Houston Matters

On Thursday's show: Union Pacific began soil testing near the company’s contaminated railyard in Houston’s Fifth Ward this week under the oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. News 88.7's Lucio Vasquez explains what that could mean for residents, who blame the company for contaminating the area with cancer-causing chemicals.Also this hour: On the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasions of Europe during World War II, Houstonian Jim Trippon shares the story of his father, John, who helped capture Nazi field headquarters in France. Then, we learn how a religious reawakening has led Rice University ecologist Timothy Morton to re-examine how he (and the rest of us) talk about both faith and science. That's the subject of his new book, Hell: In Search of a Christian Ecology.And a new HBO documentary series called Ren Faire takes a closer look at the culture and behind-the-scenes drama of the Texas Renaissance Festival north of Houston.