Baylor News
Baylor officials released on Dec. 12 the first public draft of the university’s next strategic plan, which will carry the university beyond the Baylor 2012 vision while reaffirming many of the expiring plan’s goals for university development.
For some, the start of the new year brought grief and sadness as they returned to Baylor from the holiday break — without three of their peers.
While some may associate the sport of wakeboarding with hot summer weather or weekend trips to the lake house, a handful of Baylor students make wakeboarding a fact of life despite the season, pursuing the sport throughout the year.
The series of robberies that occurred in the area west of Baylor campus last semester came to a stand still over the holiday season, while many students and faculty were on their breaks.
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.
