University students brace for fee hike, North County Times
Students at Cal State San Marcos and throughout the CSU system are bracing for an expected fee hike that would force them to come up with an extra $474 in instructional fees for the coming year.

CSUS business dean is retiring, Sacramento Bee
Felicenne Ramey led the program's successful bid to retain accreditation.

Cal State student wins top award, San Bernardino Sun
Graduate overcame murder, spina bifida.

Alcohol abuse down at CSU, Hayward Daily Review
Preliminary findings in a report that will be presented Wednesday to CSU trustees indicates that a two-year effort to spread the word about the dangers of irresponsible drinking has helped curb alcohol abuse at the system's 23 campuses.

Davis eyes Nevada ruling on budget, Oakland Tribune
Governor looks to out-of-state court decision about 'constitutional responsibility' to break fiscal gridlock.

State Senate Republicans Reject Tax Hikes, Propose Deeper Cuts, Los Angeles Times
Pressed to offer their own vision of a California budget, Senate Republicans on Thursday presented a package that proposed to close the state's shortfall by using a combination of borrowing and spending cuts and pointedly rejecting tax hikes.

Public works may shut down, San Francisco Chronicle
Hundreds of statewide construction projects could come to a grinding halt, leading to the layoff of thousands of workers, if there is no state budget in the next several weeks, Gov. Gray Davis warned Thursday.

Impasse may halt subsidy checks, Sacramento Bee
State officials and family advocates say 300,000 low-income families are in danger of losing child-care subsidies until a California budget is signed.

UCD community meeting turns rowdy, Sacramento Bee
UC Davis officials walked out of a raucus community meeting Thursday night in the wake of angry shouts and after one resident shoved a university consultant.

Writing Skill Lagging in Grades 4, 8, Los Angeles Times
A national test puts California in the bottom third of states, with just 23% of youngsters in those grades rating proficient or advanced.

Community College Fees Rising, Daily Bulletin
Community college students throughout the state are gearing up for the fall semester by registering for classes, buying textbooks and filling out financial aid forms.

Universities Seek Curbs on Biotech Licensing, Wall St. Journal
A group of 10 universities are launching a campaign to crack down on the licenses that public-sector researchers give crop biotechnology giants such as DuPont Co. and Monsanto Co. to use their patented genes and transplant techniques.

Senate Panel Approves More AmeriCorps Aid, Washington Post
The troubled AmeriCorps program would get $100 million to restore 20,000 volunteer slots under a measure approved yesterday by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

U.S. House Committee Hears Proposals on Holding Down Tuition, Chronicle of Higher Education
Witnesses at a Congressional hearing on Thursday presented possible solutions to the problem of the rising cost of a higher education, but members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce kept returning to a controversial proposal by its chairman that would punish colleges for raising tuition beyond a certain point.

Amid Fight Over Teen Drinking, Panel Weighs New Alcohol Tax, Wall St. Journal
A fierce lobbying battle has erupted over a yet-to-be-released report by a federal panel that is considering stiffer excise taxes and new marketing restrictions on beer and alcohol as part of a national effort to curb underage drinking.

Universities to Share Patented Work on Crops, New York Times
Saying the development of crops that could feed millions of people is being choked off by biotechnology patents held by large corporations, several leading universities are joining to share information on their patented technologies and make them more widely available.

Questions on Data Cloud Luster of Houston Schools, New York Times
A recent state audit in Houston, which examined records from 16 middle and high schools, found that more than half of the 5,500 students who left in the 2000-1 school year should have been declared dropouts but were not.

Editorial: Wrong Remedy in California, New York Times
Californians have reason to be angry. The state's $38 billion deficit means higher taxes, fewer public services or both. Recalling Governor Davis, however, is not the answer.

Editorial: Hidden costs, Los Angeles Daily News
Sacramento's failures hit home every day.

Editorial: Exit stage left, San Bernardino Sun
Class of 2004 left in lurch by suspended exam. Delaying requirement for diploma cheats all those who counted on its imprimatur.

Editorial: Tell Truth on School Crime, Los Angeles Times
Maybe California high school students aren't ready to take the state's exit exam, but at least they should feel physically safe during the school day.

Editorial: Trashing a good idea, Fresno Bee
Pity Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster. She had a perfectly sensible notion -- changing the kindergarten entry date so that 4-year-olds wouldn't get caught up in the academic juggernaut that has become kindergarten in California. Then her Republican colleagues in the Legislature co-opted the idea.

Dan Walters: '96 power-market fiasco haunts efforts to write new scheme, Sacramento Bee
When both houses of the Legislature approved a sweeping utility deregulation bill in the waning hours of the 1996 legislative session -- without a single dissenting vote -- it was evident that only a handful of those voting had more than a cursory understanding of its historic provisions.

GOP Faction Breaks Away to Sue for Speedier Recall Count, Los Angeles Times
Leaders of the drive to oust Gov. Davis say the legal filing could backfire.