
Photo by Jenny Kirchner
What was that helicopter up to?
By Idyllwild Town Crier
You may have noticed an unnamed black and gold helicopter flying for 30 to 45 minutes over Idyllwild last Friday afternoon. The helicopter is leased by WaveRider Helicopters of Oceanside from November Alpha LLC. Kurt Dawson, owner/pilot of WaveRider, said his company was contracted by a surveyor to survey the power grid in our area. “The surveyor was probably hired by SCE,” he said, and Dawson and an employee were given a map to survey problems in the grid such things as trees in the power lines.

“All lanes on SR 243 are open,” Cal Trans Public Information Officer Terri Kasinga announced Wednesday night, Jan. 13. That was a relief for many after late Sunday night, Jan. 10, when a 40- to 50-ton boulder fell on Highway 243 between Idyllwild and Pine Cove. Monday morning, Caltrans closed the highway, disrupting the route…
After the Riverside County Planning Commission approved the conditional use permit for construction at the Butterfield Commons on Strawberry Creek, the management team — the San Jacinto Mountain Community Center board — received more good news. Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington put a proposal to use $1.2 million of Community Development Block Grant funds to…
With a resounding show of member indifference, only seven of 57 members of the Idyllwild Chamber of Commerce cared enough about the Chamber’s future to attend a meeting called to decide its future. In a little over an hour, those seven voted to dissolve the long-standing Idyllwild institution. Secretary and last remaining director, David Jerome…
The Friends of the Idyllwild Library will hold a weekend book sale on Friday, Oct. 26, Saturday, Oct. 27, and Sunday, Oct. 28, inside the library at 54185 Pine Crest Ave. All items will be in great condition. This will be the last sale at the current location, and everything must go. There will be…
The County of Riverside has announced its schedule for the Fiscal Year 2026-27 community budget workshops. Beginning, Tuesday, April 7, there will be a workshop in each supervisorial district. The County has also made available “Budget 101: The County Budget Explained,” which is a guide for citizens attending the session to better understand how and…...
A small, quarter-acre size fire ignited off the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail near Cougar Road around 4:18 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10. The rate of spread was slow to moderate due to light winds and was 100% contained by firefighters within a couple of hours. Not long after the fire ignited, the forward rate of…