Small nuclear reactors may be coming to Texas, boosted by interest from Gov. Abbott
A nuclear power plant hasnโt been built in Texas in decades because of cost and public fears of a major accident. Now the governor wants to find out if smaller reactors could meet the stateโs growing need for on-demand power.
OโNeal has 2 interceptions, No. 6 Texas A&M routs Kent State
Leon OโNeal Jr. had two interceptions, returning the second one 85 yards for a touchdown, and Devon Achane added two scores to help No. 6 Texas A&M pull away in the third quarter and cruise to a 41-10 win over Kent State Saturday night.
Train honoring Bush returns to his Texas library for exhibit
Bush on December 6, 2018 in College Station, Texas. The 41st president will be laid to rest near his presidential library next to his wife Barbara and daughter Robin. Bush to his burial has returned to his presidential library in College Station where it will become a permanent exhibit. Union Pacific originally commissioned the locomotive for the opening of an exhibit on trains at the presidential library. During the locomotive's 2005 unveiling in College Station, Bush talked about his fondness for trains, recalling sleeping on them as a child during trips with his family.
CHAMPIONS AGAIN: Antonian boys race past Bishop Lynch, win second TAPPS state title in three years
The Antonian boys basketball team celebrates after winning their second TAPPS 6A State title in the last three seasons at A&M Consolidated High School on March 12, 2021. COLLEGE STATION โ Early on in the first quarter of their TAPPS 6A State Championship game, the Antonian boys basketball team was in trouble. Bishop Lynch came out on fire and jumped out to a 17-6 lead with a little over 2 minutes left in the frame. The Apaches lost to JPII last season in the state championship, the only blemish on what has been a stellar, three-year run of dominance. So to be able to get the second one tonight, when we missed out on getting it last year, itโs just sweet.โ
Several Texas college campuses to keep mask mandates after governorโs order
Graduates at a Texas A&M University's commencement ceremony at Reed Arena in College Station in December. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas TribuneNeed to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Greg Abbott announced that he will lift the statewide mask mandate and other COVID-19 restrictions starting Wednesday. Austin Community College, Baylor University, Paris Junior College, Rice University, Southern Methodist University, Southwestern University, the Texas A&M University System, Trinity University, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at El Paso are keeping their current COVID-19 guidelines โ which include mask mandates โ in place. Disclosure: Baylor University, Lamar University, Rice University, Southern Methodist University, Texas Tech University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at El Paso and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.
AMBER Alert for missing 3-year-old from College Station discontinued
COLLEGE STATION, Texas โ UPDATE: Officials have discontinued the AMBER Alert for 3-year-old Adeline Welch. (Previous Story)Police have issued an AMBER Alert for a 3-year-old girl abducted in College Station. She has a pink wheelchair with her name on the back. Nichols weighs 110 pounds, is 5 feet tall, has green eyes and an unknown tattoo on her upper left arm. College Station police say Nichols is driving a white 2006 Toyota Highlander with Texas license plate โMWS8187.โ The SUV may have a pink wheelchair sticker that reads โPrincess on Board.โAnyone with information is asked to call the College Station Police Department at 979-764-3600.
Aggies reach best-ever ranking of No. 2 in women's AP Top 25
2, its highest ranking ever in The Associated Press women's college basketball poll, a day after winning its first Southeastern Conference regular-season title. 5 South Carolina on Sunday to win the conference title and then moved up a spot in the Top 25. AdBaylor, South Carolina, Maryland, UCLA and Indiana were the next five. The Aggies snapped a seven-game losing streak to South Carolina on Sunday. ___More AP womenโs college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
No. 3 A&M beats No. 5 South Carolina 65-57 for SEC title
Aaliyah Wilson scored 17 points and Nโdea Jones added 16 to lead Texas A&M to a 65-57 win over fifth-ranked South Carolina to give the Aggies their first regular-season Southeastern Conference title. Texas A&M (22-1, 13-1 SEC) snapped a seven-game skid against South Carolina and finished the season 13-0 at home after playing in front of a season-high 2,700 on Sunday. The Aggies outscored South Carolina (19-4, 14-2) 19-8 in the third quarter to take a commanding lead before the Gamecocks get back in it late. AdThe Aggies added a basket after that before South Carolina got its first field goal of the second half on a layup by Lele Grissett a few seconds later. A 5-0 run by Texas A&M, with another 3 by Nixon, came next to make it 52-37 and spur South Carolina Staley to call a timeout.
Gordon scores with 0.9 left; Texas A&M beats Auburn 68-66
COLLEGE STATION, Texas โ Andre Gordon scored 10 points including the game-winner with 0.9 seconds left as Texas A&M held off Auburn 68-66 on Saturday. Gordon drove the lane, pivoted and faked a shot before scoring off the glass. Emanuel Miller had 16 points and five rebounds for Texas A&M (6-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference), which bounced back from a 77-54 loss at LSU on Tuesday. Miller leads the Aggies in scoring and rebounds, and his 9.2 rebounds is first in the SEC. Auburn (6-4, 0-2) cut a nine-point deficit with 5:34 left and tied it 66-all with 14 seconds remaining.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's reelection bid received a big cash assist from national Republicans late in campaign
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, visited College Station in October, as part of his statewide bus tour. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas TribuneA super PAC supporting the reelection of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, received a late infusion of big money ahead of the November election, including from the top super PAC aligned with Senate Republicans, according to a new post-election campaign finance filing. The pro-Cornyn super PAC also got $1 million from Houston beer distributor John Nau and $250,000 from Houston construction executive James D. Pitcock Jr. As Election Day neared, speculation simmered about whether Cornyn would need a last-minute boost from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of Senate Republicans, or the Senate Leadership Fund. On Wednesday night, a Senate Leadership Fund spokesperson downplayed its donation to Texans for a Conservative Majority.
With a fresh six-year Senate term ahead of him, John Cornyn gently pushes back on Donald Trump
But Cornyn said this week that he hasnโt โseen anything that would change the outcomeโ of the race. โAnd I think it will probably be Joe Biden.โMeanwhile, Cornyn expressed disapproval of a pair of decisions Trump made related to national security. On Tuesday, Trump fired top election security official Chris Krebs, who led the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security. Taken together, those comments amounted to an unusual amount of criticism of the president from Cornyn over a short period of time. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who is up for reelection in 2024, has supported Trumpโs claims of electoral fraud.
This immunocompromised student fears his own college town during the pandemic
College Station resident Cass Deel, left, with his fiancรฉe. Deel has been diagnosed with a pain disorder called complex regional pain syndrome, and he worries about an increased risk of contracting COVID-19. Credit: Courtesy of Cass Deel. During the pandemic, many Texas universities have implemented strict safety measures to protect students on campus and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Cass Deel, an online-only graduate student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, lives in College Station.
No. 5 Texas A&M pauses after 2 positive virus tests
5 Texas A&M paused in-person activities on Monday after a player and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a win at South Carolina. Coach Jimbo Fisher said the Aggies (5-1) would not do anything on campus Monday and would instead conduct all work through Zoom sessions. He said the team was undergoing additional testing and contact tracing on Monday to see if the coronavirus had spread. โWeโre doing everything from a safety issue with our players and our staff to keep them as safe as possible.โFisher said he hoped his team could return to campus on Tuesday. He was also confident on Monday that his team would be able to play on Saturday at Tennessee (2-4), but said he wouldnโt know for sure until they had completed testing and contact tracing.
Mond sets school record, leads No. 8 Texas A&M to 42-31 win over Arkansas
โAn SEC win is always going to be a big win for us but weโre never going to be satisfied," he said. Reed made a 34-yard field goal in the third quarter to cut the Aggies' lead to 28-17 after missing two longer tries in the first half. Mondโs second TD pass was on a 6-yard reception by Wydermyer, which extended the lead to 21-7 about seven minutes before halftime. Tyson Morris got the Razorbacks within seven with a 1-yard touchdown catch later in the second quarter. The last time Mond was sacked was in the second quarter of the team's season-opener against Vanderbilt.
John Cornyn embarks on final reelection sprint as late Democratic spending crests in U.S. Senate race
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn at College Station on Wednesday as part of his statewide bus tour. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas TribuneCOLLEGE STATION โ U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, began the final push of his reelection campaign Wednesday, embarking on a statewide bus tour as a wave of late Democratic outside spending continued to rush into the race. While Cornyn has maintained varying single-digit leads in recent polls, the contest is reaching a volatile finish as Democratic outside groups make a late play to unseat him. While Cornyn traveled the state Wednesday, Hegar hosted a call with three Republicans who are supporting her this November after previously voting for Cornyn. Afterward, Cornyn supporters said they noticed the increased Democratic activity in the contest but were not concerned about his reelection overall.
Week 5 Preview: Top-25 matchups in SEC; ACC title rematch
including the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, highlights the fifth week of the college football season. 4 Georgia on Saturday night as the second month of the season starts, but only the second week of SEC play. The first of three games that decide the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy might have sneaked up on college football fans. The Falcons will play six conference games to go along with Navy and Army. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
COVID-19 forces Texas A&M to keep fans out of Midnight Yell
Texas A&M University Head Yell Leader Keller Cox performs a yell as part of the first Midnight Yell Practice this season in Kyle Field, College Station, Texas early Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. Due to Coronavirus restrictions, the Texas A&M Band were the only crowd allowed in the normally packed stands for the traditional game day event in College Station, Texas. (Sam Craft/Pool Photo via AP, Pool)
COVID-19 forces Texas A&M to keep fans out of Midnight Yell
Texas A&M University Head Yell Leader Keller Cox performs a yell as part of the first Midnight Yell Practice this season in Kyle Field, College Station, Texas early Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. (Sam Craft/Pool Photo via AP, Pool)COLLEGE STATION, Texas โ Texas A&Mโs five Yell Leaders ran into an almost empty Kyle Field as Friday night crept into Saturday morning for their Midnight Yell. Texas A&M doesnโt have cheerleaders, but instead a group of five male Yell Leaders. The Yell Leaders worked with the university and athletics department for weeks to get clearance to hold the event without a crowd. At midnight, despite no fans being there to cheer, the five Yell Leaders bounced around energetically and smiled broadly toward the rows upon rows of empty seats.
Texas A&M can't remove Sul Ross statue without the Legislature's approval, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says
The Lawrence Sullivan Sul Ross statue on the campus of Texas A&M University. Shelby Knowles for The Texas TribuneOnly the Texas Legislature has the authority to permanently remove the Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue at Texas A&M University, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in an opinion released Friday. Those task forces will ultimately make a recommendation on how best to address concerns about Sul Ross and other monuments, Young said. A&M System Chancellor John Sharp previously opposed removing the statue, then later said that he supported the task forces' review. "While my personal opinion has not changed about the importance of Lawrence Sullivan Ross to Texas A&M, we Aggies must stand united against racism and love one another," Sharp's statement said.
Texas biotech facility in College Station tapped to mass-produce potential COVID-19 vaccine
The Texas A&M University System Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing has been tapped to mass-manufacture a vaccine candidate that is still undergoing testing. A biotech production facility in College Station could begin manufacturing a COVID-19 vaccine as early as next year. Novavax, which has never brought a vaccine to market, received the federal governments largest-yet vaccine contract of $1.6 billion earlier this month. John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, called the project a triple win: for the A&M System, for Fujifilm and for the nation. The A&M System facility was founded in 2012 as one of the U.S. governments three national biosecurity centers, intended to develop and produce drugs that would fight pandemics and bioterrorist threats.
Texas A&M System will provide free COVID-19 tests, but its a mixed bag for other schools
Allie Goulding/The Texas TribuneThe Texas A&M University System is expected to begin offering free on-campus COVID-19 testing for students, faculty and staff by the end of the week. The university system will send out about 15,000 mouth swab test kits each month to be distributed across its 11 university campuses. System officials have $16 million set aside for the COVID-19 testing program, said Laylan Copelin, system spokesperson. The University of Texas at Austin, one of Texas most populous schools, will charge for a COVID-19 test. Disclosure: Texas A&M System, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas-Arlington, University of Texas at El Paso, and Texas Tech University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporcate sponsors.
CLEAR Alert discontinued for missing 48-year-old man
BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas โ UPDATE: A CLEAR issued for a missing man last seen in College Station was discontinued on Wednesday morning. ---(Original Story)The Brazos County Sheriffโs Office has issued a CLEAR Alert for a 48-year-old missing man last seen in College Station. The sheriff's office says it's looking for Brian Smith, who was last seen around 12:46 a.m. Tuesday in the 100 block of Oak Crest in College Station. Smith is 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighs 235 pounds, has brown hair, blue eyes and a black and gray beard. Anyone with information about Smith is asked to call the Brazos County Sheriffโs Office at 979-361-4900.
Silver Alert issued for College Station woman
COLLEGE STATION, Texas Police are searching for an elderly woman last seen in College Station. Ernestine Dangerfield, an 85-year-old woman who is diagnosed with a cognitive impairment, was last seen around 2 p.m. Saturday driving a gray 2015 Nissan Altima, with Texas license plate HMN1790, in the 1300 block of Harvey Road in College Station, according to a Silver Alert issued Saturday night. She is black, with brown hair, brown eyes and was last seen wearing a purple sweater and blue jeans. Law enforcement officials believe this senior citizens disappearance poses a credible threat to their own health and safety, the alert reads. Anyone with information regarding the missing woman should contact the College Station Police Department at 979-764-3600.
Silver Alert discontinued for College Station woman
COLLEGE STATION, Texas Police have discontinued a Silver Alert issued for an elderly woman that was missing in College Station. The Silver Alert was issued Saturday night for Ernestine Dangerfield, an 85-year-old woman who is diagnosed with a cognitive impairment, who was last seen driving a gray 2015 Nissan Altima in the 1300 block of Harvey Road in College Station, officials said. Authorities canceled the Silver Alert early Sunday morning. Silver Alert issued for College Station womanOriginal story:Police are searching for an elderly woman last seen in College Station. Anyone with information regarding the missing woman should contact the College Station Police Department at 979-764-3600.