Arkansas
Calipari on Ark. fans’ ovation: ‘Haven’t lost a game’
As John Calipari entered Bud Walton Arena for his first game at Arkansas on Friday night, the home crowd erupted as the 1990s Chicago Bulls introduction music played in the background.
Although No. 16 Arkansas’ 85-69 win over No. 1 Kansas was a charity exhibition, the buzz surrounding the coach’s arrival in Fayetteville — after a lengthy stint at Kentucky — was palpable.
But Calipari downplayed Friday’s ovation, which he received from the 19,200 fans who attended the sold-out affair.
“I haven’t lost a game,” he said about the crowd’s favorable reaction.
Though both teams were short-handed — Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo didn’t play for Arkansas, and Hunter Dickinson and Alabama transfer Rylan Griffen were both out for Kansas — Friday marked a new chapter for Calipari and Arkansas. His rocky exit at Kentucky unfolded after he followed a national title run in 2012 and a string of Final Four appearances with multiple first-round exits in the NCAA tournament.
But he regrouped quickly at Arkansas, where five-star prospect Boogie Fland, former Kentucky guard D.J. Wagner and veteran Johnell Davis, a standout for Florida Atlantic in the 2023 Final Four, anchor his new squad.
Wagner and Fland combined to score 46 points against a Kansas team that arrived without two of its best players. But Arkansas has also dealt with multiple injuries — Calipari said his team has been unable to hold full practices for the past two weeks.
“We’ve played against [graduate assistants],” Calipari said after the game, which helped raise money for a pair of children’s hospitals in the teams’ respective communities.
Although his Kansas team struggled (7-for-23 from beyond the arc) in the four-quarter exhibition, Jayhawks coach Bill Self said he was not concerned about the result because of his team’s personnel challenges.
But he added he was not sure he would face a better backcourt this season than the one Arkansas boasts. He also said Calipari’s 2024-25 Razorbacks might comprise one of the most talented teams of his career.
“I actually think this team is better than some of the ones he’s had at Kentucky,” Self said. “We’ve played them at least every other year for the last 10 years. There were a couple of [Kentucky] teams that were elite, elite, elite. This team, to me, has a chance to be terrific and maybe more talented than some of the teams that [Calipari] had at Kentucky. Not all of them, but some of them. I think they have a real chance.”
Calipari said that analysis might be premature.
“I actually think this team is better than some of the ones he’s had at Kentucky. … There were a couple of [Kentucky] teams that were elite, elite, elite. This team, to me, has a chance to be terrific and maybe more talented than some of the teams that [Calipari] had at Kentucky. Not all of them, but some of them.”
Kansas coach Bill Self
“That’s very early to make that statement,” he said in response to Self’s comments. “Very early to make that statement.”
But the energy in the crowd, and the promise within the roster, was clear Friday, with a victory over the No. 1 team in America in his first game as the new Arkansas head coach.
“All I know is when you have really good guards, you usually have a really good team,” Calipari said.
Arkansas
Stockton rappers plead guilty to possessing machine gun, marijuana in Arkansas traffic stop
LITTLE ROCK, AR — Two well-known Northern California rappers have pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the 2025 traffic stop where an Arkansas state trooper found a stolen Glock pistol and about five ounces of marijuana, court records show.
Jaymani “EBK Jaaybo” Gorman, 22, and Xavier “Baby Maxx” Jones, 19, pleaded guilty to possession of a machine gun and possessing a controlled substance with intent to distribute it. The gun charge carries up to 10 years but the actual prison term they’ll get is up in the air; no specific sentence has been agreed to and their sentencing date wasn’t announced, court records show.
Gorman and Jones entered their guilty pleas on Thursday, weeks after Jones signaled his intent to plead guilty, backed out, then changed his mind again. Both men were scheduled to go on trial before reaching an agreement. In light of their guilty pleas, prosecutors dismissed several other federal charges.
Gorman and Jones were arrested last year during a traffic stop in Arkansas with a Glock pistol illegally modified to shoot fully automatic, about five ounces of marijuana, and $8,534 in cash, according to court records. The money and a Luis Vuitton handbag have been seized by the federal government, court records show.
Oakland police say the gun has been “forensically linked” to a February 2025 shooting where a rival rapper, Jarico “Dreamllife Rizzy” Anderson, was shot and wounded as he drove on Highway 24 towards Orinda in Oakland. No charges have been filed in that shooting. Police have named Anderson as a member of a San Francisco gang and both Jones and Gorman as members of a rival gang in Stockton.
Anderson has since been hit with federal charges in the Bay Area for allegedly having a gun as a felon. A judge has released him while the case is pending, court records show.
Arkansas
Arkansas cotton, soybean planting pushes toward finish as June ‘Acreage’ surveys get underway – Pine Bluff Commercial
Arkansas
Texas bee swarm hospitalizes 3; Arkansas doctors explain warning signs of severe reactions
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — A bee swarm attack in Texas sent three people, including a firefighter, to the hospital this week, while Arkansas medical experts said most bee stings are not dangerous but can become life-threatening in certain cases.
Authorities in San Antonio said the three victims were hospitalized after being swarmed and stung by aggressive bees. Officials have not released details on what triggered the attack or the species involved.
Doctors in Arkansas said the biggest risk from a bee sting is not the sting itself, but a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis.
“The concern when you have a bee sting is if you develop a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis,” said Dr. Garrett Lewis, chief medical officer at St. Vincent Infirmary.
Lewis said warning signs include throat swelling, difficulty breathing and feeling faint, which require immediate medical attention.
“If you’re experiencing any throat swelling or severe shortness of breath, you need to seek medical care immediately,” Lewis said.
He added that people who are stung multiple times may also be at risk even without a known allergy, because each sting introduces additional venom into the body.
In the event of a swarm, Lewis said the priority should be escaping the area as quickly as possible and removing any stingers once safe.
“Seek water, seek indoor,” Lewis said. “Once you’re away from the swarm, you want to make sure that you are removing any stingers that might still be in your skin.”
Lewis also said symptoms such as dizziness, nausea and widespread hives can indicate a serious reaction.
While the Texas incident resulted in hospitalizations, a recent swarm outside a Little Rock business ended without injuries after bees briefly gathered on a tree limb before being safely removed by a beekeeper.
Lewis said the best prevention is awareness of surroundings and understanding when medical care is needed after a sting.
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