Baylor News
The next Baylor PRSSA meeting is at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday in 245 Castellaw. Guest…
Fresh on the job, Megan Patterson, a Baylor alumna with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in public health, is the new director for the department of wellness at Baylor University.
Patterson said this department, which has fewer than three full-time employees, does big things for Baylor students.
“We want to promote the mind, body and soul of Baylor students and we do that mainly through programming,” Patterson said.
Students can lose sight of their self identity as they become inundated by media and family expectations, an issue Dr. Jason Laker plans to bring to light today as part of the Leadership Lecture Series.
Laker, a counselor education professor at San José State University, will speak at 6 p.m. today in Bennett Auditorium about these issues as well as leadership and gender roles.
Scholars from around the nation will gather in Waco to launch a three-part examination of the role religion has played in Texas’ past and how it continues to shape the future of the state.
The first round of lectures will take place from 7- 9:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at Lee Lockwood Library and Museum at 2801 W. Waco Drive.
Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion is hosting this three-part lecture series titled “Faith & Freedom in the Lone Star State: Exploring the Religious History of Texas,” at various Waco locations. The next sessions will be Oct. 10 at Congregation Agudath Jacob and Nov. 14 at The Palladium.
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.
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.
