“It’s hard to lose one of our own,” said Anna Ancheta, director of Local Color, Idyllwild’s female a capella singing group. She spoke of the death last year of member Sabrina Verney and how her passing influenced a project that had begun several years before. “Each year on Martin Luther King’s birthday, the group holds…
For 2014 and 2015, sections of the Pacific Crest Trail damaged by the Mountain Fire in July 2013 remain closed. The closure, from Cedar Springs Trail (mile 162.5) north to South Ridge Trail (mile 178), had forced hikers to walk beside Highway 74 to Mountain Center then on Highway 243 into Idyllwild. In certain sections…
Following the announcement of the headliners for the August Jazz in the Pines Festival, John Newman has nearly completed the full two-day schedule. Many familiar and popular artists will perform in all three venues the weekend of Aug.15 and 16. On Saturday, jazz seekers again will be treated to the tones from the Euphoria Brass…
James Bachmann is 12. He is a budding ventriloquist with an already strong technique and a great sense of humor. He is soft spoken and respectful when he speaks. When he begins to talk about his passion for ventriloquism, his eyes sparkle and his hands become animated. James also is battling brain cancer and has…
Saturday was the Pine Cove Property Owners Association annual meeting to consider donations to local groups. Several representatives from various community groups came and spoke about how past donations were used and which current projects would benefit from a new donation. Carolyn Levitski, on behalf of the Idyllwild Area Historical Society, described two major projects…
Phyllis Mueller is completing a stint as tree doctor for the Idyllwild Christmas Tree, the giant Sequoia on the land of Jo’An’s Restaurant in the center of town. “We completed a soil analysis first,” said Mueller. “There was no salt from runoff as some had suspected. The soil was low on magnesium.” Mueller organized the…
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors is being asked to support Assembly Bill 203, which would extend the 30-day payment deadline for the State Fire Prevention Fee to 60 days. The sponsor, Assemblyman Jay Obernolte (R-Big Bear Lake), argues that many people who must pay the fee live in rural areas and are on limited…
The California Fish and Game Commission approved regulations to begin implementing Assembly Bill 711, banning using lead ammunition for any hunting purposes anywhere in the state by July 1, 2019. AB 711 was enacted in 2013 and requires the commission to begin its implementation by July 1, 2015. Earlier this month, the commission approved the…
Editor: A conflict of interest is a conflict of interest. A financial conflict of interest is a financial conflict of interest. Concerning the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council and the new fire-abatement laws, objective criticism can never hurt. Good, well-intentioned, and sincere people (as are MCFSC and its volunteers) can still make poor decisions, and…
The annual Idyllwild 5K and 10K Fitness Run and Walk, a fundraiser for the Idyllwild School physical education program, is Saturday, June 6. The race was first run as a benefit to the Idyllwild School physical education program in the early 1980s; but the first locally organized 10-kilometer run preceded the fundraiser by several years….
