A stretch of Marion Pugh Drive in College Station will be fully closed for about two weeks starting Sept. 21. The closure will run from the Stadium View south exit to south of Luther Street while crews install water, wastewater, and storm crossings.

What's happening: This work is part of the Marion Pugh Rehabilitation Project, which has the following upcoming phases:

• During Phase 3A, Luther Street will remain closed for 10-12 weeks for demolition, waterline construction, road and sidewalk installation, and drainage improvements.

• During Phase 3B, construction will shift to the east side of the roadway for 6-8 weeks, with traffic continuing on a single southbound lane.

The entire project is expected to be completed by early January 2027.

The city is coordinating with Texas A&M to adjust traffic control plans for game days.

Drivers are encouraged to expect delays, proceed cautiously, and obey signs and warnings through the work zones.

Peas in a Pod Learning Center in College Station closed Sept. 11 without public explanation after being open for more than 15 years.

What's happening: Multiple parents across social media said they were not informed of the closure, which was on a Friday, leaving parents the weekend to search for new childcare.

The daycare also shut down its website and social media accounts.

Community Impact contacted Peas in a Pod for comment and a representative said the center was permanently closed.

About Peas in a Pod: The facility was an early childhood learning center focused on education for children up to five years old, along with afterschool programs.

According to documents from the Southern District of Texas Bankruptcy Court, Peas in a Pod manager Stephanie Shoemake filed for bankruptcy tied to the business in May. The school continued to operate after the filing.

Before you go: In response to parents needing childcare due to the closure, other area childcare facilities have offered their services to help parents.

• Closed Sept. 11

• 2775 Barron Road, College Station

Bryan Texas Utilities is scheduled to conduct aerial inspections of the city’s electrical systems over the next week, beginning Sept. 21.

The gist: According to a news release received by Community Impact, residents of Brazos and Burleson counties will see unmanned aerial vehicles inspecting BTU’s transmission and distribution systems.

BTU is conducting the inspections as part of its preventive maintenance program to improve electrical reliability throughout the area. 

As previously reported by Community Impact, BTU has been continuously working on the city of Bryan's electrical systems over the last few months, including the power lines on Briarcrest in August. 

The impact: According to the news release, the inspections are expected to last from Sept. 21-29. All of the inspections are routine and BTU said no service interruptions are expected.

Need to catch up on news from the past week in the Bryan-College Station area? Check out these five stories.

• Bryan City Council keeps property tax rate unchanged for FY 2027

• College Station ISD adopts decreased tax rate for 2026-27 school year

• College Station ISD proposes admin taking on substitute teaching tasks

• Brazos County approves additional $1M for admin, office building projects

• Bryan extends Legends Event Center management deal into 2030s

College Station voters will decide between Chandler Arden and Michael Kidd Nov. 3 in the race for the city council's Place 2 seat. Mayor Pro Tem William Wright did not seek reelection.

Get to know the candidates: Candidates were asked to keep Q&A responses within 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents.

One question Community Impact asked was, "What projects are most important for the city to focus on for the future of College Station?" The candidates answered in part:

• Chandler Arden: "We need to ensure that we can recruit and retain the best first responders."

• Michael Kidd: "We should prioritize roads and infrastructure, traffic improvements, water and utility capacity, public safety, and responsible economic development."

Some Texas Republican leaders have vowed to get rid of the property taxes that homeowners pay to their local public school districts, and lawmakers are analyzing how much it would cost to do so.

The big picture: Texas school districts collect about $29 billion per year in maintenance and operations taxes, which cover schools' daily expenses.

Of that $29 billion in school tax revenue, the state comptroller's office estimates that about $8.6 billion is paid by homeowners, and the rest comes from commercial and industrial property taxes.

This means the state would need to spend at least $8.6 billion annually to zero out homeowners' school property tax bills, officials said.

Quote of note: "Broadly speaking, you have a question about how much you want to fund schools, and then separately, where does that money come from?" Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said during a Sept. 15 legislative hearing. "If you have a target of how much you want to spend, you need to make sure you have enough variable revenue sources to reach that."