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Ocala Gazette
First-term State Rep. Ryan Chamberlin runs unopposed in GOP primary
State Rep. Ryan Chamberlin is unopposed in the August Republican primary, but the incumbent will face Democrat Robert L. Shaw in the November general election for the District 24 seat. This will be the first time Chamberlin, the self-proclaimed “red meat Republican,” will be in a contest that includes Democrat...
Let the races begin!
The 2024 election season is chugging along, and now that the qualifying period has ended, here is a roundup of candidates who have been elected without opposition and those in the running for the primary election in August and the general election in November. Greg Harrell, (REP), was reelected to...
Bird of the week 2024 | Red-eyed vireo
A walk in our local woods in spring or summer is often accompanied by the never-ending song of red-eyed vireos. They’re small, perfectly camouflaged, and usually hard to spot because they perch high in the canopy to sing. The best way to find one is to listen for their long, lovely song. The free Merlin app is an easy way to learn to identify their song.
Longtime UF Agriculture Dean Stepping Down
The longtime dean of the University of Florida’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is stepping down and returning to the faculty. The university announced Thursday it has started a search for a dean to succeed Elaine Turner, who has held the position since 2014. The college administers degree programs of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Turner has been a member of the UF/IFAS faculty since 1996. A new dean is expected to start in January, Thursday’s announcement said.
Honorable Mentions | June 15 – June 21, 2024
CF and the City of Ocala celebrated the naming of the Dr. Lorenzo Edwards Community Room at the CF Hampton Center (Thursday). The room was named for the Hampton Center’s founding director, Rev. Dr. Lorenzo Edwards, in honor of his lifetime of service to CF and the City of Ocala. The room will serve as a constant reminder of his contributions and the lasting impact he has had on our institution.
Action may be required if you want to vote by mail
As the election season approaches, voters who have historically voted by mail will have to reapply to do so since all mail-in ballot requests expired at the end of 2022. This change may not have registered with voters yet because as of June 18, less than half of Marion County voters who requested mail-in ballots in the last general election have reapplied to do so in the coming election.
Florida Jobless Claims Top 7,500
With Florida poised to release a May unemployment report on Friday, the U.S. Department of Labor estimated that 7,597 first-time jobless claims were filed in the state during the week that ended June 15, down from a revised count of 8,900 claims during the previous week. The federal estimate, released Thursday, represented the third consecutive week that Florida had more than 7,000 weekly claims and the fifth week this year topping that number. Florida has averaged 7,548 new claims over the past four weeks. That is the highest average over a four-week period since the state averaged 7,666 claims from the weeks ending Oct. 22, 2022, to Nov. 11, 2022. At that time, the state had a 2.8 percent unemployment rate. Florida had a 3.3 percent unemployment rate in April. The state Department of Commerce will release a May rate as part of the report Friday.
Juneteenth Celebration at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex
On June 15, the Ocala Juneteenth Celebration Commission, LLC, hosted its annual Juneteenth event at Webb Field at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreational Complex at 1501 W. Silver Springs Blvd. It included vendors, entertainment, food, speakers and more. According to history.com, Juneteenth, which is short for June Nineteenth, marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday.
A man of many interests
When the conductor on the Heavenly Express passenger train called out “All aboard” on June 9, rail transportation aficionado Ira Holmes embarked on a new journey. Holmes, 90, who passed away on June 9, loved trains and passenger train travel. He was well known locally for his years of work with historic preservation, including serving on the Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board since its founding in 1984. He was a pillar at the College of Central Florida, where for six decades he was a professor of humanities and social sciences, was the founder of the CF Ira Holmes International Film Series and led more than two dozen study tours to Europe.
OBS June Sale recap
The Ocala Breeders’ Sales June sale of two-year-olds-in-training and horses of racing age galloped to a close on June 14, netting $22.3 million in profit. The sale took place from June 12-14 and resulted in 609 heads sold at an average price of $36,652. The profits decreased slightly from the sale the year before, which netted over $24.1 million for 645 heads sold.
Collection to begin for school impact fees
Collection of school impact fees is set to begin on July 1 after an interlocal agreement was made between Marion County, the city of Ocala and the Marion County School Board this week. In March, the Marion County Commission approved reinstating impact fees —one-time payments made by developers for each...
Bills Signed to Target Cancer, Rare Diseases
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed bills designed to help boost research into cancer and rare diseases. One of the bills (SB 7072) involves distribution of money to cancer centers across the state through the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program, named after Florida’s first lady. DeSantis last week signed a budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year that includes $127.5 million for the program. Casey DeSantis was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021, but the governor’s office said in 2022 she was cancer-free. Another of the measures signed Tuesday (SB 1582) includes creating the Andrew John Anderson Pediatric Rare Disease Grant Program. The program is named after the son of Rep. Adam Anderson, R-Palm Harbor. Grant amounts will be subject to appropriations by the Legislature, with money designed to go toward “scientific and clinical research to further the search for new diagnostics, treatments and cures for pediatric rare diseases.” The new budget, which will take effect July 1, provides $500,000 for the grant program. A third bill signed by DeSantis (HB 885) will authorize the health-insurance program for state workers to provide coverage for biomarker testing. The National Cancer Institute defines a biomarker as a “biological molecule found in blood, other body fluids, or tissues that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process, or of a condition or disease.”
Road improvements in the works for Silver Springs Blvd.
Improvements are in the works for Silver Springs Boulevard, from Downtown Ocala all the way to the Lake County border. The state is planning three projects to resurface and revitalize over 32 miles of one of Marion County’s major roadways. The Florida Department of Transportation offered crucial details on...
Remembering Julia Kain
Julia Kain lived a special, faith-filled life, and in her 24 years she was known by family and friends as someone who was caring and compassionate with a great sense of humor. And she was loving. She loved animals and caring for them, she loved her sister and niece and nephew, she loved her parents, and she loved her friends, often spending time with them in church and other youth groups.
Litter task force busts trash dumpers in Ocala National Forest
The Marion County Litter Task Force has aided in an investigation that led to the recent arrest of two people accused of dumping nearly 3,000 pounds of garbage in the Ocala National Forest. The task force is made up of members of local and state government and law enforcement agencies,...
Young writers honored by veterans
The winners of the 16th annual Marion County Veterans Council Flag Day Essay Contest, all of whom are local students, were recognized at a Flag Day Celebration at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park on Sunday, June 16. The theme of the essay contest was “What does our flag represent?” according to Suzanne McGuire with the MCVC.
Justices Turn Down Sports Betting Challenge
TALLAHASSEE — In a major win for the Seminole Tribe, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to upend a 30-year, multibillion-dollar deal giving the tribe control of sports betting throughout Florida. The Supreme Court declined to take up a challenge filed by two pari-mutuel companies. The order, as...
College of Central Florida to workshops to help with financial aid
The College of Central Florida (CF) will be hosting summer FAFSA workshops to help prospective or current college students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA form is free to fill out and is used to determine a student’s eligibility for federal student aid. The workshops will...
Vets’ park Father’s Day eve fundraiser falls victim to weather
Temperatures in the 90s and thunderstorms on June 15 put a damper on attendance at the Father’s Day eve event at the Ocala-Marion County Veterans Memorial Park. The event was organized as a fundraiser for park projects by the Friends of Marion County’s Veterans Park Foundation support group. Although disappointed by the lack of turnout on the 15th, Ron Oppliger, a Vietnam War veteran and chairman of the foundation, said the event was aimed primarily at “raising awareness.”
Greyhound service temporarily suspended in Ocala
Greyhound Bus Lines is not currently serving Ocala as a destination and the next closest locations are in Hawthorne and Gainesville, both more than 25 miles away. An email to the Greyhound corporate media contact yielded a statement from a spokesperson with FlixBus, a global mobility provider. FLIX SE purchased Greyhound in 2021.
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