John Edward Marin was looking for studio space where he could paint andfound more: space for three painters and his Wylldwood Gallery. “Thiswas not anticipated, it happened all very spur-of-the-moment. I saw thespace in December, moved in Jan. 5.” Marin began painting relatively recently, in 2003. “I was told by apsychic my art would hang…
The Idyllwild Water District (IWD) Board of Directors held a specialsession Tuesday, April 2. The two items on the agenda were discussion ofthe status of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) project, andexposure to litigation, the latter a closed session conference withlegal counsel. During public comments, ratepayer David Hunt spoke to “publicly commendthe interim GM [general…
Residents may have noticed a change on North Circle Drive at RiverDrive; the property previously known as Strawberry Creek Village has avery different look, and is now known as Freewyld. The Crier spoke withFreewyld founder Eric Moeller, a resident of Leucadia. Moeller cleared up an impression some neighbors had that the projectincluded two cabins across…
The April 8 solar eclipse, known as “The Great North American Eclipse,”will darken skies across 13 U.S. states, as well as Mexico and Canada,next Monday. Idyllwild will not be in the path of totality, but localswill notice, weather permitting, a darkening as the moon obscures about60% of the Sun’s disk. Those places in totality will…
Commissioners at the March 23 meeting of the Idyllwild Fire ProtectionDistrict (IFPD) had a lot to digest. The chief’s report included severalbig documents: the draft fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 budget, the draft ofthe 2025-30 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), the district’s new Vehicleand Equipment Catalog (VEC), the draft 2025 update of the district’sStrategic Plan, and a summary report of…
The March 30 meeting of the Idyllwild Water District (IWD) Board ofDirectors included the swearing in of Mitch Davis to the fill a seatthat has been vacant for the last year. This also was the first meeting at which interim General Manager (GM)Curt Sauer was able to give a report of his management style in…
State of the County addresses were annual events in Riverside untilCOVID. Supervisor V. Manuel Perez decided to create a State of the 4thDistrict event this year to bring together people he calls partners.Idyllwild was joined to the 4th District, and Perez, in 2021. Every 10years, the county adjusts these boundaries. The event, Monday, March 18, occupied…
The Village Lane is once again part of Idyllwild’s night life, aspartners Taryn Scanlon and Rick Caughman opened Taryn’s Place, their artgallery and tavern, Friday, March 22. They told the Crier they did asoft opening earlier in the week but were now ready for everyone. Evenbefore 5 p.m., the place was full. We interviewed Scanlon…
At the Pine Cove Water District (PCWD) meeting last Wednesday, March 13, a proposal for rent reduction from American Tower, one of the companiesleasing land or interior space from the district, was rejected. A newlease with another renter, Comtronix, was announced. Director Lou Padula asked about items on the financial statement. Onecheck, for over $85,000…
Representatives of member agencies held the first of this season’smeetings of the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce (MAST), at the IdyllwildNature Center Wednesday, March 13. The participating agencies includedRiverside County Sheriff, CalFire, United States Forest Service (USFS)and Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD). The audience included amember of the Mountain Community Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) and a…
