The Riverside County budget preparation for fiscal year 2016-17, beginning July 1, is going to be difficult and emotional. On Tuesday, County Executive Jay Orr prepared the Board of Supervisors during his mid-year review for fiscal year 2015-16. Even with the proposals he is making to reduce spending, Orr estimates the county will still incur…
Cal Fire will conduct a prescribed burn in Idyllwild this week. About 125 piles of brush and slash will be burned, located at Camp Maranatha at 54162 Maranatha Drive. The area is between the camp and the Idyllwild Nature Center, according to Division Chief Bill Weiser. The burn will be between Tuesday, Feb. 2, and…
Fire log The Idyllwild Fire Station responded to the following calls, Monday to Sunday, Jan. 18 to 24. Idyllwild • Jan. 18 — Medical aid, street not given. • Jan. 19 — Medical aid, street not given. • Jan. 19 — Cover assignment, standby, move up, street not given. • Jan. 20 — Smoke scare,…
After serving three years as superintendent of Hemet Unified School District, Dr. Barry L. Kayrell announced his plan to retire at the end of this school year. Kayrell has more than 40 years in the education profession. He began his tenure as HUSD superintendent on Oct. 1, 2012. While he doesn’t have specific plans for…
In the past several months, Idyllwild’s Animal Rescue Friends, commonly known as ARF, has been inundated with found dogs. Unfortunately, that creates problems for ARF as well as the owners of the missing dogs, said Janice Murasko, ARF’s director of operations. Not only is ARF not an animal shelter, but owners are not taking simple…
The Finance Committee for the Idyllwild Fire Protection District met last week to review its budget halfway through the fiscal year, which ends June 30. The goal was to identify possible accounts that may need adjusting during the commission’s budget review. Financial consultant Rob Dennis’ balances through the end of December show expenditures are currently…
Most often the press writes about some Brown Act, California’s Open Government law, violations committed by a board or commission. But last month, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors amended its policy on Electronic Media and Use (A-50) to help supervisors and staff avoid an inadvertent violation. Supv. Kevin Jeffries (District 1) observed to his…
Even though the boulder that closed Highway 243 between Idyllwild and Pine Cove from Jan. 10 to 13 is gone — mashed into pebbles now — the effect of this incident still remains. And while the county encourages and pursues planning for possible disasters such as fires, earthquakes or El Niño, the boulder was deemed…
The Idyllwild Water District meeting for Jan. 20 was canceled “due to lack of necessary quorum,” according to the Jan. 19 announcement memorandum from General Manager Tom Lynch. Based on discussions with board members, four of the five directors were available for the meeting. Only Director Mike Frietas was going to be absent and he…
Three fresh graves discovered recently on U.S. Forest Service land led to a forensic investigation of the site. The graves, in a canyon near Alessandro Trail and Bautista Canyon Road in the Anza area, turned out to contain canine remains, said John Ladley, Forest Service’s local recreation officer. “When pets pass, public land may be…
