News
“Where’s the fire?”
Aug 31st
8/30 8:14am– Fire authorities confirm there is a wildland fire near Cibola, AZ. The direction of yesterday’s winds helped move its smoke north through the valley toward the Parker area. Smoke was also heavy in Blythe, CA and Ehrenberg, AZ.
8/30 10:21am– Reports say 11 structures have been engulfed by the fire in Cibola.
8/31 1:26pm– According to KYMA:
Fire crews are fighting to get the upper hand on a fire burning near Blythe.
The Bureau of Land Management says the Edison Fire has grown to more than 1,000 acres. A BLM spokesperson says that a downed powerline sparked the blaze.
The fire is zero percent contained, and crews say that thick vegetation is making it difficult to fight the fire. Firefighters are back-burning to try to slow the progress of the fire.
Quartzsite to get new Mayor
Aug 30th
In tonight’s recall election results, Quartzsite Mayor Ed Foster lost to Jose Lizzaragga, despite a rally on Saturday pledging support for his fight to bring openness and transparency to Quartzsite politics.
The unofficial results show that Lizzaragga won by around 60 votes. The new mayor is a former councilman who resigned to run against Foster.
Foster vows to run again in the spring.
2nd Red Ribbon Week Planning Meeting
Aug 30th
First, I want to thank everyone for making the first Red Ribbon Week Planning meeting a HUGE success. We had over 60 people in attendance which is amazing.
Our next Red Ribbon Week Planning Meeting will be held here at Players 9th Street Youth Center on Wednesday, August 31st at 12:00 noon. We will be finalizing logos and slogans for the tshirts and posters as well as discussing Family Fun Day and other Red Ribbon Week events. Feel free to bring your lunch to the meeting. Water and cookies will be available.
We appreciate all your help and support greatly!
Quartzsite rally attracts hundreds
Aug 29th
Saturday’s Quartzsite Liberty Festival made its mark on Quartzsite Saturday as planned, despite temperatures of 114 to 117 degrees.
The rally was arranged to protest the actions of the town’s council and police chief, most conspicuously the treatment of Quartzsite police officers who were suspended or fired in what the protestors say was retaliation for bringing formal allegations against Chief Jeff Gilbert.
Marchers chanted “Quartzsite Ten, oath-keeping men” as they walked over 2.5 miles from an RV park south of I-10, over the freeway bridge and along the streets of Quartzsite to Town Hall.
Several politically active groups were in attendance, including Oath Keepers, the Tea Party Patriots, the Sons of Liberty Riders and campaigners for Ron Paul for President 2012.
Many attendees carried flags, banners and signs. Some were armed with pistols or rifles, and cameras of all sorts. Law enforcement and other authorities were largely absent from the demonstration.
Chilled water bottles were available to the heat-weary crowd, and Grubstake bar and restaurant was flooded with people during a stop-off along the route. Some were seen pouring water over their heads. Others’ clothing appeared to be almost entirely soaked with sweat.
Quartzsite Mayor Ed Foster said people had flown in from around the United States for the rally, from states as far and wide as Alaska, Florida, Texas and Connecticut. “I live here and I’m having a hard time in this heat, so I know, for these people from [colder states], it’s gotta be tough on them”, he said.
Local activist Jennifer Jones, the video of whose arrest at a public meeting provoked outrage on the internet, said the people had braved the weather to send a strong message about the importance of liberty.
Standing in front of the doors of the council chambers that she was hauled out of months earlier, Jones told a cheering crowd, “God bless each and every one of you for coming and standing with the citizens of this town today. Right is right and wrong is wrong, and the rule of law applies to everyone.”
Among the speakers at the event were Arizona State Legislators Carl Seel and Judy Burges, and Libertarian Party activist Barry Hess.
Legislators to speak at ‘Quartzsite Liberty Fest’ Saturday
Aug 25th
Two Arizona state legislators are among those set to attend a demonstration march and rally organized for this Saturday, August 27th in Quartzsite. The ‘Quartzsite Liberty Fest’ is being arranged by organizations sympathetic to the cause of the town’s mayor, embattled police officers who have been suspended or fired recently, and local activists including Jennifer Jones.
Representative Carl Seel, House District 6 (Chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee) and Representative Judy M. Burges, House District 4 (Chairman of the House Committee on Government) will be at the head of the march on Saturday morning.
The Oath Keepers website says in a press release:
They will be there to honor the “Quartzsite Ten” police officers when the march stops at the Quartzsite Town Hall, and both of these fine legislators will be the keynote speakers at the Liberty Festival after the march, which starts at 1pm. Representatives Seel and Burges are attending to show their support for brave and principled peace officers who are willing to risk their careers to honor the rights of the citizens of Arizona, and in support of citizens who desire open and transparent government.
Police Chief Jeff Gilbert, strongly reviled in thousands of comments from around the country sent to Quartzsite Town Hall which prompted a ‘state of emergency’ to be declared by the town’s council, has extended an olive branch to those planning to attend the rally, saying:
[The] actions of Mayor Ed Foster and his group, is what I referred to as “domestic terrorism” in a recent Coffee with Cops gathering, and I stand by that statement. However, I did not call the Oath Keepers, the Tea Party, the Sons of Liberty Riders or other groups “terrorist”. I am sure that most of the followers of these groups are civil law abiding citizens who would not participate in this type of activity or condone it. I am certain that the “Quartzsite Liberty Festival” planned for August 27th and 28th will be a peaceful event and we welcome any visitors that are planning on attending.
No word on whether Chief Gilbert will be in Quartzsite himself on Saturday.
Among the groups planning to attend the rally are the Greater Phoenix Tea Party Patriots, the Campaign for Liberty, Sons of Liberty Riders, RidersUSA and Freedom’s Phoenix (which plans to air a radio show hosted by Ernest Hancock live from Quartzsite on Saturday afternoon).
Over 300 people are reportedly planning to fly into Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix from around the nation for the rally, after being transported to Quartzsite by bus. The plans include a ‘muster’ at 8:30am, a march to Town Hall at 10:00am, speeches and presentations at Vito’s RV Park from 1:00pm, a pot luck at 4:00pm and entertainment/music from 5:00pm.
Quartzsite council votes to strip mayor of powers
Aug 23rd
The Quartzsite town council voted today to remove many of the powers currently held by the town mayor and give them instead to the 7-member council.
This action will be seen by many as part of an ongoing feud between the council and Mayor Ed Foster, who alleges that the council and police chief violated open meeting laws, refused his lawful access to fiscal records and wrongfully fired police officers in politically-motivated retaliation, among other things.
The purposes of the ordinance voted in today, the town said, was to ‘clean up’ the codes governing the mayor’s role, and to ensure that the mayor had no more powers than those afforded to him by state law.
Quartzsite Town Attorney Martin Brannan said he had been requested to write up the ordinance, and gave an overview of some of the changes that would take effect, which included stripping the mayor of the right to chair council meetings.
Controversy has embroiled the town’s council meetings in recent months after local newspaper publisher Jennifer ‘Jade’ Jones was arrested while speaking at the podium during a ‘Call to the Public’. The video of her arrest became a viral hit on YouTube and put Quartzsite in the spotlight for thousands of pro-liberty Americans. Mayor Foster can be heard on the recording repeatedly telling the police officers, “You are violating my rules of order.”
After today’s meeting, Mayor Foster said he would like the changes put to the voters in a referendum.
32 Years for Richie at Bradley Chevrolet, Parker, AZ
Aug 19th
You all know him. He’s been here forever. It’s Richie Peters from Bradley Chevrolet right here in Parker, AZ. Richie was honored today with a pot luck lunch, a cool certificate and some cold hard cash. Richie has worked for Bradely Chevrolet for 32 years and what was so great were all the very cool things everyone said about him. They basically feel that without Richie, the place would fall apart. So when he gives you that ride back to work while your car is being serviced or you notice how clean the restrooms are or you see him just driving down the road doing his errands, make sure you wave and say hi and congratulations Richie! Job well done!
Fatal collision on I-10 at California state line
Aug 19th
DPS Press Release
Two killed and two injured
On Monday, August 15, 2011, at approximately 4:34 pm, a two-vehicle collision occurred on Interstate 10 between exit 1 and the California state line. A silver Toyota sport-utility vehicle was driving westbound on Interstate 10 when it collided into the rear of a red Nissan minivan. The collision forced the Nissan into a concrete barrier wall and the Toyota went through the right-of-way fence and onto the northbound frontage road.
The driver of the Nissan, Nancy Faustino, 66, Ehrenberg, Arizona, was flown to Desert Regional Hospital in Palm Springs, California, and was admitted in serious, but stable condition. One juvenile passenger in the Nissan was deceased at the scene. A second juvenile was flown from the scene to Phoenix Children’s Hospital and was pronounced deceased upon arrival.
The driver of the Toyota, Rebecca Loya, 57, Newhall, California, was treated and released for minor injuries from La Paz Regional Hospital. Loya was arrested and booked into the La Paz County Jail on two counts of Second-Degree Murder and one count of Aggravated Assault.
Interstate 10 was closed for approximately two hours while Arizona Department of Public Safety officers conducted an investigation at the scene. DPS officers were assisted by the California Highway Patrol, Blythe Police Department, and La Paz County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation into the collision is ongoing by DPS and impairment has not been ruled out as a factor in the collision.
Arizona Ombudsman’s office finds Quartzsite council at fault
Aug 18th
A report by the Arizona Ombudsman agrees with Quartzsite Mayor Ed Foster that the town wrongfully denied his request for access to information about the town’s finances and payroll.
Foster has alleged that the town blocked his access to information about where town money was going, speculating that there were more people being paid by the town than there were employees listed in the books.
The Ombudsman’s office agrees, saying in its cover letter to Mayor Foster:
We substantiated [your] allegation and found that the Town wrongfully denied your public records request. We recommend that the Town release the appropriately redacted records, but they did not agree. We have no legal authority to order the Town to comply with our recommendation. However, you have the option of proceeding to a court of jurisdiction to request a judge review the matter and consider issuing such an order.
The full report is available to read here, courtesy of the Qtown.us blog.
Quartzsite police firings case to move to federal court
Aug 16th
In front of a packed courtroom Monday, Judge Randolph Bartlett allowed a hearing on the Quartzsite police officer firings to continue, despite a motion from an attorney for the Town of Quartzsite questioning the legality of the proceedings.
The hearing followed a temporary restraining order issued by Bartlett in recent weeks which ordered the town to reinstate two police officers who were fired following 10 out of 13 police officers being placed on paid administrative leave. The officers had submitted allegations against their police chief Jeff Gilbert.
The Town of Quartzsite argued in court that agreements between employees and employers cannot be the subject of intervention by the court. Bartlett allowed the hearing to proceed.
An attorney representing the police officers called Police Chief Gilbert to the stand. The town’s attorney responded by saying that he was not present in the courtroom, which drew an audible response from the 60+ crowd sitting and standing in the courtroom. The officers’ attorney then called Quartzsite Councilman Joe Winslow, who was also not present.
Since none of the defendants were present, the attorney called a plaintiff, Sergeant William Ponce, to the stand. Ponce testified that he and 9 other officers had made allegations of an ethical nature about Chief Gilbert, and that he had subsequently been fired.
After over 20 minutes of testimony, the attorney for the Town of Quartzsite asked to approach the bench. After the attorneys’ sidebar with the judge, Bartlett announced that the town was exercising its right to move the case to federal court.
The court ordered that the papers be submitted within 10 days, and that the temporary restraining order would remain in place during that time.
