Lake Hemet’s two nesting bald eagles stared back at volunteers during Saturday morning’s bald eagle count. “We saw both eagles, one sitting at the edge (not in) of the nest and the second one perched in a tree nearby. They stayed put the whole hour we were watching,” said U.S. Forest Service biologist Ann Bowers. No…
Winter appeared to arrive last week. At least Mt. San Jacinto Peak and some higher-level elevation neighborhoods, such as upper Fern Valley, Humber Park and Pine Cove, briefly saw a few inches of snow. The center of Idyllwild was drenched from the rainfall, but snow was noticeably absent, as were the “snow-play visitors.” No winner…
Mountain Area Safety Taskforce members last week discussed concerns that the county grinding station may be limiting the size of trees accepted at the Highway 243 site. Gregg Bratcher, state forester division chief and MAST chair, was told the grinding station was not accepting wood greater than 10 inches diameter at breast height. No one…
As a result of the precipitation last week, and the possibility of some more Friday, the U.S. Forest Service is considering conducting some prescribed burns on the Hill. If a burn is initiated, it is would either be on Thomas Mountain in Garner Valley or along the Pine Cove and West Ridge Fuel breaks in…
Last week, officials from the state Department of Water Resources conducted the annual January snow pack survey. But unlike January 2017, DWR found little snow pack in the Sierra Nevada mountains. At the usual measuring site, they found some snow with the water equivalent of less than half an inch. This is about 3 percent…
On Thursday, Jan. 4, Christopher Huntley, 47, of Idyllwild, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon (a non-firearm) or force to cause great bodily injury. Judge Kelly Hansen sentenced Huntley to three years of probation, including 180 days in the custody of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. He was given…
At 5:40 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5, Jessica Nowlin, 30 of Idyllwild, was driving an orange 1967 VW bug on South Circle Drive, south of Village Center Drive, when her vehicle swerved and collided with a rock, according to the California Highway Patrol report of Officer Michael Bell. Upon investigation of the incident, Bell arrested Nowlin…
Sheriff’s log The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet Station responded to the following calls Sunday to Saturday, Dec. 31 to Jan. 6. Idyllwild • Dec. 31 — Alarm call, 3 a.m., North Circle Dr. Handled by deputy. • Dec. 31 — Alarm call, 5:30 a.m., North Circle Dr. Handled by deputy. • Dec. 31 —…
While the first snow of the 2018 winter arrived this week, the California Highway Patrol has already begun vigilantly enforcing the “No Parking” and “No Stopping” rules along Fern Valley Road, and one resident is not happy about it. Over the past year, the Idyllwild Snow Group, led by Marsha Kennedy, approached Riverside County 3rd…
The Idyllwild Water District directors chose NBS of Temecula to study the current water and sewer rates, and propose possible changes to the rate structures. The work could be completed by June, according to the NBS proposal. IWD had three firms submit proposals. At $51,000, NBS was the least costly of the three. The high…
