Baylor News
After a successful first camping trip in October, Kamp Love at Baylor is seeking to expand its ministry by combining love for the gospel with love for the outdoors — all for the greater purpose of cultivating campus unity and lifting up the name of Jesus.
Complete with food, festivities and fun, the African Student Association will host The Wedding at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center. The event will resemble an African wedding, bringing two cultures together through a mock reception complete with a bride, a groom and a wedding party.
As the holiday season approaches, Waco PD public information officer Cierra Shipley said the rate of crimes of opportunity rises. From theft to drunken driving, she said students should be aware of their surroundings.
“While most people know that Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek-Syrians in retaking Jerusalem, many do know that it is not considered a major holiday in the Jewish faith,” Jortner said. “It is not a ‘Jewish Christmas,’ although people often compare them to one another since they are close together on the calendar.”
Waco News
There’s something about Valentine’s Day that seems to make people happier. With each box of chocolates, bouquet of flowers and heartfelt card bought during this time of year comes added emotional health benefits.
Jesus called on his followers to plead the cause of the downtrodden, the heartbroken and the forgotten. Two thousand years later, those involved at Mission Waco are answering that call.
Waco’s revitalization is not limited to new apartments, riverfront structures and bridge projects. Waco’s image is getting a lift in an effort that involves multiple marketing campaigns and publicity- triggering events.
Baylor students from the Academy for Leader Development and Civic Engagement Fellow Program and J.H. Hines Elementary School are partnering to host the Third Annual Parent Involvement Day events Saturday and Monday.
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.
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.
