The Waco Police Department said it has seen a steady rise in gun violence for the past five years. In late January, the department issued a press release and posted gun violence statistics to its Facebook page. According to the statistics, the number of gun-related crimes and calls for discharge of a firearm has steadily risen each year since 2017, with 264 gun-related crimes and over 1,600 calls for discharge of a firearm reported last year.
Author: Matt Kyle
Rumors began spreading online after a Facebook post was made alleging “God the Mother” is a front for a sex trafficking scheme after members of the church were reportedly going door-to-door at URSA. However, after an investigation, Waco PD spokesperson Cierra Shipley said these rumors are false, and the individuals are not believed to be associated with any sex trafficking schemes.
Monday. Judgment day. The day of days. Everyone despises the first day of the week, the day that rips our relaxing weekend away and brings us back to reality with a cold, hard and unforgiving slap. Yeah, Monday sucks. Everyone knows this, and just about everyone agrees. But what I feel everyone is overlooking is just how bad Sunday is.
Last week, the Office of Missions and Public Life partnered with the Waco Animal Birth Control Clinic to recruit volunteers to build emergency winter shelters for the campus cats before Winter Storm Landon hit.
Aledo senior Madi Snow created a Change.org petition asking Baylor to protect students, faculty and staff who are at a higher risk for COVID-19.
Snow said she created the petition in response to Baylor reinstating its attendance policy requiring students to attend 75% of class meetings. Snow, who said she is a high-risk student, said with the attendance policy back in place, she felt she had to choose between protecting her health and protecting her grades.
A typical day for Waco senior Harris Siddiq consists of heading to class from noon to 4 p.m., going to work at 8 p.m., then hopping on Twitch to stream Call of Duty: Warzone from 11 p.m. until around 4 or 5 a.m. While Siddiq said his schedule is hectic, he said it is worth it to connect with people.
The Black Gospel Music Restoration Project (BGMRP) is one of four projects featured in “A Life’s Work,” a documentary about people who have dedicated their lives to projects that will outlive them.
After two straight years of record-breaking freshman class enrollments, Baylor is now expecting to admit a smaller number of students for the class of 2026.
Four students have volunteered to work with Baylor Student Life to have a role in creating the official LGBTQ student group, according to Dr. Sharra Hynes, assistant vice president of student life.
The Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty (BCHP) announced it is expanding its work to address issues with the criminal justice system as it intersects with hunger and poverty.
Baylor social work professors Dr. Holly Oxhandler and Dr. Clay Polson received an $843,647 grant from the John Templeton Foundation through the University of South Alabama to study faculty views and behaviors regarding training students to address clients’ spirituality in mental health treatment.
Last week, Baylor University announced the recipients of the 2022 Alumni Awards. The university also announced that a celebration recognizing the recipients and “honoring the impact of alumni around the world” will be held on Feb. 18. This year’s recipients include Thasunda Brown Duckett, MBA ‘01 as the Alumna of the Year and Alex Le Roux, BS ‘15 as the Young Alumnus of the Year. Rebekah Naylor, BA ‘64, MD was the recipient of the Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service, and Susan Peters, BA ‘86 received the Pro Texana Medal of Service. Giancarlo Guerrero, BM ‘91 and Chris Charles Scott III, BA ‘04 each received the Medal of Service for Contributions to the Professions. Fran George was named the Merrie Beckham Alumni By Choice of the Year.
Waco PD is investigating an incident that occurred Monday morning, which prompted a Baylor Alert to be issued.
A college education is a costly investment that only continues to get more expensive. In 1985, the average cost of tuition for one year of a bachelor’s degree was $5,504. In 2021, that number had risen to $35,720. Every year, the cost of college goes up by about 6.8%.
Henry Barajas has performed as a DJ under the stage name “DJ King Henry” for just over a year. He has performed at a multitude of events, including fraternity parties, sorority events, bars and even the block party celebrating Baylor’s Big 12 Championship victory. This past weekend, Barajas performed at Scruffy Murphy’s, which he said took a lot of hard work to achieve.
The $185 million facility and future home of Baylor’s championship basketball teams will be located along the Brazos River, adjacent to Clifton Robinson Tower and across I-35 from McLane Stadium. The pavilion is part of the first phase of the city’s plans to expand Waco’s Riverfront district.
As college students, most of our work is done on computers. It may be hard, but try to unplug yourself, even if it is just for a little bit. We stare at screens all day. Go outside for a little bit. Read a book. Engage your brain. Have fun.
On Wednesday evening, President Linda Livingstone and the first gent hosted a President’s Reception for current and retired staff and faculty in the Barfield Drawing Room. The event featured free food and the lighting of a Christmas tree on the second floor of the Bill Daniel Student Center, which was decorated by the Baylor Union Board.
After a year and a half of online classes, virtual events and social distancing, the Baylor campus was able to return to some sense of normalcy this semester. However, the semester was not without its share of challenges.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strengthened its recommendation for COVID-19 booster shots Monday following the designation of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 as a variant of concern. Both the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration recently expanded eligibility of boosters to include all individuals 18 and older, and the CDC is now saying everyone “should” get a booster due to the variant.
Solving world hunger is a complex issue because of its many causes, and it’s prevalent nearly everywhere — even in Baylor’s own backyard. Kayla Mize, Waco regional director for the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty (BCHP), said a 2019 census showed 15.7% of residents of McLennan County and 22.5% of children in McLennan County suffered from food insecurity.
Delta-8 is temporarily legal in Texas after State District Court Judge Jan Soifer issued a temporary injunction against the state, saying the Texas Department of State Health Services did not adequately notify retailers that delta-8 would be illegal and therefore violated the state’s rule-making requirements.
Christmas on Fifth Street is back on campus after the event was livestreamed last year due to COVID-19. The event is scheduled for Dec. 2 and will feature live music, holiday-themed activities, local vendors and food trucks.
The issue with the Christmas season is that it starts too early. Every year on Nov. 1, everyone moves to put away the spooky Halloween decorations and put up the “Merry Christmas” ones. Mariah Carey infests every shopping mall in America, and other Christmas songs begin to fill the airwaves. By starting the season early, we are not only oversaturating Christmastime but also neglecting an equally great holiday: Thanksgiving.
Several Supreme Court justices — including Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Brett Kavanaugh — expressed concerns over the enforcement methods of the law, which leaves enforcement entirely in the hands of private citizens. Kavanaugh said a “loophole” could lead the enforcement method of SB 8 to be used in laws targeting gun rights, freedom of speech or freedom of religion.
Atlanta sophomore Jenna Benedict was diagnosed with dyslexia at the end of her third-grade year. After her diagnosis, she said she had to deal with a “toxic” fourth-grade teacher who did not believe learning disorders existed, refused to accommodate her and “bullied [her] into thinking [she] was stupid.” As hard as these experiences were, Benedict said they taught her a valuable lesson. She said she had to learn how to find her own strength and become an advocate for herself and others.
After being sworn in, new BUPD Chief John Kolinek outlined a series of goals he said he hoped to accomplish as chief of BUPD, with one of those goals being engaging the student body and building relationships. Kolinek said he and other BUPD officers have been spending time attending events to meet students and have also put on events of their own to engage with students.
Sebastian George Silea, 23, was arrested by BUPD on Nov. 2 on multiple charges, including assault, stalking, evading arrest and drug possession. Officers were called to the Baylor Sciences Building by Silea’s ex-girlfriend, a Baylor student, who reported he was sitting outside of the building and watching her. According to the police report, the victim told dispatchers she was afraid of Silea due to a history of violence. Silea was previously issued a Criminal Trespass Warning by BUPD on Oct. 28 due to this history of violence.
Upon returning to Allison Indoor Football Practice Facility after last weekend’s football game against the University of Texas, members of the Golden Wave Marching Band found their belongings strewn over the field. Several members’ items had been stolen during the game.
Delta-8 had been sold in CBD stores in Texas following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill and House Bill 1325 in 2019 — laws that legalized hemp growing and the sale of hemp products containing less than 0.3% delta-9 THC. Since delta-8 products contain less than 0.3% delta-9 THC, it was believed by retailers to be legal to sell. However, following a notice by the Texas Department of State Health Services, it has officially been labeled illegal, and the DSHS said delta-8 was always a Schedule I substance and was never legal to sell in the state.
