This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007)

KUNV is a non-commercial, jazz-oriented campus radio station in Paradise, Nevada, broadcasting on 91.5 FM.

Sign-on[link]

KUNV signed on the air on April 23, 1981 airing a variety of music programmed by the students of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Two well-known long running programs were "The Rock Avenue" and "Jazz Progressions." Late at night and on the weekends, various two hour weekly specialty shows also ran for many years highlighting new releases and old favorites in reggae, blues, industrial music, ambient music, rap and hip-hop, underground heavy metal, punk rock and other forms of music that did not get any other airplay in Las Vegas outside of KUNV.

Early history[link]

Originally, "campus radio" was heard only in the original Moyer Student Union Building (MSU) on closed circuit. The manpower was provided by a student run organization known as the UNLV Radio Club sponsored by an approved advisor from professional radio. The club office was a 6'x18' office on the little known third floor of MSU. The only neighbor on the third floor of MSU was the UNLV newspaper, The Runnin' Rebel YELL. From '76 to '79, that studio was provided by the Communication Studies department in the Humanities Building. Although the official licensee of KUNV is the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), funding and administrative control of the station was provided by the Consolidated Students of the University of Nevada (CSUN), the student government at UNLV. The Radio Club, a student committee under the aegis of CSUN, handled the call sign search, applied for the construction permit, developed a training plan, and established program design committee. The radio club hired the first KUNV General Manager, John Wennstrom, through funding provided by CSUN, who reported to the Dean of Students. Eventually the Radio Club became an official CSUN committee called the Radio Board, whose chairman was a UNLV Student, and whose members consisted of 3 additional students, a representative appointed by the Dean of Students, a representative from the Communications Studies Department, and a representative from the University information technology Department. CSUN provided funding and retained administrative control of the station until the mid 1990's, when the station changed its weekday format from its mixture of diverse offerings of alternative rock, jazz, Spanish language, specialty music, and public affairs programs, to a format that was primarily jazz only. Weekend diversity remained mostly untouched. At the same time, on-air staffing at the station, which consisted primarily of student and community volunteers, shifted to a mix of professional staff, community volunteers, and nationally syndicated programming provided by National Public Radio.

Call sign[link]

The Call Sign Committee chaired by Susan Mueller, found the most wanted sign, KULV, was held by another university station [University of Laverne, California] KUNV was the only natural choice remaining. The Program Committee chaired by Bill Saxton, defined the public sound and policy of the station from the ground up. Officially, Saxton is credited with naming "Jazz Progressions," Bob Houck and Dave Matyas named "Rock Avenue," Beatrice Guitrerez named "Sabado Especiale," and Frankie D named "Senior Sounds" during those seminal meetings. In '79, Communication Studies designed the available studio out of existence. The training plan committee chaired by Rich Hunsaker, began search for space in earnest during fall of that year. A bathroom, actually designed for secondary use for the stage in the Moyer Auditorium/Ballroom on the second floor was chosen for use. All fixtures remained. The dressing area became the home for a rag-tag group of old, borrowed, equipment that made up the training facility and was reconnected to the closed circuit that remained in the MSU. "The voice of the campus, KJON (flushing sound)" became the top-of-the-hour-identification and Training Schedules were interleaved with "air" time.

Studio space[link]

The search for studio space went on to include the first on-air facility, lovingly referred to as the "fish bowl." The studio was glass walled on three sides and was originally for the student living recreation director. It was the only student operated room that provided 24 hour access. It had access to the "court yard" where numerous events were held, including inauguration day national anthem on 4/23/81. The 15KW Transmitter and antenna was housed atop the Humanities Building (Red/white pole still remains) until moved to Black Mountain for safety reasons as well as to increase broadcast footprint. Technical Director Hunsaker at the direction of Chief Engineer and Mentor Gordy Alsum built several studios for KUNV for the next decade or more. A studio was also built at the Dunes Hotel near the casino, to help with congestion. Imagine 50-70 staff revolving around a 15-by-15-foot (4.6 × 4.6 m) glass room filled with lots of gear. Due to lack of student involvement for several months the station signed-off at 2 am and began operations at 6 am. The sign-off was Jimi Hendrix's version of the National Anthem. The last weeks that the station signed off were joined by more and more students in the courtyard to show enthusiasm for the station until going 24 hours became accepted later that year. Except on a few occasions to move the studio or repair the transmitter, the station has operated 24/7/365 since that first year.

The third-floor studio complex was designed by Hunsaker and approved for development in 1982. Less than 6 months later, Master Control, Secondary Control, News and Acoustic booth, two offices, music storage, and a central meeting and work area all grew out of the remaining space. Initially, Master Control was completed in less than 72 hours on the weekend before final exams in the spring of '82!

Music programming[link]

From the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, KUNV's daily programming consisted of alternative and underground rock from the "Rock Avenue" (6pm to 10am), community affairs (10am to 12pm), and a blend of traditional jazz, jazz fusion and modern jazz on "Jazz Progressions" (12pm to 6pm.) As a community radio station, KUNV's mission was to give a voice to the music that was not played on commercial radio stations.

Due to the station's student run status, it was afforded inexpensive access to all the venues on the UNLV campus at the time. With the help of local producers, KUNV hosted many groups and artists, including SyproGyra (twice), Jean Luc Ponty, Weather Report, B52s, RomeoVoid and Pat Metheny. Several performances were taken "direct-to-air" with technical co-ordination from Hunsaker. Also, dozens of "acoustic/unplugged" offering were spontaneously taken to air in the highly flexible and well outfitted studio complex. National Radio was served through that complex as John Madden provided commentary to the Holmes-Cooney World Championship prize fight via direct feed with the RKO Radio network. Multitudes of other feeds either originated or were simulcast from that complex.

Also, at this time in history the punk, new wave, ska, rockabilly and indie music scenes across America were growing. KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, 91X in San Diego, WLIR in New York were playing these artists along with only a handful of other commercial radio stations in America. With no commercial radio station in Las Vegas similar to these stations, and having Mtv launching with a playlist featuring many of these artists, KUNV provided programming for audiences craving alternative music. With a very strong 15,000 watt FM signal, which was very rare for a college radio station, KUNV broadcasts across the entire Las Vegas Valley.

Reputation[link]

KUNV's Rock Avenue was consistently rated in the Top Ten of college radio programming in America from 1985 to 1992 by The Gavin Report, a music industry trade magazine. As the hub in Las Vegas at that time for alternative music, KUNV's Rock Avenue spawned a thriving local music scene. The teen nightclub That's Entertainment, as well as Alternative Thursday Nights at the Sports Pub and the Steak Out for listeners that were over 21, were consistently packed with hundreds of fans of KUNV DJs who spun records in the clubs. DJ BUBBY (Michael Harrison) spun at the cities first mega clubs the legendary SHARK CLUB and UTOPIA for over a decade. One of the most well-known of KUNV talk personalities is Jimmy Kimmel, while the most famous KUNV music DJ is Ken Jordan, now of the band The Crystal Method.

Many local venues built loyal followings with KUNV listeners by featuring Las Vegas local bands on a regular basis. These venues included Sound Stage, Pinola's, Room 13, Studio 25, Calamity Jayne's, T Mex, VFW halls and quite a few impromptu venues also. Some of the best local band shows occurred in the middle of the Las Vegas desert with generators and a stage made of plywood and cinder blocks. The most popular local bands to break out of the Las Vegas music scene and receive major airplay on KUNV included Sampson's Army, Rainy Daze, FSP, 5150, Subterfuge, Abeyance, Triple Ripple, Groove Garden, Heart of Thorns, Verjenet, VA, Young Brandos, Constant Moving Party, Endless Mindless, The Hellhounds of Harmony, Herd of Lemmings, Jimi Jackpot and The Hot Slots, and Vivian Circle (formerly GOWNS) who began in the garage of former DJ, George Difficult (Tennell).

Spoken word programs[link]

With its reputation established in Jazz and alternative music circles, KUNV broke new grounds in 1986 under Community Affairs Director JP Muntal. Despite its non-affiliation with NPR or PRI, the station's spoken word programs developed in a few months an audience of devotees to rival that of Rock Avenue and Jazz Progressions. In-house productions like the documentary series "SEXTANT" began to generate media interest and episodes about nuclear testing in Nevada were picked up nationally by "Pacifica", "Consider The Alternatives" and "New Voices". KUNV also contributed to domestic and international organizations such as TV4 in New York, Radio France International and Radio Australia. Further programming highlights included "HerStory", a documentary produced by Rita Lorraine Sparling on the plight of women behind bars in Nevada. The late '80's saw an unprecedented interest in radio production by communications students and faculty involvement. By the time Muntal became Program Director, KUNV was training nearly 30 students per semester in all aspects of broadcast writing from the Arts & Humanities to History and English as a second language

Format changes[link]

The mid-90's saw the demise of Rock Avenue as a major part of the programming on KUNV and its replacement with a straight-ahead jazz format. Several factors lead to this decision. In the early 1990s Las Vegas saw not one, but two new commercial radio stations sign on the air playing alternative modern rock music. This led KUNV to focus further on underground alternative rock music for the Rock Avenue. Meanwhile, KNPR, another local public radio station, decided to drop their overnight straight-ahead jazz programming despite the large number of local jazz musicians supplying music to a plethora of Vegas clubs and showrooms. KNPR donated their jazz library to KUNV. Further, CSUN cut their funding for KUNV by 50%, thereby relinquishing control of the station to the UNLV Foundation. Finally, KUNV was facing scrutiny by UNLV administration due to FCC violations and listener complaints. In 1998, at the prompting of the UNLV Foundation and under the direction of then General Manager Don Fuller, KUNV removed Rock Avenue and shifted their weekday format to straight-ahead jazz programming. An onslaught of letters and phone calls were made to the station, both in support and in disdain of the change. Several protests were held and support concerts and events were organized that included the attendance of some government representatives, former KUNV staff and volunteers, and fans but UNLV administration and KUNV management decided against reinstating the programming. CSUN subsequently withdrew the remainder of their funding for the station. Students tried to launch new stations between 2003 and 2006, primarily online, but they did not receive sufficient student-body interest and CSUN withdrew their support for them.

Changes in location[link]

Shortly after the programming change, in 1999, KUNV studios and business offices were moved to the former KWNR studios located at 1515 E. Tropicana Ave Ste 240, a few blocks away from campus. The move was due in part to renovations scheduled for the MSU but may also have been to remove the contested station from the campus community. The station operated off-campus for just over 10 years, primarily being run by a professional staff with a large number of community volunteers hosting air shifts. Student involvement over the decade slowly increased but the station was not well known to the student body and few students made the trip to the building.

In 2009 KUNV moved back onto the campus of UNLV in the newly built Greenspun Hall Of Urban Affairs building. The building houses top of the line TV and radio production facilities.

Current Operations[link]

In August 2010, KUNV began HD broadcasting and launched an HD-2 station designed to showcase student programming. Students organized a club to manage the HD-2 station under the guidance of the professional staff at KUNV and are currently growing the programming on that station. The HD-2 station broadcasts an automated Triple A format when students are not actively on-air.

In January 2011, KUNV shifted its weekday daytime format from straight-ahead jazz to contemporary and smooth jazz. This change reflected what was done with "Jazz Progressions" and has received mostly positive feedback. The weekend programming continues to reflects the diversity and youthful energy of past with shows like the Word Up Show (hip hop) Neon Reverb (indie/ punk) and Future Sound (electronic music).

In November 2011, KUNV HD-2 launched The Morning Rebellion Show, a student-run morning show designed to offer training on how to assemble and execute a professional morning show. Industry professional Lynn Briggs mentors the ongoing program.

In March 2012, KUNV officially became known as 91.5 The Source, a name change intended to reflect that the station is the community's source for diverse programming unavailable on commercial radio. The station also became a Billboard reporter, making it one of very few public radio stations to ever hold that honor. During the same month the station also dropped its NPR affiliation and added PRI programming to its lineup, including the nationally syndicated "The Takeaway" program.

Former Staff and Volunteers[link]

• Tommy Walker(RIP) - CSUN Radio Club Adviser ( - 1979)
• Bill Saxton - CSUN Radio Club Pres., Student Station Manager, Program Director and Jazz Progressions Director ( - 1982)
• Susan Mueller - CSUN Radio Club VP ( - 1980)
• Richard Hunsaker - CSUN Radio Club, Technical Director, Alumni Advisor, Live Remote Engineer, and Jazz DJ (1978–1992)
• Phil Harringtom - Program Director and Fuddle or was it Touchdown? (1982–1983)
• Tony Cordasco - Program Director (1983–1984), Sports Director (1981–1984)
• John Wennstrom - General Manager (1981–1985)
• Beatrice Guieterez - Sabado Especiale'
• Frankie D - Senior Sounds
• Mark Zimneac(RIP) - Jazz Progressions Music Director (1982)
• Tom Hawley - Dr. Splice and Touchdown or was it Fuddle? (1980–1988)
• Bryan E. Brooks (Jazz Progressions Music Director 1983-1988, Program Director 1985-1988, DJ 1982-1988)
• Rob Rosenthal - "Rob Banks" (General Manager 1986-1993, DJ 1986-1993)
• Ken Jordan (Rock Avenue Music Director 1982-1987, DJ 1982-1987)
• Brett Greene (Rock Avenue Music Director 1987-1988, Program Director 1988-1990, DJ 1985-1990)
• Chris Cox (DJ) (Rock Avenue DJ, Jazz Progressions DJ, Alternative Dance Hour, 1985–1990)
• J.P. Muntal - (Program Director 1987-89) Producer/Host "Sextant", "Variances", "Panoramique"
• Rita Lorraine Sparling - "91 Avenue Of The Arts", "HerStory"...
• John C Midby - (Community Affairs Director 1987-89, "Panoramique")
• Michael Harrison "Bubby" (Rock Avenue DJ)
• Joel Habbeshaw (Rock Avenue Music Director 1988-1993, DJ 1987-1993)
• Kevin Kew (RIP) "The Door Stop" (Rock Avenue Assistant Music Director 1988-1990, Program Director 1990-1993, DJ 1986-1993)
• John Bacon "The Shotgun" (Rock Avenue DJ 1987-1991)
• Gina Mainwal "Gina The Jet" (Rock Avenue Assistant Music Director 1986, DJ 1984-1990)
• Carmelita Ramirez-Sanchez - "Carmelita Sanchez" (Rock Avenue Assistant Music Director 1987-1988, DJ 1985-1990)
• Jimmy Kimmel (interview program 1984-1985)
• Rodney The Rocket (Rock Avenue)
• Candy Kane (Rock Avenue)
• Randy Reinoso "Randy West" (Hot off the Press. The Rock Avenue. 1985-early 1990s)
• Warren White - "Warren Peace" (Word Up 1988-1993)
• Michael Dantzig (Rock Avenue)
• Tom Bogan (Rock Avenue)
• Stan Rankin' T (Reggae Hapenin's 1985–present)
• Frank Difficult (Bisognio) (Difficult Listening, late 1980s)
• George Difficult (Tennell) (Difficult Listening, late 1980s)
• Terry Leaper (Rock Avenue)
• Jim Briare (Original KJON 1981, Rock Avenue from the undertow, Touchdown Fuddle Comedy Talk, Difficult Listening, Interview Program)
• Bob Bell (Rock Avenue DJ 1981-1984, Touchdown/Fuddle Comedy Show 1984-1985)
• Gerald Helm (Rock Avenue DJ 1981-1984)
• Doug Jablin (Exotic Excursions, Virtual Radio, Radiolucent)
• Gregory Crosby (Virtual Radio 1993-1995, Radiolucent 1995-1996)
• Keith Haubrich, AKA "DJ Cheese Omelet" (1995-1998 - Rock Ave., The Still Hour, Audio Apocalypse, Virtual Radio, RadioLucent)
• Bob Briare (Original KJON, Rock Avenue DJ, from the undertow, Touchdown Fuddle Comedy Talk Show)
• Tim Briare (Rock Avenue)
• Wes "Bannon" Jebb -(Rock Avenue)
• Shawn Estes (Rock Avenue DJ 1987-1991)
• Mickey Bohn - "The Bone" (Rock Avenue)
• Kristi Carlson (Rock Avenue)
• Neil Hoff "The Breeze" (Jazz Progressions)
• Dominick Bracia "PUNK ROCK DOM" (Early 1980s)
• Bruce Thompson (Jazz Progressions - Early 1980s)
• Jerry Burn (Olivarez) 1983-Mid 1990's (Community Affairs-Connections, Rock Avenue, Lunch With The P.M.R.C., 1988-Mid 1990's)
• Bruce Bullet - 1991-1993
• Andy Shmuckler - 84-85 ( cast member of Touchdown/Fuddle comedy show)
• Heather Brandes (Rock Avenue)
• Dayvid Figler "Virtual Dave" (Rock Avenue 1993-1995)
• Ivy "Poizen Ivy" Hover (Rock Avenue, 1989–1997)
• "Jared Dean" Blanchard (DJ 1991 - 1994, Locals Only, Assistant Music Director, Program Director)
• "Michelle" Saunders - Touceda (Rock Avenue & Danceteria DJ 89-94, Assistant Program Director)
• Dayna "Ariel" Cramer (Rock Avenue DJ 1989-1994)
• Todd "O'neal" Olcott (Rock Avenue DJ 1983-84,89,98. Sports Reporter 83-84.)
• Roy Hessinger (Rock Avenue & Luminous Basement DJ 1994-1998, Assistant Program Director, Program Director)
• Eric Casitas- "Eric", late 80's, neo-Punk
• Andrea, late 80's- alternative + intellectual musik
• Christene Willis- "Ruby Lee", after midnight, late 80's, (Glam, Glitter and Goth); Rock-n-Bowl
• Lewis Southers (Rock Avenue, Difficult Listening, Luminous Basement 1987 - 1994)
• Jason Feinberg (Rock Avenue, The Still Hour (Goth/Industrial), Music Director) (1994–1997)
• Donna DeChristopher a.k.a. "The Goddess Of The Airwaves" (Rock Avenue DJ 1987-1997)
• Bradford Colton - "Bradford" (Rock Avenue 1991-1997)
• Jeffrey Morris - (Virtual Radio, Exotic Excursions)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for KUNV
• Radio-Locator information on KUNV
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for KUNV

Coordinates: 36°00′28″N 115°00′23″W / 36.0078°N 115.0064°W / 36.0078; -115.0064

Dina Titus
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 3rd district
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Jon Porter
Succeeded by	Joe Heck
Member of the Nevada Senate from the Clark 7th district
In office 1989–2009
Succeeded by	David Parks
Personal details
Born	(1950-05-23) May 23, 1950 (age 62) Thomasville, Georgia
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Thomas Clayton Wright, Ph.D.
Residence	Las Vegas, Nevada
Alma mater	The College of William & Mary, University of Georgia, Florida State University
Profession	professor of political science
Website	www.dinatitus.com

Alice Costandina "Dina" Titus (born May 23, 1950) is the former U.S. Representative for Nevada's 3rd congressional district, serving from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She previously served in the Nevada Senate and was that body's minority leader from 1993 to 2009.

Prior to her election to Congress, Titus was an active professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She taught American and Nevada government at UNLV for 30 years.

Early life and education[link]

Titus was born in Thomasville, Georgia. She grew up in the rural Georgia town of Tifton, which she describes as very similar to areas of rural Nevada, but with cotton and peanuts as key agricultural exports instead of the alfalfa, vegetable, and fruit crops of the Silver State. Titus's first exposure to politics came at an early age, when her father, Joe Titus, ran for the Tifton City Council. Her uncle, Theo Titus, served in the Georgia House of Representatives for many years.^[1]

Dina Titus's high school years included cheerleading and dancing lessons, in addition to her studies. She attended a summer program at The College of William & Mary and was admitted full time for the fall - without a high school diploma. There, she studied political science.^[1]

After earning her bachelor's degree from William and Mary, Titus went on to earn a master's degree from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. from Florida State University.^[1]

Academic career[link]

After a year teaching at North Texas State University, Titus moved to Nevada and a faculty position in the Political Science Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Over the past 30 years, her students have included a virtual who's-who list in Nevada government, public service and legal circles, and the popularity of her classes is reflected in the teaching-related awards she has received.^[1]

Titus also created and continues to coordinate the Legislative Internship Program at UNLV, which each session affords the opportunity for a group of students to work at the Legislature.

Titus is considered by friends and close acquaintances to be an expert in Nevada politics, state politics, atomic policy (weapons & waste), legislative process, and women in politics.^[2]

Nevada Senate[link]

First elected in 1988, Titus served for 20 years in the Nevada Senate. Her major achievements from the 2007 session included:

Access to vaccines[link]

Titus authored a bill that requires health insurance companies to cover the costs of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil. Gardasil protects women and girls from 70% of cervical cancers. The bill passed both the Nevada Senate and the Nevada Assembly and was signed by Governor Jim Gibbons.

Regulation of credit card rates[link]

Titus authored a bill banning "universal default clauses" that have enabled some credit card issuers to boost interest rates by 30 percent or more. The bill passed the Nevada Senate and Assembly, but was vetoed by Jim Gibbons. Credit Card providers Citibank and Chase rolled back or eliminated universal default clauses due to political pressure in the U.S. Congress.^[3]

Measure to care for pets in emergencies[link]

Titus authored the bill that provides for the rescue of pets in a natural disaster emergency. The bill was co-sponsored by Senators Randolph Townsend (R) and Valerie Wiener (D). She told Las Vegas television station Channel 3 KVBC, "We all remember heartbreaking scenes and stories from Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida... When lives are turned upside down by disaster, people seek comfort and normalcy. To exacerbate problems by forcing a disaster victim to leave behind a beloved pet - a member of their family - is both unconscionable and entirely unnecessary. Emergency responders can and should take into account pets and service animals in disaster rescue and recovery plans. Planning could save disaster victims from needless additional pain at a most difficult time."^[4] The bill was signed into law in June, 2007.

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on Education and Labor
  • Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness
• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection
  • Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

Political positions[link]

Nuclear issues[link]

Titus is the author of Bombs in the Backyard: Atomic Testing and American Politics, University of Nevada Press, Revised Edition 2001, and Battle Born: Federal-State Relations in Nevada During the Twentieth Century, Kendall-Hunt, 1989. She has also published numerous scholarly articles.

As a result of her publications, Titus is internationally known for her expertise in the history of nuclear power, weaponry and waste and in policies relating to those areas. She appeared in the 2006 PBS documentary "The American Experience: Las Vegas – an Unconventional History" by acclaimed director Steven Ives, where she discussed nuclear issues and Las Vegas history.

Today, the Atomic Testing Museum on the Las Vegas campus of the Desert Research Institute features the Dina Titus Reading Room, in recognition of her scholarly achievement in the field.

2008 Member: Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation; Nevada-California Super Speed Ground Transportation Commission; Clark County Women’s Democratic Club; Nevada Commission on Participatory Democracy; Education Commission of the States.^[5]

Political campaigns[link]

Titus at the 2008 Nevada Democratic State Convention

2006[link]

Incumbent Governor Kenny Guinn could not run in 2006 due to term limits. Titus won the Democratic nomination, but lost to Republican Congressman Jim Gibbons.

2008[link]

Democrats were heavily targeting 3rd district Republican incumbent Jon Porter. Their top candidate was Clark County prosecutor Robert Daskas, but in April, Daskas dropped out for family reasons. Democrats then quickly recruited Titus, who had won the district in her unsuccessful 2006 run for Governor. Titus defeated Porter in November, 47% to 42%, becoming the first Democrat to represent the District. She was a major beneficiary of the over-all anti-Bush sentiment in the Las Vegas area. Titus was elected Regional Whip in the 111th Congress ^[6]

2010[link]

Titus was defeated by Republican former State Senator Joe Heck by a margin of 2000 votes.

2012[link]

On October 31, 2011; Titus entered the Democratic primary for Nevada's 1st congressional district, where her home had been drawn in redistricting. The incumbent, fellow Democrat Shelley Berkley, is giving up the seat to run for the United States Senate. While the 3rd is considered a swing district, the 1st is far and away the safest Democratic seat in Nevada, and whoever wins the primary will be heavily favored in November.^[7]

Personal life[link]

Titus has been married to Professor Thomas C. Wright for 30 years. Wright's studies in his field of expertise - Latin American history - have taken the couple on extended journeys to Mexico, Central America, several South American countries, and Spain. Wright is a retired professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.^[8] He is the son of the late John S. Wright, a former professor of history at UNLV, for whom a campus building is named.^[9]

Titus is also a member of the Tortoise Group of Clark County, Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation, PEO International, National League of American Pen Women, Nevada Women's Lobby, Women’s Research Institute of Nevada, Nevada Commission on Participatory Democracy, Clark County Neighborhood Justice Center, Las Vegas Little Theater, the Educational Commission of the States, National Wildlife Federation, and the Nature Conservancy.

On April 13, 2009, Titus was named Outstanding Democrat of the Year by the Paradise Democratic Club of Las Vegas for the second time. President Barack Obama sent her a congratulatory letter.

In December 2010, Senator Harry Reid appointed her to a six-year term on the United States Commission on Civil Rights.^[10]

Awards and honors[link]

• Nevada Arts and Humanities Award for Public Service, 2004
• Nevada Women’s Lobby, “Outstanding Nevada Women,” 2003
• Nevada Disability Advocacy and Law Center, Legislative Advocate Award, 2003
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas, President's Medal, 2002
• Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice, Profiles in Courage Award, 2001
• Mediators of Southern Nevada, Peacemaker of the Year, 2001
• Las Vegas Review-Journal, Favorite Female Las Vegan, 1997, 1999
• Las Vegas Review-Journal, Outstanding Legislator of the Year, 1999
• Nevada Arts Advocate of the Year, 1999
• Spanos Outstanding Teacher, UNLV, 1985
• Chair, Nevada Humanities Committee, 1984–1986

References[link]

External links[link]

• Dina Titus for U.S. Congress official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Senator Dina Titus at the Nevada Senate site (2007 session)

v t e Members of the United States House of Representatives from Nevada Territorial (1861-1864) Cradlebaugh Mott At-large seat (1864-1983) Worthington Ashley Fitch Kendall Ashley Fitch Woodburn Wren Daggett Cassidy Woodburn Bartine Newlands Van Duzer Bartlett Roberts Evans Arentz Richards Arentz Scrugham Sullivan Bunker Russell Baring Young Baring Towell Santini 1st district (1983-present) Reid Bilbray Ensign Berkley 2nd district (1983-present) Vucanovich Gibbons Heller Amodei 3rd district (2003-present) Porter Titus Heck

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. It includes attribution to IMDb, which may not be a reliable source for biographical information. Please help by adding additional, reliable sources for verification. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2007)

Jasmine Trias
Background information
Birth name	Jasmine Trias
Born	(1986-11-03) November 3, 1986 (age 25) Honolulu, Hawaii
Origin	Mililani Town, Hawaii, United States
Genres	Pop, R&B, soul, OPM
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Universal Records
Website	Official site

Jasmine Trias (born November 3, 1986) is an American singer-entertainer who was the third place finalist on the third season of American Idol. She has released one album to date, Jasmine Trias.

Biography[link]

Trias was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised in Mililani Town, Hawaii. She is the eldest daughter of Filipino immigrants to the state of Hawaii from Tanza, Cavite. Trias attended Maryknoll School, a Roman Catholic preparatory school of the Diocese of Honolulu. As a representative of Maryknoll School, she won the Brown Bags to Stardom 2001 state singing competition and the Road to Fame 2003 youth talent competition. Trias graduated from Maryknoll School in June 2004.

[edit] American Idol

Trias first gained recognition on the third season of American Idol. She auditioned in her home state of Hawaii. Trias made it to the top twelve performers. She received praises on her rendition of "Inseparable" on Top 12 night, with Simon Cowell replying, "Jasmine, it was just superb". Paula Abdul even threw a rose to her on the stage and, together with Randy Jackson, praised her maturity in that performance.

She was able to survive eliminations, despite criticisms on her performances on some instances of the competition. On Top 4 performance night, when she received criticisms for her performance of "It's Raining Men" by The Weather Girls. Cowell suggested that night that she will almost be eliminated the next day. On Top 3 results show, when Ryan Seacrest announced that Trias was eliminated, she had her last message on American Idol, "I wanna thank all my fans for believing in me and for embracing my talents and for making my dreams come true. I mean, this top 3, I cannot ask for more".

She is the first Filipino-American contestant to proceed in the top 3 round in American Idol and top 4 round (the second being season eleven's Jessica Sanchez). She is also one of the few finalists of Filipino descent who proceeded to the finals, together with season 3's Camile Velasco, season 7's Ramiele Malubay, season 10's Thia Megia and Jessica Sanchez of season 11.

Performances/results[link]

Post Idol career[link]

After Trias' appearance on American Idol, her fanbase grew in the United States and in foreign countries where the show was aired: Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan, among others. The Manila Times newspaper captured the mood of her ancestral country in an April headline: "Everybody Wants Jasmine." During the American Idol season, hundreds of internet fan sites from over a dozen countries were established in several Asian and European languages.

Jasmine in the Philippines[link]

In the Philippines, Trias has done television commercials and billboard ads for McDonald's, Smart Telecommunications, Hapee Toothpaste, and Bench Clothing. On October 6, 2004, Trias released a promotional single for McDonald's entitled "Love Ko 'To" (the local translation of McDonald's "i'm lovin' it" slogan). McDonald's restaurants in the Philippines offered a promotional meal called the "Jasmine Trio", which consisted of a Strawberry Float, fries, and the McDonald's exclusive Love Ko 'To CD-Single.

Trias also appeared on GMA Network's reality show Extra Challenge with Ruffa Gutierrez (former Miss World runner-up) and Donita Rose (former MTV VJ). She also visited the housemates of Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition on March 6 and stayed in the house overnight, leaving on March 7.

Career[link]

Managing Director of Honolulu Ben Lee summarized the mood in Trias' home state of Hawaii by saying, "Jasmine has enough votes in Hawaii to become governor or mayor easily." Lieutenant Governor James Aiona, in his capacity as acting governor, declared Jasmine Trias Day by executive order. Trias has also done various commercials in Hawaii discouraging smoking, drinking, and drug use. On February 27, 2005, Trias released a CD single entitled "Flying Home," which was sold exclusively in Pizza Hut and Taco Bell stores in Hawaii. The single was intended to capture her feelings of returning to Hawaii after months of working on tour and on her album.

Trias was a part of the JCPenney and Seventeen "Rock Your Prom" Fashion Show. She performed in Springfield, Missouri and Glendale, California in March 2005.

Musically, some have compared Trias to Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton. Trias signed a record deal with Clockwork Entertainment, a company which has worked with Dream and Bad Boy Records (headed by P. Diddy), to record and produce her debut album. She also signed a record deal with Universal Records for the album's release in the Philippines. Her self-titled debut album with Clockwork Entertainment was released on July 12, 2005 in the U.S.. It has since sold 14,000 copies in the US alone according to Nielsen SoundScan ^[1] and a reported 50,000 worldwide. She has since been certified platinum in the Philippines. Trias headlined tours in Manila, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Guam in 2004. To end her whirlwind visit to the Philippines, dubbed "Jasmania," she met President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Trias left Clockwork Entertainment due to poor management and promotion; and is now with Universal Records Philippines. "Excuses," "Sana Lagi," "Too Many Walls" and "DJ Don't Quit" peaked in the Top 10 on a popular Live365 Internet station called Idol Waves. "I'd Rather" managed to reach number one.

Jasmine was featured in the music video to The Black Eyed Peas single Bebot, playing apl.de.ap's sister.

She was featured as a commentator on MTV/TRL for the sixth season of American Idol. She also filmed a movie in the Philippines titled "Suddenly It's Magic" produced by GMA Films; it is shelved indefintely. In addition, she was featured as a guest judge for a children's competition on The Tyra Banks Show and made appearances on three American Idol national follow-up shows: American Idol Extra, American Idol Tonight and It's Your Call with Lynn Doyle.^[2] Jasmine has stated in many different interviews that she will start working on new albums for the U.S. and the Philippines for release this year.

Trias is the host of a television program called Pacific Groove in Hawaii.^[3]

Jasmine is currently performing with Hawaii's very own Society of Seven at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The show debuted on November 6, 2009.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

• 2004: "Love 'Ko To"
• 2005: "Excuses"
• 2005: "Lose Control"
• 2006: "Sana Lagi"
• 2006: "Kung Paano"
• 2006: "I'd Rather"
• 2007: "The Christmas Song"

Album appearances[link]

• 2005: American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics
  • "Midnight Train to Georgia"
  • "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (with the Top 12 finalists)

Awards and recognitions[link]

Videography[link]

• 2004: "Love 'Ko To"
• 2004: "Kailangan Koy Ikaw" (for Smart IDD)
• 2005: "Excuses"
• 2005: "Lose Control"
• 2005: "Sana Lagi"
• 2006: "Kung Paano"
• 2006: "Bebot", Generations 1 and 2 (by The Black Eyed Peas)
• 2007: "Pinoy Love" (by Honore)

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Jasmine Trias at the Internet Movie Database
• Official site
• Jasmine Trias at American Idol
• Honolulu Advertiser's American Idol Page

Nick Wells (born February 11, 1951) is a former heavyweight boxer.

Career[link]

Amateur level[link]

As a member of the US Air Force and a four-time All-Air Force boxing champion, Wells won the 1972 US Amateur heavyweight championship. In that year, he twice knocked out future WBC and IBF heavyweight champion Larry Holmes. The first time was in the 3rd round of a National Amateur Athletic Union tournament; later that year, in the US Olympic Trials, he knocked Holmes out in the first round. He went on to face 1971 US Amateur heavyweight champion Duane Bobick in the finals of the Olympic Trials, where he broke Bobick's nose early in the fight and appeared to be on his way to representing the United States in the Olympics. But a head wound suffered before the fight at his hotel began to bleed profusely, and the fight was stopped by the referee. Bobick went on to lose to Cuban heavyweight and eventual gold medal winner Teofilo Stevenson in the Olympic quarterfinals.

One of the most popular amateur boxers in Texas during the 1970s, Wells was a five-time Fort Worth Golden Gloves champion and a two-time Star-telegram Texas State Golden Gloves champion. Three time Texas state champion 1969,1970,1971.Five time all air force champion1972,1973,1974,1975,1976. Two time interservice champion1973,1975.Three time interservice runner up 1972,1974,1976.Two time Nevada state golden gloves champion 1972,1973. 1972 National AAU Champion. Western hemisphere Champion 1972 or 1973. World military Champion(CISM games)1973 Texas state champion 1971. Wells compiled an amateur record of 189-18 with 110 knockouts, 72 of them in the first round.

Pro level[link]

Wells declined an opportunity to be trained by legendary trainer and manager Lou Duva in New Jersey, opting instead to train and fight out of his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. He compiled a professional record of 10 - 3 before taking a job with the Fort Worth Fire Department in 1978, in order to support his one year old son Nickolas as well as to ensuring a stable futurer for the both of them. He continued his professional boxing career, but lost the Texas State Heavyweight Title match to Roy Wallace in his first bout since becoming a firefighter. He went 3 - 4 from that point, his last two fights ending in knockout losses to heavyweight contenders Eddie "The Animal" Lopez and Tony "The Tongan Torpedo" Fulilangi. He retired from boxing in 1983 with a professional record of 13 - 8, although some accounts list his record at 15 - 8.

References[link]

• Fort Worth Firefighter's Association
• Fort Worth Star-Telegram article by Jim Reeves
• Nick Wells bio on Boxrec.com
• US Amateur Heavyweight Champions

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Nick Wells