

Mountain Folk
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Idyllwild resident Holly Braaten entered her homemade jams, pickles, salsa’s and baked goods to the Home Arts Department Food Competition at the Southern California Fair in Perris, CA. Braaten walked away with an astonishing 21 first place awards, nine second place awards and three first place gift basket awards. Photo by Jenny Kirchner

Twenty-two-year-old Wesley Kell, son of 20-year part-time Idyllwild resident Paul Kell, will graduate from Navy Boot Camp in Great Lakes, Ill., on May 26. Prior to boot camp, Wesley attended a 10-month training through the Navy SEALS P.U.D.S. program. Upon graduating from boot camp, Wesley plans to begin SEALS training at Coronado Island. Wesley attended…
On Sunday, Jan. 13, Idyllwild resident Anna Bielecki, owner of Nature’s Wisdom Restaurant, passed away.
Our condolences extend to Anna’s family and friends.
Brandon Opliger (son of Rocky Opliger, retired US Forest Service, San Bernardino National Forest) in the left photo, taken approximately in 1989. Opliger was in an IFPD engine. His mother Lori (Friemoth) Richter worked for IFPD and Brandon was four or five years old. The right-hand photo is Brandon now, age 26, employed with the U.S. Forest Service, Cleveland National Forest, on the Palomar Hotshot Crew, out of Oak Grove Station.
Idyllwild resident and member of the American Legion Post 800 Honor Guard, Danielle McKnight, at right standing in military formation with her fellow midshipmen, was sworn in as a Naval Midshipman at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine, after completing a demanding orientation session at which candidates were judged as suitable officer candidates for…
Wheaton College student Micah Hitchcock of Idyllwild was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester. To earn Dean’s List honors at Wheaton, an undergraduate student must carry 12 or more credit hours and achieve a 3.5 gpa or higher on the 4.0 scale. Wheaton College (Wheaton, Illinois) is a coeducational Christian liberal arts…
The Bobcats take control of the ball and head down the field against the Blue Sharks. Photo by Jenny Kirchner