Baylor News
Zeta hosted its fall philanthropy event in Waco Hall on Thursday night to support breast cancer research and awareness. The event featured 20 contestants, with Kappa Omega Tau’s Joshua Brown taking home the crown. Filled with audience engagement and humor, the event went beyond competition as participants and attendees shared their personal connections to the cause.
Nationally observed from Sep. 15 to Oct. 15, Baylor’s adoption of Hispanic Heritage Month aims to highlight multicultural student organizations celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of Hispanic and LatinX communities. Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries throughout the two months and hopes to foster more meaningful dialogue through various initiatives.
Baylor’s updated Annual Fire Safety and Security Report shows increases in reported motor vehicle thefts, rapes, liquor law citations and stalking in 2025, but university officials say understanding what those numbers represent is essential to reading the report.
“Blake is just an incredible guy,” Marshall McDuffie, Driskell’s cousin and a 2024 Baylor graduate, said. “He’s just such a good human being. He was really soft-spoken, but he was so outgoing. He was so kind. He was caring. He was really, really hardworking.”
Waco News
Opened in 1994, the shop has become a local icon. Started by Jill Barrett over 30 years ago, Blake Batson and his wife Kimberley — both Baylor alumni — acquired the business in 2012. Since then, they have expanded the original store on 8th Street to four locations in McLennan County: one in the Bill Daniel Student Center, one on Franklin Ave and another in Woodway.
The Central Texas Food Bank has finished construction on its new Waco location. This facility will provide food to Waco residents struggling with food insecurity.
The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District notified Baylor Wednesday of an active tuberculosis case in the greater Waco community. University officials said there is no ongoing risk of exposure to the Baylor community.
This March, Cameron Park Zoo introduced four new camels and two new ostriches to the zoo community. The staff hopes to encourage hands-on care and compassion for these animals to inspire a heart for conservation and animal activism in younger generations of zoo-goers.
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.
