At its Nov. 15 regular meeting the Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) Board of Commissioners elected officers for the year beginning Jan. 1, 2023. All officers were elected by voice votes of 4-0, with Commissioner Christina Reitz being absent. Current Vice President Commissioner Dan Messina was elected president, Commissioner Dennis Fogle was elected vice president…

Bob McCullough, longtime manager of Idyllwild’s emergency radio station WNKI (1610 AM), is hanging it up. McCullough, a direct link to WNKI founders George Covington and Carol Lindholm, received a charge from Covington early in the station’s life. “He told me if anything happened to him, that I should keep the station running, and that…

Fire protection projects to continue The Cranston, the Mendocino-complex, and the many other small and large fires throughout the state did not stop the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce from meeting last week. Most of the local fire managers were able to attend the Sept. 12 session, at which much of the discussion was about future…

Stage 3 water emergency is imminent depending upon how much rain and snow arrived last weekend, according to Idyllwild Water General Manager Tom Lynch. “We are in Stage 2. However, we meet the criteria level for Stage 3,” Lynch told IWD directors last week. “We are evaluating day-to-day.” Two important criteria for declaring Stage 3…

An administrative law judge recommended overturning Idyllwild Fire Chief Patrick Reitz’s 2014 decision to fire former Capt. James Reyes. But the Idyllwild Fire Protection District commissioners have refused to adopt his decision and want to review the records, including the transcripts for the seven days of hearings. After a series of hearings over the past…