This story was updated on 7/18/19 at 4:38 p.m. At approximately 5:10 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, the Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) responded to a call for a commercial structure fire. According to witness Michael Burkhalter of El-Co Contractors, Inc., the flames did not ignite until the fire department arrived and a firefighter moved around…
The Hemet Unified School District (HUSD) budget for FY 2019/20 was approved on June 16 and is projected to run the district $8.8 million into the red. The $303.7-million budget is an $18-million increase from last year’s $285.7 million budget. The largest increase, $9.2 million, is for the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) and another…
When Highway 74 reopened after being completely closed, the Idyllwild business community was relieved. However, business was still rough for Idyllwild. At the June 13 community meeting at the Idyllwild School, Caltrans and Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington let the community know that the weekend pilot car hours would be extending. Since that decision was…
“I want to die on the hill. I’ve said it. I’m 81 years old. My friends have said it. We are Idy elders,” wrote Virginia Crowder in a letter to the editor in the May 2 edition of the Town Crier. That was the beginning of a new group serving another cohort of Idyllwild residents….
Three years after its last-minute filing of the United State’s lawsuit against Mountain Center property owner, Dr. Tarek M.A. Al-Shawaf, and his employees seeking some $24 million in costs of fire suppression and damage to federal forest lands, the Department of Justice (DOJ), United States Attorney’s Office has filed to dismiss the case. The Idyllwild…
About 5:15 p.m., the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) responded to call about a fire near the Pacific Crest Trial. The .46 acre fire, Pacific Fire, was controlled by 7 p.m. Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department also responded to the call. “U.S. Forest Service firefighters this evening responded to a half-acre fire at…
The Idyllwild Water District (IWD) has scheduled a special meeting for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10. The closed session board meeting is an employee performance evaluation of Chief Financial Officer Hosny Shouman. The next regular IWD board meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17. Board meetings are held in the IWD…
The Pine Cove Water District (PCWD) Board of Directors held a special meeting Tuesday, July 2. The board quickly reviewed and re-approved ordinance 9, which was originally adopted in May 2017. Ordinance 9 is the district’s rules and regulations for setting water policies that replaced Ordinance 4, originally adopted March 16, 1957. The major difference…
Idyllwild Fire Here are some of the calls Idyllwild Fire Department responded to recently. • July 1 — Walk-in medical aid, 3:50 a.m. • July 1 — Medical aid, 8:28 p.m. Fern Valley Rd. • July 1 — Medical aid, 9:09 p.m. Marian Ridge Dr. • July 2 — Medical Aid, 3:01 a.m. Fern Valley…
There were two vehicle crashes on hill roads over the last week, California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer reports. At 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2, Margaret Moore, 68, from Cathedral City, was driving a silver 2012 Lexus eastbound on Highway 74 with black 2016 Dodge Challenger approaching from behind. The driver of…
