LAS VEGAS (AP) — A long-dormant Nevada law requiring parents or guardians to be notified before a minor can have an abortion will not take effect this week following a federal judge’s ruling.

The 1985 law has never before been enforced in Nevada because of court rulings that found it was unconstitutional based on Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that made abortion access a constitutional right for a half century.

The ban on the Nevada’s law was set to expire Wednesday under a recent federal court order citing the 2022 reversal of Roe, but abortion rights activists appealed. That led U.S. District Judge Anne Traum to issue an order Friday saying the law won’t take effect yet to give Planned Parenthood time to ask the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to keep the law unenforceable while it challenges it.

If Planned Parenthood doesn’t file its request with the appellate court within seven days of Traum’s order, she said the law can be enforced in Nevada. The Associated Press sent emails Monday seeking comment from attorneys for Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood has argued that the 40-year-old law, despite the reversal of Roe, remains “unconstitutionally vague” and that it violates minors’ rights to due process and equal protection.

Abortions in Nevada are legal until 24 weeks, with exceptions to save a mother’s life or to protect her health. In November, a ballot question to enshrine Nevada’s abortion rights in the state constitution received its first nod of approval from voters, who must also approve the measure in 2026 in order to amend the constitution.

Parental involvement in a minor’s decision to have an abortion is required in 36 states, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues. Some states require only parental notification, as is the case with Nevada’s law, while other states also require consent.

Nevada’s law also allows a minor to get a court order authorizing an abortion without first notifying parents or guardians.

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

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.

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.

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

“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.    

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.

As the owner of a property management company and a real estate investor, I adamantly oppose rent control. Those in favor might say, “Of course you do.” They might accuse me of seeking to get rich off the backs of blue-collar, middle- and lower-class working people. But they’d be wrong.

I immigrated to this country from Sri Lanka when I was 22. My determination and work ethic are what got me where I am today. It is the same determination I see in the landlords who hire my company to manage their properties. And to continue the unmasking, I’m also a Democrat. Rent control is not a partisan issue. It is an economic one.

Rent-control policies, often promoted as a remedy for rising housing costs, produce unintended consequences, including squeezing the very backbone of local real estate — mom-and-pop landlords, many of whom are in blue-collar, middle-class families.

For countless small-property owners, a modest rental home is more than just an investment. It is built over years of hard work and careful financial planning. These landlords often own fewer than five properties — and sometimes just one. According to a recent JP Morgan Chase report, there are 50 million residential rental units across the country, and more than 40 percent belong to mom-and-pop landlords. The goal of these landlords is supplemental income. Yet rental income must first be used to cover maintenance costs and property taxes as well as repairs and maintenance. When government policies impose strict rent controls, these families not only find their potential revenue streams capped but also struggle to cover costs.

As a property manager, I have a front-row view to the good, the bad and the ugly of being a small landlord. One recent “bad” was the impact of the rent moratorium implemented during the pandemic. This moratorium was designed to protect tenants during that challenging economic time — and for some it was much needed. But this measure inadvertently hurt middle-class real estate investors.

With rental income frozen or significantly reduced, many small landlords struggled to meet their financial obligations. The result was foreclosures, deferred maintenance, deteriorating property conditions and — in some cases — the forced sale or abandonment of cherished family assets. This not only undermined the financial stability of these landlords but also contributed to a decline in the overall quality and availability of rental housing.

I could tell story after story, but here are just a few examples:

A local woman who works at a Strip casino as a Culinary union housekeeper went months without receiving rent. A 67-year-old electrician nearly faced bankruptcy without rental reimbursements. A city bus driver had to postpone retirement. A terminally ill property owner who relied on rental income to support his family went 10 months without payments. And a young nurse from the Philippines who purchased her first investment home endured more than a year without rent. These are regular, everyday Nevadans, who don’t have huge nest eggs.

These and other landlords have worked hard to recover. As a community, we should applaud this and be grateful for the needed housing they provide.

My worry, though, is that their hard work will be in vain and that things could turn ugly. Last legislative session, rent control was proposed. Thankfully it was vetoed and never enacted, but I’ve heard rumors that it potentially could again be proposed.

Rent control benefits very few — and not necessarily those with the greatest need. When landlords cannot adjust rents to match market rates, the entire rental ecosystem suffers. Properties fall into disrepair, vacancies rise and the promise of a vibrant, sustainable rental market dims. Ultimately, some tenants may enjoy lower rents in the short term. But more will not, and Nevadans as a whole will witness a future with fewer available, well-maintained rental homes.

Sanje Sedera is president at Las Vegas Integrative Medicine, a broker/owner of Zenith Realty Group and a former commissioner of the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority.