WTAW - Interviews

United Way of the Brazos Valley president Peggi Goss and the director of government relations and advocacy for UWBV partner agency B/CS Habitat For Humanity Charley Coats visits with WTAW's Bill Oliver.

This podcast contains comments from Texas house district 14 candidates Paul Dyson and Rick Davis at the Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce candidates forum on February 12, 2024. The forum moderator is WTAW's Scott DeLucia.

This podcast contains comments from the February 9, 2024 meeting of the state prison board.

Family and friends of a state corrections officer who was murdered in November 2023 spoke during the Feburary 9, 2024 meeting of the state prison board.

The mother of Jovian Motley, Tammica, was the first to ask why no action has been taken 88 days since her son's death inside a cell of the Wainwright Unit between Madisonville and Trinity.

The chairman of the state prison board, Eric Nichols of Austin, told Tammica Motley and the other speakers that the board is also calling for justice to be meted out.

Prison director Bryan Collier listed steps that have been taken since Jovian Motley's murder that includes a review of their inmate behavorial intervention plan and allowing supervisors to check out tasers.

Jeff Capps, Deputy City Manager, visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about police and fire department updates, the Southside street sign presentation, a recreation center feasibility study, the new College Station Utilities account system, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the February 8, 2024 meeting of the Texas A&M system board of regents meeting.

The Texas A&M system board of regents decides to close Texas A&M's campus in Qatar.

The motion from Mike Hernandez of Ft. Worth was seconded by Randy Brooks of San Angelo.

Other members who voted for the motion were chairman Bill Mahomes of Dallas, John Bellinger of San Antonio, and three members from Houston, Jay Graham, Sam Torn, and David Baggett.

Voting against the closure was Michael Plank of Houston.

Bob Albritton of Ft. Worth did not attend the meeting.

Thursday's (February 8) vote followed discussion in executive session. None of the regents made any public comments.

A&M opened its Qatar campus in 2003. Enrollment in the fall 2023 semester was 732.

A news release from the A&M system said the regents began discussing the closure in the fall of 2023 due to "heightened instability" in the Middle East.

News release from the Texas A&M system:

The Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System voted Thursday to begin a multi-year process to shut down the flagship’s campus in the Middle East nation of Qatar.

“The Board has decided that the core mission of Texas A&M should be advanced primarily within Texas and the United States,” Board Chairman Bill Mahomes said. “By the middle of the 21st century, the university will not necessarily need a campus infrastructure 8,000 miles away to support education and research collaborations.”

The decision does not immediately change operations or services on the campus. Under terms of the contract with the Qatar Foundation, the termination will take four years. In the coming days, the university administration will assemble a team to ensure several imperatives: Students complete their education, faculty and staff are supported, and research obligations are appropriately fulfilled.
Texas A&M at Qatar (TAMUQ) opened in 2003 to advance education and research in chemical, mechanical, and petroleum engineering. TAMUQ is one of six U.S. universities in Qatar’s Education City.

“Over the last two decades, the Qatar campus has advanced ideals, graduated exceptional Aggie engineers, and is cemented as an important legacy of Texas A&M,” said General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, president of Texas A&M University. “As we look to the future of our land-, sea- and space-grant university, the global exchange of research and education will continue to be integral to our world-class campuses here in the U.S.”

Qatar is a peninsula that shares a land border with Saudi Arabia and sits across the Persian Gulf from Iran. The U.S. considers Qatar an ally. The nation hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. Scores of U.S. business operate in Qatar, including major Texas-based energy companies.

The Board of Regents decided to reassess the university’s physical presence in Qatar in fall 2023 due to the heightened instability in the Middle East. Thursday morning, Regents discussed the topic with Welsh and other top administrators in executive session. In the afternoon’s public session,

Regent Mike Hernandez made a motion to terminate the agreement with the Qatar Foundation. The motion was seconded by Regent Randy Brooks and passed on a 7-1 vote. Regent Michael Plank dissented.

Mahomes said the board decided that Texas A&M can best advance its core mission — educating and serving Texans while advancing knowledge and innovation through world-class research — by concentrating its focus in Texas.

“The work in Qatar is great work,” Mahomes said. “But it is a fraction of what Texas A&M accomplishes year after year.”

Zyreshia Jackson, Community and Development Specialist, visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about an upcoming community development workshop, available funding for nonprofits, an upcoming city-wide open house, and more during her appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the February 7, 2024 special meeting of the College Station ISD school board. Speakers includes two members of the district's bond advisory committee, four CSISD board members, superintendent Tim Harkrider, and chief financial officer Amy Drozd.

Members of the College Station ISD school board and a 30 member committee are asking voters a third time to approve bonds to repair and expand athletic facilities at Consolidated and College Station High Schools.

On May 4, CSISD voters will consider a $40 million dollar bond issue affecting football stadiums at both high schools and the Consolidated fieldhouse...and a $13 million dollar bond issue affecting the baseball and softball fields at both high schools.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the February 7, 2024 special meeting of the College Station ISD school board.

This podcast is a visit with Bryan firefighter Chris Lamb and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

Bryan firefighters conducting search and rescue training three nights this week is with the assistance of community supporters.

Firefighter Chris Lamb says the department thanks Habitat For Humanity for providing furniture to stage a home where the nighttime training is taking place.

Lamb says no fire will be set and no fire department vehicles will be running red light and siren.

The training is taking place between seven and 11 p.m. at a home on Maywood Drive, which is between South College and College Main and west of Hensel Park.

College Station Mayor John Nichols visits with WTAW's Chelsea Reber about Southside Historic District street signs, upcoming updates from the police and fire departments, the former Macy's store building, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast is a visit with the chairman of the Brazos County Regional Mobililty Authority, Barry Moore, and WTAW's Chelsea Reber.

The Brazos County Regional Mobility Authority (RMA) is asking for money from the cities of Bryan and College Station, Brazos County and Texas A&M.

The RMA's board chairman, Barry Moore, says they continue to look for a more permanent funding mechanism after citizens voted against increasing vehicle registration fees by $10 dollars.

Moore says the way the state law is written, the vehicle registration fee is the most transparent way for RMA's to be funded.

But he does not think it makes sense to ask the community for something they recently turned down.