Baylor News
The Baylor Board of Regents approved a $982.2 million operating budget for 2026-27 and a new master’s degree in artificial intelligence during its regular May meeting Thursday, as university leaders celebrated what is expected to be the second-best fundraising year in Baylor history.
The low hum of steel guitars and neon-lit nostalgia will soon echo through Foster Pavilion. On Oct. 2, Baylor will trade sneakers and basketballs for cowboy boots and two-stepping when rising country artist Braxton Keith brings his high-and-lonesome Texas sound to Waco with the “Real Damn Deal” tour.
For Waco influencer Carrie Burt, hot dogs aren’t just a delicious bite — they are a brand. What started as a COVID-19 pandemic hyperfixation snack has now turned into a social media following of Wacoans eager for more curated cuisine content.
As the heat of the Central Texas sizzling sun poured across the seats of Magnolia Field, Waco prepared a warm welcome for Willie Nelson’s return to his alma mater for the first time in 72 years.
Waco News
This March, Cameron Park Zoo introduced four new camels and two new ostriches to the zoo community. The staff hopes to encourage hands-on care and compassion for these animals to inspire a heart for conservation and animal activism in younger generations of zoo-goers.
Jim Jaska has been the mayor of Ross, Texas, for 40 years. But in four decades at the helm of the 250-person community just north of Waco, he’s never seen a situation like this: plans for a $10 billion data center are underway right in the little town’s backyard, threatening its rural identity — and he wasn’t told anything about it.
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 Baylor University Institute for Oral History hosted the Black History Month Walk to honor on the people in history that might have been forgotten. The annual event hosted about 100 people through the streets of Waco Saturday morning, beginning at the McLennan County courthouse.
Covid-19
“Since July 1st, Baylor’s campus has had nine positives out of 48 tests,” Stern said. “And in the last month alone, we have had seven positives out of 29 tests, which is almost a 25% positivity rate.”
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.
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