Discussion
Tube Float questions!
Jan 25th
Each year, we get questions in the run-up to the famous Parker Tube Float about some aspect of the event. Here’s the latest:
Q: This is the first year we’re attending, just want to confirm: Will the float pass by or end at the Blue Water Resort? Where should I start, as far as purchasing tickets? Do they have tubes available there? We have a 4-seat Eliminator boat; do we have to register it the same place we register for the float? Any other tips? Thanks in advance; we’re SOOO EXCITED to attend this year.
A: The Float ends at the BlueWater Resort & Casino beach, where there’s usually a great atmosphere and plenty of space to rest and recover at the end of the day.
Register each floater who plans on attending with the Parker Area Chamber of Commerce: call them at (928) 669-2174 or visit parkeraz.org. You can buy tubes at Spanky’s RV & Marine in Parker (they may even have tubes for sale at Patria Flats, where the Float begins).
As for the Eliminator, technically there are no boats in the Float (but many people do launch their boats anyway). As long as the people in your party are registered to float and the boat is moving slowly around floaters, it’s unlikely that there will be any major objections to it being on the water. For maximum brownie points, responsible boaters can register as patrol boats for the event, helping ensure the safety of the event. (Contact the Chamber if that’s you.)
I’m glad you’ll be here! It’s a blast. Tips: Bring lots of sunblock and wear it, a lot. People get dehydrated drinking only alcohol too and end up in hospital…. don’t be one of them! Bring water or Gatorade too. You should have a great time.
For more information on the Tube Float, CLICK HERE.
Where will you be spending the holidays?
Dec 22nd
Christmas has come fast, and many of you will be traveling or having family come to you for the holidays. How many will be spending the holidays here in the desert? And how many elsewhere? Let us know below!
Comment about roadwork
Oct 11th
Re: Work being done by Intermountain Slurry Seal, Inc. on Highway 72
Project # A(275)A/H802901P
The amount of semis running that road has not been lessened during this work, and they are running at typical speed. Coming to work this morning, I got a stone chip on my windshield, many paint chips on my jeep, and a headlamp shattered. No control, just a ’suggested’ speed of 25. Yeah, right! If anyone wants to complain or get a form to submit for damages, the ADOT # is 602.712.7327. We are hoping that the more complaints, the more control there will be.
Reader question:
Aug 29th
Hello. I used to come to this site multiple times a day, as it seemed like a great place to come for things that were happening in Parker. Now it seems like the only thing you are covering are Quartzsite. What happen to covering other things before the Pioneer did? – Anonymous
Take a look at the Pioneer this past week; it’s dominated by Quartzsite news too. This is due to a combination of factors: the newsworthiness of what’s happening in the town of Quartzsite this month; the relative quiet in Parker; the slow news month of August. Things generally begin to pick up in September. Don’t worry, nothing has changed! If you think there’s any news missing, please pass it on.
Do we live in the land of political nepotism?
Aug 19th
Current affairs in Quartzsite have been big news in recent months, and have brought with them charges of corruption, troublemaking and nepotism.
On that last charge, a Parker Live reader comments:
“We live in the land of political nepotism. If an employee is accused of theft, the police are all too zealous to show up and slap on the cuffs, willy-nilly, then ask questions later. However, when the accused is employed by the public — a member of the fraternal order of politicians — all of law enforcement is suddenly [impotent].” – Jackal
Is there any truth in this with regard to how government relates to law in the United States? Give us your opinion here.
Regarding comments…
Jul 29th
Readers,
Parker Live has a very good reputation for promoting free speech in our area. Not only do we try to update the site as often as we can with news pertaining to Parker and La Paz County; we also allow one of the most open comments systems on sites such as this (most news website contributions from readers are heavily moderated).
We keep it this way despite frequent calls to moderate more heavily, in large part because we believe in spaces for people to exercise First Amendment rights, and think that many voices – however irreverent, however politically incorrect, however unwelcome – is better than none.
Still, we’re running a household here on this piece of cyberspace. That means wiping your feet when you come in, being respectful of the others in here and making sure your comments are relevant to the discussion going on.
So, I urge the readers who leave comments to remember to post your comments only in relevant places (that means under the article heading the subject was posted in); leave a comment only once (rather than copying and pasting elsewhere); and be respectful of the others you’re conversing with.
Thanks for being here and helping Parker Live reach over 22,000 unique visitors this month alone!
Have a great weekend,
John
Sheriff weighs in on Quartzsite situation
Jul 12th
La Paz County Sheriff Press Release
Recently I have received several phone calls regarding my stance on the political issues in the Town of Quartzsite. People are wondering what I am going to do to “fix” the problems down there. They are also asking if the Sheriff’s Office is supporting one side over the other. In an effort to help the citizens of La Paz County understand my responsibilities as the Sheriff, I have written down some of the common questions that citizens are asking and what my response has been.
Question: Why are you allowing the Quartzsite Police Department to arrest citizens for speaking out during “call to the public”?
Answer: Quartzsite is an incorporated Town with their own Town Council, Mayor, Chief of Police, etc. By incorporating, they have chosen to break away and become independent without having to answer to (most) of the County Offices. The Quartzsite Town Council has hired Jeff Gilbert as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer for their Town. While he holds that position, he oversees the day to day operations of the Quartzsite Police Department. If he or his officers feel that a person has committed a crime, it is within their right and their duty to enforce the law as they interpret it. I don’t see that I have the right to enter their town and second guess the arrests that they make.
Question: We’ve noticed that the Quartzsite Town Government appears to be split into two separate groups. Has your Department supported one side over the other?
Answer: No, we are not supporting one side over the other. We have been asked by both sides to intervene in different aspects of the Town Council meetings and we have declined. There is no need for another agency to come into Town Hall and dictate how Quartzsite conducts their meetings. The only assistance we have provided to anyone was for the safety of the general public and the officers during the Council meeting on July 12th. We had approximately five Deputies in the general area during that meeting in case any protesters became hostile. As it turned out, it was a peaceful demonstration and no law enforcement action was necessary.
Question: Why don’t you go down to Quartzsite and remove the Chief of Police from his position?
Answer: The Quartzsite Chief of Police has been appointed by duly elected Town Council. I do not have the power or authority to go down and remove the Chief of Police.
At this time, the Town of Quartzsite is an incorporated community with an elected Town Council that represents the people. I am not in any position to interfere with the inner workings of their Government. I have faith in our system and I feel that any issues will be addressed with every one’s best interest in mind.
Thank you,
Sheriff Don Lowery
Registration blues
Jun 17th
Happy Friday!
I’ve recently heard from some of you that the process of registering on Parker Live (which is required once in order to leave comments on the site) is more difficult than it should be.
I hear you.
The reason registration is needed at all, and the reason it isn’t simple, is largely because of the amount of SPAM targeted at popular sites like this one. Without some ways to verify that you are a human being rather than a spambot, we are literally inundated with hundreds of fake registrations to fake email addresses.
We deal with this problem, as most other websites do, by using the ‘captcha’ test (asking you to write the letters you see in a picture) and maybe a math problem or letter identification test.
This morning, I’ve made that process much easier.
In addition, I’ve been made aware of a problem affecting about 15 new registrations over the past couple of weeks which were never confirmed. I’ve been able to correct that today too, which means that everyone who registered on the site should now be able to log in without any problems.
I hope this clears things up.
If you still have issues with logging on to Parker Live to leave comments, I apologize; please send me an email to johnwright@klpz1380.com and I’ll fix it for you.
Thanks for visiting Parker Live! Have a great weekend.
John Wright
UPDATE: ‘Invalid registration status’ error fixed.
Tube Float on Google Earth
Jun 3rd
An email from a reader says:
Did you know that Google Earth’s picture of Parker was taken on Tube Float day and shows all the tubers coming down the river?
He’s right. Check out the satellite image below. Tubers tend to collect on the Arizona side of the river as can be observed in the image. What a happy coincidence!
But there’s one discrepancy. The satellite image (courtesy USDA Farm Service Agency) has a timestamp of June 8th, 2007, which was a Friday, not a Saturday. The annual Chamber of Commerce event is always on a Saturday, so either the satellite photo doesn’t show the Tube Float after all, or the timestamp is off by a day. (In 2007, the Tube Float was held on Saturday, June 9th.)
How to confirm for certain that the timestamp is simply off a day? Check out Patria Flats, the launchpad for the annual Float (below). The only day in the entire year the park is so packed full of vehicles is the day of the Tube Float. This confirms that the timestamp is wrong (or the satellite’s clock set to a distant timezone).
Thanks to Art for the info.
Letter from Jim Willett
May 16th
Jim Willett, owner of Yakima Company, issued this letter to Parker Live:
After two years of meaningless reassurances by Dan Field and the Supervisors we now know what they meant when they said that the Yakima problem was going to turn out “just fine.” Fine for them, everyone else gets tossed under the bus.
Let`s check the facts. A month ago Dan was asked where the county was going to come up with the $3 million settlement offer they had made to me, we`ll have to lay off a bunch of employees was what he said. Last week the Supervisors revealed that they might raise the local sales tax by 10% this year and an additional 20% in 2013. The tax is necessary to raise money to pay off the $14 million judgment. What a choice, mass layoffs or a 30% tax hike? Or maybe both.
Here’s my solution. Pay my attorney fees and transfer the landill to Yakima. Problem solved. I`ll renegoitiate the contract with Allied Waste and guarentee the same service at the same price to all county residents. Dan Field and the Supervisors hate this idea. I’m interested to know what you think?
We gave Dan Field, La Paz County Administrator, a chance to respond. He replied:
I appreciate your offer to respond; however, having just gone through hours of depositions last Thursday where my public statements were the topic of Yakima’s attorney’s examination; I must decline at this time.
