Infomaniacs: April 27, 2017 (6:00am)

Habitat For Humanity B/CS needs help unloading and building this year’s Faith in Action Pumpkin Patch. Church groups, Texas A&M organizations, community groups, nonprofits, local businesses, school groups, families, and individuals are all welcome. If your group has pitched in before, they’d love to see you back! Faith in Action Pumpkin Patch 2301 E. 29th St., Bryan (Next to Hillier Funeral Home) Saturday, September 26 Beginning at 9:00am Come ready to lift, laugh, and build something special for the community. Sign up to volunteer at bcshfh.volunteermatrix.com. Or, if you prefer to register on-site, please arrive by 8:30am. For questions about volunteering, contact their Community Engagement Manager, Mayra Cisneros at mcisneros@habitatbcs.org or (979) 402-2258. 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.

Media Release from the Office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton 09/21/2026: (AUSTIN, TX) – Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a settlement with Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (“Sprouts”) that ensures none of its produce will be misted with the synthetic antimicrobial pesticide, ProduceMaxx. This agreement will be effective in all Sprouts locations nationwide.   This settlement follows an investigation into grocery stores across Texas, which was announced by Attorney General Paxton in January 2026. The investigation was launched following concerns that synthetic pesticides such as ProduceMaxx were being misted on organic produce. ProduceMaxx is an EPA-registered antimicrobial pesticide containing hypochlorous acid, a chlorine-based compound. Thousands of grocery stores across the United States have engaged in off-label use of ProduceMaxx in produce misting systems to allegedly control bacteria and extend shelf life. ProduceMaxx was additionally being used to treat organic produce by other means such as washing and “crisping,” unbeknownst to consumers.  Now, under the settlement, Sprouts has agreed to stop spraying ProduceMaxx on all produce, including conventional non-organic produce, nationwide. Additionally, Sprouts will cease use—misting or otherwise—of ProduceMaxx or any other synthetic antimicrobial pesticide on all organic produce nationwide. The agreement will take effect within 90 days.  “My office has now added Sprouts to the list of grocery stores that we have forced to stop secretly misting organic produce with synthetic pesticides,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I will continue to protect consumers and ensure transparency, so that Texans can trust that they are buying clean products.”   Previously, Attorney General Paxton secured a settlement with all Albertsons-owned grocery stores across the entire state of Texas. That settlement has stopped them from using ProduceMaxx or any other synthetic antimicrobial pesticide in misting systems on organic produce. It also requires employees to complete a potable water rinse on all organic produce after any other ProduceMaxx treatment.  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.

For the second time in one week, law enforcement agencies in Brazos County made arrests for organized retail theft. College Station Police were called to the Target in the 2100 Texas Avenue South around 8:30pm Thursday for reports that two women were stealing jewelry. Surveillance video showed 23-year-old Tanya Guadalupe Cruz-Mateo and 20-year-old Brenda Sanchez-Hernandez removing jewelry from its packaging and pocketing the items. The women were identified using Mexican passports. Cruz-Mateo was stopped by security with $184.03 worth of merchandise. She was charged with Organized Retail Theft between $100 and $750. She is being held on $10,000 bond. Sanchez-Hernandez saw police with her partner and dropped the stolen items in a restroom trash can before leaving the store. Police caught up with her and she admitted to leaving the items in the trash. They recovered $54.13 worth of rings from the bin. Sanchez-Hernandez was charged with Organized Retail Theft under $100 and Tampering With Evidence.  She is being held on $25,000 bond.