On a sweltering 100-degree afternoon in Anza, the controversial State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Fee was the hot topic for discussion. State Sen. Jeff Stone arranged for Jordan Marks, district director of Taxation and Regulatory Affairs for the state’s Board of Equalization, to discuss the status and future of the infamous state levy. Nearly 50…

Following a serious fire within a national forest, the U.S. Forest Service quickly assembled a Burned Area Emergency Response team to assess the fire’s damage and the potential threat to the public and resources. (See the story below for more information about the BAER program.) The Mountain Fire BAER team was assembled and dispatched to…

Editor’s note: This was taken from a press release from the U.S. Forest Service. The U.S. Forest Service has named Robert Baird as the director of Fire and Aviation Management for its Pacific Southwest Region. Since May 2014, Baird has been the forest supervisor on the Los Padres National Forest. Besides on-ground fire experience at…

On Wednesday, April 10, Scott Shere appeared in Superior Court for a felony settlement conference. The court continued his case until April 23, when a hearing, regarding a referral to the mental health court, was scheduled for April 23. The tentative April 15 preliminary hearing was canceled. Shere remains in custody.

Winter appeared to arrive last week. At least Mt. San Jacinto Peak and some higher-level elevation neighborhoods, such as upper Fern Valley, Humber Park and Pine Cove, briefly saw a few inches of snow. The center of Idyllwild was drenched from the rainfall, but snow was noticeably absent, as were the “snow-play visitors.” No winner…