Texas A&M University Update on WTAW

A 55 year old Bryan man has admitted to drunk driving for the fifth and sixth times. A plea agreement with the Brazos County district attorney’s office covering arrests in April 2023 and December 2024 resulted in a 12 year prison sentence for Anthony Bowers Jr. A spokeswoman in the D-A’s office says Bowers’s blood alcohol level were .118 and .10. The spokeswoman also says four of Bowers’s DWI convictions were in Brazos County. The others were in Montgomery and Harris counties. A central Texas man appeared in Brazos County district to enter guilty pleas in three felony drug cases. 33 year old Christopher Gandy of Hamilton was sentenced to ten years for possession of a controlled substance in October 2023, November 2023, and June 2024. Jail records also show Gandy has completed serving time in five other Brazos County cases between June 2023 and February of 2025. Three involve misdemeanor possession of marijuana. One involves another possession of a controlled substance. And the fifth involved being caught last month for driving with an invalid license.

Monday’s meeting (March 24) meeting of the Bryan ISD school board included a report from two members who participated in last week’s safety and security committee meeting. Neither Leo Gonzalez or David Stasny gave specific results of BISD’s last two surprise security inspections by state officials. Stasny, the board president, said “it was acknowledged that we have a pretty good track record with regard to, in terms of our safety record”. Gonzalez said committee members were presented the administration’s emergency operations plan and cybersecurity annex by the Texas School Safety Center. No details were provided. Gonzalez also reported there was a demonstration of new technology to detect weapons beyond those made of metal “that we would not want in a school building, but it is not as slow nor as intrusive as a metal detector.” Gonzalez said he and Stasny “asked for some numbers of course on it. It looks great, it’s very cool looking, but it has to be in our price range as well.” There was no mention during the BISD board meeting about a student’s threat earlier in the day to blow up Rudder High School. A Bryan police spokesman tells WTAW News that the district will handle disciplinary action and BPD’s report will be presented to the district attorney’s office. The spokesman says the decision was made not to interrupt classes, because it was determined there was no immediate threat to the safety of students, staff, or administrators. Click below to hear comments from Leo Gonzalez and David Stasny at the March 24, 2025 Bryan ISD school board meeting.  

A new outside auditing company hired by the College Station city council presents its first review of city finances. That was part of a presentation given during the March 13th council meeting. Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the March 13, 2025 College Station city council meeting. Auditor John DeBurro said after auditing more than 50 cities during a nearly 25 year career, he said his first audit of the city of College Station for the 2024 fiscal year ranks “in the upper echelon”. City manager Bryan Woods added “It’s not uncommon when you switch auditors for them to find certain things that they’d like you to correct just because there’s differences in it. So to have a clean opinion like this is a really big deal.” The week after the council meeting, the city of College Station announced receiving an award from the state comptroller’s office “for achieving the highest levels of financial transparency and commitment to accountability.” Click below to hear comments from the March 13, 2025 College Station city council meeting:   News release from the city of College Station: The City of College Station has been honored with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts’ Transparency Stars Trailblazer Award for achieving the highest levels of financial transparency and commitment to accountability. “Texans deserve transparency in how their tax dollars are being spent, and the City of College Station has gone the extra mile in opening its books to the public,” Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said. “Democracy can’t survive and thrive unless citizens have the information to make informed decisions at the voting booth to hold those they elect accountable for their actions.” Winners of the prestigious award must open their books in traditional finances, contracts and procurement, economic development, public pensions, debt obligations, and open government and compliance. They must also provide clear and meaningful financial information by posting financial documents, thorough summaries, visualizations, downloadable data, and other relevant information. College Station’s Finance Department has taken significant steps to ensure the City’s financial information is readily available and understandable. The Financial Transparency webpage on the city website includes annual financial reports, budgets, check registers, and other pertinent financial data organized in a user-friendly format. “Our residents have the right to know how their tax dollars are being managed, and we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency,” College Station Director of Fiscal Services Mary Ellen Leonard said. “The recognition underscores the dedication of this team to openness and accountability. College Station is one of 11 local governments that earned all six Transparency Stars to achieve Trailblazer status.