United Way Of The Brazos Valley Update

Council met for nearly four hours Thursday night. Mayor John Nichols returned after hip replacement surgery following a fall and fractured hip. He departed the meeting at 9:00pm and Mayor Pro Tem William Wright took over presiding duties for the final 45 minutes of the meeting. During the hear visitors portion of the meeting, there was a lot of discussion about zoning and student housing popping up in residential neighborhoods. In particular, residents of South Knoll say that houses that are perfectly suitable for living, are being torn down and replaced with housing suitable only to students, such as 6BR/6BA homes. One resident mentioned that in addition to calls and letters, she has had people knock on her door asking to buy her home. Some even saying things like “this house is old,” and “why would you want to live here?” The residents urged the city to not rezone properties or incentivize the destruction of homes that families would happily purchase. On the consent agenda, item 7.3 regarding improvements at Adamson Lagoon was pulled from consideration. The remaining items were approved unanimously. It included a contract for $5,544,279 awarded for power line construction and maintenance. On the workshop agenda, there was considerable time spent discussing city owned cemeteries. Kelsey Helden, Director of Parks & Recreation, proposed adding columbarium at Aggie Field of Honor, and potentially adding a columbarium at the College Station Cemetery where plots are sold out. There is concern of companies coming in and purchasing plots exclusively for resale. They discussed prohibiting business from purchasing plots, limiting the number of plots sold to a single person, and adding a non-resident fee for anyone purchasing a plot that is not a resident of College Station. There was also a lengthy discussion on an overlay in Northgate that would limit building height from 3-5 stories. The council asked Planning & Development to look into the issue and come back with potential incentives for existing businesses to maintain their façade. Finally, there was a presentation and discussion on implementing a Safe Passing Ordinance. Among the speakers were friends and family of Hannah Rapp, who was struck and killed by a driver in July. Her fiance William Pollalis spoke as well as Hannah’s mother, Angela Rapp Grimes, who spoke remotely from Indiana. The council is in favor of moving forward in drafting an ordinance that will likely be named in honor of Rapp. Bob Yancy asked a future agenda item be risk versus reward in the use of Artificial/Super Intelligence for City Hall staff.   Here is the agenda: Consent Agenda: 7.1. Adoption of minutes for September 24, 2026 Council Meeting. 7.2. Contract awarded to Integrated Power, Co. for Transmission Line Construction, Maintenance, and Repair to for an amount not to exceed $5,544,279.91. 7.3. ITEM REMOVED FROM CONSIDERATION 7.4. Contract awarded to H&B Construction, LTD on an as needed basis for electric boring and construction projects not to exceed $500,000. 7.5. Approval of an ordinance amending Chapter 38 “Traffic and Vehicles,” Article VI “Traffic Schedules,” Section 38-1014 “Traffic Schedule XIV, No Parking Here to Corner and No Parking Any Time,” of the Code of Ordinances of the City of College Station, Texas, by prohibiting parking on the east side of Big River Street from 40’ west of Little River Street intersection through Big River Street cul-de-sac. 7.6. Approve the BVWACS Annual Operating & Maintenance and Capital Budget. 7.7. Approve interlocal agreement between Bryan, Brazos County, and College Station for expenditures related to the FY 26 JAG Grant. Workshop Agenda: 8.1. Update from the Texas A&M Off-Campus Student Services Office. 8.2. Discussion of College Station and Memorial Cemetery Fund Structure and Fee Policy. 8.3. Presentation, discussion, and possible direction regarding a potential overlay district in NG-1 Core Northgate. 8.4. Presentation, discussion, and possible direction regarding the creation of a safe passing ordinance.  

The man who killed a bicyclist in July has been indicted for Murder and Aggravated Assault With A Deadly Weapon. Today, a Brazos County grand jury handed down the indictments against 31-year-old Charles Medina. Medina struck and killed local boxer Hannah Rapp with his car as she was cycling along FM 159 on July 18, 2026. After passing the couple, Medina backed up and sped towards Rapp and her fiancé, William Pollalis. Medina was initially charged with manslaughter. The District Attorney’s office later added a charge of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon for reversing towards the couple. Now, he will be tried for Murder and Aggravated Assault With A Deadly Weapon. Appropriately, the College Station City Council will hear a presentation tonight about implementing a “Safe Passing Ordinance.” It would require a minimum distance between vehicles and bicyclists. Related stories: https://wtaw.com/bicyclist-killed-after-being-hit-by-car/ https://wtaw.com/celebration-of-life-for-hannah-rapp-to-be-held-thursday-night/ https://wtaw.com/charles-medina-facing-new-charges-after-killing-hannah-rapp/ https://wtaw.com/charles-medina-makes-first-court-appearance-since-death-of-hannah-rapp/ Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or reach out on Facebook or Twitter/X.

As a part of Texas A&M’s Sesquicentennial, the university will be hosting a speaker series. That series kicks off tonight, with Roku founder Anthony Wood ’87. He will sit down with Texas A&M University President Susan Ballabina to discuss entrepreneurship, innovation, and the Aggie experience that helped shape his path. He will also share his perspective on the university’s next 150 years and the role Aggies can play in shaping the future. Before Roku, Wood founded ReplayTV and created the *DVR (digital video recorder). That was born out of his love of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and growing tired of having to record the show on VHS and the stacks of videotapes that racked up. That groundbreaking innovation eventually led to Roku, the internet streaming device. It’s even built-in to a large portion of the TV’s sold today. The public is invited to attend. Wood will share more about his inventive nature and the vision that led to becoming a streaming pioneer. Thursday, October 8, 2026 in Rudder Theatre at 7:00pm. Reserve your seat by adding a free ticket to your cart from the MSC Box Office. *ReplayTV developed the hard-drive-based TV recording system in 1997 and it was first introduced to the public at the 1999 Consumer Electronics Show. TiVo was introduced at the same show, but it was ReplayTV that won Best of Show. Both ReplayTV and TiVo hit the market at the same time. Got a news tip? e-mail us at news@wtaw.com, text us at (979) 695-1620, or reach out on Facebook or Twitter/X.