Melody Henderson, Cal Fire public information officer, said, “An outbuilding was involved with possible extension into an abandoned building, but they just stopped the forward progress on half an acre of vegetation.” Riverside County/Cal Fire firefighters battled the Willow Fire off of Highway 74 and Willowbrook Road near the U.S. Forest Service Cranston Station. The Forest Service…
The California Teachers Association applauded the governor’s signing of Assembly Bill 215 last week, a bill that updates and streamlines California’s teacher discipline and dismissal process. “For California’s educators, keeping children safe in our classrooms is always a top priority. We have long supported streamlining the dismissal process so we are pleased to see this…
If you read the front-page story about the Mountain Fire two weeks ago, you must have seen where you can access Cal Fire’s Investigation Report online — all 251 pages. In early February, Cal Fire Information Officer Daniel Berlant said the investigation was progressing but not complete. Then six weeks ago, Cal Fire said the…
The June 27 arraignment of one of two defendants accused of a 2006 triple homicide in Pinyon has been moved to July 18 in the Riverside County Superior Court in Indio. Robert Lars Pape, 25, was arrested March 11, 2014, for the Sept. 17, 2006 murders of Becky Friedl, 18, her mother, Vicki Friedli, 53,…
The Idyllwild Historic Preservation District Review Board met briefly last week and apart from the approving the minutes, the board acknowledged that its review of the plans for the new Cedar Street restaurant, Ferro, is complete, and the project is now in the hands of the county. Board members present included Chair Warren Monroe and…
Editor: The recent article by J.P. Crumrine in the Town Crier accurately captures the primary ideas of my recent talk on Idyllwild’s fire crisis. Citizens of Idyllwild must realize that nature, combined with fire suppression, are driving the community to fire disaster. Plants reproduce, grow and accumulate energy; plants uptake water until soils desiccate by…
Editor: I want to publicly take note of the very quick response of Waste Management Inc. to the problem of the overlarge pile at the transfer station. When concern was expressed about the dangerous size of the pile, they acted immediately to get the pile down to a safe size. We appreciate their being so…
Editor: The Center for Biological Diversity once had offices in Idyllwild. This firm of attorneys was formed to file lawsuits following the passage of the Endangered Species Act. They hire young environmentalists who are fired up to believe fires cause species endangerment. These people support the efforts of the CBD and other law firms that…
A 4.6-magnitude earthquake hit west-northwest of Big Bear Lake just before 10 a.m. The tremor was felt in the San Jacinto Mountains. Earlier, the U.S. Geological Survey reported two 4.6-magnitude earthquakes in the area but updated that to one 4.6 and one 2.7 magnitude, and now one at 3.4 magnitude at about the same time…
We at the Fire Safe Council were very happy with the Town Hall meeting last week. The turnout was great and the room was packed. Best of all was the intelligent and focused discussion between the fire chiefs who comprised the panel and residents who attended. The questions and comments were smart, and the chiefs…
