Brad and Jackie Rechtfertig, owners of the new Grand Idyllwild Lodge (www.grandidyllwildlodge.com), are quietly performing what is an often-shared Idyllwild impulse, giving back to others. The Rechterfigs are not alone in following this impulse, Brad stressed. They’re doing it under the radar because, as Brad, who designed and built the lodge, said, “We have fun…

A Riverside County Mobile Health Clinic brings free health care services to Idyllwild at Town Hall, usually the second Wednesday of every month. The next event is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 9. It will be the last time before school begins for incoming seventh-graders to recieve the whooping cough/Tdap vaccine. Town…

Kevin Brennan, wildlife biologist for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, was called out last week to remove two deer killed on the Hill when vehicles hit them. But when he arrived at the scenes, both deer had been taken by unknown individuals. Brennan said removing a road-kill deer is a citable offense. He…

Chair Nancy Layton called the meeting of the Idyllwild Fire Protection District Finance Committee to order last week, with committee members Chief Patrick Reitz and Calvin Gogerty also present, and apart from approving minutes from the June 6 meeting, the only action item on the agenda was work on the 2014-15 preliminary budget. But Layton…

A fire that can be seen from these mountains is burning east of Julian. The Banner Fire started at 10:43 Thursday morning and is at about 100 acres. It is threatening the communities of Whispering Pines and Kentwood where 200 homes are being evacuated this afternoon. Highway 78 at Manzanita Drive and Manzanita Drive at Lakeview Drive…