Texas A&M Executive Vice President and Provost David B. Prior announced in a news release Monday his acceptance, in principle, of a proposal regarding alternate journalism education options. This signifies a step toward closing the A&M journalism department.

College Station was recently named among 26 other communities as a bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists. In May 2003, 14 communities were given the Bicycle Friendly Community designation. The League honored another 13 communities, including College Station, in October.

WASHINGTON - Federal health officials are debating if it's time to put emergency contraception - also called the morning-after pill - on pharmacy shelves right next to the aspirin, available without a prescription. Proponents say such a move would greatly increase women's ability to get the pills in time to prevent pregnancy: preferably within 24 hours but no more than 72 hours after rape, contraceptive failure or just forgetting birth control.

AUSTIN (AP) - The University of Texas at Austin has submitted a proposal to begin considering race and ethnicity among the many factors to determine acceptance in undergraduate, graduate and law school applications. The UT System, which in August approved a policy allowing individual campuses to decide whether to adopt affirmative-action criteria in admissions, must review the proposal before new guidelines can be implemented.

WASHINGTON - Suzanne Tejeda needed transportation to college so she bought her first car last February. But since then she says she's spent more time driving to the repair shop than to her classes. The car's transmission has been replaced. So have the windshield and switches for the power windows.