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Houston will provide health care and life insurance benefits to legally married same-sex spouses of city employees, officials announced Wednesday.

Eligible couples must have been married in other states as Texas bans same sex unions.

The announcement flouts an opinion issued in April by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott that said local governments and school districts that offer same-sex domestic partner benefits are violating the state constitution. Houston’s decision also came after the Texas National Guard in September refused a Pentagon directive to process applications for military benefits for same-sex couples, citing the state law that does not recognize gay marriage.

Some believe having a passion for Jesus and a love for impacting the lives of others is enough to serve a community.

Austin senior Nicole Rohrer and Grand Lake, Colo., senior Samantha Cartmel are doing just this by hosting a night of family fun at a local high school.

A match made in the Baylor School of Social Work heaven, these two have paired up in an internship with Communities in Schools of the Heart of Texas at Waco High School to coordinate Fall Family Night.

The Baylor Alumni Association board met on Nov. 9 and decided to take a membership vote on changing BAA bylaws.

Chad Wooten, executive interim vice president, said a BAA membership meeting is scheduled for Dec. 7 at the George W. Truett Theological Seminary.

“The sole purpose of the meeting is to allow remote voting,” Wooten said. “Back in the summer, there was a lot of talk and concern about not allowing people out of state, who couldn’t be there in person, to vote.”

Mission Waco is giving the less fortunate a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with dinner and worship at their annual Thanksgiving Meal With the Homeless.

Starting at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day at the Meyer Center in Waco, Mission Waco is inviting the homeless people of the community to come and partake in traditional festivities.

The Bears earned a 69-64 victory Wednesday at the Ferrell Center to move to 4-0 on the season, despite letting a double-digit lead disappear when Charleston Southern cut the lead to 67-64 in the waning minute of the game.

Baylor sophomore center Isaiah Austin set the tone early with a massive block on the first play of the game for Baylor. The Bears scored the first eight points of the contest, including two jumpers from senior power forward Cory Jefferson.

The No. 9 Baylor Lady Bears will put their 60-game home winning streak on the line with a three-game home stand for the Athletes in Action Classic at the Ferrell Center.

The three-day tournament will pit the Lady Bears against Savannah State today, Northwestern State Friday and UTSA Saturday.

“You get a lot of basketball,” Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey said. “You get to continue to see a lot of combinations. We’ll attack a lot of different defenses. I’m sure we’ll see a lot of zone, and we need to do that. We need to attack zones. We need to do a better job with rebounding.”

Baylor volleyball lost to the Kansas State Wildcats on Wednesday at Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kan. The Wildcats won all three sets 25-17, 25-17 and 25-17.

Baylor (12-18, 4-10) hit .194 in the first set. Things only went downhill from there as the Bears hit .026 in the second set and .000 in the third and final set.

Senior defensive specialist Kayci Evans posted 11 digs and sophomore middle hitter Adrien Richburg earned nine kills.

The Digital Age will be back in Waco to rock Baylor and wow its audience members with its high-energy songs.

Baylor Uproar Records artists Luke Hicks and Manifest Music Co. will be opening the show, which takes place at 9 p.m. Friday in Waco Hall. For both groups, this will be the most significant concert they have been a part of to date.

You stay classy, Emerson College, and maybe pour a glass of scotch.

Legendary (fictional) TV anchorman Ron Burgundy is coming to the Boston school on Dec. 4 and, in his honor, the college is renaming its communication school.

Families will grow at the Baylor School of Law on Adoption Day.

The law school will host its sixth annual Adoption Day from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday at the law school.

Saturday is National Adoption Day, the day courthouses across the nation finalize adoptions for families who have already gone through the adoption process and are just waiting to sign the papers.

A small number of social conservatives on Wednesday urged the Texas Board of Education to approve new science books that de-emphasize lessons on evolution and climate change, but the edits they seek may not have enough support to succeed.

The board’s 10 Republicans and five Democrats will vote later this week on new textbooks and e-books in math, science and technology that could be used starting next fall by most of the state’s five-plus million public school students.

The college basketball season is one of the most exciting times of the year. Fans watch their teams battle to get into the NCAA Tournament, which is filled with Cinderella stories and buzzer-beating 3-pointers. But since the NBA’s 2005 collective bargaining agreement, college basketball has been robbed of its true quality.

In 2005, the NBA changed its rules regarding player eligibility. Commonly referred to as the “one-and-done rule,” all players must meet certain criteria before playing in the NBA. The NCAA usually takes the brunt of the criticism for this, but it is an NBA rule that the NCAA has no control over.

I must first start off by saying that this column is not for everyone. So before you waste your time reading something that does not enhance your quality of life, observe the following rules to weed out those of you to whom my advice does not apply:

If you wake up every morning with clear skin and smooth lips, know your summer itinerary includes a trip to Europe, an internship in New York/LA and a lot of poolside lounging, have the body of a Victoria’s Secret model and Angelina Jolie’s face and get asked out constantly, then stop reading now. To all who meet the above requirements — no hard feelings. We love you. We are happy for you. Keep doing your thing. Cheers.

No. 20 Baylor basketball defeated Charleston Southern 69-64 on Wednesday night at the Ferrell Center.

Senior power forward Cory Jefferson led with 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks on the night for Baylor.

Sophomore center Isaiah Austin had 16 points, eight rebounds and six blocks. Senior guard Sheldon Strickland led CSU with 14 points on 4-for-5 from three in the loss.

In this week’s edition of Don’t Feed the Bears, Greg DeVries and Daniel Hill recap Baylor’s 63-34 win over Texas Tech and look ahead to the showdown in Stillwater. Can the No. 4 Bears overcome ESPN’s College GameDay and the No. 10 Oklahoma State Cowboys on the road? Baylor’s slow starts in featured matchups worry the guys, but ultimately both think the Bears will stay perfect. Do the Bears have any chance of moving into the BCS title game behind Alabama, Florida State and Ohio State? The guys also give their NFL Power Rankings one through five. Daniel thinks Russell Wilson should be the MVP of the NFL, while Greg votes in favor of the man called MegaTron. You can follow the hosts @GregDeVries3000 and @D_Hill80 on Twitter.

Don’t Feed The Bears – OSU is Baylor’s last chance to make a move in the BCS from Baylor Lariat on Vimeo.

Today’s kids can’t keep up with their parents. An analysis of studies on millions of children around the world finds they don’t run as fast or as far as their parents did when they were young.

On average, it takes children 90 seconds longer to run a mile than their counterparts did 30 years ago. Heart-related fitness has declined 5 percent per decade since 1975 for children ages 9 to 17.

Monday at 10 a.m., sales for student football tickets to see the Bears take on the Cowboys in Oklahoma went on sale.

By 10:30 a.m., they were all gone.

Only 80 game day packages were available for students to purchase, and the sale was supposed to last until 3 p.m. Tickets for the Saturday away game in Stillwater, Okla., included a round trip bus ticket, all for $75.

Baylor students’ demand for the addition of courses in the areas of Arabic and Middle East studies has resulted in a new major. This new major, housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, Arabic and Middle East studies.

“This new major in Arabic and Middle East studies speaks to global imperative, an aspect of the Pro Futuris vision, and is really going to open Baylor students up to the world,” said Dr. Heidi Bostic, modern foreign language department chair and professor of french.

Officials at the Dallas Zoo say they cannot explain how one lion was killed by another in full view of visitors and families watching the exhibit.

The female lion, 5-year-old Johari, was bitten on the neck by one of the male lions on Sunday afternoon, zoo officials said. Witnesses watched two lions approach Johari.

Baylor’s game against No. 10 Oklahoma on Nov. 7 could have easily been a disastrous turn in the season. Baylor lost three of its top offensive weapons in senior running back Glasco Martin, junior running back Lache Seastrunk and senior wide receiver Tevin Reese.

Heading into the OU game, those three players had combined for 1,999 yards and 24 touchdowns, or 39.7 percent of Baylor’s offensive yards and 44.4 percent of Baylor’s offensive touchdowns this season.

Leadership has different forms. For senior guard Odyssey Sims, it’s all about action. Her ability to take over games and propel No. 9 Baylor Lady Bears to wins is unmatched.

Despite Sims being the only returning starter, Baylor hasn’t lost a step, winning by an average of margin of 47 points.

Baylor men’s basketball has started off the 2013-14 season with three straight wins in non-conference play. The men will look to make it four straight against Charleston Southern (2-2) in the first-ever meeting between these two opponents. The Bears will host Charleston Southern at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Ferrell Center.

Senior guard Brady Heslip leads Baylor with 16.3 points per game on 51.9 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from the three-point line. Junior point guard Kenny Chery is averaging 14.3 points per game and 3.7 assists per game on 57.7 percent from the field.

Through January 2014 Lee Lockwood Library and Museum Presented by the Historic Waco Foundation, this traveling exhibit of seven stained glass windows was created by acclaimed artist Louis C. Tiffany. For more information on special events, hours and admission prices, see www.historicwaco.org/angels.

5-8 p.m. Thursday Spice Village Second Street and Franklin Avenue This third annual evening of holiday shopping will include refreshments, specials, door prizes, games and giveaways. Free gift bags will be given to the first 100 guests. Admission is either 10 canned goods or a $10 donation. The event and donations support Food for Families.

9 p.m. Friday Waco Hall Formerly The David Crowder Band, The Digital Age will perform songs from its debut album, “Evening:Morning,” released on Aug. 13. Uproar Records’ Luke Hicks and Manifest Music Co. will open. Tickets can be purchased at the box office in the Bill Daniel Student Center. Student tickets are $10 or $15 the day of the show.

9 a.m.-9 p.m. Nov. 29-30 Noon-5 p.m. Dec. 1 Homestead Craft Village at Brazos de Dios An educational weekend festival with food, shopping, arts and crafts, music, hayrides and more. Go to homesteadfair.com for more information.

Nov. 30-Dec. 7 Downtown Waco For eight days of holiday fun, Downtown Waco will have an ice skating rink, Santa visits, fireworks and thousands of lights. Nightly events include tree lighting ceremony, movie in the park and a parade. See www.wacowonderland.com for more details.

Waco may not have a patron saint, but it has been visited by angels. This month through January, seven 8-foot original Tiffany stained glass angels are on display at the Lee Lockwood Library and Museum on Waco Drive, courtesy of the Historic Waco Foundation.

The seven angels are displayed on a stage, and each window is backlit.