By Andrew Smith, Federal Trade Commission, director, Bureau of Consumer Protection Gail Hillebrand, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, associate director, Division of Consumer Education and Engagement Free credit freezes and year-long fraud alerts are here, started Sept. 21, thanks to a new federal law. Here’s what you should know: Security freezes, also known as credit…

A serious injury collision on Saturday, Nov. 19, sent one local woman to the hospital. The California Highway Patrol’s preliminary report stated that at 5:05 p.m., Edwin Hansen, 66, of Idyllwild, was driving his 2006 red Honda CRV eastbound on North Circle Drive in Idyllwild, just east of River Road, when he struck “a pedestrian,”…

The young black bear recently sighted in Idyllwild made his way here from Banning. He is believed to be a young male and is referred to as the “Rite Aid” bear since a picture of the bear was taken at the Rite Aid in Banning. He joins an existing and varied wildlife population with which Hill residents have learned to coexist.