Baylor News
The U.S. News annual best colleges report was released last Tuesday, ranking Baylor among the best in the nation for undergraduate education and first-year experience.
“We’re very excited about the success of our academic programs over the last year. We’re even more excited about what’s to come under Baylor in Deeds,” Brickhouse said.
Dr. Dave Bridge, an associate professor of political science who teaches a course on campaigns and elections, said he thinks celebrity endorsements don’t really tend to persuade voters who are set in their thinking — unless that celebrity is Taylor Swift.
Representatives from both College Democrats and College Republicans at Baylor reacted to Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz, evaluating each candidate’s responses and overall performance.
Waco News
Local nonprofit organization Shepherd’s Heart feeds 3,000 Waco families in need per month, clothes children and families, counsels the down-and-out and helps those who are homebound.
This year Shepherd’s Heart’s food pantry has fed more than 30,000 families, said Robert Gager, executive director of Shepherd’s Heart. Besides operating a food pantry, Shepherd’s Heart performs multiple other services. The organization delivers groceries to 350 homebound senior citizens per week.
With the excitement and preparation surrounding Halloween, church groups and Christians alike have a decision to make about participating in the holiday festivities. Several churches in the Waco community see the occasion as an opportunity to evangelize and serve local communities.
Anti-poverty workers from across the nation took on new roles Sunday when they put on hard hats and work boots to help rebuild recently devastated West.
The National Anti-Hunger and Opportunity Corps, an AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America program, attended the Hunger Summit at Baylor Thursday and Friday with their sponsor, the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.
It’s midnight on a crisp October evening and you find yourself strolling through the local graveyard, weaving in and out of tombstones with the full moon as your only source of light. There is a slight chill in the air. You can feel the terror coursing through your veins, and your heart pounds in your chest as you hear a rustle in the bushes nearby.
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.
