Thursday’s groundbreaking marks the physical beginning of the 12-20-year Waco Downtown Redevelopment Project, which will repurpose more than 100 acres of riverfront land to create a new city hall, an arts district, a sports entertainment complex and more.
Browsing: Waco Updates
In the last decade, Waco has gone from a quiet college town to a tourism epicenter. Magnolia ushered in a decade of rapid growth, spurring economic activity and development, but not all feel this impact positively.
The Waco Police Department confirmed a fatal shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon in the 1100 block of Dallas Street. No suspect has been arrested at this time.
After its former owner moved, veteran customer B.J. Williams bought The Game Closet in June 2025. Rather than focusing on digital technology, The Game Closet focuses on board games, collectibles and community events.
BU 77 could look very different by 2030 as TxDOT plans to replace the freeway with an urban boulevard featuring roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and shared-use paths.
Opened in 1994, the shop has become a local icon. Started by Jill Barrett over 30 years ago, Blake Batson and his wife Kimberley — both Baylor alumni — acquired the business in 2012. Since then, they have expanded the original store on 8th Street to four locations in McLennan County: one in the Bill Daniel Student Center, one on Franklin Ave and another in Woodway.
The Central Texas Food Bank has finished construction on its new Waco location. This facility will provide food to Waco residents struggling with food insecurity.
The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District notified Baylor Wednesday of an active tuberculosis case in the greater Waco community. University officials said there is no ongoing risk of exposure to the Baylor community.
This March, Cameron Park Zoo introduced four new camels and two new ostriches to the zoo community. The staff hopes to encourage hands-on care and compassion for these animals to inspire a heart for conservation and animal activism in younger generations of zoo-goers.
Jim Jaska has been the mayor of Ross, Texas, for 40 years. But in four decades at the helm of the 250-person community just north of Waco, he’s never seen a situation like this: plans for a $10 billion data center are underway right in the little town’s backyard, threatening its rural identity — and he wasn’t told anything about it.
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 Baylor University Institute for Oral History hosted the Black History Month Walk to honor on the people in history that might have been forgotten. The annual event hosted about 100 people through the streets of Waco Saturday morning, beginning at the McLennan County courthouse.
Between Valley Mills Drive and Irving Lee Street — home to campus’s closest H-E-B — the southbound I-35 frontage road has been cut down to one lane since mid-2025. Its completion, along with other parts of the project, such as a new intersection at Valley Mills, will improve the driving experience in the area. But for now, traffic has swelled on the street where students make their final right turn into the H-E-B parking lot.
Previously a national security correspondent, Sid Balman Jr. has written a new novel that shifts from his focus on foreign conflict to a tragedy closer to home: “The Mural.”
Women of Waco’s inaugural networking conference, Level Up 2026, aims at providing women with a support network that fosters more inclusive workplaces and a community of women to thrive in professional careers.
After nearly 30 years of serving the city, former Assistant City Manager and Chief of Police Ryan Holt as officially been appointed as the city manager of Waco. Citing the importance of collective impact, Holt hopes to engage through thoughtful, strategic ways to move the city forward, including deepening ties with Baylor.
Jan. 19 is a day of remembrance and celebration across the nation of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and at Indian Spring Park, Wacoans held their own celebration. The city’s annual Peace March has been held for over 20 years and is led by local chapters of Zeta Phi Beta and Phi Beta Sigma with a purpose to keep King’s dream and spirit alive.
Students across campus noticed a stench coming from their dorms and apartments this month. From Oct. 20 to Nov. 17, Waco is performing an annual routine water systems maintenance, leaving students confused as Waco’s tap water reeks.
Organized by the McLennan County Democratic Party and Indivisible Waco, the “No Kings” protest turned sidewalks into a curbside gathering — spotlighting limits on executive authority as demonstrators waved homemade signs, a few wearing costumes and blasted pop anthems like Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA.”
Every Wednesday from March through October, Park Rangers lead free hikes in Cameron Park to help the public explore the trails. Each week, around 40 participants join the rangers to learn more about the park and build community in nature.
Families filled the Mayborn Museum on Saturday afternoon and for the fourth year in a row, hosted the Community Offering or “Ofrenda” in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, featuring an array of artwork, activities and performances.
Urban renewal has since demolished many homes and buildings in Calle Dos and Sandtown, another Hispanic neighborhood, but the inaugural Hispanic History Month Walking Tour aimed to bring them back through storytelling.
With 11 different off-campus apartment complexes and dozens of individual homes in its real estate portfolio, Baylor houses far more than the 39% of students who live on campus, and the number is growing.
Armstrong Browning Library & Museum invited students to celebrate Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s 179th wedding anniversary on Friday from 2-4 p.m. The event offered food and displayed items from the Brownings’ collection.
Donning a blue tie with no court robes in sight, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh sat down to have a conversation with McLennan Community College history professor Ashley Cruseturner as part of the Ken Starr Lecture Series hosted by MCC Thursday evening.
Since coming back to school, many have complained about I-35 construction. But road construction is also challenging drivers on La Salle, and the Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization has plans to bring the busy street back into shape — and keep pedestrians and drivers safe.
The tragedy of September 11, 2001, remains an unforgettable moment in American history, and Baylor ROTC hosted the third annual stair climb 5:30 this morning to recognize the sacrifices of first responders that day.
According to Parallel’s application to the Waco Plan Commission, the complex will be 85 feet tall, and the inside will include amenities like a double-height lobby, a fitness center with a sauna, a market, an outdoor terrace and study areas. The application also lists some more unique fixings, like a “Sky Lounge” and an “influencer room.”
“We take for granted the stability we have,” Ashley said. “CASA gives kids a constant figure in their lives when everything else is changing.”
The project looks to build up the riverside between Mary and Waco Avenues by constructing parks and public spaces, building a new city hall, adding a sports entertainment district with a ballpark, creating a performing arts district and convention center and significantly improving overall walkability around the city.