WTAW - Interviews

This podcast contains comments from the January 14, 2026 meeting of the Texas A&M system board of regents committee on academic and student affairs.

The Texas A&M system board of regents committee on academic and student affairs (CASA) brought up ten topics during a meeting on the flagship campus last week (January 14).

The final two and a half minutes was taken on one topic related to campus safety from the chairman of the committee on academics and student affairs.

Sam Torn of Houston said people getting hit and almost being struck by scooters is a problem, particularly at the flagship and the Prairie View A&M campuses.

Regent Kelley Sullivan Georgiades of Navasota, who was almost hit by a scooter, asked for additional information.

In addition to speed and safety concerns, system vice chancellor of academic affairs James Hallmark says there is also a problem with scooter thefts.

WTAW News previously reported 59 thefts of electric scooters and bicycles during a nine week period between the week before last Thanksgiving and January 13th.

This podcast contains comments from the January 8, 2026 College Station city council meeting.

A College Station city council majority approves spending grant money to buy a home to be renovated as a rental for low-income residents.

The council's six to one vote followed councilwoman Melissa McIlhaney's attempt to use the grant money to buy and renovate the three bedroom home for future sale to a lower income buyer.

David Brower with the city's community development office says the expected rent for the home in the Midtown district of $1,100 dollars a month will allow the renters to save to buy a home.

The council's majority vote gives the Brazos Valley Community Action Program (BVCAP) $320,000 dollars to buy and renovate the home.

This will be the 20th rental home administered in College Station by BVCAP.

The home will go off the property tax rolls because BVCAP is a non-profit agency.

Click HERE to read and download background information from the January 8, 2026 College Station city council meeting.

Click HERE to read and download a council question and staff response about this request.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the January 8, 2026 College Station city council meeting.

This podcast contains comments from Bryan city manager Andrew Nelson at the January 13, 2026 city council meeting.

The January 2026 report to the Bryan city council of capital and parks projects included some completions, some making progress, and some to initiate.

Click HERE to read and download Bryan city manager Andrew Nelson's report to the city council on January 13, 2026.


Among the items reported by city manager Andrew Nelson was improvements starting at Travis Field stadium following the departure of the Brazos Valley Bombers baseball team. Nelson said the work so far included general cleanup and removal of trash, debris, and inoperable equipment. Nelson said staff installed a new portable pitching mound to accommodate upcoming rentals. The manager said before the end of January will be the replacement of the poorly maintained infield turf, installation of backstop padding, and replacement of the grandstand safety netting.

Nelson also reported South College Avenue has completely reopened to traffic between Villa Maria and Carson following a street and utilities project that was delayed multiple times.

Also, the new westside water tower is in operation north of Villa Maria on Chick Lane.

And two parks are getting new picnic tables, benches, trash receptacles, and barbecue grills. Those items are supposed to ship in early February and installed at Castle Heights and Williamson Parks.

This podcast contains comments from the January 12, 2026 Bryan ISD school board meeting.

Bryan ISD school board members are told $397 million dollars of bond funded projects approved by voters last November will take four years to complete.

A timeline given by deputy superintendent Brian Merrell at the board's January 12th meeting shows action will be taken in February to consider multiple architects to design the list that includes new buildings, renovations and updates to other buildings, and other items around the district.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the January 12, 2026 Bryan ISD board meeting.

The board update focused on building the new Bryan Collegiate High School campus, which superintendent Ginger Carrabine says has included employee input since the bond issue passed.

Merrell's timeline shows construction of the new Collegiate campus will start in February of next year and be completed for the start of school in August of 2029.

Kathleen Sanderson with the Bryan/College Station Salvation Army visits with WTAW's Scott DeLucia about upcoming events on The Infomaniacs, January 19, 2026.

Actor Richard Thomas previews his upcoming OPAS performances as Mark Twain with WTAW's Will Welch on The Infomaniacs, January 19, 2026.

Click HERE for more information about the OPAS performances of Mark Twain Tonight!

This podcast contains comments from the January 15, 2026 College Station city council meeting.

Since June 2020, there has not been a psychiatric hospital serving the Brazos Valley.That need was brought up at the last College Station city council meeting.

Councilmembers directed staff to contact officials in Bryan, Brazos County, and Texas A&M to possibly partner to address the lack of mental health services.

Councilwoman Melissa McIlhaney initiated the subject during the police chief's presentation on how CSPD deals with people having mental health issues.

The council learned CSPD has a 20 member crisis intervention team, and those members are further trained as mental health peace officers who respond to the more unique or challenging calls.

All CSPD officers receive crisis intervention training while in the police academy. Councilmembers were told the majority of calls involving who the chief described as "mental health consumers" are taken by patrol officers.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the College Station police chief at the January 8, 2026 city council meeting.

City manager Bryan Woods recalled a similar joint effort was attempted after the only psychiatric hospital in Brazos Valley, located in College Station, closed more than five years ago.

Councilman Bob Yancy, who also serves on the board of the Brazos County health district, says mental health services continues to be at the top of their community needs survey.

This podcast contains comments from the January 15, 2026 special meeting of the Brazos County commission.

A special meeting of the Brazos County commission on Thursday (January 15) was county judge Duane Peters first since returning from medical leave that began last June.

Noting the meeting agenda included an acknowledgement of Peters return, commissioners laughed when he asked for a "motion for approval". After getting a second to the motion, Peters joked "I wasn't sure that I'm going to get a second."

That was followed by commissioners welcoming Peters back following the six month leave that included a hospitalization.

Peters thanking first "my Lord and Saviour" drew amens from commissioners Chuck Konderla and Fred Brown.

Peters also thanked his family, members of the commissioners court, acting county judge Kyle Kacal, county staff, and county residents.

After Peters said he's "looking forward to serving my final year", he received a standing ovation.

While Peters was on leave, he announced he would not run for re-election this year for a fifth term for county judge.

Peters was first elected to county office as a constable in 1993 and joined the commissioner’s court in 2002.

Thursday's meeting was the first of five scheduled this year so county commissioners can pay bills on time. 

The special meetings, requested by the county treasurer, was the result of commissioners changing weekly business meetings to a schedule of twice a month.

This podcast contains comments from the January 14, 2026 Texas A&M system board of regents meeting of the committee on academics and student affairs (CASA).

The first week of spring semester classes at Texas A&M included an on-campus meeting of the board of regents committee on academics and student affairs (CASA).

Vice chancellor of academic affairs James Hallmark says artificial intelligence has been used in association with a new system policy to screen courses for race and gender ideology among other things.

Dr. Hallmark expects the review the syllabi of all sections of all courses at all system universities will be completed by the end of January.

And Texas A&M's interim president posted a message on his website that the syllabi of this semester's more than 5,000 courses were reviewed during the holiday break.

The message from Tommy Williams also included a response to the philosophy professor who had to remove readings from Plato from some his lectures. 

The interim president said Plato is included in a variety of spring courses as part of using what Williams called "the great thinkers of history while complying with updated system policies."

This podcast is a visit with the new president/CEO of the Greater Brazos Partnership (GBP) economic development agency Tom Johnson, GBP board chairman Jeremy Osborne, and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

There is a new leader of the Bryan based Greater Brazos Partnership (GBP) economic development agency.

Tom Johnson, who starts February first, most recently led a five state, 36 county economic development organization based in Rapid City South Dakota. 

Click HERE to read and download the GBP's news release.

Click HERE to read and download Tom Johnson's biography that was provided by the GBP.


The GBP news release says that organization contributed to Rapid City being recognized as one of the 40 fastest growing cities in the United States.

Johnson's experience also includes positions at the University of Wyoming and Colorado State University and at the Wyoming Business Council.

The hiring follows a six month search.

The Greater Brazos Partnership, which initially served only Brazos County, expanded in the last three years to include Burleson, Grimes, Robertson, and Washington counties.