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Gov. Abbott to read flood victims’ names at Symphony of the Hills’ free July 4 concert
Abbott is confirmed to attend and will read the names of the 119 flood victims as the symphony performs Bach’s “Air on the G String,” dedicated to those lost and affected on July 4, 2025.
The Lead’s stories
Texas’ new school-choice program begins funding accounts July 1
The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, or TEFA, was created by Senate Bill 2, the education savings account measure — a voucher-style plan critics call vouchers and supporters call school choice — that the Legislature passed and Gov. Greg Abbott signed in 2025, after years of resistance led largely by rural Republicans.
A year on, Habitat Kerr County expects 30 flood-impacted families home
The nonprofit says it has directed more than $5 million into the local economy through its recovery work, funded largely by the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund — with 10 families still on its caseload.
Supreme Court says political party spending limits unconstitutional
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the conservative majority, said so-called coordinated expenditures — party spending on advertising and other campaign activity carried out in consultation with a candidate’s campaign — are core political speech that the government may not broadly restrict.
Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship
Justices rule 6-3 that the executive order is unlawful; five find it violates the 14th Amendment
Trust in doctors and health agencies shapes whether people know HPV causes cancer, MD Anderson study finds
Overall, 61.4% of those respondents knew that HPV can cause cervical cancer — a figure researchers note has been slipping in recent years even as the vaccine has become widely available.
This week: A Fourth of July weekend of remembrance, healing and resilience
For all the grief this weekend carries, it is also a homecoming — a chance for the community to be together along the water that means so much to this place.
Screwworm opens a far-south front as the state draws its 10th quarantine zone
A new detection in Jim Hogg County pushed Texas to quarantine three border-area counties this weekend — more than 200 miles from the cluster pressing on Kerr County, and a sign the outbreak is now moving on more than one front.
A 51-year wait ends as Kerrville gives its historic cemetery a permanent caretaker
The City Council conveyed the Tivy Mountain Historic Black Cemetery — the resting place of more than 200 people, including the largest number of formerly enslaved Kerr County residents buried anywhere — to a nonprofit formed by descendants and the teacher who found it overgrown in 1976.
Kerr County moves to close septic permit loophole as online claims outpace the facts
The order before the Commissioners Court is limited in scope. It would require a permit for every new on-site sewage facility regardless of lot size, eliminating an exemption that has let single-family homes on tracts larger than 10 acres skip permitting.
‘Together we are better’: community prayer week to open at Louise Hays Park
Kerr Together will open “7 Days of Prayer for Kerr County” with a Prayer at the Park gathering at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 28. The event is open to all; organizers ask attendees to bring a chair and water. It kicks off seven days of daily prayer that run Monday, June 29, through Sunday, July 5 — the week bracketing the one-year anniversary of the Guadalupe River flood that killed 119 people across the county.
Robert Earl Keen revisits his Lost Highway years with two anniversary reissues
The Kerrville songwriter will put out a 25th-anniversary edition of “Gravitational Forces” on July 10 and a 15th-anniversary “Ready for Confetti” on Aug. 21, and has added a run of fall shows at Floore’s.
Camp Mystic mothers say deaths were avoidable in Friday ‘Dateline’ special
“After the Flood,” anchored by Lester Holt, airs at 9 p.m. CT, as Kerr County approaches the one-year anniversary of the Guadalupe River flood and days after the Eastland family entities’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, which has frozen wrongful-death litigation tied to the disaster.
The Lead Live’s Fifth Annual Nonprofit Week starts Aug. 14 with record 64 organizations across six days
Combined with the main week running Aug. 17-21, this year’s Nonprofit Week spans six broadcast days and features 63 Kerr County nonprofits, civic organizations, and community groups — the most in the event’s five-year history.
A court ruling says COVID-era tax penalties may be refundable. The catch is July 10.
On The Lead Live, Kerrville tax preparer Deena Elliott explained why most people haven’t heard of the Kwong decision — and why she’s urging them to check with an advisor before the deadline.
Symphony of the Hills to mark July 4 with a free concert, flag art and a tribute to the flood’s 119 victims
The “Stars, Stripes and Spirit” program at the Cailloux celebrates the nation’s 250th birthday and, on the flood’s first anniversary, will read aloud the names of those who died in Kerr County.
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
Arts and Culture
Gov. Abbott to read flood victims’ names at Symphony of the Hills’ free July 4 concert
Abbott is confirmed to attend and will read the names of the 119 flood victims as the symphony performs Bach’s “Air on the G String,” dedicated to those lost and affected on July 4, 2025.
Riverside Nature Center’s July lineup mixes nature walks with flood-warning and screwworm talks
The center is closed July 4 for the holiday. Its mostly free month of programming includes a UGRA conversation on the new RiverHub flood dashboard and an extension agent’s screwworm briefing — alongside bird walks, moth night and Pokémon.
DAR chapter invites the Hill Country to ring bells for the nation’s 250th on July 4
The Major James Kerr Chapter is coordinating a bell-ringing at 1:50 p.m. — synced to a nationwide moment — with a Kerrville gathering at Zion Lutheran Church and anyone welcome to ring from home.
Photo galleries
Photo gallery: Frozen Jr at the Cailloux Theater
The 60-minute adaptation of the Broadway and film hit follows royal sisters Anna and Elsa after Elsa’s powers plunge the kingdom of Arendelle into an eternal winter, sending Anna on a journey to save both her sister and her home.
Photo gallery: The 2026 BluesFest at the Doyle Community Center
The BluesFest keeps growing and the music keeps heating up at the Doyle Community Center.
Photo gallery: The 2026 Women of Distinction
The Kerr County Lead’s first-ever Women of Distinction Awards, a two-and-a-half-hour celebration of the women — and groups of women — who nominators said have shaped Kerr County, especially in the long recovery since the July 4, 2025 flood.
Photo gallery: The 2026 Kerrville Folk Festival
Our mega gallery from the 20 acts we photographed at the 2026 Kerrville Folk Festival.
Photo gallery: Night to Unite shows the past, present and future of Cailloux Theater
The performing arts group hosted Night to Unite, which showcased the center’s past, present and future.
Sports
Pat Holmes, AFL All-Star who later called Kerrville home, dies at 85
Durable as well as decorated, he started every game of his first five seasons and never missed a game in seven years with the Oilers, appearing in all 98 and starting 96.
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.
Tivy product Rhodes nearly steals one for Oklahoma State in Tuscaloosa regional opener
He worked the final 6⅓ innings, striking out six and allowing three runs on four hits — a workmanlike effort that kept Oklahoma State within striking distance until the final out.
Obituaries
Donald Dale Wilson, MD: Sept. 1, 1935-June 22, 2026
Don retired from medical practice in Texas and California some years ago to live out his dream back in Texas on a cattle ranch surrounded by the sprawling Hill Country that moved him so much.
Warren Moncsko: Nov. 27, 1944-June 25, 2026
Warren proudly served his country in the United States Navy for nine years, serving aboard submarines. His final deployment was aboard the USS Simon Bolivar. His military service was a source of great pride throughout his life.
Christopher Garza: June 16, 1979-June 22, 2026
As a loyal San Antonio Spurs fan, Christopher never missed an opportunity to celebrate his favorite team. Win or lose, he proudly wore the silver and black, sharing his enthusiasm with everyone
Nelson Hull Ferris: Sept. 14, 1940-June 28, 2026
Nelson was a man of many qualities, but it was perhaps his great sense of humor that endeared him most to others.
Dorian Lebris Ball: April 2, 1965-June 25, 2026
Dorian was described as a jack of all trades and master of none, often reciting quirky fun facts and sharing his vast knowledge of car mechanics.
Community voices
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.
Op-ed: It’s time to get involved in your party, reminders for voting
And do not think your vote doesn’t matter! If you voted in the Primary, it is incumbent upon you to have your voice heard. If you did not vote in EITHER primary, you can vote in the Republican primary runoff.
Recent photos by The Kerr County Lead.
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.
