The last time the stock market was this high, the Great Recession had just started, and stocks were pointed toward a headlong descent.

But on Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average hit its highest mark since December 2007, and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index soared to its highest level since January 2008 in a rally that marked a milestone: American stocks have come almost all the way back.

The Brothers Under Christ Island Party bill avoided a potential wipeout at Thursday’s meeting.

Ultimately the BYX bill was passed unanimously with the vote of the 27 senators present. Opposition to the bill came during its review by the finance committee. In a decision of two affirmative and three against, the committee did not want to recommend the bill for passage because of concerns about the amount of funds requested.

Gold medal. Gold star. Gold… water?

Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship workshops are being held from 5 to 6 p.m. Sept. 25 and Oct. 16 in the C206 Baylor Sciences Building.

Students interested in applying for the Goldwater scholarship should attend, but attendance is not mandatory.

Laboratory tests show that globs of oil found on two Louisiana beaches after Hurricane Isaac came from the 2010 BP spill.

Tests run by Louisiana State University for state wildlife officials confirmed that oil found on Elmer’s Island and Grand Isle matched the biological fingerprint of the hundreds of millions of gallons of oil that spewed from BP’s Macondo well.

The Texas Transportation Commission has approved the 85 mph speed limit for a 41-mile-long toll road near the increasingly crowded Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio. The road runs several miles east of the interstate between two of the state’s largest metropolitan areas. And while some drivers may be eager to put the pedal to the metal and rip through the Central Texas countryside, others are asking if it is safe.