New director, transparency policies and capital improvement plan The directors of Idyllwild Water District had a long, busy and productive meeting on March 21. They filled a vacancy (see accompanying story and separate interview), adopted open government resolutions, and discussed capital improvement priorities and the state water-tax proposal. Transparency resolutions The board unanimously adopted resolutions…
A cannabis (marijuana) industry is likely to come to the unincorporated areas of Riverside County, perhaps in 2018. Already nearly a dozen cities within the county have permitted at least one feature — retailing, cultivating, testing or distributing — of the novice industry. At the end of a nearly three-hour workshop Tuesday, March 20, Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, 2nd District, summarized the Riverside County Board of Supervisor’s next steps.
The late winter and early spring precipitation continued last week through Saturday night. Almost 2 inches of rain was recorded at the U.S. Forest Service’s Keenwild Ranger Station from Wednesday night through Sunday morning. The week ahead forecast has rain coming possibly Tuesday and lingering through Friday. The highest probability of more precipitation is after…
Caltrans’ blade-equipped vehicles recently could be heard many times throughout the night scraping Highway 243 even though there was no snow accumulation. The Town Crier contacted Terry Kasinga, public information officer of Caltrans, to learn the reason for this. She advised that Caltrans vehicles were patrolling for rocks. “Highway 243 is one of the worst…
Head-on crash involving injuries At 9:03 p.m. Friday, March 16, Lili Crow, 32, of Hemet, driving a green 1997 Toyota Tercel, made an unsafe turn and hit a tree on Highway 243, three-tenths of a mile north of Highway 74, according to the California Highway Patrol report. Crow was arrested for driving under the influence…
By Jack Clark Co-publisher and General Counsel I received a call last week from a concerned TC reader who said it was unnecessary for us to publish the list of Town Crier Charter Members each week. He wanted to know why we do it, and he felt the space would be more useful if it…
Fuelbreak work continues on Hill The Mountain Area Safety Taskforce met last week, but inclement weather kept the attendance at the low end of a usual meeting. The main issue of discussion is the effort to extend the signal from the local emergency broadcast station, WNKI 1610 AM, from Poppet Flat in the north to…
No change to summer hours The Fern Valley Water District board is considering hiring a third field employee, but rejected the general manager’s recommendation to resume the four-day, 10-hour work-day schedule for this summer. General Manager Victor Jimenez recommended the board approve adding a third field operator to the staff. The annual cost — salary…
Sheriff’s log The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet Station responded to the following calls Sunday to Saturday, March 11 to 17. Idyllwild • March 11 — Public disturbance, 1:48 p.m., Strawberry Valley Dr. Handled by deputy. • March 11 — Suspicious vehicle, 6:03 p.m., Pine Crest Ave. Handled by deputy. • March 11 — Illegal…
Local water districts oppose it, too The possibility of the state Legislature imposing a tax on local water bills is looming. Throughout the state, local water districts and media are objecting to a tax on water — a critical human need. During meetings last week, the boards of the Fern Valley and Pine Cove water…
