





Photos: Labor Day Weekend on the hill
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In February 2014, when Tom Lynch was hired to be general manager of Idyllwild Water District, he was required by the district to obtain a California Water Treatment Grade II Operator Certificate (“T2” certification) from the State Water Resources Control Board within six months as a condition of his employment. This was one of several…
At about 4:55 a.m. Monday, Aug. 23, Idyllwild Postmaster Lorraine Sonoqui was awakened with the news that Idyllwild’s post office had been vandalized in an apparent break-in attempt. Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies responded. A good deal of gouging at the white double door leading to the back room evidenced an attempted break-in, and three boxholders’…
Fire scientists from Maryland, Colorado and Riverside have collaborated to combine fire modeling with satellite data to develop a new method for predicting wildfire behavior in near real time. The resulting predictions will be more accurate and revised based on the fire’s actual behavior. For years, fire experts have researched and designed models for predicting…
A quick rustle in the leaves and this yellow-striped racer had a fence lizard meal in its stretchy jaws.
Inclement weather returned to the Hill last week. Fortunately, Saturday and Sunday were dry. On Friday, some drizzling rain fell throughout the Hill, but on Monday, showers returned for the day and continued into Tuesday. Total rain, from Friday, Feb. 3, through Tuesday morning, Feb. 7, was 0.9 inches at the U.S. Forest Service’s Keenwild…
As Riverside County Fire Chief John Hawkins reminded local fire officials at last week’s Mountain Area Safety Taskforce meeting, the 2016 fire season is approaching quickly. “MAST is about preparation and cooperation,” he stressed. “We do all we can in a systems approach to reduce probable threats ahead.” Confirming Hawkins’ statement, items discussed during the…