At its April 26 meeting, the Idyllwild Fire Protection District commission addressed a wide variety of issues. A preliminary presentation of next year’s budget was followed by a long discussion of what the commission should do in the aftermath of the defeat of Measure W, the proposal to increase parcel fees, a review of administrative…
Riverside County’s impending budget problems are not diminishing. The state still has shown no willingness to alleviate the budget ramifications of shifting the In-House Support Services program back to the 57 counties. Also, growing retirement costs have not abated. Last week, County Executive Officer Jay Orr told the board that “… projections of the growth…
The CSA 36 Advisory Committee is struggling to find ways to increase attendance at its meetings. Attendance has been meager, even though funds for the program come from parcel taxes paid by district residents. Chair John Metroka, at last week’s meeting, suggested quarterly meetings rather than monthly which had been made when the committee was…
U.S. Forest Service firefighters were dispatched to the Idyllwild Arts campus Monday afternoon after reports of a fire. The vegetation fire, called the Apela Fire, was located about 100 yards up slope from the Grotto. It was contained to an 8-foot spot and extinguished quickly. Fire investigators were speaking to a group of three Pacific…
A rock climber was rescued Sunday afternoon. One climber, a member of group, was injured and Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire had to use a helicopter to lift him off of Tahquitz Rock. The injured person was transferred to ambulance for transport to a local hospital. The climber’s injuries were described as moderate to serious. He…
(This is from a press release Caltrans issued recently.) The California Department of Transportation, Caltrans and VAP Construction of La Mirada will begin work to add a centerline rumble strip on Highway 243 near Idyllwild and Mountain Center. The construction area will be in two locations. The project limits are from 0.7 miles north of…
The National Interagency Fire Center issued its outlook for the summer 2018 fire season on Monday, declaring that drought conditions have improved in most areas. The seasonal forecast for the Southern California region is normal from May through June. Southern Arizona has an above-normal fire potential this month and next. In July and August, fire…
A capacity crowd turned out on Tuesday, April 25, to hear first responders and disaster-response experts discuss issues surrounding “what to know, what to expect and what to do” when disaster strikes the Hill. Mike Feyder, Mountain Disaster Preparedness president, organized the meeting to familiarize newer residents and remind longer-term residents about evacuation dos and…
The Hill is experiencing drift smoke from the 30-acre Opera Fire currently burning out of control in the hills north of the city of Riverside and south of the city of San Bernardino. The fire was reported at 3:34 p.m. Sunday, April 30. Air tankers are working the fire with ground agencies.
The Idyllwild Water District is tentatively moving forward on a project to replace pipelines from Bicknell and Reed lanes along Marian View Drive and also Cedar Street. At the request of Director Steve Kunkle at last week’s meeting, the board postponed a decision on awarding a contract to Albert A. Webb and Associates, who designed…
