
Photo courtesy Zach Behrens, US Forest Service
The U.S. Forest Service is doing pile burning Wednesday, Feb. 27, on the Westridge Fuel Break. The start time was 9:30 a.m. Firefighters are targeting about 300 piles.
Pile burning on Westridge
By Idyllwild Town Crier


The U.S. Forest Service is doing pile burning Wednesday, Feb. 27, on the Westridge Fuel Break. The start time was 9:30 a.m. Firefighters are targeting about 300 piles.
The Gold-spotted Oak Borer (GSOB) remains a nemesis to Hill residents. Despite a decade of efforts, the GSOB is still active and killing oak trees on the Hill. “The infestation is still widespread, attacking most of the oaks,” said, Callie Squires, operations manager for the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council (MCFSC). “There has been no…
By David JeromeCorrespondent A local business known as Wild Idy has found itself involved in what LA Weekly Magazine is calling a “confounding controversy.” The colorful murals that identify the gift shop at 54340 North Circle Drive and the fence surrounding the Proud Mary rental cottage have attracted not only the press and thousands of…
On Monday, July 31, James Frances Wellman Jr., “Bud,” as he was always known, died surrounded by loved ones. He was 95. With his passing, some of the early history of these mountains passes with him but will be remembered by friends and family and enshrined in history books. “He was raised to be a…
The winter of 2017-18 has been exceedingly dry and warm, until the past two weeks, which have been very cold, damp and wet. However, this small amount of precipitation is still substantially below historical averages. Cal Fire’s Southern Operations Predictive Unit advises regional fire officials to “expect some fire activity in every calendar month during…
At its May 8 meeting, the Pine Cove Water District board of directors began reviewing the proposed budget for fiscal year 2013-2014 that begins July 1. Revenue estimates of $760,000 are the same as this year (2012-13); but expenses increase $65,000 for a total of $825,000. Differences would be made up from a combination of…
A female hiker was rescued from Tahquitz Rock in Idyllwild after sustaining injury to an extremity, according to Riverside County Fire Department spokesperson Jody Hagemann. The injured female was extracted from the area by a helicopter hoist and was transported by ground ambulance to an area hospital in stable condition, according to Hagemann. RCFD, CAL…