Jack, as you’ve seen, took care of my column a few times while my heart has been healing from an attack on Sept. 25.
My staff and family (some of whom also are staff), ensured that I take doctors orders and rest.
My heart attack was small — a takotsubo, named for a Japanese clay pot used to fish for octopi.
As the cardio doc said after diagnosis, it will heal. No surgery is needed.
The major question people ask me after “How are you?” is, “How did you know you were having a heart attack?”
So, I want to tell all of you, especially women, that I did not have common symptoms.
I woke up that Friday morning after Jack and I had a nice dinner with friends, eager to watch little Finn. I noticed my chest felt tight from my arm pits to the center. The tightness went up my throat and over to my neck’s right side up to my jaw.
I assumed I had a crick in my neck and esophageal spasms, something I get occasionally.
Four hours later, no change and I started to wonder. While surfing on the Internet, I saw the word “heart attack” in a side ad. I had taken my blood pressure meds that morning but checked my BP anyway.
Over the next few minutes, I checked three times: 172/114, 170/115 and 179/109. That’s when I called for help.
No pain, no shortness of breath, no pressure like a brick or elephant on my chest, no sweating, just tightness in my chest.
I want women to know that we don’t always carry the same symptoms as men.
In the meantime, I’m still not back full-time but am getting stronger each week. In fact, I’m headed home now that I’ve written this column. Take care.
Last Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency due to the number of dead and dying trees resulting from the four-year drought. He also wrote U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack seeking help to mitigate this forest crisis.
“California is facing the worst epidemic of tree mortality in its modern history,” said Brown in his letter to Vilsack. “… A crisis of this magnitude demands action on all fronts.”
Brown cited several reasons for issuing the Emergency Proclamation. The U.S. Forest Service recently estimated that more than 22 million trees have already died in California due to current conditions.
The tree die-off is of such a scale that it significantly worsens wildfire risk in many areas of the state and presents life-safety risks from falling trees to Californians living in rural, forested communities.
Brown has ordered multiple state agencies to take actions to mitigate these threats. A task force composed of Cal Fire, the state departments of Natural Resources and Transportation along with the Energy Commission will identify areas of the state that represent high-hazard zones for wildfire and falling trees.
State agencies, utilities and local governments are to undertake efforts to remove dead or dying trees in these high-hazard zones, especially trees threatening power lines, roads or other evacuation corridors.
Brown also ordered Cal Fire and the state Air Resources Board to work together with federal land managers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to expand using prescribed burns. The intent is to reduce fire risk and avoid greater pollution from major wildfires. The goal is to increase the number of days when tree waste from high-hazard areas may be burned.
The press release also states, “The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and Cal Fire are convening a Task Force on Tree Mortality comprised of state and federal agencies, local governments and utilities that will coordinate emergency protective actions and monitor ongoing conditions.”
In his letter to Vilsack, Brown requested, “… more federal matching funds authorized in the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill for insect- and disease-designated areas to augment state resources.” He also requested that Vilsack redirect more Forest Service funds “… to remove trees on federal lands adjacent to communities.”
He also asked for more help from the Department of Natural Resources Conservation Service. And Brown asked for expediting federal approvals of emergency action on or near federal lands.
“We appreciate the seriousness of the tree mortality situation and we look forward to working closely with the state, private land owners and other partners to address this issue throughout California,” said John Miller, public information officer for the San Bernardino National Forest.
Terri Kasinga, Caltrans District 8 public information officer, confirmed stops signs have been installed by Caltrans on Southern California Edison’s Highway 243 project in the center of Idyllwild.
Kasinga noted stop signs now require northbound motorists exiting the one-way lane on Highway 243 to stop before continuing north or turning right or left. Residents of the Idyllwild Trailer Park had complained of a dangerous situation in exiting their park and difficulty of seeing approaching one-way traffic on 243 because of barricades.
Kasinga said the stop signs should eliminate the potential danger. Caltrans’ actions followed their investigation of the site and of Edison’s permit process.
Kasinga said Edison now has a new person in charge of public outreach for the Highway 243 Idyllwild project, charged with answering community concerns. Kasinga also noted some confusing directional signage has been removed.
Edison’s project is scheduled to conclude mid-month.
At about 1:55 p.m. Sunday, James Thomas, 57, resident of Pinyon, was riding his mountain bike downhill on a dirt trail near Pinyon. Thomas was two-tenths of a mile southwest of Highway 74 and Pinon Flats Transfer Station Roda when, according to Riverside County Coroner Sgt. Brent Sechrest, he hit a rocky patch and was thrown from his bike.
Sechrest reported Thomas was riding a good mountain bike, wearing a helmet and all appropriate gear, but died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.
California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer said Thomas suffered significant head injuries in the crash. He also said the only witness was a 49-year-old female hiker from Idyllwild. She found the body about six hours after the time of death.
The incident is under investigation. Anyone with more information should contact the California Highway Patrol, Indio station, at 760-772-8911.
On Thursday, Oct. 26, Richard Latka, 56, of Hemet, was convicted by a federal jury in U.S. District Court of threatening a federal officer. Latka threatened to kill a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer who came to the man’s home to ask about trash dumped in the San Bernardino National Forest.
In October 2014, a Forest Service officer (not identified in the Department of Justice press release) went to a residence in Hemet to investigate trash that had recently been dumped in the nearby national forest. The officer encountered Latka in the front yard of the residence, and Latka reacted angrily when the officer said he wished to speak to “Mr. Morales” without telling Latka the reason.
According to the press release, based on the trial evidence, Latka then ran toward the officer with clenched fists. Believing that Latka intended to hit him, the officer drew his Taser gun, which stopped Latka but he continued screaming at the officer.
The officer got in his car, but Latka continued to scream at him and pounded on the window of the car window, which was a marked law enforcement vehicle. Although the officer drove away, Latka followed in his own car. He began yelling, “Next time you’re dead,” according to witnesses who also reported that Latka later said that he would “get” the officer and that he was going to kill him.
“Threatening the lives of law enforcement officers will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker in the press release. “The officer in this case took many steps to de-escalate the situation and prevent it from getting worse. If not for the officer’s professionalism and calm, the defendant’s conduct could have become more violent and dangerous.”
U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who presided over the trial, set sentencing for Jan. 25, 2016, at which time Latka will face a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, a three-year period of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Brendan Steele fired a 4-under-par 34-34 — 68 Sunday at the CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to tie for third place, his first top-five finish of the new season.
For the third consecutive round, the Idyllwild native was perfect, this time with four birdies. He posted only two bogies all week, both in the first round.
Once again, he pulled off a fabulous shot at the par-4 12th hole. This time, Brendan’s third shot had to be played from the steeply sloped grass above a green-side bunker, with his ball threatening to tumble onto the sand below. The Golf Channel commentators related that his next shot would be tremendously difficult in that it required him to bend over almost double, reaching for the ball well below his feet on a steep slope, and that the heel of the club head often caught in such situations, causing the club face to close, resulting in the ball flying left.
Players don’t practice these kind of shots, they said. But Brendan popped the ball cleanly onto the green and stopped it only a few feet from the pin, a result that the commentators variously characterized as “amazing,” “stupendous” and “incredible,” given the lie of the ball. Then he canned the putt for a great par recovery.
For the tournament, Brendan hit more than two-thirds of the fairways with drives, and he reached a whopping 86 percent of the greens in regulation. He required fewer than 30 putts per round. Other stats are not available.
Brendan’s third-place finish earned 162.5 FedExCup points, giving him 213 so far this early season; he now stands eighth in the PGA Tour in points. He also earned $406,000 in official prize money. He improved his Official World Golf Ranking from 81st to 71st.
B has this week off, but is expected to play next week in the $6.2 million OHL Classic at Mayakoba, Mexico.
Mick Lynch, local poet and performer, and an Irishman with a song in his heart and a smile in his words, is Town Crier artist of the week. Photo by Marshall Smith
Talking with local poet and performer Mick Lynch is a merry experience. No matter the valleys or obstacles he describes in his journey, there is a twinkle in his eye and a lilt in his voice when he tells the tale. And even though every person experiences a unique journey, artists chronicle theirs through their art.
Sometimes that art is an uninterrupted through-line from childhood. With others, as with Lynch, it is an evolution, a journey of discovery, of chance and choice.
He was born into a family of storytellers. His father, Ken Lynch, was a very successful New York radio and TV actor. His radio credits included “The Falcon,” “21st Precinct,” “The Shadow” and “Gunsmoke.” “My father would get killed a couple times a night,” said Lynch. “My mother also did radio.” His father’s TV career spanned 24 years and included appearances in the most successful series from 1959 through 1983.
Mick made his way to Los Angeles and a career in TV and music editing and directing. “I spent 20 years as a film editor, assistant on ‘Star Trek,’ ‘The Waltons’ and ‘Eight is Enough.’ I also directed episodes of ‘Murder She Wrote.’
“But then I had a collision with life in Los Angeles,” Lynch smiled in telling the story of needing to halt a personal downspin and finding a way up and out. For him it was in writing, in telling his story, accurately, painfully, but merrily. He chronicled his ascent in “Out A’ The Pine — Aas un Allum, A Lyric Journey.”
With his permission, we reproduce a bit of it below, but it is truly best to hear Mick loft the words, till they dance around you, making even the pain somehow lovely and lyrical.
All those people you hurt,
From the doin’ and dirt,
Embarrassed I was for that stuff.
Now your house is a heap,
From the sowin’ you reap,
And, there’s pieces of wood in your duff.
So, now take the first step,
Like a house that’s been swept,
You’ll feel cleaner, though nobody saw—
For your life was no show,
But, now surely they’ll know,
That this Mick has met up with the law.
So I walked out the door
With meself and no more,
And the fear like a stone in me gut.
But the feelin’s were new,
Though I hadn’t a clue
Trustin’ somethin’ I didn’t know what.
Mick roamed around L.A. knocking on doors seeking a place to perform “Out A’ The Pine.” He finally got an opportunity at an Irish theater in North Hollywood. “That’s where it started,” he said of his journey from TV editor and director to itinerant poet and performer.
From L.A., again through choice and chance, Mick made his way to Idyllwild.
“Idyllwild is a town where people come to finish things of the heart,” he said. He arrived here the day after 9/11. “I did some poetry that Friday at Café Aroma for Frank [Ferro],” he recalled. That was the local launch of Mick, the Idyllwild poet, actor, musician, singer and storyteller.
While in Idyllwild, Mick founded the Idyllwild Poetry Society with Myra Dutton. Later, with Michael Ryder and Andrea Bond, he sang and played fiddle with Two Micks and a Chick.
Mick’s current project, to be unveiled at a house party on Saturday, Nov. 14, is a collaboration with Dick Halligan, one of the founders of the iconic jazz/rock horn band Blood, Sweat and Tears. “Dick improvises and I recite my poetry and tell my stories,” said Mick. “Radio Tales,” a compilation of 23 poems and little stories, is just that, a recounting of Lynch’s life journey — an homage to his father, his upbringing, a celebration of his life’s peaks and valleys, and the pleasure and the pain of the journey. Mick said Dick plays in moments of poetry pause, improvising as he listens to the stories. “At times I’ll pull back and Dick will expand with more music,” he said. The house performance is a preview of what both men expect to be a wider marketing of the collaboration.
“I guess I came to Idyllwild to find myself, unbeknownst to myself,” said Mick, smiling as he often does. And the finding continues through his words, his music and his irrepressible good humor.
A still from “The Boatman,” opening night feature film for the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema 2016. Photo courtesy of Greg Morgan
The seventh season of the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema promises provocative opening night films, an expanded lineup of 125 features, shorts, documentaries and student films, and valentines to iconic movies celebrating anniversaries in 2016. One “oldie” celebrating its 20th anniversary in Idyllwild even comes with its own DeLorean car.
In the six years since its founding by Idyllwild filmmaker Stephen Savage, the festival has developed a reputation as “must attend” venue for indie filmmakers. Called a “mini Sundance” by the Hollywood Reporter, the festival expands this year to six days to accommodate multiple screenings by the wide variety of national and international submissions. Said Savage, “I had high hopes when I first started laying out the foundation for the Idyllwild festival in 2009, but the past six years have proven to me that even hopes can fall short of some amazing realities. The IIFC moves into 2016 so strong and so viable, I am literally in awe of its potential, as every year the quality of filmmaking gets better and bigger and more inspiring.”
Official opening night Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, films include the U.S. feature “The Boatman,” produced, written, directed and edited by Greg Morgan; from Spain, the official international feature entry “Sonata for Cello,” directed by Anna M. Bofarull; and the official opening night documentary entry, “Rwanda and Juliet,” directed by Ben Proudfoot. Trailers for all three films are available online.
“The Boatman” stars IIFC veteran Oscar Torre in what is being hailed as a breakout performance as a coyote with a perfect record of getting people “across.” Miguel is smuggler of people from Mexico to the U.S., a “boatman” transporting human cargo from one shore to another. Miguel has a providential knack or curse of encountering crash sites where people are dying, as they cross from one shore to another.
“The idea for the script came from my wife [Jeanne Flynn-Morgan],” said Morgan. “What if a truck driver came across a crash and was there to hear the last words of the dying. How would it affect and change that person over time?” Morgan said he used this spiritual element as an overlay on Miguel’s character to see how it affects and changes him as he performs his spotless job as “The Boatman.”
Filmed on location in the high desert of Lancaster and on the Colorado River near Needles., “The Boatman” challenges audiences to understand the longings of these family unification and economic migrants — their desires to escape Mexico’s drug violence, the dangers of the crossing and possibilities of dying — all to rejoin family and build a safer and healthier life in the U.S. “I’m hoping audiences will see the film and make up their own minds about the issues involved,” said Morgan. “Oscar’s performance is unbelievable. He is so prepared and nuanced, the best type of actor to work with.”
“Sonata for Cello” explores the challenges a world-renowned cellist faces when diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic and painful medical disorder that wages war on her body and her ability to continue her career at the levels of excellence for which she is celebrated.
“Rwanda and Juliet” is a feature-length documentary that follows retired Dartmouth professor Andrew Garrod to Kigali, Rwanda, where he mounts a production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” with a company composed of Hutu and Tutsi millennials. For the young woman playing Juliet in the production, the tribal and ethnic divisions that killed over a million people 20 years ago are deeply personal. Her father and many members of her family were murdered by Hutu tribesmen during the 100-day Rwandan genocide.
Garrod believed staging “Romeo and Juliet” with Hutu and Tutsi actors could create openings for healing and reconciliation for the entire country — showing the parallels between the Rwandan genocide and the conflicts between the Capulets and Montagues that doomed Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers.
After opening night and throughout the week, Savage has scheduled a celebration of classic filmmaking for the pure pleasure of it. He will present storied films celebrating anniversaries in 2016, starting with Robert Zemeckis’ “Back to the Future 2,” which turns 20. Both screenwriter Bob Gale and a vintage DeLorean will be in attendance for the festival.
Also on tap, celebrating 40 years, is “The Song Remains the Same,” a concert film featuring the English rock band Led Zeppelin. Filming took place over a three-night period at Madison Square Garden in New York City giving fans what promoters called “a front row seat on Led Zeppelin.”
Turning 50, and also featured at IIFC, is the Robert Wise film “The Sand Pebbles” starring Steve McQueen. Nominated for eight Academy and eight Golden Globe awards, the film was one of the first filmed in Panavision. It was both a commercial success for Twentieth Century Fox and a hit for McQueen. It also was McQueen’s only Oscar nomination. And finally, turning 60 is John Ford’s “The Searchers.” Considered a masterpiece, Robert Ebert called John Wayne’s character Ethan Edwards “one of the most compelling characters Ford and Wayne ever created.” It was named the greatest American Western by AFI in 2008 and placed 12th overall in its list of 100 greatest films. In 1989, “The Searchers” was deemed “culturally, historically and aesthetically significant” by the U.S. Library of Congress.
Visit www.idyllwildcinemafest.com for updates and more information on the 2016 festival.
The Art Alliance of Idyllwild staged its highly anticipated Art Walk and Wine Tasting event Saturday, Oct. 10. The 18th edition of this successful event was sold out by noon on event day. More than 1,000 wine glasses were sold prior to the event.
“The maximum number of tickets available this year was set at 1,200 to avoid running out of wine and to allow us to plan accordingly,” said AAI President Shanna Robb. “Because most tickets were pre-purchased, the “will call” lines ran smoothly and attendees could take advantage of the all-day activities around town.” AAI estimates the event drew 3,000 tourists to Idyllwild.
Preliminary results for this fundraising event were impressive: revenue of $29,995.02, expenses of $8,990.29 and net proceeds of $21,004.73.
AAI announced, “The impact that the $20,000 will make in the lives of our youth is why the Art Alliance of Idyllwild continues to build momentum. Our mission is clear and because of the thousands of people drawn to Idyllwild by this annual event, we are in a unique position to keep art accessible to the next generation of artists.”
Proceeds are intended to fund art scholarships for local youth. Robb said, “A final statement with the breakdown will be made via a press release once it is voted upon by the AAI Board of Directors. Preliminary recommendations for scholarships and grants were presented to the board during our Oct. 24 board meeting. Because not all board members were present, a final vote was not made at that time. The public and media will receive a fully transparent breakdown once a vote is finalized.”
Robb said the board appreciated the enormous public support for this event and the mission of AAI to educate young artists. “The feedback received via email and online has been overwhelmingly positive and gives us reason to look for additional ways to make a difference in our community.” Robb noted local merchants were happy with sales on the weekend. “I had my best day in 19 years of business,” said Phyllis Brown, owner of Prairie Dove Boutique. “I think they did a wonderful job organizing it so people had time to visit galleries and go to stores.”
The Hill has received more rain and for longer periods than Monday night but the 0.76 inches that fell in Pine Cove was the most throughout Southern California, according to the National Weather Service.
Idyllwild received about 0.64 inches, which was the eighth greatest amount that night. Vista Grande followed with 0.63 inches, whereas the U.S. Forest Service’s Keenwild Ranger Station recorded just 0.44 inches.
On Monday night at about 7:45 p.m., Highway 243 between Vista Grande and Banning was closed because of a rockslide. The road was re-opened at about 9:30 p.m., according to Joy Schneider of Cal Trans.
Since the rain year began July 1, Keenwild has recorded more than 6 inches of rain, Idyllwild more than 7.5 inches and Pine Cove has received almost 7.5 inches.
The long-term average rainfall through October is 3.4 inches and through November the average has been 5.8 inches.
