The February 19 meeting of the board of directors of Idyllwild Water District began with the swearing in of newly-appointed director Wendy Harsha. As Board President Charles Schelly pointed out, this was the first time since April 2023 that the board has had five members. The board learned from General Manager Bill Rojas that the…
Fern Valley Water District Board Member Mike LaFata resigned at the end of the Board’s Feb. 20 meeting. He felt that his colleagues did not share his sense of detailed “fiduciary duty.” During his 14 months as a director, LaFata mostly concentrated his attention on reviewing the District’s monthly expenditures, especially the credit card charges….
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is seeking to become the next Governor of California. At a launch party for his Republican nomination, Monday, Feb. 17, Bianco said, “I am running for Governor of our beautiful state which I absolutely love because our head is heading down the wrong track and has been for years.” Gov….
The latest atmospheric river has finally offered some precipitation to the Hill communities. The fall and early winter drought is being slightly relieved. Last week, through Friday at noon the National Weather Service reported 4.1 inches of rain fell in Idyllwild from Wednesday through Friday. The Keenwild Ranger Station recorded 4.06 inches of rain during…
There is now a second petition on Change.org intending to make Highway 74 safer from Palm Desert to 371. The first petition sought action from Caltrans to repair the many potholes in the asphalt. The new one seeks to limit the use of 74 by heavy trucks, enforce the prohibition with a weigh station. The…
California’s Insurance Commissioner Richardo Lara has declined to immediately approve State Farm General’s request for an emergency rate increase. Instead, in a letter to SFG officials, including Dan Krause, President and Chief Executive Officer of SFG, Lara requested that they, along with representatives from Consumer Watchdog, an intervenor to the SFG request, meet with him…
The Directors of Pine Cove Water District met on Wednesday, February 12. They heard from General Manager Jeremy Potter that he is ready to start a pilot program to address poor data transmission from the recently installed “smart” meters. Board president Robert Hewitt appointed Vicki Jakubac and Becky Smith to an ad-hoc committee to review…
In December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act. But that action may be too late for the venerable and beautiful creature. On Jan. 30, the Xerces Society, which has organized survey counts of the Monarch for the past…
“Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated and continues to increase across the country,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Feb.1. One week later, on Feb. 8, the CDC reported the news was similar, “. . . this season is now classified as a high severity season overall and for all age groups…
Paul and Carolyn Fetters have recently moved to Pine Cove, completing what they call the “California Triathlon,” having lived at the beach, in the desert and now in the mountains. Paul is a professional body builder and former Mr. America who helps others build their personal training businesses, while Carolyn provides training for nutritionists at…
