Good morning, Kerr County!

How about Wednesday's warm afternoon — how about 92 degrees? That trend will continue today, and the National Weather Service warns that low humidity could make for dangerous fire conditions. Forecasters say there will be sustained winds of 10-15 MPH, with gusts of 20 MPH. So, be careful out there.

On today's The Lead Live

Today marks our 300th show since launching The Lead on Aug. 9, 2021, and we've got a great show lined up. Yoga Space co-owner Tracy Cooper stops by to tell us about the classes the downtown Kerrville studio offers. If you remember our Health, Wellness and Beauty shows over the summer, we spent a lot of time talking about the importance of mobility, and Cooper will cover that today. We will also visit with Jeff Stone, the former NASA toilet guru, who will map out Dark Skies Month for us. Texas Hill County Advisors Andrew Gay updates us on the economy, while the Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau Leslie Jones provided the lowdown on weekend events. Join us at 9 a.m.

3 DAYS TO THE CHALK FESTIVAL

Saturday-Sunday, Kerrville City Hall's Peterson Plaza

Kerrville City Hall's Peterson Plaza transforms into a temporary outdoor gallery of art as the sidewalks transform into colorful street paintings. Many artists enjoy interacting with people attending the Kerrville Chalk Festival, and others prefer to work uninterrupted as onlookers observe their progress. The completion of extensive and detailed chalk art may take the entire weekend.

The festival kicks off at 10 a.m. on Saturday and runs until 5 p.m. The festival concludes on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This year there will be a large 7×14 foot patriotic-themed street painting created by Kelly Faltemayer and Russ Gobel, of Houston, TX. Other guest artists will be Ever Galvez, and Jennifer Ripassa, and Lysa Ashley all from Los Angeles, Calif.; Jessi Queen and Zach Herdon, both from Atlanta, Ga.; Joel Yau, of San Francisco, Calif.; Henry Darnell and Carrie Dziabczenko both from Dallas; Kayla Kilmartin of Corpus Christi; Julie Mangum of Llano; Tish Miller of Kerrville as well as Hung Pham and Marcos Hernandez from Houston.

Local professional artists Marty Garcia, Vivian Gray, Aurora Joleen, Vicki Keese, Stephanie Keller, and Liz Painter are also participating this year. Groups from Peterson Middle School, Tivy High School, Ingram Tom Moore High School, Our Lady of the Hills College Prep, The Hunt School, Fredericksburg High School and the Hill Country Youth Ranch will all be chalking squares.

There is no admission charge and the festival will have many free activities for children, free guided tours of the adjacent Schreiner Mansion, and six established food truck vendors. The Kerr Arts and Cultural Center is the 2022 recipient of the festival's donations.

The call of nature in Kerrville

A pair of eagle-eyed wildlife watchers spotted two scenes near downtown Kerrville in the last week. Dani Mohr recorded a beaver cruising the Guadalupe River in Louise Hays Park. Beavers are known to inhabit the river, but this guy was right in the middle of the park. While Mohr captured an aquatic story, Kerrville commercial real estate broker Bruce Stracke watched a brutal act of nature unfold outside his Earl Garrett office. Stracke, an expert photographer, posted on Instagram that a juvenile Cooper's Hawk zeroed in on a rock squirrel for lunch.

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Plenty of drama at the office today: Wild Kingdom. The show began out front of the office between a juvenile Cooper's …

Today's things to do!

Live music

• Cody Canada and the Departed — Arcadia Live!, 7:30 p.m. Information: The details: Cody Canada & The Departed is a three-piece Americana roots-rock band based in New Braunfels, Texas. Opening act featuring The Damn Quails.
• Welcome Home Festival — Quiet Valley Ranch, Kerrville Folk Festival. Information: https://kerrvillefolkfestival.ticketspice.com/welcome-home-fest-2022 Lineup: 8 p.m. — Andrea McGee, The Belfast Girl; 9 p.m. — The Rifters
• Retro Flashback — Southern Sky Music Cafe, 6:30 p.m. Information: https://www.southernskymusiccafe.com
• The Collector's Edition: Joanne Marie and Me Wine Boutique, 6 p.m. Information: https://www.facebook.com/wineboutique1

Busted with a lot of stuff — a lot

A routine traffic stop on Interstate 10 led Kerrville Police to arrest two people on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine, a large quantity of THC, other drug paraphernalia, a stolen handgun, stolen checks, stolen identification and financial information for multiple individuals, as well as other stolen property.

Kerrville Police said they arrested driver Cecilia Anne Keefer, 32, of Charleroi, Penn., and a passenger, Aubrey Dale Friar II, 26, of Spring Branch. The pair are suspects in a string of burglaries and thefts in Virginia and in Hays County, Texas.

A police officer observed an alleged traffic violation at 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 11 at Mile Marker 507, on the eastbound 10, and the officer pulled the vehicle over in the 2100 block of Sidney Baker Street. Police said the officer saw a container inside the car with multiple packages of THC edibles, a felony.

Police said they discovered enough THC for distribution and more than $20,000 in cash. But there's more:

• Police found the currency inside a computer bag containing items reported stolen out of Stafford County, Virginia.
• Officers also located methamphetamine, methamphetamine pipes.
• Two loaded handguns, including one reported stolen out of Stafford County, Virginia.
• Over 50 items of identifying information for three individuals, including 25 $100 Savings Bonds, bank statements containing account numbers and account holder information, Virginia driver's licenses,
• Police also found a U.S. Passport belonging to the owner of the stolen handgun and personal checks belonging to an individual from Virginia.

Friar and Keefer were booked into the Kerr County jail and held pending bonds.

Kerrville Police Department's Blue Santa announced

The Kerrville Police Department and Kerrville Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association (KCPAAA) announced the 2022 Blue Santa program. It helps qualified Kerrville and Kerr County families provide a merry Christmas for their children, ages 13 and younger.

Blue Santa gives clothing and toys for the children, and Kerrville Rotary Club provides generous packages of food for the family. In order to participate the police department says the following is required:

• A completed application.
• Copy of a photo ID of the parent or guardian.
• A copy of a current document showing Medicaid or SNAPS (food stamp) benefits for the children.
• A copy showing proof of school registration for school-age children or a copy of the birth certificate for children too young for school.
• The deadline for completed applications is 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2022.

Blue Santa application forms may be picked up at the front desk at Kerrville Police Department, 429 Sidney Baker St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Blue Santa brings many people in the community together – children and families who receive assistance, police officers who appreciate positive interactions with the public, volunteers who organize and shop for Blue Santa, and people who donate to make it all possible.

To make a donation, send a check to KCPAAA, P.O. Box 290629, Kerrville, TX 78029. KCPAAA is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax-deductible.

Mark your calendar for a talk on Kerr County

The Kerr County Historical Commission will play host to Judy McVay of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas will speak on Joshua D. Brown and Kerr County.

McVay will give her speech at noon on Monday during the Kerr County Historical Commission meeting at Union Church, 101 Travis Street in Kerrville. Visitors are welcome, especially anyone who is a descendant of Joshua D. Brown.

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas – Joshua D. Brown Chapter are active in the area and welcome women who are interested in becoming members and meet the membership requirements.

In November, the chapter plans to host a ceremony to honor Joshua D. Brown at the Brown Cemetery on Spur 100. Brown helped found Kerr County and Kerrville.

Visit the KCHC website: https://www.co.kerr.tx.us/historical/ for more information or contact vicechair.kchc@gmail.com.

Letter to the Editor: Views about the banned books

I was unable to attend this morning's meeting and wanted to share my views about the "Banned book""issue.

First, I would like to thank the Hill Country Community Journal and Tammy Prout for excellent reporting about the issue in the October 5 edition. And also Louis Amestoy's reporting in today's edition of The Lead (he exposed a lie).

Second, thank you Judge Kelly and Mayor Eychner for working together to research the issue and report the misinformation.

I have a Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library card in my wallet. My husband and I attend their wonderful book clubs and events and used their facilities for small group meetings. I have observed on many occasions patrons using the computers and parents with their children using the library during regular school hours who I assumed were homeschooling their children.

The misinformation and lies being shared by Kerr county folks are disturbing. I would hope that both the county and city commissioners would sit at the table, civilly talk about this issue, and address a solution that recognizes the misinformation and lies being presented both in meetings and to the press.

If you doubt the community support for our library and librarians, please let me know and I will personally rally the supporters. This is not a political issue; this is an issue that addresses our freedoms, too.

Lynette Wedig

Kerrville

Schreiner volleyball rallies to close out Howard Payne

Schreiner University's Ryleigh Jones and Howard Payne University's Riley Brittain tangle at the net in the fourth set Thursday night.

Haley Rodriguez led the Schreiner Mountaineers with a team-high nine kills to help overcome a tenacious effort by visiting Howard Payne University, 3-1, on Wednesday night.

The Mountaineers rallied in the fourth set — trailing 16-13 at one point. However, Schreiner got kills by Ryleigh Jones, Brook Beyer and Jacquelyn Sotello to grab an 18-17 lead. Sotello was solid over the final seven points with three kills.

The victory snapped a five-match losing streak for the Mountaineers and marked a three-match sweep of Howard Payne. Schreiner is 8-12 on the season.

Schreiner's Haley Rodriguez is on the attack with one of her nine kills on Wednesday night.

Xera Monterosa had a team-high 26 setting assists against Howard Payne.

Mia Moreno added 17 setting assists for the Mountaineers.

Rodriguez got the Mountaineers to match point with a kill, and the match was decided when Howard Payne committed an attacking error. Schreiner held a 2-0 lead in the match before Howard Payne took the third set, 25-17.

Schreiner's setters were superb. Xera Monterosa had 26 assists, while Mia Moreno added 17. They were able to distribute kills to Beyer and Sotello, who both had eight kills each.

For more photos: https://thekerrcountyleadphotography.zenfoliosite.com/zg/schreiner-volleyball-vs-howard-payne