News of the Day From Across the Nation, Sept. 18

1 Free college: In one of the boldest state-led efforts to expand access to higher education, New Mexico unveiled a plan Wednesday to make tuition at its public colleges and universities free for all state residents, regardless of family income. The move comes as many American families grapple with the rising cost of higher education and as discussions about free public college gain momentum in state legislatures and on the presidential debate stage. Nearly half of the states, including New York, Oregon and Tennessee, have guaranteed free two-or four-year public college to some students. But the New Mexico proposal goes further, promising four years of tuition even to students whose families can afford to pay the sticker price.

2 Clergy abuse: The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has opened 24 new investigations into alleged misconduct by Catholic priests amid concerns that cases turned over by the Archdiocese of Chicago weren’t properly reviewed. The Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday that the archdiocese turned over more than 1,000 cases under a 2006 agreement requiring it to notify the agency every time it became aware of an abuse allegation. The 24 new investigations involve adults who came forward years after the alleged abuse occurred. The agency is trying to determine whether those accused might still have access to children.

3 Murder charges: A prosecutor announced murder charges Wednesday against a 34-year-old man in the slayings of four women whose deaths Detroit police have characterized as the work of a serial killer. Deangelo Martin is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and four counts of felony murder in the killings of the women whose bodies were found in abandoned houses in the city from March to June, Wayne County...