Marshall Smith

Idyllwild CinemaFest 2013 Chairman Phil Calderone announced festival selections on Dec. 17. A record 98 films — 22 features, 24 featurettes (lengths from 16 to 39 minutes), 29 shorts (up to 15 minutes), 17 documentary features, four documentary shorts (from 2 to 29 minutes) and two web series, including ICF 2013 Featured Filmmaker Ignatius Fischer’s “Freelancers” — will screen in four venues.

Idyllwild Master Chorale, Sherry Williams, Marshall Hawkins and Buzz Holmes appear at the Idyllwild School, at 7:30 Saturday, Dec. 22, and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 23.

The Mountain Area Safety Taskforce devoted its primary focus during its quarterly meeting to the threat to local forests of the Goldspotted oak borer. Third...

A number of states have laws that, to varying degrees, restrict importation and transportation of firewood aimed at stopping spread of invasive species, often insects or other pests. Firewood has been shown to be an agent for transporting invasive species. Many of the states with firewood laws are in the East and Midwest, part of Emerald ash borer federally quarantined areas.

Idyllwild CinemaFest Director Stephen Savage premieres his latest feature film, “Vertical,” as a special festival event on Saturday, Jan. 12, at the fourth year of the festival he founded. “It’s the final film in my Idyllwild trilogy,” said Savage, whose previous features “Cosmic Radio” (2007) and “Legacy” (2010) were also shot on location here.

Federally mandated stormwater compliance inspection deposits are going up. In 2009, when they were first assessed in Idyllwild, deposits required prior to on-site inspection...

The Mountain Area Safety Taskforce meeting at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 12 at the Nature Center is a working meeting of professional responders and...

Navigating Medicare prescription plans is usually a daunting and confusing procedure but this year it is even more so, according to Bill Robinson, insurance...