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Texas Rangers allege manslaughter by Camp Mystic in sworn warrant affidavits
Texas Ranger Brant C. Johnston wrote that he believes the camp company committed manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, injury to a child, abandoning or endangering a child, and deadly conduct.
The Lead’s stories
Kerr County’s cultural calendar is packed wall to wall this week
The Lead’s events list counts roughly three dozen live music performances alone — a run that stretches from open mics and karaoke nights to a marquee Saturday concert from “The Voice” winner Jake Hoot at the Cailloux Theater.
Warren’s late field goal lifts Schreiner past Southwestern, 31-28
Schreiner University needed every last tick of the clock to beat Southwestern (Texas) 31-28 on Saturday night at Antler Stadium, closing the game with a nine-play, 59-yard drive that ended with Bryce Warren’s 33-yard field goal as time expired.
Diesel prices continue to soar with record prices, including
A Ford F-150 with its 26-gallon tank — cost about $103 to fill at Texas’s current regular average, up from about $72 a year ago: roughly $31 more for the same truck, same tank, same driver.
Kerrville police investigating apparent murder-suicide on Lois Street
The Kerrville Police Department is investigating an apparent murder-suicide after officers found a man and a woman dead inside a home in the 600 block of Lois Street on Wednesday morning.
From Steinway to saloon stage, Kerr County’s week runs deep
Whatever the taste — classical, country or somewhere in between — Kerr County’s calendar for the week of Sept. 14 doesn’t leave much room for boredom.
Diesel prices hit record highs in Texas and nationwide as fuel costs keep climbing
In Texas, diesel is up from $5.6683 yesterday, more than 5% from a week ago ($5.4868) and nearly 17% from a month ago ($4.9293). It’s up 79% from a year ago, when the state average was $3.2224.
Volunteer river cleanup set for Thursday at Louise Hays Park
The goal is to remove and sort bagged trash and construction, metal and wood debris while leaving organic material in place for now, pending an evaluation of what should stay to stabilize the riverbanks and support new plant growth.
Hill Country Charity Ball Association announces five 2027 beneficiaries
This year’s beneficiaries are Kerr First Responder Alliance of Counseling (Kerr FRAC), Blind Faith Foundation, Courage Beyond Combat, Hill Country Crisis Council and Pregnancy Resource Center.
9-11 remembrances highlight another busy week of events across Kerr County
Friday brings three separate ways to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, alongside a midweek event tied to Kerrville’s own flood recovery.
Schreiner outlasts Austin College 33-27 in program’s first game since 1956
First-year coach Keith Allen didn’t sugarcoat his team’s first outing. Asked what went well, he said: “We scored more points than the opposing team.” Asked what didn’t: “Everything else. We’ve got to clean up a lot of stuff.”
Kerr County gas prices near record highs, far above last year’s rates
Statewide, regular gasoline is up from $2.77 a gallon a year ago — an increase of nearly 33%. Nationally, the trend looks similar. AAA’s national average stood at $4.14 a gallon this week, up from $3.19 a gallon a year ago, a jump of about 30%.
Schreiner brings football home for the first time since the 1950s, with a roster built from Texas
The Mountaineers open the season at 6 p.m. Saturday against Austin College at Antler Stadium, the first of five home dates this fall under a new agreement that lets Schreiner share Kerrville ISD’s stadium with Tivy High School.
Planning and Zoning Commission approves Texan Store truck stop and gas station
One commissioner said they’d gone into the meeting skeptical about putting a truck stop at one of the city’s main entry points, but came away impressed after reviewing the company’s site plan and existing locations, calling it a well-designed property.
Trump says he’s sending Texas $50.5 million for storm recovery — no word on what it covers
The obvious question locally: does this have anything to do with the flooding that hit Kerrville and the rest of the Hill Country in July?
Truck stop and gas station chain eyes Sidney Baker Street site near I-10
The commission meets at 4 p.m. at City Hall. The only public hearing item on the agenda is Case PZ-2026-16, a bundle of three conditional use permits covering roughly 12.57 acres on Sidney Baker Street, on and around the site of a former Exxon station.
The Lead’s Special Report
The monster in the canyon: What the storm actually was — and what was never asked
Nine months after the flood, federal meteorologists tell the full story. In 15 hours of legislative testimony this week, none of it came up.
At 12:56 a.m. on July 4, 2025, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Austin sent a message through its professional communications platform: “Some cell mergers about to take place in central Kerr County. This will be an area to watch for potential flash flooding.”
Eighteen minutes later, a flash flood warning went out to cell phones across the Hunt area — the ninth such warning issued for the Guadalupe River corridor since 2020. The previous eight had all expired without a mass casualty event.
By 4:03 a.m., NWS had upgraded that warning to a Flash Flood Emergency — the most urgent alert the agency can issue. Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator Dub Thomas was home sick that night. Whether anyone else in Kerr County’s emergency structure was actively monitoring professional NWS channels during those critical hours remains unknown. Read more: https://kerrcountylead.com/the-monster-in-the-canyon-what-the-storm-actually-was-and-what-was-never-asked/
The Lead’s Special Sections
Nonprofit Week 2026
All Hands and Hearts: ‘Flash flooding typically doesn’t go for 20 miles’
The organization is working in close collaboration with Texas State University and San Antonio regional VOAD — Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters — networks to develop and share mitigation education more broadly.
Light on the Hill: 469 households reached, 200 more this week, and a food pantry Monday morning
Palmer appeared as the opening guest of Nonprofit Week’s final day to describe an organization that has been in continuous disaster response mode since July 4, 2025 — and is, by her own honest assessment, running a marathon with no finish line in sight.
Reach Global: ‘People over projects’ — and a daughter born in a baptistry at the peak of the flood
Reach Global Crisis Response was founded by Mark Lewis during Hurricane Katrina after he observed something most disaster relief organizations miss: survivors often experience their deepest emotional trauma not during the disaster but after — when the crews leave, the house goes quiet, and the weight of what happened finally lands. The organization’s entire model is built to address that gap.
Water Street Festival returns Oct. 24 — and a three-year-old’s dance at Francisco’s is why
Sigerman, a Kerrville City Councilmember, appeared to promote the second annual Water Street Festival — Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — and to make the case that community events are not optional extras in a flood recovery economy. They are economic survival.
Schreiner Songkeepers: a world-class violist, a strong opinion about AI, and a man who used it to leave a final album for his family
The program works with students of any level. Caldwell described a collaboration with Mac Damon of Stone Creek Sound in which a student who simply wants to write a song about their dog can emerge with a professionally recorded track.
Hill Country Ministries: 192 countries, 10 million emails, Stage 3 cancer, and ‘use it for my glory’
“God impressed on me: use it for my glory,” she said Monday on The Lead Live’s Nonprofit Week — the final guest of the final day of The Lead Live’s Fifth Annual Nonprofit Week.
Kerr Kids: a military helicopter flew over, and a mother decided her children needed somewhere to play
The operating model is deliberate and worth understanding: Kerr Kids is a stay-and-play facility. Parents do not drop children off and leave. They stay and play alongside their kids. Chavez described watching something she did not expect.
Texas Hill Country Trail Alliance: $113,800 raised, 100 acres of undeveloped park, and a rule about carpet
The alliance’s primary project is Singing Wind Park — 100 acres of city-owned land on the outskirts of Kerrville that has long been underutilized.
Kerr Arts and Cultural Center: Navigating building capacity and there’s a vault sale in the basement
“There’s been so much exhaustion when it comes to the impact of the floods and giving,” she said Monday on The Lead Live’s Nonprofit Week. “All we’re all hungry right now. People just aren’t giving to the arts right now.”
The top 25 moments from Lead Live’s Fifth Annual Nonprofit Week — so far
Sixty-eight segments. 121 guests. Six broadcast days, totaling more than 30 hours. What follows are the 25 moments from The Lead Live’s Fifth Annual Nonprofit Week that we can’t stop thinking about — the revelations, the stories, and the lines that captured something true about Kerr County in the summer of 2026.
Arts and Culture
Kerr County’s cultural calendar is packed wall to wall this week
The Lead’s events list counts roughly three dozen live music performances alone — a run that stretches from open mics and karaoke nights to a marquee Saturday concert from “The Voice” winner Jake Hoot at the Cailloux Theater.
From Steinway to saloon stage, Kerr County’s week runs deep
Whatever the taste — classical, country or somewhere in between — Kerr County’s calendar for the week of Sept. 14 doesn’t leave much room for boredom.
9-11 remembrances highlight another busy week of events across Kerr County
Friday brings three separate ways to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, alongside a midweek event tied to Kerrville’s own flood recovery.
Photo galleries
Photo gallery: Schreiner football posts 31-28 win over Southwestern
Schreiner University trailed by seven three separate times Saturday night against Southwestern (Texas) and answered every time in a non-conference game that Southwestern controlled for long stretches on the scoreboard — and still lost, 31-28, at Antler Stadium.
Photo gallery: Flags of Honor at River Star Park
Five hundred American flags stood in formation at Kerrville River Star Arts Park on Saturday as veterans, first responders and flood survivors gathered for the Kerrville Flags of Honor ceremony, the culmination of a week of 9/11 25th-anniversary memorial events across Kerr County.
Photo gallery: K-STAR’s annual car show
K-STAR, a nonprofit aimed at protecting at-risk children, held its annual fundraising car show at the Hill Country Youth Event Center on Sept. 12, 2026.
Photo gallery: Bark in the Park
The city of Kerrville Parks and Recreation Department, with the support of Kerrville Pets Alive and Freeman-Fritts Animal Shelter, hosted its first Bark in the Park event on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026.
Photo gallery: Schreiner football makes its historic return
The Schreiner University football program made its historic return on Saturday night at Antler Stadium.
Photo gallery: Schreiner women’s soccer exhibition against Concordia
The Schreiner University women’s soccer team opened its season on Sunday by playing host to Concordia Texas i
Photo gallery: Tailchasers, Central Provisions take top honors at inaugural Salsa Fest
Trailhead Beer Garden’s first-ever Salsa Fest drew 16 Makers and 28 salsas Saturday, with Tasters crowning winners in Red and Green categories.
Photo gallery: Hill Country Arts Foundation’s Hot Shakespeare at Arcadia Live
A night of painful delight at Arcadia Live.
Photo gallery: July 18, 2026 flood recovery
Across Kerr County on July 18, the community came together to help feed residents who were displaced by the July 16, 2026 flood.
Photo gallery: July 17, 2026 flood recovery
The day after the July 16, 2026 flood, Kerrville and Kerr County tried to pick up the pieces following a devastating event that damaged hundreds of homes and businesses.
Sports
Warren’s late field goal lifts Schreiner past Southwestern, 31-28
Schreiner University needed every last tick of the clock to beat Southwestern (Texas) 31-28 on Saturday night at Antler Stadium, closing the game with a nine-play, 59-yard drive that ended with Bryce Warren’s 33-yard field goal as time expired.
Schreiner volleyball rallies from two sets down to win at Cal Lutheran
Mackenzie Strban matched Hilliard’s kill total with 17 of her own on a .196 clip, finishing with 17.0 points. Jesse Garner added 12 kills, and Lauren Monaco hit .250 with seven kills. Ashlyn Willburn chipped in five kills.
Schreiner, Concordia (Texas) play to 1-1 draw at Mountaineer Soccer Field
Cody Smith gave Schreiner an early lead in the 14th minute, finishing off an assist from Ryan Dilworth and Cameron Hoschar.
Schreiner University Sports Pages
Obituaries
Ken Weber: Dec. 1, 1938-Sept. 11, 2026
One of his greatest joys was playing softball. He loved being on the field, competing with friends, and enjoying the camaraderie that came with the game. He was a founding member of the Senior Softball League in Kerrville, played ball into his 80’s, and was inducted into the Senior Softball Hall of Fame.
Jose Angel Duarte: Aug. 2, 1934-Sept. 20, 2026
He worked as a ranch foreman and lab tech for Dr. H.L. Risinger at the High Rafter Ranch for 40 years. He also worked for Dr. Brad Risinger for many years at Risinger Orthodontics.
Lynne Susan Gregory: Aug. 8, 1955-Sept. 12, 2026
Susan’s greatest joy was her granddaughters, and she was an incredible Mimi. She attended plays, tennis matches, volleyball games, hemmed dresses, babysat, played games that ended with her getting whipped cream in the face, threw snowballs, played dress up; she did everything a Mimi is supposed to do and more, and she always did it with a smile on her face and joy in her heart, no matter what the cost.
Jesusa Medrano Madrid: Dec. 25, 1934-Sept. 14, 2026
Susie, or Memo as family and close friends knew her, was a strong, fearless and hardworking woman. Serving as the matriarch of the family since the death of her husband in 1985, she strove to lift her people up and seek out knowledge, ideas, and experiences.
Jacques Gaston Duhr: July 28, 1940-Sept. 16, 2026
After a successful career as chef/owner of several restaurants in that city, the beautiful Hill Country beckoned and the family moved to Kerrville to open Hunter’s Lodge restaurant in 1981.
Community voices
Wayne Uecker: So, God made a small-town Texas business owner
In this Paul Harvey-inspired piece, Kerrville resident Wayne Uecker praises the small business owners of Kerr County.
Editorial: A year later, the hardest comment to hear
So when “nobody told us” gets said out loud, a year on, it lands as a heavy sigh for everyone who has spent that year telling. The nonprofits that stood up relief funds within the week. The case managers. The volunteers.
Commentary: How a trip to Ingram helped bond, unite the San Antonio Spurs to greatness
That trip was initiated by Spurs ownership and management, but it was executed by head coach Mitch Johnson, who made trips to Kerr County in the days immediately after the flood. Johnson saw the devastation firsthand through his volunteer efforts; he connected with the community, especially Ingram Tom Moore football coach and athletic director Tate DeMasco.
They came for Brenda Hughes. Here’s what they used — and what the truth is.
This has been an extraordinary campaign. Not because of anything Hughes has done, but because of what has been done to her.
The Mission of The Kerr County Lead
Covering community news in the heart of the Hill Country.
Founded in 2021, The Kerr County Lead aims to provide high-quality journalism for Kerrville, Texas and the surrounding communities of the splendid Texas Hill Country. In the coming years, Texas faces exponential growth and the challenges of managing land, resources and water. At the same time, the Hill Country offers a robust quality of life and culture. With this mission, The Lead focuses its work on the stories that matter most to the readers in Kerr County.
