Baylor News
Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Republican Greg Abbott on Tuesday to become Texas’s first Democratic governor since 1995. Hinojosa’s upset victory cut short Abbott’s chances of becoming the longest-serving Texas governor.
Democrat James Talarico added to the “blue wave” by defeating Republican Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democratic Texas senator in 30 years.
Beyond the many festivities of Homecoming, Dinner with the Livingstones gives students the opportunity to take a break from their busy schedules and recharge with their peers and university leadership.
Apart from a slight margin in the Senate race, election results from McLennan County show a largely Republican voting pattern. Despite this, Democrats in the Waco community gathered Tuesday night for a watch party to follow the midterm elections.
Waco News
Best known as a fan-favorite carpenter on Chip and Joanna Gaines’ long-running series “Fixer Upper,” Waco resident Clint Harp is trading his toolbox for a pair of running shoes. On Nov. 1, Harp will run and bike 100 miles from Waco to Austin to raise money for immigrant rights organizations.
The City of Waco is considering implementing a Safe Haven Baby Box, a place where mothers can anonymously surrender infants when they can’t care for them.
President Donald Trump’s rally supporting Attorney General Ken Paxton in Waco, scheduled for Tuesday, has been moved to Corpus Christi, according to an email from the Republican National Committee.
“What makes a difference is neighbors showing up at their neighbors’ doorstep and telling them why this election is so important,” Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico said.
State News
President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, with the execution scheduled for 1 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Central Texas military installation, roughly an hour from Baylor’s campus.
INTERNATIONAL
The Iran war is now in its 46th day. Iran responded by restricting access to Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil, and moving to toll vessels transiting the strait. Waco drivers are already feeling it. The local average hit $3.38 a gallon last week, up 21 cents in seven days and 75 cents year-over-year, according to AAA data.
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.
The largest U.S. military operation in the Middle East in decades unfolded as American and Israeli forces struck Iran Saturday, killing its supreme leader and triggering retaliatory strikes from the Gulf to Israel. The White House said the campaign is aimed at dismantling Iran’s military and toppling its government.
Dr. Joshua Alley, assistant professor of political science, said part of the Trump administration’s interest in Greenland has to do with America’s national security strategy.
