The Real Reason College Tuition Costs So Much  —  BOULDER, Colo. — ONCE upon a time in America, baby boomers paid for college with the money they made from their summer jobs.  Then, over the course of the next few decades, public funding for higher education was slashed.

California's wealthy lagging in water conservation  —  There are few signs of California's epic drought along a stretch of Maple Drive in Beverly Hills.  —  Deep green front lawns stretch out, dotted with healthy trees and sculpted foliage.  The only brown lawn in sight was at a home under construction.

The Humbling of Tor  —  The epicenter of the clique's influence is Tor books and its domineering editors, Patrick and Teresa Nielsen-Hayden.  It also encompasses the ultra-progressive John Scalzi and his fans, who began the trend of nomination slates and bloc voting.

Good Riddance, Carrie Mathison  —  WASHINGTON — THE co-creator of “Homeland” on Showtime revealed recently that when the new season starts, Claire Danes's Carrie Mathison will no longer work at the C.I.A.  —  Her real-life counterparts can't wait for her to clean out her desk.

Interview With a Christian  —  AFTER watching the debate about religious freedom unfold over the past week, I decided to subject myself to an interview by an imaginary — but representative — member of the press.  Here is our conversation:  —  Happy Easter!  —  Thank you.

Kansas Bans Poor People From Spending Welfare On Cruise Ships  —  Kansas welfare recipients will be unable to get more than $25 per day in benefits under a new law sent this week to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback's desk by the state legislature.  —  The bill also prohibits welfare recipients …

Kenya says government official's son was among gunmen in Garissa attack  —  (Reuters) - The son of a Kenyan government official was one of the masked gunmen who killed nearly 150 people at a university last week, the interior ministry said on Sunday, as Kenyan churches hired armed guards to protect their Easter congregations.

Gay student to miss prom over no-tux rule  —  Carroll High School senior Claudetteia Love, an openly gay student and top academic scholar, won't attend the school's prom this year because the school won't allow her to wear a tuxedo.  —  The school says it's simply a dress code …

California Gov. Jerry Brown Defends Farms' Water Use, Warns Changes May Come … Days after taking the unprecedented step of ordering mandatory water-use reductions throughout his state, California Gov. Jerry Brown defended his executive order's treatment of the state's agriculture industry …

State: Shop not wrong for refusing anti-gay cake  —  KUSA - The Department of Regulatory Agencies determined that a Denver bakery did nothing wrong when it refused to write anti-gay words on a cake.  —  In the ruling released Friday, the Colorado Civil Rights Division rejected the argument …

Jeb Bush as Inevitable Choice?  Republicans Say Not So Fast  —  Three months into what allies once confidently described as a “shock and awe” drive to overcome his rivals and dominate the Republican presidential field, Jeb Bush's early campaigning looks like the juggernaut that wasn't.