Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (May 15, 2026)

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (June 3, 2026)

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Katharine Shilcutt [https://profiles.rice.edu/staff/katharine-shilcutt] 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 discusses the state of public-school funding in Texas and the state's school voucher program. Then, we hear from Bradley Michalakis, the Head of Dramaturgy at Alley Theatre [https://www.alleytheatre.org/], who breaks down all the shows that will be in the arts organization’s upcoming 2026 – 27 season, which is also their 80th season. Also, 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/], join us to both give us their thoughts on the meaning of Pride Month and how much progress has been achieved by the LGBTQIA+ community.

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (June 2, 2026)

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Katharine Shilcutt [https://profiles.rice.edu/staff/katharine-shilcutt] talk with State Rep. Dr. Suleman Lalani [https://house.texas.gov/members/4285], who discusses why he believes there’s a rise in Islamophobia among Texas politicians and what impact this has on communities across the state. Then, we hear from Rebuilding Together Houston [https://rebuildingtogetherhouston.org/] CEO Christine Holland, who tells us all about the area non-profit and its mission of providing free home repair to homeowners in need across Houston. Plus, we learn about Boomtown Brass Band [https://www.boomtownbrassband.com/], Houston’s only traditional jazz group, with its bassist and tubist Thomas Helton, who explains how they're keeping the rich traditions of jazz alive through their music.

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (June 1, 2026)

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and Houston Public Media reporter Michael Adkison [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/author/michael-adkison/] talk with ABC13’s 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 from this year’s hurricane season, which officially begins today. Next, we hear from Nathan Brownell, the Vice President of Resilience and Capital Delivery at CenterPoint, who explains how the energy company is preparing for this year’s hurricane season and what Houstonians can do to prepare. Plus, Emily Woodell, the Chief External Affairs Officer for the Harris County Flood Control District [https://www.hcfcd.org/], joins us to discuss their flood mitigation plans for hurricane season, new floodplain maps for the county, and what they mean for our understanding of flooding in our area.

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (May 29, 2026)

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” we hear from Houston Airport System [https://www.fly2houston.com/]’s Director of Aviation, Jim Szczesniak [https://www.fly2houston.com/airport-business/about/leadership/jim-szczesniak/], who gives us the latest on airport redevelopment projects and what travelers can expect from the summer travel season this year. Next, Sean Tajipour [https://nerdtropolis.com/author/seantajipour/], the founder and editor of Nerdtropolis, joins us again on the show to break down this summer's biggest movie releases and which films he thinks should be on everyone’s radar. Plus, Ernie and guest host Brenda Valdivia [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/staff/brenda-valdivia/] share a rundown of events happening this weekend in Houston for our regular Friday feature, Last Minute Plans, while also sharing their own weekend plans and responding to plans from Hello Houston listeners.

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (May 28, 2026)

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” we hear Ernie’s conversation with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, who gives his reaction to facing off against Republican nominee Ken Paxton in November’s general election following Tuesday’s GOP primary runoff. Next, Houston-based author Kalyani Adusumilli [https://www.kalyaniadusumilli.com/] talks to us about her newly released debut novel, The Invisible Canvas [https://www.kalyaniadusumilli.com/books], and how it explores mental health, trauma, and personal identity. And finally, Ernie and guest host Courtney Zubowski [https://www.instagram.com/courtzubowski/] share the things they’ve been obsessed with lately as part of our regular Thursday feature, Current Obsessions. You can send Hello Houston your Current Obsessions anytime by emailing us at talk@hellohouston.org.