On Aug. 9 at 12:40 p.m., Oscar Soria Juarez, 29 of Anaheim, was driving his 2019 Kawasaki Ninja eastbound on Highway 74 west of McGaugh Road. Preliminary investigations show he crossed over the double-yellow line colliding head-on with Donald Leroy VanRiper, 69 of Hemet, who was driving his black 2004 Honda VTX 1300 westbound on Highway 74 with his passenger Diane Haering, 79 of Hemet. Juarez was transported to Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center by AMR with major injuries. Haering was transported by Mercy Air to Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center with major injuries. VanRiper was pronounced deceased at the scene and was transported by the Riverside County Coroner. The Honda was towed by Idyllwild Garage. The owner of the Ninja made arrangements for the bike to be removed from the scene. Alcohol and drugs were not suspected as a contributing factor. The cause of the deadly collision is still under investigation.
Photo by Jenny Kirchner
On Aug. 9 at 12:40 p.m., Oscar Soria Juarez, 29 of Anaheim, was driving his 2019 Kawasaki Ninja eastbound on Highway 74 west of McGaugh Road. Preliminary investigations show he crossed over the double-yellow line colliding head-on with Donald Leroy VanRiper, 69 of Hemet, who was driving his black 2004 Honda VTX 1300 westbound on Highway 74 with his passenger Diane Haering, 79 of Hemet. Juarez was transported to Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center by AMR with major injuries. Haering was transported by Mercy Air to Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center with major injuries. VanRiper was pronounced deceased at the scene and was transported by the Riverside County Coroner. The Honda was towed by Idyllwild Garage. The owner of the Ninja made arrangements for the bike to be removed from the scene. Alcohol and drugs were not suspected as a contributing factor. The cause of the deadly collision is still under investigation.
Photo by Jenny Kirchner
There were four collisions (including two photos), one resulting in a fatality, on local roads and Highway 74 over the last week and a half, according to California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Matt Napier.
On Aug. 3 at 7: 35 p.m., Chayton Martone Kenyon, 17 of Idyllwild, was driving his gray 2007 Mazda 3 westbound on Highway 74 just east of Dry Creek at a stated speed of 60-65 mph. Due to his unsafe speed, Kenyon lost control, crossed the double-yellow line and collided with Endellion Ann Murphey Trento, 18 of Idyllwild, driving her gray 2006 Subaru Impreza eastbound on Highway 74 at a stated speed of 35 mph. Trento was transported by AMR to Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center with a suspected broken leg. Kenyon was complaining of pain to his left arm but was not transported. Both vehicles were towed by Idyllwild Garage.
On Aug. 3 at 8:45 p.m., Christie Anne Colbert, 34 of Oceanside, was driving her black 2019 Toyota 4-Runner west on Overlook Drive. According to the California Highway Patrol, Colbert stated she was driving too fast, and due to her unsafe speed, made an unsafe turn and lost control hitting two vehicles parked in a private driveway. One was a silver 2017 Toyota Tundra, the other a white 2009 Toyota Highlander. No one was injured in the incident. Colbert’s vehicle was towed by Idyllwild Garage and the two parked vehicles were left at the scene.
Photo by Jenny Kirchner
On Aug. 3 at 8:10 p.m., Edward Reyes Loredo, 35 of La Quinta, was driving his blue 2011 Honda Civic westbound on Highway 74 just west of Carrizo Road at a stated speed of 45 mph. Brian Steven Torrez, 19 of National City, was driving his black 2005 Saturn Ion eastbound at a stated speed of 35 mph. For unknown reasons, Loredo lost control, crossed the double-yellow line into the eastbound lane colliding head-on with Torrez. Loredo was uninjured. Torrez was transported by AMR to Desert Regional Medical Center for lacerations. Both vehicles were towed by Valley Auto.
Mary Morse, Idyllwild’s Spirit Mountain Retreat executive director and Hemet’s Human Relations Council president, is the 2016 Civil Rights Champion for Justice, an annual honor bestowed by the Fair Housing Council of Riverside County Inc. Morse has been a dedicated pioneer for social justice in the Hemet Valley for many years, as president of the…
Jenny Kirchner has won a second award for the Nov. 7, 2013 Town Crier photo of a soccer game at Idyllwild School. This award is for honorable mention from the National Newspaper Association. She won second place for the same photo earlier this year in the California Newspaper Publishers Association’s Better Newspapers Contest. “While I…
‘Strictly Elvis UK” bills itself as “the UK’s largest Elvis fan organization.” The group is “Dedicated solely to keeping the legend of Elvis Presley alive and sharing his legacy with fans not only here in the UK but across the globe.” This week, founder David Wade brought 38 fans from overseas to the Idyllwild Area…
By David JeromeCorrespondent Thursday, Jan. 27, the Idyllwild Historic Preservation District (IHPD) Local Review Board (LRB) met at the Idyllwild Library for its quarterly meeting with board members Chair Warren Monroe, Nancy Borchers and Terry Shirley. Absent were directors Ron Kammeyer and Leslie Mouriquand. Historic Preservation Officer Antone Pierucci represented Riverside County. As well as…
Fire log Idyllwild Fire Station responded to the following calls, Monday to Sunday, Aug. 3 to 9. Anza • Aug. 6 — Dispatched & canceled en route, Hwy. 371. Idyllwild • Aug. 3 — Medical aid, Rim Rock Rd. • Aug. 4 — Medical aid, Fern Valley Rd. • Aug. 4 — Walk-in medical aid….
Caltrans and other public officials met with the public Thursday night in Idyllwild. Work on Highway 74 will continue for months. They are hoping that by Labor Day it can be opened 24 hours a day with flagging control. Until then, 3rd District Supervisor Chuck Washington and Caltrans announced that the weekend hours…
