The California Highway Patrol reported two crashes on Hill roads over the last week, one involving a school bus. At 9:25 a.m. Friday, Feb. 22, El Sayed Eldahawy, 49, of Lake Elsinore, was driving a red 2001 Ford F-150 truck eastbound on Highway 74, ½ mile west of Santa Rosa Truck Trail, when he ran…
Mark DeAntonio, 53, of Pine Cove, who was charged in June with negligently discharging a firearm, has had several hearings in January regarding his attorney’s request for a mental health diversion. Penal Code sections 1001.35 and 1001.36 authorize this review, according to the public defender’s request. The latest scheduled court hearing was to be Feb….
The U.S. Forest Service is doing pile burning Wednesday, Feb. 27, on the Westridge Fuel Break. The start time was 9:30 a.m. Firefighters are targeting about 300 piles.
Valentine’s Day, Thursday, Feb. 14, was a wet day on the Hill, with 19 swift-water rescues taking place in various locations, straining the abilities of emergency responders. Official rain total at Keenwild Station for Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 13 and 14, was 7 inches. From Oct. 1 through late February, Keenwild recorded 24.8 inches of…
It is safe to report that the drought has ended for this spring and possibly the summer of 2019. Whether it returns in 2020 is unknown. But precipitation — rain and snowfall — data are sufficient to drench the dreaded drought for the duration of spring and early summer. While Monday and Tuesday were warmer,…
Village Center Drive project up for decision When the directors of the Idyllwild Water District met last week, perhaps the imminent snow storm or the joy of the atmospheric river filling Foster Lake limited their attention. But with only two items on the agenda, they deferred action on both until March. Further, they never discussed,…
Both the California Highway Patrol and Cal Trans emphasize that the highways to Idyllwild have suffered significant damage in the past week. The large snowfall Wednesday and Thursday exacerbated the situation and created more dangerous opportunities. Therefore access to Idyllwild and Pine Cove will be strictly controlled. CHP will establish a checkpoint on Hwy. 74…
With military-honed skill and at great personal risk, Garner Valley resident Ronnie N. Imel delivered the most important Valentine neighbor Kathleen Walker had ever received. He saved her life. Imel is a modest man and was reluctant to discuss the rescue, saying it felt awkward to call attention to himself. But after several questions, he…
Wednesday night, a major traffic jam occurred on Highway 74, east of its intersection with Hwy. 371. The California Highway Patrol reported that between 20 and 50 vehicles were stuck on the highway on ice and snow. Hwy 74 remained closed until late this morning, Thursday, Feb. 21. However, chain control is in effect according…
Editor’s note: Each year, the Town Crier reports the information below for the three local water districts — Fern Valley, Idyllwild and Pine Cove — and the Idyllwild Fire Protection. The FVWD information appeared in the Feb. 14 issue and the IWD information was in the Feb. 7 issue. IFPD will appear next week. Each…
