Over the past year, hundreds of pines have succumbed to the drought and bark beetle attacks. One of the most affected sites is the Idyllwild Community Center. ICC is popular with visitors and children, even now before any of the proposed improvements have been constructed. With dozens of dead and dying trees, the ICC Board…
A Cold Warning is being issued for Idyllwild. The Idyllwild Town Hall Warm Center will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 7, through Tuesday, March 8, 2016. Temperatures are expected to reach 40° and below. Individuals susceptible to cold, such as the elderly, disabled and families with young…
On Feb. 24, Jeff Allen Major of Idyllwild pleaded guilty to a felony charge for failing to register within 30 days as a transient sex offender. He had been arrested on June 19, 2015. Judge Helios Hernandez sentenced Major to 363 days in Riverside County jail and one year of probation. He will likely be…
On Feb. 23, the California Department of Parks and Recreation rescued two lost hikers in Mt. San Jacinto State Park. At about 4:30 p.m., State Parks received a phone call from two male hikers, ages 51 and 39, both from Indiana. The hikers said that they had taken the Palm Springs tram to Long Valley…
The Finance Committee for the Idyllwild Fire Protection District has begun discussing and preparing a tax measure that may go before voters in November. The committee believes IFPD’s budget is inadequate to fund programs and initiatives in the future. At the Feb. 24 meeting, committee members focused first on the need for more revenue for…
State Sen. Jeff Stone’s legislation was passed and will rename a portion of Highway 371 in Anza. The resolution designates the portion of the highway between Howard Road and Tribal Road as “Special Deputy Frank Hamilton Memorial Highway.” Senate Concurrent Resolution 51, authored by Stone (R-Riverside County), passed the Legislature on Jan. 27 and was…
The two men — Ryan Mason and Nickolas Menlendez — charged with burglary of the Mountain Center Market in September had felony settlement conferences scheduled for Friday morning, Feb. 26, which were rescheduled for Friday, March 11. However, Mason was ordered to undergo an evaluation for possible residential substance abuse treatment prior to the next…
Two incidents, one involving two cars and the other a motorcycle, marred last week on Hill roads, according to California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer. At 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, Eric Frost, 43, of Idyllwild, was driving his 2004 black Mazda truck westbound on Highway 74 in the vicinity of Strawberry Creek…
Capt. Joseph Borja is the new head of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet Station. Borja assumed the role on Feb. 4, and succeeds new Deputy Chief Lyndon “Ray” Wood. Borja joined the Sheriff’s Department nearly 28 years ago, in April 1988. He has progressed through the ranks and served in many positions during his…
At its Feb. 23 meeting, the Hemet Unified School District board unanimously approved a pay raise for its teachers and other employees. The raises were 1.5 percent retroactive to July 1, 2015, and then another 1-percent increase starting Jan. 1, 2016. In addition, teachers will have two more non-student days per school year. “We’re very…
