
Photo by JP Crumrine
Andrewson is the new IFPD Commission president
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On Sunday, Sept. 2, two weary hikers were airlifted off the mountain. About 11 a.m., the Mt. San Jacinto State Park Wilderness received a call from a fatigued hiker unable to continue hiking, according to the press release from Todd Friedman of the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The call was from a male…
Come to the Town Baker between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, and meet the captain of the California Highway Patrol San Gorgonio Pass. Capt. Mike Alvarez will bring staff, and they will be available to listen or residents can just meet CHP personnel who patrol the Hill. Alvarez has stressed that he…
Not only has the horrendous fire season burned thousands of acres, destroyed homes and taken lives, but the cost of fighting these disasters is devastating the U.S. Forest Service’s budget resources. “We are expending in excess of $150 million per week on fire suppression activities,” said secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, on Sept 11. “And…
By Marsha KennedyContributed Over the New Years’ weekend, Idyllwild was struck by an unprecedented avalanche of snow-play visitors — more than the Hill has ever seen, in the estimate of many residents. In addition to the illegal parking, trespassing and littering, which unfortunately have become standard features of such events, traffic congestion was staggering. One…
A retired first responder, who served ten years in the San Jacinto Ranger District, has released a memoir of her career in firefighting and law enforcement. It touches on many events that have affected our community, and her path in two male-dominated fields. Deborah Wutzke has chosen the pen-name Deborah Wedoneit, for “We done it.”…
This week, Cal Fire is continuing its prescribed burn at Camp Maranatha. The burn, consisting of 125 piles of brush and slash, was to occur between Tuesday, March 8, and Wednesday, March 9. Residents in Idyllwild, Pine Cove and surrounding mountain communities or anyone traveling on Highway 243 may see smoke from 6 a.m. to…