Baylor News
The Lariat was at the press conference January 11th to hear Robert Griffin III’s announcement to enter the NFL draft. Way to go, RGIII.
Baylor University’s vice president for student life Kevin Jackson announced three gatherings hosted by Spiritual Life this week. Each is open to Baylor faculty, students and staff and remembers a student who died over Christmas break.
Down by 18 at one point, it appeared the magic of Baylor football’s 2011 season would end Thursday night in San Antonio against Washington. A team with a Heisman winner, however, did not give up that easy, and at the end of the night, confetti and balloons were raining down on head coach Art Briles and the Bears.
No. 6 Baylor improved to 13-0 with a 54-52 win over No. 14 Mississippi State.
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.
