Weather forecast: Rainy, with a chance of floods (and worse)
Baseball’s back: Home opener for the Travs next Tuesday night plus sports and headlines
Note to subscribers: An annual or monthly subscription is billed to your debit or credit card as ARKANSAS.SUBSTACK.COM and if you have questions, please email arkansas@substack.com. Thanks for reading and subscribing!The Headlines
MEETINGS: The Maumelle City Council will meet next Monday night at City Hall. The North Little Rock School Board was scheduled to meet tonight but that meeting was cancelled due to the inclement weather..
EVENTS: Baseball’s back and the Travs return to Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock next Tuesday. For more, keep scrolling.
DRAMA: North Little Rock High School is presenting, “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” starting next Thursday, April 10 and continuing through Saturday, April 12. The Thursday and Friday night shows start at 7 p.m. with the Saturday show being a 3 p.m. matinee. Buy Tickets.
Weather forecast: Rainy, with a chance of floods
The good news is that it will stop raining, the bad news is that it might not be until Sunday.
The result is what the meteorologists at the National Weather Service in North Little Rock called “historic” as “50-year” flooding is a possibility.
Weather events, of a certain rarity, are defined by how frequently they happen, so a “50-year” flood would only occur, on average, once every fifty years. If it seems that those rare weather events happen with more and more frequency, you wouldn’t be wrong.
The total amount of rain that could fall in central Arkansas could be as many as 15 inches, with possible catastrophic flash flooding in Pulaski County.
In essence, if you live in a place that has flooded in the past, it is likely to happen again this weekend. If you live in a place that hasn’t flooded in the past, it is possible for it to happen again.
The storms could also generate tornadoes and that is already true as multiple tornadoes have been reported in southeast and northeast Arkansas. Jonesboro TV reported on Wednesday night that everyone in KAIT-TV’s coverage area, essentially northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri, should take cover as multiple tornadoes were on the ground.
The full extent of the damage was not at the time of this reporting.
As for the flooding, North Little Rock and Maumelle are both prone. If you live in, say, the apartments near the Maumelle police station, you should evacuate if you see rising waters, assuming you haven’t already left for higher ground.
The same can be said on the riverfront property in both cities, as the parks there won’t be on the river, they’ll be underwater.
Stay safe and if you water on the roads, turn around, don’t drown. It doesn’t take much to wash your car off the road.
Eye on the sky:
Today: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 69 and low around 60.. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 81 and a low around 66. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 71 and a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms, then mostly cloudy, with a high near 55 and a low around 39
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 64, with a low around 40.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 62, with a low around 40.
Baseball’s back: Travs hit the field this weekend with the home opener next Tuesday night
The Arkansas Travelers, the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, begin their defense of the Texas League title this Friday when the team opens the season for a three-game stand at Midland on Friday.
Then the team will go to its familiar six games, one day off schedule next Tuesday when Tulsa comes to town, then leaves on Sunday.
There’s some changes at the ol’ ballpark, now in its 18th season of hosting the Travs. First, while it is still Dickey-Stephens Park, it will now be called, “CHI St. Vincent Field at Dickey-Stephens Park” and for writing purposes, it will never be called that again, it will always just be Dickey-Stephens here.
Second, the new ownership, which is effective this season, is going hard on promotions and there’s several cool things planned for this season with our two favorites being:
The Barkansas Dizzys, named after Dizzy, the bestest boy in baseball and the very familiar dog roaming the park with Vice President of Stadium Operations Greg Johnston, either on or trotting beside Johnston’s golf cart. This is also Johnston’s 50th year with the team, as he followed along from Ray Winder Field when Dickey-Stephens opened in 2007.
The new team name will start June 10 and end on June 15.
There will be giveaways and bobbleheads and, maybe more importantly, you can bring your dog to the park every night that week and, for the audio averse, the typical Friday night fireworks show will be replaced by a “dog-friendly drone show.”
A move many dog owners will appreciate.
The team will also honor the “Little Rock Nine,” the students who desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957 with specially designed jerseys and hats for an August series against Springfield.
The games will be Aug. 21-23 and more details will be released as those games get closer.
The roster
The Travs will have a 28-man squad with an equal number, 14, of pitchers and position players.
The manager will be Ryan Scott.
Top prospects are:
Pitcher Brandyn Garcia
Outfielder Jared Sundstrom
Infielder Brock Rodden
There’s also a pair of former Arkansas Razorbacks on the team in Caleb Cali and Matt Cronin.
Back from last season are Garcia, Jimmy Joyce, Jimmy Kingsbury, Jason Ruffcorn and Danny Wirchansky, all pitchers, Position players returning are: Victor Labrada, Blake Rambusch, Ben Ramirez, Rodden and Hogan Windish.
The roster is fairly experienced as a total of 21 Travs played in at least Double-A last season but the downside of that is there’s not an electrifying young prospect on the team, at least not yet.
Upcoming games
At Midland, Friday-Sunday
Tulsa (six-game homestand)
Tuesday, 6:05 p.m. | Opening Night
Magnet Schedule Giveaway; Make sure your fridge knows when the Champs play. | Presented By Jacksonville Parks & Recreation | First 1,000 Fans (one item per person)
Wednesday, 11:05 a.m.
School Day; Putting the "field" in "greatest field trip ever." | Presented By Simmons Bank
Senior Day; Presented By ArchWell Health
Slap Bracelet Ruler Giveaway; Presented By Simmons Bank | First 3,000 Kids (one item per person)
Thursday, 6:35 p.m.
Operation: Military Appreciation: $3 Thursday
Enjoy $3 Beer Garden Tickets and select Concessions deals.
Magnet Schedule Giveaway; Make sure your fridge knows when the Champs play. | Presented By Jacksonville Parks & Recreation | First 1,000 Fans (one item per person)
Friday, 7:05 p.m.
Fireworks Friday - Music of Champions | Presented By Baptist Health
RED OUT: Wear your best crimson attire as we celebrate the reigning Texas League Champs.
Championship Rally Towel Giveaway; Presented By North Little Rock Police Department | First 2,000 Fans (one item per person)
Saturday, 6:05 p.m.
Replica Championship Ring Giveaway; Celebrate the 2024 Texas League Champs in style with your very own replica bling. | Presented By Pinnacle Structures | First 1,500 Fans (one item per person)
Kids Run the Bases; Kids 13 and under are invited to run the same basepaths the Travs run after the game. | Presented By First Community Bank
Sunday, 1:35 p.m.
Operation: Military Appreciation: Service Members get $3 off General Admission and Field Reserved tickets by presenting a Military ID (only available at DSP Box Office) | Presented By Mid-South Ford Dealers
Magnet Schedule Giveaway; Make sure your fridge knows when the Champs play. | Presented By Jacksonville Parks & Recreation | First 500 Fans (one item per person)
Kids Run the Bases; Kids 13 and under are invited to run the same basepaths the Travs run after the game. | Presented By First Community Bank
At Springfield, April 15- 19, Saturday night doubleheader
Midland (six-game homestand)
Tuesday, April 22, 11:05 a.m.
School Day: Putting the "field" in "greatest field trip ever." | Presented By Simmons Bank
Senior Day: Presented By ArchWell Health
Slap Bracelet Ruler Giveaway: Presented By Simmons Bank | First 3,000 Kids (one item per person)
Wednesday, April 23, 6:35 p.m.
Dog Day: Human fans can get $3 Berm tickets by bringing their dog to the game (only available at DSP Box Office). NOTE: Dogs are only allowed in the Berm areas | Presented By Hollywood Feed
Thursday, April 24, 6:35 p.m.
Operation: Military Appreciation: $3 Thursday
Enjoy $3 Beer Garden Tickets and select Concessions deals.
Friday, April 25, 7:05 p.m.
Fireworks Friday - TBA Theme: End your week at DSP with a BANG. | Presented By Metro Disaster Specialists
Saturday, April 26, 6:05 p.m.
Post-Game Wrestling: Time for the Main Event. Stick around after the game for post-game matches featuring the stars of Memphis Wrestling. | Presented By Midtown Billiards
Malmö Oat Milkers Night: Did Someone Say Dynasty? Your other home team is back from their astonishingly successful first season to make even more history in what could be this year's most unforgettable game, including fun like VIP seats, a crazy first pitch, Oat Milker Fan Trivia, the chance to sign an Oat Milkers contract, and more. | Presented By Oatly
Sunday, April 27, 1:35 p.m.
Operation: Military Appreciation: Service Members get $3 off General Admission and Field Reserved tickets by presenting a Military ID (only available at DSP Box Office) | Presented By Mid-South Ford Dealers
Kids Baseball Clinic: Kids 13 and under are invited to join Travs players on field for a baseball clinic starting at noon.
Kids Run the Bases: Kids 13 and under are invited to run the same basepaths the Travs run after the game. | Presented By First Community Bank
At Tulsa, April 29 - May 4
Camp Healing Hearts offers free grief camp
Losing a loved one is difficult for everyone, and grieving a loss is essential to accepting painful feelings and creating an opportunity for growth and a new sense of normal.
Camp Healing Hearts is for Arkansas children ages five to 18 and their families who are grieving the death of a loved one. Part of Kaleidoscope Grief Center, a program of Methodist Family Health, Camp Healing Hearts is a FREE overnight event that will begin at 5 p.m. at Camp Aldersgate in Little Rock on Friday, May 9 and end at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10. Registration deadline is Sunday, April 26.
Utilizing both therapy and recreation, our camp offers children and families an opportunity to discover their own inner strength. An adult caregiver is required to accompany the grieving child or children attending camp. Activities include heart-to-heart time, fishing, crafts, games, campfires, s'mores and much more. It is best for children and families who have experienced a loss of 3-to-6 months or more. Only 100 spaces are available.
You can apply online at https://form.jotform.com/scox/CAMP_HEALING_HEARTS or download the application and mail it to:
Dao Ward
Kaleidoscope Grief Center
1600 Aldersgate Rd., Suite 100B
Little Rock, Arkansas 72205
Application deadline is Sunday, April 26.
Kaleidoscope Grief Center serves grieving children, teens and their families throughout Arkansas. Grief can be an isolating experience for children. The program helps those dealing with loss and bereavement through education, therapeutic and recreational services, grief support programs, counseling and Camp Healing Hearts.
To register for Camp Healing Hearts, learn more about Kaleidoscope Grief Center or find out how Methodist Family Health can assist your family, visit MethodistFamily.org.
Health
Pandemic deaths unknown
The state Department of Health didn’t update the state’s dashboard this week, again, and deaths still total 532 for the past year. There’s no tab created for 2025 either and the virus has now killed 14,162 Arkansans since the pandemic began then. That would mean the pandemic death toll has now passed Marion’s 13,635 people, the state’s 29th largest city.
Covid toolkit
There’s now a one-stop shop to learn about vaccination sites and other Covid related information. Click here to learn more.
If you don’t want to get sick and die, there’s some things you can do:
Get vaccinated
Get boosted
Wear a mask
Avoid crowds