Repairs to highways 74 and 243 a long-term project It’s hot-pink magenta with a tinge of neon orange. A thick swath of it paints Highway 243 as you drive south from Idyllwild and everything around it, trees, rocks and dirt, climbing the hillside toward AstroCamp and snaking along West Ridge. Several houses on Robin Drive…

One collision occurred on Highway 74 last week, according to California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Matt Napier.At 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14, Trisha McFadden, 27 of Idyllwild, was driving her silver 2013 Hyundai Elantra 40 to 50 mph eastbound on Highway 74 3.7 miles west of McCall Park Road.Distracted by her cellphone, McFadden drifted…

Idyllwild residents live in one of the most wildfire-prone forests in the country, with vivid, scorched reminders of past blazes dotting the evacuation routes from the Hill. But Hill communities are far from being proverbial “sitting ducks,” with no recourse to protecting their homes, properties and lives. Oftentimes, the only thing that stands between a…