News
Santa Fe 3751 to roll through Parker in May
Feb 6th
Photo credit: theexbrit on Flickr.
This May, steam locomotive the Santa Fe 3751 will make two overnight stops in Parker on the way to and from the Grand Canyon from Los Angeles.
The excursion, operated by The Central Coast Railway Club under contract with Amtrak, BNSF and the Arizona & California Railroad, will take 6 days in total and comprise a night’s stay in Parker and a night in Williams.
The engine is a 4-8-4 “Northern”-type steam locomotive. The AT&SF once owned more than five-dozen such designs. The Santa Fe originally employed all of its Northerns for use in passenger service, where their blend of power and speed was suited just right on a railroad that stretched more than 2,200 miles between Chicago and Los Angeles, and whose main line was quite rugged west of Texas.
Santa Fe 3751 was spared the scrapper’s torch and donated to the city of San Bernardino where it remained on displays for many years before being restored back to operation by the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society in the early 1990s. Today, the locomotive occasionally makes an appearance from its home in Los Angeles to pull excursions or help to educate the general public about railroads.
The excursion will be expected to arrive in Parker at around 9 p.m. on Monday, May 14th. Passengers will spend the night in area hotels/resorts, and Pullman passengers will stay aboard the train in their sleepers. The following morning (May 15th), the Santa Fe 3751 will leave Parker for Williams around 9:30 a.m. The return trip will stop for the night in Parker on Friday, May 19th and leave early on Saturday, May 20th.
Tickets can be purchased in segments, so that passengers can get on and off at any stop, including Parker. Passage from Parker to the Grand Canyon aboard the Santa Fe 3751 starts at around $475 (return). Info HERE.
Phoenix Suns game: buy in this week
Feb 6th
Phoenix Suns basketball is back and the Town of Parker again has tickets to the game, Saturday, March 10, 2012, at 7:00pm at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix.
The Suns will host Town of Parker Community Day as they play the Memphis Grizzlies. Tickets are available at $40 each, with $5 from your ticket price going to the Town of Parker Recreational Equipment Fund. Transportation will be available thru the Senior Center.
In addition, people who purchase tickets from the town can choose to participate in the “High-Five Player Tunnel”. 25 members of our group will line up along the players entryway to the court and “high-five” the entire team as they make their way onto the court for the game.
Tickets must be bought by Wednesday (February 7th).
For more information or to purchase tickets, call Jackie Johnson or Tim Edwards at the Town of Parker: (928) 669-9265, or email pubsec@ci.parker.az.us.
Delays possible between Parker and Havasu Wednesday
Feb 6th
The Arizona Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Central Arizona Project, is widening State Route 95 at Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge Road for a two-way left turn lane.
Crews will intermittently stop traffic from Wednesday (Feb 
through Friday (Feb 10) to provide a safe work zone as crews pour concrete. ADOT advises motorists traveling between Parker and Lake Havasu to plan ahead and allow extra travel time.
What to expect during construction:
- Work is scheduled to take place weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Intermittent lane closures are planned during work hours.
- Workers will be in place to direct traffic through the work zone.
- The speed limit will be reduced to 25 mph in the construction zone.
- Law enforcement will be on-site to monitor speeds.
- Message boards will advise drivers of lane restrictions.
- No work on holidays or weekends.
- Outside work hours, traffic control devices will remain in place and speed limit will be maintained at 45 mph.
The project also includes drainage improvements, guardrail work, new pavement markings and a new access road to the Central Arizona Project (CAP) Mark Wilmer pumping plant.
This project is scheduled to be completed by summer 2012.
Robby Gordon wins Parker 425 overall
Feb 4th
Robby Gordon came in at 2:39pm through the finish line at BlueWater Resort & Casino, winning the overall time of the BWRC Parker 425. Early race leader Steve Sourapas and many others broke down and were unable to finish the race, but Gordon’s performance was very consistent over the 3 laps. A full results roundup will be posted by Best In The Desert by Monday.
Parker man indicted in baby murder
Feb 1st
On January 31, 2012, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a two count indictment against Brice Thompson Little, 21, a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, for a violation of Second Degree Murder of a Child and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury to a Child.
The indictment alleges that, on March 29, 2011, while Little was living with the mother of the six month old victim in Parker, Ariz., the victim was taken to the hospital with severe inflicted head injuries. After being sent to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, the victim passed away there on April 13, 2011.
A conviction for Second Degree Murder carries a maximum penalty of 30 years to life, a $250,000 fine, or both. In determining an actual sentence, Judge Martone will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.
An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by Colorado River Indian Tribe Police Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Dyanne C. Greer and Jennifer Green, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
Trick Truck Challenge
Feb 1st
20 of the 34 Trick Trucks entered in the 2012 Blue Water Resort & Casino Parker 425 have signed up to take part in this year’s Trick Truck Challenge. This will be the second year for the Trick Truck Challenge that saw over $134,000 in bonus money paid out in 2011. To be eligible for the year-long Challenge, Trick Truck teams must be signed up by the Parker 425 race.
Casey Folks, Director of Best In The Desert, announced, “As of January 25th, 20 of the top Trick Truck teams in the world have signed up for the second year of the exciting Best in the Desert $120,000 Trick Truck Challenge. That’s right – one hundred and twenty thousand dollars paid back 100% to the racers. A special bonus purse will be paid out to the top three participating Trick Truck finishers at each of the six Best In The Desert races as well as the year-end bonus. The special Trick Truck Challenge Cup Trophy will also be awarded at the end of the year to the overall winning team.” Folks continued, “No other off-road racing organization has a program like the Best in the Desert Trick Truck Challenge. I’ve always said, either lead, follow or get out of our way and Best in the Desert is in the lead!”
Vehicle accident near Quartzsite
Jan 30th
2:09pm– A vehicle accident is blocking the southbound lane of Highway 95 at milepost 111 near Quartzsite.
Internet outage statewide
Jan 27th
2:00pm– A Suddenlink representative says this afternoon’s internet outage is statewide and caused by the disconnection of some fiber-optic circuits which supply Suddenlink with their connection.
The representative said he was expecting the situation to be resolved ‘soon’ and speculated that connectivity may be restored by 2:40pm.
2:21pm– Cellular data is slow due to increased demand as residents turn to their smartphones for a connection.
2:32pm– Internet service via Suddenlink has been restored. Don’t forget to reconnect to your wifi hotspots!
BLM announces annual land closures for Parker 425
Jan 26th
The little piece of red tape that needs cleared with the U.S. Government each year has been taken care of, with the Federal Bureau of Land Management announcing the land closures requested by Best in the Desert racing association for the big off-road race in Parker Saturday, February 4th.
The BLM press release states:
A temporary Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public land closure is scheduled for February 3-4, 2012, for the 41st annual running of the Parker 425 Desert Race.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lake Havasu Field Office has announced the temporary closure of selected public lands under its administration in La Paz County, Arizona.
The Parker 425 Desert Race closure is in effect from 2:00 p.m. (MST) on Friday, February 3, 2012, through 11:59 p.m. (MST) on Saturday, February 4, 2012.
The closure is being done to help ensure public safety and prevent unnecessary environmental degradation during the permitted running of the Parker 425 Desert Race.
Areas subject to this closure include all public land; including county maintained roads and highways located within two miles of the designated course.
“As in past years, we will have designated spectator areas so people can enjoy the race,” said BLM Lake Havasu Field Manager Kim Liebhauser. “Post and cable fencing and concrete barriers will be used to designate two spectator areas in Bouse, Arizona. The five-mile long spectator area along Shea Road outside of Parker is above the race course, protected with post and cable fencing along the bluff, and will not require a speed zone.”
Liebhauser added, “The Parker Race is an important tradition to the community and public. We’ve had a perfect spectator safety record for 40 years and we want to keep it that way.”
Events next week include Wednesday’s PAACE Parker Youth Off-Road Experience at Player’s 9th Street Youth Center, the Down & Dirty Off-Road Show broadcasting at BlueWater Resort & Casino, the Downtown Experience Thursday afternoon on Joshua Avenue, Contingency Row and Tech at BlueWater’s north parking lot Friday followed by drivers’ and pilots’ meetings, and the race itself on Saturday, broadcast live by KLPZ 1380am.
