Baylor News
Tucked away in Roxy Grove Hall and McCrary Music Building is an assortment of pianos, which is what someone may expect to find beyond their stages. But with about 200 pianos in daily use on campus, the instruments need consistent work and repairs.
During the day, Dr. Alexandre Thiltges teaches French to Baylor students, but every third Tuesday evening of the month, he becomes a guitarist for the Pinewood Roasters house jazz band: Uptown Swing.
Lane Murphy, director of marketing and communications for the School of Engineering and Computer Science, and Amy Murphy, lecturer in the School of Social Work, bought the church building to try to preserve it as a historic landmark of the Black community.
Most are aware that giving a friend or family the ceremony they deserve requires the forking over of a sizable check — one that could easily cover a car or a year of rent. But it takes more than cash to make it happen, and among these other things is a form of capital people often take for granted: relationships. And for those who lack both, the days after death are not a story often told.
Waco News
A six-month wait finally came to an end Thursday when the Waco Independent School District made its final decision regarding its school closings. Now — with nine schools set to close and A.J. Moore students relocating — the school board, students, parents, teachers and community members are waiting for the reveal of new attendance zones, which should come later this month.
Nineteen years ago, federal agents attemped to execute a search warrant at Mt. Carmel, the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, after the McLennan County Sheriffs Office was notified of the possible presence of illegal weapons.
The U.S. Postal Service announced Thursday it intends to close its Waco processing and distribution center as part of a broader effort to answer the declining consumer demand for first-class mail.
The Waco Police Department launched a Twitter account Tuesday evening in an effort to build more efficient communication with citizens.
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.
