Five more weeks until the one-year anniversary of our announcement of the Town Crier Membership model, and existing Members already have begun renewing their Memberships. Of course, they do not lose anything by renewing early because renewals are always tacked on to the end of a Membership’s existing expiration date. Please plan on renewing your…
Editor’s note: July 2018 marks the fifth anniversary of the Mountain Fire that caused Idyllwild and Fern Valley residents to evacuate. This is the personal account of one evacuee, Fern Valley resident and then-Town Crier Staff Reporter Marshall Smith. One can never feel safe when wildfire threatens. That is one of the lessons I learned…
‘Not an emergency’ General Manager Jack Hoagland of the Idyllwild Water District issued a press release to the Town Crier on Monday, July 9, indicating that this week it is mailing its customers an “Official Notice” advising that “the District has exceeded the maximum contaminate limit (MCL) for both total trihalomethanes (TTHM) of 80 parts per…
Sheriff’s log The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet Station responded to the following calls Sunday to Saturday, July 1 to 7. Idyllwild • July 1 — Alarm call, 3:09 a.m., Hemstreet. Handled by deputy. • July 1 — Follow-up, 6:17 p.m., address withheld. Handled by deputy. • July 2 — Vehicle burglary, 9:05 a.m., Idyllbrook…
At 4:55 p.m. Tuesday, July 3, California Highway Patrol, Idyllwild Fire and Southern California Edison responded to a solo-vehicle collision into a power pole on South Circle Drive, 130 feet south of Darryl Road. The vehicle, a black 2018 Nissan Versa rental car, was driven by Patrick Souba, 59, of Forest Grove, Oregon. While driving…
On Monday, July 9, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Randall D. White heard two witnesses in the case against Pam Allen, 66, of Idyllwild. California Highway Patrol Officer Michael Bell testified for the prosecution, and the defense witness was Herbert Summers, Ph.D., a forensic engineer. After the testimony and arguments from both the prosecution and…
Early Sunday morning, July 8, U.S. Forest Service volunteers on their way to man Tahquitz Peak Lookout Tower discovered a fire off Devil Slide’s Trail in Humber Park, according to Fire Chief Freddie Espinoza, for the Forest Service’s San Jacinto Ranger District. The volunteers reported it. First on the scene was Riverside County Fire Department…
“Homeless is not a crime. This is not a war on homelessness,” repeated Riverside County Sheriff’s Lt. Zach Hall. He, with deputies from the Sheriff’s Department’s Homeless Outreach Team, fire officials from all the local agencies and law enforcement for several federal and state agencies, were in Idyllwild to discuss the fire threat posed from…
It’s early July. Outside, it’s dry and hot — fire season in Southern California. Despite the noticeable absence of rain, recent fire outlooks and assessments do not raise catastrophic alarms. Do not be mistaken. Southern California is in the midst of an above-normal risk of fire, according to the National Interagency Fire Center’s Predictive Services…
Consolidation of the Hill’s three water districts — Fern Valley, Idyllwild and Pine Cove — was discussed briefly at the July Pine Cove Property Owners Association meeting. “Consolidation reared its ugly head again,” said PCWD General Manager Jerry Holldber. “In Pine Cove, we’ve worked very hard to have supplies and control our own destiny. There’s…
