Idyllwild Water District directors may have violated the Brown Act (the California open meetings law) in the March 29 special meeting by voting on the rate study for both water and sewer under discussion and not action items. “Procedural error. We will have to correct that at the next meeting. We should have directed our…
On March 18, the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF) announced the closing of most of its internal Forest System Roads. The closures would expire June 30 and were the result of … “Significant winter storms in February and March 2023 [that] have resulted in extreme snowfall on the higher elevation terrain of the forest and…
Last week’s Idyllwild Water District (IWD) Board of Directors vote for new rates in a special meeting occurred in apparent violation of the Ralph M. Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law. The vote was taken under the title “Discussion Items,” whereas in order to vote, the item should fall under IWD’s “Action Items.” Following…
A 32-year-old Idyllwild resident was convicted for two felony charges stemming from a fatal traffic collision in 2020. Victor Javier Sanchez was convicted for a total of 3 years and 8 months in state prison on felony charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and reckless driving causing bodily injury. Probbation was denied. At about…
During March 2023, the Hill has experienced a very consistent weather pattern. Rainstorms, of varying strength, arrived Monday or Tuesday and moved east by Wednesday night or Thursday morning. The last week of March was no different, but this pattern may be changing, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). As of April 1 (no…
The Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) has access to nearly $2 million of federal funding to help harden homes, to make a home more resilient to potential wildfire damage. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) needs to approve the projects by May 31. Approval includes an MCFSC inspection and three bids from approved…
The March 28 meeting of the Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) Board of Commissioners opened with a bit of a surprise: Commissioner Christina Reitz announced her retirement from the board on the grounds that she would soon be moving from Idyllwild and joining her husband, Patrick Reitz, former IFPD chief and current chief of the…
The Idyllwild Water District (IWD) Board of Directors voted for new rates last Wednesday following a third water rate study presentation in a special meeting. Bartle Wells Associates’ Michael DeGroot gave the final presentation before public review to the board in public session. For water rates, he provided statistics on an 8% increase in rates….
For the first time since 2015, when Riverside County awarded the emergency ambulance service contract to American Medical Response (AMR), the county’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency has denied AMR’s request to extend the contract’s expiration date. Each year, AMR submits an annual report that EMS uses to review compliance with the contract and whether…
Easter traditions return this weekend with the annual egg hunt and services dedicated to Christian religious resurrection beliefs. Beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 8, the Idyllwild Community Center (ICC) and Riverside County Parks are hosting an Easter egg hunt at the Idyllwild County Park regardless of snow, said ICC President Stephanie Yost. The address…
