Although its contract accountant could not produce the financial reports for October, the Idyllwild Fire Protection District Finance Committee did review some reports that had data through September, the first quarter of the fiscal year. Again this month, Committee Chair and Commissioner Nancy Layton expressed disappointment with the presentation of the financial data available. According…
With all the warnings that the approaching El Niño weather pattern and its accompanying rains will be greater than the 1997-98 rainfall, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors has already adopted a proclamation of local emergency. Emergency Management Department Director Kim Saruwatari made the unusual request. In her memorandum to the board, she said El…
In July 2013, the Mountain Fire burned more than 26,000 acres with both the fire and the immediate rainstorm destroying miles of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. Almost 15 miles from Garner Valley near Paradise Corner to Saddle Junction had to be closed for safety reasons. Much of this trail remains closed. For the…
Short-term rentals within Riverside County are becoming more popular and now are within the purview of the Board of Supervisors. The subject was on the agenda of the board’s Nov. 17 meeting because supervisors John Benoit (4th District) and Chuck Washington (3rd District) proposed an ordinance (927) to regulate this burgeoning industry. While the Coachella…
Gov. Jerry Brown issued his second executive order last Friday regarding water conservation this year. Last April, the governor’s first order mandated a 25-percent reduction in water use throughout the state. The Nov. 13 order authorizes the State Water Resources Control Board to extend the water reductions through October 2016 if drought conditions persist through…
The Art Alliance of Idyllwild has established three sites to enable locals to commemorate the horrific events that occurred in Paris last week. Tri-color boards will be set up at the Idyllwild Post Office, Town Monument and Town Baker where the community and visitors may express their feelings, sorrows and hopes for a better future….
Riverside County will participate in a hazardous-material response drill this week, along with numerous state and federal agencies. The drill involves a simulated response by hazardous-materials teams after anthrax is detected in multiple locations. The drill, from Monday to Friday, Nov. 16 to 20, will include the California Department of Public Health, the California Emergency…
At 7:10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, a school bus carrying 45 students was traveling westbound on Highway 74, 1.1 miles west of McGaugh Road, when an eastbound big rig crossed into the westbound lane. The bus driver swerved to miss the big rig, avoiding what could have been a catastrophic outcome. The big rig continued…
A single person attended the latest Mountain Emergency Service Committee meeting. But Kathleen Henderson, the Riverside County emergency services coordinator for the mountain, briefly discussed the county’s plans to help residents on the Hill and throughout the county prepare for the impending El Niño event. (See other story, this page.) The county’s new Emergency Management…
Discussions of the pending El Niño weather pattern have shifted from its probability to which month will it peak and its longevity. Last week, the latest National Weather Service forecast stated, “El Niño will likely peak during the Northern Hemisphere winter 2015-16.” Neutral conditions are expected by late spring and possibly early summer 2016. The…
