Noisemakers have been replaced by Newsmakers as this new year starts to gain momentum. It’s a fresh semester chock-full of possibilities, and we’re eager to start with some of the more exciting headlines to date.

Why is visiting movie locations suddenly becoming so trendy? How will AI in the courtroom look in the year ahead? Are there any new tax rules to be aware of? Is the restaurant influencer lifestyle all it’s chalked up to be? Will the proposed ban on investors’ single-family home purchases make an impact on the Valley’s housing market?

For a more comprehensive listing of the articles featuring UNLV experts, check out our frequently updated In The News page. But before then, here are some of the more fascinating stories from the month.

Health & Science

• Health law expert David Orentlicher provided insight on the Medical Aid in Dying Act for USA Today.
• Psychologist Nicole Short and cannabis policy expert Riana Durrett gave their thoughts on the health risks associated with the nation's increased marijuana use in Fox News Digital.
• National Geographic ventured into the cosmos to break down a phenomenon impacting Earth’s orbit with astronomer Jason Steffen.
• Exercise physiology researcher Graham McGinnis commented on social jet lag over the holidays with WebMD.
• Everyday Health discussed the nutritional value of red meat with registered dietitian nutritionist Samantha Coogan 
• Nursing expert Jennifer Vanderlaan was featured in a HuffPost article going over the best questions to ask at the hospital before giving birth.
• Southern Living consulted infectious disease expert Brian Labus about items to avoid in hotel rooms.
• Women’s Health covered the increasingly popular “6-6-6 walking challenge” with insight from exercise physiologist Michael Wong.
• Nutrition sciences expert Sara Rosenkranz is featured in a Men’s Health piece about the best workouts to lower cholesterol.
• Medscape talked to sports psychologist Brad Donohue about using positive reinforcement for weight loss. 
• Psychologist Ronald Brown shed light on dopamine's role in ADHD in Everyday Health.

Culture & Technology

• UNLV was recognized as one of the nation’s top community-serving institutions with its second consecutive Carnegie classification. The designation requires institutions to show considerable growth in the scope, reach, and impact of its community engagement programs. The accolade was covered by KVVU: Fox 5 and the Las Vegas Sun.
• Architecture professor Steffen Lehmann provided his thoughts on cities rated as sustainability leaders in Elliott Report and Forbes.
• Historian Michael Green talked about Derek Stevens, the “last casino mogul” of Las Vegas, in Forbes.
• Law expert Nancy Rapoport provided her thoughts on AI’s role in the courtroom in the upcoming year with the National Law Review.
• Tourism researcher Marta Soligo spoke on the growing trend of visiting famous movie locations in La Discussione.

Politics & Economics

• Bloomberg Law’s coverage of high-profile corporations leaving Delaware includes insight from law expert Benjamin Edwards.
• Political scientist David Damore talked about the increase in non-partisan voters in Nevada with the Nevada Independent (also in the Associated Press).
• The New York Times spoke to immigration law expert Michael Kagan in its coverage of rights to free speech for noncitizens. He was additionally quoted in a Newsweek story discussing the legality of revoking citizenship for migrants guilty of fraud, and USA Today (twice) articles covering federal immigration enforcement leadership.
• Nevada Business provided a forecast of what state businesses can expect in 2026 with the help of economic researcher Andrew Woods. He also appeared in a Las Vegas Review-Journal piece about how the water crisis hasn’t stopped the Valley’s growth.
• Real estate researchers Shawn McCoy and Nicholas Irwin both shared thoughts on the president’s pledge to ban corporate investors from buying single-family homes in KLAS: News 8 (twice) and the Las Vegas Review-Journal (twice). Irwin also commented on the health of the Valley’s housing market with KTNV: ABC 13, about a new “smaller Sphere” in the Baltimore Banner, and reasoning behind a slower local housing market in the Las Vegas Sun.

Experts Roundup

• Journalism professor Linda Dam spoke about the restaurant-influencer dynamic in the Washington Post.
• Law professor Francine Lipman went over what rules you need to know this tax season in Quartz.
• Medical entomologist Louisa Messenger provided tips to prevent bugs from sneaking into your home during cold weather in Martha Stewart.
• WalletHub outlined the best and worst states to have a startup with help from UNLV business experts Yong Li, Ashley Roderick, and Oliver Ye.
• Airline historian Dan Bubb appeared in a Men’s Journal piece about the safest airline in 2026, and a Marketplace story involving Boeing revenues.
• KSNV: News 3 highlighted the continued increases to car insurance rates in Nevada with traffic researcher Erin Breen.
• A Las Vegas Review-Journal story about a recent defense spending bill included comments from veteran student services expert Ross Bryant.
• Northwest Public Broadcasting’s story about veterans finding peace through card games featured social work professor Kati McNamara.