The Lead Live Podcast: Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025

The “The Lead Live” episode, hosted by Louis Amestoy, broadcast Sept. 2, 2025, from the Peterson Health Digital Studio at Pint and Plow Brewing Co., featured discussions on local news, real estate trends and community recovery efforts. Guests included Julie Davis of the Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Janelle Peralt of JP Properties TX, and Pastor Joe Taylor of Southern Oaks Church.

Amestoy opened the show by addressing past weather predictions and current conditions, noting two 100-degree days in May despite earlier remarks. He reported on a brief commissioner’s court meeting, the successful reopening of the Riverside Nature Center, and local high school football results, with Tivy, Centerpoint and Harper securing wins. The Tivy game included a national anthem performance by senior Amber Stone and flyovers by the Texas Department of Military, game wardens and the Department of Public Safety.

Discussions also covered Kerrville’s eligibility for $50 million in funds, with Amestoy suggesting it could aid in rebuilding Louise Hayes Park and repairing the river trail. The reopening of Cracker’s drew approximately 1,000 people, described as a “healing day.” Concerns were raised about increased traffic, particularly on Sydney Baker, attributed partly to recovery-related dump trucks. Amestoy also noted a down stock market, with tariffs impacting coffee and camera equipment costs.

Janelle Peralt shared details of a personal landscaping project, which led to the discovery of a 101-million-year-old straight-shelled ammonite fossil. On the real estate front, she described the market as “green and beautiful” with active showings and offers, expressing anticipation for a rate cut. Peralt highlighted the implications of 835 new Texas laws enacted Sept. 1, including one preventing cities over 75,000 from enforcing minimal lot sizes, which she believes could drive increased density in larger cities and prompt migration to suburban and rural areas like Kerr County.

Pastor Joe Taylor, who also celebrated a birthday in August, discussed plans for the new Southern Oaks Church campus on Texas Highway 173. The campus aims to be a regional church capable of hosting community events and potentially a flood relief warehouse for supplies and first responder showers. Taylor emphasized inter-church coordination in disaster response, detailing how local churches are pooling resources to fund over $100,000 in well and septic tank repairs for two flood-damaged subdivisions in Hunt. He recounted how the church’s foundation withstood the recent flood and shared a personal story about the 1987 Comfort flood, which strengthened his faith. He also connected with Rick Coons, the youth pastor who drove the bus during the 1987 flood, who spoke at Southern Oaks Church.