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Nearly 12% of Nevada's student loan holders in default as federal collection efforts restart

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Nearly 12% of Nevada's student loan holders in default as federal collection efforts restart


LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nearly 5 million people across the country have not made payments on their student loans for nearly a year (360 days), according to the U.S. Department of Education.

But starting May 5, the department will begin collecting money from those who have defaulted, the department announced last Monday.

WATCH | What the federal collection efforts will mean for Nevadans

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Nearly 12% of Nevada’s student loan holders in default as federal collection efforts restart

The mandatory collections come after a five-year pause sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bethel Kifle, a second-year mechanical engineering student at UNLV, has only taken out one student loan so far.

“I was taking summer classes and since I couldn’t use the fall scholarship yet, I just took out a loan, so I don’t have to use my personal money cause again, I need it for — to pay other stuff like bills and stuff. The loan helped me get through that summer without being zero dollars in my banking account,” Kifle said.

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Even though she won’t be required to pay the loan back until after graduation, Kifle already has a plan in place.

“The big scholarship I had, I ended up getting like $9,000 refund, so I saved that money just so I can use to pay back the loan that I took out,” Kifle said.

But not everyone is as prepared. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 42.7 million borrowers have more than $1.6 trillion in student debt.

Roughly $12.4 billion of that money is owed by Nevada borrowers, according to the Education Data Initiative. Nearly 12% of them are in default.

“If you take out a loan, you have to pay it back, it’s very simple,” said Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary.

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While no loans have been sent to collections since 2020, Trump administration officials announced that will no longer be the case. They say people who don’t make a repayment plan by the May 5 deadline could face involuntary collections.

WATCH | Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department says

Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department says

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“The government can and will collect defaulted federal student loans debt by withholding money from borrowers, tax refunds, federal pensions and even their wages,” Leavitt said.

Kifle’s recommendation for her fellow students is to keep applying for scholarships.

“Every semester, I’m still applying to scholarships. Loans should be the very last resort,” Kifle said.

All borrowers in default will receive email communications from Federal Student Aid (FSA) over the next two weeks making them aware of these developments and urging them to contact the Default Resolution Group to make a monthly payment, enroll in an income-driven repayment plan, or sign up for loan rehabilitation.

Detailed information to help borrowers get out of default is also available at StudentAid.gov/end-default.    

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This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.





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ACLU of Nevada launches ‘No Kings’ protest rights hotline

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ACLU of Nevada launches ‘No Kings’ protest rights hotline


LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – With large scale protests planned in Southern Nevada, the ACLU is reminding people that the right to demonstrate comes with responsibilities. Executive director Athar Hasibullah explained there are several things to keep in mind to have a safe and lawful protest.

“Specifically, here in Southern Nevada, where the majority of protests that occur are downtown and they’re on sidewalks,” Hasibullah said. “Now, oftentimes what we’ve seen is people find themselves subject to detention when they exit off the sidewalk and onto the street.”

To help avoid problems, the ACLU of Nevada has been circulating guides with safety information.

“I would probably say maybe the most important tip I can give for tonight is stay hydrated, it’s expected to be hot out still and it’s not always easy for people to access things there.”

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The group encourages protesters to stay calm and share their location with someone they trust. They’ve also set up a hotline where people can call throughout the night to report any concerns.

“If there’s a detention that ends up occurring, if there is, there’s a specific incident that folks end up wanting to report or they see an officer engaging in misconduct or they see a protester engaging in misconduct, they’re able to use that line to report it,” Hasibullah said.

If you witness a protest-related rights violation or need help, the ACLU of Nevada’s dedicated hotline number is 702-659-7535.



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Dinosaurs in the driveway: the Nevada man delighting kids with his free prehistoric theme park

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Dinosaurs in the driveway: the Nevada man delighting kids with his free prehistoric theme park


Steve ‘Dinoman’ Springer is a retired school teacher from the Clark county school district who created the ‘Shan-gri-la Prehistoric Park’.

Amid the endless winding streets of Henderson, Nevada, one house breaks the mold. Its front yard – no grass, just desert rock – is home to 62 rainbow-painted dinosaurs, dragons, turtles and spiders. A sign on the garage reads: “Shan-gri-la Prehistoric Park”, complete with visiting hours.

On a recent spring Friday at noon, the garage door hums open, letting in the harsh sun. Steve Springer, or “Dinoman” as he’s lovingly known by regulars of the park, ties a short black apron printed with cartoon dinosaurs around his waist. At 72, he likes to wear flip-flops with black socks and round glasses that make his eyes look tiny.

We are at Steve’s Dinosaur House, a makeshift project aiming to provide education in an entertaining way for the general public. Steve spends about half of his retirement income keeping the park running – about $2,000 a month.

Parked inside the garage is his pride and joy: the Dinomobile, a mid-1990s sedan wrapped in digitized dinosaur graphics and electric green rims. Playful dinosaur stuffed plushies peer out from every window, and the rear license plate shouts in all caps: “DINOMAN”. In the corner hangs an LED TV screen playing a six-hour loop of dinosaur videos Steve has pulled and edited from YouTube. Along each wall, candy, chips and cookies are lined up neatly on folding tables.

It’s a funhouse, an arcade, a makeshift carnival where the mood is always joyful. “No talk of politics or religion is allowed. You come here to get away from the world,” Steve insists.

Inside the house, Steve quickly prepares for the day, placing sour pops in the empty freezer. “It’s just me here, so I eat out about six times a week,” he says. His bookshelves are neatly lined with thousands of horror and science fiction films. Awards for outstanding teacher are hung on the wall.

With summer around the corner, Steve packs up the inflatable Easter decorations, stores the pastel LED lights and eggs, and switches themes again: “Summer Dragon Days”. His back porch holds aisle after aisle of clear plastic bins stacked 10 ft high, labeled: July 4, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas, Halloween, summer. Inside: disco balls, pool floats, water guns, bunny inflatables, Valentine hearts, fabric donuts.

Out front, people start to trickle in. “How we doin’ today? We got new stuff,” Steve calls out, grinning.

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Janam Riffle and his mom, Jenny, are regulars. “He’s now 10, and we’ve been coming since he was five,” she says. “While I was waiting on my disability to go through, I was very poor, and this was somewhere I could take him and it didn’t cost anything. You know when you go to Disneyland as an adult and it still makes you happy? That’s the feeling I get when I come here.

“We really needed to come today. The school held a fire drill and Janam is disabled, making it hard for him to do the stairs, so I said: ‘Let’s go to Dinoman to cheer up.’”

As the day wears on, the line stretches down the driveway and into the street. Scooters and bikes pile up while kids wait. Everyone gets a turn – and everyone plays for free. At the entrance, they sanitize their hands and grab a plastic grocery bag. Each person chooses three items from bins filled with Cow Tales and Starbursts, Takis and Lays, bouncy balls, rubber ducks, squishy creatures. “Hooray, we got a winner!” Steve cheers, pulling a ticket from his apron. Lucky guests get bonus toys or coveted “Dinobucks”, good for things like cooking sets, Barbie dolls and skateboards.

“Dine-do-man,” a tiny girl calls. “Help me reach this toy!” Her parents wait in the car – she’s got the routine down cold. Several high schoolers walk straight to the snack section, grab their food and gun it home – a free munchies oasis in the walled suburban villages outside of Las Vegas.

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Dinoman knows the regulars. And he knows the kids that need an extra snack or two as well.

“Santa has one day and I have the other 364,” he says.

Tiffany and Ken Koo and their two kids, Aiden and Kaiden, eight and nine, have been coming since they were born. They make the 30-minute drive every Friday and often give back by volunteering their time polishing the neon green rims of the Dinomobile or cleaning the back patio with their dad. “We love to help Dino Steve because he helps us so much,” Ken said. The couple also run a free clinic for their local Buddhist temple.

For them, going to a movie for a family of four and buying popcorn costs more than $70. “Even the gumball machine is a dollar. Here, all of us can play. It’s entertainment for the whole family,” Tiffany said. They exit to the front yard to play a series of games.

Steve spends thousands on his project every month, but he also receives donations, and he can rely on his credit card.

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After three decades of teaching middle school and running a classroom candy shop, Steve missed the kids. “My dad was a workaholic,” he says. “I knew early I didn’t want that.”

He shrugs. “I’ve got everything I want. What else should I do with the money?”

When he dies, he plans to sell off the dinosaurs, the Dinomobile and the house to fund scholarships.

Inflation means fewer toys, but Steve does his best to keep the magic alive. At 4pm, he shuts the garage and moves the perishables and chocolate inside. His feet ache, but he climbs into the Dinomobile and drives 12 minutes to The Pit, a crowded local restaurant.

At his table, he unpacks a few plastic dinosaurs and a sign advertising the park. He brings his own croutons, parmesan and cracked pepper – items not supplied by the restaurant – then orders his usual: salad, a rare Pit burger, fries cooked exactly 60 seconds and a Dr Pepper slushie.

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After dinner, he heads across the lot to Dollar Tree, weaving through aisles he knows by heart. Twenty years of running the park has taught him what works. He tops off the night at the Sinclair dinosaur-themed gas station, then swings back to The Pit for one last Dr Pepper slushie.

It’s Friday night. Dinoman has done enough for one day.



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‘This mandate is fiscally impossible’: Nevada governor vetoes IVF protections bill

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‘This mandate is fiscally impossible’: Nevada governor vetoes IVF protections bill


Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill aimed to protect such infertility treatments as in vitro fertilization.

Senate Bill 217, sponsored by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, would have established a statutory right to IVF treatment under Nevada law. It also would have increased protections for providers of fertility treatments and expanded coverage requirements for diagnosis and treatment of infertility.

Cannizzaro announced her intent to bring the bill last fall following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling on infertility treatments.

The legislation passed the Assembly on a party-line vote and passed the Senate 15-5, with Republican state Sens. Lori Rogich and John Steinbeck joining Democrats in support.

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In response to the veto, Cannizzaro accused Lombardo of bowing to pressure from anti-abortion activists who want to outlaw IVF nationwide.

“Even Donald Trump has backed efforts to expand IVF, but Lombardo is picking out-of-state extremists over protecting Nevada doctors and patients,” she said in a statement. “By vetoing this bipartisan bill, Lombardo has turned his back on ordinary Nevada families who need a little help to overcome the hardships of infertility in order to experience the joy of parenthood.”

In his veto message, the governor said he supports efforts to make IVF more accessible, but he said the legislation is not feasible because of the mandate requiring coverage for IVF.

“Without dedicated and sustainable funding this mandate is fiscally impossible considering the current posture of the state’s budget, specifically in terms of Medicaid resources,” he wrote in his message.

He encouraged agencies to collaborate with interested parties to find alternative and financially sustainable ways to expand access to IVF.

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Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.



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