GOOD MORNING! It’s been a lovely few mornings of late — cooler.
ON THE LEAD LIVE TODAY
Delayne Sigerman hosts at 9 a.m. this morning, and she’s bringing two guests dedicated to the arts. The Kerrville Folk Festival’s Mary Muse and Hill Country Arts Foundation’s Wanda Garner Cash will join Sigerman to discuss upcoming events. The Folk Festival changed its run of shows next month when the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission declined to grant the nonprofit organization a liquor license because the festival required proof of vaccines to gain admission. Cash will discuss the upcoming Texas Arts and Crafts Fair that will be held next weekend in Ingram.
SOME KEY HEADLINES FOR TODAY
- Donations from Kerr County residents made their way to California to support Republican Larry Elder in that state’s recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom
- Peterson reported its first COVID-19 death in September
- Texas doctors, seeing unprecedented numbers of pregnant patients with COVID-19, urge pregnant people to get vaccinated
SCHREINER ANNOUNCES ENROLLMENT NUMBERS
Schreiner University announced Wednesday it had 1,103 students to starts its 99th year of instruction. The number is about where the university has been for the last few years, but considering the impact of COVID-19, officials said it was a good number.
“Our most significant accomplishment this year, besides performing better in this last COVID
year than our budget assumed we would, was our ability to improve our selectivity by 12%,” Schreiner University President Charlie McCormick said via a press release. “Schreiner’s increasing selectivity is a measure of how we are getting better and better at identifying the best ‘fit’ students. And to be clear, while most higher education institutions determine selectivity through SAT scores and high school GPAs, Schreiner has decided to base its selectivity on recruiting those students who have grit and resilience. We believe – as we have throughout our 100-year history – that high test scores are admirable, but potential and promise is even better.”
ADD SCHREINER … IT’S TEXFEST
If you love music and all things Texas, Schreiner University will be the place to be starting tonight and through Saturday. It’s TexFest — formerly known as Texas Heritage Days. Thursday night's main event is the kickoff concert with Santiago Jimenez — a three-time Grammy nominee. The show is at 7 p.m. at Trailhead Beer Garden.
Here’s a rundown of the key events starting Friday for TexFest:
Friday
- 9 a.m. — Registration Open
- 9 a.m. — Texas Heritage Days
- 10 a.m — Featured Artist – Exit 505
- 11:30 a.m. — Tribute to the “Father of Country Music” – Jimmie Rodgers. Featuring: George Ensle, Michael Martin and George Batista, Thom Spirit (Poet), Him & Her and special guests.
- 5 p.m. — Featured Artist – Eric O’Shea (Comedy)
- 7 p.m. — Friday After Dark: Join us for our guided Dead Texans Tour and learn the stories of some of Glen Rest Cemetery’s most famous residents.
- 7 p.m. — Trailhead Stage Featured Artist – Clint Alford
- 7 p.m — Cornhole Tournament
Saturday
- 8 a.m. — Uniquely Texas 5K/Fun Run
- 9 a.m. — Sand Volleyball Tournament – Register Here
- 10 a.m. — Live Music ALL DAY
- 12 p.m. — BBQ Lunch (Schreiner BBQ Team)
- 1 – 3 p.m. — Rise Against Hunger Community Service Project
- 6 p.m. — Trailhead Stage Featured Artist – Bernie Nelson
- 7 p.m. — Fall Ball (Semi-Formal) @ SU Event Center
FIXING ABBOTT’S DOG PROBLEM
When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for a third special session of the legislature, he slipped in at the end the one thing that could shore up or tar his re-election campaign — dogs.
Yes, dogs. Even with bipartisan support, Abbott vetoed Senate Bill 474, which criminalized leaving dogs unsheltered or chained to poles or other inert objects. The bill passed the Texas house with an 83-32 vote to approve the changes to the criminal code. Rep. Andrew Murr, who represents Kerr County, was one of 32 Republicans to vote against the bill, which passed 28-3 in the senate. In the Senate, Sen. Dawn Buckingham voted to approve the bill.
However, when it got to Abbott’s desk, he joined in a small minority of fellow Republicans in objecting to the criminalization component.
"Texas is no place for this kind of micro-managing and over-criminalization," Abbott wrote when he vetoed the bill.
The Texas Tribune's Ross Ramsey wrote that Abbott made a grave political mistake by vetoing the bill.
"The governor's veto is a political opponent's dream. Any meathead who has even seen a political advertisement could write this one," Ramsey wrote.
The legislature begins its third session on Sept. 20, and a re-examination of SB 474 is on the agenda. After the veto, Abbott was excoriated on social media for his stance, and there were sporadic protest groups holding signs of dogs with heavy chains around their necks.
One of the Hill Country’s leading voices on animal advocacy, Kerrville Pets Alive, praised the governor’s decision to revisit the subject.
We are happy and relieved to hear that Governor Abbot is going to revisit Senate Bill 474. “It is all in the details when it comes to providing humane treatment and legal enforcement for the welfare of dogs in Texas,” said Karen Guerriero, President of Kerrville Pets Alive! “We see too many dogs in our area that suffer in extreme conditions without adequate shelter and water. This law would allow animal control and law enforcement in Texas to take the measures needed to protect dogs, especially during Winter Storm Uri."
