Idyllwild Town Crier

Reunited this week were Samson and Rosie to their very worried humans. Ladybug can be a lady most of the time. But bring out the football, Frisbee or anything that even looks like a toy, and she’s ready with all fours to play. She is a young shepherd/husky-mix who was abandoned at our dumpsite with two other dogs. She loves...

The Idyllwild Water District Board of Directors and staff met last week to discuss the draft District Employee Personnel Manual. The Personnel Committee and staff have been preparing a new manual for several years. IWD legal counsel Joe Aklufi mediated the meeting and took notes on the needed revisions in order to prepare the final manual. The board expects to...

Dr. Ron Chapman, state health officer and director of the California Department of Public Health, recently urged Californians to get immunized from influenza to prevent health problems. “Thousands of serious illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths can be prevented if Californians receive a flu vaccine as soon as possible,” Chapman said. “We can’t predict exactly when flu will arrive, but getting vaccinated...

Editor: We — myself, my husband and two dogs — are part-timers who love Idyllwild. We continue to be impressed with the way residents help each other in times of emergency, and inspire us to make the most of life in times of peace. Local friends who share our combined interests in art — ARF, astronomy, music, hiking, good food and...

Editor: I recently looked on in horror as the Strong Fire erupted a short distance from my Fern Valley home. I’m extremely grateful to live in a first-world country where we pay taxes to support firefighting organizations that make a valiant effort to protect structures. I am very thankful that, so far, our home and Idyllwild have been spared. That...

Brendan Steele finished off his third season on the PGA Tour last week at the BMW Championship, the penultimate tour playoff tournament, in Lake Forest, Ill. The native Idyllwilder posted an 8-over-par 75-68-72-77 -— 292 to earn 61st place and a $17,440 payday. This brought his official winnings total for the 2013 season to $1,004,161 — above the tour...

A few weeks ago, as guests of the Garner Valley Women’s Club, Jack and I covered a tour of vineyards in — would you guess? Garner Valley (tecnically, Pine Meadows) and Anza. Garner Valley surrounds Thomas Mountain Vineyards, where our tour began, that Jim and Timmie Martens, retired trucking owners, began a few years ago. Begun as a hobby, the vines...

A two-vehicle traffic collision with minor injuries just north of Saunders Meadow Road on Highway 243 created one-lane traffic Monday afternoon. Gabriel Michelle Roberts, 52, of Hemet, was traveling northbound in a Subaru Outback, according to CHP Officer Ron Esparza, when she veered into the southbound lane. Michael Curtis Loften, 18, of Mountain Center, was traveling southbound in a...

(Editor’s note: On Tuesday, Sept. 3, Hemet Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Barry Kayrell and Trustee Vic Scavarda of Idyllwild met with the Town Crier to discuss the “State of the District” and trends in the next few years. This is the second of three parts of the interview.) Do you see HUSD”s growth (student population) picking up soon? Expecting enrollment...