Agencies fully staffed and ready for incidents Fire season has begun and local firefighters are already pulling hoses and cutting brush to protect the Hill from a rash of fires. Consequently, the June Mountain Area Safety Taskforce meeting, which usually has a large attendance to coordinate the approaching fire season, had a less-than-normal attendance last…

Adopt a Senior – Christmas in Idyllwild is a community project bringing holiday cheer to local seniors who may be spending the season alone. Community members can “adopt” a senior by providing a small, thoughtful gift to be delivered by Christmas Eve. Nikki Barnes started the program after working as a Medical Assistant at the…

During the Rattlesnake Avoidance Training on Saturday, Axel, owned by David Cavanaugh, walks right up to this Southern Pacific rattlesnake (which is muzzled with medical tape and drained of its venom). Erick Briggs, trainer, takes the dogs through several stations, beginning with meeting a baby rattler, learning the scent of a rattler by some rattlesnake skin on the ground, a rattler rattling behind a rock, and finally encountering an adult rattler on the ground in front of them. The event was held at the Community Center site.