Baylor News
Despite its name, the Railroad Commission actually has nothing to do with railroad regulations anymore. According to The Railroad Commission of Texas website, the commission no longer has authority over railroads in Texas since the remaining jurisdiction was transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation in 2005.
“If Trump loses this election, then I think it’ll prove that perhaps we’re not in a Trump era and that it may have just been a fluke,” D’Ambrosio said. “If he wins this election, though, I think that he’ll solidify himself as a very consequential figure, if not the most consequential figure of this century to date.”
Jones said it’s tragic that abortion became so politicized, but it is, and now it’s voters’ responsibility to bring about the change they want.
On Nov. 5, only one can prevail, but there’s no clear prediction now of who that will be as the race remains nail-bitingly close.
Waco News
The Metropolitan Planning Organization is holding public meetings this week to gauge residents’ interest in seeing more bike lanes and pedestrian paths throughout the Greater Waco area.
The MPO seeks input from residents on whether new lanes for bicyclists, runners and walkers are needed in cities that border Waco, and where the features would get the greatest usage. Suggestions for installation of new sidewalks also are welcome.
The meetings are scheduled in Waco, Hewitt and Lacy Lakeview, but also target residents from neighboring cities like Bellmead and Woodway.
Developer Jerry Dyer, who is making a mark on downtown Waco with his Franklin Place retail and housing venture, has another project in mind.
Dyer confirmed he hopes to buy the Waco Independent School District’s alternative school campus, 805 S. Eighth St., and convert it into space for loft apartments, while retaining its historic look.
Dyer and Austin-based Realtex Development Corp. have signed a contract to purchase the 50,794-square-foot school, which the school district shuttered and designated as surplus property.
State transportation officials are rolling out several changes to Interstate 35 construction zones in Central Texas in response to a string of major wrecks and deaths.
Lower speeds, rumble strips and more warning signs will mark work zones along I-35 in the Waco area and parts of Hill, Bell and Falls counties.
Some new 60-mph speed limit signs are up in Hill County, but most of the new safety features will go live in the spring, Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jodi Wheatley said.
Federal officials say air traffic control centers at 25 smaller Texas airports could close or see hours reduced if automatic federal spending cuts take effect next week.
Officials on Friday said travelers should expect delays when the cutbacks begin in April.
State News
President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, with the execution scheduled for 1 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Central Texas military installation, roughly an hour from Baylor’s campus.
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.
