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Spark of Love toy drive
Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire and the Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) are back at it collecting unwrapped toys or sports equipment this season. Drop off the unwrapped items to your local Cal Fire station by Dec. 24 and/or IFPD station by Dec. 19.
Toys collected at the IFPD station...
New board member selected and pipeline project approved
The Fern Valley Water District board of directors selected a replacement at its regular November board of directors meeting for former Director James Rees, who resigned the same day the board interviewed the candidates to replace Trischa Clark, who resigned because she sold her house.
Walter Bonneau Jr. was selected to replace Clark. It...
Town Crier talks with Kendra Johnson,Roy Prifogle’s daughter
Back in March, Pine Cove resident Roy Prifogle went missing. It’s been a long year, and after almost nine months, Prifogle has not been found.
From left: Kendra’s mother Amber Johnson, Kendra Johnson and Roy Prifogle.PHOTO COURTESY OF KENDRA JOHNSON
Last week, the Town Crier spoke with Kendra Johnson, Prifogle’s...
Election update
Here are the local election results as of 6 p.m. Monday. The Riverside County Registrar of Voters has approximately 1,000 vote-by-mail and 2,000 provisional ballots left to process. The next update is scheduled after the newspaper goes to press.
Idyllwild Fire Protection District BoardChristina Reitz: 990 votesDennis Fogle (appointed incumbent): 686 votesDan Messina (appointed...
Community determined to keep the holiday spirit alive
Idyllwild has been impacted as COVID-19 has changed life in so many ways. Many annual events have been canceled, leaving everyone in the community feeling a bit out of sorts.
Join in on the holiday fun by participating in the Holiday Drive-By Decorating Extravaganza. Image courtesy of Marsha Kennedy
One...
‘San Jac Jon’ takes to the trails
Idyllwild local Jon King has been hiking since he was a boy. Originally from the United Kingdom, King bonded with his father who was also a keen hiker.
Jon King sports a very well-developed case of ‘mountaineer beard’ while taking in the summit at San Jacinto Peak after a particularly cold and wet...
Election update Nov. 26
Here are the local election results as of 6 p.m. Saturday. The Riverside County Registrar of Voters has approximately 1,000 vote-by-mail and 5,000 provisional ballots left to process. The next update is scheduled after the newspaper goes to press.
Idyllwild Fire Protection District Board
Christina Reitz: 986...
Caltrans gives culvert update to PCPOA
The culvert work on highways 243 and 74 is now complete. Terri Kasinga, public and media affairs chief for Caltrans District 8, reported the news at the Nov. 7 Pine Cove Property Owners Association meeting.
“Culvert work was holding up traffic and was a big inconvenience to folks going up and down from Idyllwild,”...
Nov. 3 election update
Here are the local election results as of Monday evening. The Riverside County Registrar of Voters has about 215,000 vote-by-mail and 25,000 provisional ballots left to process. The next update is scheduled after the newspaper goes to press.
Idyllwild Fire Protection District Board
Christina Reitz: 544 votes
Woman found after missing in Anza
The Town Crier contacted the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) media information bureau over the weekend after learning that another woman had gone missing. Just before the newspaper went to press, RCSD sent an email saying the woman had been located, but did not give an update on her condition.
The newspaper asked over...
New restaurant opens its doors
Stevie Davis and Jennifer Muir have spent most of their adult lives in the restaurant business. They’ve worked their way from working at other restaurants to owning their own catering company. Now, they have taken the next step — opening their own restaurant.
While they are only in the...
Idyllwild Arts senior publishes in top-tier literary journal
By Idyllwild Arts AcademyContributed
The publication this month of Idyllwild Arts Academy (IAA) twelfth-grader Rome Smaoui’s short story, “Days of Summer,” in Narrative (www.narrativemagazine.com/) is a startling achievement for a high school student. Narrative is a top-tier literary journal and it is free to register. The number of Narrative...
Mayor Max for president?
Despite COVID-19, Mayor Max has still been busy. While he’s not out greeting visitors in the center of town as he did pre-COVID, he has had visitors to his home.
A group of ladies visit Mayor Max at his home.PHOTO BY PHYLLIS MUELLER
Chief of Staff Phyllis Mueller said, “We...
Idyllwild’s Richelle Gribble heads to Mars
Artist Richelle Gribble spent her childhood in Idyllwild. She attended Idyllwild School from kindergarten through eighth grade, then went to Idyllwild Arts Academy for high school. The arts have paved her way through her career so far, expanding her understanding of how she can share it with the masses.
Hawaii Space Exploration Analog...
One fateful moment turns paramedic into an artistic carver
Idyllwild local Cory Lavy wasn’t always the artistic type. While he was born and raised in Idyllwild, Lavy was more interested in the fire and medical world than he ever was with the arts.
Cory Lavy with his most intricately carved piece to date.PHOTO BY HALEIGH LAVY
While in high...
COVID-19 Local Update: Recovered numbers rising, confirmed numbers slowing
As of press time, there are still a total of 22 reported COVID-19 cases since the outbreak and one death reported for the area of Idyllwild-Pine Cove, according to the Riverside University Health System – Public Health (RUHS) website.
Totals for Riverside County as of Tuesday, Sep. 15. For updated numbers click here.Image Courtesy...
Life Tribute: Thomas L. Visel 1944-2020
Tom Visel, 76, of Idyllwild, left this life Tuesday, Nov. 24 in his home while in the care of his family. He was born in Anaheim, California to Adele and Wesley Visel.He served the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War. After the Navy, he met Karen Wallace, the love of his life....
COVID-19 Local Update: State coronavirus relief and county staff test positive
Last week, “staff members of the Riverside County Registrar of Voters Office tested positive for coronavirus,” the county announced. Permanent and temporary staff were tested and dozens were required to quarantine. The office was cleaned and disinfected.“It is key to our election process to ensure the Registrar of Voters employees are safe and healthy,” said Riverside County...
TikTok’s new parental controls give parents additional tools to manage various aspects of their teen’s account as well as their privacy
By Clayton CranfordCyber Safety Cop
TikTok announced it is expanding its parental control, known as Family Pairing, to give parents additional tools to manage various aspects of their teen’s account as well as their privacy. The new tools will allow parents to set their teen’s account to private, control whether their Liked Videos are...
Doug Austin letters
The Town Crier reached out to its readers to ask for tributes to Doug Austin, our Mr. Idyllwild, a man who showered us all with love and kindness, and a passion for literacy. His Dickensian voice and presence emceed many events, particularly the Idyllwild Summer Concert Series and the Tree Lighting Ceremony.Sadly for them and for us,...
Readers Write: COVID-19 numbers rising
Dear editor:Dear editor,Anybody who wonders why COVID-19 cases keep rising in the U.S., with more than 1,000,000 confirmed last week, need only to have spent five minutes in downtown Idyllwild over the Thanksgiving weekend.Americans have burned out on caution. We seem willing to gamble that by avoiding crowds of 500 or more, and wearing masks on our...
Multiple collisions on mountain roads over last couple of weeks
At 11:30 a.m. Sunday, a two-vehicle traffic collision occurred on Highway 74 near Lake Hemet, according to the California Highway Patrol. A dark blue Hyundai rear-ended a white Jeep as it was turning into Lake Hemet from Highway 74. The cause of the collision was unknown and no one was injured in the incident. ...
News of Record: December 3, 2020
Idyllwild FireIdyllwild Fire Protection District recently responded to the following calls.• Nov. 17 — Walk-in public service, 9:31 a.m.• Nov. 17 — Medical aid, 12:04 p.m. Delano Dr.• Nov. 18 — System malfunction, 12:36 a.m.• Nov. 18 — Medical aid, 4:48 a.m. Delano Dr.• Nov. 18 — Walk-in medical aid, 10:15 p.m.• Nov. 19 — Walk-in medical...
Creature Corner: December 3, 2020
Last week in “Days of Our Nine Lives,” ARF cats shared for what they are thankful.
Holly: I’m feeling just a little bit sad.Willow: Why is that?Holly: My three black kittens are still looking for their forever families. Whoever adopts them will be able to take them home close...
Past Tense: December 3, 2020
70 years ago - 1950The Idyllwild Riding Club was going to present a Western show at the Idyllwild Stables arena.
65 years ago - 1955“Music Round the Town,” the second of a series of 14 music books that Max Krone edited and Bee Krone, his wife, arranged, was published.
60 years...
Steele to play in Mexico this week
Brendan Steele will tee it up this week in the $7.3-million Mayakoba Golf Classic at the El Camaleón Golf Club in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.The Idyllwild native tied for 41st last year at Mayakoba, and hopes to do better this time. Brendan has dropped to 173rd on this season’s FedExCup points list after missing the cut at...