Regional News

At least temporarily, a federal judge has restricted the U.S. Forest Service’s Adventure Pass program. On April 28, Judge Terry Hatter of the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, sided with four hikers who objected to paying for an Adventure Pass solely for parking. The judge ruled that the Forest Service can…

While the Riverside County budget for fiscal 2013-14 (ending June 30) is slightly improving, County Executive Jay Orr is recommending that the Board of Supervisors use nearly $13 million from its contingency funds to augment this year’s revenues. He estimated that discretionary revenue may be nearly $33 million (or about 5 percent) greater than the…

Last week, Riverside County’s registrar of voters began mailing about 880,000 sample ballots and information pamphlets for the consolidated primary election on June 3. Material in the pamphlet is intended to help voters make informed choices. Voters may mark their selections on the sample ballot and use it as a guide to help them complete…

California State Senate District 28 is currently vacant and Idyllwild voters will see five names on the June 3 primary ballot. Democratic candidates are Philip Drucker of La Quinta and Anna Nevenic of Palm Springs. On the other side are three Republicans — Bonnie Garcia of Cathedral City, Glenn Miller of Indio and Jeff Stone…

The prospective arraignment of Robert Pape, 25, for the 2006 triple homicide in Pinyon Pines was deferred a month until May 16. This is the third postponement of Pape’s arraignment since his arrest in March. On March 26, Riverside County Judge James Hawkins ordered Smith to stand trial for the murders. However, his lawyers are…

The first quarter of 2014 was not a time of swelling campaign accounts, but if campaign funding were the equivalent of votes, Congressman Dr. Paul Ruiz has an overwhelming lead in his first re-election campaign. During the first quarter of 2014, the Democrat added nearly $400,000 to his cash coffers, ending the quarter with more…

In early April, the Center for Biological Diversity announced its intention to fight for federal protection of the San Bernardino flying squirrel, a native to both the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains. No sightings of the flying squirrel in the San Jacinto Mountains have been confirmed for several decades. And a recent five-year wildlife…