Baylor News

The Baylor Debate team is gearing up for the prestigious National Debate Tournament, set to take place in Spokane, Wash., from March 28 to April 1. With a legacy dating back to the Philomathesian Society of 1851, the team continues its legacy as it prepares to face off against the nation’s top collegiate debaters.

Dr. Holly Oxhandler, School of Social Work professor and associate dean for research, is involved with research having to do with the connection between faith and mental wellbeing. She wrote a book titled “The Soul of the Helper: Seven Stages to Seeing the Sacred Within Yourself So You Can See It in Others,” which relates to how social workers must train to look out for their own needs, as well as those that they are serving.

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.

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.