Two previous explanations offered by Cal Fire public information officers as to why the Cal Fire investigation reports of last year’s Mountain Fire (“potential future litigation under Government Code section 6254, subdivision (b)” and “one more step left in the investigation”) did not answer the Town Crier’s questions regarding the extent of the agency’s redactions…
Melody Henderson, Cal Fire public information officer, said, “An outbuilding was involved with possible extension into an abandoned building, but they just stopped the forward progress on half an acre of vegetation.” Riverside County/Cal Fire firefighters battled the Willow Fire off of Highway 74 and Willowbrook Road near the U.S. Forest Service Cranston Station. The Forest Service…
The June 27 arraignment of one of two defendants accused of a 2006 triple homicide in Pinyon has been moved to July 18 in the Riverside County Superior Court in Indio. Robert Lars Pape, 25, was arrested March 11, 2014, for the Sept. 17, 2006 murders of Becky Friedl, 18, her mother, Vicki Friedli, 53,…
The Idyllwild Historic Preservation District Review Board met briefly last week and apart from the approving the minutes, the board acknowledged that its review of the plans for the new Cedar Street restaurant, Ferro, is complete, and the project is now in the hands of the county. Board members present included Chair Warren Monroe and…
A 4.6-magnitude earthquake hit west-northwest of Big Bear Lake just before 10 a.m. The tremor was felt in the San Jacinto Mountains. Earlier, the U.S. Geological Survey reported two 4.6-magnitude earthquakes in the area but updated that to one 4.6 and one 2.7 magnitude, and now one at 3.4 magnitude at about the same time…
Volunteers with the Scouts West 4×4 Club spent a weekend recently blocking an unauthorized road leading into the Santa Rosa Wilderness above Palm Desert.
Brad and Jackie Rechtfertig, owners of the new Grand Idyllwild Lodge (www.grandidyllwildlodge.com), are quietly performing what is an often-shared Idyllwild impulse, giving back to others. The Rechterfigs are not alone in following this impulse, Brad stressed. They’re doing it under the radar because, as Brad, who designed and built the lodge, said, “We have fun…
A Riverside County Mobile Health Clinic brings free health care services to Idyllwild at Town Hall, usually the second Wednesday of every month. The next event is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 9. It will be the last time before school begins for incoming seventh-graders to recieve the whooping cough/Tdap vaccine. Town…
Kevin Brennan, wildlife biologist for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, was called out last week to remove two deer killed on the Hill when vehicles hit them. But when he arrived at the scenes, both deer had been taken by unknown individuals. Brennan said removing a road-kill deer is a citable offense. He…
Chair Nancy Layton called the meeting of the Idyllwild Fire Protection District Finance Committee to order last week, with committee members Chief Patrick Reitz and Calvin Gogerty also present, and apart from approving minutes from the June 6 meeting, the only action item on the agenda was work on the 2014-15 preliminary budget. But Layton…
