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Ocala Gazette
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.
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.
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.
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...
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...
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