The highway 243 mill and overlay project will be replacing drainage culverts near Mt Edna Road during the week of February 2. Caltrans warns: “Week of February 2nd, several daytime work activities with lane closures and flagging /pilot car operations will continue SR-243 throughout the week between the hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday (02/02) through…...
Last week The Town Crier published a brief history of Garner Ranch, starting with its early years as Thomas Ranch. We recently visited the Ranch to meet Ted Johnson, who along with wife Meg are the stewards of one of the longest operating cattle ranches in the San Jacinto Mountains. They manage it themselves with…...
It has been years, but California, the entire state, is drought free. See the accompanying map from the Drought Monitoring Center. The state is totally white. This is the result of plentiful precipitation since summer. Since October 1, 2025 (the beginning of the water year), the Forest Service’s Keenwild Ranger Station has recorded 9.6 inches…...
Another earthquake was felt on the Hill. Last Monday evening, January 19, a 4.9 quake occurred about 12 miles north-northeast of Indio. This was the strongest shake from a series of nearly 475 tremors from Monday through Thursday. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the shaking reached a 6 on its scale, which signifies strong…....
Locals, and friends living in the valleys to the west, noticed smoke last week from a prescribed burn. Lee Beyer, USFS Forestry Technician detailed to this district for the project, wrote in answer to an inquiry from the Town Crier that the smoke was from a “prescribed low-intensity burn of the Pine Cove Fuelbreak.” …...
Mara Schoner of Idyllwild Forest Health Project and Mountain Communities Mutual Aid shared news of a visit MCMA members to Supervisor V Manuel Perez at his office in La Quinta. Robert and Karin Greenwood, members of MCMA’s Steering Committee, and volunteer Steve McElfresh, presented the supervisor with a piece of art by local artist Audrey…...
IWD awaits income survey responses to support wastewater plant grant application, district just below limit on second homes IWD General Manager Bill Rojas provided an update on the Median Household Income survey being conducted by California Rural Water Associates on behalf of the district to support their application for a grant to fund the rehabilitation…...
The Idyllwild Community Fund has announced three new members of advisory committee: Lorie De Marco (President, Friends of the Library), JoAnn Graham (former owner, Mountain High Escrow), and Tonya West (smARTS artist, Idyllwild Volunteer Fire Company). The ICF Advisory Committee evaluates grant applications submitted each year by Idyllwild’s nonprofit (501(c)(3) organizations for distribution of the…...
Locals, and friends living in the valleys to the west, noticed smoke last week from a prescribed burn. Lee Beyer, USFS Forestry Technician detailed to this district for the project, wrote in answer to an inquiry from the Town Crier that the smoke was from a “prescribed low-intensity burn of the Pine Cove Fuelbreak.” …...
Elaine Bacher wrote to tell readers that Idyllwild Indivisible will be holding a meeting in the library on Tuesday, January 27, at 5:30 p.m. The speaker will be Elle Kurpiewski, also known as Elle K, the President of the Democratic Headquarter of the Desert. The organization, chartered by the Riverside County Democratic Party, was founded…...
