GOOD MORNING
We are starting to get a clearer picture of the events from Saturday's fatal crash that killed two young boys during a drag race at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport.
BUT FIRST
On today's 9 a.m. episode of The Lead Live, we'll be joined by:
- Kerrville Mayor Bill Blackburn will be our guest; he will discuss managing the trauma associated with Saturday's events and give us a broader update on the latest in city business.
- Kerrville Pets Alive! President Karen Guerriero will stop by to give us an update on the group's latest activities. Guerriero will provide further context on Gov. Greg Abbott's signing of a bill strengthening animal abuse laws in Texas.
- Museum of Western Art Executive Director Darrell Beauchamp will join us to discuss the museum's Halloween activities set for Saturday.
MORE DETAILS EMERGE ON SATURDAY'S CRASH
On Monday, we learned the names of all of those injured and the identity of a six-year-old boy killed in the drag racing crash at Kerrville-Kerr County Airport. The name of an eight-year-old boy who also died has not been released.
The four injured are:
- Chance Dean Jones, 26. Taylor, Texas. Jones remains hospitalized and reportedly in stable condition at Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas.
- Mary Kate "Katy" Walls, 27, of Taylor, Texas. Walls remains hospitalized and reportedly in critical condition at University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas.
- Rebecca Cedillo, 46, of Converse, Texas. Cedillo remains hospitalized and reportedly in critical condition at University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas.
- Michael Gonzales, 34, of Fort Worth, Texas. Gonzales remains hospitalized and reportedly in stable condition at San Antonio Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
The son of Chance Jones, Daniel, died at the airport in the moments after a 1990 Ford Mustang plowed into the crowd. Kerrville police said Gonzales drove the car.
THE COMMISSIONERS COURT
The Kerr County Commissioners Court made no public comments during its meeting on Monday morning. However, Pct. 2 Commissioner Beck Gipson offered prayers for the families during the opening invocation.
KERRVILLE CITY COUNCIL
The Kerrville City Council meets at 6 p.m. tonight at Arcadia Live, 717 Water St., but we don't expect significant comments from the City Council about the incident.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
In this case of what happened at Race Wars 2 on Saturday, there are plenty of commentaries about what happened, especially regarding safety. By far, the most engaged commenters were on drag racing pages on Facebook.
Drag Coverage, which has more than 125,000 followers on Facebook, was filled with comments about the incident. The site had more than 500 comments on its initial post about the crash. The consensus was that the event should have never allowed spectators past the finish line.
"Racing with spectators needs to be done at a real race track," wrote commenter Mike Bjorum on Drag Coverage.
Of course, all of this, according to Mike Sigerman, is Monday-morning quarterbacking.
"Monday morning quarterbacking is interesting but where is your indignation for parents that would allow six- and eight-year-old children to be in such harm's way," Sigerman wrote on The Lead's Facebook page. "I would never allow my kids to be at the end of a runway with no barriers, and common sense would keep me away from that area as well. This is a true tragedy but placing blame at this point is poor judgment."
Certainly, others echoed Sigerman's argument throughout the comments. During Monday's Lead Live, event and security expert Jonathan Lusher said the Kerrville Police Department should allow an independent organization to investigate the incident.
No matter, there's still a long way to go with this story.
ANDREW MURR ANNOUNCES HIS RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Texas Rep. Andrew Murr announced Monday that he is running for re-election in a move that surprised no one. Murr, of course, represents the 53rd District, which includes Kerr County. Thanks to new legislative maps, Murr's district has gotten even bigger — stretching westward toward El Paso.
"It's been my honor to represent rural Texas values and fight to protect our conservative beliefs," Murr said in his re-election press release. "The 87th legislative session and subsequent special sessions have been some of the most conservative in history, but we have even more work to do. The local communities I represent are still recovering from a national pandemic, destructive weather and constant federal overreach."
FOR THE DOGS
One of the pieces of legislation Murr voted against was Senate Bill 5, which strengthens laws around the inhumane treatment of dogs when it comes to shelter and restraint. After initially vetoing the bill, Gov. Greg Abbott sent it back to the legislature for a re-do after animal groups excoriated him. A dog owner himself, Abbott, signed the legislation on Monday. We will talk to Kerrville Pets Alive's Karen Guerriero about the bill on The Lead Live Today.
HILL COUNTRY COLLEGE FUND
Schreiner University has begun The Hill Country College Fund Campaign for 2021-2022. The university said it's looking to raise more than $700,000 for the 2021-2022 campaign in a press release.
A kickoff dinner heralding the start of this year's campaign is scheduled for Nov. 2 outside the Weir Academic Building on the campus of Schreiner University. The dinner is open to the public by RSVP only. Community members wishing to donate can do so at www.schreiner.edu/giving/hccf/.
The Hill Country College Fund provides scholarships for students from Kerr and surrounding counties to attend Schreiner University. Dave Weekley is Chairman for the 2021-2022 Hill Country College Fund Campaign, and the Advanced Gifts Division Leader (chair-elect) is Greg Appel, the Regional President of Happy State Bank.
