College Station City Council voted Sept. 24 to renew the city’s contracts with Flock Safety for another year.

What you need to know: The two contracts apply to city and state roads, amounting to nearly $300,000 collectively.

College Station Police Chief Billy Couch clarified the “sensational” nature of how the cameras are portrayed online, along with the goals of the police department, including reducing crime and fear while improving quality of life within the community.

What the public is saying: Residents raised privacy and due-process concerns about the city's use of ALPR cameras, with some questioning the technology's expanded data-collection capabilities. Others defended the cameras as an important law-enforcement tool.

"Mass surveillance is not for us," a resident said. "We have a right not to be lied to."

What the council is saying: Some city leaders questioned Flock Safety's data practices and others pointed to its success in College Station.

“I do not think Flock prevents crime; it deters,” Mayor Pro Tem William Wright said.

The takeaway: The council voted 4-2 to extend the contracts.

Sprouts Farmers Market opened its doors in College Station on Sept. 25, drawing a large community turnout and featuring plenty of organic goods for purchase.

What Sprouts offers: Sprouts offers a wide variety of organic fruit and vegetables, along with supplements, vitamins, meat and dairy products. According to its website, Sprouts also sources its products from mostly local and regional vendors.

Store manager Brandon Schuler told Community Impact Sprouts focuses on curating its vitamins, with some employees having backgrounds in nutrition and completing extensive training.

“We overtrain them to make sure they’re knowledgeable,” Schuler said. “We want people to figure out what’s going to fit with their lifestyle. We want to nourish people’s lives.”

Going forward: Sprouts celebrated its grand opening in College Station with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and is offering free samples throughout the weekend. Schuler said he hopes patrons will be able to learn about the different kinds of products, and that his staff will learn something new about every customer.

• Opened Sept. 25

• 1913 Texas Ave. S, College Station

Bryan voters will decide between incumbent Bobby Gutierrez and challenger Rafael D. Peña III Nov. 3 in Bryan's mayoral race.

Meet the players: Candidates were asked to keep Q&A responses within 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines or for style and clarity.

One question Community Impact asked was, "How should Bryan balance Terafab, RELLIS and Messer developments with concerns over power, water usage and rising costs?"

Candidates answered in part:

• Peña: "Before supporting resource-intensive development, the city should understand its water and power demands and establish agreements that protect residents, infrastructure and utility reliability."

• Gutierrez*: "We must protect reliability and affordability, expand capacity responsibly, reduce water loss and ensure growth strengthens Bryan’s utility and tax base."

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

• Texas A&M regents consider e-scooter ban as micromobility crashes rise 37%

• Bryan reports drop in crime through first half of 2026

• SCHEDULE: 2026 Brazos Valley Fair & Rodeo features youth livestock shows, live entertainment

• Vital Care opens as first in-house infusion pharmacy in College Station

• Gypsy Waltz yoga studio announces Bryan opening date

Last fall, Gov. Greg Abbott deemed Texas "the epicenter of AI development" during an event about Google's data center investments in the state.

Since making that remark, the Republican governor has issued several directives aimed at regulating AI-powered data centers. Meanwhile, state agencies are expanding their use of artificial intelligence in government services.

The overview: At the state level, one of the primary uses of artificial intelligence is to improve government efficiency, said Tony Sauerhoff, who leads the Texas Department of Information Resources.

Down the road, that will likely mean reducing the number of staff members at state agencies, Sauerhoff said, noting that agency leaders are being "intentional" about those changes.

Zooming in: When asked which state agencies will be most impacted by AI in the coming years, Sauerhoff pointed to the Texas Department of Transportation.

TxDOT uses artificial intelligence in a variety of forms, including to analyze transportation infrastructure, determine which construction projects should be prioritized, optimize road safety plans and manage the flow of traffic, according to its AI strategic plan.