Idyllwild News

By Stephanie YostIdyllwild Community Center President With the advent of fall, it’s time to welcome back two traditional mountain community events, both of which the Idyllwild Community Center (ICC) puts on. The first is Idyllwild’s annual Great Pumpkin Carnival. Door-to-door trick-or-treating isn’t done on the Hill, with no sidewalks, few streetlights and many second homes….

Tuesday, Nov. 7, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors will consider revisions to Ordinance 927.1, “Regulating Short Term Rentals” (STR). The proposed new Ordinance 927.2 is available on the Town Crier website at https://idyllwildtowncrier.com/2023/10/23/proposed-str-ordinance/. The Planning Commission approved major changes to the STR ordinance at its Aug. 23 meeting. Many of the changes involved enforcement…

The Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) project’s funding and water conservation policy were discussed at Idyllwild Water District’s (IWD) Board of Directors meeting Wednesday, Oct. 18. Two virtual guests appeared on screen to discuss IWD’s annual audit and the WWTP. Two aspects of the new WWTP project were discussed that night, the funding possibilities and the…

Caltrans continues work on a $3.7 million bridge upgrade project on highways 74, 79, 86, 111, 243 and I-10, all in Riverside County, weather permitting. The project includes concrete overlay, replacing joint seals on the bridges and repairing/replacing approach slabs. Work will take place in multiple locations in and near the cities of Riverside, Beaumont,…

An Idyllwild man charged with five counts of sexual assault against a female under age 14 that allegedly occurred on or about July 20, 2015 will have his felony settlement conference (FSC) Jan. 10, 2024. It originally was set for Oct. 5 but was moved. The Riverside Police Department arrested Ralph Ted Jongewaard, 56, at…

The past two weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed several bills that will dramatically alter how the state treats mental health conditions and problems. The effort to improve treatment of mental health is also intended to help reduce homelessness throughout California. Newsom’s efforts to address the growing problem began in September 2022 and will continue…

Last week, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin supported Gov. Gavin Newsom’s action to sign Senate Bill (SB) 46 into law. This new law requires individuals convicted of a controlled substance offense to complete a treatment or education program. Current law does not require treatment or education. It was dependent on availability as well as…

Pine Cove Water District (PCWD) held its monthly meeting Wednesday, Oct. 11 with water use down. General Manager Jeremy Potter’s operations report showed production for September of 2,677,014 gallons, almost a million gallons less than last year. The wet winter, and summer rains, meant lower usage. System loss was 7.5%, some of which Potter attributed…