The Idyllwild Fire Department’s effort to refute a reader’s opinion printed in the Idyllwild Town Crier about the adequacy of fire hydrants in the Idyllwild and Fern Valley water districts created a small snafu itself. In December, Pine Cove resident Jeff Smith wrote an opinion piece in which he argued that three fire hydrants did…

Melody Henderson, Cal Fire public information officer, said, “An outbuilding was involved with possible extension into an abandoned building, but they just stopped the forward progress on half an acre of vegetation.” Riverside County/Cal Fire firefighters battled the Willow Fire off of Highway 74 and Willowbrook Road near the U.S. Forest Service Cranston Station. The Forest Service…

Idyllwild Fire Protection District’s Finance Committee held its first meeting Monday, Feb. 17. Fire Chief Patrick Reitz introduced the citizen’s committee members to the IFPD budget format, source of revenues and a general description of expenses. They also talked about specific issues for this fiscal year (2013-14) and likely budget questions for the 2014-15 budget…

The new year brought one barely noticeable change to the Hill. Officially, the San Jacinto Mountain Area Water Study Agency terminated. It passed quietly and without fanfare, a contrast with its notoriety and presence during its infancy in the 1980s and more recently in the early 2000s. The Agency, as it was initially called, was…