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

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

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie and guest host Deborah Hope [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0393966/] talk with James Beard Award-winning Houston chef Adrian Torres [https://www.maximo-htx.com/team/], who talks to us about receiving this honor, his culinary journey, and his immigration story. Then, Maureen McNamara, the co-founder of Arthouse Houston [https://arthousehtx.org/], rejoins us on the show to give us an update on the effort to save the historic Garden Oaks Theater and tell us about a special event featuring acclaimed Houston-born filmmaker Wes Anderson. And finally, our hosts and listeners share the latest things that are taking over all their free time as part of our regular Thursday feature, Current Obsessions. You can send us your Current Obsessions anytime by emailing us at talk@hellohouston.org [talk@hellohouston.org].

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

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie and guest host Roseann Rogers [https://www.instagram.com/buzz_lady/?hl=en] talk with Texas Tribune reporter Zach Despart [https://www.texastribune.org/author/zach-despart/], who discusses Texas AG Ken Paxton's recent voter fraud allegations despite his calls to crack down on illegal voting in Texas. Next, we hear from actor Robert Petkoff [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0677680/], who tells us all about the national tour of Moulin Rouge The Musical [https://www.thehobbycenter.org/events/moulin-rouge-the-musical-2/], which is currently playing at the Hobby Center through Sunday, July 19, and playing the role of Harold Zidler. Also, Cedric Walker, the founder of UniverSoul Circus [https://www.universoulcircus.com/], a circus experience that celebrates Black culture, talks to us about the history of the circus, the work it does in the community, and how its performers engage with the audience during the show.

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (July 14, 2026)

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie Manouse and guest host Roseann Rogers [https://www.instagram.com/buzz_lady/?hl=en] discuss The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston [https://www.gilbertandsullivan.org/]'s production of The Gondoliers [https://www.gilbertandsullivan.org/tickets/], with Joe Carl White, president of the opera company's board of directors, and Houston native stage director Alyssa Weathersby. Then, we hear from Christina Tringides [https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/christina-tringides], an assistant professor of materials science and nanoengineering at Rice University, who tells us about receiving the prestigious Pew Biomedical Scholar award as well as her four-year project, which explores one of the most common and aggressive forms of brain cancer. And finally, we’re joined by Corey Wilson, the president and CEO of the Emancipation Park Conservancy [https://epconservancy.org/], who tells us about the non-profit's mission to enhance the historically significant Houston park and its new performance stage.

Hello Houston – The Commuter Cut (July 13, 2026)

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie Manouse and guest host Michael Adkison [https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/author/michael-adkison/] talk with immigration attorney Gordon Quan [https://quanlaw.com/Attorney/gordon-j-quan/], who explains what people should do if they’re approached by ICE, and what rights people have when they're stopped by federal agents. Next, author R. Lee Ingalls [https://www.instagram.com/ingallsontheprairie/?hl=en], who’s also a member of the Ingalls family that was the subject of the Little House on the Prairie books and TV series, joins us to discuss his family's history and the new Netflix reboot of the classic series. Plus, Rich Levy, the now-former Executive Director of Inprint Houston [https://inprinthouston.org/], joins us to talk to us about his retirement from this role, the impact he's had on Houston's literary scene while serving in this role, and what's next for him.

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.