services - Idyllwild Town Crier

Page 10 - Idyllwild Town Crier, July 17, 2008
Special fire fund
moves to Senate
By J.P. Crumrine
Assistant Editor
Last week, the U.S. House
of Representatives approved
legislation creating a special
fund dedicated to covering
the expenses of large wildfires.
H.R. 5541, the Federal Land
Assistance, Management and
Enhancement Act (FLAME
Act), passed the House unanimously
on July 9.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-
CA) has already introduced
the legislation in the Senate.
The month-long fire siege in
California will place a huge
burden on the U.S. Forest
Service’s entire budget for
the remainder of fiscal year
2007-08, which ends Sept.
30, especially the nonfire
programs.
This legislation would
alleviate the demand on recreation
and other programs
to supplement fire costs.
“When it comes to fighting
dangerous wildfires like
those burning in California
right now, we need all of the
help we can get from the federal
government,” Boxer said.
“By establishing a dedicated
federal fund, we will ensure
that the Forest Service isn’t
forced to drain other important
accounts to pay for
catastrophic wildfires.”
House Natural Resources
Chair Nick Rahall (D-WV),
along with Raul Grijalva
(D-AZ) and Norm Dicks
(D-WA) introduced the bill
in March.
The special fund would
be created and separate from
the annual Forest Service appropriations.
Its use would
be limited to suppressing
catastrophic wildfires. Five
former chiefs of the Forest
Service, the Western Governor’s
Association, environmental
groups, the National
Association of Counties and
others have all expressed support
for the legislation.
The fund is intended to
eliminate the trade-off between
the agency’s nonfire
program funds and the growing
cost of fighting wildland
fires.
“When FEMA responds
to an emergency it does not
take housing funds away to
pay for it ... Responding to
emergencies is something
American citizens expect
their government to do,”
Rahall has said. “The FLAME
Act’s dedicated fund ... will
allow the Forest Service and
other land management
agencies to continue to do
what they do best — manage
our nation’s unique and vast
public lands.”
J.P. Crumrine can be
reached at jp@towncrier.com.
Strange but true
At one time, the game checkers was known as
“chess for ladies.”
When Chantal Lawson
of Twentynine Palms
booked a weekend cabin
in Idyllwild for her and
her two children around
the end of April to surprise
and welcome home
husband Scott from Iraq,
she could not have imagined
that she was in for a
surprise of her own.
“My husband and his
unit are stuck in Iraq for
the next two weeks,” she
wrote in an e-mail at that
time. “I have not been able
to reschedule the reservations
and have lost my
$600 deposit,” she said.
“Just crossing our fingers
and waiting on a
phone call to see when
they get in, this deployment
has been very, very
tough on our family. Not
only am I 1,200 miles from
any family, but I have two
children and a full-time
job 30 miles away,” she
wrote.
Scott was on temporary
leave from his fourth tour
of duty in Iraq.
“During my husband’s
last deployment I was actu-
Community gives
Marine family a gift
ally back in Texas with my
mom. The last time, my
husband Scott deployed
when I was seven months
pregnant and he didn’t
get home until [our son]
Joshua was 5 months old.
Just really been rough and
all I wanted to do was be
‘us’ again.”
Idyllwild Community
Network (ICN) was
able to bring this family
to Idyllwild and provide
them with a weekend stay
last weekend in one of
Idyllwild’s unique vacation
homes. ICN Founder Bill
Triplett contacted Denney
Herr, who offered her
vacation rental, “Corner
Lodge.”
Café Aroma donated a
lunch and Earth ‘N Fire
offered activities for the
children. Quiet Creek Inn
provided housekeeping
services.
“We are pleased to play
a special part in honoring
this Marine’s service
and his family’s sacrifice
by helping them celebrate
his safe return home,” said
Triplett.
Donate old cars to charity
Now that the price of scrap metal has sharply risen, the
Big Brothers and Big Sisters Car Campaign will accept most
any car with no restrictions. Cars will be picked up anywhere
in California, usually within a week, and are sold at auction.
To donate, call 1-800-246-0493. Funds go directly to help
the California clubs.
U.S. Marine Scott Lawson, along with his wife Chantal,
daughter Gabrielle, 7 and son Joshua, 20 months, enjoyed
a weekend getaway in Idyllwild after Scott’s fourth trip back
from Iraq. After a surprise vacation Chantal had planned for
Scott was canceled when his flight was delayed for two weeks in
Iraq, businesses in the community came together and covered
all the expenses for them to come for the weekend. Scott’s fifth
trip back to Iraq is scheduled for October.
Photo by Jenny Kirchner
No smoking on county property
Effective June 1, 2007, smoking is prohibited on all Riverside
County property, whether enclosed or unenclosed, except
in a smoking area. Violators will be punished with a fee of $25
for the first offense and $50 for a second offense.
Further offenses will result in a misdemeanor charge, punishable
with a fine of up to $1,000, six months in jail or both.
Office: 951-659-1997
Toll Free: 888-658-2889
Cell: 951-315-6099
Fax: 951-659-1972
E-mail: magicmountain1@verizon.net
Web: www.robinoates.com
54225 N. Circle (In the “Fort”)
P.O. Box 1651 Idyllwild, CA 92549
Jackie Wagner
Broker-Associate
ELLEN ANDERSON
Business Development
Inland Empire Division
3403 Tenth Street, Fourth Floor
Riverside, CA 92501
800-220-6886 customer service
951-313-6750 direct
951-682-5736 fax
eanderson@stewart.com
www.stcie.com
CRAIG COOPERSMITH, E.A.
JANICE COOPERSMITH
(951) 659-5045 FAX (951) 659-6004
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