(951) 659-2145 - Idyllwild Town Crier

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Page 6 - Idyllwild Town Crier, January 12, 2006 Out loud How to reach us Phone: (951) 659-2145 or toll-free: 1-888-535-6663 Fax: (951) 659-2071 E-mail: itc@towncrier.com Web site www.towncrier.com When to reach us OFFICE HOURS 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday Closed Saturday & Sunday DEADLINES MONDAY News Items — 10 a.m. Classified Ads — Noon Display Ads — Noon u Becky Clark Publisher-Editor J.P. Crumrine Assistant Editor Grace Reed Advertising Sales Representative Jim Crandall Operations Manager u Marshall Smith Staff Reporter Dolores Sizer Classified & Legal Sales Advisor Shannon Johnston Production, Circulation James Larkin Copy Editor, Production/News Assistant Dr. Michael Erlich Photographer, Darkroom Technician Juli Burleson Bookkeeper Wayne Parker Newsstands David Raley Desert Newsstands Contributors: Marcia E. Gawecki Steve Hudson Halie Johnson John Marshall Jessica Schiffman Bruce Watts u Please read your ad. We assume no responsibility for errors after first insertion. T h e I D Y L LW I L D T O W N CRIER (USPS 635260) is published weekly for $29 per year in county and $33 per year out of county by the IDYLLWILD TOWN CRIER, P.O. Box 157, 54295 Village Center Dr., Idyllwild, CA 92549. Periodical postage paid at Idyllwild, CA. Send subscription and change of address requests to the above address. Please allow up to two weeks for requests to take effect. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to IDYLLWILD TOWN CRIER, P.O. Box 157, Idyllwild, CA 92549. All contents of the Idyllwild Town Crier are copyrighted by the Idyllwild Town Crier. Per copy, 75 cents (tax included). Single mailing of newspaper, $2.50. This newspaper is printed on recycled paper. A need to act … Id y l lw i l d Water District’s board and its past boards have been sleeping on the job and this may create a domino effect that could impact the whole community. For this reason, readers may consider getting more involved in this issue; not in taking sides but in urging IWD to act. IWD claims to have pre- 1914 water rights to Strawberry Creek, but evidence of those rights hasn’t been produced. If it did, in order to be permitted to continue those rights, the district must perfect its claim by diverting its maximum of nearly 3,590 gallons per minute. The district has never and is unable to divert that much water because, primarily, it doesn’t have the capacity at Foster Lake or tanks to store more water. Why is this important to all the Hill Because a downstream user — such as Lake Hemet Municipal Water District or Eastern Municipal Water District — could step in, challenge IWD’s claim to that water and claim more of the creek water for its customers. The L.A. basin, for instance, gets some of its water supply from the Salton Sea. And that means IWD might lose its claim — as happened in Lake Arrowhead in August — and become completely dependent on groundwater. It would have to dig more wells in Dutch Flat, impacting Pine Cove’s groundwater supply. It could mean that Fern Valley could not depend on either of the other two districts to sell it water during a drought. The Mountain Resources Conservancy may bring the State Water Resources Control Board in to investigate IWD’s claim. Water is a precious commodity so this was bound to happen sometime. For our survival, we are not just water consumers but need water for firefighting. IWD, in reality, has not protected its assets as good trustees of our water supply should do. IWD’s lack of fiduciary duty leaves all of the Hill’s water resources vulnerable and demands our attention and involvement. Becky Clark, Ed i tor Supports a dog park Readers write Editor: Let me add a vote in favor of the Idyllwild Dog Park, as envisioned by Irene Corey in your Jan. 5 letters column. Our hometown has such a place, which is a boon and a blessing to local dogs and their owners. There are volunteers who fund-raise, do safety checks, and hang poop-bag dispensers to make cleanup easy. Self-policing is the rule, and most visitors are “good guys” where dogs are concerned, responsible and friendly. You know who you are. My husband and I are regular visitors to the Hill, and, of course, our two dogs always come along. Although our home-away-from-home, Silver Pines Lodge, is super dog-friendly, we keep them leashed around town as a courtesy to others since not everyone likes to be bounced on or licked. Their reward is to run all over the Ernie Maxwell Trail, checking in to the sound of my whistle. For days when we don’t have the time or energy for a real hike, a fenced play area would be a wonderful thing, and I’ll bet lots of Idyllwild dog owners would agree: a little time before work, or after school, you’d get to see your furry friend enjoy some freedom and the company of other dogs. Travelers, too, would love the chance to exercise their car-weary pets in a safe environment. I would happily pledge a few hours a month to help such a good cause; the payoff would be a convenient place to let dogs be dogs, and a way to meet others who think the same. Lois Sheppard Seal Beach New postal rates effective Jan. 8, 2006 The U.S. Postal Service changed its rates beginning Jan. 8, 2006. New rates for more commonly used postal services are: • First-class mail up to one ounce, 39 cents; additional ounce, 24 cents; postcard rate, 24 cents. • Priority mail up to one-half pound and flat rate envelopes, $4.05; and flat rate box, $8.10. • Express mail up to one-half pound and flat rate envelopes, $14.40; over one-half pound to two pounds, $18.80. • Money orders from $.01 to $500 will cost 95 cents; over $500 to $1,000, $1.30. Military money orders are 25 cents. New 39-cent and 2-cent stamps are now available at the post office. Henderson Trail guided tours The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center is offering guided tours that “leave no trace” of the Henderson Trail throughout the winter season. Hikers are asked to bring water, wear good hiking shoes and bring binoculars. To make a reservation for a tour, call the Visitor Center at (760) 323-8199. How to get a letter pub lished The Town Cri er wel comes letters re flect ing all opin ions. Letters should be con cise and to the point. They should be no long er than 400 words. Let ters must be type writ ten, dou ble-spaced and in up per/low er case (not in all caps). Let ters must be signed and must be iden ti fied with the writ er’s name, ad dress and weekyday phone num ber. Anonymous letters will not be ac cept ed. Letters of thanks and com men da tion are not opinions and are not ac cept ed. A special ad ver tis ing rate is avail able for those types of letters. We reserve the right to reject or edit let ters for length, clar i ty or fre quen cy of sub mis sion. Only one let ter per author within a 28-day pe ri od. Letters can be sub mit ted in person, by mail, by fax (659-2071) or by e-mail (itc@towncrier.com). For the Hill of It ... by John G. Marshall Poorly timed pass cause of collision By Halie Johnson Correspondent Four vehicles were involved in a collision near Lake Hemet at about 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5, however, none of the parties complained of serious injuries. The cause of the collision is believed to be “passing without sufficient clearance,” according to a report by California Highway Patrol (CHP) responding Officer Daryl Crandall. The crash occurred when John Geges, 48, of Mountain Center, attempted to pass a 2000 Toyota pickup, driven by Michelle Herman, 28, of Cathedral City, and a 2004 Subaru Forester, driven by Graham Justice, 70, of Aguanga. All three vehicles were driving eastbound. Geges was driving a Nissan pickup and was able to pass the two vehicles because an oncoming 1991 Toyota Celica driven by Yafen Yan, 45, of Mountain Center, veered to avoid colliding with the Nissan pickup. Yan overcorrected to get back into the westbound lane and continue en route, sideswiping the Subaru then driving head-on into the Toyota pickup. Graham Justice experienced pain on the left side of his body, and his passenger, Heidi Justice, 61, complained of head pain. The two were transported by ambulance to Rancho Springs Hospital in Murrieta. Geges’ vehicle was not part of the collision, and no major injuries were reported by the other parties involved. But Geges was cited for passing without sufficient clearance, although he did use a legal passing zone. RV fire safety workshop Chuck Robbins, Bureau of Land Management fire mitigation and education specialist, will present a workshop on the dos and don’ts of RV traveling at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18. The workshop is free and will be held at the Shadow Hills RV Resort at 40655 N. Jefferson Avenue in Indio. Call (760) 251-4800 for more information on the event.
Town talk By Michael Erlich, Staff Photographer Do you now own, or will you be buying in the coming year, a high-definition television On the fringe Idyllwild Town Crier, January 12, 2006 - Page 7 By Jessica Schiffman and Steve Hudson Charlie Anthony Teacher Pine Cove No way. I’d do anything else with my money. Robert James Retired Idyllwild No. I don’t and I won’t. Sandy Larson Owner, Timber Ridge Idyllwild No. I’ll have to [get one] eventually. Don Raridon Web site designer Mountain Center No. I’m not planning on getting one. I’m happy with the one I have now. HELP Center needs drivers The Idyllwild HELP Center is in need of volunteers with large trucks or vans who can deliver items to the Salvation Army in Hemet. The HELP Center will provide gas vouchers for the trips. To volunteer or for more information, call Gil at 659-3000. F I $300 VALUE T N E S S - Gift Certificates Available - Spiritual cinema club A spiritual cinema club meets from 6:30 to 8 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at Spirit Mountain Retreat. The group views independent, nonviolent films from around the world, followed by a brief discussion and get-together. For more information, call Nancy at 659-6059. G Y M New Year’s Special 1 year membership Good from $225 Jan. 1, 2006 - Dec. 31, 2006 with this coupon Thank you Halie for writing such a nice article and thank you everyone who donated funds to help Jeff go to Iowa. Jeff and Family 24 hr. access available for yearly members 7 days a week! Only $25! Treadmills • Stairclimber • Machine Weights Traverse Climbing Wall • Leg Machine Free Weights • Recumbent Bicycle “A Great Place to Sweat” Idyllwild Chiropractic & Fitness • 54165 Pine Crest Ave. • 659-4663
Page 1 and 2: News bites Passing crash Four vehic
Page 3 and 4: Outside Idyllwild Backpacker’s ch
Page 5: Mountain folk D a n i e l F i d d l
Page 9 and 10: Review Continued from page 1 said J
Page 11 and 12: Idyllwild Town Crier, January 12, 2
Page 13 and 14: David Jason Occupation: U.S. Forest
Page 17 and 18: Editor’s note: “Tax tips” app
Page 23 and 24: Fireplace safety tips The Chimney S
Page 27 and 28: Bee Continued from page 19 Since th
Page 33 and 34: Electrical Contractors Resident Sin
Page 35 and 36: Creature corner By Jane Stonehill T

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