Southern California Edison identified 132 poles that were damaged, according to a press release just issued. Of those, 32 were set on Wednesday for a total of 116 poles replaced so far. Helicopters are working with crews on the ground to set the poles. Despite very difficult terrain and severe soil conditions, which requires hand-digging…
The Cranston Fire remains at 18,139 acres and 92 percent contained. The number of personnel on the fire has dropped down to 580. Highway 74 is closed from Hemet to Highway 74 at Lake View Drive (Lake Hemet Market) Highway 243 is closed from lower Saunders Meadow Road south to Highway 74. Residents, business…
The only part of 243 open in Mountain Center is from Hwy. 74 north to Keenwild U.S. Forest Service station. Between Idyllwild and Mountain Center is under hard closure – even to residents, business owners and employees. Residents, business owners and employees in Mountain Center and Apple Canyon, with proof of employment or residency, can…
By Marshall Smith Correspondent Thursday night’s Idyllwild Summer Concert Series performances will be preceded by a ceremonial acknowledgment honoring first responders who fought the Cranston Fires and maintained public order during the fire. Representatives from the U.S. Forest Service, Cal Fire, Idyllwild Fire Protection District, Riverside County Fire Department, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and…
The Anza Electric Cooperative received word from Southern California Edison that the entire system should be restored by Monday, Aug. 6. AEC includes Garner Valley. The import upgrade that SCE and AEC “had already been working on for later this year will be completed during this outage since crews and material are readily available,” according…
The evacuation of Idyllwild created an unintended consequence for the Idyllwild Water District. With many fewer people in town, demand on the wastewater treatment plant plummeted. This can be a problem for nourishing the bacteria that clean the water. “With the evacuation, [there were] no businesses or camps, thus no organic material for the biological…
The Cranston Fire burned up to and across both highways 74 and 243. Currently, Highway 74 from Idyllwild to Mountain Center is closed to through traffic. The only access to Idyllwild is Highway 243 from Banning. The damage to Highway 74 is more extensive. According to Terri Kasinga, chief of Public and Media Affairs for…
The community meeting about the Cranston Fire drew dozens of local residents. It became standing-room-only when more than 100 chairs were filled, and more people stood in the back or along the walls to hear from the Incident Management Team officials, as well as county health and local government leaders Monday night in the Idyllwild…
Residents of the Hill communities who are low on food, living expenses or basic supplies can find relief thanks to several organizations. The Idyllwild HELP Center received a large donation this afternoon from the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission in Indio, as well as a number of individual donations. Food, personal items and even school supplies…
Two more weeks until the one-year anniversary of our announcement of the Town Crier Membership Model, and four more weeks until the anniversary of when it went into effect. Meanwhile, early Charter Members already are beginning to renew their Memberships. Of course, they do not lose anything by renewing early because renewals are always tacked…
