There are love stories that are fit for Broadway shows, movies and novels, and there is real life. The kind of story that most couples wish they could have is often considered nothing more than wishful thinking.

The trees of Central Texas are showing their best colors this season. Thank the drought because trees use vibrant colors as a way to ask for help, experts say.

An independent report on American higher education flunks all but one state when it comes to affordability - an embarrassing verdict that is unlikely to improve as the economy contracts. The biennial study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, which evaluates how well higher education is serving the public, handed out Fs for affordability to 49 states, up from 43 two years ago. Only California received a passing grade in the category, a C, thanks to its relatively inexpensive community colleges.

College students and their families may need a bailout soon to pay for tuition if economic trends continue across the country. The financial crisis is cutting into privatized loans, or alternative loans, being offered by lenders, many of whom have folded or dropped student loan services within the last year. According to University of Mary Hardin-Baylor associate vice president and director of financial aid Ron Brown, major private lenders offering loans to students at the college have dropped by about 40 percent, down from 60 last school year to 37 currently.

Veterans at the Olin E. Teague Veterans´ Center did some Christmas shopping on Tuesday. A room inside the domiciliary had the look of Santa´s workshop. A decorated Christmas tree anchored one end of the room with rows of tables covered with gift items in the center.

HAVANA - Barack Obama will be the first American president in nearly 50 years to have a relatively free hand in deciding whether to ease punitive Cold War-era policies toward communist Cuba, and the foreign policy team he announced this week seems predisposed to make it happen. Obama said during the campaign that immediately after taking office on Jan. 20, he will lift all restrictions on family travel and cash remittances to Cuba - not just roll them back to previous rules that were tightened by the Bush administration.

GATESVILLE - The father of a woman on trial in 52nd State District Court for capital murder testified today that every time he saw his daughter she told him her life would be better if her ex-husband was dead. Megan Lewis-Grant, 44, took notes as her father, Teddy Lewis testified. Ms. Lewis-Grant is accused of having a role in the death of Michael Grant in September 2007. Grant was her ex-husband and had custody of the couple's two children.

It was a new situation for this bunch of Temple Wildcats. A comfortable halftime lead is something they´ve rarely enjoyed. And learning to how to handle it made for quite a tense second half.

SAN ANTONIO - Rasheed Wallace made three 3-point baskets in the fourth quarter and scored 19 points as the Detroit Pistons rallied from 10 points down to beat San Antonio 89-77 on Tuesday night despite the return of Manu Ginobili to the Spurs´ starting lineup. Allen Iverson also scored 19 for Detroit (11-6), which has won two of its last three games. Richard Hamilton scored 16 points and Tayshaun Prince added 15 for the Pistons, who are 5-2 against the Spurs since losing the 2005 NBA Finals in a seven-game series.

NEW YORK - The best chance Texas has to be crowned national champion this season likely lies with the members of the media who vote in The college football poll. The Longhorns are the latest team to feel slighted by the Bowl Championship Series, though the twist this time was coach Mack Brown´s team has the Big 12 Conference to blame as much as the BCS standings.

IRVING - Tony Romo´s return. DeMarcus Ware leading the NFL in sacks. The three-game winning streak. Suddenly, the Dallas Cowboys look like championship contenders again.

LUBBOCK - Mike Leach can look back on this season and know he led Texas Tech to its best one yet. The pirate-loving coach and his No. 8 Red Raiders did it by getting their first win over a top-ranked team, garnering their highest national ranking and capturing their first Big 12 South trophy - the latter a shared prize due to a three-way tie.