Parker Live News from the Parker Strip since 2009.

February, 2019

• 12 February

  Man goes to prison for using video cables to strangle victim to death

  

  A former Parker man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to second degree murder. Larson Namow Burns, 29, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 180 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for strangling a male victim in January 2018 and inflicting “several blows with a blunt object”, according to …

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January, 2019

• 31 January

  BLM to conduct burns during February

  

  The Bureau of Land Management Lake Havasu Field Office will conduct prescribed burning in Parker, during the month of February, as weather conditions allow. The burn area is located seven miles northeast of Parker and a half-mile west of Parker Dam Road near Crossroads, on the California side of the Colorado River. “The removal and controlled burning of vegetation piles …

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• 29 January

  Paul Mosley’s lawyer faces ethics complaints in legislature

  

  A lawyer and politician representing ousted Arizona State Representative Paul Mosley is facing multiple ethics complaints himself this week in the state legislature. Mosley (left), Stringer (right) The complaints against Mosley’s fellow legislator David Stringer, a Republican from Prescott, stem from accusations of racism and the recent revelation that Stringer was apparently charged with possession of child pornography in 1983 …

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• 27 January

  Suspect dead after officer-involved shooting in Ehrenberg

  

  A Yucca Valley man with multiple outstanding felony warrants was shot dead by cops in Ehrenberg Thursday. Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers and a La Paz County deputy shot and killed Christian Albarran, 26, in Ehrenberg on Thursday afternoon. The incident began earlier in the day, when San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies spotted Albarran driving near Dumosa Avenue and …

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• 18 January

  Parker man charged with child molestation, victim alleges preferential treatment

  

  A Parker man was charged last summer with sexual conduct with his grandchild, who is now asking Parker Live why her grandfather is not in jail and why public records of the case are unavailable. Harold Smith, 69, is a former reserve law enforcement officer in Parker and retired employee of the State of Arizona, according to the victim’s dad Micah, …

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• 18 January

  CRIT passes water ordnance

  

  Update: Referendum passed. Original story below. — Members of the Colorado River Indian Tribes will vote Saturday on an ordnance that would open a path to pursuing lucrative water leasing opportunities. Much of CRIT’s substantial rights to Colorado River water are not being used, so even a small portion of its total entitlement would be very valuable, with potentially tens …

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• 10 January

  Town of Wenden celebrates new water plant, eliminates plastic bottles

  

  With accessible clean drinking water a hot global issue, the residents of Wenden, Arizona can now confidently quench their thirst. For many years, residents of the small town in rural La Paz County hesitated to drink the tap water, due to its high fluoride content and spikes in arsenic levels that required further drilling and a state-mandated Fluoride and Arsenic …

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• 9 January

  Sheriff approved for new patrol computers

  

  The La Paz County Board of Supervisors has authorized the Sheriff’s Department to spend $265,000 on new computers for patrol vehicles that will bring the department’s hardware up-to-date. According to the Sheriff’s Department, the existing machines are aging, approaching the end of their product life cycle by the end of the year and unable to perform many of the tasks …

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• 7 January

  Viewfinder: Judges Quickle and Dyer sworn in

  

  Jessica Quickle was sworn in as the new Judge of the La Paz County Superior Court and Tiffany Dyer was sworn in as the new Judge of the Parker Justice Court Monday. District 2 County Supervisor Duce Minor led the oath ceremony for Judge Quickle, and Quickle then led the ceremony for Judge Dyer, along with re-elected Precinct 5 Judge …

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• 3 January

  COLUMN: A funny thing happened on my way to the new year

  

  This is my first column of the new year, or perhaps I should say ‘a’ new year, since they seem to come around quicker and quicker as I get older. But there’s one thing that never seems to get old and that’s the word ‘new’. This makes sense of course, since ‘new’ is the opposite of ‘old’, isn’t it? But …

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• 3 January

  To The Editor: Is this traffic light acting weird?

  

  Happy New Year, everybody! Let’s start 2019 off right, by trying to answer a question from a reader: “One of the green lights was out at the junction of 95 at the Sandbar. Since it was repaired, the default green light has been changed to the traffic that crosses the highway on to the river road! Am I the only …

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December, 2018

• 29 December

  Things you may have missed: Parker Live in 2018

  

  We’ve had lots of big-hitting content on Parker Live in the last year. Our audience keeps growing and it was our largest year ever! So, in case you missed anything, these are just some of the things that we covered in 2018. (Text in blue link to the original stories.) — 1. Justice for Cynthia A Parker man and woman …

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• 17 December

  WATCH: Former Sheriff drives wrong truck away

  

  A former Sheriff of La Paz County, AZ got into the wrong truck and drove it away Wednesday before realizing his mistake and bringing it back. Hal Collett had been visiting Spanky’s RV & Marine retail store in Parker, AZ when he exited the store and got into a truck similar to his own, a silver Ford pickup truck. The …

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• 13 December

  Sheriff’s Department okayed to buy 7 patrol vehicles

  

  The La Paz County Board of Supervisors has authorized the purchase of 7 used Chevy Tahoe patrol vehicles. The vehicles, which are used law enforcement-equipped Chevys, are being sold by the City of Avondale, AZ, which usually rotates vehicles out at around 60,000 to 70,000 miles, according to Lieutenant Richard Epps. “The City of Avondale told me they serviced them …

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• 13 December

  Part-owner of Parker Pioneer engaged in offbeat divorce battle

  

  A part-owner of the Parker Pioneer and Today’s News-Herald is engaged in an offbeat public court battle which involves allegations of poisoning. AP photos According to an Associated Press story, Joseph Soldwedel of Prescott has been using his newspaper to publicize his allegations that his wife of 8 years, Felice, tried to poison him. Prosecutors have cleared Felice of any …

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• 11 December

  Explore La Paz County Wednesday at Casino

  

  Explore La Paz County at the Tourism Expo Wednesday, December 12th from 9am to 3pm at BlueWater Resort & Casino. Admission is free. Learn about all the fun activities across La Paz County. The Tourism Expo is brought to you by the La Paz Regional Tourism team, the Colorado River Indian Tribes and BlueWater Resort & Casino. For more information …

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• 11 December

  Judge rejects child death plea bargain

  

  La Paz County Superior Court Judge Matthew Newman chose not to accept a plea deal offered Tuesday to a man who stands accused of killing his own 3 year-old daughter through child abuse. Aaron Freeman, 25, had a pen in his hand and was about to sign the agreement when Newman interjected from the bench. “Well, let me stop you …

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• 7 December

  Mosley says he wants a trial

  

  Arizona State Representative Paul Mosley told the Parker Justice Court Thursday that he intends to take the misdemeanor excessive speed case resulting from his now infamous traffic stop to trial. Mosley’s attorney David Stringer, one of his fellow legislators, told the court he thinks the matter is more complex than a simple excessive speed case. Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre, …

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• 5 December

  WINNERS: 12 Days of Christmas!

  

  Here are the winners from KLPZ’s 12 Days of Christmas! Well done and happy new year from KLPZ / Parker Live. — $150 cash / $50 gas card – Patricia Jones (A Toe Truck) DeWalt 12″ Cordless Chainsaw – Steve Perry (Ocotillo Lodge – Bouse) Super Ultimate Hot Wheels Garage – Selena Carrillo (Parker Accounting Services) Kidkraft Uptown Espresso Kitchen …

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• 5 December

  COLUMN: A 300-mile pilgrimage

  

  If you’re a long time reader of this column you might remember that in the fall of 2016 I talked about walking the first 200 miles of an ancient Christian pilgrimage, the Camino de Santiago. What I didn’t say in that article was that I was nearly positive that I was through with the Camino. I wouldn’t be going back …

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November, 2018

• 30 November

  Suicidal man in motorhome dies after standoff

  

  A standoff with an elderly man threatening suicide ended with the man firing at cops and dying by gunfire, according to law enforcement. On Wednesday morning at around 8:50 a.m., the Colorado River Indian Tribes Police Department and La Paz County Sheriff’s Department responded to the Lazy D mobile home park in Parker, AZ after a call about a man …

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• 24 November

  Boat crashes into both shores, two sent to hospital

  

  A boat crashed into both the Arizona and California sides of the Colorado River north of Parker, AZ on Friday evening, sending two occupants to hospital. According to law enforcement, the pontoon boat was traveling southbound on the Arizona side of the Parker Strip south of the Keys II subdivision, when it struck a rocky peninsula. The occupants were thrown …

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• 15 November

  PHOTOS: Car ploughed through memorabilia store and into a church

  

  A speeding driver hit an SUV carrying 3 children at a major intersection in Parker before ploughing through the front of a memorabilia retail store, out a side wall and into the front of a unit that houses a church and its thrift store. Eyewitnesses told Parker Live that the vehicle, a white sedan, was coming through the town of …

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• 14 November

  Jessica Quickle to be next Superior Court Judge

  

  Defense attorney Jessica Quickle will be the next Judge of the La Paz County Superior Court after a close race was decided with additional votes counted over a week after election day. At the end of the final unofficial tally, transmitted to the Secretary of State Wednesday night, 24 votes separated Quickle from her opponent. Quickle has a total of …

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• 12 November

  Tribe offers State of Arizona fallow deal worth $37.5m

  

  The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) has offered the State of Arizona a deal in which they would agree to fallow enough land to save a total of 150,000 acre-feet of water in exchange for $37.5 million over 3 years. With water levels continuing to drop toward a ‘shortage’ declaration at Lake Mead, the state has been meeting with stakeholders …

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• 6 November

  Key La Paz County races too close to call

  

  UPDATE: “We will process the remaining 576 ballots on Tuesday the 13th at the earliest and hopefully by Thursday the 15th at the latest. Thanks.” – Kevin Scholl, LPC Elections — Key local races in La Paz County were too close to call at the end of election night. The first unofficial results were released late on Tuesday night, with …

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• 6 November

  Several road construction projects to affect traffic

  

  There are several road construction projects at various stages that Parker area motorists may want to know about. Here’s Parker Live summary of the projects, including how and when they may affect travel. Vicksburg Road between Hwy 60 and Hwy 72 Nov 6th – Nov 13th People traveling between Parker and the Phoenix metro area may want to go via …

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• 5 November

  Why Arizona votes matter, where to vote

  

  The midterm election is here Tuesday, and Arizona votes matter more than usual. Here’s why. In typical U.S. elections, most states are ‘in the bag’ for one party or the other from the very beginning. For example, Oklahoma is a solid red state, voting Republican in every election for the last 70 years, while Hawaii is a solid blue state, …

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• 2 November

  Big changes at Parker area state parks amid controversy

  

  There are big changes in progress at state parks on the Parker Strip and Lake Havasu amid an administrative controversy for Arizona State Parks & Trails. Parks Director Sue Black and her top deputy were both suspended on Thursday after the state Attorney General’s Office opened a criminal investigation of the agency. The probe comes over allegations that Parks repeatedly …

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October, 2018

• 21 October

  To The Editor: On Sandy Giles ‘Cold Case’

  

  In May 2017, Parker Live was one of the few news outlets to cover the disappearance of an Alabama woman called Sandy Giles. The story generated a lot of interest and speculation in the Parker area, because Sandy’s car was discovered not far outside of town, a few miles west on CA-62. There were precious few clues as to where …

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• 17 October

  River Cribs II

  

  You know you wanna see inside this place. Parker Live ‘River Cribs’ is back! This 5,517 square-foot vacation home is the ultimate way to enjoy the Parker Strip. — Read the comments on our Facebook page HERE.

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• 15 October

  Another murder case dismissed, lack of evidence

  

  After hearing evidence for several days in a murder case in Parker, the trial judge dismissed the entire case due to a lack of evidence, chastising prosecutor Karen Hobbs in the process, dismissing the jury and letting the defendant go free. The unusual ruling was made in response to a motion by the defendant under Rule 20, which states that …

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• 8 October

  Viewfinder: Running Man II

  

  The second fuel station by the Colorado River Indian Tribes opened to the public last week in a Grand Opening ceremony on the north side of the town of Parker. It was attended by Tribal Council, bird singers and dancers, other local dignitaries and members of the public. Photos by Josh Savino.

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• 2 October

  Purple Badge: Parker school principal tells story of domestic violence

  

  It’s National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 1 in 4 women has experienced some form of domestic violence, and the Principal of Blake Primary School in Parker, AZ is one of them.   In this exclusive video by Parker Live, Joanna Hermes opens up about her experience in an abusive relationship over 15 years ago, and how receiving help as a …

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• 1 October

  To The Editor: River so low!

  

  The elevation of the Colorado River on the Parker Strip has been low, and people have been noticing! Any news or ideas of why river has been so low this last week?” – Margaret It’s a good question, because when the river level is lower than usual, it can cause sandbars and rock to be exposed that isn’t ordinarily, which …

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September, 2018

• 26 September

  Triple murder case dismissed, judge blames prosecutor

  

  The triple murder trial of Kitage Lynch has been dismissed after the judge ruled that prosecutors were “playing games” with the rules “rather than actually properly preparing [the] case for trial.” Parker Live has been following developments in the case since the killings near Salome, AZ in April 2016. Three elderly winter visitors were found dead, and Lynch was quickly …

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• 17 September

  AWC is reducing poverty for its students

  

  Arizona Western College (AWC) ranks in the top 2 percent of the nation’s community colleges for changing people’s income, and has the grand goal of eliminating poverty. A National Community College Benchmark Project survey used data from government sources covering all students from 1999 to 2013. The data reports estimates of students’ household income before and after earning a credential …

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• 13 September

  Parker man allegedly stabs two people in Big River

  

  A Parker man was arrested for attempted murder in Big River, CA after two stabbing victims were located by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. At around 1:05 p.m. on Thursday, deputies from the Sheriff’s Colorado River Station responded to the report of a stabbing in the 7100 block of Nokomis Trail. Prior to the deputies’ arrival they located a …

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• 13 September

  Fact Check: The Town Manager and the gift cards

  

  Since Parker Live’s coverage of a widely-distributed letter sent earlier this week accusing the Parker Town Manager of misappropriating gift cards, a lively discussion has emerged about the case. But some things can be settled on the basis of fact. Here’s what we know about the situation at this point. (This may be updated if information changes.) Is this ‘old …

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• 11 September

  Assessment error amounts to a million dollars in revenue

  

  UPDATE: La Paz County Assessor Anna Camacho says taxpayers will pay less this year due to the overstated valuations, but some taxing entities may choose to increase their tax rate next year. Full statement attached at bottom. — ORIGINAL STORY: The accounting error at the La Paz County Assessor’s Office amounts to around a million dollars of tax revenue, according …

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• 10 September

  Parker Town Manager accused, Town lawyer responds

  

  Our latest information on this original story is included in our ‘Fact Check’ article HERE. — A Town of Parker employee accused the Town Manager of buying almost $49,000 in gift cards on town credit cards and keeping no records of where they went. Corina Crispin, who is a specialist in the town’s Finance Department, made the accusations in a …

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• 8 September

  Property tax mistake to leave entities short

  

  UPDATE HERE. — ORIGINAL STORY: A mistake in property tax values will leave fire departments, schools and county departments short of their projected budgets for the current fiscal year, Parker Live has learned. The La Paz County Assessor’s Office, which is responsible for appraising and valuing taxable property countywide, reportedly made a mistake earlier this year when locking in the …

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• 6 September

  Man’s jet ski joyride ends in arrest

  

  A man joyrode several jet skis he stole from multiple locations on the Parker Strip Wednesday before being arrested by a Sheriff’s Sergeant with the help of Buckskin Fire Department. Sergeant S. Maya from the La Paz County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to the area of Moovalya Keys north of Parker for a theft of a jet ski. Upon his …

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• 5 September

  Gold Star mom from Parker named Honorary Miss America

  

  Parker area resident Lori Deysie, mother of Army Private First Class Ara Tyler Deysie, will be one of ten Gold Star mothers to be named an Honorary Miss America as part of Project Gratitude, a program co-founded by another former Parker resident. Tyler was killed May 9th, 2008, of wounds sustained when his unit came under rocket-propelled grenade fire while …

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August, 2018

• 30 August

  Hobbs, Dyer win Republican nominations in primary

  

  Tiffany Dyer won the Republican nomination for Justice of the Peace in Precinct 6, while Karen Hobbs narrowly won the Republican nomination for Judge of the Superior Court in La Paz County. Both will be going forward to the general election in November, when they will face opponents from the other parties. The Republican races were the only contested races …

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• 28 August

  La Paz County votes: unofficial results

  

  La Paz County voted in Tuesday’s Arizona primary election, with races including Town of Parker Council, Town of Quartzsite Council, Justices of the Peace, Superior Court Judge and others with results on the ballot. With approximately 400 countywide votes still to be counted – the so-called ‘late earlies’ (which exist when people request an early ballot but don’t return it …

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• 27 August

  Triple homicide suspect transported to Parker for trial

  

  A man accused of killing three elderly people in a remote area of La Paz County, AZ has been transported to Parker to face charges in the killings. Kitage Lynch, 26, is now an inmate at the La Paz County Jail after taking up residence there last week. Prosecutors with the County Attorney’s Office are preparing their case against Lynch …

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• 24 August

  La Paz County Sheriff’s deputy arrested

  

  A deputy with the La Paz County Sheriff’s Department has reportedly been arrested after allegations against him surfaced, demanding an outside review. The nature of the alleged crime is unconfirmed, but was evidently serious enough that the Sheriff’s Department asked Yuma County Sheriff’s Department to conduct an investigation. Detectives with Yuma County reportedly responded, conducted an investigation and then placed …

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• 24 August

  Agencies partner up for Labor Day DUI detail

  

  The Parker Police Department, La Paz County Sheriff’s Department and Quartzsite Police Department will be partnering up with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to conduct a multi-agency Labor Day holiday weekend DUI saturation detail. The goal of the enforcement detail will be to deter impaired drivers, according to a press release, using overtime funds to allow additional officers to …

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• 23 August

  Viewfinder: BLM burro roundup in photos

  

  The Bureau of Land Management conducted an emergency ‘gather’ of wild burros on the Parker Strip in the last week to reduce the size of the local population. All photos courtesy Greg Albaugh, who tells Parker Live he counted around 67 burros in the pictured area (BLM said they intended to gather 100).

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