The Idyllwild Fire Protection District commission approved its final 2011-12 budget this week. The overall budget balances revenues and expenditures are set at $1,687,400 each. The final budget forecast increased revenue of $20,000 with a proposed ambulance rate increase, which Fire Chief Norm Walker will bring to the commission next month. Walker also reduced expenditures…

Wednesday afternoon, May 24, Michael Austin, 46, of Idyllwild, came to the Town Crier office to talk about the incident a few weeks ago wherein he was observed with a BB gun not very far from Idyllwild School. Austin stated he wanted to explain how the incident occurred by way of reassuring people that there…

You may have noticed an unnamed black and gold helicopter flying for 30 to 45 minutes over Idyllwild last Friday afternoon. The helicopter is leased by WaveRider Helicopters of Oceanside from November Alpha LLC. Kurt Dawson, owner/pilot of WaveRider, said his company was contracted by a surveyor to survey the power grid in our area. “The surveyor was probably hired by SCE,” he said, and Dawson and an employee were given a map to survey problems in the grid such things as trees in the power lines.

Brendan Steele may have just run out of gas in last week’s John Deere Classic in Illinois. It was the Idyllwild native’s eighth consecutive week of tournament play going back to the Colonial in May, and he missed the cut by 6. He actually drove the ball very well — averaging 315 yards with 72…