John Wright

John is Editor of Parker Live. He is also the host of a daily afternoon radio show on KLPZ 1380am and a documentary filmmaker.

Burger King employee robbed at gunpoint, left tied up

A woman who is an employee of Burger King in Parker was robbed at gunpoint and left tied up until she was released by people who heard her yelling early on Saturday morning. The employee, a female, was by herself opening the store for the day when the incident happened around 5 a.m. on Saturday. Burger King opens for breakfast …

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Supervisors disagree over Economic Development Corporation

County Supervisors disagreed last week in a public meeting over the value of an organization known as the La Paz Economic Development Corporation (EDC). The organization, which is properly called a ‘public-private partnership’, operates independently but in partnership with La Paz County, the Town of Parker, La Paz Regional Hospital and other investors to pursue economic opportunities in the area. …

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First-generation students make up 60 percent of AWC college population

A majority of the students at Arizona Western College are the first members of their families to have gone to college. First-generation students make up over 60 percent of the population at AWC, and a number of faculty and staff members are first-generation too. One of those faculty members is Yaneli Pasillas-Miller, an English adjunct instructor and Student Success Center …

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Volunteers to clean up Take Off Point for National Public Lands Day

Take Off Point Recreation Area is to get a freshening up, with volunteers invited to join the effort on the morning of National Public Lands Day. Take Off Point, next to Parker Dam on the southern end of Lake Havasu, is a popular free boat launch site used year-round by boaters and other water users, but peaking on summer weekends. …

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County gears up for 2020 election, Recorder Shelly Baker to retire

La Paz County is preparing for the 2020 election, with candidates beginning to register for most of the key offices countywide. Seats that will be decided next year include all three County Supervisors, County Assessor, County Attorney, County Recorder, County Sheriff, County Superintendent of Schools and County Treasurer. If they decide to run for the offices they currently hold, the …

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Man charged with 3 year-old daughter’s murder goes to trial

A man charged with the murder of his own 3 year-old daughter is on trial this week at La Paz County Superior Court. Prosecutors say Aaron Freeman, 26, of Blythe, beat his daughter, Autumn Shibley, in several acts of abuse over the course of June 10th, 2017, one which resulted in a perforated stomach, her admission to hospital in Blythe …

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READ: Arguments for and against an aluminum smelting plant in La Paz County

A proposal to build an aluminum smelting plant along the highway connecting the towns of Wenden and Salome in rural La Paz County have created controversy, with some local residents saying they don’t want the plant and the company arguing it would be great for the local economy. The debate started when the Arizona Republic ran a piece on it …

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Viewfinder: Parker’s railroad bridge up in flames

UPDATE: Added morning photos at bottom. The bridge is still burning, but fire fighting efforts appear to have stopped as the reachable sections have been put out. The bridge will be unusable until repaired. — ORIGINAL STORY: A fire broke out on substantial sections of the railroad bridge in Parker, AZ on Saturday night. Many agencies were still responding at …

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Man accused of forklift assault goes to jury trial

UPDATE: The trial reportedly ended with a hung jury Thursday, with the jurors unable to reach a unanimous verdict. A hearing on the case will be held in November to determine any further actions prosecutors wish to pursue or not. A jury trial began Tuesday for a man accused of purposefully steering a forklift into another man who was riding …

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Power outages, damage from Labor Day weekend storm

UPDATE: Ice is available at Parker High School and BlueWater Resort & Casino. Red Cross is assisting. UPDATE: Brook Water has issued its own advisory of service interruption. See it HERE. UPDATE: BIA estimates time for restoration of power late tonight. Multiple power poles are still down. CRIT has services available for residents. Info HERE. —- A storm that rolled …

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