Baylor News

“There is, of course, Baylor University’s new Foster basketball pavilion and the supporting infrastructure that goes with that, which includes a parking garage,” Rutherford said. “As well as some residential and restaurant/retail space … there is a park in the middle, which is traditionally where the farmers market has operated, and then we will have two riverfront restaurants that overhang the river, and then we have a hotel that is just west of the park space.”

“The people in administration have a great sense of the big picture and the broader environment, right? But in order to adjust and adapt and steer the university proverbial ship in the right direction, they need line of sight information,” Chevis said. “Unless we speak into that … unless they hear from us about what we’re experiencing, they may make decisions that they think are in the best interest of Baylor, but that aren’t going to play out well.”

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 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.