Wednesday Afternoon Wildfire Update

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.

Under Texas law, when you take or damage a campaign sign that isn’t yours, it’s a crime. A campaign sign is considered tangible personal property. Stealing a sign is considered theft. Damaging a sign is vandalism/criminal mischief. The punishment will depend on the total value of the sign(s) stolen. Theft and criminal mischief penalties in Texas: Under $100 = Class C misdemeanor. Punishable by a fine of up to $500. $100 to $749 = Class B misdemeanor. Punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and up to 180 days in jail. $750 to $2,499 = Class A misdemeanor. Punishable by a fine of up to $4,000 and up to 1 year in jail. Over $2,500 = State Jail Felony (punishments vary by amount stolen) Penalties could increase if it’s not a first time offense. Additionally, entering someone’s yard to steal or damage a sign could be considered trespassing. Live in an HOA? An HOA cannot prohibit residents from having signs within the 90 days before an election or 10 days afterwards. Signs are allowed to be up to 4’x6′. HOAs can adopt measures to limit the quantity of signs for a single candidate/cause, restrict the size of signs greater than 4’x6′, and/or the manner in which it is mounted. 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.