Baylor News
With a few words in Latin, Pope Benedict XVI did what no pope has done in more than half a millennium, stunning the world by announcing his resignation Monday and leaving the already troubled Catholic Church to replace the leader of its 1 billion followers by Easter.
Not even his closest associates had advance word of the news, a bombshell that he dropped during a routine meeting of Vatican cardinals. And with no clear favorites to succeed him, another surprise likely awaits when the cardinals elect Benedict’s successor next month.
Baylor will soon be getting a new business school building capable of promoting a 21st century learning environment.
The new 275,000-square-foot facility will be located on a development area close to the East Village, west of Bagby Avenue and between Third Street and Fourth Street.
Valentine’s Day came early to South Waco Elementary.
The Parent Resource Center at South Waco hosted a Valentine’s event Monday. Students and their families decorated sugar cookies and made valentines out of paper.
Campus Kitchen at Baylor baked the cookies and took them to the school.
At Baylor, the season of Lent will begin with a university-wide service observing Ash Wednesday.
The service will be held at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday at the George W. Truett Seminary’s Paul W. Powell Chapel.
“The service will focus on our need for forgiveness and grace, as we begin a season where penance is one of the primary themes,” said Dr. Burt Burleson, university chaplain.
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.
