Northern Nevada Briefly 6/20

Regents approve tuition increases

(AP) - Regents have voted unanimously to approve tuition increases at all Nevada's state university and college campuses, along with 4.6 percent pay cuts through mandatory furloughs for staff, administrators and non-tenured faculty.

The plan includes a 5 percent tuition increase for all undergraduate campuses in 2010 and another in 2011. Student health fees also will go up.

Graduate student tuition will increase 20 percent over the next two years. The rise excludes professional schools for dentistry and medicine.

Regents voted to temporary suspend through 2011 annual step increases for academic faculty at community colleges because the Legislature chose not to fund them. That will save an estimated

$5.2 million over two years.

Nevada soldier takes ammo to airport

(AP) - A 24-year-old soldier headed home to Nevada after training at Camp Atterbury, Ind., was detained in Indianapolis after police say he tried to bring military ammunition through airport security.

Indianapolis International Airport baggage handlers found a 40 mm training grenade and 146 rounds of .762 caliber, .223 caliber and .50 caliber ammunition in the soldier's bags, according to an airport police report.

The soldier admitted he took the ammunition without the knowledge of his superiors and did so because "it was cool," according to the police report. His name wasn't released.

Regulators may OK NV Energy rate hike

LAS VEGAS (AP) - State utility regulators are considering letting NV Energy phase in an electricity rate hike that would eventually cost the average Las Vegas-area customer a little more than $10 a month.

The Nevada Public Utilities Commission is due next Wednesday to consider a proposal to cut the Las Vegas-based utility's request for a 16.7 percent rate hike to 9.3 percent.

The PUC would add savings from expected drops in the cost of fuel and power to lower the rate hike even more, to about 6.8 percent or $10.05 a month.

Part of the increase would kick in July 1, pushing the average summertime single-family residential power bill from about $256 to $263 a month. The rest of the increase would come Jan. 1.