Spring brings transformation and it will be apparent at the local U.S. Forest Service ranger district when Fire Management Officer Dan Felix retires at the end of the month and Battalion Chief Fred Espinoza steps up to replace him. Felix is a badger, from Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, before coming to Southern California. Along the…

Nearly 18 months after county authorization of an Idyllwild historic preservation district, the local commission may finally be appointed. In July 2011, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors passed Ordinance 578.5, which created the district.

After several years of being dark, the Mountain Area Safety Task Force (MAST) is planning meetings again this year. Participants have included fire agencies, water districts, nonprofit organizations and other groups that have a say in safety issues on the Hill. The public forums are from 11 a.m. to noon the Wednesdays of March 13,…