Opinion

The First Amendment certainly has been exercised lately in the Town Crier. Those oh so few fiscal conservatives, true patriots, who strive for smaller government, less government spending and eliminating government involvement in every aspect of our lives, have made valuable and meaningful contributions to the argument in the recent weeks. It hardly looks like…

First, I want to correct a mistake I made when writing the IFPD Newsletter that appeared in last week’s Town Crier. In my haste to rewrite the newsletter at the request of the Town Crier publisher shortly before my deadline, I wrote that we should be setting aside $50,000 a year to replace our firefighter’s…

So, why is it that we have five, six, perhaps seven fire departments, three water boards governing four water agencies, two community advisory councils to Jeff Stone [Riverside County 3rd District Supervisor] regulating a little bit of lighting, some recreation, some ambulance, and some firefighting, and another fire board regulating a little more firefighting, some…

For the past few weeks, our community has been witness to various efforts attempting to reverse the decision of Riverside County [3rd District] Supervisor Jeff Stone and County Services Manager Bill Brown [Riverside County Economic Development Agency (EDA)] to cancel the recreation contract administered by the Idyllwild Community Recreation Council (ICRC). Most of the outcry…

The donated plot of land now trying to be juggled into a so-called “community center” might as well be called the Community Center Mall. There are plans for a strip of commercial shops edging the highway. Maybe the rent gathered from these shops will go toward maintaining the unneeded pool and the meeting hall. Rest…

I am an employee of the State of California Transportation Department. On July 13 about 11 a.m., while on duty and in a state vehicle, I parked in a handicapped space at a business at the corner of Highway 243 and South Circle. A woman approached me and castigated me for my action. She was…

I’m writing regarding Conor O’Farrell’s columns that the Town Crier has been publishing these past several months. While I may not always entirely agree with all Mr. O’Farrell’s ideas, most of them I do support and I am happy to read a local paper that is willing to print his (liberal) views. But perhaps even…

I attended the Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) Commission meeting Tuesday night [July 12] and was very disconcerted by the unprofessional and self-serving behavior of Dr. Charles Schelly. Regardless of any animosity between him and other board members, his public display of animus was enough to confirm my regret for having voted for him. Regardless…

I like good television reception, fast internet speeds for my computer, and voice over internet protocol for cheaper telephone service. The choices available for these services are cable TV, telephone connection, or satellite dish. Having dealt with telephone and dish in the past, I chose cable after moving here five years ago. From the first…