Idyllwild Town Crier

Fire log Hill fire stations responded to the following calls, Monday to Sunday, April 16 to 22, 2012: Idyllwild Fire Department and Ambulance April 18 — Walk-in medical aid. April 19 — Medical aid, Saunders Meadow Road, Idyllwild. April 20 — Cover assignment, highways 243 and 74, Mountain Center. April 20 — Medical aid, Fern Drive, Idyllwild. April 20 — Medical aid, Marian View Drive, Idyllwild. April...

At the Fern Valley Water District board meeting, General Manager Steve Erler noted that decreased water pressure cited by some firefighters responding to the Howland fire may have been the result of an older 4-inch line feeding Howland. “Firefighters took water from the hydrants at the dead end at the top of Howland and from the hydrant in front...

As expected, on Thursday, April 19, the California Public Utilities Commission approved a smart meter opt-out provision for customers of both Southern California Edison, which services Idyllwild, as well as for customers of the San Diego Gas & Electric Company. The approval mirrors one given earlier to Pacific Gas & Electric and provides an avenue for customers desiring to...

Following a March 20 letter telling Riverside County that it wanted to terminate its contract to provide ambulance service to Zones 2 (Pine Cove) and 3 (areas north of Pine Cove and south of Idyllwild), areas outside of the IFPD district, Idyllwild Fire officials met with representatives of the county’s Emergency Medical Services Agency last week. Another meeting will take...

A panel of state court appellate judges overturned a Riverside Superior Court decision to grant a new trial to Christopher V. Hillman, who was convicted of seven counts of attempting to influence the jury during the Raymond Oyler arson murder trial the previous year. Hillman is Oyler’s brother-in-law. Within a month of Hillman’s conviction in July 2010, trial Judge Larrie Brainard...

The trials of Chris D. Duve and Angela May Shaver for the murder of Paul Cline took significantly different paths last week. Shaver’s jury was dismissed because of misconduct. Both trials, with separate juries, began Thursday, April 19. After a recess following the opening statements, the two trials quickly assumed separate identities. Judge Kelly Hansen announced the court had received an...

In light of the recent position of Idyllwild Fire Protection District regarding the pending cancellation of our ambulance contract, the members of CSA 38 would like to express our sincere thanks to the Board of Supervisors, Riverside County Fire Department, Economic Development Agency and the Riverside EMS Authority for recent efforts to provide uninterrupted paramedic ambulance service to residents, visitors and property owners of the mountain plateau communities including Pine Cove. We recognize the difficulty of this task and are aware of the herculean efforts taking place by our government officials. Please know that it is appreciated by all of us.

Janel Pearl Ramirez, 31, was formally charged with sexual encounters with a minor. Her arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, April 26. If convicted, Ramirez faces jail time of four years and four months, according to John Hall, senior public information specialist for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. Ramirez was arrested and released the first week of March. Yesterday, the...