By U.S. Business AdministrationContributed The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is launching a streamlined application portal to allow borrowers with Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans $150,000 or less through participating lenders to apply for forgiveness directly through the SBA.“The SBA’s new streamlined application portal will simplify forgiveness for millions of our smallest businesses — including…

Right: Owners Avery and June Fisher inspect the newly remodeled kitchen at the Sportland complex (circa 1962). File photo   Below: The Little Gable Gallery opens in Sportland (circa 1962). A revisit of Idyllwild’s Sportland will appear in next week’s issue. File photo

Early renewals climbing The Charter Membership list, which comprises readers who become Members during our first year of the Membership Model, is open until and including Friday, Aug. 31. We would love to add another 21 new Members to the charter list by then. Meanwhile, existing Charter Members are continuing to renew their Memberships into…

Norm Walker President, Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council As I am writing this article, Los Angeles Fire Department and their cooperators are fighting a brush fire in Pacific Palisades (Palisades Fire). This in itself is not unusual except for the fact that there is no “fire weather” to speak of in the area. The humidity…

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, with support from fellow Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer, last February introduced the California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act of 2015, a bill that amends and updates the historic California Desert Protection Act of 1994. The bill would expand protection for more of the California desert. Besides additional wilderness acreage, wild and…