The preliminary hearings for Robert Pape, 28, and Cristin Smith, 27, have been rescheduled for Oct. 24. At that hearing, the presiding judge will hear a motion from Smith’s attorney to dismiss the charges against him and, if unsuccessful, a motion to reveal the name of a confidential informant working with the Riverside County District…

Idyllwild Water District (IWD) staff and directors discussed a large water loss and the employee investment policy, as well as approved a proposal for a five-year rate study at last week’s Wednesday, Aug. 17 meeting.In the July operations report, a 19% loss of water raised the eyebrows of directors. General Manager Leo Havener said he…

Despite an advance of $300,000 on the current-year property tax revenue, the Idyllwild Fire Department’s expenditures through November still exceed revenues by more than $160,000 for this year. This is a substantial reason that Fire Chief Patrick Reitz has recommended the fire commission defer tucking any of the September 2013 proceeds from the cell tower…

On Saturday, the State Water Resources Control Board released proposed regulations for implementing Gov. Jerry Brown’s 25-percent conservation standard mandated by his April 7 Executive Order. Urban water districts will be required to reduce current consumption by between 8 to 36 percent compared to 2013 per-capita usage. Smaller water suppliers (serving fewer than 3,000 connections),…