On Jan. 19, Tom Vilsack, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, announced the allocation of nearly half a billion dollars to reduce wildfire risks in and near national forests landscapes in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. “It is no longer a matter of if a wildfire will threaten many western communities…

Were the posted signs demanding resignations of three Idyllwild Water District directors and a new general manager the reason chaos has arrived at the district’s door step? From Monday to Friday, Tom Lynch, the general manager, Jim Billman, the president of the board of directors and Mike Freitas, a board director, all submitted their resignations….

The Manzanita Fire, burning east of Highway 79 in Lamb Canyon, grew to 5,800 acres by mid-Tuesday and was 20 percent contained as of press time. Currently, more than 1,300 firefighters, including the Idyllwild Fire Department, are combating the blaze. Three helicopters and eight aircraft are providing air attack. The fire started Monday afternoon. The…