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Soboba Casino going for world record

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On October 25 at 3:00 p.m., Soboba Casino will attempt to break the “Guinness World Records” record for the most people simultaneously panning for gold.  Discovery Channel’s Gold Rush star, Parker Schnabel, will be on hand for a meet and greet from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. following the event.

Participants will be selected in a World Record Gold Rush Drawing every half hour from October 1-24 at 4:30-9:00 p.m. and October 25 at 8:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.  The 250 participants will take home winnings from $90 to $9,200.

Creature Corner: October 22, 2015

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kittensIntroducing the two newest arrivals at the ARF house. 9 weeks old, and learning every day that humans are fun!! One male, one female. Come in to Arf to enjoy our kitten fun. 

rp_Bubbles-150x150.jpg
Bubbles

Bubbles is an 8-year-old female calico, declawed and just a bundle of love. She is very mellow, loves her naps and loves the human touch. She knows her name and comes when called. She needs to be in a home with a non-aggressive dog or another mellow cat, or by herself.

Pipen
Pipen

Pipen is a 6-year-old male bischon/poodle mix. He walks well on the leash, is good with other small dogs. No problem with the feline crowd. He is house trained and would love to have a companion. Prefers the female crowd. Not a barker. He’s just been groomed and thinks this is the ticket to being adopted.
Lefty Lou is a 10-year-young Jack Russel terrier. She loves to bask in the California sun, go for leash walks, and bring smiles and laughter to your life. She is spayed, up to date on all shots and house trained. She enjoys the great outdoors, but, for the most part, she will want to be by your chair. This girl is still young at heart and healthy. And OK with the feline crowd.

Lefty Lou
Lefty Lou

Prefers to be the only dog in the house.

ARF has many cats and dogs available for adoption or fostering. Go to www.arfidyllwild.weebly.com and click on Petfinder. There is also a link for Facebook too. You can always call Arf at 951-659-1122. Calls are answered before the end of the day. All pets are spayed, neutered, and current on shots. ARF is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Creature Corner is sponsored by Idyllwild Vacation Rentals & Nugget the office Dog.

Past Tense: October 22, 2015

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With the 94th Congress adjourned, Representative Shirley Pettis was back home visiting constituents in her far-flung 37th district. In October 1976, she stopped by the Town Crier office. Above, Marilyn Weare, Truman Smith and Ernie Edwards look on as Luther Weare points to an article in the last week’s edition. File photo
With the 94th Congress adjourned, Representative Shirley Pettis was back home visiting constituents in her far-flung 37th district. In October 1976, she stopped by the Town Crier office. Above, Marilyn Weare, Truman Smith and Ernie Edwards look on as Luther Weare points to an article in the last week’s edition. File photo

65 years ago - 1950

Hunter McConnell, co-chairman of the local Disaster Committee, announced that he was accepting volunteers for lookout or fire-watching duty. About 35 people were needed so that each lookout would work only one night per week.

60 years ago - 1955

Development of the exclusive Tahquitz Lake Club was moving ahead rapidly on Judge Byron Walters’ 100-acre property.

55 years ago - 1960

Virginia Gray, chairman of the PTA membership committee, announced the organization had attained a 100 percent membership among parents and teachers for the first time.

50 years ago - 1965

The Forest Service had recorded more than 1.5 million visitors to the Hill in 1965, and the total for the year was expected to be near two million.

45 years ago - 1970

Field crews began a study of the Banning-Idyllwild Highway to determine what could be done to bring the county route up to state standards — a preliminary step to adding it to the state system.

40 years ago - 1975

Local pine trees were suffering a bark beetle infestation. The affected trees were being felled and taken off the Hill.

35 years ago - 1980

According to a survey conducted in the Idyllwild area, a recreation program for teenagers was one of the biggest needs for Idyllwild.

30 years ago - 1985

The body of a part-time Pine Cove resident was found in the debris of a structure fire that destroyed a small Pine Cove cabin on the Red Hill Truck Trail.

25 years ago - 1990

Reinforcements on the new Village Center Drive bridge over Strawberry Creek were to be covered with concrete as the summer-long project neared completion.

20 years ago - 1995

The Idyllwild Water District (IWD) asked the Local Agency Formation Commission to hold off approving Fern Valley Water District’s (FVWD) annexation of 57 properties in Saunders Meadow. IWD was concerned about the impact FVWD’s new customers would have on its water supply.

15  years ago - 2000

Jim Gibbs, site manager for the Moreno Valley Transfer Station, which operated the transfer station on the Hill, met with members of the Coordinated Resources Management Plan committee to explain that locals could no longer dump their green waste on the ground.

10 years ago - 2005

A wind and rain storm  caused personal injury when a 100-foot old oak tree fell on Sterling Dutton’s vehicle  as he was starting it. Rescuers had to cut him from the wreckage.

5 years ago - 2010

The “Harmony” tree monument, created by David Roy was set to be moved to a new home on Village Center Drive the next month. “Nov. 8 is our soft target date,” said Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce Secretary Julie Johnson.

1 year ago - 2014

The California Press Foundation of the California Newspaper Publishers Association announced last week that Becky Clark, publisher of the Idyllwild Town Crier, has been chosen to receive its Justus F. Craemer Newspaper Executive of the Year award, the organization’s most prestigious honor.

Fern Valley water use declining: Pipeline project near completion

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The installation of new pipeline along San Jacinto, Tahquitz, Lodge and Rim Rock roads is nearing completion, General Manager Steve Erler told the Fern Valley Water District directors at the Oct. 16 meeting.

“The pipeline project is going very well,” Erler said. “The project should be completed by the end of the month, provided the weather does not interfere with the final road work.”

The total amended project cost is about $800,000 and Erler said, “It will come in under budget.

After the first quarter of fiscal year 2015-16, the district’s budget results appear on normal trends. Since property tax receipts are not received until December and only two water sales billings have occurred, expenses are currently exceeding revenues; but the District’s reserves are sufficient until revenues begin to increase.

The major expense has been the initial payments for the pipeline project work.

In water business, FV customers consumed about 6.25 million gallons of water during July and August, which was 1.2 million gallons less than during the same period in 2014.

For the first eight months of 2015, water consumption has been 20.6 million gallons, which 10.5 percent less than during the same period in 2014.

However, Erler reported that the ground water level of the District’s static office well is now 18 feet. “That is six inches lower than the lowest level recorded in 2002,” Erler told the board. “Other wells are higher than in 2002,” he added. “The only difference is that we have nine [producing] wells now and had only five then.”

A consequence of the falling consumption is that the district’s water revenues fall also. Erler noted that residential sales were nearly $10,000 less during the July and August billing period this year compared to the same time in 2014. However the district has issued four new meters since January, including one in August.

Pine Cove Water District budget normal: Water consumption decreasing

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The Pine Cove Water District directors reviewed the district’s budget progress through the end of the first quarter (Sept 30) during their October 14 meeting.

While revenue received is about 17 percent of the estimated total of $821,000, the current level only appears low since one property tax and one water sales billing have been received.

The opposite effect appears in expenses because several items such as insurance ($16,000) and workers’ compensation ($12,000) are paid in full at the beginning of the fiscal year.

Similarly, in response to a question about the overtime and part-time salary expenses, which are percent of the estimated total, General Manager Jerry Holldber said the majority of overtime costs occur in the late summer and fall — July through September. The district needs much less overtime during winter and spring seasons.

PCWD customers consumed 2.6 million gallons of water in September, according to Holldber. “This is a little less than last year,” he told the board.

The district’s static well fell 2 feet in the past two months, but overall is doing well compared to the drought period 12 to 13 years ago, he added. For most of the other wells, the groundwater level remained unchanged, but it did increase for a few wells, he added.

“This is due to the late spring and early summer rains,” Holldber said explaining why the groundwater level of some wells had risen in October. “Water is traveling through the ground and we’re resting the wells more frequently and not over pumping.”

However he noted that the groundwater level for several wells in the Dutch Flats area had fallen. This occurred because their pumping had increased from six hours daily to about nine hours, but their groundwater levels remain adequate, he assured the board.

Overall water consumption in PCWD is 24.2 million gallons since January, which is 1.1 million gallons (or 4.5 percent) less than the same period in 2014. It is also slightly less than the usage during the first nine months of 2013. If PCWD customers continue this rate of usage, the total consumption for 2015 might be the lowest in a decade.

The leak detection and repair effort during the summer is also contributing to the reduced production, according to Holldber. The unaccounted for water usage was 9 percent in September compared to 15 percent in June and August and 14 percent in September 2014.

“Locating those leaks was worth every penny,” Holldber said.

“We getting closer to the [unaccounted] level where we were when I joined the board,” said President Robert Hewitt.

The board also concurred with Holldber’s policy of being willing to provide sandbags to Pine Cove customers in the event of an emergency created from the possible rains forecast for this fall and winter. The district may also have waddles (large tubular nettings stuffed with straw)  available in an emergency.

Hewitt stressed that the situation should be an actual emergency created from the rain and not simply a weather forecast, which might not occur. Holldber agreed and emphasized that the material was purchased to protect the district’s assets and is only available after these sites are protected.

“In an emergency, we help,” said Director Lou Padula.

Before closing, the board approved a customer appreciation day on June 11, 2016 to honor the district’s sixtieth anniversary.

Also since the regularly scheduled November meeting would be Nov. 11, Veterans Day, the board has canceled that meeting; but a new date, if any, has not been set.

Medicare open enrollment season is here

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By David Sayen for U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Medicare open enrollment period begins Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7, 2015.

If you have Original Medicare, meaning that you can choose any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare, you don’t need to think about open enrollment.

But if you have a Medicare Advantage (Part C) health plan, or a Medicare (Part D) prescription drug plan, you may want to see if there’s a new plan on the market that would be a better match for you, at a lower price.

If you’re enrolled in a plan already and you’re happy with it, you don’t need to do anything. But Medicare health and drug plans — which are run by private insurers under contract to Medicare — can change from year to year. A plan can raise its monthly premium or drop a medicine that you need.

Make sure your plan still is a good fit for you in terms of cost, coverage, and quality. If it isn’t, look for another plan.

During open enrollment, you can sign up for a Medicare Advantage health plan or Part D prescription drug plan, or switch from one plan to another. Your new coverage will take effect Jan. 1, 2016.

There are several ways to shop for a new plan.

One is the “Medicare & You” handbook, which is mailed each fall to every Medicare household in the country. This booklet lists all the Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans that are available where you live, along with basic information such as premiums, deductibles, and contact information.

There’s also the Medicare Plan Finder at the www.Medicare.gov website. Look for a green button that says, “Find health & drug plans.” By clicking on that and plugging in your zip code, you’ll be able to see all of the Medicare Advantage and Part D plans available in your area. You can compare them based on benefits, premiums, co-pays, and estimated out-of-pocket costs. Contact information for the plans is listed.

If you don’t have access to a computer, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Customer service representatives can help with questions about Medicare health and drug plans.

Another very helpful resource is California’s Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, or HICAP. California HICAP is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides free, personalized counseling to people with Medicare. You can make an appointment to speak with a HICAP counselor either in-person or over the phone. To contact HICAP, call 800-434-0222.

If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan as of Jan. 1, 2016, but you’re not satisfied with it, you have a 45-day window to disenroll. Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14, 2016, you can drop your plan and return to Original Medicare. You can also sign up for a Part D drug plan during that time.

Off the Main Roads: The Scent of Rain …

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California has had its share of woes surrounding the topic of rain. Too much results in catastrophic mud slides and too little creates a parched landscape crying out for moisture.

Still, for me, one of the best smells on earth will always be the scent of fresh rain falling on mountain soil after a long dry spell. It made me smile the other day to learn that this scent actually has a name — and not only a common name, but an official dictionary definition — pet·ri·chor (ʹpe ͵trī kôr/)

The definition of petrichor is “The scent of rain.” A pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.” Or one could say, “the invigorating scent of petrichor rising off the forest floor gave me new energy to make it to the peak.”

The word “petrichor” was coined in 1964 by two Australian researchers, Bear and Thomas, for an article in the scientific journal Nature. It is constructed from the Greek, petra, meaning ‘stone,’ combined with ichor, the fluid flowing through the veins of the gods in Greek myths. Petrichor literally means the blood of the gods hitting stone. Pretty awesome word (in my humble opinion).

For those interested in the science of it, petrichor’s uniquely refreshing scent is actually a mix of two (sometimes three) distinct aromas and comes about through the combined work of plants and bacteria.

During dry periods a variety of plants produce an oil that is absorbed into and stored up in clay-based soils and rocks. When rain finally comes, this oil is released into the air along with geosmin (a metabolic by-product of certain Actinobacteria), which is emitted by wet soil, producing the invigorating scent to the delight of many a forest wanderer. Add in the fresh, biting smell of ozone that comes from lightning and you have one heady perfume.

For the true nature geek, consider this experiment. In 2015, Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists used high-speed cameras to record how petrichor’s scent moves from the pores of the earth into the open air.

When a raindrop lands on a porous surface (like soil or some types of rock), air from the pores forms small bubbles that float up to the surface and release aerosols (a fine mist of particles). These aerosols carry the aroma and set it free in the outside world for your delighted nose to inhale.

Slower, lighter rainfalls tend to create far more dispersal of these aerosols — so chances are you will get your best nose full during or following a light rain, rather than a deluge of epic proportions.

So next time it rains (whenever that may be), head outside and take a deep breath of one of Mother Nature’s most heady perfumes—the long awaited scent of rain.

News of Record: October 22, 2015

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Fire log

Idyllwild Fire Station responded to the following calls, Monday to Monday, Oct. 12 to Oct. 19.

Idyllwild 

• Oct. 12 — EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury, 53000 block of Middle Ridge Dr.

• Oct. 12 — EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury, 25000 block of Hwy. 243.

• Oct 17 — Service call, other, 54000 Maranatha Dr.

• Oct. 18 — Motor vehicle accident with no injuries, 53000 block of Hwy. 74.

• Oct. 18 — EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury, 54000 block of Maranatha Dr.

• Oct. 19 — EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury, 52000 block of Doubleview Dr.

• Oct. 19 — EMS call, excluding vehicle accident with injury, 54000 block of Doubleview Dr.

Sheriff’s log

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet Station responded to the following calls, Sunday to Saturday, Oct. 11 to 17.

Idyllwild

• Oct. 11 –– Noise complaint.Address undefined. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 11 –– Attempt warrant service. Address withheld. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 11 –– Alarm call, 25000 block of Azalea Dr. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 12 –– Battery. Address undefined. Report taken.

• Oct. 12 –– Petty theft, 26000 block of Saunders Meadow Rd. Report taken.

• Oct. 13 –– Follow up. Address withheld. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 13 –– Civil dispute, 52000 block of Double View Dr. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 14 –– Public disturbance, 52000 block of Double View Dr. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 14 –– Alarm call, 54000 block of Pine Crest Ave. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 15 –– Burglary, 53000 block of Toll Gate Rd. Report taken.

• Oct. 15 –– Burglary, 26000 block of St. Hwy 243. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 15 –– 911 call, 53000 block of Toll Gate Rd. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 16 –- Public disturbance, 54000 block N. Circle Dr. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 16 –- Follow up. Address withheld. Handled by deputy.

Pine Cove

• Oct. 12 –– Alarm call, 25000 block of Cedar Glen Dr. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 13 –– Alarm call, 52000 block of Tall Pines Rd. Handled by deputy.

Mountain Center

• Sept. 28 –– Area check. Address undefined. Handled by deputy.

Pine Meadows

• Oct. 11 –– Assist other department. Address undefined. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 17 –- Assist other department. Address undefined. Handled by deputy.

Poppet Flats

• Oct. 15 –– Suspicious person. Address undefined. Handled by deputy.

San Bernardino
National Forest

• Oct. 11 –– Check the welfare, 19000 block of St. Hwy 243. Handled by deputy.

• Oct. 12 –– Suspicious circumstance, 49000 block of E St. Hwy 74. Handled by deputy

Readers Write: Don’t underpay IFPD firefighters and EMTs

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Editor:

When I read letters and articles from well-intentioned but uninformed people about firefighter and paramedic/EMT salaries at the IFPD, I get worried. Yes, worried. Before retiring I served 36 years in law enforcement. I saw first hand the necessity and the benefit for having educated and highly skilled first responders. The thought of having less than that on the hill frightens me.

The idea of paying firefighters less because they are utilized mostly for medical calls while spending hours at the station waiting, on the face of it, makes a certain amount of sense. That is, until they are needed to handle a true emergency! Emergencies cannot be scheduled. They are unplanned. When they occur, it is often at the worst time possible. When emergencies occur we need well-paid trained professionals on site and ready to respond in the correct manner with the right equipment. A large portion of the public has the false impression that a firefighter, between calls, sits around watching television waiting for the next call. The reality is that time between calls is often used to perform maintenance on equipment and conducting training and more training.

Fighting fires, no matter the type, is hard. It is not an art, it is a science. It requires knowledge of how a fire acts under different conditions and with different fuels. Effective fire suppression requires trained men and women that know how to do it. Don’t forget, these men and women place their lives on the line each time they respond to a fire and they are doing it on our behalf. Whenever any type of fire breaks out and we call 911, I want a professional who knows what he or she is doing to respond. Educated, well-trained and experienced firefighters will not work for an agency that does not pay wages and benefits comparable to other agencies. They will instead leave and find work elsewhere. If the IFPD were to ever cut firefighter pay and benefits to reflect the desires and good intentions of a well-meaning but uneducated public, we will see an exodus of dedicated and experienced professionals as they leave Idyllwild for better paying jobs off the hill. Also, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to recruit qualified men and women to work here longer than the time it takes to become trained and then leave for higher pay, again, off the hill. Nobody knows when they may need to call a firefighter/paramedic/EMT or under what circumstances. Should that time come, who do you want to see coming through your door?

Please do not forget the old adage, “You get what you pay for.” I know it doesn’t always hold true in every situation, but, in the case of first responders, I know from first-hand experience it is true. Support our men and women who wait patiently every day and every night to place their lives on the line for our safety.

Albert Bates

San Diego and Pine Cove

Readers Write: Reconstitute CSA 36

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Editor:

Last week’s Town Crier said: “Verne Lauritzen, chief of staff for Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington, called to discuss how communication could be improved between Town Hall recreation users and county management.  Lauritzen said the supervisor’s office will take a look at reconstituting a CSA 36 Advisory Board, perhaps with quarterly meetings to start, so that residents of the district could receive reports and raise questions about the recreation and streetlight fund, and receive and give input on how their tax dollars are being used.”

Then, I looked at our property tax bill.   I discovered that 85 percent went directly to the county; 11 percent to Hemet Unified School District; 1 percent to Mt. San Jacinto College District; 0.7 percent to CSA 27 Lighting [CSA number error, but same amount] and 1.3 percent to Idyllwild Fire Protection District.

In August 2015, I met with Supervisor Washington and Verne Lauritzen and asked them to reinstitute the Hill MAC (Municipal Advisory Council) so that the residents of Idyllwild, could get a monthly or quarterly report on the dollar amount of taxes collected by the County from Hill residents and how much was being spent on the Hill, including the Supervisor’s “discretionary funds.”  The MAC is a Council of five people appointed by the Supervisor who would hold regular meetings in Idyllwild where we could communicate our concerns and questions to the Supervisor and the Supervisor would answer the community concerns and questions about many issues, including how our tax dollars are being spent.

I have an appointment to meet with Supervisor Washington at 1:30 p.m. in the Idyllwild Library on Friday, November 6, 2015.  If anyone is interested in joining me to ask the Supervisor to reinstitute the Hill Mac, so that we can find out how 88 percent, not just 0.7 percent, of our tax dollars is being spent, please join me, or make an appointment for your own meeting.  Call 951-955-1030 and ask to speak with Claudia Maunz-McLellan.

 

Susan Nash

Idyllwild

[Ed. Note: The writer indicates she sent a similar letter to Supervisor Washington.] 

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