Last week, the state’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) announcedthat the state’s groundwater supplies were improving. Although moregroundwater is needed, the rain year 2023, which was October 2022through September 2023, resulted in significant increases in the state’sgroundwater inventory. Many of California’s urban areas rely on surface water, such as theColorado River project transferring water to…
The Idyllwild Water District (IWD) directors held a special meetingWednesday May 1, to discuss the status of the waste water treatmentplant (WWTP) replacement project. The firm doing the initial engineeringwas expected to join the meeting by Zoom, but did not, instead providinga six-page memo which did little to answer the board’s question. Thememo projected that…
Cal Fire’s Southern Operations Unit issued its latest Wildfire Outlooklast week. From now through early summer, wildfire conditions are likelyto remain lower than normal. However, as the Pacific weather conditionscontinue to shift from El Niño toward a La Niña pattern, the chances oflarge wildfires begin to increase. Both live fuel moisture and dead fuel moisture…
On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a proclamation designating May 5through May 11 as Wildfire Preparedness Week. The theme of preparednessweek is partnership. In the proclamation, Newsom said, “CAL FIRE has also made significantprogress on fuels reduction and mitigation, with more than 105,500 acresof fuels treatment last year. Fuels reduction projects are vital toslowing and…
The Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council were beneficiaries of a grant tohelp renovate their 190-acre Skyland Ranch Camp, north of Pine Covealong Highway 243. California Congressman Peter Aguilar (D-33) secured the $875,424 federalgrant this year. In his letter to the House Appropriations Committee, he wrote, “Thefunding would be used for improvements to their Skyland…
Thursday, March 28, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)issued a proposed decision on how large investor-owned utilities maybill for electricity in California. A hearing for this proposed decisionis scheduled for the CPUC’s May 9 business meeting. If approved, the newrate structure will go into effect in late 2025 and early 2026. But in the past…
Six members of the Kretsinger family met Thursday, April 25 to posebehind the fountain in front of the Fort honoring Idyllwild plumbingpatriarch Charlie Kretsinger. Brian, Stacy, Griffin, Kinsey, Chuck andJackie were joined by Charlie Clayton, the expert mason who constructedthe fountain’s stone base, and members of the Idyllwild Water District(IWD), including Interim General Manager Curt…
Nearly 10 years ago, in November 2014, California voters easily approvedProposition 47, which reduced certain nonserious and nonviolent propertyand drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. The measure alsoallowed certain offenders who have been previously convicted of suchcrimes to apply for reduced sentences. In general, offenders convicted of misdemeanor crimes were to bepunished less severely than…
The April 17 meeting of the directors of Idyllwild Water District (IWD)included a detailed update on progress on the lower administrativeoffice project, a number of legacy issues uncovered by Interim GeneralManager (GM) Curt Sauer and staff, and a review of board procedure anddecorum, including stipends for directors. In public comments David Hunt wished to “commend…
The Crier sat down last week with Leanna Lee, proprietor of Leanna’sIdyll-Awhile Bistro. She noted that Thursday, April 18, marked fiveyears from the day she closed escrow, in 2019. Idyll-Awhile was servingfor many years before that, but Lee is excited about her recent kitchenexpansion and the roll-out of a full dinner menu. Lee has a…
