Mayor Sylvester Turner recently announced that Maria Town will head the Office for People with Disabilities. Town previously served as the disability community liaison for the Obama Administration’s Office of Public Engagement.

On this edition of Houston Matters, Maggie Martin talks with her about her previous national experience and what she hopes to accomplish here in Houston.

Also this hour…

Reintegrating Gang Members into Society

This week (March 30-April 1, 2017), the Rothko Chapel is hosting a symposium on issues related to criminal justice. The event is called An Act of Justice: Undoing the Legacy of Mass Incarceration and focuses on the harmful effects of mass incarceration on individuals, families, communities and the nation. There will be workshops, panels and keynote speakers addressing how the U.S. has created the world’s largest mass incarceration system and detailing local, regional, and national reform efforts.

We hear from one of the symposium’s presenters, Charles Rotramel, CEO of Houston: reVision. His organization works with young people who’ve been involved with gangs, helping reintegrate them into society and pairing them with mentors.

Your Allergy Questions Answered

It’s springtime in Houston. For many Houstonians, that means allergies too. Hooray! Pollen counts provided by houstontx.gov are very high this month and slightly higher than last year. Pollen from oak trees account for over 75 percent of the tree pollen. With that in mind, Dr. Dat Tran, an allergist and immunologist at UTHealth McGovern Medical School, answers your allergy questions.

Author Lindy West

We all know the anonymity of the Internet can often bring out the worst in people. But what if you had to face someone who’s harassed you online — in person? That’s what happened to writer Lindy West.

West’s work often focuses on topics of body image and women’s issues. And both often make her the target of Internet trolls — people who take to social media to harass her. But one troll was different. He took his Internet hate to a whole new level — but then did something else remarkable: he apologized. And West turned that experience into an article and then a segment for public radio’s This American Life.

Lindy West was recently (March 15, 2017) at Houston’s Brazos Bookstore to read from her book Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, which just came out in paperback. While she was here, she talked with Michael Hagerty about confronting her Internet troll and about why she wants to reclaim the word “fat.”

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