At left, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Ron Esparza, a solo-vehicle traffic collision occurred at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 9. Amber Leigh Whitney-Krongaard, 23, of Idyllwild was driving her Ford Explorer on Highway 243 about a half mile north of Forest Service Vista Grande Guard Station at about 45 to 50 mph. As Krongaard approached a left-hand curve, her vehicle’s right wheels hit the dirt on the right side of the highway causing her to over correct the Explorer which crossed both lanes, hitting an embankment and flipping onto the passenger’s side. Krongaard was uninjured. Highway 243 was down to one lane of traffic for about one-and-a-half hours as Riverside County Fire Station 63, Forest Service, CHP and Idyllwild Garage cleared the scene.

In order to find nearly $12 million of saving, Hawkins presented several steps, including imposing a fee for emergency medical services, closing Station 63 in Poppet Flats, and employing more two-person medic squads in place of three-person engines in rural and outlying areas (such as Garner Valley). The immediate response from the supervisors was neither enthusiastic nor complacent toward accepting Hawkins’ proposals. County Executive Jay Orr introduced the presentation and explained its intent. “We see clouds on the horizon and increased communication with the board is needed to have their direction.”