On January 5, in a press release and numerous other documents, Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill, in his role as Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announced these changes in the U.S. childhood immunization practices. They reduce the number of recommended vaccines from 18 to 10. The…
Significant precipitation fell on the Hill Christmas week, but it was not a white Christmas. Also, the volume did not approach the torrential rainfall further north. The Idyllwild Fire Department recorded .85 inches of rain last week, although Pine Cove received nearly an inch and a half in the same period. Further south the Forest…
In a primary race with multiple candidates, it is common for one with less name recognition to hurl comments at the leader in order to gain greater attention and try to improve their chances of winning a squeaky race. So one might expect one of the Republican gubernatorial candidates to fling a barb or two…
At its April 15 meeting, the County Board of Supervisors set a public hearing for May 20 to consider increases in the waste collection rates throughout the County. The new rates will be effective July 1. For Hill residents, the new waste collection rate will increase 58 cents, from $19.74 to $20.32. Commercial rates will…
The April 17 meeting of the Fern Valley Water District Board of Directors was busy, productive and long – two hours! The major piece of business was the selection of Dan DeVoy as the new director. He replaces Mike LaFata, who resigned in February. DeVoy lives in El Centro and has a home in Fern…
Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration jointly published a proposed change to their regulations for implementing the Endangered Species Act. They are proposing to limit the definition of “taking” a threatened or endangered species to the language in the original law. Section 3(19) reads, “The term…
Activity for the 2026 Congressional Election for District 41, which is still 18 months in the future, continued last week. Tim Myers, a lifelong Southern Californian and Grammy-nominated musician-turned-entrepreneur, announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in California’s 41st Congressional District. In his press release, Myer wrote, “I was born and raised in Corona –…
California’s Assembly is considering Assembly Bill 435, which would change when and where 10–13-year-old children and smaller frame teens may sit in a moving vehicle. It raises the minimum age for vehicle child passenger restraints from eight to 13 years old and replaces the current age and height exemption with a 5-Step test. Beginning January…
Last week, the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center announced that the current La Niña weather conditions, which formed in January, have already dissipated. La Niña conditions are associated with cooler surface water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and stronger trade winds. Typically, this results in drier weather in the southern and southwestern parts of…
Editor’s Note: On April 10, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 22, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. The legislation goes to the Senate next. If passed, it would require people to prove that they are U.S. citizens when they register to vote. Republicans argued the legislation, is necessary to ensure only…
