Parker Live News from the Parker Strip since 2009.

September, 2016

• 27 September

  To The Editor: Who is Ken Tuff?

  

  Parker Live received this email recently: “Every time we come to Parker, we pass the river bridge where it says ‘KEN TUFF – RIVER RATZ on the concrete. How long has it been there and who is Ken Tuff? Do you guys know?” What Is That No, we don’t, WIT. In fact, I’ve passed that old graffiti for a long …

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• 26 September

  Sheriff alleges misconduct, Deputy County Attorney says it’s political

  

  UPDATED 9/27 to add County Attorney’s comments La Paz County Sheriff John Drum issued a statement Friday alleging misconduct by the County Attorney’s Office during the Ackerman murder case, an allegation that Chief Deputy County Attorney Karen Hobbs described as “dirty politics”. According to the statement, Drum submitted an ethics complaint with the Arizona State Bar against Hobbs and her …

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• 25 September

  Viewfinder: Semi Fire Near Bouse

  

  Photo: Anthony N. A semi burned on Highway 72 south of Bouse Sunday evening. Occupants got out safely according to eyewitnesses, and no other vehicles were involved. The Sheriff’s Office, Department of Public Safety and Bouse Fire Department were on scene. The highway was closed for a short time before reopening.

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• 23 September

  Viewfinder: Pole down, power outage

  

  A forklift inadvertently dragged down a power pole around 11:57am on Friday, putting KLPZ radio off the air and leaving an outage between 6th and 18th Streets. A transformer caught fire, according to Parker Police Department. Power is now restored in at least some of the area.

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• 21 September

  The Bullhead Regatta is Dead: Long Live the Parker Tube Float?

  

  The Bullhead City Council has voted to end the annual ‘River Regatta’, the annual event that had more than 30,000 people floating the Colorado River 70 miles north of Parker, AZ every August. After this year’s event, social media was filled with photographs showing heaping mounds of trash and debris left in the river and washing up on shores as …

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• 21 September

  First veteran admitted to special court graduates

  

  The La Paz County Veterans Court celebrated its first graduate Tuesday. David Munden, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, successfully completed the court’s requirements over the course of 9 months and was free of any further obligations as of Tuesday’s graduation ceremony. Proceedings began when the American Legion posted colors in the Justice of the Peace Court in Parker. …

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• 19 September

  Keep on Walking!

  

  Believe it or not this month’s column is deliberately late. Its lateness has even been approved by the editor. How cool is that? I, the guy who hates being late and almost always early, am now officially late! The reason it’s late is because I wanted to write about what I did on my Fall vacation. When I was a …

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• 19 September

  Water contamination closes Le Pera School

  

  Le Pera Elementary School is closed Monday and Tuesday after receiving an E. coli notice and boil advisory from the Colorado River Indian Tribes. CRIT Water Utilities informed school officials late Friday that a routine sample taken from a water tower at the school had tested positive for E. coli. A water line from the tower was re-routed, and multiple …

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• 15 September

  Robby Gordon’s father and stepmother found dead

  

  UPDATE: Robby has spoken about the death of his father and stepmom, according to ABC 7 Eyewitness News, who caught up with him at the front gates of the house this morning. “I’m so sad and I can’t believe it,” Robby Gordon told media gathered near the gated house. “I’d like everybody to understand that this is very, very tough, …

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• 14 September

  Viewfinder: Beach Yoga at Pirate’s

  

  As temperatures drop, Crystal Bartos heads to the beach at Pirate’s Den on the Parker Strip every weekend starting this Saturday at 9am. If you’d like to join her, whatever your level, bring a yoga mat or beach towel and $12.

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• 12 September

  ‘Idiot Rock’ tagger pleads guilty in court, to pay restitution

  

  The man who was accused of spray-painting the outcropping of rock known as ‘Idiot Rock’ on the Parker Strip has pleaded guilty to criminal damage, a class six felony, in La Paz County Superior Court. Bob Garland appeared with his attorney Michael Frame to make the change of plea, in which he acknowledged responsibility for the graffiti which drew outrage …

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• 7 September

  CRIT PD’s Will Ponce heads to be Chief of Police in Quartzsite

  

  CRIT Police Chief William Ponce is seen giving words of wisdom to Detention Officer Yvette Brenner about her upcoming acadamy as Officers from the Juvenile Detention Center and the Adult Women’s Detention Center line up for one final uniform inspection from Chief Ponce before he leaves to begin the next chapter of his life as Chief of Police for the …

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• 6 September

  Second drowning at same stretch of river in less than a month

  

  A second young man has drowned in the Ehrenberg area of the Colorado River in less than a month. According to the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday evening a male subject was reportedly swimming with two of his friends under the Interstate 10 Bridge in Ehrenberg. According to witnesses, the subject lost his footing and was pulled into …

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• 1 September

  Parker area tribal members head to protest in North Dakota

  

  Photo credit: Seattle Times Members of the Colorado River Indian Tribes are headed to Cannon Ball, North Dakota to participate with other tribes from across the nation in a protest in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline. CRIT is “choosing to stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe” in spiritual gatherings on the north side of their reservation, …

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• 1 September

  Sheriff Drum and Assessor Schuler ousted in primary

  

  La Paz County is to get a new Sheriff and a new Assessor after local Republicans voted for change in the primary election Tuesday. New final totals confirm Tuesday night’s results: Anna Camacho is to be the new County Assessor, and Bill Risen is the Republican pick in November’s election for Sheriff. No incumbent ran in the race for District …

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August, 2016

• 31 August

  WATCH: County Recorder on Primary Election Results

  

  John Wright chats with La Paz County Recorder Shelly Baker on the initial ‘unofficial’ primary election results live on KLPZ 1380am. Final unofficial results expected Thursday.

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• 30 August

  Election: Duce Minor, Bill Risen and Anna Camacho lead in establishment upset

  

  UPDATE: The below tentative results have been confirmed. See HERE for an updated article with final results. See the initial unofficial La Paz County Primary Election Results at the bottom of this article, which was liveblogged on Election Night. 7pm- The polls are now closed. First results expected within 1-3 hours. 7:41pm- Three key races on the Republican ballot will …

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• 30 August

  Kidnapper gets 18 years in prison

  

  A Parker man has been sentenced to nearly 18 years in prison for a kidnapping on the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation in 2014. Federal prosecutors say 22-year-old William James Gilchrist on Monday received a 213-month prison term, followed by five years of supervised release. Gilchrist had previously pleaded guilty to kidnapping. Prosecutors say Gilchrist unlawfully entered the home where …

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• 29 August

  Local Republican races are the ones to watch in Tuesday’s primary

  

  Three key races on the Republican ballot will be the ones to watch in Tuesday’s Arizona Primary Election in La Paz County. The Board of Supervisors District 2 race is the most populated, with 5 candidates vying to be the official Republican choice on the ballot. Whoever wins Tuesday’s primary will be on the General Election ballot in November against …

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• 29 August

  PAID: Anna Camacho for County Assessor

  

  Tomorrow, August 30th, is the last day to vote in the 2016 Primary Election and I am asking for your vote. During the campaign, I have met many new people who are now my friends, like the many I have known throughout my life since my childhood growing up in the Parker school system. I cannot express how much you …

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• 19 August

  Parker firefighters battling Cali wildfires

  

  Some firefighters from the Buckskin Fire Department north of Parker, AZ are involved in battling wildfires in Redding, CA and Paso Robles, CA this week. Captain Mike Byrd, Firefighter Eric Foerstner and Firefighter Tyler Kowalski went out Monday on assignment for a fire in Redding, and by Thursday were en route to the ‘Chimney Fire’ near Paso Robles with Buckskin’s …

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• 16 August

  Viewfinder: Sunrise

  

  “Woke up with the sun to paddle board this AM.” – Amanda M. The luxury of life along the river.

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• 9 August

  Drowning victim recovered, identified as missing Blythe man

  

  A missing Blythe man’s body has been recovered in an area of the Colorado River between Blythe and Ehrenberg known as ‘Gilligan’s Island.’ Around 10am Tuesday morning, after a search lasting almost 3 days, boating officers from the La Paz County Sheriff’s Department located the body of Lashawn Jamison, 2 miles downstream from where he disappeared on Saturday. He was …

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• 9 August

  Supervisors change transfer station hours due to heat concerns

  

  After some residents of La Paz County expressed concerns about the lack of climate-controlled shelter for operators of the County’s 8 landfill transfer stations, the Board of Supervisors says it has addressed the heat concerns with Republic Services resulting in changes to the operating hours for the remainder of the summer. The total number of hours will stay the same …

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• 4 August

  In defense of the 4-day workweek

  

  Column, Op-Ed Politics sometimes provides a forum for issues to emerge in public that would otherwise be chattered about in more private settings. One such forum came into existence last week in the form of the Meet the Candidates event in Parker, which was very well handled by the Parker Area Chamber of Commerce and deftly moderated by Mary Hamilton. …

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• 3 August

  Man who sprayed rock charged in court

  

  A man who created a stir a year ago after he posted a picture of himself on Facebook apparently spraying graffiti on a river rock has been formally charged in connection with the incident. Bob Garland of Corona, CA appeared in La Paz County Superior Court on Monday where he was charged with felony criminal damage for spray-painting the side of well-known …

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• 3 August

  To The Editor: The owner of this boat cuts dog park ropes?

  

  We received this message Monday at Parker Live: “Looking for a man in a pontoon boat with Oklahoma plates who has taken down and destroyed the only safe swimming area for dogs along the river. He has done this three times. There is a roped-off area for the dogs to swim in. It is constructed of boat rope and approximately …

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• 2 August

  Desert people don’t sweat, and other reality denial

  

  Last month I went to the annual Marine Raider Reunion (my father was a Raider in WW2, check out his site here) in Wilmington North Carolina. Needless to say the climate and culture is quite different back there when compared to good old Parker, AZ. When I’m in different places I like to learn new things if I can, and …

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• 1 August

  Seatbelt laws to be enforced in August

  

  The Town of Parker Police Department says it will be conducting a month long seatbelt enforcement campaign during the month of August. Officers will be strictly enforcing seatbelt violations with citations. The driver of a vehicle is not only responsible for themselves but also for any passengers under the age of 16 and all children required to be in child …

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July, 2016

• 29 July

  Parker cycling group growing fast

  

  A group of bicyclists is growing fast in Parker, even as the temperatures peak and stay in triple digits until late every night. Parker Cycling has added 4 new riders just in the past month, according to local cyclist Joaquin Vences. The group rides a few times a week in the evenings starting around 7:30pm, with average rides around 22 …

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• 27 July

  Meet the Candidates in Parker: Night 2

  

  This is the liveblog for Night 2 of the Parker Area Chamber of Commerce Meet the Candidates event in Parker on July 27th, 2016. For schedule, format and coverage questions, go HERE first. The below was reported live in real time by John Wright. ————– 6:13pm– We’re almost ready to rock! The crowd is lively! Will there be rotten tomatoes …

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• 26 July

  Meet the Candidates in Parker: Night 1

  

  This is the liveblog for Night 1 of the Parker Area Chamber of Commerce Meet the Candidates event in Parker on July 26th, 2016. For schedule, format and coverage questions, go HERE first. The below was reported live in real time by John Wright. ————– 6:15pm– Hey everyone! Seats are filling up here at Parker Community Senior Center. Some of …

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• 26 July

  Meet the Candidates to be reported live HERE!

  

  The Parker Area Chamber of Commerce will host Meet the Candidates on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and Parker Live will be reporting them live on this website as they happen. The August 30th primary election in La Paz County will include many local offices and will begin with early voting ballots being sent out on August 3rd. The Meet the …

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• 26 July

  Stolen boat recovered, arrests made

  

  A boat that was stolen from the Moovalya Keys neighborhood of the Parker Strip has been recovered after a 36-mile high-speed chase in Desert Hot Springs. The 28-foot orange and purple Aftershock Violator was spotted being towed on I-10 after a driver saw a widely-shared Facebook post alerting users to the theft. “Just saw it in Desert Hot Springs,” a …

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• 22 July

  Viewfinder: Egg farm gets power

  

  APS crews toured the Lone Cactus Egg Farm near Bouse, AZ as the utility brought power to the facility, which is due to open in a matter of months. Photo via Ann Chaulk on Twitter.

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• 21 July

  All Star Cheerleaders registering now

  

  The La Paz County All Star Cheerleaders are now registering and preparing for their first activity of the new school year, which will be providing a small part of the entertainment at the upcoming Colorado River Indian Tribes Expo and Annual Indian Days Parade. All 4 to 17 year old girls and boys are welcome to join in the fun …

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• 20 July

  Bouse firewalker Jim Jarvis dies

  

  Near-death experiences, walking on burning coals, and beating depression. Just three facets that defined the life of Jim Jarvis, a local man who was best-known for his firewalking and who passed away on June 10th at the age of 73. Jarvis lived a very full life, according to his son, also called Jim. Speaking from Washington state, Jim told Parker …

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• 19 July

  Viewfinder: Moon eagle cloud over Parker

  

  Photo via Greg Parker.

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• 14 July

  Probation Department gets a new boss

  

  Tyson Ross has been appointed as the Chief Probation Officer for the La Paz County Probation Department. Ross has been an employee of La Paz County for over 14 years and has been with Probation for close to 12 years. His latest assignment has been as the Adult Division Supervisor, as well as serving as Interim Deputy Chief Probation Officer …

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• 14 July

  Parker Police Department awarded new RADAR units

  

  On March 8th 2016, The Town of Parker Police Department was awarded $7,364.16 for the purchase of four new RADAR units by the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. Parker P.D. says the purchase of the RADAR units will help Parker Police Officers with traffic enforcement on speeding and reckless drivers. A press release reads: “Public safety is Parker Police …

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• 14 July

  New group of doctors to staff La Paz Regional Hospital

  

  La Paz Regional Hospital will be teaming up with Yuma Regional Medical Center to provide supportive Emergency Department care, staffing physicians and nurse practitioners, and supportive hospitalist care. The new affiliation between the pair of not-for-profit community hospitals will begin in August and replace the existing physician group that staffs La Paz Regional. “As the community hospital for Parker and …

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• 14 July

  Stopping the Facebook Pout

  

  I’m just going to admit right up front here that this month’s column is going to be a bit of a rant. A well-deserved one to be sure. But I’ll do my best to keep myself more or less in control and try to actually have a good point to all this. What am I peeved about? If you are …

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• 11 July

  How to Compose An Investigation Report

  This may naturally be an issue especially if on-line expert essay writers won’t be hired for the job. Yet another thing to think about is because there’s actually no time limit for turning out to be an excellent article author. Once you together with your teenager have determined when you are going to employ aid from expert writers and when …

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• 5 July

  One firefighter injured at Parker fireworks show

  

  One firefighter sustained non- life threatening injuries at a fireworks show in Parker Monday night, according to the Colorado River Indian Tribes. One of the pyrotechnics used in the show was defective and did not discharge completely into the air, CRIT Chairman Dennis Patch said in a press release. “Acting according to their training and experience, one firefighter alerted the …

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June, 2016

• 27 June

  Viewfinder: Idiot Rock

  

  The rock spray-painted last year in an act of vandalism that outraged many is looking much better now. It appears that someone has tried to match the color of the rock and cover over the ugly white spray-paint that had been there since August 2015. Last year, Parker Live reported that a Corona, CA man who appeared to fess up …

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• 27 June

  Earning A Web Based Doctorate in Degree

  Essay writing does not actually have to be tough. The materials must also be an initial function. Homework versions can be found in assorted kinds. Above all, they link the distance between the investigation procedure and also the writing procedure They can receive pupils participated within the subject as well as create ideas of reallife irritaions which may be excellent …

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• 20 June

  Ackerman sentenced to 10.5 years for manslaughter

  

  An alcohol-augmented fight which escalated into a fatal shooting over two years ago in the BlueWater Lagoon neighborhood of Parker, AZ was the center of a court proceeding Monday which saw Sean Ackerman get 10.5 years in prison for manslaughter. Ackerman, 46, who was originally charged with homicide for the shooting death of his older neighbor Daniel Porter, had already pleaded …

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• 20 June

  120 degrees is uncommon, epic, and dangerous

  

  UPDATED to add Monday’s temps. The number is kind of legendary around here. ‘A hundred and twenty degrees’ is one of those numbers that people throw around when they talk about life in the desert. People in the Parker area act like they own it, but the truth is that people talk about 120 degrees in the same reverent tones in …

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• 16 June

  U.S. Fish & Wildlife withdraws restrictions plan for Lake Havasu

  

  The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFW) has suspended its draft proposal to limit recreational boating activities at Havasu National Wildlife Refuge on Lake Havasu, according to Senator John McCain’s office. The formal public comment period ended Monday, and by Thursday morning the federal agency had notified the Arizona senator of its intention to back down after receiving many protests. …

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• 15 June

  First food served at new China Garden to waiting crowd

  

  A popular Parker restaurant that made news when it burned down in late 2014 opened again to the public at lunchtime Wednesday. A line of hungry people queued up outside China Garden ahead of its 11am opening, eager to get back to eating at one of the community’s favorite food spots.  When the restaurant went up in flames, an outpouring …

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