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.

Parker Strip river road to reopen to traffic

The river road on the Parker Strip is to reopen north of Sundance Saloon after a unanimous decision by the La Paz County Board of Supervisors Monday. Photo by Melissa Wright Photography. The scenic stretch of road has been closed since 2014 when heavy rains led to a rockslide of several large boulders which landed on the narrow two-lane roadway, …

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Viewfinder: Sometimes the Desert Does Gross Things

Like dropping a sudden plague of black beetles over the night sky, where they get attracted to the bright lights of a grocery store or gas station and end up being swept up by the thousands the next morning. Sometimes the desert does gross things.

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30 employees laid off at La Paz County, more may come

Emotions were high at La Paz County when approximately 30 employees were laid off after the Board of Supervisors voted to reduce the County’s workforce with immediate effect. The cuts came in response to an ongoing financial crisis, which the Supervisors have been publicly addressing since their new term began in January. “This is the horrible day we’ve all known …

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To The Editor: Does Parker hate tents?

Here’s an email: “The Parker Strip is awesome and we love to camp on the river. But almost every camp site is for RVs only and tents are not allowed! Even in places that are managed by BLM, like the Parker Dam Road on the California side, we couldn’t find a single tent site, and most of them are day …

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County’s 4-day workweek is to stay

La Paz County’s 4-day workweek will stay, after the Board of Supervisors considered a proposal to change it to 5 days in a public meeting. County employees and members of the public filled the boardroom for Monday’s meeting, which included an agenda item added by Supervisor Duce Minor proposing a return to 5-day opening hours for County offices. Eleven of …

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Supervisors to discuss moving to a 5-day workweek

UPDATE 4/17: Changing to a 5-day workweek has now had its day in front of the Board of Supervisors and failed 2-1. See the update HERE for more. — ORIGINAL STORY: The La Paz County Board of Supervisors is to publicly discuss changing the County’s hours to a 5-day week. The item on the agenda for Monday, April 17th reads: …

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Column: The Perils of Persistence

Last month I talked a little bit about how important persistence is in our lives. Nothing worth doing happens without it, that’s for sure. And, come to think of it, nothing much worth doing gets done without at least some of it either! So persistence is a critical factor in all our lives. But – you knew that big “but” …

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Woman barely escapes car fire at river’s edge

UPDATED to add the woman’s name and other info. A woman escaped with her life after being helped out by a good Samaritan just moments before fire engulfed her car. Early on Sunday afternoon Cathy McClellan, 60 years old from Parker, reportedly lost control while driving a blue Corvette on the winding river road designated as Business-95. Her car ended …

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70 federal inmates arrive at La Paz County Jail Thursday

The inmate population at La Paz County Detention facility doubled on Thursday from just over 70 inmates to over 140. The jail received 70 inmates Thursday from the federal government in response to the closure of a private prison in San Luis, AZ. It is not known how long the arrangement will be in place or if it represents a …

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Supervisors terminate Administrator agreement

The La Paz County Board of Supervisors voted to terminate the agreement they had with the firm that provided Robert Smith as Interim County Administrator, citing the high costs and the necessity of filling the position on a permanent basis. Supervisor Holly Irwin placed the item on Monday’s agenda, saying she “about fell off [her] chair” when she saw the …

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