The prospective arraignment of Robert Pape, 25, for the 2006 triple homicide in Pinyon Pines was deferred a month until May 16. This is the third postponement of Pape’s arraignment since his arrest in March. On March 26, Riverside County Judge James Hawkins ordered Smith to stand trial for the murders. However, his lawyers are…

The California State Board of Equalization voted to lower the excise tax rate on gasoline by 2.2 cents per gallon for fiscal year 2016-17. The new gasoline excise tax will be 27.8 cents per gallon and is effective July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017. “Today’s vote was simply a matter of fairness. Californians overpaid…

Four people have submitted applications to replace Bill Sanborn, Area 1 (Idyllwild) trustee, on the Hemet Unified School District Governing Board. The interviews to fill the position will be held at an open and public meeting of the Governing Board at 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, at the Professional Development Service Center Room 1791 W….

Last week, President Barack Obama submitted his budget request for fiscal year 2014-15, which begins Oct. 1. For the U.S. Forest Service, the president is requesting $5.7 billion, an increase of $228 million. This includes a proposed change to funding wildland firefighting. In past years, if the appropriation for fire suppression was not sufficient to…