Infomaniacs: March 01, 2012 (7:40am)

College Station Traffic Stop Leads to DWI, THC Arrests

Two men were arrested after College Station Police stopped a vehicle early Sunday. Officers initiated a traffic stop around 2:30am on August 16, 2026 after observing a vehicle with a defective headlight that was flashing off and on. Records say the driver, 21-year-old Alesandro Chavez, was slouched over in the driver’s seat and officers could detect a strong odor of alcohol. His speech was slurred speech and he fell asleep within minutes of being pulled over. He was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated with a prior conviction. This was Chavez’s 10th visit to the Brazos County Jail. He paid $1,081 in court costs and fines, and posted bail in the amount of $13,000. The passenger, 21-year-old Yair Romero, was found with a vape containing a thick, dark-yellow substance believed to be THC. He was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance (Penalty Group 2) of less than one gram and released on $5,000 bond. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or message us on Facebook or Twitter/X.

Governor Abbott Launches New Strategies to Make Texas Students No. 1 in Reading and Math

Press release from Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Office on August 17, 2026: (WACO, TX) — Governor Greg Abbott today unveiled a plan to provide students who are struggling in core subjects with support through new Student Success Academies. These in-school academies will give parents and teachers a straightforward plan to help struggling students get back on track and boost their reading and math comprehension. “Student Success Academies will ensure we identify struggling students early and get them the help they need,” said Governor Abbott. “By giving parents a clear understanding of the resources available to support their child, we can work together to ensure every Texas student masters the reading and math skills they need to succeed.” Under Governor Abbott’s proposal, Student Success Academies will: Give parents clear, easy-to-understand toolkits to work on reading and math with their children at home. Strengthen early reading and math support at school to help students catch up. Provide more robust parent notifications throughout a child’s progress in school. Give students struggling in reading and math-targeted interventions. Student Success Academies are the latest initiative in Governor Abbott’s plan to make Texas No. 1 in education. Earlier this year, the Governor launched the Texas Classroom Commission to bring educators together to improve reading and math, attract and retain the best teachers, and reduce screen time in classrooms. This month, Governor Abbott called for tougher laws to protect Texas students from sexual predators and new limits on screen time to put teachers, textbooks, handwriting, and direct instruction back at the center of the classroom. Read here to learn more about Governor Abbott’s new public education proposals. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or message us on Facebook or Twitter/X.

Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Pax­ton Sends Let­ters Pro­hibit­ing Over 250 Texas Cities from Ille­gal­ly Rais­ing Tax­es

Attorney General Ken Paxton has sent letters to some 250 cities in Texas after he says they failed to be trans­par­ent with taxpayers. The notices inform cities that they are prohibited from raising ad valorem taxes above the no-new-revenue tax rate. The action follows Attorney General Paxton’s investigation of over 1,000 Texas cities to ensure that none are unlawfully raising taxes. Included on the list of recipients is Hearne, Somerville, Franklin, Bedias, and Hempstead. During the 2025 legislative session, SB 1851 was passed and then enacted into law. It bars cities from raising property taxes above the no-new-revenue rate if they do not meet Texas’s financial statement audit and transparency requirements. Last month, Attorney General Paxton demanded documents from over 1,000 municipalities as part of an ongoing investigation to determine statewide compliance with SB 1851. It has led to the identification of 245 cities that failed to comply with the statutory requirements for the new fiscal year. Attorney General Paxton has now notified those cities that they are subject to the enforcement provisions and penalties established under SB 1851 and may not adopt property tax increases above the no-new-revenue rate. The letters are addressed to an initial list of non-compliant cities, and the investigation remains ongoing. The OAG will continue to take additional action and make further determinations as more cities are found to be out-of-compliance with audit requirements. “I will not allow cities to unlawfully raise taxes on hardworking Texans. That is why I took aggressive action against over 130 Texas cities to hold them accountable and ensure they comply with state law,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Cities cannot fail to abide by state audit requirements without consequences. My office will continue to aggressively enforce Texas law to protect taxpayers across the state.” He sent out the lists in two waves. The initial 135 letters were sent out May 14, 2026 to the cities of: Alpine, Aspermont, Baird, Balch Springs, Balmorhea, Bedias, Berryville, Big Spring, Bishop, Blooming Grove, Blue Mound, Briarcliff, Brookside Village, Buffalo Gap, Calvert, Cameron, Campbell, Centerville, Chico, Chireno, Clarksville, Clear Lake Shores, Combine, Corrigan, Crane, Cross Timber, Crowell, Crystal City, Cuero, Dalhart, Danbury, De Leon, Eagle Lake, Elkhart, Eureka, Eustace, Fairfield, Farwell, Flatonia, Franklin, Fritch, Fulton, Gordon, Grandfalls, Gregory, Groesbeck, Groom, Hale Center, Hamilton, Hearne, Hempstead, Higgins, Hillcrest Village, Horizon City, Howardwick, Howe, Huntington, Industry, Ingleside On the Bay, Jewett, Jonestown, Keene, Kemah, Kenedy, Kerens, Kermit, Lamesa, Livingston, Lott, Lumberton, Manvel, Marquez, McCamey, Megargel, Menard, Mertzon, Mexia, Miami, Midway, Miles, Mount Enterprise, Natalia, New Home, New Waverly, Newcastle, Oyster Creek, Paducah, Panorama Village, Pelican Bay, Pleak Village, Plum Grove, Port Lavaca, Quanah, Red Lick, Redwater, Rockdale, Rocksprings, Roma, Rusk, San Elizario, San Felipe, San Perlita, Seabrook, Shepherd, Smiley, Snyder, Somerville, Southmayd, Spring Branch, Spur, Sterling City, Stinnett, Sunray, Surfside Beach, Taft, Tehuacana, Texas City, Texline, Three Rivers, Tiki Island, Tom Bean, Tool, Turkey, Valley Mills, Valley View, Victoria, Weslaco, Weston Lakes, Wharton, Wickett, Wimberley, Wolfe City, Woodloch, Yantis, and Yoakum. The latest set of 116 letters on August 17, 2026 were sent to: Adrian, Annona, Aransas Pass, Avery, Blackwell, Blossom, Bogata, Bonney, Brazoria, Brownsboro, Charlotte, China, Clifton, Clint, Cottonwood Shores, Cotulla, Cranfills Gap, Cresson, Cumby, Darrouzett, Detroit, Dickens, Dish, Edgecliff Village, Electra, Florence, Friona, Gallatin, Godley, Goldthwaite, Goodlow, Goodrich, Gorman, Grand Saline, Granger, Greenville, Gruver, Hallsburg, Hallsville, Hawk Cove, Hawkins, Hawley, Hereford, Hilshire Village, Hudson, Indian Lake, Ingram, Itasca, Ivanhoe, Jones Creek, Kempner, Kendleton, Kennard, Kingsbury, Kress, La Villa, Ladonia, Linden, Log Cabin, Lone Star, Lyford, Mason, Mathis, Mission, Moody, Morgan, Munday, New London, Newton, Nordheim, Oakwood, Odem, Oglesby, Overton, Palacios, Pasadena, Pattison, Peaster, Penitas, Pine Forest, Point Comfort, Port Isabel, Presidio, Rancho Viejo, Rice, Robinson, Roman Forest, Round Mountain, Round Top, San Leanna, Sanford, Santa Fe, Seadrift, Simonton, Spearman, Springlake, Stockdale, Stockton Bend, Stratford, Strawn, Sunset Valley, Taylor Landing, Throckmorton, Toyah, Trinidad, Tulia, Uhland, Vega, Vinton, Weimar, Winfield, Winnsboro, Woodcreek, Woodsboro, Wortham, and Yorktown. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or message us on Facebook or Twitter/X.