John Wright

Happy 4th of July! The premiere episode of Aaron Sorkin’s new drama series The Newsroom (HBO) opens with a real bang. It does so by sacrificing a sacred cow held by many Americans: the belief that the United States is ‘the greatest country in the world’. This idea is so commonplace as to be ubiquitous. It isn’t enough for most …

After being home in Ireland for a couple of weeks, I flew into LAX on Friday and drove to Parker, ending 20 straight hours of traveling. The trip usually takes it out of me, and requires a few days recovery time. But I’ve discovered the cure for jet lag: the Parker Tube Float! Following the 20-hour marathon across the skies …

It seemed like a good idea at the time. I would be at KLPZ’s studio on 6th Street in Parker, and my colleague Josh would be out at the La Paz County Fairgrounds, covering the opening of the 2012 Fair with all its activities, shows, exhibits, food, contests and rides. And then it occurred to us: why doesn’t Josh go …

I spent the weekend in Scottsdale. We were there for the 57th Annual Arabian Horse Show, which attracts thousands of owners and their horses each year in no-expense-spared form. Melissa was there to photograph the show for Arabian Horse World magazine, so I dropped her off Saturday morning to work her magic and went to check out a used digital …

Now, before my cheeky headline attracts too much trouble, let me preface by saying that I love America. I’m not one of these latter-day immigrants who move to the United States and complain about it all the time (any more than I would complain about anything else in life). I chose to move here from the United Kingdom, and I’m …

Last week, I wrote that off-road fever was about to grip the Parker area. And grip it did. 240 screaming vehicles flew 425 miles across the desert floor, kicking dust into the atmosphere and giving us the excitement (and a great sunset!) to go with it. I covered the race from KLPZ’s Parker studio, helping the rest of the KLPZ …

Off-road fever is a debilitating disease that is known to afflict many residents and visitors of the Parker area at this time of year. There’s no known cure, though doctors say it is possible to manage the symptoms this weekend. What symptoms afflict the patient suffering from off-road fever? Patients will experience a draw toward areas of open desert; in …

“Male passengers were pushing ahead of women and children.” So observed retired police chief inspector Ed Gurr disapprovingly after he and his wife Liz made it successfully off the sagging Costa Concordia on January 13th. They were joined by the vast majority of the vessel’s other occupants, including the captain of the ill-fated cruise liner, who is either destined to …

As I learned early from broadcasting a daily radio show and later running this website, you can’t give everyone what they want. In fact, one of my heroes in life, who later became arguably America’s most prized entrepreneur of recent times, lived by the mantra that few people even know what they want. Apple founder Steve Jobs believed you’d have to …