morose note & catch

Well, you need to look up the word "morose." There is insufficient context to know what the morose note was, however. There is an expression, " _______ note," in which a word is added to note to create a phrase meaning "as a result of," or "after which." Let me give you some examples: "Jack was very angry, and began yelling at the employees. On that intimidating note, everyone became very quiet." In that example, Jack's anger and yelling is described as an intimidating (frightening) note, and as a result, all of the employees became very quiet. Here's another example: "Everyone had a good laugh at the bully's embarrassment, and on that happy note, we all went out for dinner." In that example, somebody was being a bully, but someone else embarrassed them, and everyone laughed. Immediately after that ("on that happy note") everyone went out to eat dinner.

So, the expression "on that morose note" in this case means "after which." Someone said or wrote something morose, and immediately after that, the author spotted the news story which is the subject of the rest of the passage. It seems to me to be a rather clumsy usage, though.

In this case, a catch means an unexpected event or condition. Specifically, the author suspects that the claim that senior citizens can attend the university tuition-free is not entirely true. In saying that there must be a catch, the author suggests that although the senior citizens may not have to pay tuition, there may be a hidden cost, or a hidden circumstance which makes the offer less attratctive than it seems on the face of it.

Morose notes than thorn sounds catchy.

Thanks!