For 2014 and 2015, sections of the Pacific Crest Trail damaged by the Mountain Fire in July 2013 remain closed. The closure, from Cedar Springs Trail (mile 162.5) north to South Ridge Trail (mile 178), had forced hikers to walk beside Highway 74 to Mountain Center then on Highway 243 into Idyllwild. In certain sections…
James Bachmann is 12. He is a budding ventriloquist with an already strong technique and a great sense of humor. He is soft spoken and respectful when he speaks. When he begins to talk about his passion for ventriloquism, his eyes sparkle and his hands become animated. James also is battling brain cancer and has…
Saturday was the Pine Cove Property Owners Association annual meeting to consider donations to local groups. Several representatives from various community groups came and spoke about how past donations were used and which current projects would benefit from a new donation. Carolyn Levitski, on behalf of the Idyllwild Area Historical Society, described two major projects…
Phyllis Mueller is completing a stint as tree doctor for the Idyllwild Christmas Tree, the giant Sequoia on the land of Jo’An’s Restaurant in the center of town. “We completed a soil analysis first,” said Mueller. “There was no salt from runoff as some had suspected. The soil was low on magnesium.” Mueller organized the…
The annual Idyllwild 5K and 10K Fitness Run and Walk, a fundraiser for the Idyllwild School physical education program, is Saturday, June 6. The race was first run as a benefit to the Idyllwild School physical education program in the early 1980s; but the first locally organized 10-kilometer run preceded the fundraiser by several years….
The Local Review Board of the Idyllwild Historic Preservation District last week continued its discussion of the possibility of employing the state’s Mills Act to encourage and gain more property-owner participation in the protecting local historic resources. The Mills Act provides property-tax relief in exchange for an equivalent investment in the historic property. The owners…
Candidates for local special districts could begin filing papers for candidacy this week. The first official day was Monday, May 4, for the Aug. 25 elections involving Fern Valley, Idyllwild and Pine Cove water districts, and Idyllwild Fire Protection District. The terms of three members of the IWD board expire this year. The other…
The consequences of last week’s Appellate Court decision to uphold the lower court decision rejecting San Juan Capistrano’s tiered water rates because the method of deriving the costs was inconsistent with Proposition 218 are still ricocheting around the state. Locally, the effect of the decision has not been felt. General managers for Fern Valley and…
Fire log The Idyllwild Fire Station did not report its responses for last week. Sheriff’s log The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet Station responded to the following calls, Sunday to Saturday, April 19 to April 25. Idyllwild • April 19 — Check the welfare, River Dr. Handled by deputy. • April 20 —…
The Idyllwild Fire Department, along with several Riverside County Fire units, saved a burning structure at 25130 Lodge Road in Fern Valley from total loss. According to Capt. Mark LaMont, the response arrived on scene within four minutes, but only after spotting the smoke on Lodge Road rather than Chipmunk Drive where…
