WTAW - Interviews

Kim Sailor, Vice President of Communications, visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about Junior League's new event this fall.

Trey Reeves, Marketing Coordinator for College Station Parks and Recreation, visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about upcoming events, vandalism, park usage, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

Amber Guthrie, General Manager of Travis Fields, visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about an upcoming car show, kickball registration, and more during her appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the September 23, 2024 Bryan ISD school board meeting.

School safety and security is publicized this week by administrators in College Station and Bryan ISD.

In College Station ISD, superintendent Tim Harkrider posted on the district's website this week, a message that included what is being done. The entire statement is at wtaw dot com. Some examples given by Harkrider are CSISD regularly practicing emergency procedures with students and staff; meeting with CSISD's safety and security committee; updating emergency plans and security infrastructure; and maintaining relationships and communication with local law enforcement. Harkrider asks CSISD parents to talk with their children about school safety and remind them that if they ever feel unsafe at school, to tell a teacher or administrator.

Monday night's Bryan ISD school board meeting included several administrators combining on a school safety and security presentation.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the September 23, 2024 Bryan ISD board meeting.

Bryan ISD's assistant director of safety and security Rich Himmel brought up a new state inspection that will be done every four years to assess the vulnerability of every campus building. That led BISD school board member Mark McCall to tell administrators to ask the board when items are needed to meet state security requirements.

One of Bryan ISD's school leadership directors, Linda Montoya, explained the district's standard response protocol...which is how BISD responds to emergencies and unusual situations on their campuses. She also brought up that each Bryan ISD campus has something called a safe and supportive school team.

Bryan ISD's technology director, Julea Johnson, explained the district's new emergency notification system that is in every classroom...officially known as Silent Panic Alarm Technology or SPAT.

Board members also heard about mental health services that are provided by Bryan ISD.

BISD's other school leadership director, Brian Merrell, talked about communication between students, parents, teachers, and administrators. That included students not receiving all communications related to safety and security incidents and that parents are no longer able to opt out of BISD emergency messages.

As for informing community members of safety and security incidents, that was not brought up by Merrell or other Bryan ISD administrators. And it was not brought up in the statement the College Station ISD superintendent posted this week on CSISD's website.

Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about Bryan ISD continuing negotiations to offer tax breaks for a semiconductor manufacturing plant at the RELLIS campus, an interlocal agreement with College Station about a sewer trunk line, the impact of Texas A&M students, Maroon and White Nights in Downtown Bryan, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the September 23, 2024 Bryan ISD school board meeting.

Bryan ISD school board members get their first opportunity in public to consider giving property tax breaks to a company thinking about building a semi conductor manufacturing plant on the RELLIS campus. 

Following a public hearing at Monday's meeting (September 23), the board unanimously agreed to take the next step in the request that has already been approved by Brazos County commissioners and the Bryan city council.

WTAW News has requested a copy of the document that the BISD board approved.

Unlike the city of Bryan and Brazos County, which has total authority to approve offering tax abatements, public school districts have to get permission from the state comptroller and the governor. 

The BISD board's vote came after learning the comptroller's office ruled the application by what is known only as "America's Foundry Texas LLC" qualified for property tax abatements.

The comptroller's review included comparing the Bryan application to finalists located in Oregon and New York state.

BISD board members learned the applicant is proposing an $11.6 billion dollar facility that would take five to six years to build. 

The tax abatement period would be between the 2030-31 school year and the 2039-2040 school year.

Board members were told between BISD, the city, and the county, the applicant wants to avoid paying $760 million dollars in property taxes.

The board was also told while the applicant officially planned to open with 35 employees, initial employment will be 1,500 and would grow to 5,000.

And the board was told the one of a kind manufacturing plant would lead to the creation of 20 to 30 support businesses.

Comments during a public hearing before the vote came from Texas A&M system chancellor John Sharp, Bryan mayor Bobby Gutierrez, and one citizen who was opposed to the tax abatements.

The vote allowed negotiations to take place between the governor's office, the applicant, and the BISD board.

Dr. Susan Ballabina, Texas A&M President's Chief of Staff, visits with WTAW's Scott DeLucia about recent nationwide rankings, the Corps of Cadets, the upcoming investiture ceremony for President Mark Welsh, a Youth and Career Fair, OPAS, and more during her appearance on The Infomaniacs.

WTAW's Chelsea Reber visits with United Way of the Brazos Valley CEO Peggi Ondrasek and The Prenatal Clinic's Executive Director Lynn Yeager.

This podcast contains comments from College Station city councilman Dennis Maloney, mayor John Nichols, and city manager Bryan Woods.

The city of College Station files a lawsuit against the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC).

The lawsuit, filed in Travis County, seeks to reverse a PUC order for the city of College Station to refund over $26 million dollars in electric transmission revenue.

City officials say the revenue, dating back to 1996, was approved by prior PUC board members.

And city officials say the current PUC board ignored most of the recommendations made in an opinion by an administrative judge from the state office of administrative hearings (SOAH).

Click HERE to read and download the city of College Station lawsuit against the PUC, provided by the city of College Station.

Click HERE to read and download the SOAH judge opinion, provided by the city of College Station.

Click HERE to read and download a city of College Station statement regarding the PUC order that was provided to local reporters on September 19, 2024.

At the next College Station city council meeting (September 26), the agenda will include approve paying the refund ordered by the PUC. 

City officials say that is to avoid paying an additional $7 million dollars in interest and to allow their lawsuit against the PUC to proceed.The refund, while ordered by the PUC, will go to 34 other electric companies.

City officials also say this will not change current electric rates. If the city loses the lawsuit, then it will have an impact on future electric department projects.

College Station mayor John Nichols and city manager Bryan Woods says College Station is the first of what could be multiple city owned electric companies who could face similar monetary penalties from the public utility commission.

PUC members are appointed by the governor. 

Woods says the PUC order being contested in court has been communicated to the governor's office, the state senator representing Brazos County who chairs a committee that oversees the PUC, and those running for the two Texas House seats representing Brazos County.

As of September 20, the PUC has not filed a response to the city of College Station's lawsuit.

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

September's meeting of the College Station ISD school board included comments to support teachers.
The first speaker was CSISD board member Darin Paine.

After announcing he would be absent for the next six to seven months while he is deployed with the Texas Air National Guard, Paine called on residents to support teachers by contacting state school board members and state lawmakers to increase basic state aid for the first time in five years.

That was followed by three residents who called on CSISD administrators to reverse decisions which is making teacher's daily work more difficult.