Starting Oct. 1, the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council will assume responsibility for the community brush collection sites in Poppet Flats and Pinyon. MCFSC approved the action at its Aug. 12 meeting. Gregg Bratcher, Cal Fire’s division chief forester on the mountain, indicated that the agency will help MCFSC secure grant funds to operate these…

A 15-year-old local girl was killed in a Sunday, Nov. 4, crash involving two of her siblings. According to the California Highway report of the incident, at about 4:45 p.m. Sunday Nov. 4, Jeremiah Whitney, 16, of Mountain Center, was driving a 2000 Toyota Avalon southbound on Highway 243 just north of Saunders Meadow Road….

The 2015-16 El Niño arrived last week, and while much of Southern California was drenched in rain, snow covered the Hill. According to the National Weather Service, Poway had nearly 6 inches of rain and Lytle Creek received nearly 7 inches. Locally, from Wednesday night through Thursday, Jan. 8, the rain turned to snow. The…