Highway 74 between Mountain Center and Hemet was closed for several hours on Friday morning, April 4, due to a head-on collision west of the Strawberry Creek bridge. Johnathon Torres of the CHP provided these details: The crash occurred just after 10 a.m., three miles west of Gaugh Road, MM 53. A westbound 2021 Subaru…
Reba Coulter got a nice surprise when she found out she had been named Riverside County 4th District Woman of the Year. “I didn’t know such a thing existed, I was totally shocked.” Coulter explains that each of the five supervisors nominated a candidate, and she was Supervisor V. Manuel Perez’s choice. The awards are…
Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order affecting voting regulations throughout the country. The first part will require documentary, government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship on its voter registration form issued by the Election Assistance Commission. This is intended to address the President’s long-standing opinion that many noncitizens are casting ballots in U.S. elections….
Last week, Cal Fire released the final set of its “Fire Hazard Severity Maps.” These maps depict the three fire hazard zones – Very High, High, and Moderate – for the eight Southern California counties, including Riverside. Idyllwild, Pine Cove, and Mountain Center are considered to be in a “Very High” Fire Hazard Severity Zone….
Mountain Community Fire Safe Council (MCFSC), the nonprofit organization that helps local property-owners plan and pay for home fire abatement, was among the stakeholders reporting at the March meeting of the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce. Executive Director Callie Squires provided an update on older grants that are wrapping up, and new grants and applications. MCFSC’s…
[ This article “The Year of the Undefeated” is written in a two-part series. Find “Part 1” here. ] ICC Adult Basketball Last week we witnessed history being made in our local adult volleyball league. This week we turn our focus on to the other popular sports league played during the winter months: ICC Adult…
The March 12 Mountain Area Safety Taskforce (MAST) meeting included a report from Riverside County Sheriff’s Office (RSO) on their activities in local mountain communities. Sergeant Frank James, one of two supervisors for the mountain communities, said that there are always two deputies on duty, with a supervisor present during the day shift. There is…
The release of Cal Fire’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps is a positive step, but not a specific benefit to the local fire departments, according to Idyllwild Fire Chief Mark LaMont. The maps have value for fire departments, insurers, and property owners, but are not sufficient to address the issues of preventing the devastation from…
The March 26 meeting of the Fern Valley Water District Board of Directors was quick and no major issues were apparent. The board met with four directors since former director Mike LaFata resigned after the February meeting. If interested in joining the Board, a letter of interest and resume should be submitted to the FVWD…
The Idyllwild Community Center (ICC) building project next to the Idyllwild Community Playground, which has been in the works for more than twenty years, is finally near completion. Except for a few final “punch list” items remaining under the HUD building contract, ICC’s combined CDBG grant through HUD, as well as additional Riverside County grants,…
