Looped In

Charlie Kuntz's job at Hines is all about making office buildings run better by identifying new technologies like touchless elevators, occupancy sensors and air-quality systems. When COVID-19 hit, that work suddenly took on an even deeper sense of urgency. On the newest episode of Looped In, he discusses the concepts of returning to work during a pandemic and how it's being done in China where the...

The sudden drop in sales Chinatown experienced at the end of January as those worried about the novel coronavirus began to social distance were a precursor to what would soon happen across the country. So how are Chinatown restaurants faring now, as the Texas economy is poised to reopen? R.A. Schuetz and Nancy Sarnoff revisit with the owners of Mala Sichuan Bistro to hear about new cleaning protoc...

From office space to urban land sites, demand for commercial real estate faces uncertainty as Houston begins what’s expected to be a lengthy and uneven process of reopening stores and returning to work. Nancy and Rebecca talk to two of the founders of Dosch Marshall Real Estate about which sectors of the commercial property market are poised for growth and which will have a harder time recovering....

Nancy and Rebecca discuss their recent reporting on the challenges of buying and selling homes during the coronavirus pandemic. They're joined by appraiser Mike Taylor who explains how he values homes when he can’t go inside. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad...

A chocolate maker famous for its truffles and toffees, is now making face guards meant to protect medical workers. It’s one of many companies around the state that has shifted to meet the demands created by the novel coronavirus. Michael Moss, owner of Sweet Shop USA, discusses how his business has mobilized to keep workers employed and contribute much-needed personal protective equipment during t...

We hope you have found the series of Coronavirus Chronicle bonus episodes informative and entertaining. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts. Click subscribe — it's free — to receive fresh episodes daily.  The Rev. Hannah Atkins Romero, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Midtown, talks about the sense of loss experienced by Houston’s faith communities as an Easter Sunday without church services ap...

The CEO of Landry’s has furloughed tens of thousands of employees. He’s closed hundreds of restaurant dining rooms and each of his Golden Nugget casinos. Nancy and Rebecca discuss the struggles of this larger-than-life Houston figure. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about...

Today, we're sharing an episode of "Coronavirus Chronicle" with Looped In listeners. Previous episodes at available on Apple Podcasts. Houston Chronicle photojournalist Marie De Jesús illuminates the balancing act between keeping a safe distance and capturing the intimate, human moments that reveal just how profoundly life in Houston has changed.   Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle...

Today, we're sharing an episode of "Coronavirus Chronicle" with Looped In listeners. Previous episodes at available on Apple Podcasts. Houstonians know all about hurricanes: Wind speed, the dirty side, the European models. But what do we need to track the coronavirus? Angela Blanchard discusses that and more with the Houston Chronicle’s Lisa Gray. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle....

As March turned into April and the Houston stay-at-home order was extended to the start of May, renters who found themselves suddenly unemployed by the coronavirus outbreak have been left to wonder how they will pay for housing. Landlords have their own concerns: without the expected rent revenue, how will they be able to pay their own bills? Some states — including Texas — have temporarily stoppe...

As Houston Chronicle executive editor Steve Riley said recently in a letter to readers: Quite suddenly, your lives have changed. Your health, or the health of someone you love, could be at risk. Your job seems shakier than just days ago. Your church isn’t having services, your favorite bar has closed, and the gym has locked its doors. And there’s no baseball, no March Madness. At the Houston Chron...

Listen to the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board's impassioned plea to Houstonians coping with the coronavirus -- "Stay home!" -- as expressed by editorial board member Monica Rohr. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/coronavirus/ Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad...

  In many ways, Houston’s Chinatown — with its restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, banks and travel agencies — is a microcosm of the city as a whole. So when foot traffic suddenly diminished at the end of January following false rumors of coronavirus in the neighborhood, the economic strain felt by Chinatown businesses foreshadowed some of the tough decisions restaurants, bars, hotels and other b...

iBuyers are gaining market share, but are they making money? And John Daugherty has been a fixture in Houston’s high-end housing market. His real estate company is now in bankruptcy. Nancy and Rebecca explain. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

Houston Chronicle retail reporter, Paul Takahashi, is moving on to cover the energy industry. But first, he is covering how the coronavirus is impacting retailers, from pharmacies to grocery stores. He also discusses the major trends he has seen in the retail industry, from experience-based shopping to what’s up with Houston malls. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125...

The embrace of online shipping has driven a rush of warehouse space and logistics services. One Houston Chronicle employee ordered upwards of 800 packages in 2019 alone. But one link of the e-commerce supply chain remains in short supply: temperature-controlled warehouses, known as cold storage, necessary for storing and shipping groceries, meal prep kits, cold-pressed juice cleanses, dog stem cel...

Ding ding ding! The votes have been tallied and the winners are in! For Looped In's third-annual Loopie Awards for the best and worst of Houston real estate, the Chronicle's real estate editor reveals his picks for eight categories, including "Trendiest Development Trend," "Saddest Demise" and "Highest Gentrification Threat." The episode is part game show, part Rotten Tomatoes review. Listen along...

The Houston Housing Authority’s new approach to affordable housing involves building complexes with units reserved for families of different incomes. These new apartments aim to both attract those who can afford the rising costs of living and protect low-earners in danger of being pushed out of their longtime neighborhoods, while also providing space for people who earn something in between. Howev...

A new study from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University reveals how development and land use patterns have changed over time in neighborhoods near transit centers, park and ride lots and light rail stations. Kyle Shelton, the report's author, joins Nancy and Rebecca to talk about the benefits and the challenges of transit-oriented growth and the tools that could help prevent un...

Everything's bigger in Texas. Even tiny homes. Texas is the top market in the nation for a type of tiny home known as a park model RV, and developers are building communities specifically for these dwellings outside of Houston. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your a...

Tony Buzbee, who's headed to a runoff Saturday in the 2019 race for Houston mayor, sat down with Nancy Sarnoff and Chronicle City Hall reporter Jasper Scherer to talk about his rise from small-town kid to millionaire lawyer and mayoral hopeful. This a one of two episodes featuring the candidates for mayor. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podc...

Mayor Sylvester Turner decided what he wanted his future to look like after watching the Kennedy/Nixon debate in 1960. That determination propelled him through school, where he graduated as valedictorian, all the way through Harvard Law, which was not his first choice. Turner sat down with Nancy Sarnoff and Chronicle City Hall reporter Jasper Scherer to reflect on his life in politics and the stru...

NAR’s new policy on pocket listings is expected to result in a more transparent housing market, but there are loopholes, Nancy and Rebecca explain. They also talk about a recent luxury real estate event where agents learned about condo amenities for the ultra-rich. Support the show: https://offers.houstonchronicle.com/?offerid=125&origin=newsroom&ipid=podcast See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

For a long time, the phrase "man camp" evoked images of tents and mobile homes, but many have received a makeover. Large energy companies clamoring for safe housing — where their employees can get food and rest without any of the late-night carousing that can lead to trouble in the oil fields the next morning — has led companies like The Woodlands-based Target Hospitality to specialize in temporar...

Matt Zeve delivers a lot of bad news as deputy executive director of the Harris County Flood Control District. In the coming years, he'll be delivering a lot more. Potentially thousands of Harris County homeowners have fences, sheds and even swimming pools that encroach onto land the district owns or has the right to access. With the district now embarking on hundreds of flood mitigation projects,...