Big Bear Lake News Archives

The vehicle is described as possibly a 1999 or 2000 GMC or Chevy two-door with tinted windows. It likely has minor damage to its front end. It left behind a minuscule amount of debris -- not enough to identify its specific make or year. Accident investigators estimate the vehicle, its headlights on, was traveling between 45 and 50 mph in the 40 mph zone. Its driver, they said, should have had enough time to stop for the pedestrians, who had the right of way. Instead, the SUV struck all three family members. Kushan's mother and 11-year-old brother were seriously hurt but recovered.

The Adventure Pass requirement fee for visitors to the San Bernardino National Forest will be waived on Veteran's Day, Nov. 11, U.S. Forest Service. "Veterans Day is a great way to connect communities with public lands while honoring the sacrifices made by America's veterans and armed services personnel,"

The economy grew in the third quarter for the first time in more than a year, but will the recovery hold? "We're already seeing increased holiday hiring for temporary positions," said Sarah Cullins, president and CEO of Finesse Personnel Associates, an employment staffing agency in Rancho Cucamonga and Riverside.

The first and larger of the two projects is to be built on about 900 acres near Barstow and Rabbit Springs Roads. That project, if constructed, would provide 100 megawatts, which is enough to power 65,000 homes daily. The second project, dubbed Strawberry Peak — which is to be built on 160 acres at Highway 18 and Canyon View Road.

September 2009 was supposedly the end of the zoo’s 50-year lease, and a new home had to be found. A site was even selected, next to the Discovery Center, which seemed to make sense because it would take two related tourist attractions. Somewhere along the line somebody actually reads the zoo’s lease and sees that it really doesn’t expire till February 2010. A good thing too, because now other sites are being looked at for the potential move. Naturally environmental groups were opposed to even a 25 acre development on the 676,666 acre San Bernardino National Forest. Center for Biological Diversity, which loves to close off forest access across the country by filing lawsuits, said no. Save Our Forest Association, ditto. Sierra Club’s Big Bear Group originally weighed in endorsing C and then withdrew it; other groups said no way.Of course, hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been spent studying and designing the Discovery Center site, but no biggie. Back to the drawing board,

Mountain residents woke up to a surprise Wednesday morning, and skiers may get an even bigger one today. Cold weather, and a little snow. With temperatures at Big Bear Lake and Wrightwood in the low 30s Wednesday -- mid-20s with the wind chill factored in -- snowmaking crews were working furiously. Mountain High Resort in Wrightwood will open one or two lifts today for season pass holders and on Friday for all visitors, spokeswoman Kim Hermon said. It's their earliest ever opening on man-made snow, she said. Bear Mountain at Big Bear Lake may open this weekend, but it's too soon to be certain, Marketing Director Chris Riddle said. If it does open, it may be only for a day or two.

Daylight saving time (DST; also summer time in British English—see Terminology) is the practice of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. The practice is controversial.[1] Adding daylight to afternoons benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours,[3] but causes problems for farming, evening entertainment and other occupations tied to the sun.[4][5] Traffic fatalities are reduced when there is extra afternoon daylight;[6] its effect on health and crime is less clear. Although an early goal of DST was to reduce evening usage of incandescent lighting, formerly a primary use of electricity,[7] modern heating and cooling usage patterns differ greatly, and research about how DST currently affects energy use is limited and often contradictory.[8]

Total projected cost for the analysis will be $500,000. The memorandum calls for the Association of Governments to contribute $250,000, with the remainder to be split between SANBAG and the Inland Valley agency. Authorities will examine potential alternatives such as Metrolink rail, commuter rail and aerial tramways. The airport is located on land once occupied by Norton Air Force Base, which closed in 1994. It has not yet landed its first passenger airline.

The authority overseeing development around San Bernardino International Airport will pitch in with other regional agencies to find alternative modes of transportation to and from the Big Bear Lake area.

A Big Bear City woman died Tuesday after a car she was riding in slammed into a tree off Highway 38.

Winter Fun Coming Soon Snowmaking is underway at Snow Summit and Bear Mountain. Typically, the resorts open mid to late November but with this this cold spell and great snowmaking weather, Bear Mountain could possibly open Central Park Run in the near future. Snow Summit is stockpiling snow in preparation of future cold snaps. We will announce Summit's expected open date as we get closer to the winter season. Until then, we'll see you on the Scenic Sky chair. Sky Chair Open Weekends Come up and experience all the amazing fall colors in Big Bear. It's the perfect place to bring the family for a fun daycation close to home. Whether you are mountain biking, taking a round-trip ride on the Sky Chair or teeing off at our 9-hole mountain style golf course, you're sure to enjoy a unique alpine getaway. The Snow Summit Scenic Sky Chair is open Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. weather permitting. The Sky Chair will be open weekends only through the start of winter operations.

The first of two increases, which averages nine percent, takes effect in January, with a second increase of nine percent for all customer classes scheduled for 18 months later, in July 2011

Thirty wild burros have been rounded up and removed from the Big Bear Valley over the last week, which wildlife experts say will help keep both burros and mountain residents safe. The burros are being taken to Ridgecrest, whre the Bureau of Land Management operates an adoption program dedicated to finding homes for the burros. A herd of burros recently moved from the San Bernardino National Forest to an area east of Baldwin Lake and have been spotted grazing in residential areas such as Sugarloaf and Erwin Lake. Several have been hit and killed on Highway 38 and neighbors have complained about damage to their landscaping. U.S. Forest Service officials set up a corral with food and water inside, luring burros inside. They are kept inside by trigger gates that only open from the outside. Officials last rounded up burros in 1997 after a herd of 90 burros took up residence in Big Bear neighborhoods. Back then, nearly 20 of the wild donkeys were hit and killed by vehicles.

A Big Bear City woman died Tuesday after a car she was riding in slammed into a tree off Highway 38. Paramedics took Barbara Lowe, 74, to Bear Valley Community Hospital in Big Bear Lake where she was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m., San Bernardino County coroner's officials said. Lowe was riding in a 1999 Ford Explorer at 4:37 p.m. when the driver veered off the highway at State Court and struck a tree, California Highway Patrol officers said. The driver was also hospitalized, but his condition was not known.

The accident, that occurred on Big Bear Boulevard about 4:15 p.m. yesterday, caused 25-year-old James Dunigan to suffer major injuries requiring him to be airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center. The initial investigation shows Dunigan was driving his 2003 Yamaha motorcycle east on Big Bear Boulevard approaching China Garden Road at the time of the accident.

As I drove up the winding mountain road to Big Bear, CA in the pitch-black night, I wondered, "What's gay about the Big Bear Horror Film Festival?" Answer: just about everything.

Six more deaths caused by the H1N1 virus were announced today by San Bernardino County health officials, bringing this year's total to 17. The most recent deaths occurred over the last three weeks. The victims were two women, ages 22 and 26; three men, all 41; and an 8-year-old girl. All had underlying medical conditions, said county Health Officer Maxwell Ohikhuare. There are 248 known cases of H1N1 in the county. County health officials said there is a limited supply of the vaccine, FluMist, and only "priority groups" are available to receive it. They include healthy children aged 2 to 18 and healthy heads of household that care for infants younger than 6-months-old. A new shipment of the vaccine is scheduled to arrive next week. "As flu becomes more widespread this fall, everyone should take an active role to prevent infection, and avoid spreading the virus if they do get sick," Ohikhuare said. For more information on H1N1 or seasonal influenza, call the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health at (800) 782-4264, or visit the website at www.sbcounty.gov/dph. You may also go to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website at http://www.flu.gov/.

She has a rich, sultry voice that could warm the night. Good thing. There may be a chill in the air Sunday night in Big Bear Lake.

Do you want to contribute to Mailbag, a regular feature of VeloNews.com? Here's how: Keep it short.

A leg of one of the world's premier cycling events will peddle through Big Bear Lake in the spring.

The U.S. Geological Survey Wednesday said parts of California and Oregon were hit by 3.3 and 4.0-magnitude earthquakes respectively.

Christine starts a romance with a therapist who shares office space with Matthew.

San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos and other officials announced the return of a grand jury indictment this afternoon against Rickie Lee Fowler, 28. Fowler was charged with one count of arson on an inhabited structure or property and one count of aggravated arson, Ramos said at this afternoon's news conference at the district attorney's office in San Bernardino. There is no statute of limitations on murder, officials said, but prosecutors did face an Oct. 25 deadline to file arson charges.

A suspect in the catastrophic Old Fire has been behind bars on unrelated felonies almost as long as the flames have been out. Now, after nearly six years, prosecutors are close to deciding whether that man will face charges in the blaze, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the investigation. The San Bernardino County district attorney's office is reviewing a murder and arson case against Rickie Lee Fowler, 27, a convicted burglar, the sources said. They requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak about the pending case.

Big Bear Lake, CA – LifeStream invites all healthy blood donors to give the gift of life, at Stater Brothers in Big Bear Lake, today, October 20. The LifeStream bloodmobile will be at Stater Brothers (located at 42171 Big Bear Boulevard) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, October 24, 2009 San Bernardino County officials would like to remind residents that this fall’s Community Clean-up & Recycling Day is Saturday, October 24, 2009. County residents can dispose and recycle regular household trash and debris at no charge at all County-owned landfills and larger transfer stations normally open on Saturdays. Free loads are limited to private vehicles up to standard pickups or trailers up to 20 feet long. Proof of residency will be required. Commercial vehicles, hard-to-handle, tires and special wastes will be charged at their regular rates. Waste from residential clean up only. All loads must be properly covered and secured. Loads failing to meet these requirements will be charged. This semi-annual event also serves to remind residents to recycle as much as possible, thereby reducing the amount of material they have to take to landfills Mountain Area - Big Bear Transfer Station 38550 Holcomb Valley Road, Big Bear Heaps Peak Transfer Station 29898 Highway 18 at Heaps Peak, Running Springs Clean Bear Site #1 41970 Garstin Drive, Big Bear Lake

The forest condition found on the majority of the project area has been characterized as a forest where the probability of a catastrophic wildfire occurring is moderate to high," according to a Forest Service document. The agency wants to thin trees and remove low branches and shrubs, especially within 300 feet of roads and escape routes, and conduct prescribed burns within the monument and adjacent Santa Rosa Wilderness. David Hogan of the nonprofit California Chaparral Institute in Escondido called the plan "terribly misguided," and said it will create more problems by unnecessarily destroying thousands of acres of old-growth chaparral. The communities in need of protection are far from the location of the prescribed fire, he said. "The Forest Service, instead of wasting money on treatment that will destroy nature and won't benefit fire safety, should redirect some of that funding to help people in that community retrofit their homes" with fire resistant materials and landscaping,

"I had to wait an hour to go to Adelanto and then another good while on the way back," said the 40-year-old woman who has been living in a domestic violence shelter in Victorville for the past few weeks.

This Sunday, October 18, friends of Fred Ransom, a legendary community member for much of his 78 years, will honor his memory with a Valley-wide drive and a memorial at Snow Summit. Referred to as “the longest Big Bear pioneer,” Ransom was also a regular fixture at the Teddy Bear Café, and the restaurant’s manager Shirley Martin is inviting those who wish to honor Ransom to meet at Snow Summit’s parking lot at 11:30am this Sunday for a ride around Big Bear starting at noon. Following the caravan, open to “all street-legal vehicles,” Ransom will be celebrated with a memorial back at Snow Summit, scheduled to begin between 1 and 1:30pm. Tune in to KBHR Sunday from 12n to 1pm for a special hour long musical dedication to Fred. For more on Ransom, including some special tales, visit our website at kbhr933.com. For more information regarding this Sunday’s service, contact Shirley Martin at 744-4020.

A bear has died after being hit by a car along a mountain highway near Forest Falls in the San Bernardino Mountains, according to the California Highway Patrol Web site. The animal and a Kia tangled at 6:34 a.m. along Highway 38 at Valley of the Falls Drive. The bear died at 7:06 a.m. No one in the car was hurt. California Fish & Game officials have been notified. --Richard Brooks rbrooks@PE.com

Several burros have been injured or killed in the past year while crossing Highway 38, Eliason said. She fears a driver could be next. The Forest Service has been baiting an empty corral in Shay Meadow with hay and water, to draw the burros. The Bureau of Land Management is scheduled to begin setting up its corral today, with one-way gates that allow the animals in but not out. They are expected to start catching burros on Tuesday. The animals will be moved by trailer to BLM corrals in Ridgecrest, where they will be put up for adoption for $125 each. There is a demand for them on farms in the East, where they are used to pull carts, control weeds and to guard livestock from predators, said Alex Neibergs, a wild horse and burro specialist at the BLM field office in Ridgecrest.

Scattered showers stretched from Corona through Cajon Pass and across the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains east to Twentynine Palms this morning, but the heaviest rain is expected tonight when forecasters say flash flooding could hit Lytle Creek, Lone Pine Canyon and the San Bernardino Mountains.

Eight months after Dori Desmond's body was uncovered near a snowy mountain road, authorities on today announced the arrest of a 35-year-old Redondo Beach man in her slaying. Tony Lopez Perez was arrested about 6:30 p.m. Thursday after he agreed to speak with San Bernardino County sheriff's detectives at the station, authorities said at a news conference. Detectives said anonymous tips led them to Perez after the 28-year-old Torrance woman's death. They also revealed for the first time that they believe the motive was "sexual," but would still not elaborate on the details or the manner of Desmond's death.

Under the existing berm reduction program guidelines, berm reduction takes place anywhere from two to 72 hours after snowfall stops. It depends on the severity of the storm. Funding is from the city’s general fund and gas tax funds. The state has threatened to raid gas tax funds to balance its budget. The council also looked at off-site parking during snow events. Lawrence said often when visitors or part-time residents come to the Valley, they come in more than one vehicle. Parking, even while clearing driveways, is a problem. Vehicles are left in the streets, blocking access by other vehicles, emergency vehicles and snowplows. The parked cars are towed or ticketed.

“This ruling pulls the rug out from under the Forest Service’s decision to recommend only a paltry acreage of wilderness within the four Southern California national forests,” stated David Edelson in a press release issued by the Center for Biological Diversity. Edelson is the California regional director of the Wilderness Society. Environmental plaintiffs pointed out that the Forest Service plans designate more than 942,000 acres of inventoried roadless areas (IRAs) to land use zones allowing road construction and other activities. The environmental impact statement recommended designating 79,000 acres for wilderness designation. Plaintiffs claim there are not enough designated wilderness areas, which will harm several endangered or threatened species. The species include the arroyo toad, California condor, California red-legged frog, California spotted owl, northern goshawk, Santa Ana sucker, Sierra Nevada mountain yellow-legged frog, Southern California steelhead trout, southwestern willow flycatcher and the unarmored threespine stickleback. One of the areas proposed as wilderness during the draft environmental impact statement process was the Sugarloaf Wilderness Area near Big Bear Valley. In 2005, several local fire departments successfully petitioned to remove the Sugarloaf area from wilderness designation. “We definitely don’t want to see Sugarloaf Wilderness,” Big Bear City Fire Chief Jeff Willis said. “It’s too close to the community.”

Heading up the mountain this weekend and really would like a couple of suggestions esp for dinner.

Marcos Quesada's hunch about where the economy is headed mirrors what a Thursday report says.

Wrightwood, CA - The Sheep Fire has now blackened 7,500 acres and Wrightwood residents are still under a mandatory evacuation order. Strike teams are providing structure protection while other firefighters have been setting backfires to keep the wind-driven fire from reaching the mountain community. All schools in the Snowline School District are closed today, October 5. Over 900 firefighters are now involved in the Sheep Fire and yesterday they were assisted by water-dropping helicopters and the DC-10 supertanker. While officials are expressing "guarded optimism," they explained to two community meetings last night in Lytle Creek and Victorville that the fire behavior remains extreme. Fire crews will continue to construct fire lines today to protect Wrightwood homes that are now about a quarter-mile from the actual fire, according to officials.

Link to 8 Caltrans cameras on the I-15. The cameras catch the fire on several shots in the series. http://video.dot.ca.gov/asx/d8cam6.asx Sunday 9/4/09 Lytle Creek Community Meeting Incident: Sheep Wildfire Tonight at 8:00 pm there will be a community meeting at the Lytle Creek Community Center for residents to learn more about the firefighting efforts. Address: 14082 Center Road, Lytle Creek, CA Information at Inci Web link http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1910/ Basic Information Incident Type Wildfire Cause Under Investigation Date of Origin Saturday October 03rd, 2009 approx 02:11 PM Location Between Lytle Creek & Lone Pine Canyons Incident Commander Woychak, Wessel, Stalknak Current Situation Total Personnel 702 Size 3,500 acres Percent Contained 10% Fuels Involved Chaparral and timber Fire Behavior Large fire growth and short range spotting has been occurring, fire is fuel, topography, and wind driven Significant Events Lytle Creek Community Meeting for residents to learn more about the fire will be tonight at 8:00 pm Lytle Creek Community Center, address 14082 Center Road, Lytle Creek. Another community meeting will be held also at 8:00 pm at the Victorville Fairgrounds, 14800 7th Street, Victorville.

irefighters were bracing for higher winds overnight Saturday as they fought a 1,500-acre brush fire in the Lytle Creek area west of Interstate 15 and south of Highway 138 in San Bernardino County. Three homes had burned as of Saturday evening. The fire started about 2 p.m. The cause of the Sheep Fire is under investigation. National Weather Service forecasters expected winds to blow between 30 to 40 mph and gust to 60 mph through tonight. Around 9:30 p.m. the fire continued to move in a northwest direction, threatening about 300 homes around Lytle Creek and about 100 houses along Highway 138, said Tim Tate, a fire prevention officer with the San Bernardino County Fire Department. "There are very rural residential areas that are ahead of the fire right now," Tate said. "The goal is continued structure protection." The fire spread quickly from 500 and to 1,000 acres and mandatory evacuations were ordered in the Happy Jack and Swarthout Canyon areas of the small community of about 900 people northwest of Fontana.

Forest officials said the agency's planning document was designed to allow flexibility for building roads needed to help fight fires in susceptible areas. firefighting routes The officials also said the plan would open about 25 percent of roadless areas for firefighting routes and limited off-roading, essentially replacing a series of winding routes with a well-planned loop to keep riders from cutting across sensitive areas. On those points, Patel sided with the Forest Service. She ruled that the environmental groups failed to prove that clearing trees and chaparral for fire management or allowing limited off-roading would harm the forest. Environmentalists contend that such roads create erosion and degrade drainage from the mountains into creeks, which are important sources of drinking water for the Inland area.

The DWP has proposed to increase water rates for residents and businesses. Part of the procedure includes the opportunity for ratepayers to voice their opinion about the raise. It’s called a "Prop. 218 Protest Meeting." This time around, the City Council will be part of the meeting alongside the DWP Board. This is important because the Council will have ultimate say whether or not the rate increase will be implemented. The DWP will vote on the rate increase at the end of the October 6th meeting. The Council will likely take their vote at the regular meeting on Monday, October 12th. The Prop. 218 Protest Meeting will take place at the Northwoods Resort, Tuesday, October 6th, 9am. If you cannot make this meeting, you can register your opinion—pro or con--via mail or e-mail. It needs to arrive in DWP hands prior to the October 6th meeting. Recommend that you send the original to the DWP. There’s no harm sending it to the City Council as well. Department of Water & Power Phone: 909-866-5050 Fax: 909-866-3184 P.O. Box 1929 Joel Dixon, General Manager jdixon@citybigbearlake.com Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 Diane Muir dmuir@citybigbearlake.com City of Big Bear Lake Phone: 909-866-5832 Fax: 909-866-6766 P.O. Box 10,000 Kathy Jefferies, City Clerk kjefferies@citybigbearlake.com Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 Jeff Mathieu, City Manager jmathieu@citybigbearlake.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposed Rate Increases Typical Full Time Resident: decrease $.93 on January 1, 2010 then increase $3.81 on July 1, 2011 total increase of $2.88 Typical Part Time Resident: increase $2.81 on January 1, 2010 increase an additional $3.41 on July 1, 2011 total increase of $6.22 Smaller Commercial Customer (6 ccf/month): increase $.95 on January 1, 2010 increase an additional $4.58 on July 1, 2011 total increase of $5.53 Larger Commercial Customer (100 ccf/month): increase $.95 on January 1, 2010 increase $31.84 on July 1, 2011 total increase of $32.79 For more detail about the raises, go to this document on the DWP website: http://www.bbldwp.com/CustomerService/Prop218/prop218letter2009-10%2012.pdf

At the time of the Oak Glen III fire, the accused was at his home, talking to me. I heard over the scanner of the fire and relayed it to him. He set off with his mother to try to get to Oak Glen, where the family owns an Apple Orchard. They were worried about the being of the Orchard and/or family currently there. They could not get through to the city because of not being a resident there, despite the family relatives owning an orchard there. The fact is, the suspect was not at that fire when it started, he was talking to me about weather, as always.

The 16-year-old was arrested last week after he was seen leaving the area of the 347-acre Crafton Fire in Yucaipa on his bicycle. Sheriff's investigators have said they suspect him of setting 12 to 14 fires in the region, including the 860-acre Pendleton Fire in Yucaipa and the 1,159-acre Oak Glen Fire, both of which started in late August.

Forest Service road projects will continue into the spring, though a few local roads will be closed periodically over the next several weeks for major repair work; those roads include 3N16 in the Holcomb Valley area, 3N12 near Delamar Mountain, and 2N09 in Polique Canyon.

Where have I heard this before. The Times reported this week that the Forest Service considered the fire nearly contained at the end of the first day, and thus prepared to go into mop-up mode the next morning with fewer ground crews and water-dropping helicopters, according to documents and interviews. After the story appeared, fire victims demanded an investigation. The agency scaled back its attack the night before the blaze, the biggest in Los Angeles County history, began to burn out of control.

Two months ago, as dusk arrived in Big Bear Valley, a Big Bear Lake family headed home from an outing at the lake. That’s when tragedy struck. As the Bhandari family walked back to their house near the Village, an unknown car hit Kushan, Kushal and Sujana. Kushan, 5, was killed. Eleven-year-old Kushal and the boys’ mother Sujana, 32, were injured. The person responsible remains a mystery. The Big Bear Sheriff’s Station made finding the driver of the vehicle a priority, but tips are dying down and deputies are no closer today to finding the driver than they were July 30. It was around 8:30 p.m. on July 30 when Sujana and her sons left the lake and walked across Lakeview Drive at Bartlett Road headed home. The vehicle that struck the family was headed west. Witnesses said the driver of the suspect vehicle swerved and stopped briefly near the entrance to the Evergreen Restaurant, then sped off headed toward the dam.