On Aug. 31, Stephen Patrick Medlock, 56, who was arrested and charged with starting the 2013 Silver Fire that burned more than 20,000 acres in Poppet Flats, Twin Pines and throughout Banning, and reportedly caused physical injuries to more than a dozen individuals, including firefighters, was court ordered to a Mental Health Court (MHC) hearing…

With a minimum of discussion, and with a small contingent of Idyllwild supporters in the audience, the Riverside County Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for construction of a 7,980-square-foot playground on the Idyllwild Community Center (ICC) site. The vote, at the Wednesday, Oct. 26 meeting, was unanimous and approval was subject to…

Idyllwild Arts Academy is hosting a College Fair for high school students from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, at Nelson Dining Hall on campus. All local high school students, not just IAA students, are invited to the free event. Representatives of these colleges are attending the fair: The Juilliard School, Peabody Conservatory, Arts…

Waiting to cut tree allows pest to spread to healthy trees Community protection and financial aid may be a conflict that is yielding the proverbial “unanticipated results,” opined Gregg Bratcher, Cal Fire’s division chief for forestry on the Hill. Although the number of oaks infested with the Goldspotted oak borer continues to increase on the…