Baylor News
Auburn announced Monday that its 2026 matchup with Baylor will be moved to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the Aflac Kickoff Game for NIL opportunities. The move is the first of its kind in college football and is expected to generate $5 million for Auburn players.
Whether freshmen arrived from across Waco, the country or the world, students said they felt at home stepping onto Baylor’s campus.
“The only way to solve the problem of hunger is by working in a collaborative capacity,” Everett said. “Which is ironic, that at a time of political division like we’re in right now, our only plausible pathway forward to end hunger is to work together.”
Flanigan hopes events such as “Popcorn and Politics” will help educate students about current events, better informing them about what’s happening in the world around them and the role their representatives play in these issues.
Waco News
The center of the massive explosion at West Fertilizer Co., has been located.
According to Assistant Texas Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner at a press conference Sunday morning, the epicenter of the blast has been found and investigators will be working inward from areas with the least damage to areas with the most damage.
West’s mayor pro tem, Steve Vanek announced today that stage one of “several upcoming reentry stages” will begin this afternoon at 3 p.m.
According to Vanek, state fire marshalls and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms have been investigating the area devastated by Wednesday night’s fertilizer plant explosion and it has been determined that residents living between Oak Street and Walnut Street in West can assemble at the corner of Tokyo Road and Reagan Street to return to their home on a limited basis this afternoon. Vanek also assured citizens and media that the rumors of lingering health hazards and possible secondary explosions were unfounded.
Since the fertilizer plant explosion Wednesday in West, students have responded swiftly with prayers, donations and relief for victims.
The number of casualties in connection with the Wednesday night explosion in West has been updated to include two additional people, bringing the number of total confirmed casualties to 14.
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.
