Hello Houston: The Commuter Cut

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut”, Ernie, Frank, and Celeste talk with Mike Shine of the Texas Restaurant Association Greater Houston Chapter, who breaks down the current struggles of the Houston restaurant industry.

Then, we hear from Chef Thomas Bille of the restaurant Belly of the Beast in Spring, who tells us about his recent James Beard Award win and his culinary journey.

Also, State Senator Carol Alvarado, who represents...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut", we hear Frank and Celeste’s conversation with Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 3 Tom Ramsey, who discusses the major funding shortfall in Harris County's 2018 flood bond.

Then, we hear from Houston-based artist Sarah Sudhoff and Becky Seabrook, Senior Director of Guest Engagement at The Health Museum, who tell us about the “77 Minutes” exhibition that honors the victims of the Robb El...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut”, we hear Ernie, Frank, and Celeste’s conversation with Council on Recovery therapist Thomson Ivins, who shares his thoughts on men’s mental health as well as other mental health issues.

Then, we're joined by Jim Spencer, a former weathercaster for KXAN Austin, who breaks down the National Weather Service's staffing issues during the floods, the timeline, lessons learned, and more.

Plus, our ho...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut", we hear Ernie, Frank, and Celeste talk with former Spring Branch superintendent Dr. Duncan Klussmann, who discusses HISD's teacher vacancies and how they're addressing them.

Then, we hear from Amanda Orr, founder of Orr Strategy Group, who discusses scams that occur during times of disaster, and how we can avoid falling victim to them.

Plus, Frank shares his perspective on what’s occurred wit...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut”, Ernie and Celeste talk with Harris County District Clerk Marilyn Burgess, who tells us about Houston's new passport office, which promises to be more convenient and provide faster service for Harris County residents.

Then, we hear from former Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Jim Blackburn, professor in the practice of environmental law at Rice University, who join us to share their thoughts...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut", Celeste and guest host Doug Miller talk with Wall Street Journal reporter Jim Carlton, who breaks down the response to the conditions of the Central Texas floods by both State and Federal agencies.

Then, we hear from Lauren Allen, a former camp counselor for Camp Mystic, who shares her thoughts on the tragic flooding and tells us more about the summer camp that was devastated by the floods.

A...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” we hear Frank and Celeste’s conversation with Houston Councilmember Mario Castillo of District H, who joins us to discuss making city council meetings more accessible to the public.

Then, we talk with Houstonian Dustin Jones, who discusses being the subject of the popular "Bro Explaining" meme, and what that experience has been like for him.

Also, we hear from Cactus Music owner Quinn Bishop ...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," our hosts talk with Daniel Potter, Director of Research at the Kinder Institute, who tells us what Houston residents think about living in the Bayou City according to findings from the 2025 Kinder Houston Area Survey.

Then, we hear from Andrea Rummel, Assistant Professor of BioSciences at Rice University, who explains the very important role that bats play in our ecosystem.

Plus, we’re also j...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” we hear Frank and Celeste’s conversation with Laurette Veres, owner of The Bridal Extravaganza Show, who breaks down the summer wedding season.

Then, we hear from Jacques Bourgeois, current chair of Mayor Whitmire's LGBTQ advisory board, who tells us about this weekend's PRIDE events in Houston.

Plus, our hosts share some events happening this weekend in Houston for our regular Friday feature...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," we hear Frank and Celeste talk with Dr. Brent Kaziny, the Medical Director of Emergency Management at Texas Children’s Hospital who discusses how hospitals and families can better prepare for hurricanes, heatwaves and future pandemics.

Then, we hear from Nicole Zayas Manzano, Deputy Director of Policy at The Bail Project who breaks down the major changes to the state's bail system. Plus, our...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Frank and Celeste talk with Dr. Asher Lubotzky, a Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Houston, who provides insight on the Israel-Iran conflict following the announced ceasefire between the two countries.  

Then, we hear from Adrian Rocha, the Director of Policy at the Last Prisoner Project, who breaks down their fight to end the criminalization of cannabis.

Also, Nancy Almodovar, found...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie, Frank and Celeste talk with property tax expert Ryan Dean who joins us to discuss how new Texas Legislation could impact your pocketbook, as well as answer listeners' questions.

Then, we break down Houston's "Road Rage" problem with UT-Health Psychiatrist Bobby Nix. Also, we hear from Gaathri Chakka and Anushka Polapally, co-founders of the youth-led nonprofit Peared, who discuss how ...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," we hear highlights from our live Comicpalooza show including Ernie and Celeste’s conversation with Maeve Aviary and Liam Norris, two cosplay professionals and judges for the annual Comicpalooza cosplay contest this Saturday.

Then, we hear from Dr. Stanford Carpenter, the Academic Liaison for Comicpalooza who discusses an event called Comicpalooza University, and Gil Muniz, Program Coordinato...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie, Frank and Celeste talk with Desmond Bertrand-Pitts and Jason Fung of the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum who talk about their free three-day Juneteenth celebration "Juneteenth@160."

Then, we hear their conversation with former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg who discusses her criticism of Democratic leadership and why she's calling for Republicans to reclaim the county in 202...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Ernie, Frank and Celeste weigh in on HPD cracking down on road rage and speeding as part of Mayor Whitmire’s initiative to reduce the number of reported traffic issues on busy freeways.

We also hear from Hello Houston listeners who call in to share their thoughts on this topic.

Then, they talk with Pamela Nickell Lancarte, Deputy Program Director at the Young Center for Immigrant Children who...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie, Frank and Celeste talk with Jim Szczesniak, Director of Aviation for the Houston Airport System who discusses improving customer experience during planned renovations and the summer travel season.  

Then, local social media sensation Marcus Bridgewater, also known as Garden Marcus, tells us about his debut children's book "See Marcus Grow."

Also, we hear from Chandler France, a Houston...

In today's edition of "The Commuter Cut," Frank and Celeste talk with Sean Tajipour, owner and host of Nerdtropolis, who shares some tech gift ideas for Father’s Day and gives us the latest in pop culture for the summer season.

Then, they talk with Houston-area attorney Kamisha Mickey, who joins us to discuss wills, what people need to know to get started, and what they need to do and have. Plus, she also answers questions about wil...

In today’s edition of “The Commuter Cut,” Ernie, Frank, and Celeste talk with Dr. Jeff Temple, a licensed psychologist and Associate Dean of Clinical Research at the UTHealth School of Behavioral Health Sciences, about summer-pattern seasonal affective disorder, a form of seasonal depression where individuals experience mood changes and depressive symptoms during the summer months.

Then, we hear from Rice University's Dr. Weston Twa...