Jerry Holldber, general manager of Pine Cove Water District, clears boulders off Highway 243 as Pine Cove Engine 23 stands guard.
Photo by Becky Smith

PCWD and Pine Cove Engine 23 to the rescue
By Jack Clark
Jerry Holldber, general manager of Pine Cove Water District, clears boulders off Highway 243 as Pine Cove Engine 23 stands guard.
Photo by Becky Smith

Last week, the American Lung Association’s released its seventh annual “State of Lung Cancer.” Overall, the Association happily reported that the lung cancer survival rate has risen 26% in the past five years. Lung cancer has one of the lowest five-year survival rates among leading cancers because it is often not detected until a late…
The young adult Mountain Yellow-legged frogs released in Indian Creek on the James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve in June “appear to be doing great,” said Adam R. Backlin, ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Ecological Research Center. In September, another 200 subadult MYL frogs were released in Fuller Mill Creek, according to Backlin. “The…
Redistricting, the shifting of political boundaries, to create more balanced districts following the decennial census has begun. California has an official 2020 California Citizens Redistricting Commission responsible for considering changes to boundaries for districts of U.S. House of Representatives and the California Legislature, both the Assembly and Senate. Counties have independent authority to set the…
While the state suspended the controversial State Fire Prevention Fee, the Howard Jarvis Tax Association is continuing its litigation over the legality of the fee. In August, when the Legislature approved Gov. Jerry Brown’s package of programs to improve air pollution throughout California, a suspension of collecting the fee until Jan. 1, 2031, was included….
One crash took place on Hill roads over the last week. At 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 2, Amanda Weilbacher, 26, of Murrieta, was riding her 2015 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle westbound on Highway 74 about 1,000 feet east of McGaugh Road when she rounded a sweeping right curve, crossed over the double-yellow line and hit the…
Charges against Marcus Green, 54, of Thermal, and against Kristen Lauer, 25, of Rancho Mirage, have been combined into one trial. Green was the driver of a car that went over the side of Highway 74 in May 2016 and resulted in the death of his 5-month-old infant, and Lauer was the baby’s mother. Green…