Kevin O’Connor Kommentary January 28

Project Unity Celebrates 30 Years in the Community

Project Unity is celebrating 30 years in the community with a ribbon cutting and open house at its new location on Wednesday. Project Unity’s mission is to empower individuals, children, youth, and families to reach their highest potential. Jeannie Mansill, Founder and President, says the celebration is also an opportunity to learn more about their organization. “We do a range of services today with that simple focus on the family unit and what they need in order to overcome their barriers and become successful,” says Mansill. Mansill says their new office space doubles their working space, which provides enough room for their staff, which has also doubled in the last year. Wednesday’s event is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Project Unity’s new office located at 3833 South Texas Ave., Suite 150 in The Metro Center in Bryan. Listen to “Project Unity Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Ribbon Cutting and Open House” on Spreaker.

Process Starting To Designate A Site For A Brazos County Landfill With No Intention To Build One

Brazos County judge Duane Peters tells Millican area residents that the process is going to start to designate county owned land as a landfill which is not going to be built. In February 2022, Peters told WTAW News that designating land as potential landfill space will protect all other county land from future landfills. Peters says the land near Millican is the best place for the designation because it was once used as a landfill. That location can now be considered since action was taken by state lawmakers to remove it from College Station’s ETJ, or extra territorial jurisdiction. Peters also said in his 2022 interview with WTAW News that the landfill designation does not prevent the land from being developed for another purpose. Click below to hear comments from Duane Peters in his February 2022 interview with WTAW News:   News release from Brazos County: Brazos County is not building a landfill, nor does the county government want a landfill. Texas Health and Safety Code Sect. 364.012 dictates a county must designate land as potential landfill space in order to protect all other county land from potential future landfills. With no designated landfill space, any private company could buy up a large amount of land and begin the process of building a landfill and Brazos County would have no recourse to stop them. By having a designated plot of land as the only place a landfill could be built in Brazos County, the commissioners court would be able to intervene if a company wanted to bring in a landfill. The land in Millican under consideration for this designation was once used as a landfill. Any property damage that surrounding land might incur as a result of having land designated for landfill purposes has already occurred. That’s what makes this particular piece of land the best place for this designation. To reiterate, just because this land is designated as potential landfill space does not mean the county has any desire for a landfill. This action is strictly to protect the county from future landfill development.

Bryan Police Arrest From A Christmas Eve Stabbing

A Bryan police arrest report recently released by the Brazos County district attorney’s office provides information about a stabbing involving domestic violence that took place the evening of Christmas Eve. The victim is the father of a pregnant woman who had been separated from the suspect. The victim said the suspect also punched and kicked him 50 to 60 times before getting away. Responding officers used tourniquets to stop the blood loss from a seven and a half inch slash to the victim’s left arm. 21 year old Nicholas Tena of Bryan was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Tena told officers according to the arrest report that he used his wife’s cell phone to draw the victim to the park. He also told officers that he threw away the knife and bloody clothes and deleted a cell phone video Tena recorded of the victim after the attack showing the victim’s injuries. That led to an additional charge of evidence tampering. Online records show Tena was released from jail Christmas Day after posting bonds totaling $38,000 dollars.