On April 1, the Idyllwild Water District will return to a Stage 1 Water Conservation Emergency after three-and-half years in Stage 2, which began September 2013. The vote was 4-0-1. Director Vic Sirkin abstained because the board is not ready to sell new water meters, although it has lifted the Stage 2 mandatory conservation efforts….
The Idyllwild Youth Grantmakers held its fifth-annual grant award ceremony on Thursday, March 16, in the Idyllwild School cafeteria. Sixteen Idyllwild Middle School students awarded a total of $4,000 in grants to seven local nonprofit grant applicants. This is the fifth year that a group of Idyllwild Middle School students made philanthropic decisions that benefited…
By Marshall Smith Staff Reporter Cal Fire performed a successful helicopter evacuation of an injured hiker from the Sunshine Face of Suicide Rock on Sunday, March 19. According to Jody Hagemann, Cal Fire senior public information specialist, Cal Fire was notified by Idyllwild Fire Protection District of the incident and responded at 4:44 p.m….
Sheriff’s log The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet Station responded to the following calls Sunday to Saturday, March 5 to 11. Idyllwild • March 5 — Unlawful entry, Live Oak Ln. Report taken. • March 5 — 911 call, Delano Dr. Handled by deputy. • March 7 — Public disturbance, Alderwood St. Handled by deputy….
While its wells may be slowly recovering, the Pine Cove Water District has seen its reserves climb this winter. At the board’s March 8 meeting, General Manager Jerry Holldber proudly noted that since December, cash has increased about $70,000 to $270,000 at the end of February. While the groundwater level for some of its wells…
The wet winter does not alleviate fire season, it simply creates different threats, Riverside County Fire Chief John Hawkins said during the March meeting of the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce. Grasses dry and die quickly during low rain and drought periods, which creates fire threats. Rain and snow encourage the growth of tall and abundant…
The Thursday, March 16, Mountain Emergency Services Committee meeting will feature a training on what to do if one is in an environment where there is an active shooter. Jerry Hagen, MEMSCOMM coordinator, stressed this is a training, not a presentation. Based on the latest protocols, sheltering in place is no longer what is recommended….
Saturday was the fourth and last bald eagle count of the 2016-17 season. Volunteers, also known as citizen scientists, and federal and state biologists spotted 12 bald eagles at various Southern California lakes. The nesting adult pair at Lake Hemet was among the dozen eagles seen this weekend.
Forecast to be higher next winter Editor’s Note: The winter heating season historically runs October through March. This ends our review of Hill propane prices for the winter of 2016-17. Propane price have held steady over the last two weeks. The spot (point-of-production) price is down from $0.733 per gallon two weeks ago to $0.628…
In order to find nearly $12 million of saving, Hawkins presented several steps, including imposing a fee for emergency medical services, closing Station 63 in Poppet Flats, and employing more two-person medic squads in place of three-person engines in rural and outlying areas (such as Garner Valley). The immediate response from the supervisors was neither enthusiastic nor complacent toward accepting Hawkins’ proposals. County Executive Jay Orr introduced the presentation and explained its intent. “We see clouds on the horizon and increased communication with the board is needed to have their direction.”
