High school teacher Olivia Sprauer was asked to resign from her full-time teaching job after photos from her part-time modeling job were sent to the school’s principal. Sprauer worked under the alias name, Victoria Valentine James, while modeling bikinis along with lingerie.

On April 29, Sprauer was called to the principal’s office and shown a photo, in which she admitted that it was her in the photo, and expressed that it was from her modeling job. She was then asked to resign and immediately escorted off campus.

Although she’s not angry about the situation, Sprauer expresses how much she will miss her students.

The 26-year-old Florida teacher claims that she had planned to leave her job as a teacher to pursue modeling while going back to return to graduate school.

 Olivia Sprauer aka Victoria Valentine James

Fans of the 1999 film, The Best Man can get even more excited because the highly anticipated sequel to the classic is currently in production. The Best Man Holiday is the title of the film, and he entire original cast has reunited on set. 

The films producer, Malcolm D. Lee has been tweeting about the cast, the set, and the excitement of the film for fans:

I said it once and I’ll say it again: The Best Man Holiday has an awesome cast. Incredible work today for an incredible sequence! @TayeDiggs @NiaLong @justsanaa @Morris_Chestnut @HaroldPerrineau @Real_Terrence_H @monicacalhoun1 plus @HamiltonAnthony the the lovely @MarshaAmbrosius perform a classic song . What a day! Goodnight!

The film will be in theaters November 15, and we can’t wait! Will you be going to see it?

The Best Man Holiday

The Discovery Science Place in Tyler is getting a new look. With the talented help of the University of Texas at Tyler’s art program, the walls of the entrance into the children’s learning center will be boring no more. You won’t believe how cool this will look when it is all done. 

The Discovery Science Place has been more than just a center for the furthered education of the East Texas area children. The building is full of fun and adventure. You and your children can explore a ship, caves, space, and so much more. With all the excitement inside, why should the outside be anything less?

Led by an amazing professor, Alexis Serio-Hughes, a class of gifted and hardworking students are giving the Discovery Science Place building the facade that will match the inside. Their design for the mural lets the science and adventure of the interior walls burst out and welcome you into the “kids love it, parents will too” learning center.

The dinosaurs, germs, planes, and science tools incorporated into the design will get the little ones overwhelmed with excitement before they even reach the door. But, this mural is about more than that.

It is a great thing to see the community come together to help each other out. Sure, the Discovery Science Place is getting a mural and the students are getting experience and a grade. But, they are each getting so much more. Education and supporting of the arts should forever be paired. This mural will symbolize this relationship. The paintings will, in turn, open children’s eyes to the importance of a complete learning experience.

How does this mural do that? Besides the encouragement of learning about the world around them, the children are being shown how cool it is to create art. I joined the University of Texas at Tyler crew on site while they were painting, you would not believe the reactions they got from the kids. “WOW!” and “I want to do that some day!” came out of multiple young one’s mouths. This children were seeing older students helping their community and projecting the idea that learning was important.

When this mural is completed, it will bring so much more joy than it already has. And, how great is it to see our city getting a new and great look to it? Come check out the Discovery Science Place now and/or when the mural is done. I promise, your jaw will drop to the floor. For now, here are a few sneak peek pictures of the mural in progress.

If you attended Women’s Night Out 2013 at Harvey Convention Center with Bob Harper, here are the pictures of you with Bob Harper at the VIP party!

You can right click each picture to save the picture to your computer for free. Thank you so much for being a VIP participant at Women’s Night Out with Bob Harper.

One person has been seriously injured after a house he was working on exploded shortly before noon Wednesday.

According to Tyler Fire Marshall Paul Findley, the explosion and fire happened on the east side of the house located at 1430 ESE Loop 323 where the victim was working with a large amount of paint thinner and a floor buffer machine.

The explosion forced the victim out of the home and was on fire. A passerby, an investigator with the Smith County District Attorneys office, went to the aid of the victim and was also injured when he was overcome with smoke. Both men are hospitalized in undetermined condition.

It does not appear the home was occupied and was being renovated at the time of the explosion.The exact cause of the explosion remains under investigation,and it appears the home is a total loss.

The time has come — your time to vote for the cutest of the cute in East Texas! Here are all the submissions of cuties submitted in the newborn to 1-year-old division of the Mix 93-1 + Sonocare + Peek A Bootique Cutie Patootie Contest. Check out the adorable kids of East Texas and vote for the cutest!

RULES: You may vote in each division of the Cutie Patootie Contest once every 24 hours. So, don’t forget to come back each day and vote for your favorite! Voting is open until 11:59 p.m. Monday, March 25. The division winner will receive a $100 gift card to Peek A Boutique and will advance to the final round of the Cutie Patootie Contest, in which the winner will receive $500 to Peek A Boutique and an iPad Mini from Mix 93-1!

So, without further adieu, here are the entrants in the newborn to 1-year-old division of the Cutie Patootie Contest. Be sure and scroll to the right and left to see all the entrants — there are lots of cuties! Voting is below all the pictures. Good luck to all!

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[button href="http://mix931fm.com/vote-in-the-3-to-4-year-old-division-of-the-cutie-patootie-contest" title="Click here to vote in the 3- to 4-year-old division" align="center"]

Enter to win a chance to #BREAKFREE from everyday life with a trip to Miami!

You and a guest could win an all-expense paid trip to Miami — plus, the lucky grand prize winner will also receive two Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE phones and $500 in spending money. After you enter the contest, be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook or Twitter to double your chances of winning!

Two grand prize winnerswill each receive: Hotel and airfare for two Two Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE phones $500 spending money Contest ends on: 3/31 at 11:59PM EST

Share with your friends here, or by using your Samsung Victory with the hashtag #BREAKFREE       Â

Source: Virgin Mobile Presents: #BREAKFREE Flyaway Sweepstakes

Under her photo, Bobbi expressed:

•• I pray I’m growing into thee phenomenal women you always knew I’d be mommy, I love you & miss you immensely ..& I always will. YOUaremyHEART• YOUaremyLIFE• YOUaremyEVERYTHING• YOUaremyMOTIVATION• YOUareME•IamYOU. WEareONE• forever&always• iLoveyouMYlady •• xO

 

Bobbi and Whitney Thru the Years

Contest update: Live Nation Global Touring has confirmed that the remainder of the Lady Gaga Born This Way Ball performances have been canceled. The Lady Gaga #BreakFree To Miami Sweepstakes has been suspended until further notice.

Please check back for more updates.

RECENT SUBMISSIONS

Calling all little monsters! Upload a pic of your best Lady Gaga outfit to win tickets to see her live in Miami. Note: Sharing the contest with friends will double your chances of winning!

Two grand prize winnerswill each receive: Hotel and airfare for two Two concert tickets Two Samsung Galaxy SII phones $500 spending money Contest ends on: 2/24 at 11:59PM EST

Share with your friends here, or by using your Samsung Galaxy SII with the hashtag #BREAKFREE       Â

Source: Virgin Mobile Presents: #BREAKFREE to Miami Sweepstakes

We say and hear it all the time — East Texas never gets the big names coming through. This weekend certainly changed that adage for at least one day when American Idol champion Phillip Phillips and Matchbox Twenty came to play at LeTourneau University’s Belcher Center in Longview.

Both Phillips and Matchbox Twenty raved about the venue before the show, and when it came time to go on stage, they certainly did put on a show.

More than 2,000 fans rocked the house during both Phillip’s set and the two-plus-hour performance by Matchbox Twenty. Rob Thomas and Co. brought out every bit of their catalogue, capped (of course) with “Push.”

We had a great time at the concert, and if you got to go or won tickets with Mix 93-1, we hope you had a blast!

Here’s our exclusive photo gallery from the concert:

2012 American Idol winner Phillip Phillips graced the Mix 93-1 studios Saturday before he headed to Longview to open for Matchbox Twenty at the Belcher Center.

More than 60 people, many Mix VIPs, were in attendance to watch Phillip perform and enjoyed the catering that was provided by Chili’s in Tyler. He played three songs, including his hit song “Home,” as well as his new single, “Gone Gone Gone.”

Thank you to all the Mix 93-1 listeners who came to the studios to see Phillip’s performance, and if you followed that with a trip to the Belcher Center, we all saw a pretty amazing show.

He even hung around to take some pictures. Check ‘em out!

When the Westboro Baptist Church announced that they planned to protest the funerals of those lost during the Sandy Hooks Elementary shooting, the world set forth to shut them down. The efforts to have this “church” recognized by the government as a legal hate group has blown up the internet with response. 

We are all familiar with what Westboro Baptist is about. They use God as a reason to hate. Their twisted minds have convinced them that protesting funerals is an acceptable action to take.

They have not just terrorized those in Connecticut, they have also been found protesting at soldiers funerals. They carry signs that say things like, “Thank God for IEDs.” They answer that God is killing soldiers to show that He is upset with all of his children because we allow homosexuals to live.

The Westboro Baptist Church believes that they have the idea of what God is thinking and they are doing all of the rest of us a favor by telling us. But, that voice may soon be silenced.

There are now three different petitions on the White House footsteps that regard Westboro Baptist.

1. Legally recognize Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group.

2. Revoke the tax exempt status of the Westboro Baptist Church & re-classify Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group.

3. Remove the Westboro Baptist Church’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and make it retroactive.

That is right, Westboro Baptist’s hateful signs saying, “Thank God for dead soldiers” was paid for with your tax dollars. They have been receiving money from the government for years because they are classified as a non profit church. That may not be where you would like to see your tax dollars go.

Here are more examples of their signs.

These petitions have become so popular, they have stolen almost all of the spot light from the recent push of gun rights petitions. They have become so popular that they are actually the most signed and visited petition of the White House initiative website.

With over 250,000 signatures, the petition to have Westboro Baptist Church recognized as a hate group could actually start the movement to silencing Westboro.

These petitions aren’t the first round of action against this group. Huffington Post explains, “In August, Obama signed the Honoring America’s Veterans Act, which declared that protests must be held at least 300 feet from military funerals and were prohibited two hours before or after a service.”

This was a great improvement, but knowing that only a few hundred feet away from the burial of your loved one is still a hurtful reality. That is why so many have been trying to take these more drastic measures. The complete shut down of Westboro Baptist is what a majority of America is looking to accomplish.

We will see soon what will come of the Westboro Baptist Church. But, let me ask what you think.

This year will be the Goodman Legrand Museum’s fourth annual Art in the Park. This year will be even bigger and better, but it can’t grow without you. Don’t know what is event is? Here is a little introduction, and how you can help. 

The Goodman LeGrand Museum is a historic home right here in Tyler. Located near the downtown square, it is unbelievable to find this gorgeous 153-year-old home. Right off of North Broadway lies a nine-acre park with the Goodman LeGrand home settled right in the center. Hidden in the middle of this growing city you can find a place full of history, mystery, and beauty.

On April 14, 2013, you will be able to tour this historic home and experience an art exhibition unique to the city of Tyler. There will be music, fun for the kids, and especially a showcase of East Texas’ best fine art talents. A mixture of ceramics, painting, sculpture, drawings, photography, and so much more will fill the Goodman LeGrand park that Saturday afternoon. The artists will be working and teaching at their booths along with showing their newest and greatest works. For purchase or just for appreciation, those in attendance will see the wealth of talent that Tyler has to offer.

Last year there were more than 30 artists showing off their best. This coming year there is a need for more artists to help make this event even bigger and better. If you are an artist or know one that would like to participate, please sign up. It is a free event for the patrons and the artists. So, there is no excuse not to be a part of this great day of art, music, and history.

Contact Patricia Heaton, the Goodman LeGrand Museum’s curator at pheaton@tylertexas.com or give the Goodman a call for more information.  Also, you can check out this event in the City of Tyler brochure.

Make sure to come out and enjoy this free event with your friends and family. Make sure that if you are an artist, or know one, that you don’t miss out on a chance to show your pieces of art to all of East Texas.

Here is a gallery of last year’s Art in the Park at the Goodman LeGrand Museum.

Sources close to the 32-year-old singer have told US Weekly that Jessica Simpson is in fact pregnant with baby No. 2, only 7 months after giving birth to daughter, Maxwell in May.The source revealed to US Weekly:

“It definitely wasn’t planned. But yes, Jessica is pregnant again.”

You can always count on the true scum of the earth to capitalize financially on catastrophic events. The newest example: People on Craigslist selling gas for upward of $20 per gallon.

Residents of New York and New Jersey are experiencing terrible tragedies in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy — many are still without electricity, homes are destroyed and cities are experiencing an incredible gas shortage as people are scrambling to fill up their cars and generators.

Lines at gas stations have reached to many dozens of cars, while, of course, prices have also increased. And leave it to some fine folks to try to make some money off other people’s personal heartache.

Craigslist ads have popped up with people offering to sell gas for anywhere from $10 to $20 per gallon. Some offer to deliver, others just leave a phone number. And, of course, people are desperate, so they’ll pay it.

Imagine paying $100 just for five gallons.

There are only a handful of music venues venues in Tyler. Of these few places to hear live music and see local art, only one is like the Coffin Shop in downtown Tyler. So, what have you been missing out on?

The Coffin Shop is Tyler’s little secret, hidden away in a courtyard right off the square. Why have you not heard of it?

This underground spot has just in the past few months really taken off running. Housed in the first building to be erected on the square in Tyler, this space is home to lots of history and now the local culture. The name of the venue gives away more of this building’s history. The area where bands and artists show their stuff was once where they built coffins. The courtyard before the steps down into the venue itself was once the alley that the hearse picked up the coffins.

Who would have known a building with such an odd history of death would be the one breathing life into Tyler’s night scene?

Ranging from acoustic music, live art, heavy metal bands, to DJs and so much more, this hip spot is offering a little something for everyone to enjoy. Recently added to the map of the Art Walks downtown, the Coffin Shop is becoming a headquarters for local artists.

This coming Friday, Oct. 26, there will be a solo exhibition for artist David Dunham. Many solo art shows have been taking place in this historic building. All different mediums and styles of art can be seen here. The art is even busting out of the underground space and onto the walls of the courtyard of the Coffin Shop.

One that I know very well, as I am the one who was honored with the task of painting.

On the left you will see talented local artist, Mason Buchanan, working on his mural. Below that one is the two-story mural I was able to paint for the Coffin Shop. This kind of opportunity is a rarity in Tyler, not many places will allow art to literally cover their building.

The acceptance and encouragement of art that the Coffin Shop offers sets them apart from the other venues in Tyler. What they understood early on is the importance of art in a community, and that it can give you that hip and cool edge above other spaces. Even though they are pioneering the art acceptance movement, the first to come to this venue was music.

There has been a lack of constant live music to be seen in Tyler. Every once in a while we will have a band come through Tyler, like ZZ Top coming Sunday, or the concerts coming through Click’s or Electric Cowboy. But, normally there is not a space that has music every weekend.

The Coffin Shop has for the past month housed local music of every style. Sure, there are other places on the square that offer bands. These places generally show cover bands and charge a high admittance fee. The Coffin Shop offers all styles of music, local and large, and only takes a couple of bucks out of your wallet.

For a price almost always less than $5, you can see some talented music makers and artists. What else could you ask for on a hum drum boring Friday night?

If the idea of live music or art to liven up a Friday or Saturday night doesn’t tickle your fancy, the Coffin Shop also offers comedy. There has been a recent surge of comedy shows in Tyler. The Coffin Shop recognized this trend and jumped right into having comedians come joke around in the basement space that was once such a somber place. Ranging from crude, family friendly, everyday life, and political; these comedians offer laughs to all.

Speaking of politics, throughout the debates we have heard a lot about local businesses being the backbone of the economy. So, don’t wait for Obama or Romney to help your local business. Come out and support a local venue that is trying to support the culture of our community.

For your first visit to the Coffin Shop there are two great choices of events for this weekend. As I explained earlier, there is a solo art exhibit for David Dunham. This will night will be packed with unique art and dance worthy music from two of Tyler’s most talented DJs. The next night, Halloween, there will be a great costume party with numerous local bands playing. The variety of the music being played that offers something for everyone’s ears.

The Coffin Shop is turning into the little venue that could. Let us all support this good change and growth in Tyler. For a preview taste, here is a photo gallery (provided by our own in-house photographer Christopher Vinn) of what you have missed so far.

Halloween is not just a day for kids to get enormous amounts of candy. Halloween is a day for adults to get creative. If ideas are not coming to you for your costume, use this gallery to help you develop some.

Every year I see more and more slutty nurses and police officers. The number of super hero costumes have been growing too. All of these costumes lack innovation and creativity. Also, the majority of costumes are bought in a package with no uniqueness required.

If you are buying these pre-packaged costumes then you are also running the risk of meeting others out on the town in the same costume. I would hate to show up at a party and see five other ladies in my outfit.

To break from this trend of no thought costumes, we need to wake our brains up for some original ideas. This is the only holiday that you can become anything that you like and go around town to have as much fun as possible. The crazier you can make your costume and night the better. As adults we can truly celebrate this holiday. We may not be receiving free candy anymore, but we have more opportunities for fun.

Let me clear a few things up before I continue. I am not saying Halloween should be a total night of debauchery, there is a line between fun and woah. Please drink responsibly and be safe while out at night. Guys, I am not trying to take away the one night a year almost every girl in the world dresses in next to nothing. I am only trying to encourage the use of creative thinking when developing a costume.

You can be anything! Scary, cute, weird, or just different from your everyday life. If you can completely transform yourself, the reaction will be double what you could get as a plain firefighter or sexy teacher.

Below is a photo gallery of some great costume makeup. This might help you get an idea of what you want to do. At the very least, this will get your mind working on a different level than the Halloween stores are.

Tuesday is worse than Monday. The fond memories of the weekend are quickly fading and we are no closer to the next weekend.  To get through this day and get ready for Halloween, here are some of man’s best friends to our aid.

Animals can reduce stress levels. Stress reduction of any kind is in high demand, especially in the workplace. If at work or at home, this photo gallery will hopefully lessen your stress. At the very least, this will put a smile on your face.

When my mother went shopping for a swimsuit for me, she was very strict with how it fit, looked and covered — and it was NEVER a bikini. I actually purchased my first bikini at 18 years old. My mother was always very particular about how I looked as a young girl, and made sure that I dressed age appropriate. Now, a bikini line for young girls designed by Elizabeth Hurley is getting much flak and is being called ‘inappropriate’ and ‘disturbing.’Actress Elizabeth Hurley calls the swimsuits for young girls “fun” on her website. However, Claude Knight, the director of the charity Kidscape, is begging to differ:

It is very disturbing to see some inappropriate items in this swimwear range.” 

According to reports, parents along with Knight are accusing Hurley’s brand of sexualizing young girls. Some of the descriptions on the brand’s website look like this:

The description promotes the “grown-up” look for little girls, but also disclaims that they are still well-covered.

What do you think? Tell us below.

Mix 93-1 was backstage before the Train show at the Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie this past Saturday hanging with Mix VIP Mary Rainwater of Palestine in her very own dressing room right across the hall from Train’s dressing room!

When Mary was escorted back to her dressing room, she passed the dressing rooms of opening acts, Andy Grammer and Mat Kearney!  Mary walked into here dressing room that was stocked with refreshments and snacks along with some of her nerves.  Mary is a big Train fan and it was to be her first time to meet Pat, Jimmy and Scott.  Just as Mary was getting settled and comfortable in her dressing room that she won as a Mix VIP member, in walks Train.  Jimmy was first followed by Scott and then Pat.  Mary got to spend quite a bit of time with the band in her dressing room chatting with them and getting their autographs and then it was off to the production room for pictures with the band.

Later in the evening Mary got to go backstage one more time to meet and hang out with Mat Kearney after his set.  Then she was back in her seats right before Train took the stage and rocked out the Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie.

Train opened the show with “50 Ways To Say Goodbye” and continued to play for Mary and the crowd for about an hour and half.  It was a pretty interactive show that was filled with tons of hits and new music that went on pretty much non-stop.  During the show, it seemed Pat was constantly signing things while performing, along with throwing out t-shirts and beach balls to the crowd.  At one point in the show Pat pulls about 35 girls on stage to be mermaids and later asks a couple to come on stage that got engaged during the show!

Before closing the show Pat and the band had signed an acoustic guitar and gave it away to an audience member.  Pat called this young boy on stage and told the crowd that they do this for each show and noticed this young boy who was 12 and in the front row.  Near the beginning of the show, Pat threw out red Train t-shirts and he noticed right away that this young boy did not keep the shirt for himself, but instead turned and gave it to his little sister.  For this act of kindness, Pat awarded the boy with the autographed acoustic guitar and then his little sister and friend got to come up on stage and sit with the band while they performed the last song of the night.

That was a great way to end a great evening at the Train show in Grand Prairie.

Congratulations again to Mary Rainwater of Palestine on winning her dressing room backstage.  It pays to be a Mix VIP!