Baylor News
Rain impacted more than just the football game last weekend. Due to lightning, several Family Weekend events like Taste Of Waco and Family Weekend Marketplace were canceled altogether.
Celebrating Constitution Day, Baylor welcomed guest speaker Dr. Elizabeth Busch to lead a policy-neutral conversation entitled “Restoring the Constitutional Integrity of Title IX.”
The event—which is open to the public—will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday in Lots 2 and 3 at McLane Stadium. Attending organ donors and recipients will be able to put their handprints on the Donate Life Texas NASCAR, symbolizing the name of the event, “Handprints for Hope.” According to SODA’s Instagram, a “celebration about the power of organ donation” ceremony will be followed by a meet and greet with NASCAR driver Joey Gase.
Baylor researchers have been awarded $2.5 million across five years to pursue mental health opportunities for students in the Waco area. The program, Partnering for Heart of Texas Mental Health, will also assist Baylor students working toward master’s degrees in social work as it funds their education.
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.
INTERNATIONAL
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.
The abduction of a foreign leader was not on most students’ bingo cards for winter break. Once news headlines began appearing about Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and how his wife were removed from Venezuela, most people scratched their heads in confusion, wondering where the news came from and why it happened.