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Forest Service will begin pile burns and eventually broader prescribed burns
According to the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF), Garner Valley is the site of pile burning in the next few weeks.
The San Bernardino National Forest conducting a prescribed burn Wednesday, Feb. 1, in the Mountain Center area.PHOTO BY JOEL FEINGOLD
The wet weather has delayed the planned burns, which...
More cases dismissed, court explains
Last week, the Town Crier reported on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors asking the county executive and its legal staff to develop recommendations to cope with the dramatic dismissal of criminal cases before they could come to trial.
The Riverside County Superior Court issued some comments about the situation last week. District Attorney...
Joshua Tree man sentenced in fatality
A Joshua Tree man was sentenced to two years in prison for a fatality that occurred in 2021 on Highway 243.
On Jan. 31, Nathan Daniel McConnell, 40, pleaded guilty to gross vehicle manslaughter and reckless driving causing serious injury on May 9, 2021.
McConnell was driving northbound on Highway 243,...
Senior visual arts show at Idyllwild Arts
The Idyllwild Arts Academy Visual Arts Department held an opening for the first of the winter semester’s three senior shows last Friday. The theme, “Solitude,” drew varied and surprising responses from the artists. Works expressed the positive and negative aspects of solitude; peace and freedom to dream, but also mortality, vulnerability and disability. Eight seniors were included...
Palm to Pines Golf Association update
Jim CrandallPalms to Pines Golf Association handicap chair
Idyllwild’s Palms to Pines Golf Association played its regular monthly tournament at Menifee Lakes Country Club on the Palms Course Friday, Jan. 20. It was a nice, sunny winter’s day and the course was in pretty good shape.
In the A-flight tourney,...
Steele to play in Phoenix Open
Brendan Steele will tee it up this week in the $20-million Waste Management Phoenix Open on the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course in Scottsdale, Arizona. Through Thunderbirds Charities, this tournament raised more than $10.5 million for local charities last year alone.
The native Idyllwilder has enjoyed considerable success in this event, having played it in...
MDP donates AEDs to ICC
The nonprofit Mountain Disaster Preparedness (MDP) has donated two automated external defibrillator (AED) units to the Idyllwild Community Center (ICC) for placement at Idyllwild Town Hall and Butterfield Amphitheater.
From left, Idyllwild Community Center (ICC) board member Rajiv Panchal, ICC Secretary Terry Shirley, Mountain Disaster Preparedness Medical Director Gigi Kramer and ICC President...
N. Circle speed limit will be enforced with radar
While the speed limit on North Circle Drive has been 25 mph for years, enforcement now will be stronger.
The Riverside County Department of Transportation (DOT) proposed to set radar enforceable speed limits on 13 county roadways, of which N. Circle Dr. is one. The range of speed limits is 25 to 60 mph...
Supervisors want more superior court judges
The judicial system is a critical and vital component of government. Public safety requires more than police simply arresting people accused of a crime — whether criminal or civil. The defendants must either admit the deed or must stand trial. A judge oversees the trial and often sets the penalty if the defendant is found guilty.
Forest Service spending to reduce wildfire threat – Local share uncertain currently
On Jan. 19, Tom Vilsack, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, announced the allocation of nearly half a billion dollars to reduce wildfire risks in and near national forests landscapes in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
“It is no longer a matter of if a wildfire will threaten many western...
Meeting the new Head of School Jason Hallowbard
Idyllwild Arts Academy (IAA) has announced the hiring of new Head of School Jason Hallowbard, presently vice provost for Academic and Artistic Education at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. He will take over from present Head of School Craig Sellers this summer.
Jason Hallowbard, new head of school at Idyllwild Arts.PHOTO...
Some, but not all, new laws for 2023
The last session of the California Legislature ended in September and Gov. Gavin Newsom had the option to sign into law more than 1,160 bills the Legislature had passed.
By Oct. 2, he had signed 997 and vetoed 163. Below is a brief summary of the new laws that Californians will have in 2023.
Christmas day caroling
From left, Marisa Quintanilla Griffeth, Melanie Rose Prince and Rebecca Wiergowski Christmas caroling in town on Christmas day.PHOTO BY JOEL FEINGOLD
Reducing wildfire risk around home should help with fire insurance rates
Wildfire is a risk all Hill homeowners and residents must live with and accept. Living in the San Jacinto Mountains means knowing that there is a chance our home, our valuables, our keepsakes and possessions may be lost to a fire.
Fire insurance is often available, not to protect us from the wildfire threat,...
German tourist murderer recommended for parole
On Wednesday, Dec. 14, a state hearing panel recommended parole for Thongxay Nilakout, the now 46-year-old man convicted of the murder of a German tourist near Idyllwild in 1994. The recommendation must still go to the full Board of Parole Hearings, who have up to 120 days for review. If it approves parole, Gov. Gavin Newsom then...
Idyllwild golfers in regional Tournament of Club Champions
Jim CrandallPPGA Correspondent
Two Idyllwild golfers, Paul Cozens and Chris Kramer, members of the local Palms to Pines Golf Association, rose above the rest throughout the 2021-22 season to become club champions and qualify for the Southern California Golf Association’s (SCGA) Tournament of Club Champions (TCC) this past December.
The SCGA’s...
Steele T20 in the Farmers Insurance
Brendan Steele notched a top-20 in Farmers Insurance Open PGA golf tournament played on two courses in La Jolla last week.
The Idyllwild native posted 65 and 70 in his first two rounds, but he had to settle for closing rounds of 76 and 75 to score a two-under-par 286. His drives averaged 300...
Rains may be drowning drought
It is too soon to know whether the drought has been eradicated or simply diminished. But the rain that fell across the state this month has resulted in the state being able to substantially increase State Water Project allocations.
While this will have little effect on the Hill, it is an indication that water...