

New downtown parking lot complete
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Workers pave the new parking lot Shane Stewart created at the corner of North Circle Drive and Cedar Street.

Last month, Steven Taylor Rutherford, 49, of Banning, pleaded guilty to 10 felony counts of arson. On Friday, Sept. 5, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Becky Dugan sentenced him to 45 years in prison. Rutherford was initially charged with 13 counts, but three counts were dismissed as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. “Serial…
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,…
Both the Town Baker and the Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah’s Witnesses experienced attempted break-ins on the same night, with the same basic modus operandi. Paul Amick, co-owner of the Town Baker, reported that he received a call from his alarm service at 12:30 a.m. Sunday that his alarm had been activated. Amick reported that…
Future and past financial issues were the focus of the Idyllwild Fire Protection District’s (IFPD) meeting, Tuesday, Aug. 16. First, the commission agreed that, if Measure G, which authorizes raising the district’s special tax from $65 up to $130 annually, passes, they will set the 2011-12 level at $100. Secondly, the commission heard from Scott…
Idyllwild Water District (IWD) held its monthly board of directors meeting Wednesday, Aug. 16. Ratepayer David Hunt presented a letter outlining complaints. He claimed that the water bill for an unoccupied house had gone up by $50 with the new rates that went into effect last month. He did not provide any evidence to back…