Leah Binkovitz

3 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Leah Binkovitz

A student at an HISD library enjoys a book and comfy seat. Dahnya Garcia GiampietroWednesday afternoon, on the last day of my kids' elementary school, everyone was crying. The fifth graders. The kindergartners. Parents. Teachers. In the middle of it all was our indefatigable librarian, Dahnya Garcia Giampietro — Ms. Garcia to the kids. She’s easily one of the most popular people on the campus, even more popular than the fifth graders who sell popsicles at school pickup.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Leah Binkovitz

Aliza Rohimi Porat was upset. She heard about an awful exhibit at a gallery in Houston. “My Beloved City, Gaza Habibti,”she heard,promoted hate and glorified terrorism. And was antisemitic and represented a threat to the very principles of America. So she signed her name to a form letter demanding that the show come down and emailed it to a long list of entities, including the Houston Chronicle. That’s usually where these sorts of incidents end. In an inbox or social media post.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Leah Binkovitz

Looks like tariff-induced high prices will put a damper on Christmas this year. The (not so) jolly round man in the White House admitted Wednesday that toy prices seem bound to rise: “Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30,” he said, in what is the weirdest remix yetof “let them eat cake.”My kids certainly are not accustomed to 30-doll holiday hauls. But point taken, Trump: It’s time to tighten those belts, prepare for skinnier stockings.

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Leah Binkovitz

Recently, President Donald Trump promised to be the “fertilization president.” (Really). As it turns out, his administration and friends at the Heritage Foundation and other pronatalists are already hard at work thinking up proposals to boost fertility across the country. After all, somebody’s got to keep our population growing and we know they’re not big fans of immigration. Some great ideas are already on the table.

2 months ago | houstonchronicle.com | Leah Binkovitz

Except for the lederhosen, plastic boot-shaped beer-stein necklaces and the garlands of red, yellow and black triangles lining the pop-up tents, the German heritage festival could be any small-town Texas carnival. There are bounce houses and a Ferris wheel. The smell of popcorn and barbecue wafts beyond the railroad tracks at the far end.