

PHOTO: ‘Shoes in the downpour
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Photo by Becky Clark California Highway Patrol Officer M.J. Murawski investigates the scene of a one-vehicle rollover on Highway 74 about 1-1/2 miles west of Highway 243 Wednesday afternoon. Nichole Hutton Darling, 32, of Idyllwild, was traveling eastbound on Highway 74 just before 3 p.m. in a 1989 red Jeep Cherokee when she apparently dozed…
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigators with the Narcotics Task Force eradicated about 1,800 marijuana plants Sgt. Joe Pemberton said Friday morning. The plants were discovered growing west of Lake Hemet, near the dam. Investigator Ken Thrum led the eradication. He said it was a small grow, compared to most, and that it was…
As of Sept. 10, the CDC reports: The current seven-day moving average of daily new U.S. COVID cases has increased 6.1% compared with last week.The CDC reports the COVID-19 virus is constantly mutating, producing new variants. The Delta variant is the most prominent strain in the U.S., making up more than 99% of current cases….
Not only has the horrendous fire season burned thousands of acres, destroyed homes and taken lives, but the cost of fighting these disasters is devastating the U.S. Forest Service’s budget resources. “We are expending in excess of $150 million per week on fire suppression activities,” said secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, on Sept 11. “And…
Five center-of-town businesses were open Thursday following the previous evening’s evacuation and remained so throughout the evacuation. Fifteen customers graced the Red Kettle restaurant at 9:15 Thursday morning. Most appeared to be residents, but a few were fire-related personnel, including freelance fire photographer Jenny Kirchner. Fire photographer Jenny Kirchner had placed herself in the thick…
In response to the oncoming powerful storm, this morning Caltrans activated approximately 1,200 electronic highway signs statewide to display urgent safety messaging. “Safety is always Caltrans’ priority, so as a violent storm deluges our state, today we activated our electronic message signs to advise everyone to avoid unnecessary travel during the peak of the…