WTAW - Interviews

This podcast is a visit with Markeesha Watson of the city of College Station's Lincoln Recreation Center and the city's communications director, Colin Killian, who previews upcoming events with Scott DeLucia on WTAW's The Infomaniacs June 7, 2024.

This podcast is a visit with Student Bonfire board member Dion McInnis, visiting with WTAW's Bill Oliver.

The organization that has staged bonfire off the Texas A&M campus since the 1999 collapse did not stop working while the university considered bringing back the event.

WTAW News visited with two representatives of Student Bonfire after A&M's president announced bonfire would not return as an on-campus event.

Bonfire Redpot (leader) Mason Taylor, class of 2025 from Pflugerville, said he was relieved that students will still be in charge, adding "with the university trying to be involved that could have cost us that independence and that level of involvement of what it really means to build Bonfire."

Board member Dion McInnis says he greatly appreciated the president acknowledging that supporters for an on-campus bonfire was based on students organizing, leading, and building the stack.

News release from a Student Bonfire news release:

Motivated Fightin' Texas Aggies are building Bonfire. Bonfire today is fully and independently student organized, student led, and student executed off campus, with the support of Aggie Former Students and Friends of the Fire.

In a historic year, Aggies are motivated to bring Aggieland another season of this great Tradition.
Bonfire began off campus in 1907, organized and built by students to celebrate an Aggie victory over Tulane. Since that time, Bonfire changed locations and design many times. By 1947, when it was first formally defined, it was said to represent "the burning desire to beat the team from the University of Texas."

What has never changed, even after the break in the rivalry after 2011, was what Bonfire truly stands for. As the definition in 1947 concluded, Bonfire has always been "the undying flame of love that every loyal Aggie carries in their heart for the school."

“Bonfire does not just represent who we are as Aggies, it tests and proves who we are,” says Mason Taylor ’25, Bonfire Sr. Redpot. Bonfire does this through its singular opportunities in student leadership and execution of the entire process of preparing for, planning, and building Bonfire, from start to finish, every step by hand. That process is year-round, and perpetual.

Bonfire has been hard at work on Bonfire 2024 since its first step of burning Bonfire 2023, clearing the field for another season.

There will be new and unique challenges in 2024, including an especially large expected attendance at Burn, and Bonfire’s Aggies are preparing to meet these challenges.

As with every year, this will be possible with the support of motivated Aggies everywhere. In 2024, the flame will remain truly undying. Bonfire would like to thank all those who support Bonfire, whose continued donations of time, equipment, services, and expertise make this and every season possible.

Bonfire will burn on November 29, the night before the final game of the regular season against the University of Texas. Burn will be live streamed for free, as it has been since 2014, courtesy of TexAgs.com.

For updates, information on participating in and supporting Bonfire, and a full season schedule as it becomes available, visit bonfire.ag.

Build the Hell Outta Bonfire! Beat the Hell Outta t.u.!

This podcast is a visit with Student Bonfire Redpot (leader) Mason Taylor, visiting with WTAW's Bill Oliver.

The organization that has staged bonfire off the Texas A&M campus since the 1999 collapse did not stop working while the university considered bringing back the event.

WTAW News visited with two representatives of Student Bonfire after A&M's president announced bonfire would not return as an on-campus event.

Bonfire Redpot (leader) Mason Taylor, class of 2025 from Pflugerville, said he was relieved that students will still be in charge, adding "with the university trying to be involved that could have cost us that independence and that level of involvement of what it really means to build Bonfire."

Board member Dion McInnis says he greatly appreciated the president acknowledging that supporters for an on-campus bonfire was based on students organizing, leading, and building the stack.

News release from a Student Bonfire news release:

Motivated Fightin' Texas Aggies are building Bonfire. Bonfire today is fully and independently student organized, student led, and student executed off campus, with the support of Aggie Former Students and Friends of the Fire.

In a historic year, Aggies are motivated to bring Aggieland another season of this great Tradition.
Bonfire began off campus in 1907, organized and built by students to celebrate an Aggie victory over Tulane. Since that time, Bonfire changed locations and design many times. By 1947, when it was first formally defined, it was said to represent "the burning desire to beat the team from the University of Texas."

What has never changed, even after the break in the rivalry after 2011, was what Bonfire truly stands for. As the definition in 1947 concluded, Bonfire has always been "the undying flame of love that every loyal Aggie carries in their heart for the school."

“Bonfire does not just represent who we are as Aggies, it tests and proves who we are,” says Mason Taylor ’25, Bonfire Sr. Redpot. Bonfire does this through its singular opportunities in student leadership and execution of the entire process of preparing for, planning, and building Bonfire, from start to finish, every step by hand. That process is year-round, and perpetual.

Bonfire has been hard at work on Bonfire 2024 since its first step of burning Bonfire 2023, clearing the field for another season.

There will be new and unique challenges in 2024, including an especially large expected attendance at Burn, and Bonfire’s Aggies are preparing to meet these challenges.

As with every year, this will be possible with the support of motivated Aggies everywhere. In 2024, the flame will remain truly undying. Bonfire would like to thank all those who support Bonfire, whose continued donations of time, equipment, services, and expertise make this and every season possible.

Bonfire will burn on November 29, the night before the final game of the regular season against the University of Texas. Burn will be live streamed for free, as it has been since 2014, courtesy of TexAgs.com.

For updates, information on participating in and supporting Bonfire, and a full season schedule as it becomes available, visit bonfire.ag.

Build the Hell Outta Bonfire! Beat the Hell Outta t.u.!

This podcast is a visit with Caden Jones of the Destination Bryan tourism office and WTAW's Bill Oliver recorded June 6, 2024.

Topics include June's First Friday activities in downtown Bryan, a preview of the second annual Festa Italiana in downtown Bryan on June 8th, and free shuttles between downtown Bryan and Texas A&M for the upcoming soccer match and George Strait concert at Kyle Field.

This podcast is a visit with Bryan fire department (BFD) assistant chief of operations Jason Nored and WTAW's Scott DeLucia on The Infomaniacs June 6, 2024.

Topics include BFD future planning, reviewing the department's new employee health and wellness initiatives, and current training in the former Bryan ISD administration building that is now owned by Brazos County and is slated for demolition this summer.

This podcast is a visit with Bryan mayor Bobby Gutierrez, on the phone from Kyoto Japan with WTAW's Scott DeLucia.

Leaders from Bryan/College Station are in Japan on an economic development trip. 

At 8:30 Wednesday morning (June 5) in Bryan/College Station, WTAW's Scott DeLucia visited with Bryan mayor Bobby Gutierrez in Kyoto, Japan, where it was 10:30 at night.

Gutierrez said the city of Bryan's participation "is based mostly upon and around (the) RELLIS (campus) and all the new stuff that's been going on through announcements with the chancellor and the university and the system, basically set up around the (computer) chips institute (and) semi conductor space."

Gutierrez said "Bryan and College Station are strategically located" whether it be to support Samsung's facility in Taylor TX "or whether it would be just distribution or warehousing (or) manufacturing that supports what's going to be hopefully another semi conductor space in Bryan at the RELLIS campus and we hope we'll know something pretty soon on that".

Gutierrez said the local group has also met with representatives of companies who select sites for Japanese corporations who could participate in the Texas A&M system's plans to build small nuclear power plants on the RELLIS campus and peaker power plants using other energy sources on system properties around the state.

Gutierrez also shared his first experience riding a high speed bullet train in the context of the Texas Central/Amtrak project between Houston and Dallas.

Gutierrez said the group includes College Station mayor John Nichols, Texas A&M's chief community engagement officer Fred McClure, city managers Kean Register of Bryan and Bryan Woods of College Station, local business representatives Spencer Clements and Jeremy Osborne, and members of the Brazos Valley economic development corporation (BVEDC).

Gutierrez thanked BVEDC president Susan Davenport, who "arranged a really really tremendous trip for us."

This podcast contains comments from the May 28, 2024 Brazos County commission meeting.

As the Brazos County jail continues to hold a record number of inmates, county commissioners decide to hire a consultant to see if there are enough employees.

Commissioners at their May 28th meeting, approve seeking proposals from consultants and appoint members of a committee that will review the proposals.

Click HERE to read and download the request to advertise seeking consultants to study staffing at the Brazos County jail, which was approved at the May 28, 2024 county commission meeting.

County judge Duane Peters says he hopes that the consultant's work can be completed in time to incorporate those findings into next year's budget.

Commissioner Steve Aldrich asked for an update in a future meeting to ongoing efforts to fill vacant positions at the jail.

The inmate population as of June 4th was 844. Capacity is almost 1,100.

This podcast contains comments from the June 4, 2024 Brazos County commission meeting.

Brazos County commissioners have approved moving forward with establishing a specialty criminal court for those accused of crimes who have a mental illness or an intellectual disability.

The resolution that was unanimously approved at Tuesday's (June 4th) meeting says the judge who would be assigned specialty cases will apply for a state grant that would cover expenses starting in September of next year.

Click HERE to read and download the resolution that was approved during the June 4, 2024 Brazos County commission meeting.

This was one of two specialty criminal courts that were recommended by a commission committee last year.

A representative of VFW post 4692 and the local Vietnam veterans organization, county commission candidate Mike Southerland, asked for the creation of a specialty court for veterans.

Commissioner Steve Aldrich, who also supports a veterans court, asked for the second consecutive meeting for a public discussion.

County judge Duane Peters directed Aldrich for the second consecutive meeting to meet in private with local judges and prosecutors. 

Peters told Aldrich on Tuesday that "I think there's things going on that they're taking care of (that are) short of a veterans court."

Following raised voices in the exchange between Aldrich and Peters, Aldrich declared completing his comments and Peters went on to take the vote on the mental health specialty court.

Commissioner Wanda Watson agreed with a statement from Nancy Berry, who said the mental health specialty court "is a great idea. We've talked about it for a long time, the need is definitely there and I'm glad we're moving forward on this."

Watson, Berry, and commissioner Chuck Konderla made no comments about the proposed specialty court for veterans.

This podcast is a visit with the general manager of the Brazos Valley groundwater management district, Alan Day, and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

The Brazos Valley groundwater management district (BVGCD) is adding office space.

BVGCD board members held a special meeting Monday (June 3) to approve the purchase of a building next door to their current office in downtown Hearne.

The purchase price of the 885.5 square foot building which was formerly a tax preparation office, was $103,603.50.

Click HERE to read and download background information from BVGCD about the building purchase.

The current office will continue to be used. 

General Manager Alan Day tells WTAW News that they "have outgrown our current facility due to the upcoming production and transport of water to the I-35 corridor. Mitigation of wells is going to require staff increases."

On June 18th, the district will hold a public permit hearing on seven applications from the owners of 32 wells in Robertson County west of Highway 6 to pipe water to customers in Milam, Williamson, Travis, and/or Bell counties.

Day says the district sent 4,500 letters to affected property owners, notifying them of the hearing that starts at 6 p.m. June 18th at the Hearne elementary school cafeteria.

Click HERE to read and download the public notice of the June 18th public permit hearing.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials associated with the June 18th public hearing.

This podcast is a visit with Alan Day of the Brazos Valley groundwater conservation district and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

May's flooding rains are not recharging underground aquifers.

Alan Day at the Brazos Valley groundwater conservation district (BVGCD) says it is typical that in the district's eight aquifers, if it rains between 37 and 40 inches, five inches will reach the aquifer.

Day says what the rains have done, has reduced the amount of water being pumped for irrigating crops and lawns.

As for irrigating lawns, Day reminds Brazos County homeowners to get the Brazos Valley Water Smart website to know when to run irrigation systems.

Click HERE to be directed to the website that is funded by the conservation district, which shows zones where watering is and is not needed.