Baylor News
The come-and-go event offered free food and boba tea while students rotated between activity tables decorated in Spring Festival elements. Students participated in traditional games and learned about the meaning behind Lunar New Year customs and symbols.
International students at the annual Celebration of First Year Excellence said the university’s resources have helped them transition into life at Baylor while chasing academic success.
The 2026 midterms — widely seen as the first referendum on the Trump administration — kicked off Tuesday as Texas opened early voting for its March 3 primary, the first contest in what is projected to be the most expensive midterm cycle in American history.
“For us in particular, this event is a really good community event,” Dr. Matt Quade, associate dean for values-based leadership and director of the Center for Christian Leadership and Ethics, said. “It allows us to gather together, not just with students, but faculty and staff, all gathering together. We can come together within the business school, just for an hour each semester, and spend some time together in prayer and worship.”
Waco News
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.
State News
At a Waco debate hosted by Those Meddling Kids, Democratic hopefuls J. Gordon Mitchell, Milah Flores and Casey Shepard sparred over policy, political pasts and what it would take to flip a longtime Republican seat.
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Dr. Joshua Alley, assistant professor of political science, said part of the Trump administration’s interest in Greenland has to do with America’s national security strategy.
The abduction of a foreign leader was not on most students’ bingo cards for winter break. Once news headlines began appearing about Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and how his wife were removed from Venezuela, most people scratched their heads in confusion, wondering where the news came from and why it happened.
“Parents have a significant impact on the value system and the ideological system that children develop over time. We’re all impacted by the messages that we hear growing up in our parents’ home,” McAninch said.
Ramsey is a sophomore from Waco studying economics and international studies in Arabic. Ramsey went to Amman, Jordan, with Qasid, an Arabic Institute Program running from June through August. But she didn’t suspect the challenges and conflicts that would occur in the coming days.
