Residents of California’s 36th Congressional District who lost homes or businesses in the recent wildfires may be eligible for federal assistance. The office of Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) is available to assist those affected by damage to homes or businesses with claims to the Small Business Administration. Also, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has…
The federal 2013-14 fiscal year begins Oct. 1, about four weeks from now, and the U.S. Congress has yet to enact an appropriations bill to fund the U.S. Forest Service operations or other federal agencies. However, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have reported bills. As expected, the House and Senate strategies differ. The House…
If anything good comes out of the two major fires on the Hill this summer, I hope it’s a renewed interest and commitment in making our communities fire safe. The Mountain and the Silver fires should serve as reminders of our vulnerability. So I hope we again ask the question, “What can we do to…
The mountain burn areas around Idyllwild and Pine Cove will be especially susceptible to heavy rain and flooding this afternoon according to a National Weather Service weather warning issued minutes ago. This includes Bonita Vista Ranch, which already lost two natural ponds to Thursday’s flooding. (See related story below.) NWS Doppler radar continues to indicate…
In June, California Secretary of Natural Resources John Laird and California State Parks Director Major Gen. Anthony L. Jackson, USMC (Ret.), unveiled “Parks Forward,” a collaborative initiative to undertake a top-to-bottom evaluation to improve and sustain California’s state parks system. The effort responds to several issues involving misappropriation of the agency’s funding and a March…
Besides the Senate Appropriations Committee’s concerns about adequate plans to replace the U.S. Forest Service’s aircraft resources, the General Accounting Office also reported concerns about the plans. While neither group questions the need to replace and expand the Forest Service’s firefighting aircraft, they both recommend that the agency improve and revise its plans for accomplishing…
Cynthia Cowell, Small Business Administration’s Office of Disaster Assistance public information officer, met with Hill business people last week. SBA is making loans to local businesses that incurred economic injury from the Mountain or Silver fires. Cowell, here at the request of Riverside County’s Office of Emergency Services, explained the details of the process. These…
Nautilus Entertainment Design Inc. of San Diego is the August winner of a free, one-year subscription to the Town Crier. The company’s business card was picked from the fish bowl at the Town Crier office. To enter the monthly drawing, just stop by and drop a business card into the bowl … Photographer Gina Genis…
The U.S. Forest Service reported that the Little Fire, which started Saturday afternoon, Aug. 24, was fully contained Thursday evening, Aug. 29. The fire’s size was 97 acres and its cause is still under investigation. Firefighters continued to improve the fireline and extinguish burning logs and materials within the fire perimeter. The fire burned chaparral…
