The Idyllwild Community Fund Advisory Committee completed a successful year, continuing an almost 20-year tradition of providing grants to local nonprofits. In 1996 a local couple, wishing to remain anonymous, provided the initial testamentary gift that would become the Idyllwild Community Fund. Their intention was that interest from the fund would be used to provide,…
During the Dec. 17 Mountain Area Safety Taskforce meeting, Riverside County Fire Chief John Hawkins re-emphasized the purpose of the county’s Fire Code Committee he established this past summer. “Several people indicated that they were concerned about the potential fire threats posed by unabated properties which had no structures,” he began. While there is some…
The third winter storm of 2014-15 brought less than an inch of rain to the Hill; however, some areas did see snow for a day. These rains have reduced the drought conditions from extreme to severe, according to the National Weather Service’s Drought Monitor website. The U.S. Forest Service’s Keenwild Ranger Station recorded 0.42 inches…
For several years, members of the Mountain Area Safety Taskforce have been working with the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research to evaluate whether fuels treatments that leave chipped woody material behind are contributing to fire abatement or creating a fire problem. The lead investigator, Dr. Pamela E. Padgett, research plant physiologist at the research…
Two minor earthquakes occurred Monday night. The first, about 7 p.m., and nearest to Idyllwild was magnitude 2.1. It occurred about 4 miles south of Idyllwild and 10 miles east-southeast of Valle Vista, near Garner Valley. The tremor was barely felt on the Hill. Just after midnight, another quake of magnitude 2.3 occurred east-southeast of…
At the December meeting of the Pine Cove Water District, Director and Board President Mike Esnard was re-elected for 2015 while directors Lou Padula and Robert Hewitt switched offices. Hewitt will be the next vice president and Padula board secretary. Esnard, who joined the board in February 2007, was elected president in June 2013 and…
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputies from the Cabazon Station responded to the Palm Springs Tramway at 6 p.m. Saturday after receiving a call of lost hikers. Kathy Standen of Rancho Palos Verdes reported that she and a friend, John Hadley of Rolling Hills, were lost on the mountain about 3 miles from the Palm Springs…
During the final Mountain Emergency Service Committee meeting of 2014, Kathleen Henderson, the Riverside County emergency services coordinator for the mountain, focused attention on 2015. Participants last week discussed ideas from programs and events for the coming year. For example, Michael Feyder, president of Mountain Disaster Preparedness, suggested some time be spent on the provision…
An Idyllwild business owner reported a phone scam that attempts to swindle money from unknowing victims. The business owner received a phone call Thursday morning from a person claiming to work for Southern California Edison. The caller said that unless the business owner provided a credit card number and authorized payment of a larger-than-your-typical-SCE-bill sum…
Fire log The Idyllwild Fire Station responded to the following calls, Tuesday to Monday, Dec. 9 to Dec. 15. Idyllwild • Dec. 9 — Medical aid, 11:18 p.m., one patient. • Dec. 10 — Medical aid, 7:56 a.m., one patient. • Dec. 10 — Special type of incident, other, 11 a.m. • Dec. 10…
