Kevin O’Connor Kommentary June 26

Arts Council Name Change To Arts CENTER Of Brazos Valley

A name change has been announced by the organization that for 54 years was known as the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley (ACBV). The ACBV’s new CEO announced the organization that supports 60 agencies in seven counties is now the Arts Center of Brazos Valley. In a news release, CEO Leslie Bowlin says “‘Center’ more clearly defines what we are today. It grows the vision of our founders, who created the Council as a support organization without a permanent location. Today, our location is the epicenter of artistic activity for the region, reaching throughout the Brazos Valley.” News release from the Arts Center of the Brazos Valley: After 54 years of serving the community as a leader in the arts and culture sector, The Arts Council of Brazos Valley is thrilled to announce a new milestone in the organization’s evolution. Effective immediately, The Arts Council is now doing business as The Arts Center of Brazos Valley. This name change comes with the goal of creating a more community-inclusive space for artists and art lovers alike, as well as reinforcing The Arts Center’s commitment to serving the Brazos Valley. Arts Center CEO Leslie Bowlin believes this change will mark an exciting new chapter for The Arts Center and reflect the evolving standards of the organization. “‘Center’ more clearly defines what we are today. It grows the vision of our founders, who created the Council as a support organization without a permanent location. Today, our location is the epicenter of artistic activity for the region, reaching throughout the Brazos Valley. We welcome visitors to The Arts Center for artistic, cultural and educational programs spanning all forms”, says Bowlin, who was named CEO in July 2024. Key elements of the name change include the following: – New logo design – Renovated and expanded galleries – Updated branding – Changes to The Arts Center website, acbv.org, to roll out at a later date These efforts reflect a strategic approach to stay at the forefront of the arts, culture, and heritage sector and meet the evolving needs of the community. The Arts Center is focused on providing innovative leadership in the arts by maintaining and strengthening an arts and culture–friendly community and making the quality of life in the Brazos Valley the best that the state has to offer. The Arts Center of Brazos Valley is a non-profit organization chartered in 1970 by a group of visionary local arts patrons with the purpose of establishing a leadership role in organizing local arts advocacy efforts and fostering a true community for the arts. Over 50 years later, The Arts Center has grown to serve the 5,000 square mile Brazos Valley region and since 2008, has provided over $4,000,000 in direct funding support to arts organizations throughout the Brazos Valley. For questions, comments, or concerns please contact the Arts Center at info@acbv.org.

Bryan Police Investigations At Three Bryan ISD Schools, Multiple Vehicle Burglaries In One Residential Neighborhood, And Crimes At Three Other Residences

Bryan police release information about incidents at three Bryan ISD campuses that happened on Tuesday (November 5). Two involved threats. A student at Davila middle school was arrested and taken to the juvenile detention center on a charge of making a threat to “shoot up” the school. No gun or any other kind of weapon was ever displayed. Administrators who became aware of the threat through the campuses B-Safe app contacted an officer. At Rayburn intermediate school, an investigation continues of a student who told officers they made verbal threats because they were mad for receiving lunch detention. The student told classmates to not come to school the next day and threatened to bring a gun to school. A BPD spokesman tells WTAW News the case will be referred to the juvenile detention center. And at Bryan High school, BPD’s school resource officer has talked with all parties involved in a student report of being concerned that “sensitive” photos were going to be shared without permission. That investigation continues. Bryan police is asking for residents in a northside neighborhood to check their doorbell cameras for videos of suspects in an undisclosed number of vehicle burglaries. BPD’s Facebook page says multiple burglaries took place Thursday (November 7) between midnight and six a.m. The burglaries took place in the neighborhood surrounding Bonham Park. The Facebook post did not say how many of the burglaries involved forced entry. Click HERE to be directed to the link to upload video to BPD. Bryan police release information about three incidents that took place on Halloween. Two involve crimes at apartment complexes and the third was at a westside home. The investigation continues into gunfire in the parking lot of the 31-30 apartment complex on East 29th near Briarcrest. One person who was shot was taken to the hospital by a private vehicle. What led to the gunfire has not been released. At the Villa West apartments on Finfeather Road, the investigation continues of a ride share customer threatening to cause physical harm to a passenger in the ride share vehicle. And at a home north of Highway 21 and east of FM 2818, the victim said he was assaulted by two strangers who had guns. There was no evidence of shots being fired. A BPD spokesman did not disclose how seriously the victim was injured. Undisclosed property was taken from the home.

Texas A&M System Board Of Regents Approve Five Items Associated With The RELLIS Campus

Thursday’s meeting (November 7) Texas A&M system board of regents meeting included approving five items associated with the RELLIS campus. The board increased the budget for the new Texas A&M semiconductor institute to $189 million dollars and set aside $19 million for pre-construction services. Click HERE to read and download background information about the semiconductor institute. The regents also approved moving ahead with building a hypersonic wind tunnel. Construction starts in December on the $10 million dollar project, which the system says will become the largest academic facility of its kind in the country by providing large-scale aerodynamic testing in the range of Mach 5 to 9. The single-story facility will complement research at the adjacent Ballistics Aero-optics and Materials (BAM) Range and the Detonation Research Test Facility Chancellor John Sharp says the hypersonic wind tunnel will be used by a company that wants to build an aircraft that can get from Houston to Tokyo in one hour and 25 minutes. Click below to hear John Sharp’s comments about the purpose of the RELLIS campus hypersonic wind tunnel.   Click HERE to read and download background information about the hypersonic wind tunnel. The board approved creating a $25 million dollar training complex operated by TEEX…the Texas A&M engineering and extension service. The 86-acre site will allow construction of an urban simulation grid, drive track, skills pad, props building and classrooms. The site also will eventually be the location for a future headquarters. Click HERE to read and download background information about the TEEX training complex. The regents agreed to purchase 77 acres of land that will expand the RELLIS campus to the west. The purchase price was not disclosed. And the regents agreed to apply to the federal nuclear regulatory commission to allow the construction of small nuclear reactors at RELLIS. News release from the Texas A&M system about applying to locate nuclear reactors at RELLIS: Nuclear power companies and technology giants now can look to The Texas A&M University System for much sought-after land to test the latest nuclear reactors. Several agreements have been made between reactor manufacturers and technology behemoths to provide the power that is necessary for modern computing, but few suitable locations have been identified…until now. Today, officials with the Texas A&M System took the first official step to provide the sites that nuclear companies desperately need. Also notably, the Texas A&M System will be the only higher education institution with a commercial reactor site license. The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents agreed to notify regulators at the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission today that it has potential sites available at Texas A&M-RELLIS in Bryan for multiple companies to test and construct the next generation of nuclear reactors. The “test bed” is expected to lead to energy advancements that could provide power to data centers for artificial intelligence and other power-hungry ventures. John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M System, said no other entity in the U.S. is further along than the Texas A&M System to provide a location and human resources to get small, modular nuclear reactors online. The test bed for the reactors will support multiple reactors from various companies, Sharp added. The reactors at the site also could put additional power into the state’s energy grid at a time of high demand. “The Texas A&M System is the missing piece of the puzzle,” Sharp said. “States on the west coast and east coast would never attempt what we are doing. Under the leadership of Gov. Greg Abbott, only Texans – particularly those at the Texas A&M System – have the courage to take on such a weighty and ambitious responsibility.” The submission of the letter of intent to the regulators marks the beginning of a licensing process for the A&M System. Reactor companies will benefit from the A&M System taking on the licensing burden. The result will be a shorter path to getting their reactors up and running. The type of reactors that could be tested at Texas A&M-RELLIS are often classified as “small modular reactors,” or SMRs. They have a footprint that is a fraction of the size of a traditional reactor, and they can produce up to 300MW(e) per unit, compared with more than 700MW(e) per unit with traditional reactors. The Texas A&M System recently concluded the process of gathering proposals from nuclear reactor companies that hope to construct reactors at Texas A&M-RELLIS. Some of the businesses that submitted proposals already have announced partnerships with large technology companies to power their ventures with nuclear energy. Negotiations are expected to begin soon. Also, there might be additional opportunities for organizations to take advantage of the A&M System’s site for nuclear testing and the manufacturing of modular reactors. After negotiations are complete, the A&M System will announce which companies will conduct testing and other work at Texas A&M-RELLIS. The Texas A&M System, along with Texas A&M University, is uniquely qualified to take on a venture as ambitious as building, testing and running nuclear reactors. The System’s flagship campus in College Station – just a few miles from the testbed – employs dozens of professors and researchers with nuclear expertise. Plus, Texas A&M University is home to the largest nuclear engineering department of any university in the country. The A&M System also helps manage the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Pantex, the nation’s primary plant for the assembly and disassembly of nuclear weapons. Sharp said: “From the people, to the land, to the enthusiasm to innovate, the Texas A&M System has everything we need to help the country meet its clean energy needs.”