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Bob’s Clogs foots the bill for HELP Center

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Roland Gaebert, president of the Idyllwild Rotary Club, delivered 300 pairs of shoes to the Idyllwild HELP Center on May 16. The shoes had been donated to Rotary Past District Governor Chehab Elawar from Skechers. Gaebert picked up Idyllwild’s allotment and delivered them to the center. Gratefully accepting the shoes on behalf of the HELP Center are (from left) Colleen Meyer, executive director; Conor O’Farrell, vice president of the HELP Center board; Gaebert; and Skye Zambrana, client services administrator. Photo by Tom Kluzak

The Idyllwild Rotary Club has again made a significant contribution to the Idyllwild HELP Center.

On Tuesday, May 16, President Roland Gaebert and Past President Chuck Weisbart delivered 300 pairs of Bob’s Clogs to the HELP Center.

“It is a fun opportunity and great potential,” said HELP Center Executive Director Colleen Meyer. “I know it will impact a lot of people. The things [the Rotary] does for us is amazing.”

All 300 pairs are new. Meyer says they are available for purchase in the center’s Thrift Shop and also many will be shared with the center’s clientele.

Behind the unusual and generous donation was Chehab Elawar, the former president of the Rotary’s district, according to Weisbart.

“He is committed to causes,” Weisbart said, describing Elawar. “He comes across manufacturers and is prepared to use whatever they can offer. He’s the ultimate humanitarian.”

In this case, Elawar received 27,000 pairs of Bob’s Clogs from Skechers. He has a warehouse where he stores these supplies as they are shared among the 63 Rotary clubs of District 5330, which includes Idyllwild.

Some have already been taken to orphanages in Mexicali, Weisbart said.

“We can’t do too much for the HELP Center,” Weisbart stressed.

“This was really cool,” Meyer admitted. “It was definitely a surprise.”

Bear spotting

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After we posed the question: “When was the last time bears were seen in residential aresa on the Hill” on last week’s front cover, a bear visited the Hill. There were several reported sitings, including the Tiso residence in Mountain Center last week. On Friday, he or she visited some Fern Valley residents and ambled up to Humber Park.
Photo by Benjamin Tiso

This past week, a bear was seen in Garner Valley. The visitor spent time at the Tiso residence.

"… hung out on our lawn at least three times over about four days. It ate our chickens, chewed our dogs bones and played with the dinosaur toys," Alan Tiso wrote to the Town Crier.

On Friday, Tracy Philippi observed it sauntering up Humber Park.

The Bear ambling through Humber Park. Photo by Tracy Philippi

Since then, no other sightings have been noted.

Less funding available in Pine Cove in absence of ambulance fee

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The Station 23 (Pine Cove) new Type 6 fie engine is being prepared for duty.
Photo courtesy Becky Smith, Pine Cove Water District

The Advisory Committee for County Service Area 38 (Pine Cove) began to review the fiscal year 2017-18 budget and received status reports on several current year equipment purchases at last week’s meeting.

The tentative budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, is anticipated to drop by more than 50 percent. The current-year budget, including the new engine, is $680,000 and the 2017-18 projection is $300,000.

The committee is not strictly tightening its belt. This year, the committee, through the Riverside County Fire Department, purchased a new Type 6 engine for Station 23 (Pine Cove). Its cost was nearly $250,000, thus this expense will not carry forward.

Riverside County Deputy Chief Greg Everhart attended the meeting and reported that the new vehicle was in Indio being outfitted for service and would soon be assigned to the Pine Cove station. It is likely to be designated Medic Patrol 23.

The county has been impressed with these Type 6 engines, according to Everhart, and has ordered five more engines.

The CSA 38 revenue also is decreasing this year and into the future. The committee recommended that the county stop collecting the special parcel fee for ambulance service. This was approved in 2004. Beginning in July 2016, American Medical Response, instead of Idyllwild Fire, began providing ambulance service to CSA 38 residents.

Just as other unincorporated areas of Riverside County, which are served by AMR through the master county ambulance contract, Pine Cove will no longer have to make a community payment for ambulance service; consequently, the need for the special parcel fee was avoided.

Ambulance fee collections approached $95,000 annually. The other revenue source, which is about $60,000 from a long-standing property tax, the county shares with CSA 38.

Committee member Marge Muir requested a financial report before approving the new budget. She wanted to be sure what the carryover balance would be at the end of this year before committing too much of CSA’s funds for next year.

“The money is going pretty fast. We should be a little bit frugal buying huge equipment,” Muir advised. “We don’t have much money and don’t replenish it quickly.”

A few of the major projects being requested for 2017-18 include $75,000 for the environmental review for the fuelbreak work, new extrication equipment for the new engine and capital improvements ($100,000) at Station 23, such as a shade cover for the fuel tank and equipment.

Chair Jerry Holldber, who agreed with Muir, asked Everhart if the fire department could discuss the priorities of each request at the June meeting.

Pine Cove Water adopts revised water rules

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The Pine Cove Water District is offering free water conservation kits to its customers.
Photo by JP Crumrine

New ordinance replaces 1957 version

More than a year later, the revision of Pine Cove Water District’s original water policy ordinance has been completed and accepted. At the May 10 meeting, Ordinance 9, a new set of rules and regulations for setting water policies, was unanimously approved and replaces Ordinance 4, originally adopted March 16, 1957.

The major change is an expansion of the section and rules regarding cross-connections, which water districts limit and monitor to prevent private water sources from polluting the public system.

“There have been a lot of new state laws and this updates our backflow requirements,” General Manager Jerry Holldber told the board in response to a question from Director Lou Padula. “It also spells out the methodology for how we will set water charges, which will be done through resolutions.”

The regulation for cross-connections will require periodic inspections. Later, Padula asked who would pay for these inspections. “The customer,” replied Holldber. “However, there will be some costs for the water district, but I can’t estimate them yet.”

Customer inspections will only be needed for properties with private wells that have a potential to get into the water system, not all water customers, he stressed.

Director Vicki Jakubac asked about the section that discusses properties with multiple housing units, to which Holldber explained that there may be just one meter for the property, but each additional unit may affect the rates to be set by a board resolution.

Holldber also confirmed that there was no change to the policy of dealing with a catastrophic bill. “There is no forgiveness. By law we can give them up to 12 months to pay the bill, as long as the current charges are being paid.”

Pine Cove resident Marge Muir did request an estimate of the cost to develop Ordinance 9. “I’d like to find out what the document cost,” she said.

The board also reviewed the draft budget, which Holldber proposes, for the fiscal year 2017-18, which begins July 1. The new budget will be $900,000, a $50,000 increase over the current year.

The growth in revenue comes for anticipated water sales revenue, increased lease rates for Rocky Point customers and selling new water meters.

Salaries and benefits increase $25,000. This is a combination of the second field staff member, who was hired this year, being on board for the entire fiscal year and a proposed salary increase of 3 percent, for $14,000 for salaries.

The investment in improvements increases $50,000, the largest increase. This is primarily for materials, such as pipeline, for the south-central Pine Cove project, which Holldber said would require several years to complete.

The final payment for the tractor, bought in 2014, was made this fiscal year, which reduces expenses about $27,500 going forward, for a net increase of $50,000 for the entire fiscal year.

The current fiscal year is doing well, Holldber told the board. The cash balance of $280,000 is nearing a high.

Water production in April was about 2.9 million gallons, about 300,000 gallons more than March and 750,000 gallons more than April 2016. For the first four months of 2017, total production has been 9.9 million gallons, which is 1.6 million more than the same period last year.

Besides moving to Stage 1 water conservation, Holldber attributed a portion of the increased production to “some leaks.”

The winter precipitation is beginning to be seen in PCWD’s wells, he said. The groundwater level of the monitoring well, no. 10, rose 9 feet in April, to 134 feet, the highest it has been since October 2015.

“I don’t know what it will do every month, but I expect another 30- to 40-foot increase over the summer,” he told the board.

At the June board meeting, the directors will hold a hearing on the standby fees and approve the 2017-18 budget.

V. Manny Perez new Supervisor for 4th District

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On Friday, May 12, V. Manny Perez was sworn in as the new Riverside County 4th District supervisor. Administering the oath of office is Clerk of the Board of Supervisors Kecia Harper-Ihem.
Photo courtesy Riverside County

Brown makes appointment to replace Benoit

When it meets on May 23, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors will have five members. Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown appointed former Assemblyman V. Manny Perez, 44, as the county’s 4th District supervisor, who took the oath of office Friday, May 12.

In the county’s press release, Perez said, “I am humbled and excited. We have a lot of work to do together as a district. I will be reaching out to all communities in the form of listening tours to better understand the concerns of my constituents. This morning was my first official briefing on the budget and I will be following up with staff next week on next steps …”

He is the second Democrat appointed to the board. In 2015, after former Supervisor Jeff Stone was elected to the state Senate, Brown appointed Democrat Chuck Washington to finish his term.

Washington was elected to a full four-year term last year.

After learning of Perez’s appointment, Stone said in a press release, “As a former Riverside County supervisor myself, I wish Manny Perez the best of luck in his new position and look forward to working with him to improve the quality of life for the residents of Riverside County.”

Perez replaces former Supervisor John Benoit who died in December. The term will expire in 2018, and challengers to Perez, if he decides to run for a full term, are already beginning to appear.

He joins the board just in time for the fiscal year 2017-18 budget decisions.

As an assemblyman from 2008 to 2014, Perez represented the 80th District, which encompasses eastern Riverside County (Cathedral City to Blythe) and all of Imperial County.

With his Assembly term ending in 2014, Perez challenged Benoit for the supervisor’s seat, but Benoit was easily re-elected with 57 percent of the vote.

Perez grew up in the Coachella Valley. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Riverside, and a Master of Education degree in administrative planning and social policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Perez was a high school teacher before being elected to the Coachella Valley Unified School District in 2004, which launched his political career.

Craig Wills survives head-on crash

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Craig Wills is home from the hospital. He suffered fractured vertebrae after another car swerved and drove his truck head-on into Wills’ vehicle shown below. Photos courtesy Kelly Wills and Deborah Gooch

Suffered spinal fractures from uncontrolled driver

Monday evening, May 8, a fatal accident occurred in Valle Vista. The story was in the Town Crier’s May 11 edition.

While driving from work, an Idyllwild resident, Craig Wills, 62, the California Highway Patrol identified him as Phillip, was hit by a Toyota Tundra. Wills saw the Toyota’s erratic movements, tried to avoid it and had to brace for the head-on collision.

The driver of the Toyota veered into Wills lane, after swerving between lanes. According to the CHP press release, “The man driving the truck was not wearing his seatbelt and was ejected. He sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

Wills was injured and had to spend several days in the hospital. He is home now, with fractured vertebrae, said his wife, Kelly. Eventually, he will return to work at the Riverside County Coroner’s office. At home he has to wear a back brace and use a walker in the house.

But the commute will be much more difficult because as shown in the accompanying photo, his 14-year-old Honda was totaled. The couple’s second vehicle is a 27-year-old truck.

Kelly’s mother, Debra Gooch, is trying to raise funds to help the couple replace the truck. The Go Fund site, https://www.gofundme.com/wills-family-needs-help, has a photo of Wills’ Honda at the accident site.

“Kelly and Craig depended their vehicle to get him back and forth to work. Their only other vehicle is a 27 year-old truck. I am hoping to raise enough money for them to buy a dependable vehicle and help with money while Craig is home recovering,” Gooch wrote in her story seeking help. “It will help a very special family get back on their feet.”

Through Sunday, helpful and sympathetic friends have contributed about $2,000 toward Gooch’s goal of $12,000.

In a grateful response to the help, Craig said in an email, “This is a miracle from God and we are overwhelmed by all the prayers, love, and support that we have received.”

Out Loud: Our Idyllwild School coverage

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More and more, we in the newsroom at the TC have experienced an impediment to covering local students at Idyllwild School: parents or guardians.

Last week, one of our freelance photographers went to Open House at the school and took lots of photos. He turned in four photos of the school concert without getting names. JP forwarded them to the front office for identification. Of the six performers’ photos taken that evening, we were not given names of four of the students.

Their parents had denied this request the school district provides at the beginning of the year:

“Granted Media Release — I give permission for my student to be interviewed, photographed, or filmed by members of the media or other agencies.”

No law currently exists in California denying journalists access to this information. And we realize that the front office must follow district rules and deny this information.

But, if we want to, we can get the names through another source, such as another parent. But we choose not to do so.

Primarily because we realize that some children may be endangered by having their names published in a newspaper — maybe because of a domestic violence issue or potential domestic abduction.

But it’s difficult to believe four out of six children randomly photographed all are in such a situation.

What we don’t think parents realize when they deny that school district — not media — release is that their kids don’t get to appear in their local newspaper. They’re denied the opportunity to be a student of the week. They’re denied the opportunity to celebrate being published in the local newspaper.

That child is denied the opportunity to feel pride in being published in the local newspaper that thousands of people read, including fellow students.

After my mother passed away, we found a scrapbook full of newspaper clipping about her children, grandchildren and other family members. Newspaper clippings celebrate life.

The parents/guardians who deny media access probably post photos of their children on social media, such as Facebook, for all to see. A fleeting moment; nothing tangible to hold onto as precious as that indelible, eternal newsprint captured for all time.

What inevitably will occur sometime soon is that we will take a photo of a group of students, send it to the front office for identification and be told that a kid somewhere in the front row has a parent who denied publication. What do we do then? Photoshop out the image? No, that’s not ethical. Then, do we discard the photo and deny all the other kids the opportunity to be published in their local newspaper? Yes, that’s what we will have to do.

In essence, this is creating a chilling effect on our coverage of Idyllwild School. We will stop photographing the open houses, the school sports programs, the book sales, the smARTS events, the concerts, the plays, the barbecue days, back-to-school nights, Back to the Future nights, school dances, first day of school, etc., etc.

I put this out there to other newspaper editors this week and already, some of them have pulled away from local school coverage because of this issue.

Is this the age we live in now or is it just that parents/guardians don’t know what they denied? I will be glad to continue this conversation with any of you, anonymously or not. Looking forward to it.

Readers Write: Reminiscing on newspapering

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We enjoy out trips to Idyllwild and usually spend a few days at the Idyllwild Inn during the summer months to escape the August and September heat down the Hill.

We’ve subscribed to the Town Crier for a couple years or so and enjoy reading it every week. I don’t know much about the people talked about nor the agencies and businesses discussed throughout the paper, but am totally enamored with your small-town newspaper and its quality.

 While I was working on my Bachelor of Arts in education at Arizona State University in the very early ’70s and living in Cave Creek, Arizona, I supported myself by working for the Black Mountain News, a weekly newspaper not dissimilar to your Town Crier. Your column on May 11 discussing how newspaper technology has changed drew me back to when I was in the news business.

Our paper was fully cut-and-paste and I was the keyboarder, typing all the copy into a clunky machine that printed everything in columns that were then cut and pasted onto master boards (so much wax!) along with the display ads ready for the printer.

The weekly drama of putting the paper to bed is a favorite memory and we (the staff of three) were so proud of what we accomplished when the printed papers returned from the printer. Then we addressed (inked … worst part of the week) and distributed the papers to the subscribers and businesses.

I have wonderful memories of working for that small-town newspaper, one of my favorite memories ever. I love community newspapers like the Town Crier and am happy to be a subscriber. You and your staff do a great job.

 Congratulations on your fine newspaper and on the great reporting I see every week. The Town Crier doesn’t walk away from controversy and I admire that, most of all. Please keep up the good work as we need the free, inquisitive and steady press now more than ever.

Rick Smedstad

Rancho Mirage

Readers Write: An appeal to the raven feeder

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To whoever is feeding the ravens in the vicinity of Double View, Middle Ridge and West Ridge, please leave a water bowl for them or stop feeding them your garbage. They are bringing it to my bird water bowl on Double View and leaving a gunky mess of soaking bread, chicken bones and other food waste.

I have to clean it out three to five times a day, which is a disgusting task and a waste of water.

I extend this plea to all raven feeders. Your neighbors do not appreciate your garbage in their water sources. I also realize you are probably not aware this is happening so this to tell you it is.

Diann Coate

Idyllwild

Readers Write: Re: ‘Off The Leash’

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In Conor O’Farrell’s column, he expresses his concern that he didn’t pay enough attention to the growing tension that slowly moved into our media outlets and that government is supposed to do the business of “the people” and not secure the fortunes of the rich and powerful.

I have no idea what his point was. His column is a perfect example of the conflict in our country. Obviously, he believes that self-described socialist Bernie Sanders is the only candidate to shine a light on our problems, but he fell short because of our “changeaphobia.”

A large part of what’s wrong is that too many people just don’t get it. Hillary Clinton won California by more votes than the difference in the popular vote for the entire nation, so I am not sure what Mr. O’Farrell could have done to achieve a different outcome.

Until those who disagree with people who actually voted for our president realize that 62,984,825 of your fellow citizens voted for President Trump and we are not stupid, ignorant, racist or blah, blah, blah, we will continue to have the anger he describes.

I am angry, too. I’m angry that there’s such hatred, eye-rolling and disdain toward fellow citizens for exercising our right to vote. We have a democracy and, as President Obama famously said, “Elections have consequences.” Electing Donald Trump is prima facie evidence that some of us do not suffer from “changeaphobia,” but rather, the status quo.

On the one hand, Mr. O’Farrell decries, “If we let them divide us ...” and yet he says “… we are stuck with a leader without a map, a brain or an education.” Hardly a way to “learn to talk to each other” and “open our minds to change.” We don’t agree, but that doesn’t make either one of us evil or stupid.

My biggest fear is that people literally want President Trump to fail. Do they not understand that means we fail too?

Patricia Lane

Idyllwild

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