WTAW - Interviews

Brazos County Judge Duane Peters and the first Brazos County Director of Forensic Services, Dr. Jennifer Dierksen, visits with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia on Thursday, February 5, 2026.

Topics includes staffing and operating the new medical examiners office when it opens this June and the county judge's plans for his final year in office before he retires.

This podcast contains comments from Dan Rudge of the Bryan/College Station metropolitan planning organization at the B/CS chamber of commerce economic outlook conference on January 28, 2026.

Click HERE to read and download MPO presentation materials from the January 28, 2026 economic outlook conference.

Reducing the number crashes resulting in deaths and serious injuries was among the subjects presented to those attending last week's Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce economic outlook conference.

Dan Rudge of the B/CS metropolitan planning organization (MPO) said between 2017 and 2022, 11 percent of crashes on Brazos County highways were responsible for 71 percent of crashes resulting in deaths and severe injuries.

During that time period, Rudge said there were more than 20,000 crashes in Brazos County. 101 of the crashes resulted in deaths and 524 resulted in severe injuries.

Additional statistics about crashes in Brazos County shows:

• 52% of fatal crashes occur in dark or underlit conditions.
• 30% of crashes are attributed to speeding
• Pedestrians are involved in 1% of crashes, but make up 13% of fatal crashes
• 61% of fatal, severe, and minor injury crashes occur at intersections or driveways.
• 49% of fatal crashes are the result of lane or roadway departure.

Rudge says what drivers don't want...roundabouts and diverging diamond interchanges...is part of the effort to reduce the number of crashes resulting in deaths and serious injuries.

Rudge says an obstacle is money. That's because the state is spending one billion dollars between the Big six project that just started and the new Bush/Wellborn interchange that will start construction next year.

Rudge also said he learned a new illustration just before the conference, that if an employer lost an employee earning $100,000 dollars to a traffic death, the employer will spend $150,000 dollars to replace that person.

Rudge says those who design highways are changing philosophies.

• Instead of preventing crashes, the philosophy is changing to preventing deaths and serious injuries.
• Instead of improving human behavior, the philosophy is changing to design for human mistakes and limitations.
• Instead of controlling vehicle speed the philosophy is changing to reduce kinetic energy created by crashes.
• Instead of individual responsibility for crashes the philosophy is changing to shared responsibility.
• Instead of transportation planners reacting to crash history, the philosophy is changing to proactively identify and address risks.

College Station Mayor John Nichols visits with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia in reviewing last week's economic outlook conference, waiting on Union Pacific Railroad to take action on city projects, previewing next week's council meeting, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.

This podcast contains comments from the January 27, 2026 Brazos County commission meeting.

For at least the fifth time in the last 13 months, Brazos County commissioners discuss credit card usage by county employees.

Questions about a county policy, how credit cards are paid, and how card limits were set for county employees were answered by county auditor Marci Turner and purchasing agent Charles Wendt.

Commissioner Fred Brown, who was successful last year in switching the county's use of Diners Club cards with one that pays a rebate to the county, was told there was no negative feedback about that decision.

Commissioner Wanda Watson finished the discussion by saying she "can't imagine that any person that we allow to use a credit card within their department may be able to do something inappropriate."

This podcast contains comments from the January 12, 2026 Brazos Transit District urbanized area committee meeting.

Off and on for the last four years, there has been discussion about the Brazos Transit District (BTD) operating trolleys between Texas A&M and downtown Bryan. 

The latest conversation was during a January 12th transit district committee meeting attended by representatives of the cities of Bryan and College Station.

The trolleys have not been purchased, more than two years after the transit district received a $1.4 million dollar grant. But BTD chief executive officer Wendy Weedon told the committee that they have been given permission for the district to buy hybrid powered vehicles instead of all electric.

At the present time, there is no funding source to operate the trolleys, which Weedon estimated at $330,000 and $380,000 dollars a year per trolley. 

Bryan deputy city manager Joey Dunn and College Station city manager Bryan Woods brought up the cities are in the first year of subsidizing the transit district's current bus routes following a reduction in federal money.

This podcast contains comments from Brazos County auditor Marci Turner during the January 27, 2026 county commission meeting.

Retirement for a former Brazos County auditor lasted four months.County commissioners at their last business meeting (January 27) approved the hiring of Katie Conner, who spent 22 years as county auditor.

After the commission's unanimous vote, Conner's successor as county auditor, Marci Turner, asked commissioners for additional information about Conner's new role to work on special projects as needed for the county judge.

Turner said she was speaking on behalf of staff who had concerns about what she described as a vague description of Katie Conner's new position.

Click HERE to read and download Marci Turner's statement.

There was no comment from county judge Duane Peters or any of the commissioners about the hiring.

Conner retired last September 30th after a 30 year career with Brazos County.

WTAW News asked county officials after the meeting for Conner's job description, salary/wage, and any benefits associated with Katie Conner's new position. That information has not been provided as of February 2.

This podcast is an interview with Texas A&M university interim president Tommy Williams and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

Texas A&M's interim president tells WTAW News that the university's first review of courses to meet the board of regents new requirements was a useful exercise.

Click HERE to read and download Texas A&M system policy 08.01.

Click HERE to read and download Texas A&M system policy 12.01.

Among other things, Tommy Williams says the review makes sure there is alignment across all sections of a course so that every student receives a consistent academic experience.

Most of the core curriculum classes that required changes were done at the department or college level and Williams said faculty and staff did a tremendous job conducting the review.

A post on the Facebook page Texas A&M university office of the president says out of 5,400 courses offered this semester, six were cancelled. Hundreds of other course syllabi were changed across A&M's 17 colleges and schools to meet policy requirements.

The regents policy allows the president to give exceptions to teach non-core curriculum courses that includes topics related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and race and gender ideology. Williams granted 48 exceptions out of 54 requests.

Williams Facebook post also announced that bachelors degree and graduate certificate programs in women's and gender studies will be discontinued. Williams told WTAW News the bachelor of arts program averaged nine students and the bachelor of science program averaged 17 students. Williams said that was not enough students to have a degree granting program and barely enough to have a course section. He also cited the difficulty of bringing the program in compliance with the new system policies. Williams says A&M "will teach out" the 25 students who are pursuing a bachelor's and 31 in a minor or certificate program.

This podcast contains comments from the January 13, 2026 Bryan city council meeting.

The Bryan city council unanimously decides to not give a housing developer free land.

The city lot is along the College Station city limits near the Northgate district.

Daniel Parulian says they wanted to combine the city lot with what they own on both sides to build high density housing sometime in the next five years.

Mayor Bobby Gutierrez, who made the motion to deny the request, brought up the value and strategic location of the .159 acres of city land that is near student high rises in College Station.

Councilman James Edge, who seconded the motion wanted more information about the project.

City manager Andrew Nelson received the mayor's support to offer an economic development agreement with the developer.

Supporting the developer's request to receive the city land at no charge, was city staff, the city's site development review committee, and the city's planning and zoning commission.

Click HERE to read and download a city summary of the request.

Click HERE to read and download the city staff report.

This podcast is a report to those attending the Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce economic outlook conference on January 28, 2026 from the interim chief of staff at Texas A&M university, Michael O'Quinn.

The annual Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce economic outlook conference includes an update from a representative of Texas A&M.

This year's speaker was Michael O'Quinn, the interim chief of staff for A&M's interim president.

O'Quinn's report focused on the university's marketing message, which is "A Force For Good".

Presentation slides were a collage of photos of A&M efforts involving employees, students, university research, and this October's 150th birthday celebration.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials at the January 28, 2026 B/CS chamber economic outlook conference.

Most of A&M's 4,398 faculty positions work in Brazos County. That includes a net increase last year of 241. And O'Quinn said the board of regents recently authorized the hiring of another 167 faculty positions.

A&M has more than 9,700 staff position, which O'Quinn said 9,000 are based here and does not include employment of other Texas A&M system agencies.

Student enrollment in the fall of 2025 was 80,000 at all A&M locations and 73,000 in College Station. 

O'Quinn said that represented an increase of "barely" two percent.In the last decade, A&M's enrollment increased 30 percent while other Texas universities grew at an average of 14 percent.

This spring, there were 332,617 course registrations. That's among the factors in efforts to lower the ratio of 275 students per academic advisor.

O'Quinn said the university is addressing mobility issues in getting students to and from classes and on west campus, studying how to add on-campus housing for 2,000 to 3,000 more freshmen, and adding more dining options.

This podcast contains comments from the January 28, 2026 Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce economic outlook conference.

Two months into the five year expansion of Rudder Freeway, an update was given to those attending the chamber of commerce economic outlook conference.

Dan Rudge of the Bryan/College Station metropolitan planning organization showed a timeline projecting major milestones of the project.

Click HERE to read and download the Big 6 timeline sheet from the January 28, 2026 B/CS chamber economic outlook conference.

In 2027, the Briarcrest bridge is supposed to be replaced, something Rudge says the construction company is contractually obligated to complete in 45 days.

Also in 2027, improvements at the Highway 21 interchange are supposed to be completed.

In 2029, improvements are supposed to be completed at William Joel Bryan Parkway and Harvey Road.

And the diverging diamond interchange at University drive is supposed to be completed in 2030.