The price of national forest and grassland visitor maps (plastic or paper) will increase to $14 per map Jan. 1, 2018. Now, visitor maps are $10 for the plastic or $9 for the paper versions. All maps are available for purchase online from the U.S. Forest Service at the National Forest Map Store, www.nationalforestmapstore.com/. Select maps…
State attorneys general express strong opposition to increase In October, the National Park Service proposed to establish peak-season entrance fees for the 17 most-visited parks. For example, the proposal almost triples the single-vehicle entrance fee at Joshua Tree National Park. Last week, the NPS extended the public comment period, from Nov. 23 to Dec. 22….
Caution about revenues beyond that California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office issued a positive outlook for the next few fiscal years. Of course, a recession will change the forecast for future years. In the report, the LAO estimated “… General Fund revenues will continue to grow in the near term …” regarding forecasting spending and revenues for fiscal…
The U. S. Forest Service has scheduled its four bald-eagle counts for this winter, all counts being on Saturday mornings. The counts will be Dec. 9, Jan. 13, Feb. 10 and March 10. Migrating eagles typically begin arriving in the area in late November and leave in late March or early April. During the winter,…
Final decision awaits CPUC decision The Riverside County Board of Supervisors narrowly approved moving forward with the creation of Community Choice Aggregation, which would have the county provide electricity. County residents should not expect to hear anything about its implementation until late summer. The vote was 3-2, with supervisors Kevin Jeffries (1st District) and Chuck…
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors only approved the final fiscal year 2017-18 budget in late September. Days later, on Sept. 30, the first quarter ended. Now, six weeks into the second quarter of the fiscal year, County Executive Officer George Johnson, County Finance Officer Don Kent and the whole board are already worried about…
Now through Dec. 1, high school seniors with a passion for science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) can apply for Edison International’s $1.2 million scholarship program that awards $40,000 — paid over four years — to each of as many as 30 students seeking to make a difference in the world. In 2017, four Riverside…
By Paul Netter Southern California Edison There were eight home-cooking fires in Orange County last Thanksgiving. That’s eight more than necessary. Unfortunately, it fits a national trend that typically brings nearly four times as many reported home-cooking fires on Thanksgiving than a typical day, according to the National Fire Protection Association, and unattended stovetop cooking…
James Elia of El Cajon is a Democrat running for California’s 71st Assembly seat. Republican incumbent Randy Voepel of Santee is just finishing his first term. Elia was in Idyllwild last Thursday night to introduce himself to Riverside County voters at an Idyllwild Indivisible meeting at Town Hall. About 90 percent of the district is…
The House of Representatives passed “The Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017” on Nov. 1. The legislation (H.R. 2936) has moved to the Senate for review. While it addresses many national forest management issues, such as environmental reviews and litigation, funding for fighting wildfires is the issue, which affects Hill communities. After its passage, Rep….
