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.

Officer involved shooting at 100 Homes, one dead

UPDATE 6/7: CRIT P.D. has added another detail for the record. According to CRIT Police Chief William Ponce, the knife-wielding subject in this story was advancing on the officer, moving toward him while ignoring repeated instructions to drop the knife. “The individual kept advancing on the officer, and the officer retreated until this individual continued to advance on the officer …

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Candidates for County offices set for elections

A deadline for candidates turning in paperwork and signatures to La Paz County was reached late Wednesday, which means that we now know the full list of candidates running for local election this year. The primary election in August is up first, with Republicans and Democrats voting for their nominees to the general election in November. But much will be …

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15 year-old boy drowns over Memorial Day weekend

It was the first tragic news of its kind in a long time on the Parker Strip: a 15 year-old boy died by drowning in the river at La Paz County Park over Memorial Day weekend. The boy was visiting with his family from the Phoenix, AZ area and was stationed on a riverfront stretch of the park Sunday, where …

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10 Things You Need for a Classic Parker Summer Weekend

It’s officially the beginning of summer on the Parker Strip! Here are 10 things you may need. 1. Cooler What better place to start? You’ll need a cooler packed with ice so there’s always a cold one nearby. With temps reaching the upper 90s this weekend, it won’t take long before you’ll be reaching for one. 2. Sunglasses For obvious …

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Viewfinder: Graduation

Yesterday was the last day of school for most in the Parker Unified School District, with the graduation and ‘move up’ ceremonies held Wednesday and Thursday at the schools in the district. Parker High School’s graduation was held at Joe Bush Stadium Thursday night, the bleachers and walkways packed with family and friends as the fireworks marked the end of …

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Things learned when returning a desert tortoise to the wild

A desert tortoise found itself in a built-up area of the town of Parker Wednesday, where it was found by some people going about their day jobs and returned after consulting with Arizona Game and Fish Department. A few things were learned during the incident: There are two species of desert tortoise, one that is native to the east of …

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Suspect named in triple homicide case

A man who was a ‘person of interest’ in a triple homicide in rural La Paz County has now been named as a suspect in the murders, according to La Paz County Sheriff’s Office. “We recently completed a preliminary analysis of some of the biological/physical evidence recovered from the crime scene. At this time, we have enough probable cause to …

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Elderly woman found after wandering away from camp near Quartzsite

An elderly woman is safe after she got lost for several hours in the desert on a hot day last week near Quartzsite, AZ and was quickly rescued by first responders. On Tuesday evening Dwight Barr, 74, drove to the Quartzsite Police Department to report that his wife Elinor, 80, was lost in the desert south of the town. Mr. …

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One pedestrian dead, one injured in crash near Parker

UPDATE: Added below. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, two pedestrians were struck late Thursday night on Highway 95 north of Parker, killing one and seriously injuring the other. The two pedestrians were walking in the outside lane of traffic, according to a DPS spokesperson. They were struck by a passenger vehicle at around 10:25pm at milepost 145.6. …

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AWC breaks ground on new community center

A new 11,200 square-foot facility broke ground Thursday evening on 11th Street in Parker, part of an initiative to put community college dollars into use for the community in the Parker area. Arizona Western College Parker Community Center will be used as classroom space some of the time, with a feature allowing the classrooms to convert into a large meeting …

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