Winter is just beginning, yet fire agencies are still active and making announcements. The Forest Service has begun a series of prescribed burns throughout the San Bernardino National Forest. Many of these have been and will be in the San Jacinto Ranger District. For Idyllwild residents, the broadcast burn on the Pine Cove fuel break…

The Idyllwild Fire Protection District Commission focused mostly on house-cleaning business during its latest session last week. At the request of Commissioner Jerry Buchanan, the commission added the issue of a standing committee for labor negotiations to the Feb. 12 agenda. For third time, the commission had to establish a committee for negotiations and labor…

Although the total Riverside County budget exceeds $5.5 billion, the Board of Supervisors has direct and authoritative control over less than 20 percent. For fiscal year 2018-19, which begins in less than a month, the “discretionary” portion of spending will be $799.5 million. Regardless of whether one looks at the total county budget, the general…

No telling signs yet; just be prepared Over the past month, the San Jacinto Fault, which passes under Garner Valley and near Idyllwild, has been the source of dozens of small quakes. Almost all were magnitude 2.9 or less, although on Nov. 8, tremors with magnitudes 2.9 and 3.2 were only an hour apart in the…