Elizabeth Cunha Also Announces Candidacy for College Station Mayor

In the span of eight days, two students at A&M Consolidated High School have found themselves behind bars after being caught with THC vapes at school. A 17-year-old student was arrested on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) after a vape fell out of his pocket while being escorted to the office by a school resource officer. A field test showed a positive result for THC above 0.3%. He was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance in a Drug-Free Zone, a third-degree felony. That student is free on $15,000 bond. Another student was arrested at AMCHS on August 25th for having a THC vape.

A Federal Courthouse is likely coming to College Station. The final cog will fall into place after a signature from President Trump. The Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act was presented to President Joe Biden in 2024, but he vetoed it. It would add 63 new permanent U.S. district court judgeships throughout the United States over a 10-year period. In Texas, it adds 13 new district judges, in all four judicial districts. A related bill called the Local Access to Courts Act (S. 32), specifically names College Station as an authorized location for federal district court proceedings. College Station will be part of the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) Houston Division. The SDTX is currently comprised of seven divisions with federal district courts in Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo. Houston is the headquarters for the counties of Austin, Brazos, Colorado, Fayette, Fort Bend, Grimes, Harris, Madison, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker, Waller, and Wharton. Adding a courthouse in College Station means cases involving Brazos County litigants will no longer be forced to travel to a Houston courtroom to have their cases heard. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or reach out on Facebook or Twitter/X.

The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) has sent out a bulletin to insurers to remind them that the practice of “price optimization” violates Texas law for all TDI-regulated insurance products. This is response to Governor Greg Abbott’s directive to make property insurance more affordable. “The average annual homeowners’ insurance premium in Texas rose 79 percent in six years,” said Governor Abbott. “Price optimization drives up costs for loyal customers. Insurance companies must base rates on risk, not on how much extra money they think a customer will pay. TDI will take action against any company that uses this illegal practice.” Price optimization occurs when an insurance company varies premiums based on factors unrelated to a policyholder’s risk of loss or the company’s expenses, including whether a customer is likely to shop for a new policy or accept a higher price. This means that two policyholders with the same risk profile may receive different premium increases. Texas law forbids that. The TDI Commissioner’s latest Bulletin reminds all insurance companies, their agents, and representatives that use of price optimization in the ratemaking or pricing process or rating plan, is unfairly discriminatory and a violation of the Texas Insurance Code. Premiums must be based on the cost associated with risk. TDI will take enforcement action against companies that fail to comply. Governor Abbott will work with the Legislature next session to enhance consumer protections for insurance policyholders and curb premium increases. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or reach out on Facebook or Twitter/X.