Public hearing likely in December In an unanimous vote, directors of the Fern Valley Water District authorized staff to proceed with mailing information and scheduling a public hearing later this year on the proposed water rate increase. At the Oct. 20 board meeting they voted to proceed with preparation of the Proposition 218 material. The…

Early in 2016, Verizon landline customers on the Hill should expect Frontier Communications of Connecticut to take over their phone service. The two corporations announced the purchase in February 2015. For about $10.5 billion, Frontier will acquire Verizon’s wire-line operations in California, Florida and Texas, which serve about 3.7 million voice customers and 2.2 million…

Local attorney and physical therapist Bill Whitman had a brush with the dark side of geo-politics this month. He had scheduled a visit to a clinic in Ukraine, but history in the form of the Russian military intervened: “Things started to get hot and I started looking for alternatives and while on layover in Istanbul,…

September may free up grant money to help fund a proposed Safety Corridor on highways 74 and 243, according to California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer. CHP sought grant money to fund enforcement and education measures to help reduce traffic fatalities on Hill highways. CHP will partner with Caltrans once funds are approved…