A bill for economic relief finally passed Congress. Here’s the thing though … this bill provides more relief to big corporations than small businesses ($377 billion of the $2 trillion, but wait … there’s more) and individuals (approximately $560 billion between cash and unemployment payments, according to a story by NPR). It isn’t $500 billion…
One of the best pieces of advice I can give to people in an elected position is this: make decisions as if every single decision will end up on the front page of a newspaper. It is good practice. And yes, optics do matter. In my first Out Loud, I was very, very clear as…
At the last County Service Area (CSA) 38 [Pine Cove] meeting on Sept. 17, the board approved the reimbursement of funds ($854.53) to the Pine Cove Water District for the open house appreciation day at the Pine Cove Fire Station on Aug. 3. It was reported that during the meeting, CSA 38 chair, Jerry Holldber,…
I ended the last Out Loud letting the taxpayers know that the Town Crier had requested all email communications between the Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) commissioners regarding the separation of former IFPD Chief Patrick Reitz from the district. Chief Mark LaMont initially came back with the response that the communications were attorney-client privilege. When…
As of July 1, my title will change from Editor/Co-publisher to just Co-publisher. We have hired Melissa Diaz Hernandez to take over the editor’s desk. Jack and I will continue managing the business but not necessarily showing our faces every day at the office. We hope to do some traveling and home projects we haven’t…
Editor’s note: Jack felt compelled to tell you this story of Floyd so here it is. Back in 2008, Becky and I needed a cat. We live out of town a good ways, surrounded by forest, and we had mice. Our golden retriever-mix, Buddy, wasn’t much of a mouser. I think they’d have to be…
Before Jack and I came out of retirement — for me to run the Town Crier again — the Idyllwild Historic Preservation District became a fact with the intention of preserving the historic character of the charming downtown buildings. Not every Idyllwild building meets the requirements for inclusion into the district so the boundaries are…
A changing of the guards — all under a veil of secrecy. After a nearly two-month medical leave absence, Patrick Reitz is no longer fire chief and Mark LaMont, who hosted Reitz’s wedding at his Garner Valley spread, is now the acting. Someone could write a book about LaMont, whom a Riverside County Grand Jury…
Last Thursday marked the one-month anniversary of the Valentine’s Day deluge resulting in lava-like slides that melted our mountaintop. Next Monday marks the eight-month anniversary since a psychotic man torched a mountainside, causing residents and tourists to flee for days, and damaging the lives of many people who lost their homes or property. Lives unhinged…
Mountain life was stressful during and after the Cranston Fire. Like the Bee Canyon and Mountain fires, it felt like being on the outside looking in on a war zone. I have never been in a war zone. I’ve only lived in a war zone through tales told through books, movies and documentaries. Looking back,…