GOOD MORNING! It's Friday!
This morning we're welcoming 216th District Attorney Lucy Wilke on The Lead Live at 9 a.m. We may talk about the law, but expect a lot of discussion about dogs.
ICYMI FROM THURSDAY
They walked and prayed for those at Peterson Regional Medical Center. For the staff, for the patients and for the community. We were there yesterday as Joan Cortez and Pastor Joe Taylor led a prayer vigil and walked seven laps around the hospital. Here's our story: https://kerrcountylead.bulletin.com/608693823463416
OUR BEST BET
Head over to the Point Theater tonight in Ingram to see Seussical. Tonight's performance is at 7:30. Here's how the theater describes the show: "Transporting audiences from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus, the Cat in the Hat, our narrator, tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust containing tiny people called the Whos, including Jojo, a Who child, who gets in trouble for thinking too many "thinks." Horton's challenge is twofold — not only must he protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must also guard an abandoned egg that's been left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphantly!"
TOM BRADY DOES IT AGAIN
Despite Dak Prescott's epic night passing (42-of-58 passing with 403 yards, three TDs), the Dallas Cowboys found themselves on the losing end of opening night to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The venerable Tom Brady, Tampa's quarterback, threw four TDs and the defending Super Bowl champs beat the Cowboys on a field goal with two seconds left in the game.
THE U.S. VS. TEXAS AND TEXAS VS. THE U.S.
OK, we're in a very strange time, and Thursday marked a ramping up of the battle between the federal government and the states.
President Joe Biden said Thursday he would order all federal employees to be vaccinated. Then he doubled down on vaccinations by ordering all private companies with more than 100 employees to get vaccinated.
"I have determined that ensuring the health and safety of the Federal workforce and the efficiency of the civil service requires immediate action to protect the Federal workforce and individuals interacting with the Federal workforce," Biden said.
That means if you're working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Knipling-Bushland Research Laboratory, you're getting vaccinated. There are some exceptions.
In the case of Peterson Regional Medical Center, its acceptance of Medicare ensures vaccination requirements for all employees.
"Biden's vaccine mandate is an assault on private businesses," Gov. Greg Abbott said on Twitter. "Texas is already working to halt this power grab."
The impact on private businesses is minimal for Kerr County, and several large companies, including Walmart, have already begun rolling out vaccination plans.
Abbott wasn't the only one angered by the decision. It was easy to measure conservative fury on Twitter.
While Biden was issuing executive actions, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland sued Texas over its abortion law.
"Today, the Biden Administration sued every individual in #Texas. Biden should focus on fixing the border crisis, Afghanistan, the economy and countless other disasters instead of meddling in state's (SIC) sovereign rights," Paxton wrote on Twitter. "I will use every available resource to fight for life."
In the end, the Supreme Court will be the likely place these cases land.
CELEBRITY REACTION
We'll leave this here:
ACTIVE CASES IN KISD
Kerrville Independent School District updated its COVID-19 cases, with 195 active in the schools, including 71 in the district's four elementary schools.
KISD keeps an active case count, but groups of parents were keeping their own counts. However, that reporting has slowed to a trickle. So, it's unclear how many cases KISD has currently. In the first four weeks of the school year, 370 students and staff have contracted the virus.
What makes this particularly interesting is that it's unclear how many active cases are in Kerr County? The Texas Department of State Health Services says there are 190 active cases right now. So, the truth is no one really knows what's going on.
