Tonight Baylor Jazz Ensemble concert will include everything from Count Basie to Radiohead.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Jones Concert Hall in the Glennis McCrary Music Building and is free and open to the public.
“This is a concert where there will be literally something for almost everybody,” said Alex Parker, senior lecturer and director of jazz studies.
I had the pleasure of seeing the last performance of McLennan Community College Theater’s production of “Hairspray” on Sunday afternoon in the Ball Performing Arts Center on the MCC campus.
The play was directed by MCC theater director and choreographer Jerry MacLauchlin.
It is no secret that this play is probably one of the most well known since Adam Shankman remade the film, which came out in 2007. “Hairspray,” set in 1962 Baltimore, Md., is about a plump girl (Tracy Turnblad) who makes it on to a local dance show and becomes an instant celebrity. She soon makes it her mission to integrate the show and win the show’s pageant contest. The musical is a social commentary on race relations during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.
For one night, it’s students versus students versus faculty in an outright, full-scale pursuit — of trivia.
The Baylor Interdisciplinary Core will host the Third Annual BIC Bowl at 6 p.m. Thursday in 100 Morrison Hall.
The BIC Bowl is a trivia tournament with questions ranging from topics on pop culture to world culture.
BP put profits ahead of safety and bears most of the blame for the disastrous 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a U.S. Justice Department attorney charged Monday at the opening of a trial that could result in the oil company and its partners being forced to pay tens of billions of dollars more in damages.
The London-based oil giant acknowledged it made “errors in judgment” before the deadly blowout, but it also cast blame on the owner of the drilling rig and the contractor involved in cementing the well. It denied it was grossly negligent, as the government contended.
Italy faced political paralysis Monday as near-complete results in crucial national elections showed no clear winner and raised the possibility of a hung parliament.
The uncertainty bodes ill for the nation’s efforts to pass the tough reforms it needs to snuff out its economic crisis and prevent a new round of global financial turmoil.
The chaotic election scenes in the eurozone’s third-biggest economy quickly snaked around globe — sending the Dow Jones index plunging more than 200 points in its sharpest drop since November and causing Tokyo’s red-hot benchmark index to sink nearly 2 percent at open.
A concealed carry bill has caused controversy and spurred reactions from Baylor and others in the community.
Senate Bill 182, proposed on Jan. 17, would allow students who have a concealed handgun license to carry concealed weapons on campus.
“My number one responsibility is to protect your right, even if you disagree or don’t express the opportunity to use it,” said State Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Waco.
Locations you may carry:
On the person’s own premises
Inside a person’s motor vehicle or watercraft
Any other place that is not specifically stated against in the Texas Concealed Handgun Law pamphlet.
Fortunately, we live in a country that affords us the rights to have debate and to elect leaders to create laws for us as a nation. The 2nd amendment right is a contentious issue for many and continues to be divisive at a national level. Concealed Carry on college campuses has gained traction in many states. In Texas we currently see Bill 182 that will allow licensed concealed carry permit holders to carry their personal weapons on college campuses.
Local media outlets, including the Baylor Lariat, have reported that Baylor faculty members Dr. Blake Burleson and Dr. Robin Wallace recently drafted a letter condemning Texas Senate Bill 182 and circulated it among the faculty. The letter strongly asserts that the freedom of licensed citizens to carry concealed weapons is disruptive to a learning environment. The authors and signatures of the letter contend that the possible presence of a firearm on campus would “introduce an element into this environment that causes anxiety, tension, concern, and fear” and “impede the free flow of ideas and exchanges which are essential in the academic enterprise.”
In response to the article in The Baylor Lariat, “Professors unite against concealed carry,” I would like to voice my concerns as a faceless Baylor student.
First off, everyone should have a say in policies that would, in fact, affect their personal/professional lives, yet to make technical claims that are outside the scope of one’s expertise, claims that these professors make, should be first thoroughly researched before attempting to sway public policy. Dr. Burleson, a religion senior lecturer, and Dr. Wallace, a professor of musicology, while wise and learned are certainly not the first individuals whom I would take credible statements from regarding a topic primarily associated with criminological and sociological studies. Having said that, I found some errors supporting this claim.
After reading the Feb. 19 article “Professors unite against concealed carry,” about how opposed the faculty at Baylor is to concealed carry, I felt a rebuttal was called for, and some misconceptions need to be corrected.
After all, isn’t proper academic rigor focused on objectively evaluating facts, not making decisions based on mere emotion?
First, a simple correction: The bill introduced by Sen. Birdwell was Sen. Bill 182, not 128. That’s an understandable typo, but it did make it more difficult to get the facts of what is being proposed.
Before we begin, it must be stated that this is not a unanimously written editorial.
The Lariat editorial board, whose voice is supposed to be represented in this space, could not come to a unanimous decision on the issue of allowing concealed handguns on campus.
That is why it is the official position of the Lariat editorial board that Baylor University, through the Office of Institutional Research and Testing, should make it a priority to survey the campus to see where we all stand on the issue. It should then make those findings public as soon as possible and send them to area lawmakers.
The former Canadian ambassador to Iran who protected Americans at great personal risk during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis said Monday it was good to hear Ben Affleck finally thank Canada after Affleck’s film “Argo” won the Oscar for best picture.
“Argo” came under criticism from some Canadians, including former ambassador Ken Taylor, who said he felt slighted by the movie because it makes Canada look like a meek observer to CIA heroics. Taylor says it minimizes Canada’s role in the Americans’ rescue.
Iranian officials on Monday dismissed the Oscar-winning film “Argo” as anti-Iran, state TV dismissed it as CIA commercial, some viewers disparaged it as U.S. propaganda while others welcomed a fresh view of their recent history.
All this is despite the fact that the movie based on the escape of six American hostages from the besieged U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 has not been screened in any Iranian theaters.
Despite that ban, many Iranians have seen the movie. In downtown Tehran, bootleg DVDs of “Argo” sell for about 30,000 rials, or less than $1.
Cardinal Keith O’Brien, Britain’s highest-ranking Catholic leader, said Monday he wouldn’t take part in the conclave to elect the next pope after being accused of improper conduct with priests — an unprecedented first head to roll in the mudslinging that has followed Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to resign.
Benedict accepted O’Brien’s resignation as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh — submitted back in November because he is due to turn 75 next month, the normal retirement age for bishops. But simultaneously, O’Brien issued a statement Monday saying he would also skip the conclave because he didn’t want to become the focus of media attention at such a delicate time for the church.
The Metropolitan Planning Organization is holding public meetings this week to gauge residents’ interest in seeing more bike lanes and pedestrian paths throughout the Greater Waco area.
The MPO seeks input from residents on whether new lanes for bicyclists, runners and walkers are needed in cities that border Waco, and where the features would get the greatest usage. Suggestions for installation of new sidewalks also are welcome.
The meetings are scheduled in Waco, Hewitt and Lacy Lakeview, but also target residents from neighboring cities like Bellmead and Woodway.
The first time Brittney Griner wrapped her hands around a rim, she was a precocious ninth grader at Houston Nimitz. It was during a volleyball practice that one of the team’s assistants glanced upward to the rim, back at a then-6-foot-1 Griner and then to a loose basketball.
The 85th Academy Awards promised lots of upsets and surprises, and they delivered.
The night’s big winner was “Argo,” the fact-based drama about a mission in which the CIA teamed up with Hollywood producers for a rescue during the Iran hostage crisis. Although the film received seven nominations, it was initially discounted as a serious contender because its director Ben Affleck was not nominated.
Edilsa Lopez is 22 years old, about to graduate from college and fielding several job offers.
She credits her success to her work ethic — she has held two jobs to support herself and three siblings — and a 12-year-old Texas law that lets people like her pay a lower, resident tuition rate at public colleges and universities.
Lopez is an undocumented immigrant, a group that no longer would be eligible for resident tuition under several bills before the Texas Legislature. She sees the bills as short-sighted, saying an educated workforce is good for the state and country.
Developer Jerry Dyer, who is making a mark on downtown Waco with his Franklin Place retail and housing venture, has another project in mind.
Dyer confirmed he hopes to buy the Waco Independent School District’s alternative school campus, 805 S. Eighth St., and convert it into space for loft apartments, while retaining its historic look.
Dyer and Austin-based Realtex Development Corp. have signed a contract to purchase the 50,794-square-foot school, which the school district shuttered and designated as surplus property.
Ted Cruz glanced at his black cowboy boots, beneath a silver Texas belt buckle, waiting for the admirers to stop clapping.
His arrival had turned a drop-by at a Houston lumber yard into a virtual campaign rally. At an earlier stop near Austin —at a gun manufacturer that churns out AR-15 rifles — cheering fans crowded next to employees, and one held a sign reading “Ted Cruz rocks!”
The new troublemaker of the U.S. Senate was home again, and savoring nothing short of a victory lap.
The No. 23 Baylor baseball team dropped the final game of its series against No. 2 UCLA 5-4. Baylor finished the series 1-2 and is now 2-5 on the season.
“I thought we played hard and I thought we competed,” head coach Steve Smith said. “We’ve got some issues on the mound and behind the plate that got exposed. I thought we were fortunate at the end of it to be in the game with all of those things. We gave them a lot of free opportunities.”
The No. 25 Baylor softball team redeemed itself by winning the Texas Shootout after losing it last year at Getterman Stadium. Baylor defeated North Texas 9-3 on Sunday for the series sweep and tied the program’s best winning streak at 14 games.
“That’s awesome,” head coach Glenn Moore said in regards to the record. “I didn’t realize that, didn’t know that we were approaching that, but that’s nice.”
Sing results are in and there has been a surprising shock, a tie for first place was announced between Kappa Sigma in United We Stand and Kappa Omega Tau in The Ghosts’ Call.
Once the call was made that there would be a tie in first place, all groups started huddling together in anticipation to receive the chance to be one of the two first place winners.
When Kappa Sigma and Kappa Omega Tau were called in for the tie, there was a burst of screams from both men’s groups and the audience.
About 2,000 teachers, students, parents and school administrators rallied at the state Capitol on Saturday, demanding that the Legislature reverse $5.4 billion in cuts to public education amid new data that Texas now spends less per-pupil than almost anywhere else in America.
Led by thunderous high school marching bands whose drumbeats echoed off surrounding buildings, protesters marched briefly through downtown Austin and then gathered for the annual demonstration organized by Save Texas Schools and other advocacy groups.
The Justice Department stayed silent when Indiana and Washington state strengthened their voter identification rules. But when Georgia and Texas lawmakers wanted to do the same, they needed federal approval.
Now, this different treatment for different states will face a make-or-break test at the Supreme Court. In a potentially landmark case, justices on Wednesday will consider whether it’s time to dismantle a key plank of the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Tony Stewart was horrified as he looked in the mirror while taking the checkered flag in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday. The scene that played out behind him was unlike anything he had seen in his decades-long career in motorsports.
At least 28 fans were injured by flying debris from rookie Kyle Larson’s Chevrolet, which went hurtling airborne into the wall and broke into pieces on the front stretch of Daytona International Speedway.
Sam Grooms scored a career-high 23 points, Steven Pledger had 17 of his 19 points in the first half as Oklahoma built a big lead and the Sooners held off Baylor’s comeback attempt for a 90-76 victory on Saturday.
With the win, Oklahoma (18-8, 9-5 Big 12) remained ahead of the Bears in the conference standings and swept the season series after getting swept a season ago.
The No. 23 Baylor Bears defeated the No. 2 UCLA Bruins 5-0 in the second game of their weekend series on Saturday at Baylor Ballpark.
Junior right-handed pitcher Dillon Newman pitched five scoreless innings for the Bears. Then senior right-handed pitcher Kolt Browder started the top of the sixth and got two outs before getting into a bases-loaded jam. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Ryan Smith came to the rescue and struck out UCLA’s second basemen Trent Chatterton to end the Bruins’ threat. Smith went the remaining three and one-third innings on the mound to lead the Bears to a 5-0 shutout victory over the Bears.
