (July 10, 2026)

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Doris Childress [https://tsu.edu/academics/colleges-and-schools/school-of-communication/pdfs/bio-doris-childress.pdf] talk with Houston Public Media reporter Dominic Anthony Walsh [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/author/dominic-walsh/], who discusses his story on what legal experts think about Mayor Whitmire saying HPD can’t investigate [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/city-of-houston/2026/07/09/556660/ice-shooting-houston-mayor-john-whitmire-hpd-police-investigation/] Tuesday's fatal ICE shooting.  Then, Houston Public Reporter Sarah Grunau [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/author/sarah-grunau/] joins Walsh as they discuss the newest episode of the podcast series, After the Flood [https://www.npr.org/podcasts/fis-1269164163/after-the-flood], which follows the families of Camp Mystic victims as they fight for stronger regulations around summer camps following the deadly floods that devastated the Texas Hill Country last year. Plus, we also hear from Ayden Runnels [https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/08/texas-cryptocurrency-kiosk-bitcoin-atm-scam-fraud/], a reporter with The Texas Tribune, who explains to us how cryptocurrency ATMs are being used to scam Texans and what state lawmakers are proposing to help protect consumers from these scams.

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (July 9, 2026)

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Charlie Mechling [https://www.charlesmechling.com/bio] talk with Houston-based photographer Violeta Alvarez about her new Fresh Arts [https://fresharts.org/] residency, Casa de Cultura: The Living Archive [https://fresharts.org/2026-artists-in-residence/], and how it explores cultural identity and collective memory. Then, we hear from Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare [https://dao.harriscountytx.gov/About-Us/Meet-Sean-Teare], who shares his perspective on Tuesday's fatal shooting involving an ICE agent [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/immigration/2026/07/07/556478/houston-ice-shooting-death-east-end/] in Houston, whether his office is planning on investigating this fatal shooting, and what information is already known about the incident.

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (July 8, 2026)

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Robert Arnold [https://www.instagram.com/kprc2robertarnold/?hl=en] learn about the Houston Public Library's Summer Reading Program [https://www.houstonlibrary.org/srp] with Nicholas Sawicki, Executive Director of the Houston Public Library Foundation [https://houstonlibraryfoundation.org/]. Then, recently appointed Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin [https://cao.harriscountytx.gov/About/County-Attorney-Abbie-Kamin] joins us to share her perspective on the fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Houston’s East End yesterday and how involved the county can be in the investigation into what happened. Also, we discuss the importance of contemplative or reflective spaces in communities and how they can help support our mental health with Kelly Johnson, the Chief Engagement Officer at the Rothko Chapel [https://www.rothkochapel.org/learn/about/].

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (July 7, 2026)

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Robert Arnold [https://www.instagram.com/kprc2robertarnold/?hl=en] talk with Dr. Venkat Selvamanickam [https://www.me.uh.edu/faculty/selvamanickam], a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Houston, who tells us about a possible breakthrough in fusion energy. Then, Benjamin Hayden [https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/benjamin-hayden], an adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering and linguistics at Rice University, discusses a new study that looks at how the brain supports bilingualism and translates thoughts between different languages. Plus, public radio host David Greene [https://www.kcrw.com/people/david-greene] and director Doug Pray [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695629/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm] tell us about Louder Than Guns [https://www.louderthanguns.com/about], a music documentary about the gun violence issue in the United States and finding common ground through conversations with individuals from all ends of the debate.

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (July 6, 2026)

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host HPM reporter Michael Adkison [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/author/michael-adkison/] talk again with Chris Canetti [https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/chris-canetti], President of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Houston Host Committee, who discusses how Houston fared as a host city for this massive event.   Then, we hear from best-selling author Christina Diaz Gonzalez [https://www.christinagonzalez.com/about], who talks about her new middle-grade graphic novel, Offside, which follows five very different students on a middle school soccer team that becomes co-ed. Also, Julianna Washburn [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/author/julianna-washburn/], the Galveston County reporter at Houston Public Media, discusses Galveston County’s new approved precinct map [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/voting/2026/06/29/555864/galveston-county-precinct-map-gerrymandering-voting-rights-act/], which some residents have criticized for not fairly representing minority communities, what comes next, and other recent Galveston stories she’s been covering.