Wildfire chances increasing into summer
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Easter Bunny to Visit Idyllwild PAGE B1
Meet Julie Roy, one of Idyllwild’s super volunteers
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Becerra, 8th Democrat, announces he’s seeking governorship
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State Republicans seek changes to voting procedures
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By JP Crumrine Correspondent
Measles have arrived in Riverside County. On April 3, the County Public Health agency reported that an adult county resident tested positive for measles. According to health officials with Riverside University Health System, this is the first confirmed case of measles in Riverside County since 2018.
As of March 31, the California Department of Public Health reported eight confirmed cases of measles in the state. The infections were found in residents of the following counties: Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, San Mateo, and Tuolumne.
On April 3, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported a total of 607 confirmed measles cases have been identified in 22 states.
More than one third of the cases were in Texas.
Two unvaccinated children have died. The first occurred in February and the second child, an 8-yearold’s death was reported on April 3.
Nearly three-quarters of the confirmed cases were in children or youth under 20 years. Nearly 97 % were unvaccinated according to the CDC.
In 2024, there were 285 confirmed cases in the U.S., of which 15 were in California. In total, 90 % of those people were unvaccinated
“Those who travel internationally to areas with ongoing measles transmission may be at risk for exposure. It’s important to check and make sure you are up to date on your vaccines, at least two weeks prior to international travel,” said Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Chevinsky in the press release, which noted that the eastern Riverside County resident has a recent history of international travel.
“As measles cases continue to occur nationwide, it’s important to remain proactive to identify signs of illness, particularly when coming back from international travel, in order to promptly diagnose measles and prevent additional exposures,” said Dr. Chevinsky.
Measles is highly infectious and can be spread through the air via droplets when a person breathes,
talks, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms are typically observed 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus.
Measles begins with a fever that lasts a couple of days, the RUHS press release said describing the course of the infection. It’s followed by a cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis (pink eye) and then a prominent rash is the most visible symptom. The rash usually appears on the face, along the hairline and behind the ears. Then it affects the rest of the body.
Those infected can spread measles about four days before their rash starts to four days afterwards.
The measles-mumps-rubella vaccine provides the best protection against disease and serious illness., according to both the CDPH and RUHS. Most measles cases in the U.S. result from international travel.
Unvaccinated people are at high risk. Roughly 90% of those unvaccinated and exposed to measles will contract the disease.
Vaccination with one dose of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine is recommended as an early dose for infants as young as 6 months old prior to international travel.
For standard measles protection for children, one dose of MMR vaccine should be given at 12 months of age and another at 4 to 6 years.
For older children, adolescents and most adults without documented doses of MMR vaccine, two doses separated by at least 28 days should be given to provide protection. However, for adults born after 1957, one dose of live measles vaccine is sufficient to be considered protected from measles.
To get vaccinated, call your healthcare provider or visit one of Public Health’s upcoming vaccine clinics. All clinics accept walk-in appointments. Cost and eligibility vary. For questions and clinic locations, please call (951) 358-7125 or visit www. ruhealth.org/vaccineclinics.
Through June, the nearest RUHS clinics appear to be in Hemet, Palm Desert, and San Jacinto.
By Stephanie Yost President,
The Friends of the Idyllwild Library, with support of the Idyllwild Community Fund and in coordination with Idyllwild Community Center (ICC), have donated a “Little Free Library” to our community. The philosophy behind the “Little Free Library” is “Take a book. Leave a book. Keep a book.”
The “Little Library” is located by the flagpole in from of the Idyllwild Town Hall, which is owned and operated by ICC, at 25925 Cedar Street in Idyllwild.
An important part of the mission of Friends of the Idyllwild Library is to inspire children to read and for adults to read to and with children.
The books in the “Little Free Library” are designed to appeal to children ages toddler to twelve. There will be “I can read” books as well as “read with me” books and chapter books.
Parents, grandparents and family friends are encouraged to stop by with their children or grandchildren to pick up (or drop off) a book.
By JP Crumrine Correspondent
The April and spring to summer wildfire outlooks have been issued. The current dry spell raises the chances of possible wildfire in the Southern California mountains, according to all of the fire services.
“There is also an increased risk in timber dominated fires across much of the mountainous areas during the summer months of 2025 due to a lack of rainfall over the long-term period (since October 1st 2024),” according to Cal Fire’s Southern Operations Predictive Services.
A similar forecast was issued by the North American Seasonal Fire Assessment and Outlook, “Above normal [wildfire] potential is forecast across most of the Southwest, as well as the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges of southern California and the southern Sierra.”
Much of Riverside County, and all of Imperial County, are in extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (//droughtmonitor.unl. edu/CurrentMap.aspx).
The Hill has received less than half the normal rainfall between January 1 and the end of March. Since the beginning of the rain year (October 1), rainfall is barely one-third of the long-term average.
Idyllwild fire has recorded only 6.8 inches of rain since the beginning of 2025, but that is only 0.05 inches more than since Oct. 1. Keenwild and Pine Cove rain amounts are similar.
Last week, Alex Tardy, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, in the San Diego NWS office, described the winter as “. . . still missing several rounds of rain.”
NWS was forecasting two storms last week, that would bring several inches of snow. Unfortunately, that event failed to appear.
The Statewide precipitation has been consistent with recent years as seen the measurement of the mountain areas snowpack. Overall, at the end of March, the snowpack was about “. . . 90 percent of average,” according to the State’s Department of Water Resources.
However, that is not true for the Southern Mountains, “While the snowpack has caught up to near normal, broad swaths of Southern California remain exceptionally dry and below average for rainfall. This includes the Los Angeles region, which as of today has only received 45 percent of its average rainfall so far this water year,” DWR said in its press release.
On April 4, Tardy forecast a very warm April, with the chance of a couple of heat waves. Possibly, 10-15 degrees higher than normal, he said, with heat risks possible at lower elevations. The desert cities could be 100 degrees.
Sunday the NWS weekly forecast said, “Inland highs will be 10 to locally 20 degrees above normal Wednesday through Friday.”
For June, the South Ops Outlook believes the chances of a normal large wildfire potential are slightly higher now. As the temperatures increase in July, the forecast is for a “above normal large fire potential.”
By Davd Jerome Correspondent
Julie Roy is one of Idyllwild’s “super-volunteers,” always finding new ways to contribute to our community through its many nonprofit organizations. At the April meeting of the Idyllwild Garden Club, where she serves as membership coordinator and is the immediate past president, she was gave a talk about gardening in raised beds. At last month’s meeting of the Art Alliance of Idyllwild she was named one of two “Volunteers of the Year.”
Roy explains that at Art Alliance, she is in charge of accommodations, working to ensure that the participating wineries at the autumn Art and Wine walk are taken care of, even the ones who didn’t know they needed to request lodging in advance.
Roy also served as a bridge between the Alliance and the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema (IIFC.) This year, she served the IIFC as volunteer coordinator, leading a team of 45 volunteers over snowy five days. The snow brought unexpected challenges as many film makers were not prepared and needed help with last minute accommodations and transport. “It was non-stop being flexible, calling in favors. I worked with all the inns and lodges with the Art Alliance,” she said.
Julie is also a member of the board of the Associates of Idyllwild Arts, and is involved in creating activities for their Art in Society class with program director Erica Nashan. The program brings students “opportunities to connect with the community and act for the common good.” Roy has organized activities at the Nature Center, the Community Garden, and the Idyllwild Area Historical Society Museum. She says the program“instilled in them that they were contributing behind the scenes to make something better.”
Roy also serves on the Board of the Philanthropic Education Organization, an international women’s organization focused on education. She manages applications for grants and is the chapter’s chaplain. “The organization is non-denominational, but all believe in a higher power,” she said. Active with the Episcopal Church, St Hughes, she always has a booth at the Arbor Day Festival, and develops activities and projects for children at the event. For 17 years she has participated in the Idyllwild Rotary Christmas Festival, selling products from her alpacas.
That brings us to the alpacas. These wooly South American relatives of the camel are part brought Julie and husband Don to the mountains. The couple movedto Anza in 2004. In the wake of the 2003 fires in San Diego County that claimed 300 houses in their neighborhood, they began to look for a house and 10 acres. A mountain-area realtor targeted their zip code with a mailing, and they saw the listing for the Anza property. Don wanted to raise Empress tees, a fast-growing hardwood used for fine furniture. Julie decided on alpacas. “I’d rather hug an alpaca than a tree.”
She started with four pregnant females, and in two years had a flock of 20 beasts. She became active in the Southern California Alpaca Association (SoCalpaca) and began entering her animals in shows. She special-
ized in the rare grey alpacas. Her animals did well and won championships. The animals were shorn yearly and the wool was entered in competitions also. She was elected president of the organization, and managed their show in Norco.
When she and her husband Don retired from the Alpaca farming, they had 50 animals, which went to start eight new farms. She now trains aspiring Alpaca farmers online. Her business, AlpacaEdu.com, helps clients “develop profitable alpaca businesses” across the country. During the pandemic she began teaching online, becoming, in her words, “the Zoom queen of the alpaca industry.” She teaches classes, consults, and coaches. She is recognized as an expert and invited to speak at alpaca conferences.
She still has an ample hoard of what she calls “gold:” alpaca “nuggets” that are, she says, the “best soil amendment.”
After 13 years in Anza the couple bought a lot with two cabins in Idyllwild, one to serve as an STR. Roy had already created strong ties to Idyllwild through groups like Rotary and local galleries, including Middle Ridge Winery, where she sold art woven from her stash of alpaca yarn.
Roy was born in Madison, Wisconsin, but lived in San Diego from the age of eight. She was a business and life-skills coach, and was President of San Diego Professional Coaches Alliance when she moved to Anza, commuting to monthly meetings. She has a Masters in Organizational Development, and worked for many years in corporate environments, including San Diego Gas and Electric, in training and development.
She also has volunteered in her high school reunion committee since the 20th reunion. Her class mates are now celebrating their 75th birthdays.
“ASK SPIRITUAL WORKOUT”
By Steven Morrison, M.A.
• Editor’s Note: Spiritual Workout is a practice of these 15 concepts: Be Compassionate • Beliefs Matter • Be Present • Choices Abound • Everything Is Energy • Have an Attitude of Gratitude • Intentions Matter • Judgments Separate Us • Listen to Inspiration • Mind & Body Are Connected • Take Responsibility • The Law of Attraction Is Always On • We Are All Connected • We Are Here for a Reason • We Belong to the Planet, Not the Planet to Us. More at spiritualworkout. com.
Dear Spiritual Workout: My question is about EFT/tapping. I know you are a practitioner and I’m wondering if tapping could help with chronic pain. It has been a long time and managing it only seems to do so much.
Dear Reader:
First off, my disclaimer: I’m not a certified E.F.T./ Tapping practitioner. I’m the Spiritual Workout guy who uses tapping all the time because of how well it supports the largely mind-focused work we do. And “mainstreaming” it, making it accessible to everyone, is part of the point. And your question is an excellent one because yes, most definitely, tapping can help with chronic pain. One of the concepts we work with is “mind and body are connected.” So, when it comes to our physical health and well-being, tapping often provides degrees of physical relief of physical pain itself which, of course, is always welcomed. Additionally, people are typically encouraged to create a regimen of tapping, layering it into one’s daily life as they would a regimen of acupuncture or massage or any other modality. In SW, however, we also address the “mind material” that comes with chronic pain. For example, what thoughts/ideas/beliefs might one have about one’s pain e.g., “I’ve had this forever and it’s not going away” and/or “nothing works” and/or “I’ll always have this?” Whatever they are, healing will be limited if this material is not addressed. And, yes, we use tapping to undo and re-route beliefs like those for a more robust healing.
Dear Spiritual Workout:
I have struggled all of my life with perfectionism and it’s becoming obvious that it’s getting the best of me. But even though I see how much it messes up my life, I can’t even imagine letting go of it because I’m convinced I won’t even do that right. What would the SW approach to perfectionism look like? Do you work with perfectionism?
Dear Reader:
Yes. In actuality, it’s a rather simple challenge/problem because perfectionism is the result of a certain way of thinking and, more specifically, the result of a collection of beliefs carried by perfectionists everywhere, consciously or otherwise. Examples of such beliefs are: “failure is not an option;” “I’m not good enough;” “I will humiliate myself;” “I need outside validation for self-worth;” “it doesn’t matter what I do.” Nobody is a criminal for creating these kinds of beliefs, that’s never the point. The only point, the only question is: Can I live the life I want to live with the beliefs I have? If the answer is yes, rock on. If the answer is no, then the choice is clear: give up what’s wanted or give up the beliefs that say what’s wanted isn’t possible. In this way, it is simple to let go of perfectionism, conceptually anyway. It will take some effort, sure, 1) to get clear about what the beliefs are that add up to perfectionism for you and then 2) to dis-create them. That’s why it’s called a workout. Yet once that work is done, it’s done for good — and so is perfectionism.
• Dear Reader Send your questions to dearspiritualworkout@ spiritualworkout.com. (Confidentiality assured.) When you’re ready for more, find cutting-edge counseling Spiritual Workout-style for $50/month at spiritualworkout.com
By JP Crumrine Correspondent
Another Democrat has announced his intention to seek the Party’s nomination for governor in the 2026 election.
On April 2, Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and former Attorney General of California, announced his candidacy for the position.
“California is at a crossroads. From housing to healthcare, childcare to college, working families are facing an affordability crisis. The California Dream is slipping away. I’m running for Governor to fight for that dream, to build a stronger, affordable California for everyone, and to take on bullies who get in our way,” Becerra said in his press release.
As Attorney General of California, Becerra his office challenged the first Trump administration in many cases. He launched the landmark California v. Texas case, where he defended the Affordable Care Act all the way to the Supreme Court and won.
Next as Secretary of HHS, he negotiated historic reductions in prescription drug prices and expanded healthcare coverage to a record 300 million plus Americans. Under his tenure, HHS navigated the successful vaccination effort that pulled the nation out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Becerra is the eighth Democratic candidate (see below). Another prominent Californian Democrat, former Vice-President Kamala Harris, has said she is considering entering the race.
In January 2024, Sen. Toni Atkins announced her candidacy for Governor. The Democrat from San Diego was only the third person and the first woman to hold both of the state Legislature’s top jobs — speaker of the Assembly and president pro tempore of the Senate.
Stephen Cloobeck announced his intention in November 2024. His biography says he is a self-made entrepreneur with more than 40 years’ experience across every aspect of hospitality design, development, finance and operations.
Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis was one of the first to declare their entry in the 2026 gubernatorial, announcing
two years ago. In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed her U.S. Ambassador to Hungary. After she came home, she ran for public office becoming the first woman Lieutenant Governor of California.
Former three-term Congresswoman Katie Porter from Orange County announced last month. After the 2016 election, Porter launched her first-ever campaign. Two years later, she flipped the congressional seat from red to blue and became the first Democrat to represent the area in 75 years.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond was also an early candidate, announcing his campaign in September 2023. His political experiences include time on the West Contra Costa School Board, the Richmond City Council and California State Assembly. In 2018, he was elected California State Superintendent of Public Instruction and re-elected in 2022.
Former Los Angeles Mayor and former State Assemblyman, Antonio Villaraigosa entered the race in July 2024. Betty Yee, vice chair of the California Democratic Party and a former state controller, announced her candidacy in March 2024. She was state budget director for Gov. Gray Davis and then elected to the State board of Equalization. In 2014, she was elected State controller.
The last Republican to be elected governor in California was Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006. Chad Bianco, Riverside County Sheriff, was the first Republican to announce his entry for the Republican nomination for the 2026 gubernatorial race. Although the state media has suggested that Steve Hilton, former Fox News host, would seek the nomination.
In his announcement Becerra emphasized his background and career. ““I know what it means to work hard and dream big. My parents came to California with $12 in their pockets. They built a life they were proud of. That’s the promise of California, and I will fight to ensure it’s still within reach for everyone.
“California is the economic engine of America, the fifth-largest economy in the world,” Becerra said in the press release. “That wasn’t luck or accident. It was intentional; it was hard work. We need a leader who will reward hard work, innovation, and endurance again.
California’s gubernatorial primary is June 2, 2026.
By JP Crumrine Correspondent
Editor’s note: On April 2, Bilal A. “Bill” Essayli was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California following his appointment by Attorney General Pamela Bondi. Assembly District 63 is now vacant and an election will be called to replace Essayli.
In January, California Assembly members Carl DeMaio (R-75) and Bill Essayli (R-63) introduced the California Voter ID and Election Integrity Act of 2025 (Assembly Bill 25) ahead of President Donald Trump’s March Executive Order on voter IDs and mail-in ballots.
Their bill will effect changes in several steps of voting. Voters will be required to present an ID for in-person and mail-in ballots. Voters will have to establish citizenship verification. County election offices will have to maintain accurate voter lists. There will be enhanced ballot signature review requirements.
Counties which do not finish counting their ballots within 72 hours of the election will be penalized DeMaio and Essayli originally proposed the bill in
December; however, in January they made some modifications and resubmitted it. AB 25 is currently with Assembly’s Elections Committee.
On March 10, DeMaio and Essayli announced the establishment of a coalition of elected officials in the State, Reform California, who support AB 25 and wish to see its approval. However, given the few Republicans in the State Legislature, Reform California has began collecting signatures to place these voter requirements as a measure on the 2026 State ballot.
“Politicians and the media will keep denying the fact that California has real problems with election integrity, but the message from the public is loud and clear in support of requiring Voter ID as the best way to restore public trust and confidence in our elections,” DeMaio said in the press release announcing the formation of Reform California.
However, an Associated Press study after the controversial 2020 election discovered just 475 cases of disputed ballots in the six battleground states -- Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – in which Biden bested Trump. That represented
N. Circle Dr. Unit F, Idyllwild, CA 92549. Standard 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.
Idyllwild Community Center
Idyllwild Town Hall, 25925 Cedar St, Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549
Tuesday, 04/08
Jazzercise
05:30 PM - Town Hall
Mah Jongg
08:00 PM - Idyllwild Library
Fit After 50
10:00 AM - Town Hall
Wednesday, 04/09
Jazzercise - 05:30 PMTown Hall
Jazzercise
08:30 AM - Town Hall
Fit After 50
10:00 AM - Town Hall
Thursday, 04/10
Jazzercise
08:30 AM - Town Hall
Fit After 50
10:00 AM - Town Hall
Friday, 04/11
Jazzercise
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet Station responded to the following calls
IDYLLWILD
•• SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE 04-08-2025 08:20 AM
5400 *** BLOCK PINE CREST AV
IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
• SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE
04-08-2025 07:54 AM 2600 *** BLOCK LAKE LN IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
• ALARM CALL 04-08-2025 05:53
AM 5400 *** BLOCK MARANATHA DR IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
• CIVIL DISPUTE 04-07-2025 16:07 PM 2600 *** BLOCK DELANO DR IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
08:30 AM - Town Hall Fit After 50
12:00 PM - Town Hall
Saturday, 04/12
Jazzercise
08:30 AM - Town Hall
Sunday, 04/13
Farmers Market
09:00 AM - Town Hall
Monday, 04/14
Jazzercise
05:30 PM - Town Hall
Jazzercise
08:30 AM - Town Hall Fit After 50 12:00 PM - Town Hall
Tuesday,04/15
Feeding America Food Box Distribution
10:30 AM - Town Hall
• HARRASSING PHONE CALLS
04-07-2025 12:51 AM ADDRESS WITHHELD IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
• CHECK THE WELFARE 04-072025 12:36 AM 2600 *** BLOCK
SAUNDERS MEADOW RD
IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
• PUBLIC ASSIST 04-07-2025
12:12 AM 2600 *** BLOCK HOPKINS DR IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
• BATTERY 04-06-2025 13:51 PM
5400 *** BLOCK NORTH CIRCLE
DR IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
• ALARM CALL 04-05-2025 17:46
PM 5500 *** BLOCK FOREST HA-
VEN DR IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
• ALARM CALL 04-05-2025 15:54
PM 5500 *** BLOCK FOREST HA-
VEN DR IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
Spirit Mountain Retreat Gatherings
25661 Oakwood St, Idyllwild-Pine Cove, CA 92549
• Day of Mindfulness—3rd
Monday of the monthZOOM only - Sharing, practice, silence and peace ($25 suggested donation) - 9:30 am - 3:00 pm Facilitator:
Mary Morse
• Net of Light Meeting
— Last Monday of each month - ZOOM only - Join the important work of the Great Council of the Grandmothers - 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm - Facilitators: Beacon
Mary Morse
• Tai Chi for SeniorsEvery Tuesday 10:00 am to 11:00 am - Meditate through Movement - in the Garden -
Facilitator: Cathy Mauge
• Death Café — Everysecond Tuesday of the month - 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm - It won’t kill you to talk about death - Facilitators: Bronwyn Jones & Ari Simon
• SMR Book Club — Every second & fourth Tuesday of the month - 3:00 pm to 4:00
pm Facilitator: Mary Morse
• Lovingkindness — Every Tuesday - ZOOM onlyMeditation Send lovingkind-
• ALARM CALL 04-05-2025 13:11
PM 2600 *** BLOCK ST HWY 243
IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
• UNLAWFUL ENTRY 04-05-
2025 12:05 AM 5400 *** BLOCK
VALLEY VIEW DR IDYLLWILD
PENDING DISPO
• PUBLIC DISTURBANCE 04-04-
2025 17:18 PM 2600 *** BLOCK
DELANO DR IDYLLWILD PEND-
ING DISPO
• ALARM CALL 04-04-2025 13:26
PM 2400 *** BLOCK PIONEER
RD IDYLLWILD PENDING DISPO
PINE COVE
ness to the world - 5:00 pm
- 5:30 pm
Self-Realization Every Tuesday (in Hill House or garden) - Fellowship Meditation 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
• Women Veterans with PTSD Every - other Tuesday at 6:00 pm - ZOOM only. - Support Group This is a private group and all women veterans are - welcome. Call 951-634-4048 for link information.
• Shaolin Qi Gong/Chicks with Sticks — Qi Gong and Stick Exercises - in the Garden - Sticks Wednesdays 11:00 am - Facilitator: Teresa Halliburton
• Emotions Anonymous 12 Step Group — Every Thursday in Hill House5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
• Al-Anon 12 Step Group
— Every Thursday in Hill House - 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
• Women’s Writing Group with fellow writers — Every Friday (in Hill House and on Zoom) - 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• ALARM CALL 04-08-2025 14:49
PM 5200 *** BLOCK TALL PINES
RD/ST HWY 243 PINE COVE
PENDING DISPO
• NOISE COMPLAINT 04-08-
2025 03:53 AM 5200 *** BLOCK
PINE COVE RD PINE COVE
PENDING DISPO
• ALARM CALL 04-04-2025 10:34
AM 2300 *** BLOCK OAK LEAF
LN PINE COVE PENDING DISPO
• AREA CHECK 04-02-2025 18:01
PM 243/PINE COVE HEMET
PENDING DISPOTAKEN
GARNER VALLERY
For a complete list of all events in Idyllwild, check out: idyllwildtowncrier.com/events
Recovery Meetings
POPPET FLATS
• FOLLOW-UP 04-01-2025 11:05
AM ADDRESS WITHHELD POPPET FLATS SAN BERDO NAT FORS
• CIVIL DISPUTE 03-31-2025 19:21 PM 2400 *** BLOCK PINE COVE RD SAN BERDO NAT FORS
• SUSPICIOUS PERSON 03-282025 13:11 PM ADDRESS UNDEFINED SAN BERDO NAT FORS
• MISSING CHILD 03-27-2025 16:54 PM ADDRESS WITHHELD
HARRASSING PHONE CALLS 03-27-2025
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Idyllwild will soon welcome a new artisan bakery: Almost Heaven. Gabrielle and Richard Marcin, who have been supplying stores in Alpine with artisan baked goods for the last year, will begin hosting “popup” bake sales in the parking lot and until their new space in Victorian Square starting this Saturday, April 12—a preview of what’s to come once their new space is ready.
Gabreille recounts that both of her grandfathers were wheat farmers in Minnesota, and her Grandmothers taught her to bake. Like most kids, she loved sweets. “I loved baking. The love language was instilled in me of pleasing people through sweets.” Bread came later. Her grandmothers made buns with cultivated yeast, “now, I use wild yeast, you work with it and it gives you something that is uniquely your own, a signature. The same recipe with different people will taste completely different, the energy that each baker puts in creates a different signature.”
The move to baking happened slowly. It began when Richard bought a pizza oven and spent time perfecting dough. “He is the one who brought dough into my life. He has a different career, but his mom is a baker.” The couple share an ideal, “We wanted to have a bread that tasted good and felt good.”
Gabrielle went to the San Francisco Baking Institute for technical training. “You learn in school and then have to adapt to your own equipment and kitchen. I spent the last year doing that in Alpine.” She ordered a commercial oven, and began selling locally at three stores in Alpine.
During Covid, Richard built out a Sprinter van to travel the southwest, and the couple began to feel that something else was out there for them. “We had been to Idyllwild once before, but in winter, and I didn’t get out much. We did hike the Ernie Maxwell Trail, but I didn’t feel the call then. After the year of baking, we went back in the beginning of November, and I felt the call, I felt the mountain.”
Things fell in place quickly. “That night my husband began looking at commercial real estate, one foot in front of the other each day. We saw three buildings, the last one, we knew right away it would be our bakery.” They had not planned this, having just converted their home theater into a bakery. “The mountain said ‘this is where it’s going to be.’”
For now they continue baking for the stores in Alpine. “To leave where we are now it had to be a big call, and it was. We are leaving a place we love dearly.”
The Marcins understand that the remodel of the space, which now has only a kitchenette, may take at least 6 months for permitting alone. In the meantime Gabrielle has getting to know the community “I’ve been visiting and handing out samples since December. I’ve met some really nice people, everyone has been super welcoming.”
The Saturday pop-ups will feature French pastries, croissants, cruffins (a cross between muffin and croissant), pretzels, sourdough bread, scones, and cookies. “Each baker has their own energy I believe we’re being called there to share the experience I have every day, which is almost heaven.
To learn more visit: www.almostheavencalifornia. com. Almost Heaven Bakery pop-up: Saturdays from 10 AM, Victorian Square, 54545 North Circle Dr.
By david Jerome Correspondent
Andrea Lankford, author of Trail of the Lost: the Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail, will be giving a talk at Town Hall on Saturday April 12, from 4 to 6 p.m. She will present a short slide show before a Q and A session, and there will be complimentary finger food. Pacific Crest Trail hikers who buy a signed book at the event will receive free shipping.
There will be also be a celebration of life that day for Robert Budinski, at Silver Pines Lodge, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Budinski, known by his trail name “Ambassador,”passed away last April while hiking on the flank of San Jacinto Peak. Members of his family will be traveling from Michigan to attend, and lunch will be provided.
Lankford is a former National Park Service Ranger who served in roles involving firefighting, law enforcement, investigative and life saving rescues in what she describes as “some of the biggest and baddest National Parks in the world.” Trail of the Lost has become a New York Times Bestseller, a Seattle Times Bestseller and won the CrimeCon Nonfiction Book of the Year in 2024.
The book explores on the “vast and treacherous wilderness” that lies just beyond the sprawl of cities and outside the coverage of cell towers, territory with “(d) ozens of ways to die, hundreds of parks and forests to get lost in, and a million places that can easily conceal a corpse.”
While most missing hiker cases are eventually resolved, the unfound haunted Lankford. Frustrated with the bureaucracy and limited resources, she left the service after 12 years. Two decades later, she was drawn into the cases of three missing PCT hikers: David O’Sullivan (2017, near Idyllwild), Kris Fowler (2016, Washington near the Canadian border), Chris Sylvia (2015,
By Stephanie Yost Idyllwild Community Center President
Idyllwild Community Center and Riverside County Parks will be co-hosting the annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 19th, at the Idyllwild Regional Park (54000 Riverside County Playground Road).
With beautiful spring weather predicted, the Easter Bunny has assured event planners that he is hippity-hoppity ready to greet children and families for photos and hugs, and LOTS of candy- and toy-filled Easter eggs.
Photos with the Easter Bunny will be at 10:00 am, with the Easter Egg Hunt starting promptly at 10:30. The hunt area will be divided into four age groups. Every Easter egg will contain a piece of candy or a prize, and each age group area will have nine coloring book/ crayon prize eggs, as well as one special Golden Easter Egg that will entitle the finder to a special Easter prize box.
Cookies will be available at the event, which is free.
Please bring your own basket or bag to collect Easter eggs. Everyone is welcome!
southbound from Anza.) Lankford soon discovered another wilderness; one composed of missing hiker Facebook pages, the missing, their families, and the community of volunteers dedicated to finding answers.
Lankford has also written three trail guides, and her previous book, Ranger Confidential, was chosen by National Geographic as one of the “top Ten Books About U.S. Parks.” After leaving the Park Service she through-hiked the Appalachian Trail, kayaked from Miami to Key West, and mountain biked the 800-mile Arizona Trail.
The event is hosted by the Fowler O’Sullivan Foundation, whose founder and Executive Director, Cathy Tarr, will introduce Lankford. According to their website, fofound.org, the foundation “provides assistance to families of missing hikers, connects them to vetted resources, facilitates searches on their behalf once official efforts have been suspended, and supports initiatives to prevent future missing hiker cases.” They also back “a variety of Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) efforts,” including educational programs, wilderness survival advice, safety information, and annual GPS device donations in honor of missing hikers.
Robert Budinski Celebration of Life, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 12, Silver Pines Lodge, 25955 Cedar Street. Author Andrea Lankford discusses her book Trail of the Lost at Town Hall, 25925 Cedar St, 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday April 12.
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Ms.
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Scarlett Kumapayi
Scarlett has been such a pleasure to have in class. She always comes in with a great big smile on her face and dresses as a princess or even Mario from Mario Bros. She is very creative and does her work very neatly. Always ready to learn and lend a hand.
I am so proud of both of you!
Last week in Days of Our Nine Lives, the ARF cats learned that the remaining three of the five kittens were adopted. Pepper: The annual Pets of the Year Contest wrappedup last week.
Harley: Right! Congratulations to George the dog, Wintermoon the cat, and Echo the dove.
Marlowe: And everyone who voted helped build a fund that will assist locals with veterinary bills. It was a win-win!
Harley: So in addition to that good news, I have more. We have two new cats in our cattery.
Bella: Are you talking about me? I'm one of the new members.
Carmel: And I'm the other.
Marlowe: Welcome! Will you tell us more about yourselves?
Bella: Of course we will. I'm Bella, a girl, and I'm about 8 months old. I think my favorite thing is being petted by caring humans. I like to lean the side of my face into their hands.
Harley: Then you would be a great companion, especially for someone who is longing for some love.
Bella: You bet. I will bring joy into a home, that's for sure.
Harley: Then who are you?
Pepper: The fact that we're looking at an orange cat tells me this is a boy, right?
Carmel: Fooled you! Yes, the vast majority of orange cats are boys, but I'm an exception.
Marlowe: You're a girl! Wow!
Carmel: Yes I am, and just like Bella, I'm about 8 months old, and I'm also very loving and friendly.
Marlowe: You both are very special cats. Pepper: And the families that adopt you will be very, very lucky. This week's Creature Corner is sponsored by Merida Hewitt.
Would you like to be a sponsor? Please let us know! Be sure to keep up with the animal antics of Days of our Nine Lives each week. And please stop in to say hello to the entire adoptable cast at the ARF House, 26890 Hwy 243. ARF is open Saturdays 10-3, Sundays 10-2, and during the week by appointment. Please call 951-659-1122.
75 years ago - 1950
Bob and Lee Luck, having sold their home, planned to turn over the operation of the Hill’s telephone service to Mr. and Mrs. Reid Marks.
70 years ago - 1955
Saying, “The best time to call the fire department is before the fire,” Fire Chief Bill Price announced that the Idyllwild Fire Department would offer free home inspections.
65 years ago - 1960
At a hearing by the Alcoholic Beverages Control Board, about 250 people expressed support of a liquor license being granted to the Idyllwild Inn.
60 years ago - 1965
A Town Crier classified ad offered a large pickup load
of wood, delivered, for $10.
55 years ago - 1970
Claudia Dutton Draves, daughter of Leigh and Margaret Dutton of Idyllwild, former Bear Festival Queen and Mt. San Jacinto College Speech Department trophy winner, was headed for the national college speech tournament at Michigan State. Draves, nearly deaf since birth, gave credit to her community college speech instructor for her success in overcoming difficulties in speaking.
50 years ago - 1975
There was good-natured grumbling about the winter weather, but townsfolk were actually breathing a sign of relief that March, which began with only 7.62 inches of yearly precipitation recorded, ended with 14.91 inches.
45 years ago - 1980
Idyllwild Postmaster
Lloyd Wood said he was being plagued with questions from residents who didn’t get their census forms. Out of 3,500 forms received by the Idyllwild
Post Office, only 800 could be delivered, because most forms had only a street address listed.
40 years ago - 1985
Showtime Video in Strawberry Creek Square held a grand opening celebration.
35 years ago - 1990
Many town groups participated in the Great Mountain, Pass and Valley Cleanup effort sponsored by Riverside County 3rd District Supervisor Kay Ceniceros.
30 years ago - 1995
The Mountain Community Patrol, celebrating its oneyear anniversary of patroling Idyllwild, learned the patrol would soon receive a vehicle from Riverside County.
25 years ago - 2000
In reaction to Riverside County 3rd District Supervisor Jim Venable’s proposal to construct a community center at Idyllwild County Park’s meadow, various Cahuilla tribal leaders attended a meeting called by public officials to discuss the meadow’s en-
vironmental and historical importance.
20 years ago - 2005
The Natural Resources Conservation Service was planning to remove about 2,000 dead and dying trees in Fern Valley and more than 2,000 at Camp Emerson. The agency had already removed nearly 1,500 trees from the Idyllwild Arts campus and almost 1,000 from the Saunders Meadow area.
15 years ago - 2010
Early in the morning of Tuesday, March 23, a pickup truck heading south on Highway 243 crossed lanes, hit the edge of the Lake Fulmor bridge and careened into the cold water.
11 year ago - 2014
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hemet Station had exhausted all leads and the likelihood of finding Rocky the deer is remote. He said the deer might have been dismantled and scrapped.
