Dr. David Pearson gave a talk at the Idyllwild Public Library on Tuesday, January 14, titled “Protecting Biodiversity: the Pantanal of Brazil.” The Pantanal is the world’s largest tropical wetland, ten times the size of the Everglades, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pearson’s field of expertise is biotechnology, and although he has never…

At a special meeting, May 3, the Idyllwild Water District set June 19 for a public hearing to discuss stand-by assessment fees for the water and sewer districts. IWD’s proposed $30 fee per acre for each acre of unimproved land or each unimproved parcel has remained unchanged for more than 20 years. A list of…

Editor’s note: Riverside County’s Planning Department has proposed major changes to Ordinance 927, “Regulating Short Term Rentals” (STRs). The draft is available for public comment. The March 10 edition of the Town Crier describes the significant differences between the current ordinance and the revised draft. The March 17 issue has a story discussing the draft…

Town Crier has received confirmation that the man fatally injured at 11 a.m. Saturday and was reported dead at 1:02 p.m. the same day was a rock climber and has been identified as Bryan Rockwood, 49, of San Diego. Rockwood fell from Tahquitz Rock. Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire, Idyllwild Fire, the Riverside County Sheriff’s, U.S. Forest Service and Riverside…