City Cast Houston

With Houston's crime rate on the rise and gun violence wreaking havoc on the city, finding a solution is on everyone's mind. It's why all but one council member, Letitia Plummer, voted for the gunshot detection technology. The technology has definitely drawn criticism and swirled many doubts, will this actually help reduce gun violence in our city? You'll have to listen to find out.  Today Lisa si...

Back in the day, Houston was flush with charming weirdos. People made strange stuff here: We had the Orange Show, the Beer Can House, and art cars galore. But where’s our new generation of eccentrics? On today’s show we discuss this with contributors Allyn West and artist Phillip Pyle II, who’s working on a 20' monument for the Flower Man. Check out Phillip Pyle's art on his website, here! Also, m...

Scott Solomon - biologist, professor, and science communicator – takes producer Ferrill Gibbs to a portion of the shallow, muddy Brazos (just north of College Station) where certain historical rocks and their peculiar characteristics offer coordinates to one of life’s greatest mysteries. Check out Scott's new show on Wondrium, which is his greatest passion... insects! The show is called "Why Insec...

The Great Resignation has been happening all over – but not like in Texas. Antréchelle Dorsey, contributor for City Cast Houston, explains how like other Houstonians, she has seized this moment to redefine her life and rearrange her priorities. To find Antréchelle ... you can go Here! She mentioned Mimi Irwin and Dequilla Bratcher. Find their businesses here! Fitty Wraps and Delicacies by Dee Also...

In February 2021, after Winter Storm Uri rolled into Texas, the state’s power grid went down. Millions of homes and businesses lost electricity and heat, and hundreds of people died. Are we better prepared now? Sergio Chapa, an energy reporter with Bloomberg, explains the weaknesses 2022's first little cold snap revealed. Want the coolest scoop on Houston? Then make sure to sign up for our morning...

Nelly, Hannah, and Laura of the band “Babes In Betoland” gear up to stump (although musically) for Beto O’Rourke’s gubernatorial campaign. Inspired by his causes, though not officially part of his campaign, they take to the road to discover if yodeling for Beto can thrust a message of “making Texas safe again” across a gaping political divide. You can check out their Indigogo page, here! Also, the...

The Tank, 106.5 FM, isn’t an ordinary radio station. It’s run by prisoners, for prisoners, at the maximum-security Allan B. Polunsky Unit north of Houston. Keri Blakinger, a prisons-and-jails reporter for the Marshall Project, tells Lisa about the Tank, its wild mix of programming, and what it means to some of the most isolated men in Texas. Read Keri's piece in the Marshall Project here.  Want th...

What better way to know that you *know* a city than to have an outsider ask “dumb” questions about it? On today’s episode, founder and CEO of City Cast (who also appears on the Slate Political Gabfest) David Plotz - a Washingtonian - gets schooled by host Lisa Gray and producer Dina Kesbeh on Houston’s idiosyncrasies.

Need a cool, thoughtful gift two days out from Christmas Eve? Dina and Lisa have you covered! From hyper-local honey (“the only food that lasts forever”) to ornaments, art lessons and dehydrated croissants, there are still a lot of great gifts to show how thoughtful — and local — you are!

Houston Methodist’s Omicron cases have topped 80% in December. It only took three weeks to dominate all other variants. Dr. Wesley Long of Houston Methodist warns that Omicron has begun to spread rapidly in Houston - and what Houstonians can do as they try to navigate the holidays later this week. Dr. Long's Tweets will keep you in the know. And, make sure to subscribe to City Cast Houston - it wi...

Ricardo Molina, second-generation owner of the Tex-Mex staple “Molina’s Cantina,” has never experienced such difficulties staffing and maintaining inventory as he has recently - ever since the COVID outbreak. Today, City Cast Houston contributor Loren Steffy gives his breakdown for why it's all happening, and the emerging economic landscape that Houstonians can expect to endure. Check out Molina's...

“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15!“: That declaration was the high point of Beto O’Rourke’s 2019 campaign for the presidency. But now that he’s running for governor of Texas, will his support of gun control doom his chances? Lisa Gray chats with City Cast contributor Evan Mintz, whose editorials on gun control made him a Pulitzer finalist. You can find out more about Evan, here! Also, sign...

When plumber Justin Cauley (aka “Justin the Plumber”) found envelopes full of cash and checks spilling forth from the bathroom walls of Lakewood Church - a stash reportedly linked to a $600,000 robbery at Lakewood back in 2014 - the story became a national sensation. Today, City Cast Houston’s correspondents Marcus Carter and Evan Mintz discuss their perceptions of Lakewood Church and try to figur...

Do you have a long list of people you need to buy gifts for? Have you been racking your brain trying to find that perfect gift, but also unique? City Cast contributor and arts writer Olivia Flores Alvarez is here to tell us about all the excellent gifts made by Houston's creative people -- artists, artisans and a writer. Check out our twitter Here - and don't forget to sign up for our newsletter,...

After a Christmas spent hunkering down last year, correspondent Antre’chelle Dorsey presents listeners with a variety of options to keep Christmas merry (and safe) in 2021. From The H-Town Christmas Countdown, to an outdoor dinner and drinks at one of her favorite spots, Pappasito's, Antre’chelle and host Lisa Gray have you covered… Check out these fun links discussed in the episode: H-Town Christ...

Raz Halili, a second-generation oysterman in Dickinson, Texas, has developed the reputation for being a good steward of his corner of the Gulf. Recently, he recruited Houston chef Joe Cervantez and together, they made a restaurant in nearby San Leon: Pier 6 Seafood and Oyster House. (It features the oysters procured by his family's oyster processing plant, Prestige Oysters - and also, it has a rea...

Last week, City Cast Houston's Senior Producer Dina Kesbeh came down with what she believed was the flu. Fully vaccinated, always conscientious of avoiding the virus, she was surprised to hear that this "flu" was actually COVID -19. She is thankfully on the mend, but the questions remain: Should she disinfect everything in the house? Particularly her toothbrush? Is it Omicron? And most importantly...

City Cast Houston contributor Marcus Carter is utterly in love with the restaurant Bludorn -- so much so that he made a hashtag about it. So, what's so special about this restaurant? We don't just ask Marcus, we sit down with Chef and owner Aaron Bludorn to dive into what makes this eatery so special.  To get the scoop on all things Houston, be sure to sign up for our newsletter here. And, catch u...

Tahmina Ghoori was forced to flee Afghanistan last summer along with her family. After two stops at refugee camps in Pennsylvania and New Mexico, the family picked Houston as their new home – a city of wealth, diversity, and possibilities. Joining her is Jida Nabulsi, CEO of Amaanah Refugee Services, to explain to Lisa how the process unfolded. If you would like to hear more about the services off...

In this episode, meditation expert Alejandro Chaoul offers ways to survive the holiday season — even if your relatives keep bringing up QAnon. If you would like to learn more about him, check out Alejandro's events! Meditation and Tea (In-person) Meditation and Tea (Livestreaming) Mini-retreat (Livestreaming) His new book is Tibetan Yoga: Magical Movements of Body, Breath, and Mind Also, there are...

Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, is fresh off the news circuit championing his strategy to strike a real blow to COVID -19: Vaccinate the Southern Hemisphere. Lisa Gray hosts as Dr. Hotez explains what we potentially face, what is known vs. soon-to-be-known, and how Dr. Hotez plans to approach the Holiday season with the ongoing t...

Olivewood Cemetery is believed to be Houston’s first black cemetery. It had been neglected for a while before a group of volunteers decided they’d help clean up and maintain the grounds. But those volunteers are getting old and the upkeep is a lot for them. So who will maintain the cemetery if they can’t? Lisa sits down with City Cast contributor Brooke Lewis who writes for Texas Monthly. We're li...

In this episode, political contributor/Pulitzer finalist Evan Mintz discusses with Lisa the possible rationale behind the Woodlands’ continued resistance to becoming a city. His ultimate gut feeling? That The Woodlands have an aversion to anything even remotely symbolizing a restrictive government… Plus, some very good news regarding homelessness in Houston - just in time for the holidays. We're l...

Lisa hosts producers Dina Kesbeh and Ferrill Gibbs on the last podcast offering before Thanksgiving. What culinary disasters have the three endured on Thanksgivings past? What’s on the menu for this year’s celebration? And, Lisa calls for something good in Houston that listeners might include into their festivities this year... We're live on Twitter! Follow us @CityCastHouston to keep up with Hous...

Photographer Geoff Winningham has been shooting Buffalo Bayou for decades. His photos are up on display at cafe Brasil for all to see -- it includes some historic photos that he found in Harvard's archives. So what is it about the bayou the drew him in for this long? Tune in to hear Geoff share all the historical details about what the Buffalo Bayou looked when he first laid eyes on it. We're live...