City Cast Houston

Texas just doesn’t do sweet tea the way other Southern states do. Why is that? Host Lisa Gray and lead producer Dina Kesbeh and producer Ferrill Gibbs break down this cultural difference and talk about their own experiences and preferences with iced tea, sweetened and unsweetened. Want more Houston news and culture in your life? Then sign up for our morning newsletter! We’re also on Twitter! Join...

The Supreme Court is evaluating the scope of the Clean Water Act and its protections of wetlands, with oral arguments scheduled for this fall. Depending on the outcome, it might get easier for developers to build on sites that cause flooding ... so what does this mean for Houstonians? To help answer that question and others, host Lisa Gray speaks with Kristen Schlemmer, the legal director at Bayou...

The issues mount as November’s election closes in. Recent decisions by the Supreme Court have sent shockwaves across the country – and particularly here in Texas. In Houston, the threat of a shaky electric grid is an omnipresent source of concern, with heat records falling constantly. As these issues heat up, so has the rhetoric, and it all leads to one simple question: Does Beto O’Rourke have wha...

It’s Friday, which means we are diving into a weeks worth of news in Houston. This week, host Lisa Gray and lead producer Dina Kesbeh chat with City Cast Contributor Shiyam Galyon about the temporary ban on abortions in Texas, how HEB’s donation is helping rebuild Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and so much more!  Catch up on the temporary ban on abortions here More on HEB's donation here Bug-A-S...

From motoring around the Port of Houston to rolling your own sushi, strolling the arid scrublands of Hempstead, and getting great burgers and beer, there's a million things to do in (and around) Houston before you die. Thankfully, we at City Cast Houston (on a team chat Thursday!) whittle it down to nine for you. So many wonderful places/things were mentioned on today's show! Check them out: The k...

The Twilight Epiphany Skyspace at Rice University is one of Houston's most peaceful places. The structure is among more than 85 Skypaces that sculpture James Turrell has designed and built across the world. Today, host Lisa Gray and City Cast Houston contributor Olivia Flores Alvarez talk about how this design is the first to be engineered for acoustics and what it means to have this structure in...

Texans continues to grapple with the most influential Supreme Court decision of our lifetimes, but the overturning of Roe V. Wade is not the only case that could change the landscape of Texas – and everywhere else. A case involving gun licensure and one regarding prayer at school has all eyes on the land’s highest court, as everyone’s left to comb through the nuances of this new world, post-Roe. H...

The Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade, and abortion became illegal in Texas. (Even though the “Trigger law” has yet to go into effect, older Texas laws may now be enforceable. So, clinics have begun to close their doors.) In this episode, Lisa Gray addresses the post-Roe world in Texas, and also breaks down how people in search of an abortion must now navigate the landscape. Also, regarding the...

Today, we kick off an occasional series about Houston neighborhoods, and we're talking about West U. It's a small, upscale town entirely surrounded by Houston. Two proud, West U. residents join the show today! City Cast contributor Evan Mintz, along with Houston writer Chris Candor, who has some spot-on descriptions of West U. in her brand new book, A Gracious Neighbor. Got a little extra cash in...

It's Friday, which means it's time to round out the week with some news! This week Host Lisa Gray and Producer Ferrill Gibbs are with City Cast Contributor Evan Mintz talking about everything from the Texas GOP to Houston's first ever brick and mortar marijuana shop! Want to stay in the loop? Follow us on Twitter at @CityCastHouston Have something to say about today’s episode? Leave us a voicemail...

It’s chat time! And this week, the City Cast Houston team is talking about some of the most prestigious universities in the state of Texas. Tune in as we take a trip down memory lane and discuss the good, the bad, and surprising sides of our alma maters. Want a further look into Rice's past? Check out our episode: A Reckoning With History at the Heart of Rice Have thoughts about today’s episode? L...

The new Texas Republican platform is only the latest reason why trans people in Houston feel that their rights -- and maybe their lives -- are in danger. On today's show host Lisa Gray is joined with longtime trans activist Lou Weaver, of the Trans Legal Aid Clinic of Texas, to talk about how the anti-trans rhetoric has progressed and impacted the community. Lou also talks about what people could,...

The novel, 'The Last Queen' takes readers on a historical journey by telling the fascinating story of Rani Jindan. This romantic yet game of thrones like story is the 20th novel for award winning author and professor of writing at UofH, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni but she isn’t done yet; a movie and a new book are also on the way! Host Lisa Gray, sits down to talk to Chitra about her creative proce...

It's that time of the week y'all! We're looking back at a weeks worth of news. Lisa is joined by lead producer Dina Kesbeh and contributor Antrechelle Dorsey. Today, they'll talk about the spike in COVID cases; the price hike that many Houstonians will face when they renew their electric contracts; and the heat raining in on Texas Children's Hospital following a lawsuit from a family that says the...

It's blazing hot – with no relief in sight! As all-time temp records drop like flies, so does the morale of Houstonians sweltering in this unreasonable, unseasonable heat. So! What can we eat - or drink - to bring us back to life? Something sweet? Perhaps something cold? Or, maybe something nostalgic, to remind us of summers past? It's team chat Thursday! And with an extra Houstonian in the house...

Summer is upon us! So you know what that means: constantly swatting at mosquitos, declaring war on fire ants, and slamming doors to keep all the flies out. It's true: Bugs can be a nuisance! But, on today's episode, Scott Solomon - Biology professor at Rice University - attempts to convince lead producer Dina Kesbeh that we should embrace insects, because we really, really need them. Check out Sco...

Have you ever wondered what your neighborhood looked like before there were buildings on the land? What was Uptown like before freeways and the Galleria? What about the Astrodome area and Alief and West University? On today's episode, environmental expert, Jaime Gonzales may blow your mind. Houston before development was probably not what you imagined. If you're as curious as where, here's where y...

The current proposal for the Ike Dike - a barrier to protect the Houston/Galveston area from hurricanes - is making its way through Congress. If passed, it would be the largest proposed piece of engineering in US history. However! Just because it's proposed, does that make it a good idea? Not entirely, says Bayou City Waterkeeper's legal director, Kristen Schlemmer. Kristen joins the show today an...

It’s News Roundup Friday! Lisa is joined by producer Ferrill Gibbs and the City Cast culture contributor Olivia Flores Alvarez. Some of today’s topics include: Texas’ war on trans people; the Uvalde shooting sparks a note of Texas partisanship; the new musical “Noir” opens at the Alley Theatre; a 42-year-old Houston cold case takes a wonderful turn, and a few moments of genuine Houston joy… join u...

How do you like yours? Stuffed with cottage cheese? Maybe with meat and jalapeno? Or, perhaps you like an old-school flavor, like apricot, or with poppy seeds? Today, the City Cast crew breaks down kolaches in its Thursday's team chat – the food that burst on the scene generations ago and has shown no signs of slowing down...particularly in Texas. Some of the flavors we mentioned! Kolache Shoppe i...

It's summertime, you're walking around barefoot running through the grass and you get bit by a snake, what should you do? Today, Producer Ferrill Gibbs sits down with snakebite expert Dr. Spencer Greene. He's the director of the annual Houston Venom Conference and director of toxicology at HCA Kingwood. Dr. Greene dives into the fear we all have of snakes, but he also explains that fear is irratio...

Welcome back to Part II of Keri Blakinger's story: a top-level ice skater who, after her skating career fell apart, fell apart herself. Keri ended up living on the streets shooting and selling heroin until 2010 when she was busted carrying Tupperware full of it. Now, after two and a half years in prison, she lives in Houston covering prisons herself as a top-level journalist for the Marshall Proje...

At 17, Keri Blakinger was a top-level ice skater. But after her skating career fell apart, so did she. She ended up living on the streets shooting and selling heroin. In 2010, she was busted carrying a Tupperware full of it. Now, after two and a half years in prison, she lives in Houston and covers prisons herself as a top-level journalist for the Marshall Project. Her memoir Corrections In Ink wi...

Hey City Cast Houston listeners, today we have something different for you. For today’s show, we’ve teamed up with The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news org that covers politics and policy, to bring you the latest from their show, TribCast, a weekly podcast full of water-cooler talk on political news. Click here to learn more about TribCast

Today we're looking back at a weeks worth of news around Houston. Freelance producer AK Al Moumen joins Lead Producer Dina Kesbeh and Host Lisa Gray to discuss how Texas Governor Greg Abbott requested school officials to conduct safety inspections. Abbott said he wants a through study into what actions could be taken to prevent any future school shootings. COVID has been detected yet again in the...