Columbus
Ocala Gazette
MCFR deploys task force to north Florida for aid after Hurricane Debby makes landfall
As Hurricane Debby makes its way through north Florida after making landfall on Monday morning, Marion County Fire Rescue’s urban search and rescue task force is stationed in Marianna to provide aid in the Big Bend region. Hurricane Debby made landfall Monday morning near Steinhatchee, Florida as a Category...
Florida encourages motorist to follow safety rules as school starts
With the new school year just around the corner, the Florida Department of Highway Safety Motor Vehicles is reminding motorists of school zone safety rules. “Each August, as the school year begins, law enforcement across the state make concentrated efforts to remind drivers about school zone safety. This includes emphasizing the importance of reducing speed, highlighting the consequences of passing school buses, and underlining the danger children are exposed to when such actions occur,” said FHP Colonel Gary Howze II.
Hurricane Makes Landfall in Big Bend
Hurricane Debby made landfall about 7 a.m. Monday near Steinhatchee as a Category 1 storm, bringing the rural Big Bend region its second hurricane in less than a year. Debby, which made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, was expected to slow and turn northeast, meandering across North Florida and Southeast Georgia later Monday, with the National Hurricane Center saying it could produce “catastrophic flooding in some locations.”
Heritage Trail opening postponed due to inclement weather
The long-awaited opening of the new Heritage Trail in west Ocala is now being postponed after inclement weather, brought on by Hurricane Debby, caused the Monday ribbon-cutting ceremony to be canceled. The city of Ocala has not yet decided on a new date for the opening ceremony to take place.
MCSO investigates two deaths
Deputies responding to a report of shots fired at a southeast Marion County residence on Saturday night found two people deceased from gunshot wounds, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. MCSO Public Information Officer Zach Moore indicated at the scene, in the 14200 block of Southeast 30th Terrace, that the incident appeared “isolated” and […]
Storm Could Hit Florida as Hurricane
A Category 1 hurricane is forecast to make landfall Monday morning in North Florida’s Big Bend region, which the powerful Hurricane Idalia hammered nearly a year ago, according to the private meteorology company AccuWeather. As the system, Tropical Depression Four, started to move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico...
City of Ocala emergency dispatch continues to struggle
Editor’s note: The author of this article lives in an automatic-aid area of Marion County, where in an emergency, OPD and OFR would likely have closer units to respond. The split communication center, the two CAD systems, in addition to challenges related to cell phones, are all factors pointing to extra challenges hindering first responders […]
Woman, teen girl die following traffic crash in NW Marion County
Two people were killed and two were critically injured in a two-car crash Friday afternoon on U.S. Highway 41 in northwest Marion County. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a pickup truck driven by a 54-year-old Dunnellon man was traveling north on U.S. 41 when it left the roadway to the right and the driver […]
Marion County declares state of emergency for storm system
Marion County officials have declared a local state of emergency as the Invest 97L storm system develops and moves toward the west coast of Florida. As of Friday morning, the Marion County area has a 40% confidence level of seeing direct and indirect impacts, said the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management Director Preston Bolin at an emergency meeting on Friday.
DeSantis Declares Storm Emergency
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday declared a state of emergency for 54 counties, most along the Gulf Coast and in northern Florida, as a tropical wave with a high chance of strengthening into a more-threatening storm was on a path that could reach the state this weekend. The declaration was for Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton and Washington counties. DeSantis’ order, in part, directed Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie to coordinate the state’s approach to the storm and any recovery operations. The National Hurricane Center said the wave, called Invest 97L, caused showers and thunderstorms over Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Southeastern Bahamas on Thursday afternoon. Development of the system is expected to be slow while it moves over parts of the Greater Antilles. But the hurricane center said conditions are conducive for the storm to develop into a tropical depression after clearing the Greater Antilles and move into the eastern Gulf of Mexico this weekend or early next week.
Child Safety Travel Tips for the New School Year
The Florida High Patrol has launched an awareness campaign to promote child safety with reminders for both adults and children as the new school year starts. “Each August, as the school year begins, law enforcement across the state make concentrated efforts to remind drivers about school zone safety. This includes emphasizing the importance of reducing speed, highlighting the consequences of passing school buses, and underlining the danger children are exposed to when such actions occur,” said FHP Colonel Gary Howze II in a issued statement.
Afternoon crash on I-75 in Ocala
At least four people were injured in a multi-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon on northbound Interstate 75 near mile marker 352 (State Road 40), according to Ocala Fire Rescue. Two of the injured people were transported to the hospital on trauma alert and the northbound lanes of the interstate were temporarily closed following the crash, which occurred at about 2:15 p.m., the OFR press release stated.
United Way of Marion County supports education programs
United Way of Marion County recently announced a commitment of $850,000 in funding for education programs from July 2024 to June 2026. “These funds have been allocated to internal programs like the Community Partnership Schools at East Marion and College Park, Reading Pals and to nine external partner organizations, all aimed at removing barriers to children’s learning and development,” noted the news release.
Three sets of Circuit Court judicial candidates on the August ballot
There are three Circuit Court judge groups on the ballot for all Marion County residents this primary season, but only one set of candidates are vying for the Group 20 seat currently assigned to Marion County: Ben Boylston and Barbara Kissner Kwatkosky. The other two seats on the ballot, Groups...
Fallen Marion County firefighter to be honored
One fallen Marion County firefighter is set to be honored at the Fallen Firefighter Memorials at the State Capitol in Tallahassee and the Florida State Fire College in Ocala. Driver Engineer Charles “Chuck” Westphal died in February after a long battle with COVID-19 and a four-month-long coma. He was honored with the distinction of being killed in the line of duty under Congressional Bill S.3607, which provides benefits to first responders who suffer injuries or death as a result of the pandemic.
One deceased, one injured in NW Ocala crash
A Gainesville man died and an Ocala woman was critically injured in a two-car crash in northwest Marion County the night of Wednesday, July 31, the Florida Highway Patrol reports. A sport utility vehicle driven by an 81-year-old Ocala woman was traveling west on US Highway 27 and attempted to...
Voter alert: Steve Shives’ misleading campaign messaging
In the race for the Florida House of Representatives District 27 seat, Steve Shives, the uncle of District 24 State Rep. Ryan Chamberlin, is misleading voters with doctored images in his campaign messaging. Additionally, he and Chamberlin aren’t being completely forthcoming about familial endorsements. Shives faces Richard Gentry and...
Florida’s Teacher of the Year awarded, MCPS teacher named runner-up
A Marion County teacher made it all the way to the state-level competition for Teacher of the Year and is coming home as a runner-up with $20,000 in prize money. The winner, from Hernando County, was announced on July 25. Jennifer Brown, a mathematics teacher from Forest High School, was...
Governor signs death warrant in 1994 Ocala National Forest murder case
After spending nearly 30 years on death row, a man found guilty of a murder committed in the Ocala National Forest in 1994 is slated to be executed next month after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his death warrant on Monday. Loren Cole is on death row after being convicted of...
Ocala Gazette
5K+
Posts
19M+
Views
Our mission is to inform and uplift our readers by reporting on the events, issues and stories that shape Ocala with accuracy, fairness and passion. We also strive to serve as a forum where all voices can be heard and to chronicle our community’s history.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.