Laura is a Louisiana native who has been exploring her second bayou-home since graduating from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism in 2015. Joining the Houstonia team in August 2017, she has taken the reins of SagaCity’s custom publications and also contributes data-focused and animal-related content to Houstonia.

Previously, she served as data reporter for the Houston Business Journal, where she managed the annual Book of Lists. She has also reported on an array of subjects in Houston, Louisiana and Chicago ranging from technology to weddings to tacos.

Laura is a die-hard LSU Tigers fan, having competed for the school’s varsity swim team in undergrad, and living five minutes from campus for 22 years of her life. Now she, her husband and their golden retriever live in a 1954 fixer-upper in Garden Oaks–Oak Forest.

Like A Mighty River, Baby

Sanctified Saturday: We Talk with Paul Janeway Before Kicking Off His Latest Tour in Texas

His soulful band St. Paul & The Broken Bones graces us with a House of Blues show this weekend.

09/12/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Newcomer's Guide

Houston's Standout Public School Districts

Here’s what you need to know about Houston’s 16 top-performing school districts and 4 top-performing charter school systems, as they stand today.

08/30/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Health

Kids Health Annual 2018

This year's issue tells the stories of resilient children and Houston's world-class hospitals that are helping them succeed.

08/03/2018 Edited by Laura Furr Mericas

Kids Health Annual

Editor's Note: From Our Houstonia Family to Yours...

We’re proud to present the 2018 Kids’ Health Annual.

08/03/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Kids Health Annual

Three Myths About Kids and Pet Allergies, Explained

Bark, meow, achoo!

08/03/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Kids Health Annual

Help for Young Harvey Survivors at Texas Children's Hospital

“It has uncovered a huge need for kids in Houston."

08/03/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas and Gwendolyn Zepeda

Kids Health Annual

Parent to Parent: Two Moms Talk Bringing Up Daughters With Dyslexia

"Grit is important."

08/03/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Kids Health Annual

Produce Rx: A Hospital and a Family's Fight Against Food Insecurity

How two questions are jump-starting healthier lifestyles for thousands of Houston kids and families.

08/03/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

I Have Class and You Don't

15 Ways The Parent Trap Inspired Our Style

Twenty years later, these looks hold up.

07/31/2018 By Abby Ledoux and Laura Furr Mericas

Helping Houston

22 Nonprofits Worthy of Your Time, Money, or Both

Houston's nonprofit organizations—and the causes they support—could always use a helping hand.

07/20/2018 By Morgan Kinney, Gwendolyn Knapp, Nicki Koetting, Abby Ledoux, Laura Furr Mericas, and Dianna Wray

Helping Houston

6 Houston Activists We Admire, In Their Own Words

"Everything that is happening in our country is happening in Houston. We can be the model for this country, and we are not afraid.”

07/20/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

No Can Do

Hall & Oates Canceled Their Houston Show, But Here’s Our Interview With John Oates Anyway

The Hall of Famer talks his new solo album, memoir, and what it's like being on tour at age 70.

07/18/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Pets in the City

5 Pet Instas You Should Be Following

These furry friends will make your feed exponentially cuter.

06/22/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Pets in the City

5 Apps That Make Pet Ownership Safer and Simpler

It takes a village—and technology—to raise a pet nowadays.

06/22/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Pets in the City

4 Under-the-Radar Houston-Area Dog Parks

Your suburban doggo will love these parks.

06/22/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Pets in the City

Our Favorite Pooch-Approved Patios

Watering holes across the city you and your dog will love.

06/22/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Pets in the City

The Pet Checklist: 7 Things To Do When Adopting Your New Best Friend

How to be a responsible pet parent.

06/22/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Best Campgrounds

Inks Lake State Park Is So Beautiful, Even Newbies Will Come Around

New to camping? Inks Lake will ease you into the experience.

05/29/2018 By Laura Furr Mericas

Historic Homes

This Galveston Estate Was 144 Years in the Making

Restoring this old beauty was a labor of love.

05/29/2018 By Abby Ledoux and Laura Furr Mericas

Historic Homes

The Queen Anne Bungalow in the Heights That Oozes Southern Charm

It's hard to tell where new begins and old ends in this 1920s-era home.

05/29/2018 By Abby Ledoux and Laura Furr Mericas