WTAW - Interviews

This podcast contains comments from the October 7, 2025 Bryan city council workshop meeting.

The Bryan city council expresses no objections with the design of a signature playground at Midtown Park.

Construction will take 15 months to complete of the $4.2 million dollar project, which is $300,000 dollars under budget.

A $2 million dollar foundation grant and $2.5 million from the city funds what mayor Bobby Gutierrez said was phase one of the project.

Click HERE to read and download images of the Midtown Park signature playground, courtesy of the city of Bryan.

This podcast is a visit with Bryan police officer Seth Waller and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

New traffic signals are activated in the William Joel Bryan (WJB) Parkway construction zone.

Bryan police officer Seth Waller asks motorists and pedestrians to be aware of traffic signals at WJB and Coulter and new crosswalk signals crossing WJB at Sue Haswell Park.

BPD also posted on social media, a traffic advisory for the intersection of WJB and Villa Maria on Wednesday (October 8). It is expected to take all day to remove old signals and activate new signals.

Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez visits with WTAW's Scott DeLucia about the new playground at Midtown Park, the possibility of trolley service between both cities, datacenters, Amazon's new facility, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the September 16, 2025 College Station ISD school board meeting.

ollege Station ISD school board members received an update on the district's new technology to monitor school buses, their drivers, and the more than 3,600 students who are passengers.

CSISD transportation director Shannon Calltharp reported at the board's September regular meeting that more than 3,300 parents are using an app that monitors the whereabouts of their students, who are being tracked with a badge.

Calltharp explained a number of safety features that are provided by the app.

One thing the technology does NOT automatically do, is give parents notice of buses that are behind schedule. Calltharp says she manually issues those notices to parents through their app.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the September 16, 2025 College Station ISD school board meeting.

This podcast contains comments from the October 3, 2025 special meeting of the Texas A&M system board of regents.

The Texas A&M system has announced who is on the search committee for the next permanent president of the flagship campus. 

One of three members of the board of regents on the committee, chairman Bob Albritton of Fort Worth, said last Friday (October 3) during a special board meeting there is no timeline.

Albritton added "We're going to make sure that this next president is the exact right person to lead us forward" and "The most important thing is we get this right and we will take our time and we will get the right input to make sure it's a great decision."

Those on the 16 member committee also includes three members of the president's cabinet, two deans, the chair of the university's staff council, the last speaker of the faculty senate before it was eliminated by state lawmakers, the student body president, former A&M president Elsa Murano, the university's chief community engagement officer, A&M's athletics director, and one department head.


News release from the Texas A&M system issued October 7, 2025:

Chancellor Glenn Hegar today announced a blue-ribbon committee of distinguished leaders to guide the search for the next president of Texas A&M University. 

“This is a committee of accomplished leaders who know exactly what makes Texas A&M University special,” Hegar said. “They understand our rich traditions, our mission, and our grit. I’m confident they’ll bring us a leader who will lead Texas A&M with the same passion and purpose that built it.”

The search committee includes some of the most respected voices from across the Aggie community:

• Robert L. Albritton, Board of Regents Chairman
• John W. Bellinger, Regent
• Mike Hernandez, Regent
• Carter Mallory, Student Body President
• Lt. Gen. James W. “Chip” Bierman Jr., USMC (Ret.), Commandant, Corps of Cadets
• Andrew Klein, Professor of Geography
• Fred McClure, Chief Community Engagement Officer
• Elsa A. Murano, Professor, Director of the Borlaug Institute, and President Emerita
• Clint Patterson, University Staff Council, Chair, Office of the Provost
• Joseph P. Pettibon II, Senior Vice President for Strategy and Business Services
• Amy Waer, Dean, Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
• Susan Ballabina, Executive Vice Chancellor, Texas A&M University System
• Nicholas K. “Nic” Taunton, Executive Vice President and COO of The Association of Former Students
• Trev Alberts, Director of Athletics
• Nate Sharp, Dean, Mays Business School
• Thomas Blasingame, Department Head, Petroleum Engineering
 
“Choosing the next president of Texas A&M is one of the most important decisions we will make,” Albritton said. “This university has shaped Texas for nearly 150 years and the right leader will set the course to ensure its success over the next 150. We need someone who understands our values and has the vision to lead this great institution into its next era of service, discovery, and impact.”

The next president will inherit a University that continues to set records in research funding, student enrollment, and national rankings. Hegar said the new president must be a leader who can accelerate Texas A&M’s trajectory, while preserving the core values and traditions that define the Aggie spirit.

The committee is expected to begin stakeholder input in the coming weeks.  Chancellor Hegar’s recommendation for the position of president will be submitted for approval to the Board of Regents.

“We are starting the search process quickly, yet we will be methodical in our approach to find the right person to lead Texas A&M University as this decision will define how we serve our students, our state, and the world for decades to come,” Hegar said. 

This podcast contains comments from the September 30, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting.

October 5-11 is National 4-H Week.

Members of the Brazos County 4-H council and 4-H agents received a proclamation at the September 30th county commission meeting.

4-H council members and agent Ashleigh Sugg introduced themselves before acting county judge Kyle Kacal read the proclamation.

Click HERE to read and download the proclamation that was read at the September 30, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting.

There are 720 4-H members in Brazos County. Commissioners learned last month that last year's enrollment of 700 was the sixth largest in Texas.

This week's United Way of the Brazos Valley update features partner agency Boys & Girls Clubs of the Brazos Valley.

This podcast contains comments from the October 3, 2025 Texas A&M system board of regents meeting.

The Texas A&M system board of regents chooses an interim president at the flagship campus. 

Regents chairman Bob Albritton of Fort Worth said it was a unanimous selection to bring on Tommy Williams, who is an Aggie graduate who spent ten years as a state senator representing The Woodlands before working for the system as a lobbyist in Austin and a advisor to Governor Abbott.

Albritton was the only regent making a comment after the board spent nearly two hours in executive session Friday afternoon (October 3).

News release from the Texas A&M system:

The Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System unanimously approved Tommy Williams, a former state senator from The Woodlands and longtime public servant, to serve as interim president of Texas A&M University.

Williams previously held the role of vice chancellor of governmental relations for the Texas A&M System, where he worked to advance System priorities at the state and federal levels. His understanding of higher education policy, leadership experience and ties to the Texas Legislature make him uniquely qualified to guide the university during this transitional period.

Chancellor Glenn Hegar said Williams is a thoughtful leader and a faithful Aggie who graduated from Texas A&M in 1978 with a degree in business administration.

“Tommy Williams has a deep understanding of the mission of Texas A&M and the values that define our university,” Hegar said. “His experience in public service and his commitment to the Aggie community will serve us well as we continue to move forward.”

Williams represented Southeast Texas in the Texas Senate from 2003 to 2013, where he chaired the Senate Finance Committee and played a key role in shaping the state’s budget and education policy. He later joined the A&M System in 2014 and served until his retirement in 2018. He also served as a senior advisor to Gov. Greg Abbott from 2017 to 2019.

“I’m honored to return to Texas A&M in this capacity,” Williams said. “This university means a great deal to me, and I look forward to working with students, faculty, staff and former students to support the continued excellence of this great institution.”

Robert L. Albritton, chairman of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, said Williams brings integrity, experience and a deep respect for the traditions of Texas A&M.

“We’re confident in his ability to lead the university with steadiness and purpose while we continue the search for a permanent president,” Albritton said. “Tommy Williams’ respect for the institution, its students, its staff and its faculty along with his understanding of the needs of our state make him the right fit to serve as interim president of our great university.”

The appointment comes as the Texas A&M System Board of Regents continues its search for a permanent president.

This podcast contains comments from the September 30, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting.

The value of cybersecurity insurance for Brazos County government was discussed by county commissioners during this week's meeting (September 30)

Commissioner Bentley Nettles had questions of county staff before the unanimous vote to extend cybersecurity insurance coverage until April 1, 2026.

Brazos County's chief information security officer, Kevin Joiner, told Nettles there have attempts to compromise Brazos County's network, but none have been successful.

Brazos County's risk manager, Leslie Contreras, said the insurance is also a protection should county employees click on links that leads to security issues.

This podcast is a visit with a co-owner of The Kimbell cultural event center, Cassidy Barton, and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

A century old building at the north end of downtown Bryan has been renovated and is reopening.

Co-owners Cassidy Barton and Kristy Petty say in a news release that "The Kimbell Cultural Event Center is a repurposed historic landmark featuring galleries, event & rooftop space, pop-up/vendor areas, and community hospitality zones."

Their mission "is to “Feed Your Soul” by amplifying Bryan’s cultural identity and supporting creative collaboration across the community."

The news release says The Kimbell will have "rotating gallery shows, nonprofit and community programming, flexible event and vendor spaces, and a welcoming visitor hospitality zone—keeping Bryan’s cultural identity visible, accessible, and thriving."

In a visit with WTAW News, Barton said the idea began in 2017 then took off after the pandemic in 2023.

Barton and Petty were assisted by the Bryan city council, which approved an economic development agreement to assist with the cost of the renovation.

Barton says she and Petty hopes "that people who went through the Kimbell Feed store building might still walk in and feel a sense of recognition" with the preservation of clay block walls, concrete floors, and lots and lots of wood.

The October 3rd grand opening is timed with the grand opening of the 20th anniversary of downtown Bryan's First Friday event.

Click HERE to be directed to The Kimbell website.