Friday Forum with The Waco Bridge

January 23 News Roundup + Interview with Ryan Holt

By Molly-Jo Tilton,

Published January 23, 2026 at 11:00 AM CST

This week, co-hosts Molly-Jo Tilton and JB Smith will be looking at a new study for a regional aquatics center, take a look inside the new STEAM Center and talk cold weather prep.

Plus, JB Smith sits down with Ryan Holt, the new City Manager for the City of Waco to talk about Holt's journey to the position and his plans for the city.

This weekly show is produced by KWBU in partnership with the Waco Bridge.

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Friday Forum with The Waco Bridge

Molly-Jo Tilton

Molly-Jo Tilton joined KWBU in 2024 as the station's Multimedia Reporter. She covers all things Waco for KWBU, from City Council to the local arts scene. Her work has appeared on The Texas Standard and NPR's All Things Considered.

See stories by Molly-Jo Tilton

J.B. Smith

Before joining The Waco Bridge in February as editor-in-chief, J.B. Smith had 33 years of Texas journalism experience, most of it as local government reporter and managing editor at the Tribune-Herald. He has won numerous statewide awards for enterprise journalism, including a series on migrant deaths on the Mexico border. A Sulphur Springs native and Southwestern University graduate, he is grateful for the opportunity to build a nonprofit newsroom in his adopted hometown of Waco.

See stories by J.B. Smith