Chief Hewitt was born and raised in Southern California. Within two weeks of his graduation from Duarte High School in Los Angeles County, near the San Gabriel Mountains, Hewitt was on the Oak Grove Hot Shots team. That was the first step in his career goal of becoming a firefighter. From the age of 5 or 6, Hewitt knew that is what he wanted to become.
On Saturday, Feb. 18, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit responded to a report of two hikers lost near Soboba Hot Springs. Sheriff’s deputies responded at 6:32 p.m. and RMRU volunteer Lou Kingman of Redlands and the Sheriff’s aviation unit spotted the hikers around 8 p.m. Kingman was lowered in and both [...]
Soon it will be spring again, or in our case, one of those glorious April days when you think winter is over. Anyone who has lived in Idyllwild or visited frequently knows what I mean. The sun shines brightly without a cloud in the sky and warms you over 70 degrees. You’re thinking of putting [...]
There is no repeat this year of a Hill contestant moving forward to American Idol’s final 10 and fame. Neither Suzanne Tufan, once an Idyllwild resident, nor Christina (Christy) Barrett of Anza survived Hollywood Week, actually held in Pasadena. Both were eliminated. So for all those who hold fond remembrances of the “Casey” season, there [...]
Kudos to Idyllwild Fire A year ago, Idyllwild Fire Commissioner Dr. Charles “Chip” Schelly proposed a resolution in response to the State Controller publishing salary data from special districts such as Idyllwild Fire. Schelly’s resolution, which was adopted unanimously, requires the district to post the salary data on its website (www.idyllwildfire.com) as well as payments [...]
Only in Idyllwild. Take a look at other smaller communities throughout the State (about 5,000). Almost all of them have one fire chief for life, not three in two years. The local officials love their jobs and the people appreciate their work and support them. They rarely resign for “personal and family reasons,” as often [...]
Interim Idyllwild Fire Chief Mike Sherman continued to bring budget warnings to the Idyllwild Fire Protection District’s meetings. At Tuesday’s meeting, he first alerted the commission that the 2011-12 ambulance revenue estimate of $335,000 was unlikely to be achieved. “You’ve never received more than $240,000 in [ambulance] revenue,” Sherman said. “Through December, we’ve collected about [...]
President Barack Obama released his proposed 2012-13 budget on Feb. 13. If Congress approves the President’s recommendation, the budget would have a $900 billion deficit, about two-thirds of the projected 2011-12 $1.3 trillion deficit. Part of federal spending includes $4.861 billion for the U.S. Forest Service, a $15.5 million increase from the enacted 2012 budget [...]
On Thursday, Feb. 16, owners Dr. Kenneth Browning and his wife, Sandy Browning, celebrate the grand opening of Fern Creek Medical Center.
In its first meeting since December, the Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors discussed a need to rebuild its board and create a long-term plan for promoting local commerce and increasing the chamber’s overall health. Since quorum was not met, the board could take no action. As previously reported in the Town Crier, Nick [...]
