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
Red Kettle Campaign Provides An Easy Way To Have a Big Impact
All of that spare change tossed into the famous Red Kettles at storefronts, will add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Salvation Army's charity work in Tyler.
Wacky New Ice Cream Flavors Are Coming
Seasonal flavors of coffee, ice cream, and even potato chips are all the rage. We get those, right? It's not too hard to understand that pumpkin ice cream might be kinda good, maybe tasting a bit like pumpkin pie. Pumpkin coffee is yummy too. Those who have tried the pumpkin-flavored Pringles say they're surprisingly good too. The sweet-salty combination works.
Some researchers say pairing a v
UT Tyler Students Honored at Atlanta Conference
The Southern Regional Model United Nations Conference in Atlanta turned out to be a great thing for UT Tyler students.
Saturday Night Is A Great Time To Lose Your Valuables
If you're headed out tonight for some holiday cheer, be forewarned that you just may lose your smart phone.
New stats say Saturday evening at 6pm is the most common time to lose things.
Perhaps when the beverages start flowing, we become more forgetful than usual. What other things to we typically lose on a Saturday night?
And The Color of 2013 Shall Be….Emerald!
People get paid to sit around and think about what colors should identify a particular year or a particular season, and then they declare it to be true, and people buy those colors. Amazing!
The color company Pantone has issued their annual color forecast, and if we want to be hip next year, this is the color we should buy.
How Much Are You Spending on Christmas This Year?
The amount we fork over for Christmas gifts has gone up every year since 2008.
The iPads, flat screen TVs, and video game must-haves ain't cheap! When you add up the hot electronics, the ugly sweaters, and the popcorn tin gift sets, we're spending just shy of a thousand bucks on Christmas.
East Texas Man Accused of Setting Roommate on Fire
Police say a Longview man is in jail after pouring lighter fluid onto his roommate as he slept, and setting him on fire.
Guilty Foods Really Do Taste Better!
Ever been on a diet and decided to splurge on a really big calorie-busting snack?
It just tastes so darn good! In fact, it tastes best when we're not supposed to have it. And now there's scientific evidence to prove it.
Case Involving an Alaska Serial Killer Has Ties to East Texas
It's a story that has made national news. Earlier this week, accused serial killer Israel Keyes was found dead in his jail cell in Alaska after an apparent suicide.
He's accused of abducting, assualting, killing, and dismembering the body of an 18-year old barista who was kidnapped from a coffee stand last February.
In March, Keyes was arrested at the parking lot of a Cotton Patch Cafe in Lufkin a
Bring on the Holiday Office Parties! Even Though Employees Would Rather Skip ‘Em.
Oh those holiday office parties...if you want to be a good employee you have to go. But you can't have too much fun or you'll risk ending up dancing on a table with someone else's shirt on your head, and the video will get thousands of hits on youtube.
A study by Forbes says 90 percent of offices will have holiday parties this year. That's good news! It's a sign that the economy is back on tr
Heisman Finalist Johnny Manziel Has Tyler Ties
The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious honor that a single college football player can receive, and this Saturday we'll find out if Tyler native Johnny Manziel wins it.
Even Texas Longhorn fans might admit that Manziel has had a pretty great season with the Texas A&M Aggies.
Self-Gifting Is Big This Year
While you're out doing the holiday shopping and buying gifts for everyone else, are you tempted to splurge on something for yourself?
This idea of self-gifting was actually part of the sermon I heard at church yesterday, so I did a little more investigating and dug up some interesting facts.
My pastor said we'll spend on average, $75 on a gift for a close friend, $23 on an acquaintance, and $123