On March 5, 2024, California will hold its presidential primary. But many other offices also will be on the ballot that day. Many of these are for state or local positions such as the county’s board of education and supervisor. The most obviously local position is the vacant seat on the Idyllwild Water District Board…
Walter John, a resident of Idyllwild for 58 years, passed away at home Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. Born in Oregon, Walter’s family moved to Idyllwild when he was 10. Hired at 18 by Kirby More, he began his career as a Hot Shot for the U.S. Forest Service out of Vista Grande Station. He continued…
Diana Johnson, long-time manager of Fairway Foods, passed away in hospice care Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, in the loving arms of her husband Mark, and daughter Stephanie at age 64. She died only one week after after receiving the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Diana was born to Betty and James Ziemkowski in Phoenix, Arizona, and…
Houses Painted Black Dear editor: An open appeal to my fellow denizens of this lovely mountain village: Please stop painting your houses black. I suspect that this all started as a prank, a macabre jest to rattle the neighbors, right? But the joke has gotten seriously out of hand when every third house on the…
At the Dec. 12, Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting, Chair Kevin Jeffries (1st District) and Supervisor Karen Spiegel (2nd District) submitted an item on the agenda asking the county’s chief executive and CalFire to develop a strategy to alleviate the current shortage of firefighter II/paramedic vacancies in the Riverside County Fire Department. This was…
The Pine Cove Water District (PCWD) Board of Directors met Wednesday, Dec. 13 and accepted the resignation of director Diane Luther, who is moving. Public notice of the vacancy will be posted and a new interim director will be appointed; Luther’s term ends Dec. 24, 2024, and the new director will stand for election in…
California State Parks welcomes the public to start 2024 in a healthy way and to enjoy the fresh air with the annual First Day Hikes Monday, Jan. 1. Currently, more than 60 state parks will be participating, including Mt. San Jacinto State Park, with more than 70 guided hikes taking place across the state. First…
Last week, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued its monthly El Niño status report. While El Niño conditions will continue through winter, the NWS added, “Based on the latest forecasts, there is now a 54% chance of a ‘historically strong’ El Niño during the November-January season … An event of this strength would potentially be…
Michael LaFata, formerly of Orange County, is the newest Fern Valley Water District (FVWD) director who moved with his wife Alexandra to the Hill in 2020. The Hill was their choice after a careful and extended evaluation of several Southern California mountain communities. The LaFatas wanted a home in the mountains and first explored San…
The Associates of the Idyllwild Arts Foundation (IAF) celebrated its 55th anniversary by hosting the annual Holiday Dinner Party Saturday evening, Dec. 16, at Nelson Dining Hall on campus. The Associates have been supporting arts education and Idyllwild Arts since 1968. This event continued that tradition when Associates President Michael Slocum presented IAF President Pamela…
