GOOD MORNING

After a bit of a stormy Wednesday morning, the weather looks pleasant with warm days and cool evenings — perfect for some trick or treating. In fact, we have a jam-packed weekend ahead of us with numerous events to enjoy for families.

ON TODAY'S SHOW

Thursday's host of The Lead Live, Delayne Sigerman, will chat with Brenda Thompson of the Dietert Center. The show starts at 9 a.m. and we'll get the latest wine selections and how Delayne is progressing through the Ina Garten cookbook.

DRAG RACING DEATH TOLL RISES

There is now three dead from the drag racing crash Saturday at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport. Rebecca Cedillo, 46, died early Wednesday morning from her injuries at San Antonio's University Hospital. Cedillo was one of four people taken by helicopter to hospitals in San Antonio and Austin. Cedillo is the aunt of Santiago Martinez, 8, who died from his injuries on Saturday at Peterson Regional Medical Center. Martinez's funeral is at 1 p.m. today in San Antonio.

COVID-19 TOLL CONTINUES TO CLIMB

The Texas Department of State of Health Services reported Kerr County's ninth COVID-19 death — or eighth if you're counting how the county tracks it. However, the latest death was on Oct. 7, which demonstrates the difficulty of managing the delta variant of COVID-19. From Sept. 13 through Oct. 7, there were only four days where no deaths occurred, but the state is still compiling the data. In 2020, there were just three deaths in October.

FAMILIES AND LITERACY

On Wednesday, Families and Literacy Executive Director Misty Kohte was our guest on The Lead Live, and she brought with her the organization's operations coordinator, Tammi Bingham.

The hiring of Kerrville native Bingham and Fredericksburg's Lisa Shockley, who coordinates English as a second language program, has helped solidify the organizations' efforts in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

For those unacquainted with the program, it plays a vital role in helping people obtain their GED or take the classes they need to improve their language skills.

When the pandemic hit, Kohte had to make a transition from in-person instruction to virtual learning. In turn, the program has adjusted to a hybrid model, but Kohte needed an operations expert to help.

Bingham worked for more than 15 years in various roles, including communications, events and advancement. After stepping away from the university, Bingham decided she wanted back into education and Families and Literacy felt like the right fit.

"I thought this would be perfect; I've worked in higher ed for 15 years," Bingham said. "Being able to help these adults, who are really trying to go back do something better for themselves, whether it's to learn our language because they're not from our country, or trying to get their citizenship."

Watch the full video interview, along with our interview of Schreiner's Kathleen Hudson, who will feature more of on Friday: https://fb.watch/8VTwlFA5ku/

SCHREINER UNIVERSITY MOVES ONE STEP CLOSER TO FOOTBALL

Schreiner University's board of trustees approved last week to continue studying a plan to re-instate the football program, which ended in the 1950s. The university is considering joining other Texas-based universities in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Association, which competes in the non-scholarship NCAA Division III.

Schreiner University Marketing and Communications Manager Toby Appleton stopped by The Lead Live on Wednesday and confirmed the story for us.

If the university moves forward with the plan, Schreiner would likely field a team for the 2023-24 school year. Finding the money to pay for the program is going to be one of the biggest challenges. Early estimates that startup costs could be more than $1 million. The final decision could come in December.

IT WAS A ROUGH DAY ON SIDNEY BAKER

The morning started at about 9:30 a.m. with a woman driving south on Sidney Baker Highway, hitting two vehicles before plowing into a rock wall in front of the Kerrville Police Station. The woman, according to police, was driving an SUV and landed on the wall. The resulting impact blasted the rock wall into cars in the police employee parking lot. It was more like shrapnel — busting windows and leaving heavy dents in vehicles. Police said the driver was taken to Peterson Regional Medical Center, and another woman who was struck in the incident was also treated at the hospital. Police are still investigating the incident.

The traffic mayhem wasn't done yet. At about 2 p.m., a rear-end crash tied up traffic near Sidney Baker and Main Street.

K-9 UNIT IS INCHING CLOSER

The Kerrville Police Department's efforts to purchase a new dog — or K-9 — is nearing closer. On Wednesday, the department surpassed the $60,000 mark of its $80,000 goal to get the dog. More to come on this story.

IF YOU NEED SOMETHING TO DO

Holy smokes! There's a lot to do this weekend for Fall festivals, Halloween treats and just plain stuff to do. We're going to try to make it to as many as we can but check out our list here: https://kerrcountylead.com/190048063282673

THIS FLEECING IS A GOOD THING

The beauty of fleece and fiber will be on full display at the Hill Country Youth Event Center starting Friday.

The annual Texas Fleece and Fiber Festival — yes, another Kerrville festival — is celebrating its 33rd year. The show starts at noon on Friday and runs until 6 p.m. On Saturday the show starts at 9 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m. The show concludes Sunday — 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Vendors from all over Texas and beyond will offer products and art over the three days Teachers and speakers will offer classes from fiber arts to animal husbandry practices. Live Demonstrations from shearing to washing and dying of fleeces to Exhibits and classes will be held throughout the three-day event.

Information: https://texasfleeceandfiber.com/

LA ESCONDIDA CELEBRATES ONE YEAR

Annabel Medrano at La Escondida SpeakEasy.

Daniel and Annabel Medrano are one ambitious couple. The Center Point residents celebrated the first anniversary of their La Escondida SpeakEasy with a party on Wednesday night.

What is now a barbershop is soon to become expanded into a broader event space. The couple purchased a building next door to its Jefferson Avenue business and will be moving its 1962 Barber Company into that space, along with an eyelash styling business.

"Seeing it all come together next door, I can't wait to see it," Annabel Medrano said. "I can't wait to see this come together."

A year ago, the speakeasy was just a small part of the barbershop, but it has grown significantly. Since that initial launch, the couple has seen the speakeasy business explode, often spilling over into the barbershop. So, the Medrano's expanded.

Wednesday's event was connected to the launch of the November issue of the Fredericksburg Rock and Vine magazine, which featured the couple's efforts of fusing hair cutting, food and drink and art.

Daniel Medrano enjoys live music on Wednesday.

SCHREINER VOLLEYBALL LOSES ITS FINAL HOME MATCH

In its home match season finale, Schreiner University's women's volleyball team fell to visiting Our Lady of the Lake University, 3-1, in a nonconference match. The Mountaineers got 18 kills from Brooke Byer, and Jacqueline Sneed added 12 kills.

However, the Mountaineers were plus-17 in errors that led to Our Lady of the Lake points. The Mountaineers committed 28 hitting errors, but they also gave up seven service aces.

Schreiner is now 4-17 on the season, and the Mountaineers finish the season against Trinity and Southwestern in back-to-back matches on Saturday.