Eric Ames is a curator for the Baylor Library Digital Collections and works in the Riley Digitization Center at the garden-level of Moody Memorial Library. Ames and the Digitization Projects Group are responsible for online digital copies of the hundreds of thousands of historical documents in Baylor’s special collections. This semester, Ames has taught a new graduate level course called Technology and Outreach for Museums and Libraries that involved 15 graduate students learning how to build, digitize and advertise their own exhibits.

Paper or plastic? That is the choice facing to-go diners at Baylor’s residential dining halls.

Students will continue to have these options next fall. Reusable plastic containers will be offered in fall 2013 despite students’ lack of interest in the program, said Brett Perlowski, director of dining services. Baylor Dining Services officials hope to create more interest in the program next year, he said.

The University of Connecticut Huskies recently unveiled a new logo for its athletic department. The old logo featured a husky and so does the new one. However, what seems like a routine change has caused controversy. One student is offended because the changing of the logo represents not a shift toward a more positive athletic program, but superficial change.

The Texas Senate unanimously passed legislation to mandate drug tests for welfare applicants, demonstrating the widespread support behind a measure that appears common-sense to many.

According to the bill’s introducer, Texas Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound):

“We found common ground to support a plan that makes sure state resources aren’t used to support a drug habit, while at the same time making sure children continue receiving benefits.”

Do you know what the official language of the United States of America is? If you think it’s English, you’re wrong.

You’re only wrong because there isn’t one. While several states and unincorporated territories have listed English as their official language, on the federal level it isn’t so, and I like it that way.

Dining Services, BAC and UB will be hosting the 2013 Pancake Break from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. May 7.…

A fashion show featuring the designs of Baylor apparel design students will be from 3 to 5 p.m. on May…

Accounting professor Tim Thomasson is a favorite among the graduating senior class. The seniors have nominated Thomasson as The Collins Outstanding Professor of the year.

Thomasson will give the Collins lecture from 4 to 5:30 p.m. today at the Kayser Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Musicians are working to help a Texas town decimated in a deadly fertilizer plant explosion.

Officials with the Texas Thunder Festival on Monday announced next month’s performances will benefit emergency responders and schools in West, where 14 people were killed in a blast on April 17.

A shooting at a smoke shop left one teen dead and another injured Monday morning.

Waco police officers responding to reports of a shooting at Eddies Smoke Shop on Waco Drive found two individuals — Dhaodrique Eastland, 17, and another 19-year-old victim both from Waco — with gunshot wounds to the upper torso and forearm, respectively.

Both were rushed to the hospital, where Eastland was pronounced dead.

A Houston man accused in a shooting rampage outside a courthouse admitted Monday that he opened fire on his daughter for testifying against him in a sex assault case but denied killing a bystander.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday, and jurors will then begin deciding whether to convict Bartholomew Granger, 42, in the death of 79-year-old Minnie Ray Sebolt.

The Community Development and Women’s Leadership Teams have a common goal: to help the people of Kenya.

This summer the two groups will go to Nairobi, Kenya, for a two-week-long mission trip in order to serve the community and work with the locals to improve their quality of life.

The Baylor baseball team swept the Texas Longhorns over the weekend by winning all three games over the weekend.

“It’s always good to win and always good to win at home,” senior shortstop Jake Miller said. “We’ve got to take advantage of home field advantage. It’s huge and now that we’ve got a good winning streak going and with two road series, hopefully we can take advantage of that.”

Isaiah Austin, the highly-touted freshman center, announced Sunday that he is coming back to Baylor for his sophomore season.

Austin said he is excited to come back to Baylor and build off of last season’s NIT Championship.

He was projected by many to be a one-and-done player and bolt to the NBA following his freshman year, so to have Austin back in the green and gold is an immense boost for Baylor basketball.

The No. 14 Baylor Lady Bears took sole possession of third place in the Big 12 after a dramatic victory over the Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday.

Baylor won the series against the Jayhawks after splitting a double-header on Saturday.

“I am proud of the way this team fought through adversity,” head coach Glenn Moore said. “We treated this game with a lot of importance, so credit Kansas for giving us everything we could handle.”

Each spring semester, selected students spend countless days creating films of all types that are shown at The Black Glasses Film Festival.

While film and digital media majors primarily enter in this festival, all students are allowed to submit their own films.

This year, the event will be held at 7 p.m. Friday in the Jones Theatre of the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center.

With more than 600 people still in Melody Ranch early Sunday evening and still more coming in, organizers expected the West First Benefit Concert to exceed their goal of $50,000 for victims of the deadly explosion by as much as $10,000.

“You see over $41,000 on the board up there now, but there are a lot of donations and T-shirt sales we haven’t counted yet,” said Nick Fuentes, co-owner of the night spot at 2315 Robinson Drive in Waco.

The annual Pulse lecture gives one undergraduate student the chance to present a published research paper. This year, Bastrop senior David Welch will present his paper on “hiddenness.” Welch’s lecture will center on his paper titled: “The Expanded Problem of Hiddenness for Christian Theodicies.” It was published in the 2012 fall edition of The Pulse, an undergraduate magazine sponsored by the Honor’s College.

A Mississippi man’s house is uninhabitable after investigators searched it but failed to find evidence of the deadly poison ricin, a lawyer said Monday, arguing that the government should repair the home.

Kevin Curtis was charged in the mailing of poisoned letters to President Barack Obama, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and a Mississippi judge, but the charges were later dropped. The investigation shifted last week to another man who had a falling out with Curtis, and that suspect appeared in court Monday on a charge of making ricin.

The defense team representing the Boston Marathon bombing suspect got a major boost Monday with the addition of Judy Clarke, a San Diego lawyer who has managed to get life sentences instead of the death penalty for several high-profile clients, including the Unabomber and the gunman in the rampage that injured former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Clarke’s appointment was approved Monday by U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler.

You open this door with the key of hunger; beyond it is another dimension. You find yourself sitting at a table surrounded by strangers.

You receive your meager plate of grilled chicken and mixed vegetables and turn to leave when the question comes.

“Will this be together or separate?”

This is a letter to certain people who attended the West memorial service last Thursday.

It was an event to honor the 12 fallen first responders in the West explosion.

These men, who were volunteers, most of whom had wives and children, laid their lives down for their neighbors that fateful Wednesday night two weeks ago. They paid the ultimate price. Seeing those 12 coffins lined up at the foot of the stage with the families gathered by, and countless firefighters, the members of the West, Waco and Baylor community all coming together to honor these men filled me with indescribable heartache and pride all at once.

The Baylor baseball team capped off a three-game sweep against the Texas Longhorns with a 5-2 win Sunday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark. For the last home Big 12 series, the Baylor seniors went out with a bang by sweeping Texas.

Senior shortstop Jake Miller was 2-4 and scored a run. Senior third baseman Cal Towey had two RBIs and was also 2-4. Senior right fielder Nathan Orf was 1-3 with a RBI as well.

It was a dramatic finish for No. 14 Baylor, but the Lady Bears came out on top with a 5-4 win over the Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday to take sole possession of third place in the Big 12.

Sophomore outfielder Kaitlyn Thumann went 2-4 and hit a critical home run and a sharp hit in the seventh to score junior first baseman Holly Holl for a what would eventually be the winning run. Freshman infielder Robin Landrith continued her on-base streak, drawing two walks and hitting a key double.

The Baylor Bears defeated the Texas Longhorns 1-0 Saturday night at Baylor Ballpark and are looking to go for the three-game series sweep in tomorrow’s matinee game.

Sophomore starting right-handed pitcher Austin Stone took the mound for the Bears and pitched six scoreless frames and only allowed four hits. Stone also struck out a career-high 10 batters, which is also the most strikeouts that any Baylor pitcher has had so far this year. Stone was in complete control and only yielded three base on balls.