Baylor News
The third residence hall in a recent series of renovations, Penland Residence Hall, will close for yearlong improvements in May. In June, there will be a demolition process after the halls are cleared, and Penland will reopen next year in the spring semester.
The towering 11-foot tall, off-white, angel-like figure that used to be located in the grassy area between Burleson Hall and Draper Academic Building, has been moved to the back of Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center for unknown reasons.
Baylor began the search to find a vice president for university development this week.
As part of the First Wednesday series through the Baylor Business Professional Development Program, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Adam Bryant and deputy science editor at the New York Times will speak to the Baylor community at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Cashion 510.
Waco News
State News
Texas voters turned out in historic numbers Tuesday, delivering victories for State Rep. James Talarico and forcing a runoff between Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the state’s U.S. Senate contest that claimed national attention. The total early-voting turnout of more than 2.5 million marks the highest ever for a midterm primary election. The results also kicked off the 2026 midterm cycle.
National
Politics
INTERNATIONAL
The Iran war is now in its 46th day. Iran responded by restricting access to Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil, and moving to toll vessels transiting the strait. Waco drivers are already feeling it. The local average hit $3.38 a gallon last week, up 21 cents in seven days and 75 cents year-over-year, according to AAA data.
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 largest U.S. military operation in the Middle East in decades unfolded as American and Israeli forces struck Iran Saturday, killing its supreme leader and triggering retaliatory strikes from the Gulf to Israel. The White House said the campaign is aimed at dismantling Iran’s military and toppling its government.
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.
