California Highway Patrol Officer Ron Esparza is retiring. Since 1999, Esparza has served the Idyllwild Area Post. He and his wife Karleen have been Hill residents since 1989. When Esparza first came to Idyllwild, he worked as a ranger for Riverside County Parks. For the CHP, he has worked both in Central Los Angeles and…

Editor’s note: The reporter in this article had $49,000 of tree-removal costs during the 2003 bark beetle infestation. Fortunately, Southern California Edison paid for all but $10,000 of the removal costs, since the very large pines threatened power lines. The Goldspotted oak borer, recently identified in Idyllwild, could cause similar if not greater tree loss…

During its March 11 meeting, the Idyllwild Fire Commission discussed the prospects of conducting a strategic planning exercise in the future. Several commissioners, Fire Chief Patrick Reitz, his assistant Sherry Edwards and Ruth Wick, head of Volunteer Company 621, attended a 5-day strategic planning class the previous week. Commissioner Rhonda Andrewson thought the class was…