

Semi truck loses brakes on Hwy. 243
By

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Murawski, Freddie Meza, 30, of Murrieta was driving north on Highway 243 near mile marker 19 at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, when he lost the breaks in his semi truck carrying concrete from a demolished building in Pine Cove. Meza plowed the truck into an embankment to stop the vehicle. Neither Meza nor his passenger, Hernan Orozco, 26, of San Bernardino, were injured in the solo traffic collision. Photo by Jenny Kirchner

Around 25 Idyllwild business owners and concerned residents met for the second time on Friday, Jan. 11, to devise a coordinated response to recent commercial burglaries.
This week’s paper reflects a redesign of the Town Crier that has been months in the making and many years coming. Our aim in reimagining the look of the Town Crier was to maintain our proud heritage as a news-heavy local source, while celebrating our artistic culture with a weekly “On the Town” section that…
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced the arrest of a suspect in a local burglary. On Thursday, Jan. 16, a Sheriff’s deputy from the Hemet Station arrested Kristopher Niemi for the burglary while he was walking along Highway 243. On November 12, 2013, deputies from the Hemet Station investigated a burglary at Idyllwild Pines Camp….
In a standing-room-only meeting, the Mountain Emergency Services Committee (MEMSCOMM) considered alternate Emergency Operations Centers (EOC)’s for the Hill. Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) Chief Norm Walker has advocated designating an alternate center given the fire department could be badly damaged in a major earthquake. The EOC serves as the locus for emergency responders if…
The February meeting of IWD’s board included an interview with the lone applicant for the seat left vacant after Director’s Wendy Harsha’s resignation. That is treated in a separate item. January production was 6,165,980 gallons, with water loss at 8%, a figure director Mitch Davis called “very believable,” also praising the morale of staff and…...
An information arraignment for Frank Gutierrez, 66, of Idyllwild, who was arrested in July 2015, is scheduled for Friday, June 24. At a preliminary hearing on Friday, June 10, the District Attorney’s Office amended two charges — possession of a controlled substance and possession of more than 28.5 grams of marijuana — reducing them to…