Last week’s Idyllwild Water District (IWD) Board of Directors vote for new rates in a special meeting occurred in apparent violation of the Ralph M. Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law. The vote was taken under the title “Discussion Items,” whereas in order to vote, the item should fall under IWD’s “Action Items.” Following…

Officials with the San Bernardino National Forest raised the Fire Danger Rating Level to “Very High” on Tuesday, June 28. This change is based on prolonged hot and dry weather, below normal live and dead fuel moistures, and forest-wide severe drought conditions.  As visitors are preparing to celebrate 4th of July festivities outdoors, the San Bernardino National…

At last week’s meeting, the Idyllwild Fire Protection District Commission rejected all four recommendations in a recent Riverside County Grand Jury report. The first recommendation was to share Administrative Capt. Mark Lamont’s duties in order to reduce the cost of paid overtime, which exceeded $50,000 in 2012. Fire Chief Patrick Reitz drafted the proposed response,…