It was another busy week in Houston news so host Raheel Ramzanali is breaking it all down with Pulitzer Prize finalist Evan Mintz. The duo is starting with the biggest news about Mayor Whitmire working on resolving issues with short-term rentals and Ken Paxton agreeing to a deal in his securities fraud case, then they’re talking about the new deal with the firefighters and outlook for the hurricane season, and finally their ending the episode with the moments of joy! Featured stories: Transfer your Google Podcasts subscriptions  Ken Paxton agrees to deal Judge dismisses felony indictment ..read more

It’s Chevron Houston Marathon weekend! Over 30,000 runners will be hitting the streets to set personal records or just finish the race. So, what does it take to put on a major event like this? Race Director Carly Caulfield joins host Raheel Ramzanali to talk about the thousands of volunteers who help put on the race, the economic impact of the event, and how you can get involved even if you aren’t running.  Best places for spectators to cheer on runners including Crescendo Hill and Memorial Park  Street closures for the marathon  Houston Marathon Health & Fitness EXPO info ..read more

As we end the year, who is Houston’s person of the year? Host Raheel Ramzanali and producer AK Al-Moumen nominate a few people and breakdown their chances of winning the award. Plus, we have a new report highlighting the top cities Houstonians love to visit. And, we’re the duo is also talking about the never-ending construction, a new housing project that will help a lot of families, and more!  Where Houstonians travel the most  Transportation projects planned in 2024  Texas ranks 3rd worst for drunk driving  New Houston Authority project Looking for more Houston news? T ..read more

A group that stole more than $30k in donations has finally been caught and convicted, but you won’t believe how they did it. Plus, a local city council candidate is under fire from Houston’s LGBTQ+ community for a flyer she put out. And, Texas teachers are underpaid, but will anything change? Host Raheel Ramzanali and producer Carlignon Jones recap the biggest stories impacting Houston to start the week! Featured stories: El Panadero goes on an adventure  Group steals from donation center City Council candidate backlash  Flyer called ‘homophobic dogwhistle’ Railway Heights Market k ..read more

Food Not Bombs has been serving meals to the unhoused community in Houston for years without any issues, but now HPD has started to ticket members of the group for their food distribution events. So, why are they being targeted and what are they doing to fight the potential fines? Food Not Bombs volunteer Nick Cooper joins Raheel to explain why he thinks the group has been ticketed almost 30 times since March and what the group is doing to help stop these tickets. We’re doing a survey to learn more about our listeners, so we can make City Cast [City] an even better, more useful podcast for you ..read more

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 Shrinking. This is happening all over the country. Census numbers could be inaccurate. Interested in being the new host of City Cast Houston? Click here to apply! Looking for more Houston news? Then sig ..read more

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 here More on the developments coming to Houston here More on Randy Gonzalez here More on who is callin' us dirty here More on UH Film Club here Interested in being the new host of City Cast Houston?&n ..read more

Last week Joe Biden pardoned people for federal marijuana possession. Does that change anything in Houston or Texas? What’s the deal with Delta-8 here? And what would it take for the state to legalize marijuana completely? Katherine Neill Harris, a Baker Institute researcher on drug policy, explains. More about Katharine Neil Harris. Texas Tribune on whether the pardons have an effect on Texas. ABC 13: Experts weigh in! Want a deeper dive into the city? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Want updates at a glance? Follow our Twitter Want to see it to believe it? Follow our I ..read more

Today, we kick off an occasional series about Houston neighborhoods – this time, we're talking about West U. It's a small, upscale town entirely surrounded by Houston, and two proud West U. residents join the show today! City Cast contributor Evan Mintz, along with Houston writer Chris Cander, who has some spot-on descriptions of West U. in her brand new book, A Gracious Neighbor. (You should definitely check it out – it will teach you all about "Crepe murder.") (Also, speaking of West U., if you haven't seen the "Darth Vader House," you should definitely check this out...) Let us know what ne ..read more

The oil companies' favorite option to fight global warming appears less and less viable. So, what now? Is carbon capture still a viable option? Is Houston's green energy future *screwed?* Today, on the podcast, Lisa Gray speaks to business contributor Loren Steffy, author and writer-at-large who explains all that is wrong with this current model in Houston, and abroad. Stay up to date with Houston news by signing up for our morning newsletter here. Follow our socials! We're on Twitter and Instagram  You can also give us your thoughts by leaving us a voicemail or text at +1 713-4 ..read more