In a special meeting, Friday, Sept. 20, the Idyllwild Fire Protection District commission approved the sale of a lease for the cell tower in the rear of the District’s property. SBA Monarch Towers acquired the lease for $220,000. Currently, the district was receiving annual rental payments of about $14,000 for the tower. “But with the…

Caltrans has resumed the resurfacing of Highway 74 in Garner Valley and is expected to be completed by the end of November, according to Joy Sepulveda, Caltrans public information officer. A $2.1 million contract was awarded to Granite Construction Inc. to do the work that includes overlaying the roadway with asphalt and repairing designated turn-out…

Rouse Fire contained next day The Rouse Fire, which started about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, near the U.S. Forest Service’s Cranston Ranger Station, was contained the next evening. The fire’s size was estimated to be about 14 acres, according to Lee Beyer, the USFS incident contact. The fire started on the north side of…

Editor’s note: Some of this story is taken from past Town Crier news coverage of this crime. The California Appeals Court, District 4, denied a rehearing and the Supreme Court denied a review of Robert Lars Pape, 33, and Cristin Conrad Smith, 32, who in 2018 were convicted and sentenced to life in prison in…