The city of Houston’s Parks and Recreation Department is legally able to hire 15-year-olds to serve as lifeguards — a move that could erase racial and wealth disparities in access to pools first brought to the city’s attention by the Houston Landing last month. They’re just not willing to. Last week, I reported that households […]
Maggie Gordon / Columnist
Maggie Gordon is a columnist who has worked at newspapers across the country, including the Stamford Advocate and the Houston Chronicle. She has covered everything from the hedge fund industry and education to craft beer and alligator hunting. No matter the topic, Maggie’s favorite stories combine quirky characters, adventure and humanity. Bonus points if she can find a love story. Maggie grew up on a cow farm in upstate New York, and graduated from nearby Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. These days you can find her at her home in Houston’s East End – or on Twitter.
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I asked Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles how he defines success for Houston students
How Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles told Houston Landing Columnist Maggie Gordon he defines student success and his unfolding plans do not jibe
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What happens when a small Houston bookshop sues the big state of Texas?
Oftentimes, children’s stories begin with an unlikely hero. “Our young protagonist — boy, girl or animal — is facing an obstacle or challenge,” says Valerie Koehler, owner of Blue Willow Bookshop, an independent bookstore tucked into a strip mall on Memorial Drive in west Houston. She’s scanning the shelves to the right of the shop’s […]
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Could Houston solve the lifeguard shortage and open more city pools by hiring 15-year-olds?
Houston only opened 23 of its city pools this year, due to a lifeguard shortage. The pools that remain closed raise questions about equal access.
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You’re not imagining it. Houston’s heat wave is affecting our mental and physical health.
This summer is on pace to be among the hottest on record for Greater Houston. The extreme temperatures can impact our mental health.
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It’s time to treat the number of Houston cyclists killed each year as an emergency
Houston cyclists die at a rate three times what you’d expect. We have to change attitudes across Houston and share the roads with empathy.
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Houston Public Library adds signage to clarify cashless printing after Houston Landing column
Signs across the Houston Public Library system now inform users that they can still access printers if the new cashless system proves difficult.
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Can we just say it? Resilience in Houston is exhausting.
Tax Day Floods. Hurricane Harvey. Winter Storm Uri. The COVID-19 pandemic. Houston is constantly recovering from disasters. There must be a better way.
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A reader told us the Houston library’s new cashless system left many users out. We asked why.
When the Houston Public Library moved to cashless copies and printing this June, unbanked Houstonians were left without options. That’s changing now.
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Is ‘workforce housing’ affordable enough for Houston’s East End and Fifth Ward residents?
East River Development in Houston’s East End raises equity concerns for longtime residents of historic neighborhoods around the Midway project.