City Cast Houston

Last week, Memorial Park’s Kinder Land Bridge & Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie were unveiled at "Texas’ Biggest Picnic." City Cast contributor Shiyam Gaylon sits down with Shellye Arnold, President and CEO of Memorial Park Conservancy, to discuss the monumental effort, and producers AK ALMoumen & Carlignon Jones visit the ribbon cutting ceremony, where they chat with the Mayor and some of the proj...

This week Producers Carlignon Jones and AK ALMoumen are joined by politics contributor Evan Mintz to round up the week’s biggest and most impactful stories. and developments in ongoing news that affect all Houstonians. More details on this week’s major stories: ABC 13’s reporting on Harris County Jail victims’ families in Austin. Houston Landing Reporting on the families of inmates killed in Harri...

It’s no secret Houston is extremely vast and really spread out. Living in the suburbs and possibly going on a date with someone in Galveston just makes it feel like a long distance relationship. Join the team this week as they talk about why dating in our city is so complicated and hear them share their tips on how to combat the single life. It is hard to date in Houston! But we got some date idea...

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we know people all over are getting ready for datenights. Which can be fun-filled, but what about those dates that leave a sour taste in your mouth? Torrina Harris is here to read Call it a Good Time, a poem dedicated to all the woes of dating in Houston.  Want to know more about Torrina? Follow her on Twitter @votefortorrina or on Instagram @torrina_ or @to...

The special day of love is approaching and the city of Houston has a lot of fun things to offer to help you get in the spirit! Whether you’re celebrating galantines, spending time with your lover, or trying to find something kid friendly to do for date night contributor Antre'chelle Dorsey and lead producer Dina Kesbeh have you covered! The Warwick Juliet a'Bouzy Post Houston Galentine's Market In...

Although Valentines day is suppose to be a day to celebrate love, for many people it just brings sadness. Most people feel like the holiday is only for couples but, truthfully its a great time to love on yourself! Therapist Maliha Khan, who runs the Instagram page Mental Health with Maliha, is here with lead producer Dina Kesbeh to tell us all about ways to practice self-love. Get more tips by fol...

It’s Friday, which means it’s that time of the week where we see what Houston’s talking about. Lead producer Dina Kesbeh, producer Carlignon Jones and political contributor Evan Mintz talk about a returning Texans player named coach, Harris County’s childcare expansion plan, Beyonce’s Houston tour dates and more. More on HEB policy story here More on Beyonce here More on Texan's Coach here More on...

What’s your favorite style of pizza, New York, deep dish, pan style, Italian? How do you like your pizza, stone oven, baked, round or square? Do you know what Detroit style is? Well Houston has got you covered, there is a pizza style for any taste palate. Even for you pizza haters out there like our very own producer Carlignon Jones, we bet that after listening to lead producer Dina Kesbeh, produc...

The Buffalo Bayou is a 52-mile river that flows through the heart of our city. It’s home to some of the most beautiful parks. It seems these days, we’re also learning more about the different species of fish that live between the murky waters of our Bayou. But one fish in particular seems to be in the headlines more often these days; the Alligator Gar. Today, contributor Scott Solomon and Kory Eva...

The epidemic of people experiencing homelessness has been a problem all over America, but after being praised by The New York Times for housing over 25,000 people, Houston seems to be on track to possibly solving the problem. Producer Carlignon Jones talks with Anna Rauch of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston about how an annual survey is used to help us get closer to housing more of the un...

We all talk about how traffic has gotten so much worse in our city and most of the time people conclude its likely due to overcrowding, and people just keeping moving to our city. But, that’s not exactly the case. Contributor Evan Mintz joins lead producer Dina Kesbeh to talk about how our population is shrinking and what might be the cause. More details on what we talked about: Houston is Shrinki...

What happened this week in Houston? Here to talk all about it are Producer Carlignon Jones, producer AK AL-Moumen and contributor Antrechelle Dorsey. They discuss the Tornado that ripped through areas near Houston, the passing of a beloved influencer in our city, how we've been name the dirtiest city in America, and so much more. More on the tornado aftermath here More on the Texans couch hunt her...

Houston does food right, there’s no debate there. But did you know it’s also crowned for having one of the largest lists of diverse halal restaurants? From Tex-Mex, to BBQ to crepes, the list is long. Here to explore just what makes food halal and how the halal food scene exploded in our city is Faraz Ahmed. He’s one of the people behind the Instagram and TikTok pages, The Halal Palate. He joins l...

Harwin Drive is the place many say you can find almost anything your heart desires. No matter if its clothing, party supplies, jewelry, or furniture this street has it all! This bargain shopping strip near Hillcroft Street in Southwest Houston has been called “Houston’s best-kept secret,” and today we’re unveiling it with Sam Kesbeh, who has owned a shop there since 1987 and who also happens to be...

City Cast contributor Jaime González explains the deep history and surprising substrates of our daily commutes. Interested in being the new host of City Cast Houston? Click here to apply! Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Twitter and Instagram  Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know! or leave us a voicemail/text us at +1 713-489-697...

Houston is famous for its big-hearted philanthropists. But not all of them have big money: Today we’re talking with truck driver Ferrell Surette, the founder and el jefe of Recycled Cycles. Follow Recycled Cycles Of Texas on Instagram to keep up with their events. Interested in being the new host of City Cast Houston? Click here to apply! Keep up with what's going on in Houston in 2023 by subscrib...

What happened this week in Houston? Podcaster Mohammad Usman Aijaz and producer Carlignon Jones join host Lisa Gray for her final news roundup. More on the stories talked about today: Miss Universe pageant denies rigging allegations after Houston native and Filipina-American R'Bonney Gabriel was crowned the 71st Miss Universe winner. March Madness Final Four will be played in Houston. The Universi...

It’s Lisa Gray’s last week at City Cast Houston, so she and the City Cast crew revisit some of the episodes she loved most. Interested in being the new host of City Cast Houston? Click here to apply! Want to hear some of Lisa's favorites? Reader call-in: Tales from the 610 Loop Jaime González: Google Earth images tell the tale of Houston  Keri Blakinger: What went wrong in Texas’ deadliest prison...

Legendary producer Sean 'Solo' Jemison was instrumental in defining Houston’s Hip-Hop sound in the '90s with countless hits under his belt and work with major acts such as ESG, Lil Keke, Big Pokie, and Z-Ro! You cannot discuss Houston rap without the influence of Solo! Now he is using that sound to educate children by mixing his passion for hip-hop into his new upcoming animated series. Get to kno...

The Texas Legislature is awash in lobbyists pushing for Texas to expand legal gambling. So is this finally the year that the state says yes to casinos and online sports betting? City Cast political contributor Scott Braddock explains why the odds are against that — and also why legislators keep noodling with those bills anyway. Want to know more? Check out these articles: Houston lawmaker says the...

Jen Rice, who covers Harris County for the Houston Chronicle, helps host Lisa Gray get her head around a wild week in Houston news. The Texas Legislature is in session! Here is what you need to know. Nine Republicans are challenging the November election results. Alexandra del Moral Mealer is leading the charge on contesting the election. Does Mealer's challenge hold any validity? Lina Hidalgo is...

Yes, Houston has two MLK parades at the same time. The City Cast crew elaborates — and offers other ways to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and enjoy a three-day weekend. 45th Annual Original MLK Jr. Parade in Downtown Houston. MLK Festival at Houston City Hall. 29th Annual MLK Grande Parade in Midtown. Rothko Chapel. The Houston Museum of African American Culture. Dreams, Art & Freedom: M...

Once upon a time, the nightclub District 1960 featured performers like Megan Thee Stallion and Slim Thug. Then the pandemic forced owner Robert Thomas to shut down. So he took a chainsaw to the place — and transformed it into a sleek health-food store. Now District Market Green Grocer specializes in produce, fresh juices, and locally made products from Black vendors. Want to know more about Housto...

Every two years the Texas State Legislature convenes for a few frantic months of lawmaking. The last session brought extraordinary new restrictions on abortion. City Cast contributor Evan Mintz says that this session promises to be just as sweeping. Where to find the names of your elected officials and how to contact them: www.texastribune.org/directory. Where to find and track bills as they move...

Think ballet is boring? You haven’t seen Harper Watters strut his glam stuff on Instagram. For more check out Harper's website or the Houston Ballet.  Also follow Harper on Instagram and TikTok Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Twitter and Instagram  Don’t have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with...