John Wright
John is Editor of Parker Live. He is also the host of a daily afternoon radio show on KLPZ 1380am, broadcasting to Parker, Lake Havasu, Blythe and surrounding area. He can be reached by sending an email to johnwright@klpz1380.com.
Homepage: http://www.parkerliveonline.com
Posts by John Wright
Peter Pocklington responds
May 2nd
Canadian entrepreneur and former Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington has written Parker Live to “emphatically deny” the allegations we reported a few days ago were filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission against him.
Pocklington, who resides in Palm Desert, CA, says he is “stunned” that officials are questioning his La Paz County mine’s gold potential:
“The geologists who conducted and reviewed the tests on those sites boast impeccable reputations and have been conscientious and thorough in their testing. We do not tell our investors anything their data is not telling us. These respected geologists — Craig Parkinson, a professional geologist with more than 30 years’ experience; Dr. John Guy-Bray, a Canadian geologist with extensive international mining experience; and Dr. Joseph Balser, one of the most prominent mineralogists and metallurgists in America — stand by their work.”
Court documents allege that Pocklington’s mine could not possibly produce the claimed gold, calling the analysis of his geologists ‘flawed’.
Pocklington went on to defend his associate John McNeill, who was accused of having misled a potential investor, saying:
“He and I have both worked diligently, candidly and honestly with all of the company’s investors and have been conscientious in guiding the company through the necessary regulatory frameworks. We are committed to raising capital in accordance with existing rules and regulations.
I will stand before anyone anywhere and say this: We are not doing anything wrong. Any errors made in the past were born of inexperience and naivete, not malice or avarice, and they were quickly rectified a long time ago. We have nothing to hide and remain confident this, too, will be resolved.”
Pocklington’s attorneys have requested hearings in the case.
Memorial for Taylor Thomas to take place Friday
May 2nd
A Celebration of Life in honor of Taylor Michael Thomas, the Parker teen who was fatally wounded in a collision with a car while riding a scooter last week, is scheduled for Friday.
The memorial will take place at Pop Harvey Park, named after Taylor’s great-grandfather Pop Harvey, who was instrumental in starting the Red Cross Swim Program in Parker and taught many children how to swim.
An after-school celebration will begin with snacks from 2 o’clock, with services at 5:30 p.m. and a pot luck dinner to follow.
What’s Going On?
May 1st
To add your non-profit event flyer to future ‘What’s Going On?’ posts, please send to johnwright@klpz1380.com. To see a list of events by date, click here.
La Paz County boys predicted to live shorter lives than their fathers
Apr 30th
A study by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation says that, despite 20 years of improvements in health care and rising life expectancy elsewhere, males born in La Paz County in 2009 have a shorter average life expectancy than those born in 1989.
In 1989, La Paz County had the best life expectancy in any surrounding county in the southwestern United States (see graphic above; click to enlarge). But, while lifespans have improved in every other Arizona county over the past two decades, La Paz has failed to show any improvement.
Males born in La Paz County in 2009 can expect to live 1.5 fewer years than those born in 1989. The lifespan for La Paz County women improved by nearly a year in that time (which compares to a 5-years improvement in Maricopa County and a massive 9.5 year improvement in Yuma County).
La Paz County males born in 2009 have a life expectancy of 74.5, compared to a state average of 77.6, while La Paz females born in 2009 have a life expectancy of 82.3, compared to a state average of 82.4.
Yuma County women can expect to live to 84, the highest life expectancy for either gender in Arizona. Apache County men had the lowest life expectancy in the state at 70.8 years.
Despite La Paz County’s failure to improve in the past 20 years, it could be worse: hundreds of counties – many of them in the South – showed serious declines in life expectancy in the same period. This trend is seen by some experts as a sign that diets in those places are getting worse, leading to obesity and other illnesses such as diabetes.
The question many in La Paz County will be asking is: what is Yuma County doing right that La Paz County is doing wrong?
Gold claims alleged to have defrauded investors
Apr 30th
The former owner of the Edmonton Oilers has been accused of securities fraud in relation to a gold mine in La Paz County.
Peter Pocklington, who famously ‘sold’ Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles, is alleged to have misrepresented the amount of recoverable gold in the mine while raising more than $4.8 million from at least 116 investors between July 2010 and September 2011.
In 2009, Pocklington, living in California, started a company called Crystal Pistol Resources with offices in Scottsdale. He wanted to “acquire, own and operate” surface gold mines, known as ‘placer’ mines.
Documents filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission earlier this month say that Pocklington’s website contained videos of a geologist discussing finding gold at all of the locations involved, and suggested that “an initial investment of $10,000 at $1 per unit would pay a return between $25,000 and $40,000 per year” to investors.
In May last year, Pocklington is asserted to have filed a notice with BLM that allows for “surface disturbance of five acres or less to remove up to one thousand tons of presumed ore” for testing purposes only. But Pocklington’s Vice-President of Operations John McNeill is alleged to have told at least one Arizona investor that the company “was processing a thousand tons per month and within a week of their meeting would have cash flow of about $300,000 to $400,000 a week.”
Pocklington and McNeill would sometimes bring interested parties to the mine site in La Paz County.
The documents go on to say that “the analyses related to the quantity of gold held by the CPR mining claims … are flawed” and that they over estimate “the quantity of recoverable gold based upon the flawed analysis.” And, “Further, the estimates of gold resources listed on [Pocklington's] website are not supportable with the methods currently available in the industry.”
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The mining claims involved are unrelated to the large Copperstone Mine north of Quartzsite, which also has Canadian ties. Bonanza, a Canadian company (under its U.S. name American Bonanza), recently started operations at Copperstone and last month reported that they had shipped their first 31 tons of concentrate, containing an estimated 712 ounces of gold (worth over $1.1 million at today’s price). The company aims to reach a production rate of around 3000 ounces per month.
News coverage of Quartzsite school scandal continues
Apr 30th
News outlets nationally are continuing to cover a Quartzsite school after students caught their principal and an administrative assistant on camera kissing in the empty classroom next door and posted it to YouTube. Both were fired after the incident and are reportedly both married to other people.
Outlets that have covered the scandal now include MSNBC, The Huffington Post and even the UK’s biggest selling newspaper the Daily Mail.
Quartzsite has had more than its share of national news coverage in the past year, given that the town is only a few thousand residents much of the year.
Local teen boy remembered
Apr 26th
[ Taylor Thomas, pictured with a friend ]
Shortly after news that local 17 year old Taylor Thomas had been fatally injured Tuesday night, the teen’s friends took to his Facebook page to remember him. Some of his friends and family are gathering at the scene of the accident today at 3:30pm to sign a memorial.
The News-Herald reports today that DPS is looking into the incident, which involved a single vehicle heading northbound on Highway 95 north of Parker, which struck Thomas while he was on a scooter:
DPS spokesman Officer Tim Case said the call on the accident went out at 9:58 p.m. [...] The driver of the car, whose name was not released by DPS, stopped at the scene.
Among the messages on Thomas’ Facebook page were the following:
“its so hard to believe this happened. . i wouldn’t let myself believe it at first . i will never forget you & the great memories we had . you were such a great person . you were always there for anyone who ever needed a friend . i hope you know how loved you were”
“You know, I’m really happy that I stopped yesterday and talked to you. Sure I was about 2 hours late to school, and all sweaty… But I’m glad you talked to me. You asked me how I was, and if I was alright. You were most definitely one of the most kind-hearted people I knew. I’m glad I made our last conversation a meaningful one.”
“Taylor you will be missed by everyone who ever met you!! You are in a better place now!! We all love and miss you!! You were a really good friend I could always talk to! We love and miss you!! Rest in peace.”
More here. News-Herald article here. Tentative arrangements for a memorial on Friday May 4th at Pop Harvey Park, including a block party at 2 p.m. with snacks and music and services at 5:30 p.m.
What’s Going On?
Apr 26th
To add your non-profit event flyer to future ‘What’s Going On?’ posts, please send to johnwright@klpz1380.com. To see a list of events by date, click here.
Detention officer receives Life Saving Award
Apr 26th
On Tuesday, April 24, 2012 Detention Officer Julian Carmona Sr. was awarded a Life Saving Award By Sheriff Don Lowery and Commander Don Davis.
The award reads:
“With special recognition and gratitude you distinguished yourself in an exceptional manner. On March 28, 2012, your quick actions in regards to an inmate’s medical condition saved his life. Your untiring efforts in carrying out your duties reflect the highest level of dedication and professionalism.”
D.O. Carmona has been with the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office Detention Division since December 2006.
