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…
The Idyllwild Fire commissioners have decided to draft a measure to raise the current $65 parcel fee. At their Tuesday, Feb. 23 meeting, commissioners discussed the purpose and needs for more revenue. They asked their Finance Committee, which Commissioner Nancy Layton chairs, to begin putting these general ideas and goals into specific language and justification….
In a brief meeting, Steve Erler, Fern Valley Water District general manager, told the directors last Friday that the district’s well levels were beginning to come up. Well production was lower in January as the staff begins to use stored water in anticipation of its annual spring diversions. January water production increased about 11 percent…
Jim Billman was re-elected as president of the Idyllwild Water District Board of Directors. John Cook was re-elected as vice president. Both have held these board positions since January 2014. This year the vote was not unanimous. New Director Steve Kunkle nominated Cook for the presidency and Billman as the vice president after Director Mike…
On Monday, Feb. 22, county representatives interviewed applicants for the County Service Area 36 Advisory Council. An additional applicant, John Metroka Jr., filed his application prior to the scheduling of interviews, bringing the total to 11 applicants for a five-member council. Other applicants include Mark Davis, Kathy Wilson, Ginger Dagnall, Susan Nash, David Hunt, Bill…
A new policy laying out the goals and operations of the finance committee was one of the main topics at the committee’s meeting last week. However, much of the time was devoted to working with financial consultant Rob Dennis to identify reports he committee could use to monitor IFPD’s financial status. One major change to…
Monitoring of underground leakage of petroleum products is continuing near and around the Chevron Station in Idyllwild. RM Environmental Inc. of Calimesa continues to monitor the site semi-annually for the presence of various hydrocarbons. The latest results, reported last month from samples taken in December, detected total petroleum hydrocarbons and methyl-tertiary-butyl ether on the site…
From Wednesday, Feb. 17, through Tuesday, Feb. 23, there were two crashes on Hill roads. At 1:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, Deputy Robert Miller, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, was driving a department Ford Expedition north on Forbes Ranch Road, a half-mile north of Highway 74, when he stopped in a dirt pullover on the west…
Tiffany Marie Ramirez, 31, of Idyllwild, arrested on Jan. 6, pleaded guilty to one count of felony possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Ramirez was arrested by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Marijuana Eradication Team at McKinney Lane in Idyllwild. Ramirez (a.k.a. Tiffany Marie Reddick) was sentenced to 90 days in county jail with…
