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Ocala Gazette
How location services and the organizational structure of a 911 call center can impact response times in a crisis
Editor’s note: For information about how this reporting came to fruition, read the backstory here. There are big screens in both the Ocala and Marion County 911 call centers. The screens reflect the number of incoming emergency calls and the number of available call takers. Everyone can see if no one is available and if any calls are waiting in the queue.
Explore Ocala’s Art Scene with Two New Exhibitions
The City of Ocala is hosting two new art exhibitions that will feature unique perspectives and artistic expressions. The city has announced the exhibition Spiky Truths, Sweet Solutions: Pineapples Allegories for Healing Justice by April Fitzpatrick has opened at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place. The pieces in this exhibition come from Fitzpatrick’s recent artist residency in South Carolina, and use color, textures, composition, and pineapple to create a piece that addresses the consequences and traumas of slavery as well as the stress caused by inequity and racial disparities within the healthcare system.
CF students win third place in national robotics competition
A College of Central Florida robotics team was awarded a bronze medal at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, held June 24-28 in Atlanta. CF Engineering Technology students Cameron Muncy and Shane Reedy, under the guidance of award-winning associate professor Sam Ajlani, built, designed and constructed a robot for the SkillsUSA Urban Search and Rescue competition. During the event, they directed their robot to travel through a course designed to look like multifamily housing, searching for and removing simulated explosive devices.
Providing quality observations to the community takes a lot of time and work
In my line of work, it’s never a surprise when the topics we choose to investigate ruffle some feathers. To become a local news leader, I often learned my ropes by studying the work of others. I’ve made no secret that I’m a regular reader of the Wall Street Journal. Every morning, over at least six cups of coffee, I get my short window of worldly news before I set off to focus and care only about Ocala/Marion.
Restaurant supports resource home
On June 9, Marco’s Pizza in Belleview hosted a pizza eating contest with the proceeds to benefit the nonprofit Refuge of Hope Independent Living, which is a resource home for young adults aging out of the foster care system. The winner of the contest, Steven Defilippio, came one slice...
Summer Memorial Service honors veterans
Thirty-six Marion County veterans who passed away over the last several months were honored at the Summer Memorial Service, held Saturday, July 6, 2024, at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park. The ceremony, presented by Marion County Veterans Services, included the reading of the name of a long serving local...
Belleview Gears Up for Spooky, Sweet Treats
The City of Belleview is gearing up for some spooky, sweet treats this fall as the community unites for the 2024 Trunk or Treat at Lake Lillian. The family-friendly event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and is free and open to all ages. The event expects 10,000 attendees and plans to serve candy to 5,000 children, vehicles decorated in a unique display called the Trunk or Treat.
Report Shows Reduced Number of Abortions
TALLAHASSEE — With a law taking effect May 1 that prevents abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a new report gives an initial picture of the reduced number of abortions being performed in Florida. The report, posted online by the state Agency for Health Care Administration, is dated July...
Ocala native is new Miss Florida
Ocala born and raised Casana Fink is the newest Miss Florida, 2024. She won the title and the crown at the June 29 competition in Lakeland. A graduate of Forest High School in Ocala, Fink also graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications. She is currently working at UF on a master’s degree in business administration, which she plans to complete in the fall season of 2025.
Visit these new home models
On Top of the World (Orange dot) Sunflower Model – 8891 SW 75th Loop, Ocala, FL 34481. 1,967 a/c sq. ft., single-family home starting at $334,990 featuring 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage, great room, breakfast nook, laundry suite, and covered lanai. Wisteria Model – 8895 SW 75th...
Bird of the week 2024 | Double-crested cormorant
Double-crested cormorants are common in Ocala and frequently in the company of Anhingas, which share a similar shape and size. Remember “C for curved bill” to distinguish cormorants from Anhingas. These birds dive as deep as 30 feet to search for fish to eat. This one was photographed at Silver Springs.
Bird of the week 2024 | Green heron
One color you seldom see on a Green Heron is green. There’s a chestnut neck and breast, yellow legs (orange during breeding season), blackish crown and blue-gray wings. But in just the right light, they show off a hint of green on their back and outer wings. This one was photographed at Tuscawilla Park.
Can emergency personnel locate me through my cellphone?
As more people have shifted to cellphones instead of landlines, the country’s emergency operations systems have had to find ways to locate people who are making 911 calls on their cellphones indoors. According to the National Chamber of Commerce, seven in 10 adults are wireless-only phone users, which is...
Creative differences
Among the many enjoyable pursuits in Ocala/Marion County are those that engage participants with organizations such as Arts in Health Ocala Metro, the CF Appleton Museum of Art, Marion Cultural Alliance, Ocala Civic Theatre and Ocala Symphony Orchestra. These nonprofits offer a wide variety of programming to enhance the area’s...
Horizon Academy to get an additional deputy on campus
Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks will now have two deputies stationed on campus thanks to an amendment of the contract between the school district and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. There will now be 40 school resource officers from MCSO across 33 of Marion County’s public elementary, middle and...
Firefighter injured in July 4 house fire
On the evening of the Fourth of July, a Marion County Fire Rescue firefighter was injured while battling a structure fire in a residential area of north Ocala, according to MCFR. Lt. Nicholas Ghigliotty sustained injuries shortly after entering the structure when fire conditions deteriorated around 8:04 p.m. on Thursday.
Ocala police seek leads in two homicides
The Ocala Police Department is investigating two shooting homicides that occurred within five days of each other in June. No new information or arrests have been announced but the reward for information leading to an arrest in either homicide now stands at $5,000. Derrick Brown Jr., 24, died as the...
Patriotic Skies: A Fourth of July Drone Experience
Thousands of people gathered to watch 300 drones flown in the patriotic tribute by Sky Elements, who were recently seen in the current season of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. The inaugural Fourth of July event replaced traditional fireworks with the silent drone light show and was accompanied by the Ocala Symphony Orchestra who performed inside the Reilly Arts Center and was broadcast outside. Patriotic Skies was delayed several hours due to inclement weather and lightning nearby. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.
Letter from the Publisher
The Ocala Gazette newspaper is at a crossroads. When we started four years ago, our goal was to keep our community connected but also deliver in-depth reporting that the other local news outlets didn’t have the guts to touch. We feel that is the type of information that keeps the power with the people so that they can hold the government accountable.
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