In Brief

NO INJURIES REPORTED

Nellis crews rescue five people stranded in Death Valley park

Five people who were stranded in Death Valley National Park were rescued by a Nellis Air Force Base search and rescue team Sunday morning.

Two helicopters with flight crews from the 66th Rescue Squadron and pararescue airmen from the 58th Rescue Squadron were dispatched to the park about 8:15 a.m., according to Nellis authorities.

By 9:45 a.m. the airmen had found the five people and transported them to an area near where they were rescued. None of the five reported injuries.

What prompted the rescue was not released.

UNIVERSITY CUTS

UNR provost says stakeholders aim to save agriculture school

University of Nevada, Reno Provost Marc Johnson says a deal is in the works that could save the school's College of Agriculture.

With UNR facing a $44 million drop in state funding, the college and two of its departments have been targeted for elimination.

At a Las Vegas meeting Friday, Johnson told the Nevada Board of Regents that a compromise deal is being negotiated with agriculture school stakeholders, including the Nevada Cattlemen's Association and the Nevada Farm Bureau.

Those groups and others want to ensure the college continues to have a dean of agriculture to address the academic needs of students and research requirements for the industry.

Johnson said UNR officials agree as long as the university meets its budget targets. Under the proposal, the college and its administration will be smaller.

SEVERAL CASES AMONG DOGS AND CATS

New Mexico health officials warn of plague in animals

Several cases of plague among dogs and cats around New Mexico has public health officials urging people to be wary of a possible spread to humans.

New Mexico hasn't had any human cases of plague or hantavirus so far this year, but plague cases in pets can serve as a warning that human cases might follow, public health veterinarian Dr. Paul Ettestad said. The wet winter and spring can mean growing rodent populations, increasing people's risk of becoming ill from the diseases rodents carry .

Plague is a bacterial disease of rodents generally transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas.