At its Feb. 28 meeting, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors reviewed the status of its current Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget. At the middle of the fiscal year (which started July 1), the County Executive Officer, Jeff Van Wagenen, reported, “Overall discretionary revenue was increasing, as of now the contingency is holding, and the bottom-line…
n Feb. 20, the California Air Resources Board announced that the Office of Administrative Law had disapproved the proposed amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard Regulation, which the CARB had approved in early November. While the Board’s vote was 12-2, this was a controversial decision. The OAL letter to the CARB indicated two reasons…
Residents noted helicopter activity above Tahquitz Peak this weekend, as search and rescue teams worked for two days to extract a pair of hikers who had fallen while attempting a treacherous trail. Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Sergeant Wendy Brito-Gonzalez confirmed that on Saturday, March 1, at 3:07 p.m., their dispatch received a…
Many people throughout the country and especially in Southern California have been worried about the potential ramifications of the current federal staffing reductions. Less Internal Revenue Service agents may result in less revenue and a larger deficit. But closer to the Hill, and especially after the disastrous Los Angeles County fires last month, plenty of…
Death Row Appeal: Legal Battles Continue Over Esperanza Fire Convictions In March 2009, Raymond Lee Oyler was found guilty of arson, igniting the Esperanza Fire in October 2006. The jury also found him guilty of the murder of five U.S. Forest Service firefighters. Three died at the fire site and two, including Mark Loutzenhiser of…
Since 1992 Idyllwild’s HELP Center has lived by a motto: “neighbors helping neighbors.” Executive Director Colleen Meyer and Client Services Director Deva Taffel gave the Town Crier an update on the Center’s programs. Meyer and Taffel are quick to credit and express gratitude to the many local organizations that support them in their mission. As…
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…
