Past Tense: February 14, 2019
70 years ago – 1949
There were 30 to 40 inches of snow on the ground in town. Art Morris, county road foreman, reported more than 96 hours of overtime worked by his snowplow crew during January.
65 years ago – 1954
Fire destroyed a Pine Cove cabin owned by Vera Dews. It had formerly been the Pine Cove Store.
60 years ago – 1959
Snow finally arrived, depositing 14 inches in town. December and January had been dry and the season rainfall was 5.82 inches.
55 years ago – 1964
In spite of a strong “Yes” vote in Idyllwild, the $3 million Mt. San Jacinto Junior College bond issue was defeated at the polls.
50 years ago – 1969
Pine Cove was all set to dedicate its recently completed fire house.
45 years ago – 1974
After the Idyllwild Fire Department responded to four chimney fires in one week, Chief Bud Hunt urged homeowners to check their chimney flues to make sure they were not clogged.
40 years ago – 1979
Improved reading scores at Anza’s Hamilton Elementary School were attributed to the success of a new reading program. Students’ scores jumped from an average in the 48th percentile to the 70th percentile.
35 years ago – 1984
For a Valentine’s Day feature, the Town Crier looked for the Hill couple who had been married the longest. The honor went to Leana and Gentry Goggins, who had celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in October.
30 years ago – 1989
The Hill Municipal Advisory Council sponsored a special parking forum to propose solutions to parking woes on the Hill.
25 years ago – 1994
Chamber members supported teaching Idyllwild School students about the consequences of shoplifting and working to deter the act. The idea was proposed as a practical method of reducing crime.
20 years ago – 1999
The Max and Bee Krone Memorial Library opened at Idyllwild Arts Academy.
15 years ago – 2004
The construction of a new shopping plaza began in downtown Idyllwild on the southeast corner of Village Center and North Circle drives.
10 years ago – 2009
A second major winter storm that began on Friday, Feb. 6, and continued through Monday night, Feb. 9, raised the question of what constitutes a winter emergency to state and county officials tasked with responding. “What is a winter emergency and when does that differ from normal snowfall? That is what we’re all struggling with,” said Caltrans spokesperson Shelli Lombardo.
5 years ago – 2014
The father of one of the victims in a 2006 triple homicide in Pinyon Pines remained unsatisfied with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation of the crime.
1 year ago – 2018
Youth at Idyllwild Middle School were learning philanthropy with the help of the Idyllwild Community Fund. Jayne Davis of ICF was overseeing a group of about 25 students.
