By Kathy Keane Local Wildlife Biologist and Ornithologist Special to the Town Crier On July 13 in San Diego, Todd Fasler grabbed a rattlesnake from under a bush and tried to snap a selfie. The snake wasn’t thrilled about the photo, and Fasler received a $153,161.25 hospital bill. Why so much? Venom toxins vary among…
While two local water districts — Idyllwild and Pine Cove — are in the midst of a heated campaign for board seats, two other local special districts — Fern Valley Water and Idyllwild Fire Protection — settled the filling of their board seats without needing the August vote-by-mail election. At the July 21 Board of…
The American Red Cross, with the help of several local agencies, including the Idyllwild Fire Department, offered free installation of smoke alarms and tested the batteries of installed fire alarms throughout Idyllwild and Fern Valley this week. American Red Cross has been offering this program across the country. The goal is to reduce fire deaths…
In a series of odd coincidences, the intersection of highways 74 and 243 was a magnet for collisions last week, with three in close proximity in two days. At 11:25 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, Richard Komorosky, 75, of Poway, was driving north on Highway 243, just north of the intersection with Highway 74 in Mountain…
Scott Condon, 42, of Mountain Center, who was arrested on July 16, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of accessory to the crime of burglary. He was originally charged with a felony for receiving stolen property, allegedly a generator. However, at the July 31 preliminary hearing, the District Attorney’s Office filed the amended charge and…
Fire log Idyllwild Fire Station responded to the following calls, Monday to Sunday, July 27 to Aug. 2. Idyllwild • July 27 — Two walk-in medical aids. • July 28 — Fire, other. • July 28 — Two walk-in medical aids. • July 29 — Medical aid, Double View Dr. • July 29 — Medical…
Kirsten Ingbretsen returns to Idyllwild School as full-time faculty after an absence of several years. She will be teaching sixth-grade language arts and social studies and also heading the Associated Student Body. “I’m thrilled to be returning to Idyllwild Elementary in my former position and am grateful for this new chapter in my life,” she…
Southern California Edison has announced that two major power outages will occur in the Idyllwild and Pine Cove area in August, according to Louis Davis, SCE’s regional manager of local public affairs. The first will be from 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, through 5 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 20. The second will be one week later,…
On the way to provide assistance fighting the Rocky Fire in Northern California, the Idyllwild Fire Department’s brush truck 621 had “catastrophic engine failure,” said Idyllwild Fire Chief Patrick Reitz. The IFPD commission held an emergency meeting Monday morning, Aug. 3, and unanimously granted Reitz authority to authorize repairs up to $40,000 to the truck….
A torrential rainstorm passed over the Hill Thursday, July 30. The U.S. Forest Service’s Keenwild Ranger Station recorded 1.13 inches of rain between 1:30 and about 6 p.m. This is 50 percent more than the long-term average of 0.7 inches of rain during the entire month of July. The Town Crier, a CoCoRaHS moisture collector,…
