Baylor News
This semester, Baylor’s department of physics welcomed Dr. Benjamin Rose as an assistant professor of physics and project leader for NASA’s infrastructure research for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The project requires $11 million in funding and began its next stage in October.
As students near the end of the fall semester, stress only seems to increase, as does the number of assignments and longing for the holidays. In the busyness of the fall, students might be overlooking one practice that has the potential to greatly improve their mental well-being: gratitude.
Held Monday in Fudge Auditorium, the inaugural Nutrition MythBusters Discussion Series featured the debate between conventional and organic farming while shedding light on the misconceptions surrounding genetically modified organisms.
In her role as Europe strategy director for Unbound Now, former Baylor student Allison Byrd is leading the organization’s crisis response in Ukraine by serving survivors of human trafficking and working with regional law enforcement.
Waco News
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.
National
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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.
