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 is Selling Your Driver’s License Info
If you have a Texas driver's license, there's a good chance that another business has the information that's listed on your ID card. The state of Texas is selling our info, and they've made $2.7 million on it since 2010.
What’s The Best Dive Bar in Texas?
Oh those poor peeps at Yahoo. They were pressed with the tall task of finding the best dive bars in all 50 states, and I'm sure they just hated doing the painstaking research and eating all that great food and drinking interesting concoctions for weeks on end.
What's your favorite dive? Most people have been to the one ranked the best in Texas at some point in their lives.
Alcohol Sales Possible At Gun Shows In Texas
Up until now, if a gun show was held at a venue that allows alcohol, drink sales were suspended during the show, but soon you may be browsing around at a gun show with a beer in hand, if you're so inclined.
Facebook Deletes Hunting Pics Posted By Texas Tech Cheerleader
Pictures on Texas Tech Cheerleader Kendall Jones' Facebook page went viral recently, and now Facebook has deleted some of them.
The Trailer Is Out For the New Lego Movie
Perhaps your experience with Legos is similar to mine. You enjoyed playing with them as a kid, but you could never quite build anything as elaborate as shown on the box. And now you have kids who play with Legos, and they are better at building elaborate things with the toy blocks than you ever were...
Make-A-Wish Helps East Texas Toddler
The Make-a-Wish Foundation has been granting wishes to children with incurable diseases for many years, and an East Texas toddler became the most recent wish recipient over the weekend.
Guess where he's headed?
And the First Baby Born in 2013 in Tyler Is …
The first baby born in 2013 in Tyler came into the world at 12:45 a.m. on Jan. 1 at Trinity Mother Francis Hospital.
Who was the lucky Mom?
‘Fiscal Cliff’ and ‘Bucket List’ Among Phrases That Need to Go
Every year, Michigan's Lake Superior State University asks people which words and phrases have been so overused that they should be essentially banished from the English language.
Tired of the phrase "Fiscal Cliff?" That makes the new list. What about "boneless wings?"
The new list was released Monday, and we'll post all of the words that should be banished, according to Lake S
Starting the New Year With the Flu? You’re Not Alone
Maybe it's not just the effects of the New Year's Eve drinks that you're feeling today. Many people in East Texas are sick with something other than the "brown bottle flu" right now.
Flu cases are up in Texas. Emergency rooms from Dallas to Tyler to Houston are saying they're seeing more flu cases right now, with fevers of 102 to 103 and that yucky, awful, achey feeling. And of course th
Would You Ever Name Your Child ‘Hashtag?’
Seriously. The name Hashtag is on the list of baby name possibilities in 2013, according to one website.
I did grow up in Nebraska with a boy named Tag. Perhaps Tag's parents were just ahead of the curve, and knew that someday Twitter would keep conversations going with that # symbol, and the hashtag would reach new heights in popularity. They just decided to shorten it.
What about Android? Would
Houston Texans’ Playoff Game Announced
If you're a football fan, you know that the Houston Texans had a shot at the #1 seed in the playoffs, which would have given them a week off to rest and await their next opponent. But they lost to the Colts yesterday, and the cards fell in a way that drops them to the #3 seed, meaning they have to play this weekend.
And oh, those Cowboys...what happened this season. Cowboy fans are in a funk tod
Forest Service Says Be Careful With New Year’s Eve Fireworks
Got your fireworks yet? There are just two opportunities each year to buy fireworks in Texas – near the 4th of July, and new New Year’s Eve. Business is good right now at local fireworks stands with the holiday fast approaching. Our own Leslie Reynolds offered tips on where to get the fireworks in a recent blog.
Even though there has been some recent moisture, it’s been another dry year and we sho