Hi! I grew up in a one-stoplight town in rural Nebraska and my whole family still lives there with three churches, a bar, and a courthouse. I left because I like lots of people and taller buildings, and I don't like cold weather. On those rare days in Texas when it gets snowy and icy, you'll find me inside Googling beach vacations. I don't plan to leave Texas now that I've been here for most of my adult life because the barbecue and fajitas are just way too addictive. I've worked in radio from the moment I graduated from college at the University of Nebraska, and besides getting the hang out with cool people like you every day, I love sports, great restaurants, self improvement, and meeting new people. I love all movies starring Melissa McCarthy or Julia Roberts, and all TV shows with home improvements or food in them. You'll probably hear me talk about my three daughters on the air, along with the challenges of being a single mom. I'm on several of the dating apps, because trying to meet someone in person these days is way too creepy.
Jen Austin
Texas Man Sells Home to Raise Reward Money for Lost Dog
How much do you love your pet?
Enough to sell your home to raise $50,000 in reward money if the dog becomes lost?
Simple Anti-Bullying Event Set for School Lunches October 30
When you were in school, did you always sit with the same group of kids at lunch? I remember sitting with different kids during elementary and middle school lunches, but by the time I reached high school I was in the habit of sitting with the same group every day.
In two weeks, students across East Texas and across the country will be encouraged to break the habits, and sit with kids they might
Local Firefighters Take a Break to Fight Breast Cancer With ‘Bras for the Cause’
We're used to seeing firefighters in dangerous settings where their lives, and perhaps ours, are on the line. There are shooting flames, and smoke, and fire trucks and hoses.
But bras?
Last night in Tyler, local firefighters took a break from the front lines to get in touch with their feminine side and raise money and awareness for breast cancer at a Bras for the Cause event, with the Women's Coun
What’s the Best Way to Trick-or-Treat in Texas?
Have you planned your Trick-or-Treating attack yet?
Most families seem to take the kids in costume to houses in their own neighborhoods, but others have been known to drive well out of their way just to hunt down the best candy. Once the word starts to spread that a neighborhood passes out full-size Snickers, that's where the mini-vans head!
So where are the best spots to Trick-or-Treat? Strangely
East Texas School Adds Outdoor Classroom
How many times have you looked out the window on a beautiful day and wanted to escape work or school to go outside and play?
It may not be all about play for students at one Texas school, but at least they'll get to spend some time outside in the gorgeous fall weather, in their new outdoor classroom. They just launched a new butterfly garden too.
911 Butt Dials Are a Growing Problem
9-1-1 false alarms are nothing new. We've heard of kids dialing 9-1-1 when there's no emergency, and Kidd Kraddick has shared some gems with us in the past about people calling emegency dispatchers for all the wrong reasons.
But have you ever been driving on the The Loop in Tyler and accidently butt-dialed 9-1-1? In the age where everyone has a smart phone that's always at the ready, accident
TJC Apache Belles Get New License Plates
Today is the day the new custom license plates go on sale to support the TJC Apache Belles. Ten percent of the proceeds support the dance team. The new plates contain the image of the uniform worn by the Belles from the 1950's through the mid 80's. The uniform doesn't exist anymore, but it can give your car that retro-cool look!
Oprah Brings Back “Favorite Things”
Each year around Thanksgiving on her talk show, Oprah passed out gift after gift on the "Favorite Things" episode and sent the audience into a complete frenzy. For us at home, it was an opportunity to get some great gift ideas, and perhaps to be completely jealous of those lucky audience members who would need a mid-sized truck to haul all of their new loot home.
Well guess what! Oprah m
Holiday Shopping Season is Officially Here
I think I saw the first big, full-blown display of Christmas trees and snow globes and dancing elves in a store around September 15th. That's pure madness! But after I stopped fighting it in my head, I let my excited 4-year old drag me into that section of the store and we both picked up a snow globe and shook it...
Firefighter Challenge Kicks Off This Afternoon in Tyler
Brookshire's Firefighter Combat Challenge starts this afternoon in Tyler and continues Saturday. What a perfect opportunity to to turn out and cheer on those beefy firefighting guys! And gals too. Thanks for the good work and great skills.
As we mentioned last week, there are some public names in this competition that you might recognize.
Has Breast Cancer Awareness Month Gotten Your Attention?
Kellie Pickler got our attention earlier this month when she shaved her head to support a friend who was going through chemo therapy.
Countless celebrities this month have been sporting the pink ribbons to raise breast cancer awareness, and some of them have even been talking about their own battles with breast cancer, including Melissa Etheridge and Wanda Sykes.
For many of us, breast cancer su
It’s Been a Mad Rush to Register to Vote
Thousands of people in Smith County have registered to vote since the July primary. About 4,300 in fact.
Tuesday was the last day to register to vote ahead of the November 6th election, so the window has closed. But voter registration drives around Tyler over the past few months, and a big voter-registration push by both parties has led to an increase in the number of people who signed up to vot