Legislature Briefly

Primary date would change:

(AP) " Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio has resumed his bid to scrap Nevada's mid-August primary elections, introducing a bill to switch the contests back to the first Tuesday in September.

In 2005, lawmakers moved the primary election to the middle of August after county clerks argued they didn't have enough time after the September elections to prepare for the November general election.

At the time, Raggio, R-Reno, criticized the move, saying no one would turn out to vote in the middle of summer vacation. His SB120 would return the state to the first Tuesday in September in even-numbered years.

Chancellor outlines university savings:

(AP) " Jim Rogers, the chancellor of Nevada's public higher education system, issued a memo Monday detailing cost savings the state's seven public colleges and Desert Research Institute have implemented.

The document lists actions in response to budget cuts, such as leaving positions vacant and offering buyout programs.

By reducing the amount of turf on campus by 855,000 square feet, for instance, UNLV projects it will save 45 million gallons of water and $135,000 per year, according to the memo. Using energy and water more efficiently has allowed the school to avoid millions of dollars in utilities.