Weather — winds, temperatures and precipitation — plays a critical role in fire behavior and predictions. The recent wet and cold winter and spring may have delayed the arrival of the traditional late-spring fire season, but fire agencies are expecting it to begin before June ends. By the end of summer it could develop into…

At the recent Town Hall meeting of fire chiefs and at the last Mountain Area Safety Taskforce meeting, important questions were raised about local fire abatement, particularly of vacant properties. Cal Fire and Riverside County Fire Chief John Hawkins established a private-public committee to investigate and recommend improvements to facilitate fire abatement here. The Mountain…

Former general manager’s resignation letter By Melissa Diaz HernandezEditor Darren Milner resigned as the general manager of Idyllwild Water District (IWD) on Nov. 17, a Sunday, effective immediately. The newspaper obtained a copy of Milner’s resignation letter, which cites his reason for his resignation as “experiencing an unhealthy culture and difficult work environment at the district…