Our beloved Strawberry Valley hasn’t always been the main tourist attraction in the San Jacinto Mountains. Between 1915 and 1924, the Idyllwild Inn had strong, and at times superior, competition from Tahquitz Lodge, located 6 miles down the Hill at Keen Camp. While Idyllwild tended to draw from the coastal cities, Inland Empire residents actually…
Editor: Congratulations to June Rockwell and Steven Kunkle. The people have spoken. Perhaps they should have run another candidate as a three-member slate. Smoke and mirrors by IWD board members and management have been the game to date. Board weakness/bias/self-interest are like cancers to be cut out and eliminated from public office. Conduct by IWD…
Editor: In light of the results of the recent Idyllwild Water District election I would to make the following comments. First of all, congratulations to the new board. The people of Idyllwild spoke with a loud and unified voice that they want to see change. I strongly suggest that Michael Freitas, a current board member,…
Editor: Make a reminder when your dog license needs to be renewed. The county doesn’t always send a renewal, but they are happy to send a late notice notifying you owe $25 more now that it is 30 days past the renewal date. You can email them at rabiescontrol@rivcocha.org with your dog’s license number to…
Last week’s story told of Idyllwild Fire considering mortgaging the people’s fire house to not only pay for two ambulances and station improvement projects, but increasing salaries and benefits. Building reserves within a budget to deal with emergencies, such as the brush truck’s engine failure, seems wise. But spending $90,000 on what appeared to be…
A few months back at a Mountain communities Fire Safe Council board meeting, we discussed putting together some questions to present to our local government forester. We titled this document, “Questions to Shape Education.” The thought was to obtain answers on the correlation between the continuing drought and maintaining a healthy forest. Below are our…
Cal Trans has announced plans for road work and maintenance over the next two weeks. This work will result in some lane closures and cautious driving. Paving began on both northbound and southbound Highway 371 from Highway 74 to Kirby Road Monday, Aug. 31, and continues from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Thursday, Sept….
Diana “De” Eskew easily won election to a full-term as director of the Pine Cove Water District. She garnered 176 votes or 46.1 percent of the total. She was the choice of 80 percent of the district’s voters. “That makes me feel really good,” she said, when told of the results. Fellow Director Tim Lange,…
The vote totals for the Idyllwild Water District election are now official and final. The district’s constituents signaled it’s time for a change, easily choosing both challengers and ending the tenure of two of the three incumbents seeking re-election. Far in front was challenger Steven Kunkle, former IWD employee, with 267 votes or 32.9 percent…
Each year, Ken Dahleen and the Idyllwild Summer Concert Season board begin the season with a budget but insufficient funds on hand to pay for the season’s expenses. But each year, through the generosity of patrons and sponsors, they close the season without a deficit. This year, even though the lineup was stellar, there were…
