Lightning struck a tree in the front yard of a home on Pine Crest Avenue with explosive force during a storm on the night of Monday, Jan. 22. Neighbor Holly Owens told the Crier that although no one was seriously hurt, one neighbor suffered temporary hearing loss “that seems to be slowly resolving.” Another, in…

At Riverside County Board of Supervisor’s Tuesday meeting, the Idyllwild Fire Protection District’s request to change its election years was approved without any discussion. Beginning in 2018, the election of IFPD commissioners will coincide with either presidential or California gubernatorial elections. In April, the IFPD commission approved a resolution requesting that future elections be held…

According to the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF), Garner Valley is the site of pile burning in the next few weeks. The wet weather has delayed the planned burns, which were scheduled for last week, in the Cranston Reforestation Project, according to Lauren Blake, forest fuels prevention officer for the SNBF. “Administrative sites like the…