WTAW - Interviews

This podcast contains comments from the December 17, 2024 Brazos County commission meeting.

Before Christmas, the Brazos County commission approved accepting a $58,340 dollar state grant to continue participating in a cybersecurity program.

The county's chief information security officer, Kevin Joiner, says the county has been participating in this grant program since 2019.

Joiner says the grant provides access to security resources to protect the county from online attacks taking place from around the world.

And the county gets a report showing who is attempting to access the county's computer network.

Joiner also answered questions before the commission's unanimous vote that the county was not vulnerable to the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) that was hacked in 2024.

Click HERE to read and download the document associated with the grant that was approved at the December 17, 2024 Brazos County commission meeting.

WTAW's Chelsea Reber visits with Peggi Ondrasek, President/CEO of United Way of the Brazos Valley.

WTAW's Chelsea Reber visits with Jeannie Mansill, Founder and President of Project Unity, about their upcoming ribbon cutting and open house.

This podcast contains comments from the December 16, 2024 Bryan ISD school board meeting.

Bryan ISD school board members approve a policy change at their last meeting (December 16) requiring parents to have a doctor's note for school nurses to give their children over the counter medicine.

Assistant superintendent Kevin Beesaw said that follows a requirement by the state agency that licenses nurses.

Superintendent Ginger Carrabine told board members that the BISD's nurses implemented the policy change before the start of the fall semester.

Carrabine and deputy superintendent Brian Merrell also shared how administrators are addressing students who are in possession of over the counter medicine given to them by their parents.

BISD board members were also told that the policy change was already in effect in College Station ISD.

Click HERE to read and download the policy that was approved at the December 16, 2024 Bryan ISD school board meeting.

This podcast contains comments from the December 10, 2024 Bryan city council meeting.

The Bryan city council gets positive reviews of the city's finances during its December meeting.

The comments were associated with the council's decision to move ahead with selling $40 million dollars in bonds to cover the costs of previously approved infrastructure projects.

The city's outside bond attorney, Steven Adams, expects seven or eight offers will be submitted later in January.

Adams also said while interest rates have risen since the pandemic, the city also benefits by a strong financial rating.

Adams agreed with mayor Bobby Gutierrez's statement that the city of Bryan has "done a good job at taking care of the money here and people are looking for bonds from Bryan". Adams added that's been going on "for decades...so it's been going back for a long time."

Click HERE to read and download background information from the December 10, 2024 Bryan city council meeting.

Click HERE to read and download the ordinance that was approved at the December 10, 2024 Bryan city council meeting.

Caden Jones at the Destination Bryan tourism office visits with WTAW's Bill Oliver about the just completed holiday season and a preview of January 2025's First Friday event in downtown Bryan.

Bryan Firefighter Chris Lamb visits with WTAW's Scott DeLucia about lithium battery safety, ambulance runs and response times, non-emergency services, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the December 12, 2024 College Station city council meeting.

The College Station city council at its December meeting awarded a $1.3 million dollar contract to replace artificial turf on two soccer fields at Veterans Park.

The old turf was installed 12 years ago and exceeded its life expectancy of eight to ten years.

Funding comes from hotel occupancy tax money.

City manager Bryan Woods said some of the 200,000 square feet of turf that is being removed will be used at batting cages and at the College Station police department's shooting range.

Parks and recreation director Kelsey Heiden said the turf contains materials to keep it cool.

Click HERE to read and download information regarding the turf replacement approved at the December 12, 2024 College Station city council meeting.

This podcast is a recording of the swearing in of Brazos County elected officials on January 1, 2025.

The morning of New Year's Day was the swearing in of eight Brazos County elected officials.

Brazos County judge Duane Peters officiated at the investiture ceremony. He administered oaths to district attorney Jarvis Parsons, district judges John Brick and Jerrell Wise, county attorney Earl Gray, precinct three county commissioner Fred Brown, county tax assessor-collector Melissa Leonard, and county treasurer Cristian Villarreal.

Precinct one county commissioner Bentley Nettles was sworn in via Zoom by a law school classmate and former Texas secretary of state and attorney general John Scott. 

Beginning the program, an invocation was given by Father Brian Eilers, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bryan.

This podcast contains comments from the December 17, 2024 College Station ISD school board meeting.

December's meeting of the College Station ISD (CSISD) school board meeting included the annual report from the district's education foundation.

Director Teresa Benden says since 1999, almost $12 million dollars has been raised for students and teachers.

Among multiple funding sources thanked by Benden, was CSISD employees contributing about one-fifth of the foundation's annual revenue through payroll deduction.

Benden said the foundation's "50 Men Who Can Cook" event has raised $1.8 million dollars in 16 years.

There is an addition to the foundation's list of services and programs. Benden said $20,000 dollars in seed money will be spent on students in CSISD's animal science programs.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the December 17, 2024 CSISD school board meeting.