Steve Erler, general manager of Fern Valley Water District, announced his intention to retire at the end of June 2016. The board was surprised, shocked, and saddened to learn of Erler’s plans, which he shared at the end of the Dec. 18 meeting. Erler has served as general manager a little more than 18 years,…

By Marshall Smith Staff Reporter   On Saturday July 4, at about 7:20 p.m., a 64-year-old man of Escondido was driving his 1999 Nissan Maxima westbound on Highway 74 just west of the intersection with Carrizo Road in Pinyon. With him in the vehicle was Natalia Adaca, 58, also of Escondido. Mary Jane Plante, 46,…

Hill residents are keenly aware of the dangers of driving our roadways and confront that sometimes tragic reminder in the pages of this newspaper. One particular headline had locals shaken: “Woman loses legs in car crash,” published June 9, 2005 (the first assignment written by this author, back home from college for the summer). The…