Brazos County commissioners voted in favor of creating four new positions at the Brazos County Expo Complex but also vetoed other positions because of taxpayer concerns and resource allocation during the Aug. 4 meeting.

The overview: The expo is currently undergoing deferred maintenance and expansion. As previously reported by Community Impact, $11.5 million is being allocated to the complex from Brazos County taxpayers.

During the meeting, commissioners weighed opening four positions for the complex, including:

• Clerk III
• Receptionist
• Assistant manager-Fair Administration
• Event Coordinator II

Texas A&M has partnered with gas station and convenience store Buc-ee’s to launch co-branded merchandise to be available on campus and at select Buc-ee’s locations.

The gist: The university was the first institution in the country to partner with Buc-ee’s in March, with some of the store’s products sold on campus. Buc-ee’s founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, who is also a graduate of the university, said the partnership is a way to celebrate both brands.

According to a news release from the university, the launch of the merchandise partnership will include a shirt featuring Buc-ee the beaver and Texas A&M iconography. According to the news release, the shirt will also be sold at the Barnes & Noble on the university’s campus.

What’s next: The co-branded material will be available at Buc-ee's locations in Central Texas and the greater Dallas and Houston areas. The university said future product releases are planned throughout the upcoming school year, which coincides with Texas A&M's 150th anniversary celebration.

• Available Aug. 4

• 1241 Joe Routt Blvd. #275, College Station

Ahead of the 2026 school year, the Texas Comptroller’s Office encourages all taxpayers to support Texas businesses while saving money on tax-free purchases on most clothing and school supplies during the annual tax-free weekend from Aug. 7-9. 

What you need to know: A variety of school supplies and clothing items can be purchased from a Texas store or an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas. In most cases, exemption certificates are not required to buy qualifying items tax free, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office. 

Qualifying items include:

• Clothing
• Footwear 
• School supplies
• Face masks
• Backpacks

Texas is halting the approval of new data center projects until state regulators can audit all data centers seeking to connect to the power grid, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Aug. 3.

The overview: The governor directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to conduct “a comprehensive verification and audit” of all data center applicants “before any additional data centers are approved to move forward.” 

Data center regulation has emerged as a bipartisan issue in recent months, and the move comes amid both growing public criticism of Texas’ booming data center industry and recent political pressure for Abbott to respond.

Zooming in: Abbott asked the PUC and ERCOT to collect information about the tax exemptions each data center is collecting; details about each project's anticipated water and electricity usage; and how data center developers will work to limit noise, light pollution and other impacts on local communities.

Officials did not say how long the pause would last or when the audits would begin.