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 were preparing to celebrate 4th of July festivities outdoors, the San…

No weather forecaster predicted an El Niño or even a rainy winter, yet so far, the 2016-17 season has been surprisingly, and gratifyingly, wet. For the second-consecutive holiday weekend, rain and snow fell on the Hill. While the amounts were not as massive as the Christmas weekend, New Year’s weekend supplied more than an inch…

By Becky Clark Editor             An Idyllwild man was killed in a solo-vehicle collision on the Fourth of July.             Erik Mortensen, 39, of Idyllwild, was driving his black 2019 Harley-Davidson bobber motorcycle on Highway 74, 140 feet east of mile post marker 49.5, near the Bee Canyon Truck Trailhead near Valle Vista. California Highway Patrol Officer Jeff…

Mountain Area Safety Taskforce members last week discussed concerns that the county grinding station may be limiting the size of trees accepted at the Highway 243 site. Gregg Bratcher, state forester division chief and MAST chair, was told the grinding station was not accepting wood greater than 10 inches diameter at breast height. No one…