Last week, Brooke Rollins. Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, announced that the headquarters for the Department’s Forest Service will be moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, from Washington, D.C. The entire reorganization effort is expected to be completed over the next 15 months. “Having recently visited Salt Lake City, I am impressed by…...
Riverside County Chief Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen requested the Board of Supervisors authorize the County to seek financial assistance from the state to offset the financial issues associated with the enactment and implementation of the federal legislation HR1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which was passed and signed in July 2025. Besides sending a…...
Last week, the Riverside County Civil Grand Jury issued a report, “Uncapped Influence: Campaign Contributions and Public Trust in Riverside County.” The Grand Jury investigated the influence of large campaign contributions to the county’s elected officials, particularly focusing on the County’s Ordinance 963 (Campaign contribution limits for elective county offices) and its exception clause. The…...
In March we mentioned that warm weather and little snow mean locals could expect an early inflow of Pacific Crest Trail Hikers, and described the process that the Pacific Crest Trail Association has put in place for getting permits for the entire trail. Jon King, founder of the San Jacinto Trail Report (sanjacjon.com), emailed us…...
Residents of Forest Drive, the last cull-de-sac off Fern Valley Road before the Humber Park Trailhead, have been in communication with the County seeking a remedy for their parking situation on snow days. Residents have shared with the Town Crier an email thread discussing the process and the options the county is considering, and some…...
The Idyllwild Garden Club held its first general meeting of the season on Wednesday, April 1st, at the Nature Center. 1st Vice President Lynn Eodice reports that “Members, guests and potential members enjoyed a potluck luncheon of soups, chilis, salads and other homemade foods. A brief meeting followed the luncheon, led by Garden Club president…...
The litigative battle between California State Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Riverside County Sheriff, Chad Bianco, continues actively in the State’s courts. And the media has filed a lawsuit also. Meanwhile, Bianco’s actual investigation of alleged voter fraud in the November 2025 special election for Proposition 50 is on hold while the Courts resolve their…...
Idyllwild Animal Rescue Friends and the Idyllwild Community Center will be hosting a talk with Mary Martin, the Director of Animal Services for Riverside County. ARF director Janice Murasko promises we will “learn all there is to know about Riverside County Animal Shelters and how they really operate,” and adds that there will be time…
We were saddened to hear last week of the passing of Bruce Watts, a man who drank deeply of nature, immersed himself in it, knew its mysteries as few others do, and communicated his knowledge and love to readers, audiences, and other fellow creatures. His columns in the Town Crier were hyper-local, exploring not just…...
Idyllwild Fire will begin inspecting all properties within their jurisdiction for compliance with local Ordinance 19-01 on April 15. This is known as the second inspection, because all homeowners are expected to perform a self-inspection first and do the necessary abatement. CAL FIRE is also restarting their inspections in Pine Cove and other CAL FIRE…...
