Baylor News

The 2024 Baylor Giving Day raised more than $2.24 million from the Baylor Family on Tuesday to fund academic initiatives and student scholarships. Toby Barnett, associate vice president and campaign director for the Office of Advancement, said the Office of Advancement routinely works with alumni and parents, but anyone can be a donor.

Waco News

For most runners, 3 miles is nothing. What about a 3.24-mile race with water, fire and run-down trailers blocking your way? Yes, trailers. Now that’s a challenge.

Thousands of travelers were still facing delays and canceled flights Wednesday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport a day after massive storms packing tornadoes rolled through North Texas, but the disruptions were mostly isolated and hadn’t rippled out across the country.

Tornadoes and violent storms raked through the Dallas area, Tuesday, crumbling the wing of a nursing home, peeling roofs from dozens of homes and spiraling big-rig trailers into the air like footballs. More than a dozen injuries were reported.

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.