At the June 24 information arraignment for Frank Gutierrez, 66, of Idyllwild, who was arrested in July 2015, a July 25 trial readiness conference was set with a possible jury trial to begin Aug. 8. Supervising District Attorney Deborah Lucky filed a paper elaborating on the charge against Gutierrez. In the document, she said, “…

Our readers’ responses continue to be overwhelming. We still have a way to go, but after less than five weeks of the new Membership model, we are more than 40 percent of the way to the minimum annual amount we estimate we will need from Memberships for the newspaper to be acquirable by younger publishers…

The low‐budget, independent feature film “The Cabin,” currently filming in Idyllwild, is seeking extras to volunteer at select times during the upcoming week. Directed by Will Dickerson (Detour), “The Cabin” is a psychological thriller that follows a children’s book author on her return to her hometown upon inheriting the house she grew up in. Extras…

IFPD convinces majority of need for more funds  Almost from the beginning of 2016, the Idyllwild Fire Protection District Board of Commissioners invested significant energy and time in efforts to increase revenues. To the disappointment of the commissioners and Fire Chief Patrick Reitz, these efforts did not succeed.  Going forward, IFPD will continue to have…

A Riverside County Superior Court judge has ordered a battery of medical assessments for Steven Taylor Rutherford, 48, of Banning. The doctor’s report is expected back for a May 1 hearing. In February, Rutherford was charged with 13 felony counts of arson with enhancements, including use of a delayed ignition device and having a prior…