Baylor News

It takes a lot of energy to store all the data 1 billion people and 20 million businesses plug into their computers, phones, tablets and gadgets. So as part of an effort to become carbon neutral, Microsoft Corp. has entered a 20-year deal to buy power from a new wind farm in Texas, the first time the tech giant is directly purchasing electricity from a specific source.

Baylor’s Tau Alpha chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. crowned Phoenix senior Britahn Newbill as its 21st Miss Black and Gold on Sunday.

“I am so excited,” Newbill said. “I am just really, really, really excited. I don’t know. That’s all I can say.”

Six women competed in the annual pageant hoping to become 2013 Miss Black and Gold. The ladies competed in three segments: talent, poise and an interview round. In the poise portion, contestants showcased their evening wear.

Mesquite junior Deondria Murphy is Baylor’s first ever Miss Green and Gold.

Tonight 21 Baylor women competed in the first annual Miss Green and Gold pageant and after deliberating over intermission, judges crowned Murphy.

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

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.

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.