Tom Dillon, new fifth grade teacher at Idyllwild School, has a few sleight-of-hand magic tricks up his sleeve that he uses to help students pay attention, improve their observational and cognitive skills and reward them for those little leaps forward that he says makes teaching so rewarding. “I enjoy giving knowledge to kids,” said the…

Thursday afternoon, July 28, several local citizens approached 3rd District Supervisor Jeff Stone, who was in town for his monthly meeting with Hill residents, to discuss the county’s decision to cancel its recreation management contract with the Idyllwild Community Recreation Council (ICRC). Stone agreed to meet with them later that afternoon and at about 4:30…

Financial and water conditions, and authorizing several small projects were the business of Friday’s Fern Valley Water District board meeting. The final fiscal year 2015-16 results were discussed with total revenue of about $1.1 million exceeding initial projects by about $65,000. Expenditures were $1.3 million, nearly $200,000 less than budget. Net income was a negative…

At his felony settlement conference, Friday, Oct. 17, Matthew Subish, 41, of Idyllwild, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for possessing a firearm or ammunition. Subish’s previous felony convictions are the reason he is prohibited from possessing a firearm, according to state law. His sentence for this misdemeanor includes three years of probation and 45…

The county is busy with a number of disaster response plans, initiatives and trainings. Mountain Emergency Services Coordinator Gina Moran-McGough highlighted them at the monthly meeting on Thursday, Feb. 9. First, McGough recapped the county’s and local agencies’ interest in designating an alternate local emergency operations center where emergency responders could coordinate communication and disaster…