Although the National Weather Service announced last week that it forecasted a 70-percent chance that an El Niño pattern will continue in summer 2015, the U.S. Forest Service Predictive Services unit added that an unfavorable warmer-than-normal water temperatures developed off shore during the winter, which is indicative of a “a Modoki (Japanese for similar, but…
The head of Riverside County’s Emergency Medical Services Agency, Bruce Barton, spoke at last week’s County Service Area 38 (Pine Cove) meeting. He explained and answered questions about how the county’s new ambulance contract with American Medical Response will affect Pine Cove residents. He was emphatic that beginning July 1, AMR will be the primary…
Sunday afternoon, Idylllwild Fire Department responded to a 911 emergency call about a fire in Idyllwild near Circle View Drive. “It was a 20-by-40 vegetation fire; no structures were threatened. The cause was undetermined,” said Fire Chief Patrick Reitz. “An early report to 911, coupled with rapid response and quick extinguishment, limited the potential for…
Riverside County 3rd District Supervisor Chuck Washington has begun his campaign for a full term. Appointed last month to replace Jeff Stone, who was elected to the state Senate last fall, Washington’s current term expires December 2016. The other candidate is Murrieta Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Randon Lane. He was first elected to the…
Fire log The Idyllwild Fire Station responded to the following calls, Tuesday to Monday, April 7 to April 13. Idyllwild • April 8 — Medical aid, 26000 block of Saunders Meadow Rd., 4:42 p.m. • April 8 — Medical aid, Delano Dr., 4:57 p.m. • April 9 — Medical aid, Tahquitz View Dr., 6:00…
Idyllwild students attending Hemet High School will no longer need a bus pass, thus saving their families about $520 annually. “Parents will no longer be required to pay fees to receive home-to-school transportation,” the district wrote in a press release. At its April 7 meeting, the Hemet Unified School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved…
The Idyllwild Fire Protection District is going to explore a loan for the purchase it made of two ambulances in late February. The acquisition was about $90,000 and more costs are needed to prepare the vehicles for medical use. However, IFPD Finance Committee Chair Nancy Layton, also a fire commissioner, said Fire Chief Patrick Reitz…
Fire season and protection of the Hill also were discussed at last week’s County Service Area 38 Advisory Committee meeting and among fire officials in the state. At the local meeting, the topic came up when Committee member Marge Muir asked Riverside County Fire Chief John Hawkins, “We’ve talked about getting the mountain abated. What…
The U.S. Forest Service arrested a man near the site of the Cranston Fire on the day of the fire, Tuesday, April 7. U.S. Forest Service Public Information Officer John Miller confirmed the arrest. Miller said the suspect was arrested for charges unrelated to the fire. Miller said it is U.S. Department of Agriculture policy…
At about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Cabazon Station responded to the San Jacinto Mountains after receiving a call of a lost hiker. Jeff Daubenmire, a resident of Washington, began his Pacific Crest Trail hike on April 2 in Mexico. On April 12, he became lost when he hiked off…
