News
NFL eyes Japan expansion
LONDON — The NFL plans to expand into new international markets, including Japan, as it seeks to build on growing interest outside the United States, the league's head of Europe and Asia-Pacific Brett Gosper said....
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schools
Ex-Baylor star Smith out for season
Las Vegas Aces starting forward NaLyssa Smith, a former Baylor star, will be out the rest of the WNBA season after sustaining a left leg injury in Sunday's 88-78 victory at Toronto....
Local
Waco Soccer Club to join League for Clubs in 2027
Waco Soccer Club will join The League for Clubs for the 2027 season, the league announced Friday.
News
Packers' Jacobs charged with battery
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers running back Josh Jacobs was charged Thursday with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property, according to Wisconsin court records....
News
Big Ten to release four injury reports per week
ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Big Ten announced the expansion of its player availability reporting process for the 2026 college football season Friday, requiring teams to submit four reports per week instead of one for games matching conference opponents....
schools
Calder's eligibility extended
Baylor baseball pitcher Ethan Calder will remain eligible to pursue a fifth season while his lawsuit against the NCAA continues.
business
No Jimmys or Joes found on this team
If you're a local business owner and you'd like to purchase the naming rights to the 2026 Super Centex All-Name Team, be prepared to get creative.
News
FEMA slow to OK Texas disaster aid
Six weeks after extensive floods damaged homes, bridges and roads across southwest Texas, President Donald Trump still has not made most of the requested federal disaster assistance available to individuals and local governments working to recover....
News
Legal fight could reshape surrogacy landscape in Texas
DALLAS — Well before McKenna West traveled to Texas to give birth, stirring a multistate legal fight over surrogacy, the practice had become increasingly common in the state....
News
Chinese rescue team finds 'nothing but ruins'
NUWAKOT, Nepal — Nepal and China resumed rescue operations in the flood-hit Himalayas on Friday, with a Chinese rescue team reaching the all-but-obliterated Gyirong border crossing complex for the first time and finding "nothing but ruins."...
News
Trump vows to carve up food processing giants
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday he was preparing a legal order to allow farmers and ranchers to be given the right to process their own food, aimed at breaking what he called "a nasty monopoly" among the nation's…...
News
Judge casts doubt on new citizenship order
GREENBELT, Md. — A federal judge on Friday declined to immediately block President Donald Trump's newest executive order limiting the number of people eligible for birthright citizenship, but sharply questioned its viability after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his previous…...
News
Trump signs order to create Space Academy
HOUSTON — President Donald Trump signed an order Friday to create a U.S. Space Academy, billing it as a new military and civilian institution modeled after West Point and other military service academies....
schools
3-year degrees
Texas public universities would be required to offer students three-year bachelor's degrees under a proposal announced Wednesday by Gov. Greg Abbott.
News
Grand jury
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said Friday that federal officials have not provided his office any information about the fatal shooting last month of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by immigration officers in Houston, so he plans to take the evidence…...
News
Flock cameras
Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered all state agencies to pause funding for Flock cameras as scrutiny over the AI-powered surveillance devices has mounted.
government
Corpus drought
The city of Corpus Christi declared the loosening of drought restrictions Thursday, in line with predictions made during a city council meeting earlier in the week....
safety
North Texas blaze grows to 85,000 acres
Firefighters are continuing Friday to contain the Ross fire in Palo Pinto and Jack counties, after the fire expanded to about 85,000 acres the day before, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service....
News
Medal for Miller
I have written a letter to Rep. Pete Sessions suggesting that he initiate an alternative to the U.S. Navy's consideration of renaming the new aircraft carrier USS Doris Miller. I strongly support naming the new ship after Miller....
News
Friends like these, eh?
As I read more about the "trade war" with Canada, including the very derogatory remarks by our president and vice president, it saddens me, as I met many Canadians over the 36 years that I lived in the North Bay…...
Local
C'mon, Costco
I keep hearing that Costco may be coming to Waco in the near future. As a Sam's Club member since it first opened in Bellmead years ago, I would like to offer my opinion....
News
Delightful Dolly
Working as a live television cameraman in the 1970s was an amazing job. I had a front-row seat to entertainment history every single day. I particularly want to share a vibrant memory from the KWTX-TV studio when country music royalty…...
business
Tariffs are taxes consumers are paying
Once again, farmers and ranchers find themselves squarely in the middle of President Donald Trump's trade war. For agricultural producers and Main Street businesses, tariffs raise the cost of goods, disrupt supply chains and damage export markets, often resulting in…...
Local
I-35 closure this weekend
Interstate 35 traffic through Waco from 7 p.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday will be diverted to the access roads between New Road and 17th Street.
Local
The perils of Prairieland
On July 4, 2025, activists in Waco hung a sign from the pedestrian bridge over Valley Mills Drive that read: "Continue the Resistance — Stop the Fascists." The day before, Central Texas residents demonstrated outside Rep. Pete Sessions' congressional office…...
News
SpaceX pulls back on Falcon 9 launches
ORLANDO, Fla. — SpaceX drove the Space Coast's record 109 launches last year with a frenetic pace of missions dedicated to its Starlink internet constellation....
News
When mourning comes
The suffering of the world is streamed into our TVs, smart phones and iPads every day. It is global, affecting every nation, people and culture. We see it on a large scale in the wars in Ukraine and Iran, earthquakes…...
schools
Waco ISD raises tax rate 0.8 cents
Waco ISD trustees formally approved a slightly higher tax rate at their Aug. 20 meeting, but taxpayers' home valuations will determine whether they pay more in taxes this year....
News
17 words not enough on nursery plant labels
DEAR NEIL: I find some nursery plant labels con-fusing when a Hardiness Zone is not present. It gives a temperature instead but does not tell if this means the roots will survive or the top. Also, some of the newer…...
Local
Karaoke showdown
The United Way of Waco-McLennan County's Rhythm & Brews fundraiser will return at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 17 at The Backyard Bar Stage & Grill, 511 S. Eighth St....
library
Library work
The West Waco Library and Genealogy Center will be closed Sunday through Oct. 1 as crews install new flooring throughout the facility.
library
Ken Starr Lecture McLennan Community C
McLennan Community College will present the Ken Starr Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Sept. 10, featuring presidential historian, author and speaker Lindsay M. Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon....
News
Warsh says Fed rate hike may be needed
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — The U.S. central bank will "have work to do" if policymakers don't get the confidence they need that inflation is heading down to 2%, Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh said Friday, coming closer than he has…...
News
Houses planned at West fertilizer plant explosion site
Tim Condon plans to build homes in West where a massive fertilizer plant explosion 13 years ago killed 15 people including first responders, injured dozens and leveled buildings....
schools
Late Night brings Baylor’s mission to life
By Abby Rathburn | Staff Writer Students lit up Fountain Mall Friday night with smiling faces and energetic conversations as they explored Baylor’s Late Night club fair. Presented by Student Activities, Late Night is a massive club fair where students can meet Baylor’s 400+ stude...
parks
Up-downs, then touchdowns: Whitney’s halftime wake-up call sparks 40-0 rout of Mart
David Haynes Jr. had never made his players do up-downs at halftime. That changed Friday, and Whitney responded with a 28-point second half to bury Mart, 40-0....
News
Physical La Vega Pirates start long road journey with beatdown of Franklin
In a top-10 battle between a pair of programs who annually have their sights set on JerryWorld, La Vega walked away with a little bit of a strut.
parks
Crawford takes control in season opener with 14-0 win over McGregor
Sam Moody picked up his first win as Crawford's new head coach as the Pirates won the Highway 317 Bowl, downing McGregor 14-0 to open their 2026 campaign....
News
China Spring comes alive in second half to pull away from Connally in season opener
Every team has to work out some kinks in the first game of the season. For China Spring, that lasted two quarters.
News
Highlander volleyball drops 2 matches to ranked opponents
There was no shortage of competition for McLennan volleyball Friday, with the Highlanders spending the day across the net from a pair of ranked opponents....
News
Rare Bellville pass sinks Robinson late in fourth quarter, 36-35
You can’t hit the snooze button on the Bellville Brahmas for a moment. Robinson learned that lesson the hard way.
News
Blake Burleson: Harsh Prairieland sentences hope to quash political protests
Government power is being used in ways that are intended to scare citizens into retreating from political activity. Will fear drive us into hiding? Will it silence us?...
business
Jim Jenkins: I'm a rancher and businessman. Tariffs are taxes — and Americans are paying
Nebraska rancher Jim Jenkins writes that President Donald Trump's tariffs are inflicting harm upon local small businesses.
safety
BPD: Pedestrian struck by vehicle on E. Loop 340
BELLMEAD, Texas (FOX 44) - The Bellmead Police Department is currently investigating a serious traffic accident involving a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle. The department says the accident occurred in the 200 block of E. Loop 340 on Friday night. The public has been asked...
government
Sober-living complex in North Waco up for zoning vote Tuesday
“This kind of housing is needed and it isn’t fair for us as Christians to say 'Put it in someone else’s neighborhood,'” said one neighbor who initially opposed the plan....
safety
Multiple agencies responding to Coryell Co. fire
CORYELL COUNTY, Texas (FOX 44) - UPDATE: Central Texas wildfires continue to keep fire crews busy, with three separate fires being battled across Hamilton, Coryell and Lampasas counties. The largest of the three is the Rio Escondido Fire in Hamilton County. The fire erupted Monda...
schools
Waco ISD raises tax rate 0.8 cents to fund $179 million budget
Waco ISD trustees formally approved a slightly higher tax rate at their Aug. 20 meeting, but taxpayers’ home valuations will determine whether they pay more in taxes this year....
News
Washington chemical tank was called unfit for service before deadly failure, investigators find
An inspection contractor found a chemical tank at a Washington state paper mill not fit for continued service 10 months before it failed in May, killing 11 in one of the deadliest U.S. workplace disasters in recent decades, according to a federal report released Friday. The U.S. ...
Local
PHOTOS: Annual symposium brings world of woodturning to Waco
The Southwest Association of Turners symposium will continue through Sunday, with large gallery and vendor areas free and open to the public, alongside dozens of demonstrations for registered attendees....
News
South Valley Mills Bridge closure could cause more traffic
South Valley Mills Bridge is still under construction. Some neighbors said their commute is impacted by the ongoing roadwork. The overnight closure will take place Saturday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. to Sunday, Aug. 30, at 10 a.m. TXDOT is expecting the project to be fully complete by e...
News
Should AI be banned from the classroom?
On this week's episode of Catch me Up, we dig into how the rapid rise of AI is reshaping the classroom experience. Plus, Jon Leiberman remembers legendary entertainer and philanthropist Dolly Parton, lays out the latest in the Lindsay Clancy trial, and explains how tariffs and tr...