The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is hiring. But if anyone thinks becoming a deputy is as easy as filling out an application, they might be surprised to learn that to be deputized, one must go through a rigorous background check that eliminates thousands of applicants. Fewer than 1 percent of applicants are accepted. And even…
Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff and Capt. Ray Wood regard the rural Hill communities as important within the large territory they manage. By large, I mean it is the fourth most populous county in the state and geographically the size of New Jersey. Sniff told me his entire force is 10 times the size of…
A woman lost in the wilderness Sunday made it to a house and called 911 while the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was responding. A call had gone out for a helicopter to help with the rescue but was not deployed, according to Capt. Ray Wood of the Hemet Sheriff’s Station. “We picked her up at…
A one-vehicle traffic crash resulted in the death of a Mountain Center man Monday evening about a half-mile east of Keen Camp Road on Highway 74. California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Murawski said the man was driving a Toyota Tacoma westbound near the speed limit when he drifted off the highway and hit a tree…
Most of the time, when a reporter goes to cover a feature story, they’ve done some background research and carry along some questions to ask of the subject(s) of the interview. Because I was tasked with babysitting three grandchildren over a four-day period, when I headed for the Rustic on Saturday, I carried only an…
Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema Founder and Director Steve Savage said of his friend’s movie before it played Saturday afternoon, “It is very special, very poignant, very moving,” and left the stage for the audience to witness themselves. “A Man Called God” is the story of a handsome, 14-year-old American boy who lost his innocence…
UPDATE 12:57: Power is back on, at least in some areas, in Garner Valley. UPDATE 12:55 p.m.: Power is back up in Idyllwild and Pine Cove, but not Mountain Center or Garner Valley. UPDATE: Both the Town Crier office and the Avon Lady’s house (she rang) are back up in Idyllwild! UPDATE: The outages extend…
Jo’An’s Restaurant & Bar is in phase 1 of a four-phase renovation, according to new owner Mo Jacob, and was expected to re-open the middle of this week. The restaurant closed at 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4. Heading the renovation is contractor Brad Rechtfertig, owner and builder of the boutique inn The Grand Idyllwild Lodge….
Last year y’all presented another whirlwind year of activity in Idyllwild, from events to political controversies. We lost community members we loved, we raised funds and volunteered to improve our community, we paraded down North Circle Drive, we danced to splendid live music from jazz to rock to Zydeco, we rejoiced in our fine artists’…
Jo’An’s Restaurant & Bar is in phase 1 of a four-phase renovation, according to new owner Mo Jacob, and is anticipated to re-open the middle of next week. The restaurant closed last Sunday at 5 p.m. Heading the renovation is contractor Brad Rechtfertig, owner and builder of the boutique inn The Grand Idyllwild Lodge. In…
