Kevin O’Connor Kommentary January 16

Brazos Valley Impact If The President Approves Higher Tariffs

Those attending the Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce economic outlook conference heard about the impact of the president’s proposal to increase tariffs. Economist Lori Taylor, who is a department head at Texas A&M’s Bush school, expects “substantial increases” in the price of a new vehicle. She recommended buying a new vehicle in the next month to avoid higher prices caused by the increased cost of components that are imported to manufacture vehicles. Taylor also said the increased tariffs vary. For instance, the tariff on cotton shirts is different than silk shirts, the tariff on cotton suits is different than wool suits, and the tariff on men’s golf shoes is five percent while the tariff on women’s golf shoes is 10 percent. Taylor showed a slide in her presentation stating if increased tariffs are implemented, the impact in the Brazos Valley includes: A sharp increase in prices for tradeable goods The Federal Reserve may delay interest rate cuts to fight the inflationary impact There will be slower economic growth Job losses in import consuming industries A net overall loss in jobs And an ambiguous impact on sales tax revenue Click below to hear Lori Taylor’s comments at the B/CS chamber commerce economic outlook conference on January 22, 2025 about the impact of increased tariffs if enacted by President Trump. Listen to “Brazos Valley impact if the president approves higher tariffs” on Spreaker.

Grand Opening of Blinn College Bryan Campus Administration Building

Blinn College hosted the grand opening ceremony for its new Bryan Campus Administration Building Friday morning. Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez talked about the growing college campuses around all of Bryan College Station. “The vibe of this community, the vibe of Bryan-College Station, our area here, is the students, the youth. I still feel like I’m 20 years old, I act like I’m 10, but it’s what keeps us young, keeps us going over here and it’s the quality of students” said Gutierrez. College Station Mayor John Nichols was reminded of the phrase shared by preachers, “the church is more than just the building”. “Blinn is more then this building, Blinn is the community,” said Nichols. Kenny Lawson, Chair of the Bryan Campus Advisory Committee, talked about what this building means for Blinn. “What does it really stand for? It stands for progress, it stands for educating our youth, it stands for the next generation. There’s a lot of people who worked to build a building, but I would ask everybody to take a step back and really think about what it really stands for. It’s for our future,” said Lawson. The new building at Villa Maria and Nash houses campus administration, human resources, and business services among other offices. The grounds also include an intramural field, the first ever on the Bryan campus. Click below to hear Friday morning’s entire presentation. Listen to “Blinn College Hosts Grand Opening of Bryan Campus Administration Building” on Spreaker.

College Station Councilman Investigating Repurposing The City Owned Macy’s Store For Indoor Pickleball

A College Station councilman is investigating repurposing the city owned Macy’s store located at Post Oak Mall for indoor pickleball. Bob Yancy told WTAW News people have reached out to him and he has determined there is room for 20 pickleball courts without making major renovations. Yancy said this would address a shortage of courts in College Station and Bryan. He also said this would increase customer traffic at mall, adding “I just believe that it’s unfair to the other businesses, the tenants at the mall for us (the city) to leave it (the former Macy’s building) empty in an open ended manner.” Click below to hear Bob Yancy’s visit with WTAW’s Bill Oliver. Listen to “College Station councilman investigating repurposing the city owned Macy’s store for indoor pickleball” on Spreaker.