California’s Board of Forestry has released a draft report describing the collection and use of the Fire Prevention fee applied to structures within State Responsibility Areas. Since the state began collecting the fees in 2011-12, nearly $150 million has been received. Revenues have averaged nearly $75 million in each of the first two years. Cal…
By J.P. Crumrine News Editor Current Hemet Unified School District Board President Paul Bakkom, who represents the Anza area, has chosen to retire after one term. The other three directors — Vic Scavarda, Area 1 (Idyllwild) and “Ross” Valenzuela and Joe Wojcik, Area 3 (Hemet) — whose terms expire this December have all filed…
For nearly a century teaching and learning have been major activities in and around Idyllwild. Among the schools and camps responsible, one of the most interesting was the Desert Sun School, which for 44 years occupied the campus that now houses Astrocamp. “Desert Sun” seems an odd name for an institution nestled in a mountain…
Harold Wherry and his 6-piece Blue Breeze Band return to the Idyllwild Summer Concert Series with their distinctive vocal harmonies and happening horn section, sampling the best of Motown, R&B, soul, funk jazz and blues. Taking the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, Wherry’s established ensemble plays the kind of smooth and visceral music…
Raises for top Riverside County officials were on the agenda for the Board of Supervisors Aug. 5 meeting. The board considered increases for themselves as well as the other elected county officials — assessor/county clerk/recorder, auditor-controller, district attorney, sheriff/coroner and treasurer/tax collector. State law authorizes each county’s supervisors to set their own compensation. The Riverside…
A fairly new term in wildfire policy is “Fire Adapted Communities.” Important fire organizations have placed a new emphasis on this concept over the last few years and I think it leads us all in the right direction regarding the challenge of wildfire. To begin with, by referring to adaptation, the term leads us to…
According to CHP Officer Mike Murawski, Peter Jackson, 72, of Rancho Mirage crashed his rented red Ducati motorcycle at about 11:10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 8, on Highway 243 near Black Mountain Trail. Jackson was traveling southbound when he hit gravel and lost control. Jackson skid across the highway coming to rest in the northbound…
Editor: I recently had a medical emergency at the end of July. I had fainted and the Idyllwild Fire Department was called. With a quick response and a right decision made, a life-changing event came out on the right side for me. I just want people to have faith in our department. Irene Ledbetter Fern…
Prema Laurence of Idyllwild has received his/her bachelor’s of science degree in business management from Western Governors University. The university held its 27th semi-annual commencement ceremony in Salt Lake City on July 12 and celebrated the graduation of more than 5,500 graduates. Graduates reside in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, as well as…
The June 3 primary election determined that Republicans Bonnie Garcia and Jeff Stone would be competing against each other to fill the vacant State Sen. District 28 seat. If the primary race was an indication of the level of competition, summer and fall will see a major battle between these two candidates. Entering the campaign,…
