Baylor News
The government’s role should be to protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of their religious or philosophical beliefs. This will let each person follow their conscience freely, whether that leads them to embrace the Christian faith, another religion or no religion at all. Enforcing religious beliefs through law undermines the freedom of conscience that is essential to our faith.
“The Student Emergency Fund is not meant to be used as an additional scholarship application for when students are seeking more overall financial aid,” Miller said. “However, when those emergency moments happen that need to be covered, the Student Emergency Fund may be a viable resource.”
“We ask that students converse with other Baylor students who come from different backgrounds, so that everyone can better understand how systemic inequalities and identities come to fruition,” Serrato said.
“The big challenge that all of us have right now is that we’re getting inundated with information all the time,” Rachel Velasco, community engagement coordinator for KWBU, said. “How can you know who wants you to hear that message? There’s always a reason that a message is being given to you.”
Waco News
The Lake Waco area is home to southern bald eagles, and the community is working to construct a 50-foot nesting tower to ensure that the eagles always have a place to inhabit in the area.
Janet Wallace, president of the Central Texas Audubon Society, said 20 years ago bald eagles were discovered nesting near the shores of Lake Waco. The Audubon Society is concerned, Wallace said, because the eagles have been selecting dead cottonwood trees to build their nests in.
The Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative draws researchers and employees to a site that has been largely vacant for 27 years.
“The research that has been going on here and will go on here in the future has the potential to affect humankind,” Lori Fogleman, assistant vice president for media communications, said. “I hope that is not much of an exaggeration and I really don’t think it is. The future is just limitless here at the BRIC.”
The American Red Cross has allocated $295,000 to long-term relief in West, five months after a fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 people. The Red Cross announced this gift on its website on Friday.
Those who work closely with recovery in West say the city is still in need, though opinions differ as to which areas of need are most pressing.
The money the Red Cross is giving comes from donors all over the country, said Bristel Bowen, regional director of communications for the Central Texas region of the American Red Cross.
Baylor’s Air Force and Army ROTC detachments and Veterans of Baylor will host the first Waco Wounded Veterans 5K Run at 8 a.m. on Saturday at the Lake Waco Dam.
The cost to register is $30 for civilians and $25 for students, veterans and active military. Online registration is open until midnight on Thursday. Day-of Registration will be available as well.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Nicole Powers, who began planning the race last April, said she had two goals in mind: to raise as much money to the Wounded Warrior Project as possible, and to start a tradition that will last years after she leaves Baylor.
State News
Tensions continued to grow over the summer between political adversaries as Texas state Sen. James Talarico called on Attorney General Ken Paxton to release internal records related to a controversial child sexual abuse case involving former Waco attorney and Baylor Law graduate Adam Hoffman.
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.