Jim Jaska has been the mayor of Ross, Texas, for 40 years. But in four decades at the helm of the 250-person community just north of Waco, he’s never seen a situation like this: plans for a $10 billion data center are underway right in the little town’s backyard, threatening its rural identity — and he wasn’t told anything about it.

Gas prices in Texas have surged more than 70 cents per gallon since the U.S. went to war with Iran three weeks ago. The near-total shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz has driven oil prices up more than 40%, pushing the national average to its highest point since 2023 and sending diesel past $5 for the first time in three years.

Students, faculty and staff gathered Tuesday night in Bobo Spiritual Life Center to break the Ramadan fast and experience community across cultural and religious lines.

With a message by Dr. Jacqueline C. Rivers, executive director and senior fellow for social science and policy of the Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies, Global Bridges held its inaugural chapel service on Tuesday, outlining growing secularism in the U.S., the shift of Christian influence from the global north to the global south and the importance of remembering God.

Baylor alumnus and long-time Waco businessman Rick Tullis won the seat for McLennan County judge in this year’s primary elections. As judge, he will replace the current Judge Scott Felton at the start of 2027.