City Cast Houston City Cast

Today we continue with Raj Mankad’s bicycle journey around 610 — his personal quest, after pandemic isolation, to reconnect with the city. Today he covers the eastern part of the Loop – the industrial side, the Port of Houston side, the grimy sublime part that most Houstonians know least.

City Cast and the Houston Chronicle Opinion section want to know all your 610 stories! Call us at 713-489-6972, tell us your name, and in around 30 seconds, tell us about your Loop 610 story. Or email us: houston@citycast.fm.

Want more Houston news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter!
We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @CityCastHouston

Raj Mankad, the Houston Chronicle's op-Ed editor and Houston's resident utopian, has made a project of riding his bike around Loop 610. How did it go and why on earth did he venture on this journey? Today, Lisa Gray asks Raj to map out his trip for us. In the first part of our two part series, Raj takes us on a ride through the lush greenery of Memorial park and through the upscale Bellaire. But, his ride does follow a few strict rules... you'll have to listen to find out what those are.

City Cast and the Houston Chronicle Opinion section want to know all your 610 stories! Call us at 713-489-6972, tell us your name, and in around 30 seconds, tell us about your Loop 610 story. Or email us: houston@citycast.fm.

Want to learn more about all the weird things Houston has to offer? Well you'll have to sign up for our morning newsletter: click here. 
Follow us on Twitter @CityCastHouston

Seismique, in far west Houston, bills itself as both an “art museum” and an “intergalactic playground.” Inside a former Bed Bath & Beyond, more than 40 hallucinogenic, made-for-Instagram rooms house wildly different experiences born of everything from projectors and LEDs to crochet. The dizzying experience is less like a traditional art museum, and more like a concert, an escape room or an amusement park.
Today we talk about it with art maven and City Cast contributor Olivia Flores Alvarez and video artist Joshuah Jest.
Check out Seismique's website here!
Also, make sure to follow our show on your favorite social media outlets, such as Facebook or Twitter! (Don't get shy, toss your opinion in there!) Finally, you should get in the Houston know - join the newsletter... here!

As Covid 19 has raged on, Independence Heights in Northwest Houston has suffered a loss of some historic housing - particularly with townhomes popping up right along Main Street. For Tanya Debose, a founder of the national group Black Towns Matter, MLK day on Monday will not be “a day off, but a day on,” as she continues to educate, inform and empower.
For more information on how you can help, make sure to visit Tanya Debose's project, Black Towns Matter.
Also, if you would like to see what she is doing for Independence Heights, check out her website at the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council.
Finally, join some of our chatter on Facebook! You can find our page, Here! (But... probably even more fun would be to follow host Lisa Gray, who gins up all sorts of great conversations - go here!)

This March, on Black Heritage day, Lil’ Keke will join Bun B’s H-Town Takeover at the Houston Rodeo. Alongside some of the most highly revered Houstonian rappers ever (his fellow “elder statesmen” Bun B, Slim Thug, Z-Ro, and others), Lil’ Keke’s upcoming performance will draw inspiration from a career spent representing Texas.
For more information on Lil’ Keke’s recently dropped song "We From Texas," go here!
For Tickets to the H-Town Takeover, you should click over to the Houston Rodeo page (tickets)
And… if you would like to add to those 1 million views that Lil' Keke's "We From Texas" has *already* gotten – go here!

Finally, make sure to join our newsletter. Go here! (It’s all that and a bag of chips.)

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 sits down with City Cast contributor, Evan Mintz, and with DeRay McKesson, host of the podcast, pod save the people and leader of campaign zero, a national nonprofit that advocates for data-driven policy to reduce police violence.

Want all Houston's secrets? Even the down right weird ones? You'll have to sign up for our morning newsletter! 
We're also on Twitter! Tweeting only when caffeinated to avoid typos...follow us at @CityCastHouston