LR-region dodges worst of ice; Buffett cancels

Central Arkansas struggled through a day-long onslaught of wintry weather Friday that shut down local governments and made travel treacherous, but the region avoided major traffic disruptions and power failures.

The freezing rain, sleet and snow did claim the last major event that remained this weekend, a concert by Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, which was to begin at 8 p.m. today at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.

“I’ve spoken personally to the Arkansas Highway Department, our local meteorologists and have read all of the reports, and the conditions for this weekend are simply prohibitive for us to host Jimmy Buffett tomorrow night,” Mike Marion, the arena’s general manager, said in a prepared statement. “We regret we have had to cancel the concert, but our patrons’s afety is always first and foremost.”

Refunds are available at the point of purchase, according to the statement. Tickets purchased by phone or online through Ticketmaster will be refunded automatically.

On Friday, with state and local governments and area schools closed for the day, most central Arkansas residents remained in their homes.

As a result, law enforcement agencies reported few problems on the icy streets and roads.

Lt. Sidney Allen, spokesman for the Little Rock Police Department, said Friday afternoon that officers worked only six accidents since 8:25 a.m., two of which resulted in minor injuries.

“Officers are reporting slippery road conditions on various streets throughout the city and are requesting the city’s salt and sand crews to clear those areas,” Allen said in an email. “The call load is light, and that is helping with the response time to the calls that are being dispatched.”

North Little Rock police and the Pulaski County sheriff’s office reported similar lack of action.

“North Little Rock police’s call volume was pretty light,” said Sgt. Brian Dedrick, spokesman for the agency. “Officers responded to a couple of accidents, but nothing major, and traffic was also pretty light.”

Little Rock reported just one street closure: Reservoir Road. North Little Rock closed thoroughfares at Allwood Drive, Reed Road at Crystal Hill Road, the 14th Street wooden bridge and Snake Hill on Avondale Road.

The area bus system struggled throughout the day.

Beginning at 9:15 a.m. Friday, the Central Arkansas Transit Authority began following its posted snow routes “due to hazardous conditions in certain areas,” said Jarod Varner, the authority’s executive director.

All routes Friday were running about 20 minutes behind schedule, he said. Service scheduled to leave downtown after 6:20 p.m. was canceled.

Detours for each route can be found on the agency’s website, www.cat.org, and on its Facebook page.

The authority announced Friday afternoon that it won’t begin its fixed bus routes, its Links paratransit and River Rail Service until 9 a.m. today and left open the possibility that road conditions could delay the start of service.

Power disruptions also were minimal in Pulaski County on Friday, the majority confined to about 500 customers in a neighborhood on the west side of Boyle Park.

While whipping up breakfast for her family, Cheryl Swift turned on the news to check the weather when the lights went out.

With the lights went the heat, and the 46-year-old mother of two and grandmother of one had flashbacks to the 2000 ice storm, as well as power failures during the Christmas snowstorm last year.

“It was just horrible,” Swift said of the past events.

Last Christmas, her Elkhart Drive home was without power for nine days, Swift said. After one day, the family packed up and went to stay with her folks in Saline County.

By 3 p.m. Friday, Swift’s power and heat were restored.

North Little Rock city offices were among the few government offices open Friday. Little Rock required essential staff to report to work, but its offices were closed to the public. Maumelle and Sherwood city offices were closed.

Other closures included the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, the North Little Rock Visitors Bureau and the Patrick Hays Senior Citizens Center in North Little Rock.

The Arkansas Arts Center also was closed.

With only essential state personnel required to work, the Capitol was quiet.

Gov. Mike Beebe said some state employees, about half of whom live outside Little Rock, had called in asking whether they were considered essential. He said the state’s operations were still functioning despite the lack of personnel.

The governor said many people were staying off the roadways and that power failures had slowed during the morning hours. But Beebe said the storm was “worse than some and not as bad as some.” Information for this article was contributed by Spencer Willems, Aziza Musa, Jake Sandlin, Sean Beherec and Claudia Lauer of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.