WTAW - Interviews

Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) visits with WTAW's Scott DeLucia about his favorite BBQ, Antony Blinken, the fight against Fentanyl, what happens after asylum seekers cross the border, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments recorded May 12, 2023 during a conversation with the president of the Texas Association of Broadcasters, Oscar Rodriguez, and Austin attorney Laura Prather.

The state's leading broadcast industry organization asks for public support to block legislation in Austin that they say will water down free speech protections.

The president of the Texas Association of Broadcasters, Oscar Rodriguez, characterizes senate bill 896 "as the most important free speech protection that Texans don't realize have and are about to lose."

Bryan Broadcasting, which includes WTAW, is a member of the Texas Association of Broadcasters.

SB 896 would change a component of the Texas Citizens Participation Act called SLAPP, which is an acronym for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.

Rodriguez told representatives of Texas radio and television stations that SB 896 is "a very important and scary bill."

Austin attorney Laura Prather says SB 896 will make it easier to file a lawsuit in retaliation for what somebody said or posted online.

Prather said the "average Texas citizens for tweeting or for doing a Yelp review, could be facing hundreds of thousands of dollars and fighting in courts for years to come."

Business and interest groups oppose senate bill 896, which spans the entire political spectrum. Prather said state lawmakers told her "How in the world did you get Americans For Prosperity, ACLU, Right To Life, and Public Citizen all in the same document?" Prather told them it's "Because they're all savvy enough to know that this law can harm them."

SB 896 received unanimous approval in the Senate and as of May 15 was pending before the House calendars committee after getting a favorable committee recommendation.

Click HERE to read and download Senate Bill 896 as of May 15, 2023.

Click HERE to read and download information presented by the Texas Association of Broadcasters about SB 896 and House Bill 2781.

This podcast contains comments from the May 8, 2023 Texas A&M faculty senate meeting.

Texas A&M faculty senate speaker Dale Rice ended two years in that position at the May monthly meeting.

Rice answered questions regarding searches for new academic leaders.

He said the search committee recommendations for provost...which is A&M's chief academic officer...were given to the president on May 5.

The search for A&M's next dean of the engineering college was delayed because the president...who is the former dean...chose to conduct a national search.

And the deadline for faculty to apply to be on the search committee for A&M's first dean of the new college of arts and sciences was May 10.

Rice also presented a "state of the senate", summarizing his observations during the two years he served as speaker.

This podcast contains comments from the May 9, 2023 Brazos County commission meeting.

Brazos County commissioners unanimously approve borrowing more than $37 million dollars for a variety of projects.

Tuesday's vote came after the county's financial adviser and bond attorney secured interest rates of approximately 3.5 percent.

Financial adviser Dennis Waley also reported the interest rate reflected the county's bond rating improved from a "double A" to a "double A plus".

Almost $28 million dollars in bonds will be spent on road and bridge projects.

Another $9 million in certificates of obligation will be spent on five building projects that includes the former Bryan ISD administration building, the courthouse, the county administration building, the county's 9-1-1 and emergency operations center, and adding to the sheriff's department a central receiving and storage facility.

Click HERE to read and download information related to the bonds.

Click HERE to read and download information related to the certificates of obligation.

Jeremiah Cook, Tourism Manager, visits with WTAW's Scott DeLucia about graduation this weekend, live music around town, Mother's Day markets, the value of tourism, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

State Representative Kyle Kacal visits with WTAW's Scott DeLucia about the Herrero budget amendment, school vouchers, property tax plans, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

State Representative John Raney visits with WTAW's Scott DeLucia about legislative action, workforce training, transportation, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the May 8, 2023 Texas House higher education committee public hearing regarding Senate Bill 18, which would end tenure.

Professors at Texas A&M and Sam Houston State were among those testifying this week before the Texas House higher education committee against a senate bill that would have stopped granting tenure.

After more than three hours of testimony, Senate Bill 18 was left pending in the House committee.

Click HERE to read and download SB 18.

Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) visits with WTAW’s Bill Oliver May 10, 2023 about the end of Title 42, the continuing investigation of the United States military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the debt ceiling negotiations between the house speaker and the president, and his participation in the Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce delegation visiting Washington D.C.

Allison Kay, Senior Planner with Development Services, visits with WTAW's Scott DeLucia about a new historic preservation website, collecting stories from residents, updating the city's historic preservation plan, and more during her appearance on The Infomaniacs.