The Idyllwild Fire Department budget for fiscal 2014-15 is about $50,000 more than the current year budget. The district’s Finance Committee recommended the budget proposal to the full IFPD Commission for adoption at its June 10 meeting. The major issue confronting the committee was how to display the net ambulance revenue. Financial consultant Robert Dennis…

The echelon of U.S. Forest Service fire managers is filled with overly qualified and dedicated individuals. They have trained for years and been educated on fire behavior and firefighting tactics. It takes years to move up the ladder because of their love for the job. Few willfully leave, except for another fire position or upon…

Two passengers were killed in a two-car traffic collision Sunday afternoon just above Vista Point, 5 miles from Palm Desert. Jason Alexamder, 25, of Palm Springs, was a passenger in a white BMW driven by an unnamed male. Rosalinda Rossi, 58, of Palm Desert, was the passenger in a black Hyundai sedan also driven by…