The Idyllwild Fire Department and the city of San Jacinto have been discussing the establishment of a Joint Powers Authority to provide fire and emergency medical services to the city. Currently, Riverside County Fire Department provides these services to San Jacinto. Both Idyllwild Fire Chief Patrick Reitz and San Jacinto City Manager Tim Hults said…
The Advisory Committee for County Service Area 38 (Pine Cove) will recommend that the special parcel fee used to pay for ambulance service be eliminated. CSA 38 will continue to receive a small portion of the property tax payments from the district, but the $61 parcel fee will be rescinded if the board of supervisors…
The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for portions of Riverside County. The advisory was issued at 3 p.m. and covers the three-hour period until 6 p.m. Tuesday. Heavy rain and thunderstorms may occur along Highway 243 from Banning to Idyllwild and Interstate 10 between Beaumont and Cabazon. The storm may cause minor flooding…
Earthstar Ventures and John Huddleston of Precision Tree Experts are sponsoring a live demonstration on how to save sick-looking pines around town. The event starts at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 17, (weather permitting), at 56475 Apple Canyon Dr., Mountain Center (across from Hurkey Creek Campground). Handouts and a Q&A session are features of the event….
In 2012, Caltrans announced plans to replace the Hurkey Creek Bridge, a 1930s-era relic deemed too narrow for today’s larger and higher-speed vehicles. The $2.5 million project widened the bridge from 23 to 43.5 feet and lengthened the span from 34.1 to 50 feet. One-way traffic, controlled by traffic lights in both directions, was…
Hemet Unified School District recognized several Idyllwild School students at a ceremony in Hemet on Wednesday, May 4. The students made the Academic Honor Roll that recognizes and acknowledges the efforts of students who have maintained their performance in the standards-based system at high levels of achievement. The ceremonies each May recognize fourth- and fifth-grade…
From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, May 16, Caltrans will close the southbound lane of Highway 243 from Riverside County Playground Road to Tollgate Road. Traffic will be one-way and regulated during the southbound lane closure. Caltrans Public Information Officer Shelli Lombardo said the lane closure was for public utility work and that a…
A second in the past two weeks of a near-3.0-magnitude earthquake occurred at about 11:20 Thursday night. The tremor was about 7.5 miles west of Idyllwild and 4 miles southeast of Valle Vista. It was located on the San Jacinto Fault on Rouse Ridge. Initially, the quake’s magnitude was estimated to be 3.2. While no…
The promised historic El Niño rainstorms may not have appeared in Southern California, but the recent spring rains are trying to overcome the image of a totally weak or missing El Niño. During April and May, the U.S. Forest Service’s Keenwild Station has had nearly 3.5 inches of rain and Pine Cove has recorded about…
Nickolas Melendez, 27, of Cabazon, one of two men who pleaded guilty to burglary of the Mountain Center Market in September, was sentenced to two years and eight months in state prison. Judge Mark Mandio dispensed the sentence Friday, May 6, nearly a week after Melendez missed the original sentencing hearing. Melendez had a prior…
