Baylor News

Senate Bill IV was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Dec. 18, 2023. The new law clamps down on illegal immigration in various ways, but its largest impact is making illegal immigration a state crime in Texas. Two months before taking effect on March 5, the law has been met with opposition. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas on Jan. 3.

Waco News

After the Challenge Waco plan, a five-year economic development campaign to revitalize the Waco economy, Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce is now shifting gears to focus on the implementation of the extensive planning completed over the last five years. Before any projects can commence, however, urban development consultants have to research and analyze the rationality and objectivity behind the project to determine if it will be successful.

It’s just before 5:30 p.m. As volunteers prepare food for serving, a line of men, women and children form outside the door. The people in the line outside are carrying handbags and backpacks, or they are hiding empty hands in their pockets.

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.

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