Baylor News
Chip and Joanna Gaines hit television show “The Fixer Upper” created a brand for the city of Waco as the hosts revitalizing old, rundown houses. These houses are now unaffordable for the poor community.
In 2014 10 years ago the average rent in Waco was $600-$750 and the cost of groceries was $40-$70 on average for one person a week, which means students living off campus would spend around $1,050 on groceries and rent a month. These numbers have only risen since then.
Instead of keeping with the trend of angrier and lonelier Americans, Brooks provided a guide to become an illuminator. In Brooks’ terms, illuminators are those people with a visible excitement to get to know and befriend someone.
The support Martini received from her own teaching fellows in her freshman year made her want to become one and give back the aspect of community that was instilled in her.
Waco News
The Baylor and Waco communities joined efforts to help victims affected by the fertilizer plant explosion, which occurred Wednesday in West, 17 miles north of Waco.
Thursday evening, two storage trucks full of food, clothes and other personal hygiene products lined the front of the Ferrell Center as more than 100 students and others from the Waco community poured in an attempt to assist with West relief efforts.
On April 19, 1993, the world watched as the Branch Davidian complex burned to the ground.
The Institute for Studies of Religion held a day-long conference Thursday to commemorate the disaster.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Waco siege, a 51-day standoff at Mount Carmel Center near Waco, involving government agents and the Branch Davidians, a religious group led by David Koresh (born Vernon Howell).
Many places in the Waco community are taking donations and offering shelter to people affected by the West explosion. In particular, some Waco churches have been organization centers for the road to recovery.
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.
