Baylor News
McLennan County is facing an upsurge of COVID-19 cases this year, alongside the viruses and respiratory infections that often come with the beginning of a semester, Baylor medical director Dr. Sharon Stern said.
Lori Fogleman, assistant vice president of media and public relations, said there are multiple parking solutions available to students, faculty and staff after the closures begin. Students with parking passes for the Dutton garage and Lot 38 can park at the Ferrell Center, where additional express shuttles will take students to multiple locations around campus every 10 minutes. Additionally, students can park in any available faculty and staff spaces on campus after 2 p.m. Thursday.
On their first day of class freshman year, Wiff Rudd, professor of trumpet and brass area coordinator, and his now-wife, Jeanette Rudd, had their picture taken on a Baylor swing by The Baylor Lariat. The next day, a Lariat print edition hit the stands, and much to their surprise, the cover featured their photo. They said it was a definitive moment for them, and on Wednesday — almost five decades to the day the original was taken — they recreated that same photo.
Pi Beta Phi and Baylor are hosting Howdy at the Hurd at 7 p.m. on Friday. The event, which is free for students but requires tickets, will include line dancing, food trucks and a Bailey Zimmerman concert.
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
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.
“Parents have a significant impact on the value system and the ideological system that children develop over time. We’re all impacted by the messages that we hear growing up in our parents’ home,” McAninch said.