Cal Fire’s Southern Operations Unit issued its latest Wildfire Outlooklast week. From now through early summer, wildfire conditions are likelyto remain lower than normal. However, as the Pacific weather conditionscontinue to shift from El Niño toward a La Niña pattern, the chances oflarge wildfires begin to increase. Both live fuel moisture and dead fuel moisture…
On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a proclamation designating May 5through May 11 as Wildfire Preparedness Week. The theme of preparednessweek is partnership. In the proclamation, Newsom said, “CAL FIRE has also made significantprogress on fuels reduction and mitigation, with more than 105,500 acresof fuels treatment last year. Fuels reduction projects are vital toslowing and…
The Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council were beneficiaries of a grant tohelp renovate their 190-acre Skyland Ranch Camp, north of Pine Covealong Highway 243. California Congressman Peter Aguilar (D-33) secured the $875,424 federalgrant this year. In his letter to the House Appropriations Committee, he wrote, “Thefunding would be used for improvements to their Skyland…
Thursday, March 28, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)issued a proposed decision on how large investor-owned utilities maybill for electricity in California. A hearing for this proposed decisionis scheduled for the CPUC’s May 9 business meeting. If approved, the newrate structure will go into effect in late 2025 and early 2026. But in the past…
Locals noticed a film crew at work the week of April 22 at severaldowntown localtions. The Gastrognome was taken over Tuesday andWednesday, with small “drifts” of fake snow scattered around the deck,and FERRO was next on the schedule. The Crier spoke with co-producer and director Jake Hilgren at the Gnome.“We’re filming a movie called ‘Christmas…
The Crier sat down with Julia Graham at her new teaching studio, HilltopMusic Lab, in the Collective. Graham moved into the space just a fewweeks ago, but tells us that already, 45 students are taking lessons andlearning about music at Hilltop. Graham spent about a year giving lessons out of her home in Idyllwild,and taught…
Six members of the Kretsinger family met Thursday, April 25 to posebehind the fountain in front of the Fort honoring Idyllwild plumbingpatriarch Charlie Kretsinger. Brian, Stacy, Griffin, Kinsey, Chuck andJackie were joined by Charlie Clayton, the expert mason who constructedthe fountain’s stone base, and members of the Idyllwild Water District(IWD), including Interim General Manager Curt…
Nearly 10 years ago, in November 2014, California voters easily approvedProposition 47, which reduced certain nonserious and nonviolent propertyand drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. The measure alsoallowed certain offenders who have been previously convicted of suchcrimes to apply for reduced sentences. In general, offenders convicted of misdemeanor crimes were to bepunished less severely than…
Idyllwild native Brendan Steele put together under-par rounds of66-64-68 to post an 18-under par 198 and win the LIV golf tournament atAdelaide, Australia, by a single stroke. The 41-year-old pocketed a winner’s check of $4 million, plus anotherquarter million he won in the team competition at the same Adelaidetournament. It was Brendan’s first professional win…
