UPDATE (1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7): As of Friday afternoon, two of the six people officially reported missing in our mountain area to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) have been located. According to RCSD Correctional Sergeant Deanna Pecoraro, “Venessa Vlasek has been located safely and removed from the missing persons database.” No further details…

Three years after its last-minute filing of the United State’s lawsuit against Mountain Center property owner, Dr. Tarek M.A. Al-Shawaf, and his employees seeking some $24 million in costs of fire suppression and damage to federal forest lands, the Department of Justice (DOJ), United States Attorney’s Office has filed to dismiss the case.  The Idyllwild…

At the March MAST meeting Idyllwild Fire Battalion Chief James LaMont reported that IFPD is fully staffed, and had prepositioned engines for the storms predicted for that week. Normal daily staffing includes eight people and a hand crew that is on call. They have eight engines and four ambulances. They are partnering with the USFS…