Ocala Gazette | April 2 - 8, 2021

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 40

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APRIL 2- APRIL 8, 2021

Losing Ky’Rion One story of Ocala’s crisis of teens and guns

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com

I

t was a warm July Sunday evening and Brittany Weathers was resting after spending hours in the kitchen cooking. Her 15-year-old son, Ky’Rion, missed one of his favorite

meals: macaroni and cheese and freshly baked rolls. That was unusual. Moments later, she learned why.

Weathers’ youngest son, Rontavious, 13, burst in after receiving a Snapchat message from a friend.

Ky’Rion had been shot.

Weathers rushed to the scene of the shooting then

to Ocala Regional Medical Center hoping to see her son. Instead, detectives led her to a quiet room with an empty hospital bed. It was the most private place to break the news.

“I don’t know how to tell you, but he didn’t make it,” Weathers remembers the detective telling her.

Veteran’s 97th birthday his best Robert Quinn has no family in the area, and spent last year alone

By Lisa McGinnes Ocala Gazette Last year, Robert Quinn spent his 96th birthday alone.

The U.S. Marine veteran has no family in the area.

When Beverly Lafferty heard the story, she vowed not to let Quinn celebrate alone this year.

On March 25, they held a surprise party for Quinn, complete with Marine honors and nearly 30 people.

Hosted by Hospice of Marion County, where Lafferty works, Quinn entered the Elliot Center flanked by a couple of Marines. He was met with a roar of applause.

“We would do anything we can for the veterans in the county, especially because he’s a Marine, he’s one of our fellow brothers,” said Kathy Prieto, one of the

Robert Quinn, a World War II Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient, blows out a candle on his birthday cupcake. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette]

staff sergeants that escorted Quinn.

She said she was honored to be part of the celebration.

“In the Marine Corps, we always look out for each other,” said Johnathan Perez, the second escort.

“It’s always a legacy of love.”

Quinn served in World War II with the 2nd Marine Division. As a private first

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class, he served in the Pacific and fought in the Battle of Tarawa in 1943. The battle was the first step in the central Pacific campaign.

After a 76-hour battle that killed almost 6,400 people, the U.S. won a foothold in the region that would allow for further invasions toward See Quinn, page A3

The next time Weathers saw her oldest child, he was laid out on a hospital bed – lifeless.

“My baby was just laid out and he just looked like

he was at peace,” Weathers said. “He looked like he didn’t suffer or nothing.

Just with a little bullet and everything.”

That was July 26. Nearly nine months later, Weathers still struggles to make sense of her son’s death.

See Weathers, page A5

Marion’s COVID death rate ranks ninth in the State

By Brendan Farrell brendan@ocalagazette.com While Marion County ranks 48th for COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people among Florida’s 67 counties, its death rate by the same measure is in the top ten.

The county ranks ninth-highest in deaths per 100,000 since the start of the pandemic, according to state and local health agencies statistics compiled by the New York Times.

The county has amassed 918 deaths as of Wednesday, or 251 deaths per 100,000. In the region, only Citrus County has a higher death rate at 286 per 100,000, ranking it eighth in the state. Miami-Dade County ranks 15th with 215 deaths per 100,000.

The simplest explanation for the high number of deaths is that the county has a high percentage of older residents, a group more vulnerable to the virus.

In the state, Marion has the 10th-highest percentage of residents 65 and older, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2019 five-year American Community Survey estimates.

And 86% of all COVID-19 related deaths in the county have been people 65 and older.

“Look at the ages for Marion County,” Florida Department of Health in Marion County Administrator Mark Lander said. “I mean, you think about we have a pretty significant population, over 100,000 individuals that are 65 and older. Then look at the actual percentage of where the highest deaths have occurred.”

But that doesn’t explain the disparity. There are counties with a higher percentage of older people that have had much fewer per capita deaths than Marion County. Sumter County, Charlotte County and Sarasota County have all had fewer deaths per 100,000 people See COVID, page A2

Inside: Guinn running again.............. A3 Opinion..................................... A4 Sports........................................ A6 State News.............................. A10 Creative’s Corner.................... B3 Calendar................................... B6

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From COVID, page A1 while having a large percentage of seniors than Marion.

Dr. David Kuhn of the Trinity Clinic has tracked the county’s numbers since the start of the pandemic.

He issues a near-daily update on his Facebook page. He said the stark difference between Marion County’s cases and deaths may be because there were many more COVID-19 cases that went unconfirmed.

“I think the thing that may be driving it the most is that there’s more cases of COVID than we knew about, and so our death rate may not actually be higher.

It’s just that the known case fatality rate is higher,” Kuhn said. “If you include those that we didn’t know about, then it’s entirely explainable, 100% explainable. But again, it’s entirely abstract.

You just don’t know how many people have had the virus but didn’t get tested.”

Kuhn explained that some people don’t get tested because they either don’t know they have it, don’t believe the virus is dangerous or are just afraid to get the test. All of those factors mean that testing

is biased toward those who already show symptoms.

“It’s not that there’s not availability to do the testing.

People are opting to not get tested,” Kuhn said. “If a person doesn’t believe that this virus is real, or, you know, they don’t want to know if they have it, they don’t want anybody to know that they got it. You know, whatever reasons are that a person has that they opt not to get tested, it’s not really an availability thing anymore.”

Compounding the issue is that Marion County is one of the unhealthiest counties in the state. The county ranked 53rd among 67 counties in health outcomes in the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute’s County Health Rankings.

According to the rankings, Marion County has an adult obesity rate of 30%, above the state figure of 27%. Marion rated poorly in physical inactivity and access to exercise opportunities. Additionally, the county had higher numbers than the state in adults reporting poor or fair health (21% versus 17%) and average days of

physically poor health in the last 30 days (4.4 versus 3.7).

All of that puts a sizable portion of Marion County’s population at risk for COVID-19.

“You can’t attribute it to

only that we’re older because we aren’t the only one that’s older,” Kuhn said. “You can’t attribute it to only the fact that we’re unhealthier on average because there are others that are unhealthier.

You have to look at all – I think it’s all of it. I think it’s a little bit of each. A little bit of each has resulted in more death in Marion County than numbers indicate we ought to have had.”

All adults eligible for vaccines starting April 5

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

By Brendan Farrell brendan@ocalagazette.com Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced on Twitter that all Florida residents 18 and older would be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines on April 5.

“If you look at the hospitalization and case rates for senior citizens,

they have plummeted since the start of our Seniors First strategy,” DeSantis said in his video announcement. “And we want to keep up that momentum as we expand eligibility to other age groups throughout the state of Florida.”

Marion County has vaccinated 96,796 residents through March 30. More than 58,000 have completed

their vaccination series.

Between March 24 and March 31, the county had 312 new reported COVID-19 cases and a positivity rate of 4.9% in that span.

The decision to lower the age requirement comes at a time when demand for the vaccine by those 65 and older has dropped while supplies of the vaccines are increasing.

“Opening up the vaccine opportunities further beyond the most recent eligibility groups allows us to continue large-scale vaccination efforts with minimal interruption,” said Department of Health in Marion County Administrator Mark Lander in an email.

Jamie Ulmer, CEO of Heart of Florida Health Center, said they are having trouble filling appointments and looks forward to opening vaccine eligibility.

On March 25, the weekend vaccination event for 2,000 still had 1,500 available appointments. The event was for those 50 and older.

Heart of Florida has received 2,000 doses per week from the local DOH, but demand has declined in recent weeks. They received 7,000 doses this week directly from the federal government and started immunizing inmates with the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the Marion County Jail, where they provide health services to inmates.

“We’re giving them the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because it’s one dose and it doesn’t necessitate having to track them down,” Ulmer said of the transient jail population.

Currently, only inmates who are 60 and over are eligible, but Ulmer expects that to drop soon. A total of 70 were initially eligible, and 43 opted to have the shot, according to Maria Torres, Heart of Florida’s chief health administrator for inmate health.

With inmates frequently coming and going from the jail, Torres said they will check jail logs every three days to identify inmates

who qualify.

Marion County also launched a new site to sign up for the vaccine at https://tinyurl.com/ MarionCOVIDvax.

Additionally, vaccines are also available at Publix, CVS, Sam’s Club, Walgreen’s, Winn-Dixie and Walmart.

Residents are encouraged to preregister to be notified to schedule an appointment when a vaccine becomes available. The site replaces the county’s old site at myvaccine.fl.gov. People can still register through the MyVaccine site, but there will be a delay as they transfer that information from one site to the other.

“The new registration process should allow for quicker, more efficient appointment signups,” said Department of Health in Marion County Administrator Mark Lander in a release. “Residents will also be able to manage and update their information as needed through the sign-up site.”

Badge recalls OPD history Ocala Gazette Staff Some members of the Ocala Police Department are sporting a new, temporary badge to commemorate 140 years since Burrell Dawkins, Ocala’s first town marshal, was killed in the line of duty.

OPD approved the commemorative badge as a temporary addition for uniformed officers. Officers had to purchase the badge, which can be worn with their daily uniform.

The center of the badge features a copy of the star Dawkins wore on March 1, 1881, when he was shot.

Dawkins’ badge is shown in relief on the OPD shield.

The left point of the star is missing where the bullet struck Dawkins’ original badge 140 years ago.

The original is on display at the OPD lobby.

Marshal Dawkins, who was Black, was elected to his position by city council in 1869 during Reconstruction after the Civil War. At the time, newly freed black residents outnumbered whites in Ocala and were often elected to public office.

Dawkins was attempting to arrest Richard R. Russell, a white man, when he was killed. Russell, of Hernando County, tried to ride his horse into the lobby of the Ocala House hotel on the downtown square, according to an account in the book “Ocali Country, Kingdom of the Sun: A History of Marion County, Florida,”

by Eloise Robinson Ott and Louis Hickman Chazal.

An intoxicated Russell did not resist, but later drew a pistol and fired at the marshal, striking the badge, knocking off the star’s point

and mortally wounding Dawkins, according to research conducted by Ocala Police Investigator Steve Thibodeau more than 100 years after Dawkins’ death.

The badge was discovered decades later in the effects of a past member of the city’s police force and eventually returned to OPD, where it remains.

In the 1990s, Thibodeau scoured city records to find information on Dawkins death to have the marshal’s name added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

His search was difficult because many city records, along with much of the downtown was destroyed in the 1883 Thanksgiving fire.

That incident spurred the

formation of the city’s fire department and lead many to rebuild in brick, giving the area its “Brick City” moniker.

Based on Thibodeau’s research, Dawkins was 36 when he died and earned $30 a month as marshal.

He spent 10 years as town marshal and his duties included lighting the city’s street lamps and keeping the city clear of drunks and those using profane language, according to Thibodeau’s research.

Dawkins’ killer was charged with murder, but historic trial records show he was convicted of “justifiable homicide.” It wasn’t clear if Russell served a jail sentence.

In 1995, Dawkins’ was added to the national memorial in Washington D.C.

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Guinn eyes another term “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”

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By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn won’t be hanging up his pinstriped jacket anytime soon.

First elected Ocala mayor in 2011, Guinn will seek re-election for his sixth term in September, he announced on Wednesday.

The late Ocala Police Chief Greg Graham encouraged Guinn to run in 2021. Graham died in a singleengine plane crash on Oct. 25.

“We came here together and we can leave together,” Guinn remembers Graham telling him.

“That was our plan.”

But Guinn, who oversees the Ocala Police Department, feels OPD needs him now more than ever.

Mike Balken replaced Graham as chief of OPD in November.

Guinn wants to support him through his first year at the helm.

OPD has more than 200 officers.

“There’s too much going on not to run,” Guinn said. “The biggest thing that factored in was the men and women of the police department. I just can’t let them down. I got to make sure that they’re protected.

“I can’t roll the dice and think that some other mayor is going to come in here and keep Chief Balken, continue to do the same things I’m doing as far as letting them do their job. You know, be aggressive, but be respectful. Those guys and gals are the best of the best of the best, I think.”

Guinn is also excited to be a part

of former state attorney Brad King’s the decision for a while. new endeavors.

It’s been a tough year for the King, who served as state 66-year-old. He battled a serious attorney for 32 years before case of COVID-19 in January. stepping down at the end of 2020, Right now, he is the only one will be working with OPD. running for the office which comes “To have a guy like that, with a two-year term. probably the top prosecutor in the In addition to the mayor’s post, State of Florida, working with the council seats for District 1, District police department… that’s just a 3 and District 5 are also up for wealth of knowledge that we can election. have,” Guinn said. “And I want to be District 1 and District 3 a part of that. Big time.” incumbents, Brent Malever and Jay Ocala’s recent growth also played Musleh, have confirmed they will a role in Guinn’s decision to see rerun for re-election. Neither is facing election. a challenger so far.

Guinn credits the Ocala CEP for Current Council President its work in expanding Ocala and Justin Grabelle, who represents bringing employers to the area.

District 5, will not see re-election.

Guinn has seen an influx of visitors Greg Steen is the only candidate from California, New York, New to file for the seat as of March 31.

Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Prospective candidates have until But accommodating the influx noon on July 16 to qualify for the has its challenges. election.

Guinn acknowledges Ocala’s housing shortage. And it’s something he wants to try to tackle.

“It’s just a lot of growth happening,” Guinn said. “All of those are good things.

Those are good problems to have.

People would love to have the problems we have.

Any city in the country would.”

Guinn admits [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] that he weighed

Easter one year after pandemic start

By Brendan Farrell brendan@ocalagazette.com Joy Lutheran Church Pastor Arthur Wuertz remembers thinking how last year’s sparsely attended Easter sunrise service was eerily like the first Easter. Then in its early days, the COVID-19 pandemic kept many away.

“It was beautiful in its own way,” Wuertz said. “It really reminded us of the first Easter, which was before dawn and it was just a couple of women and someone who they thought was the gardener, but it was Jesus. It really reminded me of that in a very real way that the first witnesses were only a few.”

Later that morning, Wuertz would hold a virtual Easter service on Facebook using his cell phone and a tripod that his daughter rigged. The church continues to stream services, but this year Wuertz is thankful for a much more “normal” Easter. And a growing sense of hope that was missing a

year ago.

“It is the high day of the church here, and it’s reflective of where we’re at now where we really can see hope that we hadn’t seen before,” Wuertz said. “And many of our members have, they told me months ago, ‘Once I get my second vaccine, you’ll see me back.’ And they were true to their word, so, you know, with each passing Sunday we’ve seen a slight increase in our attendance.”

Joy Lutheran will once again have its sunrise service in its memorial garden at 6 a.m. as well as 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. services in the sanctuary.

First Presbyterian Church of Ocala will hold its Easter service at 10 a.m. under a large, white tent on the lawn. The church used the same setup for Christmas services.

Interim associate pastor Walk Jones said it worked well.

The outdoor services allow older congregation members to attend.

“A lot of our members are older, and so they have been very careful

when they were present inside with anyone... and so they have not come to our in-person worship,” Jones said. “But they can come to the tent or sit in their cars on the periphery of the tent and listen to the service.

Folks have enjoyed that.”

Jones admits to a difficult year for the church. Smaller meeting groups and Bible studies moved online. But the online versions lack the warmth of in-person fellowship.

“There’s just nothing like being present with someone, breaking bread together in a fellowship meal or being in the classroom,” Jones said.

Jones also noticed church members trickling back to inperson services as they receive their shots. Jones said he feels a sense of hope around the church as one of the year’s holiest days approaches.

“This will be a special year to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, to celebrate the church gathering together because we’ve had a year of separation, darkness and winter,” he said.

ocalagazette.com From Quinn, page A1

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Robert Quinn, center, is pinned with military honors by SSG Jonathan Perez, left, and SSG Kathy Prieto, right, of the U.S. Marine Corps during Quinn’s 97th birthday party. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

the ultimate defeat of the Japanese.

In 1944, Quinn was wounded by shrapnel in the Battle of Saipan. He was awarded a Purple Heart.

On March 25, he was presented with an honored veteran pin, a certificate of special tribute from Hospice of Marion County and the Hospice-Veteran Partnership of Florida and a certificate of recognition from American Legion Post 354.

After listening to a rendition of the “The Marines’ Hymn” and following salutes from the veterans and servicemembers in the room, Quinn blew out the candle on his birthday cupcake.

“It gives us great honor to say, ‘happy birthday,’” said Lafferty.

“You are an honored veteran and we appreciate you and thank you for your service to our country.”

Quinn also was presented with a Marine Corps Christmas ornament from the Blue Star Mothers and a challenge coin from the On Top of the World Veterans Club.

When he opened the gift of a World War II Veteran cap, he immediately placed it on his head with a big smile.

“This is the best birthday I’ve had in 97 years,” he said.

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Opinion Commentary

COVID-19 plan needs clear path to recovery During President Biden’s Inaugural address, the President said, “A once in a century virus that silently stalks the country has taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II.” Over the last thirteen (13) months, this silent stalker has caused significant physical harm, mental harm and economic harm. President Biden’s analogy of battling COVID-19 and the harm caused by WWII makes for an interesting comparison.

With any war, we the people of our great country ought to ask and deserve to know what milestones we need to achieve to declare victory. When do we move from fighting a battle to defending our expectation of recovery?

In our history, endless wars without objective milestones that mark victory have prolonged and exacerbated the war’s negative impact. We cannot allow the same to occur in our fight against the current pandemic. At what point can we move from war to recovery? The time to ask is

now. And here’s why.

Knowing when we can confidently declare that we are ready to move from fearing a virus to fighting for recovery is important for several reasons.

First, a move from war to recovery will encourage individuals to get vaccinated.

Why consider and pursue the option, if greater freedoms and resuming a sense of normalcy isn’t a clear reward?

Secondly and conversely, failing to have clear and objective guidelines as to what constitutes crossing from battle to recovery leaves room for confusion; doubt in the stability of our country and fear mongering – including fear mongering over the vaccines and their benefit.

Third, the absence of a critical path to recovery and ultimately victory results in a piecemeal, ad hoc approach potentially individualized by each state, instead of one nation. We. Are. One. Nation. We cannot allow the virus to further the division and discord that has plagued the United States

over the last year.

The world is a better place when the United States plays a leadership role.

The United States needs to set a global example to the world. Crossing a definitive line to recovery will encourage the global

At what point can we move from war to recovery? The time to ask is now. economy to open in a manner that is safe, but also respectful of the global economy and the need for it to continue to provide opportunity.

Fourth, as Americans, living off government stimulus cannot be the American Dream realized.

Let’s get back to earning a fair livelihood through hard work, commitment and risk.

Lastly, a recent news piece featured pictures of Americans burning

facemasks. Americans are growing weary of thirteen months of lockdowns and continued prescriptive measures that lack a declarative “until.” An “until” that defines at what point, metric, or milestone will we move beyond these measures. At this point in the pandemic, the continuation of current prescriptive measures without sight of a finish line could also lead to an unnecessary overcorrection and a potential overreach of governmental authority that violates basic freedoms of Americans.

We have three vaccines and a fourth vaccine candidate in the regulatory approval process, along with continued advancement in therapeutic treatments.

Internationally, other countries have also provided vaccines. Israel has opened up their country based on their vaccination rate. The United Kingdom has set their country’s reopening date to June 21. They have established milestones.

We want to get back to the business of America

in a manner that is safe and minimizes this “silent stalker’s” continued harm.

The time is now for us to ask about the key milestones and critical path for the road to recovery. Our industry, and so many others are counting on it. This is about America continuing to lead, no different than it did after World War II, in making the world a better place where hurt, fear and discord are replaced with healing, courage and industry.

Yes, we can together!

Submitted by the Ocala-based HDG Hotels executive team: Navroz Saju, co-founder and principal; Azim Saju, CEO and president; Lisa Lombardo, chief people and culture officer; Jeff Bailey, COO; Raymond Manaois, chief innovation and systems officer; Donna Arthur, vice president of hotel excellence and Billy Gilchrist, chief development and finance officer.

Keep Public Notices Public William R. Barker Commentary Editor’s note: The Florida Press Association shared this column.

From the founding of the U.S. Constitution, our forefathers intended that actions taken by the government be made public to the citizenry it serves.

These public servants understood their obligation to keep the people on notice in regard to government meetings and actions that would affect them. More importantly, they recognized the need to give the people they represent a voice and a public forum in which they could address concerns, offer solutions, right wrongs and air grievances. In short, be active participants in our democratic form of selfgovernment.

That simple expectation that the government keep its people publicly informed and involved in decisionmaking is as relevant today as ever.

Yet, some in our state legislature propose it’s time for a change. Through bills being introduced as HB-35 and SB-402, the Florida legislature is attempting to abolish the longstanding requirement that government agencies publish legal notices in newspapers, and instead post them, wait for it, on GOVERNMENT websites!

Really?

So, the government wants you to go in search of information somewhere on a government website rather than place the information out there for you in public view?

Have they forgotten who serves whom? That YOUR tax dollars pay them to keep you informed of their actions and represent your views?

Such a proposal sounds self-serving at the very least. And, at worst, that

the officials you elected may not really want you involved in, or well-informed about, what they are doing while representing you.

This is the proverbial fox watching the henhouse.

Let’s not forget, it is the role of the independent press to be the watchdog - to curate and disseminate vital public information so the public can hold its representatives to account.

Removing notices from publishers of public record, means the majority of these actions will likely go unnoticed. Could that be the point of the bills?

Sponsors say it is to save money. But is it?

Does it? Is anyone really asking how? Frankly, publishing notices is not the government’s business.

They outsource hundreds of non-governing activities.

The current statute ensures public notices have the best opportunity to be seen by the public. And with the digital transformation of the publishing business, that will be true for generations to come.

The premise of saving money is flawed if you truly intend to reach the most citizens. Do you really expect voters to believe the government can do this more efficiently than businesses built for it?

Public notices are just one of the many vital pieces of information they publish.

Maybe the politicians pushing the idea think the public won’t care that their government is pursuing a path toward less visibly and less transparency.

Yes, it does seem in vogue these days for some elected officials to either dismiss the role of a free press or worse, to weaken it.

I can understand some representative’s frustration with national

media coverage. But we are talking about the role of local newspapers as public providers of information vital to their communities being greatly diminished.

So, elected officials, please don’t lump all news organizations together.

Abandon this attempt to

It is the role of the independent press to be the watchdog - to curate and disseminate vital public information so the public can hold its representatives to account.

eliminate the local watchdog and keep the voter’s voice out of the conversation.

Both you and our local

newspapers, as public servants, working toward the same end - a better Florida!

It’s worth repeating.

Ours is a shared mission with a common goal - the betterment of Florida and Floridians! We should equally desire an engaged and informed citizenry.

As one of millions who calls the Sunshine State home and values transparent government, I ask that you stop pushing HB35 and SB-402 and work with the Florida Press Association to keep government actions in the public light. Together, we can collaborate to serve our great state and revive and re-establish the public trust.

The citizens, the press, all of us, desire an open dialogue with elected officials to bring forth

factual and trustworthy information for public discernment and debate. We can do this respectfully and with decorum. We will not always agree, but that’s the point of a democracy.

Fellow citizens, we encourage you to join us in our mission to KEEP PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC! Please call your legislators and ask them to VOTE NO to HB-35 and SB-402. Let them know you read about it in your local newspaper and you are watching what they do. Tell them that with mistrust in government at an all-time high, neither now nor ever, will it be time to replace watchdogs with foxes.

William R. Barker, Florida Press Association Board Member, Founder and CEO, Barker Strategic Solutions, LLC and former Florida Regional President for Gannett, the USA Today Network and LOCALiQ.

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From Weathers, page A1 Investigators have yet to make a final ruling on his death, keeping Weathers in limbo.

The weekend he died was typical, Weathers said.

Ky’Rion spent the weekend with friends. He left on Friday and stayed at a home in Silver Springs Shores. He called to check in on Saturday and let his mom know who he was with.

“He knows how I felt about him hanging with certain people,” Weathers said. “I would see different things going on with young boys on Facebook with the guns and stuff like that, and I would show them these events because I didn’t want that to happen to them. And by me being a single mom trying to raise them, I could only do what I could do.”

Ky’Rion’s father wasn’t around much. And that took a toll on the young man.

Occasionally, Ky’Rion would make comments about how his younger brother had a father figure but he didn’t. Weathers noticed changes in Ky’Rion and she believes some of those feelings might have been at the root of those changes.

Ky’Rion’s social media presence showed a growing interest in firearms. Photos of the former Trinity Catholic football player and his friends toting firearms are easily found on Instagram.

Weathers said her son and some of his friends were drawn to gang culture.

She remembers seeing some friends flash gang signs during his funeral.

Sheriff ’s officials said the shooting is not tied to any type of gang activity.

Still, the interest in guns caught up to him last April when Ocala Police pulled over the car carrying him and four others. Police found two stolen handguns, according to reports.

“And when he went to juvenile (detention), he cried like a baby,” Weathers said. “Because he knows we wasn’t living that life.”

Weathers called the courthouse to confirm Ky’Rion’s court appearance on June 16 and learned the charges had been dropped.

The State Attorney’s Office didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute.

But forty days later, a gunshot to the abdomen claimed his life. The shooting happened at a home in Summerfield. The details are sketchy.

Detectives with the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office are still investigating what happened the day Ky’Rion died. The State Attorney’s Office is also examining the case. To date, no charges have been filed.

Weathers doesn’t know what happened to her son that day. She’s heard numerous stories, some of them conflicting. One version is that Ky’Rion shot himself during a game of Russian Roulette. Another is that someone else shot him.

She doesn’t know what to believe.

“It was multiple stories,” Weathers said. “And I feel like… I feel like more people know than what they saying.”

Ky’Rion’s death was the first of three shootings involving Marion County high school football players.

Vanguard student Chris “Chevy” Chevelon was fatally shot at Sutton Place

Apartments on Dec. 6. He was also 15 years old.

Police are not releasing much about Chevelon’s death as they continue to investigate the shooting.

On January 31, 18-yearold Trinity Catholic football player Omarea James was shot while he and his brother, Jahkyri, were leaving a gas station near Northwest 113th Circle Brittany Weathers shows photos of her late son, Ky’Rion “K.D.” as she holds her daughter, Briin Ocala. yani, 5 months. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] According discharging a firearm in continue to chug along, so to reports public from a vehicle and does Weathers. She has no from the Marion County aggravated battery with a choice.

Sheriff ’s Office, Omarea deadly weapon.

He is also She also has to comfort was in the passenger seat charged with two counts Ky’Rion’s brother and keep when someone opened of aggravated assault on his memory alive for the fire. A bullet hit James in a law enforcement officer sister he never met. the back and lodged in his and shooting at, within or Weathers was pregnant spine. He survived, but into a vehicle after shooting with a girl, Briyani, when his long-term prognosis is at Marion County officers Ky’Rion died.

He picked the unknown. during a pursuit on Feb. 2. little girl’s name.

Detectives obtained While Omarea survived She still spends time in video footage from the BP the shooting, a bullet the kitchen cooking for her gas station and saw that became lodged in his spine family.

But knowing that a silver BMW sedan with and his long-term prognosis Ky’Rion will never return for at least four passengers is unknown. his favorite meal is tough. had followed the brothers “It’s ridiculous,” “It’s been, for me, it’s out of the parking lot Weathers said of the been unexpected,” Weathers shortly before the shooting recent uptick in shootings said.

“It’s just been… happened. involving teenagers. “I want looking for my child always The front passenger justice served.

Because I to come home. I mean, I of the BMW was later want them to understand know he’s gone. And I know identified by officers as that these guns ain’t he’s not here and its reality.

Nathaniel Woodruff, 20, of nothing to play with.

And And I’m aware that he’s Ocala. people, kids and life ain’t not here. But I’m used to Woodruff turned nothing to play with as my child being gone for a himself in on Feb. 5 after well.” couple days and then he will a county-wide search.

While investigations come back home.”

Woodruff is charged with

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APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Sports Pats rally again late for comeback win

By Brendan Farrell brendan@ ocalagazette.com College of Central Florida catcher Kyler Hultgren looked at his teammates in the eyes as they trotted off the field after recording the last out of the top of the ninth inning.

“Pick me up,” he said.

Hultgren’s throw to first after a dropped third strike was uncatchable, allowing St. Johns River State College to keep the game alive and later tie the game. Hultgren was just hoping that his teammates could make up for his blunder.

The Patriots’ offense came through in the clutch, and Central Florida celebrated a walk-off victory on a single hit by redshirt sophomore Garrett Wallace.

“Kyler throws one away there in the

ninth, which Kyler’s been really good all year and he’s been fine,” Central Florida coach Marty Smith said. “And Kevin made us all forget about that with a triple to the 400-foot sign that was 106 miles an hour off the bat, that’s picking people up.”

On an up-and-down day for the No. 11 Patriots (32-9), who used nine pitchers in the win, there were a lot of players who were picking up others after rough performances or mistakes.

The Vikings jumped on Pats starter Logan Clayton early, scoring two runs in the first inning. After Clayton gave up two singles in the second inning, Smith replaced him with reliever Alfredo Caraballo. Caraballo and reliever Francisco Mateo managed to stop the bleeding until the fifth inning.

The Patriots managed to even the

score with a run in both the second and third innings. Garrett Wallace smacked his fifth home run of the season to reduce the lead to one. Central Florida tied the game in the bottom of the third on a bloop single to center after an error kept the inning alive.

Central Florida’s pitching fell apart in the top of the fifth inning, as the Pats used three pitchers and allowed seven runs.

Mateo gave up back-toback doubles for a run and loaded the bases after a pair of walks.

Ben Chestnutt came in for the Patriots, but he didn’t fare any better, allowing three earned runs. The inning was punctuated with a Ramses Cordova grand slam to put the Vikings up 9-2.

The Patriots scored a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth, and then they rallied in the bottom of the sixth for six runs to

Top: The College of Central Florida’s Miguel Useche (13) and Kevin Kilpatrick (1) leap in the air together as they celebrate Kilpatrick’s two-run homer.

tie the game at nine.

Spencer Stephens led off the inning by smashing his first home run of the season, and Central Florida scored five runs before the Vikings could even register an out. A pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases before third baseman Matthew

The College of Central Florida’s Kyler Hultgren (28) collides with St. Johns River State College’s Kyle Smith (5) at first base as Hultgren makes it safely on base. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Cedarburg brought home two runs on a double. A dropped third strike and an ensuing wild throw to first scored another run.

Jackson Taylor grounded into a double play with the bases loaded for another run, and the tying run scored on a wild pitch to cap off the inning.

Reliever Parker Seay guided the Patriots through a scoreless sixth inning, but he wouldn’t survive the seventh. With two outs and a runner on first, Seay dished out a hit by pitch and a walk to load the bases. After walking home a run to give the Vikings a

10-9 lead, Seth Baugh entered the game to pitch and escaped the jam.

The Patriots took back the lead in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run Kevin Kirkpatrick home run.

Miguel Useche then made it back-to-back home runs to put the Pats up 12-10 heading into the eighth inning.

After reliever Evan Michelson couldn’t seal the deal in the bottom of the ninth, Kirkpatrick tripled to left-center field. Two walks loaded the bases before Wallace’s liner deflected off a glove and let Kirkpatrick score the gamewinning run.

Above: CF’s Spencer Stephens (8) makes it safely back to first base as St. Johns River State College’s Kyle Smith (5) looks for the out. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Golf tournament ends with playoff Ocala Gazette Staff It took a three-hole playoff to determine the winner of the 15th Annual Ocala Open at Candler Hills Golf Club on Friday.

Seth Fair won the playoff against Patrick Williams with a birdie on the third playoff hole.

The pair ended the three-day tournament tied at 17 under par.

The professional tournament serves as a charity event to raise money for Hospice of Marion and Interfaith Emergency Services.

The annual tournament has raised more than $663,000.

This year, Hospice and Interfaith each received $42,500.

Hospice offers comfort for the terminally ill and supports their families and caregivers. Interfaith provides food, shelter, clothing and emergency help to those in need.

Seth Fair, the winner of the Ocala Open, waves to the gallery on the 18th hole after winning a 3 hole playoff. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Patrick Williams looks at his ball, which just missed going in the hole on the 18th hole. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

A7

APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Talking about domestic violence Ocala woman shares her abuse story in the hope of helping others

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Darnitha Gaskin remembers sitting on the floor in her grandmother’s home as a 7-year-old eating Captain Crunch cereal and watching cartoons when her mother called in a panic.

The woman said she was going to kill her abusive boyfriend.

Her grandmother, with Gaskin in tow, rushed to the scene. As they approached the house, two gunshots rang out.

The man in the dispute was shot in the chest. He survived, but still carries the bullet in his chest.

That was one of Gaskin’s first memories of domestic violence. And it wasn’t her last.

Gaskin said her first two boyfriends abused her.

It was verbal at first, but eventually turned physical.

Her second abusive boyfriend also grew up in an abusive household. Coupled with a drug problem, the abuse escalated.

One night, when Gaskin refused to have sex with him, he choked her until she blacked out.

“People always say that you don’t see the light,” Gaskin said. “That’s a lie.

You see the light.”

Gaskin left, fearing for her life.

At 21, she met Dorian Gaskin. Shortly after the two started dating, she

learned she was pregnant by her former boyfriend. The one who choked her.

But her new suitor promised he’d stay. Together they could have a family, he told her.

“That’s where it started,” Gaskin said. “He was nice and everything but when I had my daughter at the age of 22, that’s when everything went haywire. He became aggressive.”

Dorian Gaskin’s abusive episodes intensified.

One evening when Darnitha Gaskin confronted him about her suspicions of his infidelity, Dorian Gaskin dragged her out of her car and down the driveway.

Darnitha Gaskin told the nurses at the emergency room that she fell.

“Having a baby and not wanting to be a single mother, I stayed,” she said.

Dorian Gaskin promised to never lay a hand on her again. It didn’t last.

One evening, Dorian forced himself on Darnitha Gaskin.

She yelled for help, but he clasped a hand over her face and with the other delivered blows to her ribs and face.

“I felt like a rape victim,” Darnitha Gaskin said. “So, I just started taking a shower and I knew I couldn’t leave with the kids because he always told me, ‘If you leave me, I’m going to kill you and then I’m going to kill them.’”

The next day, her boss and coworkers noticed

her bruised face and took her to the Ocala Police Department. There, she met the woman who she said saved her life.

“That’s how I met Donna Guinn,” Gaskin said. “Donna Guinn is my guardian angel.”

Guinn joined OPD in 1994 and is the victimwitness advocate supervisor.

That day in 2005, Guinn helped issue a warrant for Dorian Gaskin’s arrest. She also helped Darnitha Gaskin find a safe place to stay.

Despite restraining orders, it wasn’t until Dorian Gaskin was shot to death in 2009 that she felt truly safe.

The man was shot by Dexter Newson on Jan. 7, 2009, after Dorian Gaskin angrily confronted Newson for speeding through a residential street. Newson was convicted of seconddegree murder in 2010 and

sentenced to life in prison.

Darnitha Gaskin now shares her story to try and help those in similar situations.

“If Donna Guinn has somebody she wants me to talk to, she’ll give me a call and say, ‘Hey, can you talk to this person and tell them how you survived… how did you get out this situation.’”

Unfortunately, there are no shortage of domestic violence victims.

OPD recorded 914 domestic violence cases and 200 dating violence cases in 2020. Marion County also saw four domestic violencerelated deaths in 2020, including one in the city.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an uptick in domestic violence reports, Guinn said.

“If you’re already having a difficult, unhealthy, unsafe relationship and then they are home more or you’re

experiencing economic disparity along with that, then everything intensifies,” she said.

Guinn said when women like Darnitha Gaskin share their stories it proves invaluable.

“Our domestic violence survivors are an integral part of supporting victims in breaking the cycle and increasing community awareness,” she said.

Darnitha Gaskin also established Royal Queens Women Empowerment to advocate for domestic violence awareness.

Gaskin collects donations for women’s shelters and speaks often to other organizations.

“That’s my healing,” Gaskin said. “Me getting it out to help somebody. That’s the greatest reward to me.

If I can save one person, or two or even more… that’s what helps me heal more.”

Darnitha Gaskin poses with photos of herself from when she was a victim of domestic violence from her ex-husband in 2005. Once a victim of domestic violence from the hands of her ex-husband for numerous years, Gaskin now helps other with their domestic violence issues. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

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APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Nominees chosen for county judge seat

By Carlos Medina carlos@ocalagazette.com A judicial nominating commission on Tuesday sent the Governor’s office four nominees to fill the seat of retiring Marion County Judge Sarah Ritterhoff Williams.

The nominees came from a dozen applications reviewed by the nine-member Fifth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission. The commission includes Robert Batsel, Vanessa Thomas, Anita Carver, Charles K Ruse Jr., Jennifer Rey, Zachary McCormick, Matthew Foreman, Janice Dahl and Shanta Matthews.

Those nominated include, Lori Cotton, William Harris, Barbara Kissner Kwatkosky and LeAnn Mackey-Barnes.

A closer look at the nominees: • Lori Lee Cotton, 48, is an assistant state attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit in Marion County. She joined the state attorney’s office in 2001, the same year she passed the bar. She currently serves on the special prosecutions unit. She earned her juris doctorate from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2001. She is a graduate of the Ohio State University with a bachelor’s in history.

• William Arnold Harris, 46, is an assistant county attorney for Marion County. He joined the county in 2020 after a year in private practice. From 2006 to 2019 he was an assistant state attorney in Marion. Harris earned his JD from the University of Maryland Carey School of Law in 2001. He was born in Gainesville and he graduated from Lake Weir High School.

• Barbara Kissner Kwatkosky, 56, is a general magistrate for the Fifth Judicial Circuit where she hears domestic relations and mental health cases. She took that role in 2016 after serving for 10 years as a judicial hearing officer in the circuit. She also served as senior staff attorney for the circuit from 2004 to 2006. She graduated with a law degree from the University of Florida.

• LeAnn Mackey-Barnes, 45, is the chief public defender for the 5th Circuit Public Defender’s Office in Marion County. She supervises 24 attorneys in the office and handles felony, misdemeanor and juvenile cases among others. She earned her law degree from the University of Florida, where she also earned bachelor’s degrees in criminology and sociology in 1997. She also spent time as a teacher.

The others who applied included Danielle Ruse, Katie Curham, Toby Hunt, Linda Blackburn, Michael Robertson, James Moody, Mark Loerzel and Renee Thompson.

While the county judge seat is non-partisan, judicial nominations can become politically charged. The commission’s choices included two Republicans and two Democrats.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is a Republican.

Ritterhoff Williams announced her retirement in late January citing the increased caseload, the job’s growing reliance on technology and the backlog of cases due in part to COVID-19.

In her letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Ritterhoff Williams said she will retire effective midnight May 14.

Ritterhoff Williams, 61, was first elected to the post in 2006. She was reelected in 2018 to her third consecutive six-year term.

[Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

After more than a month in the hospital battling COVID-19, WardHighlands Elementary School teacher Teresa Twist died on March 25. She was 62.

Twist’s battle with the virus caused irreversible damage to her lungs, leading to her family’s plea for a lung transplant.

Despite the family’s efforts to convince UF Health Shands, where a transplant could be performed, to adjust requirements for eligibility, the woman’s condition declined rapidly.

On March 24, Price pleaded for the possibility of a transplant for her mother.

A day later, Twist died. She was one of more than 900 people in Marion County to succumb to the virus.

Twist worked as a teacher’s assistant for exceptional students at Ward-Highlands for seven years

and leaves behind a campus family that rallied behind her during her fight with the virus.

“It was her dream to work here,” WardHighlands’ principal Treasa Buck said.

Twist had volunteered at the school for years before finally becoming an employee. But even after that, Twist spent hours volunteering after work.

Members of WardHighlands faculty and staff Teresa Twist [Submitted] made a video to lift Twist’s from his bout with the virus, which spirits back on March 15. left him hospitalized with a blood “She truly treated us like a clot in his lung, an enlarged heart second family,” Buck said. “It’s hard and pneumonia. for all of us.”

According to Price, Teresa According to Buck, guidance Twist was legally blind and did counselors and the school everything with her husband. psychologist have been in touch “She was not alone during her with the parents of Twist’s students passing and she passed peacefully,” to help them deal with her death.

Price wrote in a Facebook post.

Twist also leaves behind her The family plans a memorial husband of 36 years, Rich Twist. service.

Rich Twist is still rebounding

Marion unemployment 4.4% in February Ocala Gazette Staff The Marion County unemployment rate dropped to 4.4.% in February, buoyed by a growing manufacturing segment.

The unemployment rate dropped from 4.7% in January but was still above the 3.9% unemployment rate a year earlier. Still, last February’s numbers were a prelude to the COVID-19 pandemic, which closed much of the state’s economy for a time and sent unemployment numbers soaring.

Locally, the labor force was 141,717 in February, up from 141,333 a year earlier. January. The number of people with jobs was 135,432, lower than the 135,833 employed a year earlier. The number of people unemployed was 6,285 in February compared with 5,500 a year ago, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

But the area had the state’s fastest annual job growth in manufacturing, with 300 new jobs added, according to a press release

by CareerSource CLM.

“Before I Die” project in Ocala The City of Ocala in partnership with Hospice of Marion County will open an interactive art project on April 12 at Tuscawilla Art Park, 213 NE Fifth St. The exhibit will be on display through Monday, April 19. The park is open daily, sunrise to sunset. As a part of National Healthcare Decision Day, volunteers from Hospice of Marion County will be on-site Friday, April 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to facilitate conversations about mortality and adding meaning to our daily lives.

Before I Die, created by artist Candy Chang, reimagines how the walls of our cities can help us grapple with mortality and meaning as a community today. After the death of someone she loved, Chang painted an abandoned house in her New Orleans neighborhood with chalkboard paint and stenciled the prompt, “Before I die I want to ___,” to restore perspective and find consolation with her neighbors.

More than 5,000 Before I Die walls have now been created by communities in over 75 countries, including Iraq, China, Brazil, Kazakhstan, and South Africa.

Attendees are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings, maintain proper social distancing and frequently sanitize their hands. For more information about this exhibit, please contact the City of Ocala Cultural Arts Office at 352-629- 8447 or artinfo@ocalafl.org; or visit www. ocalafl.org/culturalarts.

Alumni Weekend set for Ocala

Educator dies after battling COVID-19

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com

News in Brief

The Ocala metro area also had the second-highest annual job growth in trade, transportation, and utility jobs, with 1,100 new jobs added.

Industries that lost jobs over the year include leisure and hospitality (-1,600 jobs), education and health services (-700 jobs) and government (-600 jobs), according to CareerSource.

The state’s unemployment rate was 4.7% in February, down 0.1 percentage points from January.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 6.2%.

The Second Annual Marion County Alumni Weekend is set for Friday and Saturday.

Presented by the Ocalumni Corp, the event kicks off on Friday at 6pm at the E.D. Croskey center with a discussion panel entitled: Life Beyond Ocala. The panel included five people who grew up in Ocala and set out across the country to follow their calling.

On Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. teams will participate in rehabilitation and maintenance projects at the MLK recreation complex as part of Ocala’s Leave It Better Program.

At 1 p.m. at Webb field, the group will hold the Art Of Love event. The event will include activities, music and food.

At 8 p.m. the group will hold the Alumni Gala. The scholarship and awards event honors those who have made contributions to the community.

For information, visit www.ocalumni. com

CF film series goes zombie The College of Central Florida continues the International Film Series with “The Night of the Living Dead” on April 27, at 7:30 p.m.

Screenings will take place at the Ocala Drive-In theater, 4850 S. Pine Ave., Ocala, for free. Free online streaming is also available.

An online discussion follows on April 28, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. with Sezin Koehler.

George Romero’s seminal 1968 horror film showcases Barbra and her brother Johnny being attacked by a strange, lurching man while visiting their uncle’s grave. Johnny is killed but Barbra manages to escape to a nearby farmhouse as more of these murderous flesh-eating people come out of the woods. Barbra is quickly met by Ben, a Black man who quickly takes charge of the situation and everyone’s safety as best he can all the while they continue to be violently set upon by hordes of the undead. Besides being considered a horror classic, the film has been recognized for its social commentary on race in America.

A9

APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

West Marion construction begins West Marion Community Hospital recently broke ground on a $33 million inpatient rehabilitation construction project.

The 36-bed facility will add more than 40,600 square feet of new space dedicated to inpatient rehabilitation services. The addition will bring the total number of inpatient beds at West Marion to 222.

The emergency department at West Marion is also expanding as part of the project, with the addition of six low-acuity beds that will create a fast track space, an expanded waiting room, as well as a new emergency room entrance.

An additional 49 parking spots will be added, increasing capacity to 783 parking spaces. The project is scheduled to be completed in August 2022.

“With the recent addition of advanced neurological and stroke care capabilities at Ocala Health and the certification of Ocala Regional as the region’s only comprehensive stroke center, in addition to our trauma services, we recognized the need to offer additional rehab services to these patients,” says Gabe Bullaro, CEO, West Marion Community Hospital.

Appleton showcasing student art The Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, presents two exhibits of work by Marion County Public School students, both on view through April 25.

“Young in Art” features work from Marion County Public School K-12 students. Hosted annually by the Appleton since the early 1990s, every public school in Marion County is invited to participate. This year, 42 schools submitted artwork with a total of 234 pieces of art. The work is on view in the museum’s education wing until April 25.

Also on display in the museum café, through April 25, is the “Superintendent’s Art Show.” Hosted at the Appleton since 2018, this youth art exhibit features one work of art selected from each school and highlights artistic excellence across the county.

After leaving the Appleton, the “Superintendent’s Art Show” will be on view throughout the summer in the Marion County Public School district offices and school board building.

The Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For information, call 352-291-4455 or visit AppletonMuseum.org.

Beacon Point adds program for drug exposed babies

By Brendan Farrell brendan@ ocalagazette.com The Marion County Hospital District will provide space at its Beacon Point substance abuse treatment campus to an organization working with babies exposed to drugs.

The district’s board approved the use of office space for WellFlorida, which provides services through Nurse Family Partnership. Nurse Family is a partnership between Kids Central, Partnership for Strong Families, WellFlorida and Healthy Start.

As part of the program, registered nurses build relationships with pregnant women who are using substances. They also hope to overlap services for parents with other providers at Beacon Point, said Julie Moderie, program director at WellFlorida.

“The campus (at Beacon Point) that they have, it’s a really great opportunity,” Moderie said.

“Because it seems like it’s a one-stop kind of place where our clients can get multiple services that they need and have easy access to them, which will definitely make it where they’re more compliant and actually receiving the services versus having to find them or travel elsewhere.”

Beacon Point is largely funded by the Hospital District. It provides space where other organizations can offer services to residents regardless of ability to pay. The providers offer medicationassisted treatment for substance abuse, mental health counseling, detox and other services. The district funds multiple health initiatives in the county using the profits from investing $212 million in cash it got in 2014 when

it leased Munroe Regional Medical Center to a hospital group. Munroe is now AdventHealth Ocala.

The opioid crisis in Marion County has been a problem for years, and the issue of substance-exposed babies has been growing as well. Moderie said those babies are at a higher risk of abuse or neglect, which increases when the parents also have substance abuse problems.

“Those numbers are increasing, and they have long-term effects, developmentally, emotionally,” Moderie said. “It’s the No. 1 reason for removal of babies from homes.

So, it’s a pretty significant issue, and we’re definitely trying to prevent, you know, some of those major negative outcomes those babies would experience.”

Moderie said that those who are interested more in learning about the program can visit connectncf.org.

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APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

State News Protest bill passes House, Senate up next

By Dara Kam News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE – With Black lawmakers condemning the proposal as a return to the Jim Crow era, the Republicancontrolled Florida House on Friday approved a measure aimed at cracking down on violent protests by creating a host of new crimes, enhancing riotrelated penalties and creating roadblocks for local governments to trim police spending.

The House’s party-line passage of the law-andorder bill (HB 1) was a first step in delivering one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ top legislative priorities. As lawmakers approach the midway point of the 60-day legislative session, a Senate version of the measure has not been heard in committees.

Democrats, during nearly four hours of debate on Friday, scalded the proposal, with Black lawmakers especially taking umbrage at what they maintained is a “heartless” approach to civil disobedience at a time when the nation is facing a reckoning over racial biases in policing and other aspects of life.

The Republican governor rolled out a framework for legislation in late September, following protests throughout the country sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis Black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than

eight minutes. In arguing for the bill, Republicans have repeatedly cited violence that occurred in places such as Seattle and Portland, Ore. The sweeping bill would, among other things, create a new crime of “mob intimidation” and stiffen penalties for injuring police officers during protests that become violent. Also, it would establish an “affirmative defense” for defendants in civil lawsuits involving deaths, injuries or property damage if the injuries or damages were sustained while plaintiffs were participating “in furtherance of a riot.”

But Democrats argued the country’s foundations are rooted in protests, with Black House members emphasizing that acts of civil disobedience were responsible for many of the liberties enjoyed by citizens today.

“We must be careful that, through our zeal to make something illegal, that we chill the very thing that makes us great,” said Rep. Christopher Benjamin, a Miami Gardens Democrat who is a lawyer. “It is … through protests that we remind America of its promises. It is through protests that we activate the conscience of America.”

The proposal is contrary to American democracy, Orlando Democrat Travaris McCurdy said during the emotionally charged floor debate.

“Words did not free slaves. Words did not give women the right to vote.

Words did not end Jim Crow. And in order for this country to attempt to live up to its full potential, it took protest, civil disobedience, generation after generation,” said McCurdy, who is Black.

“This is un-American. It lacks compassion, and it reeks of the foul odor of a new Jim Crow. … It seems that freedom of speech was free, up until Black and brown people started talking.”

Republicans, however, defended the plan, saying that the proposed new and enhanced crimes are necessary to ensure the safety of Floridians and their property.

“We can act before it’s too late. We do not need to have Miami or Orlando or Jacksonville become Kenosha or Seattle or Portland. We have the ability under House Bill 1 to act now to say you can protest peaceably but you cannot commit acts of violence, you cannot harm other people, you cannot destroy their property, you cannot destroy their lives,” Rep. Cord Byrd, R-Neptune Beach, said.

Republicans also argued that the proposal would ensure the safety of peaceful protesters by giving police more tools to go after violent participants.

But Black Democrats tried to persuade their white Republican counterparts to recognize that, based on history, whites and

Blacks are treated in a disparate manner.

“There is a difference in this country and you may as well admit and face it. We Black people will be treated differently from you,” said Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, D-Gainesville.

Tallahassee Democrat Ramon Alexander, who managed the Democrats’ floor debate, acknowledged that the bill is “all about law and order.”

“But the issue that we’re trying to communicate to you, what we’re trying to open your ears to see, is that there’s never been a time in history where the law has been equally applied,” Alexander said.

DeSantis, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, discussed the outline of the plan weeks before the November presidential election. The House and Senate released initial versions of the legislation on Jan. 6, the same day Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a violent siege intended to block Congress from certifying states’ election results.

GOP legislative leaders pointed to the Capitol unrest as a justification for the effort, but Democrats’ rejected such arguments on Friday.

The bill “exploits tensions versus actually addressing tensions,” Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, said.

“This bill was written in response to peaceful protests

this past summer that were focused on the support of those that believe Black lives matter. This is not a bill that has any other group in mind other than Black lives,” she said. “This bill is designed to keep us in check, to keep us fearful, to scare us from speaking out about the fact that Black lives matter.”

But bill sponsor Juan Alfonso Fernandez-Barquin said lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle should be able to support the legislation’s goals.

“We can agree that violence is wrong. We can agree that riots are wrong.

We can agree that the government must protect our residents and we can agree that we must protect our law enforcement,” Fernandez-Barquin, a Miami-Dade County Republican. “And most important, I think we can all agree that violence at a protest delegitimizes the protest.”

Black lawmakers, however, called the legislation hurtful.

The bill equates to “sending a message that only certain types of protests by certain folks are accepted,” argued Rep. Michele Rayner, D-St. Petersburg.

“It’s a hard truth and doesn’t feel good, but the fact that this bill was conceived in response to protests in support of Black lives and is a priority sends a message,” she said. “This message is received, loud and clear.”

Cap on contributions considered The proposed limit would apply to constitutional amendment efforts

By Jim Saunders News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE – With Republican lawmakers lining up behind the idea, a Senate committee Tuesday approved a measure that would place a $3,000 cap on contributions to political committees trying to put proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot.

The vote by the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee came a day after the House Public Integrity & Elections Committee approved the House version of the bill.

Republican lawmakers and the Florida Chamber of Commerce contend the proposal is needed to stop deep-pocketed donors from financing ballot initiatives on policy issues that should not be in the state Constitution. They say such

issues should be decided by the Legislature, not through constitutional amendments.

“This is not a direct democracy,” Senate Ethics and Elections Chairman Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said. “This government that we have is a democratic republic. The Constitution is the founding document to define the role of the relationship between a government and their people.”

But Democrats and groups such as the League of Women Voters of Florida and the Sierra Club said the bill is an attack on a ballot initiative process that has been used in recent years to pass issues such as increasing the minimum wage and legalizing medical marijuana. They said voters have used the process because the Republicandominated Legislature has not responded to the

public’s wishes.

Sen. Randolph Bracy, D-Ocoee, called the Senate bill (SB 1890) “an affront to voters.”

“I believe that this is clearly designed to stop amendments that the majority party doesn’t like,” Bracy said.

The Senate bill and the House version (HB 699) are the latest in a series of attempts by the Legislature to clamp down on the constitutional amendment process. Lawmakers, for example, passed changes last year that toughened petition-signature requirements for putting initiatives on the ballot.

Political committees in the past have spent millions of dollars to gather the hundreds of thousands of required petition signatures. Perhaps the most-prominent wealthy backer of initiatives has been Orlando attorney John Morgan, who spent heavily to pass the medical marijuana amendment in 2016 and the minimum

wage amendment in 2020.

The House and Senate proposals would place a $3,000 limit on contributions until the point when initiatives have met requirements to get on the ballot. After that point, contributions would not face a cap.

Critics of the bills say the $3,000 limit --- the same limit that applies to statewide candidates --- would prevent political committees from being able to collect the needed petition signatures to get measures on the ballot.

Sen. Dennis Baxley [NSF]

“It’s just impossible, and that, I guess, is the goal,” Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, said. “And that is really frustrating, because it’s the people’s document. It’s not the Legislature’s document.”

But Senate bill sponsor Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, said a proposal could still get on the ballot if it has grass-roots support and volunteers collect signatures.

“If you’re not paying petition gatherers to gather petitions, then I don’t think it costs millions of dollars,” Rodrigues said.

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APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

City of Ocala Water Conservation Art Competition Sponsored by Ocala Gazette

T

he Ocala Gazette partnered with the City of Ocala to raise awareness during Water Conservation Month. We invited Marion County Public Schools, private schools and home school associations to participate by showing us how they answer the question “Why is water conservation important?”

Winning artwork will be made into stickers that will be placed in the City of Ocala’s Water Recharge Park and the grand prize winner will have a sticker placed outside of The Marion Theatre.

Thank you to all who participated and congratulations to our winners!

Best Overall Grand Prize (Above) Megan Allard Grade 10, Vanguard High Tasha Strigle Primary/Intermediate First Place Elizabeth Stanton-Weirsdale Elementary Dana Moller Middle School First Place (Left) Rebekah Elliott Grade 6, Howard Middle Pamela Earnest Second Place Leah Mcginley Grade 7, Osceola Middle Sandy Wineberger Third Place Kori Taylor Grade 6, Liberty Middle Kimberly Harac High School First Place Megan Allard Grade 10, Vanguard High Tasha Strigle Second Place Julia Charske Grade 12, Vanguard High Euan Hunter Third Place Janai Carr-Smith Grade 10, Vanguard High Tasha Strigle Winning Teachers 1. Euan Hunter – Vanguard High 2. Pamela Ernest – Howard Middle 3. Dana Moller – Stanton-Wiersdale Elementary 4. Sandy Wineberger – Osceola Middle 5. Tasha Strigle – Vanguard High

See more, page B2

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Primary/Intermediate First Place Elizabeth Stanton-Weirsdale Elementary

High School Second Place Julia Charske Grade 12, Vanguard High

Middle School Third Place Leah Mcginley Grade 7, Osceola Middle

Middle School Third Place Kori Taylor Grade 6, Liberty Middle

High School Third Place Janai Carr-Smith Grade 10, Vanguard High

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Creative’s Corner Community Canvas Art Army recruits reluctant artists for collective paintings

By Lisa McGinnes Ocala Gazette We all have an inner artist, Darian Mosley believes.

That’s why she started Art Army Ocala almost two years ago. The organization offers a creative outlet for attendees of the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Ocala and the Tuscawilla Art Park Series in midtown.

“Take a breath. One stroke on the canvas; let’s see what happens.”

That was Mosley’s advice to one reluctant artist at a recent art walk. She handed the woman a paintbrush, some green and purple paint and pointed her to a large canvas stretched along the square.

“And then suddenly her one stroke turned into a symbol – a symbol of something she believes in, something she feels. She created something,” Mosley said, of the peace symbol the woman painted.

The peace symbol became part of a collective piece, created by others who added their touches that evening. A young girl added blue, pink and purple lines. A middleaged man painted small green and blue waves.

“I’ve been involved in the arts in Ocala for quite some time,” Mosley said.

“I did some independent film making; I’ve worked with a couple of different artist groups. I saw a need for something geared towards bringing people

Murals that people have worked on at previous First Friday Art Walks are shown at the Art Army booth. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

Artist Darian Mosley at her Art Army booth during the First Friday Art Walk on the Ocala Downtown Square. Mosley organizes hands-on art activities at the monthly event. Everyone who stops by that night can create something to add to a mural that will be completed at the end of the evening. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

into discovering their own artist rather than bringing people in who already was established as an artist. To me, there’s still quite a need for that in our community.

“I love my artist friends, and I love seeing them create,” said Mosley. “But I want to see new artists; I want to see people blossoming into that.”

Art Army Ocala is part of the global Art Army movement started by Florida-based artist Perego in 1996.

“Our mission is to help people realize their inner

artist,” Mosley said. “Every time someone says, ‘I can’t paint; I’m not an artist,’ I tell them, ‘You just haven’t discovered it yet. You just have to dig down inside and figure out what your art is and how to express it.’”

Although some completed art walk canvases have permanent homes, such as the one Mosley gave a friend to hang at her daycare center, displaying past projects draws people in to create again, she said.

“A few months later, they walk by and say, ‘Look, I painted that,’ and show it to

their friends. And then their friends want to get a brush and start painting the next one,” she said.

The group also offers make-and-take art projects, which in the past included tie-dye butterflies, painted seashells and holiday ornaments.

But the main attraction is always the collective painting, Mosley said.

“That draws people in and gets people painting on my giant canvas,” she said.

“And we’ve had some really cool stuff created by our community.”

U.S. Army veteran Ernest Knight, right, celebrates with his fiancé, Julio Hernandez, left, in front of the new Toyota 4Runner he received through the Hiring Our Heroes program. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette]

Ocala veteran wins new car in Hiring our Heroes contest

By Ainslie Lee ainslie@ocalagazette.com Ernest Knight never thought his two years in the U.S. Army would lead to winning a brand-new car.

But the Ocala resident was picked out of 85,000 entries from across the nation to take home a 2021 Toyota 4Runner as part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s “Hiring Our Heroes” sweepstakes.

On Tuesday, Knight picked up his new car from DeLuca Toyota.

“We’re very excited...

We’re looking to take this nice vehicle for our honeymoon to Vegas,” Knight said, referring to his fiancé Julio Hernandez.

The sweepstakes was open to all active duty, reserve and guard service members, veterans and military spouses.

“We are thrilled to present a new vehicle to Ernest Knight, a third-

generation veteran, who proudly served in the U.S. Army,” said Adam Rocke of Hiring Our Heroes.

Knight, 31, enlisted in the Army in 2013, where he worked as a food service specialist. While deployed in Kuwait during Operation Enduring Freedom, he suffered an injury that led to four knee surgeries and the eventual end of his military career. Knight was honorably discharged in 2015.

“Transitioning from the

military back into the civilian world, for me, it was difficult to a certain extent,” Knight said. “It took a lot out of me.

I had to relearn how to walk.

I had to learn how to be able to move my knee and to build my knee.”

But those struggles are behind him now.

Nearly a dozen ladies, all part of Knight’s Zumba class, came out to help him celebrate.

Knight leads the class at the MVP Athletic Club in The Villages. Knight recently

earned his master’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Leo University.

His interest in criminal justice led the Virginia native to Ocala. He previously worked for the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office. He left the agency to pursue his master’s.

“Ocala wasn’t in my plans. I always planned to move to Florida, but I always pictured Miami,” Knight said with a laugh. “But Ocala has grown on me, and actually, this is my home.”

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After being canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Marion Cultural Alliance (MCA), City of Ocala and the Levitt Foundation partnered to bring the 2020 lineup back to the Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series in 2021.

The series will kickoff on April 16 and continue each Friday through June 25, excluding May 28 for Memorial Day. The weekly free concerts will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Webb Field at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex located at 1510 NW Fourth Street. In the case of inclement weather, concerts will be moved inside to the E.D. Croskey Recreation Center.

The series will feature a lineup of diverse, talented artists spanning a variety of musical genres. Each performance will also spotlight a local non-profit organization which will conduct a presentation during intermission. Food will also be available for purchase at each event.

“Marion Cultural Alliance is proud to partner with the City to bring back the Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series in 2021,” said Jaye Baillie, Executive Director, Marion Cultural Alliance.

“This series has reimagined and injected new life into the historic Webb Field with ten weeks of free concerts. The diverse lineup features acclaimed, emerging talent to seasoned, award winning artists on the local, regional and nation circuits ensuring access to high-caliber performances. Bring your chair or blanket and join people of all ages and backgrounds who gather together to listen, dance, and sing.”

The final lineup is still pending release.

For more information, vending or sponsorship, visit ocalafl.org/levittamp or contact City of Ocala Cultural Arts at artinfo@ ocalafl.org or 352-629-8447. To learn more about the Levitt AMP series, visit levittamp.org.

Marion County Animal Services and the Human Society of Marion County, in partnership with animal advocacy groups VOCAL and Sheltering Hands will be hosting the BIG FIX on April 14 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The BIG FIX is a joint, collaborative effort to help the community and its population of cats. All event day services are free and include sterilization, vaccines, flea prevention, pain medication and ear tip. Feral, owned and community cats will be accepted.

To register owned cats, call VOCAL at 352-289-0800 or visit VocalForPets.org. For feral and community cats, call Sheltering Hands at 352-840-0663 or visit ShelteringHands.org. Donations are appreciated and pre-registration is required.

Road work projects cause delays Motorists can expect temporary lane closures in parts of the Southeast and Northwest.

Work on CSX railroad crossings will affect traffic at Southeast 52nd Street, Southeast 62nd Street, Southeast 73rd Street, and Southeast 80th Street through Aug. 17.

C.W. Roberts Contracting, Inc. is upgrading the CSX crossings and installing Quiet Zones.

Motorists traveling along Northwest 35th Street, Northwest 42nd Street, and Northwest 42nd Place, can expect intermittent lane closures through June 30, in the following areas: Northwest. 42nd Place, from C.R. 25A Northwest Gainesville Rd to US 441; Northwest 42nd Street, from Northwest 27th Avenue to C.R. 25A (N.W. Gainesville Road) Northwest 35th Street Road from Amazon Distribution Facility to Northwest 27th Avenue.

Duke Energy is doing maintenance work on existing poles.

For more information, contact the Office of the County Engineer at 352671-8686.

CF hosts business and technology events The College of Central Florida’s business and technology department will host four virtual career connection events featuring local companies using new technology on April 5-8.

United Way of Marion County recently received $10.8 On April 5 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 million in Emergency Rental Assistance funds from p.m. Bonnie Dorr, associate director and Marion County to support individuals and families senior research scientist for the Florida who have been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus Institute for Human and Machine pandemic.

Cognition, will speak on how artificial Specifically designated to help residents of Marion intelligence will shape the future.

County, the COVID Assistance Program (CAP) provides On April 6 from 11:15 a.m. to noon rent and utility assistance to help support those in The Villages Grown will have presenters the community who have been financially impacted discuss technology application in a

by COVID-19. One or more individuals within the hyper-local food system that benefits household must have experienced a reduction of income, local residents, the environment and incurred significant costs or experienced other financial the economy, as well as other careers in hardship due to COVID-19 to be eligible for assistance. agriculture.

Assistance is available to those whose financial On April 7 from 2:15 p.m. to 3 p.m., obligations incurred after March 2020 and must be at or Human Resources manager from Dollar below 80% of the average median income.

Tree Distribution Center, Paul Porter, The full requirements for eligibility are as follows: will tell participants about the technology Residents must reside in Marion County, experience applications and career in supply chain financial hardship due to COVID-19, be at or below 80% management. of the average median income, provide a valid form of ID On April 8 from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m., and apply for the benefits.

Julie Sheppard, vice president and chief Beginning April 1st, those seeking benefits can apply legal counsel from the Florida Institute online at UWMC.org/CAP or contact United Way for Human and Machine Cognition, will of Marion County’s 211 Information and Referral present practical steps to prepare for a Crisis Line by dialing 2-1-1 or chat online at UWMC. future career in technology. org/211. Those needing access to a computer can The virtual event will be free for visit CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion or call 211 to participants. Those interested can schedule a meeting with a CAP representative to assist in register now at CF.edu/BusTechEvents.

This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They may completing the application.

Each day, one participant will be eligible run in any direction but always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring Funds are available on a first come, first served basis to receive gift. For more each word as you find it and when you have completed theapuzzle, there willinformation, be 16 letters left and are required to be distributed by Dec. 30, 2021. contact Bonnie Hays at haysb@CF.edu. over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

United Way offers rental, utility assistance

WORD FIND Play a game Solution: 16 Letters

© 2021 Australian Word Games Dist. by Creators Syndicate Inc.

Levitt AMP 2021: The show goes on

Free cat sterilization, vaccines

Arena Aussie rules Avid Ball Bats Bounce Club Competitive Court Crew Cups Daily Darts Euchre Event Fast Field Final

Fish Flag Gala Goal Grit Group Hike Hunt Karate Kick League Loser Ludo Oval Pass Pool Regular

Relay Rink Side Silver Spar Squat Stretch Tackle Team Tennis Tired Trot Union Vault Walk Weightlifting

n: Good way to stay fit

News in Brief

APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Creators Syndicate

737 3rd Street • Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

Date: 4/2/21

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APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Honorable Mentions CF ranks among best in the nation The College of Central Florida was recently ranked among the best in the state and the nation in several different categories, according to Intelligent.com.

CF was ranked in the top 50 community colleges in the nation for 2021. CF also earned the best job placement rate. The rankings are based on an assessment of 1,187 accredited colleges and universities in the nation.

Intelligent.com also ranked CF’s Associate in Business Administration Degree Program among the top 50 in the nation for 2021.

Intelligent.com assessed a pool of 188 accredited colleges

and universities for this ranking.

Each program was evaluated on its curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation and post-graduate employment.

The College of Central Florida’s nursing program was also recognized as the sixth-best RN program in Florida by RegisteredNursing.org.

Best Value Schools ranked CF No. 11 on its 2020 list of Best Colleges in Florida. CF joined the ranks with the University of Florida, University of Central Florida and the University of West Florida, which all appeared in the top five. Rankings were based on the number of online programs, graduation rate and tuition cost.

Marion County Realtors honored The Ocala Marion County Association of Realtors recently recognized their top producers for 2020.

Among those recognized was Samantha Dailey of Showcase Properties of Central Florida, who was named 2020 Rookie of the Year by the association. The award goes to Realtors who sell more than $1 million in their first year in real estate.

Samantha Dailey

CF students earn Coca-Cola scholarship Two College of Central Florida students were named 2021 Coca-Cola Academic Team Scholars and will receive a scholarship to assist them with their education.

Daniel Goodman from the Citrus Campus was named

Daniel Goodman and Autumn Lloyd

a Gold Scholar and Autumn Lloyd from the Ocala Campus was named a Bronze Scholar. Goodman will receive a $1,500 scholarship and Lloyd will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation sponsors the Coca-

Cola Academic Team program by recognizing 50 Gold, 50 Silver and 50 Bronze Scholars with nearly $200,000 in scholarships annually.

Students are nominated for the academic team by their college administrators.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM OCALAGAZETTE.COM/SUBSCRIBE

MCPS approves new textbooks

By Brendan Farrell brendan@ocalagazette.com The Marion County School Board approved spending $7.5 million on new language art textbooks during its March 23rd meeting.

The approved textbooks would cover kindergarten through 12th grade and would go into use in August. Textbooks change every four to five years depending on the subject and state recommendations, Marion County Public School spokesman Kevin Christian said.

Jennifer Leeds, instructional materials coordinator for the school system, said the new textbooks will meet the new Florida B.E.S.T. standards.

In January 2019, Gov.

Ron DeSantis called for the implementation of the new curriculum known by the acronym of Benchmark for Excellent Student Thinking. It replaced Common Core, a standardized curriculum that some opponents argued took control away from local educators.

“On both the elementary and the secondary side, part of their review was to check that we were in alignment with the new standards for Florida B.E.S.T. standards,” Leeds said. “In addition, those standards were also provided to the actual ELA (English Language Arts) adoption committee, which was made up of teachers, parents and community members. And they were also asked to make sure that they were feeling that they were in alignment with state standards.”

Live on stage!

By Beth Henley

April 8 – May 2 Sponsored by: Blanchard, Merriam, Adel, Kirkland, & Green, P.A.

Southern families are like a crazy quilt.

Some are just a little crazier than others.

Tickets $30 for adults $15 for ages 18 and younger

celebrating 70 years

4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, Florida 34470

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Community

Now The Villages Polo -3/28

4/6

Biz Promoters Networks Group

4/2 -4/3

4/6

As the Page Turns Book Club

4/7

1 Million Cups Ocala

4/7

CEP Annual Lunch

The Villages Polo Club, 703 N Buena Vista Blvd, The Villages 3pm Fridays, 1pm Sundays Watch competitive matches from the club’s elevated two-level stadium with optional tailgating. Visit thevillagespoloclub.com for tickets and more information.

4/2 -4/3

Chain Reaction Charlie

Discovery Center, 701 NE Sanchez Ave. Saturday 10am-5pm, Tuesday-Friday 10am-12:30 and 2:304:30pm This new exhibit allows kids of all ages to get hands-on in Charlie’s garden, tree house and workshop to make incredible new inventions. Visit mydiscoverycenter.org for more information.

Photos with Bunny

Paddock Mall, 3100 SW College Road Times vary A new set features safe and socially distanced opportunities for photos of little ones with the Easter bunny. Visit paddockmall. com for the schedule and more information.

Power Plant Business Incubator, 405 SE Osceola Ave. 11:30am-12:30pm Call Stephen Nelson at (352) 450-1281 for more information on this referral networking small group.

Freedom Public Library, 5870 SW 95th St. 2:30pm Join a discussion of Mitch Albom’s “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.” Call (352) 438-2580 to register.

Power Plant Business Incubator, 405 SE Osceola Ave. 9:30-10:30am Two local startups present their business idea to an audience of community entrepreneurs. Email ryan@ocalacep.com for more information.

Circle Square Cultural Center, 8395 SW 80th St. and Church of Hope, 3233 SE Maricamp Road 11:30am-1pm The Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership annual lunch is being held in two locations this year to allow for social distancing. Visit cepocala.com for more information.

4/2

Marion Oaks Farmers Market

4/2

Marion County Friday Market

4/7

Wednesday Midday Market

4/2

Ocala Wetland Recharge Park Grand Opening

4/7

CF Career Connection

4/7

Ocala Business Mixer

4/8

Farmers Market

4/8

CF Career Connection

4/8

Soylent Green

Marion Oaks Community Center, 294 Marion Oaks Lane 9am-12pm Fresh vegetables, artisan food products and handmade crafts.

McPherson Government Complex, 601 SE 25th Ave. 9am-2pm Shop locally fresh fruits and veggies, cinnamon buns, jerky, freeze dried treats, olive oils and seafood.

2105 NW 21st St. 10am Tour the wetland ecosystem the helps improve water quality, boosts regional groundwater supplies and provides educational opportunities. Visit wetlandpark.ocalafl.org for more information.

Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St. 1-6pm Shop a selection of produce, meat, natural and handmade products and food trucks. ocaladowntownmarket.com

Virtual 2:15-3pm The College of Central Florida will host Paul Porter, human resources manager for Dollar Tree Distribution Center, presenting on technology applications and careers in logistics and supply chain management. Visit cf.edu/bustechevents for free registration.

Ocala Wetland Recharge Park. Photo by Dave Miller.

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Ocala Downtown Market

310 SE Third St. 9am-2pm A variety of vendors offer local fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, fresh pasta, honey, arts and crafts, rain or shine. Visit ocaladowntownmarket.com for more information.

Brownwood Farmers Market

2726 Brownwood Blvd., Wildwood 9am-1pm More than 70 vendors offer fresh produce and crafts. Visit thevillagesentertainment.com for more information.

Classics and Cocktails: Citizen Kane

Marion Theatre, 50 S Magnolia Ave. 5pm Experience the 1941 Oscar-winning film with a signature Rosebud cocktail. Visit reillyartscenter.com for more information.

4/5

Monday Morning Book Club

4/5

CF Career Connection

4/6

4/6

Fort McCoy Public Library, 14660 NE County Road 315, Fort McCoy 10:30am Join a discussion of Erik Larson’s “Devil in the White City.”

Call (352) 438-2560 to register.

Virtual 12:15-1:15pm The College of Central Florida will host research scientist Bonnie Dorr of the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition talking about how artificial intelligence will affect the future. Visit cf.edu/bustechevents for free registration.

Now -4/4

Tuesday Talk: Lessons I Learned from my Father

Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership, 310 SE Third St. and virtual 8:30am Speaker Clay Lehman will present the why’s and how’s of managing with humility for successful teams. Breakfast begins at 8:15am. Attendees can also join virtually on Facebook Live.

RSVP to andrea@ocalacep.com.

CF Career Connection

Virtual 11:15am-12pm The College of Central Florida will host presenters from The Villages Grown discussing technology applications in a hyperlocal food system and careers in agriculture. Visit cf.edu/ bustechevents for free registration.

The Crazy Cucumber, 1414 SW College Road 5-7pm Business professionals are invited to network and enjoy. Visit cepocala.com for more information.

Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 80th St. 9am-1pm Locally grown seasonal produce, baked goods, plants and more. Visit circlesquarecommons.com/farmersmarket for more information.

Virtual 12:15-1pm The College of Central Florida will host Julie Sheppard from the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition presenting practical steps to prepare for a career in technology. Visit cf.edu/bustechevents for free registration.

Marion Theatre, 50 S Magnolia Ave. 5:30pm The screening of the 1973 cult classic featuring Charlton Heston is part of a Water Conservation Month series. City of Ocala Water Resources Conservation Coordinator Rachel Slocumb will introduce the film and free popcorn will be provided courtesy of Water Resources. Visit reillyartscenter. com for more information.

Arts

Memories & Inspiration

Appleton Museum of Art 10am-5pm Thursday-Saturday, 12-5pm Sunday The Memories & Inspiration: The Kerry and C. Betty Davis Collection of African American art exhibition celebrates the passion of a couple who amassed a collection of more than 300 works over 35 years. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

Now The Art of Adventure -4/25

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm An exhibition of 1970s serigraphs by Clayton Pond highlighting artworks from Pond’s “Leisure-time Obsessions Series.” Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

Now -6/21

People

Barbara Gaskin Washington Adult Activity Center, 210 NW 12th Ave. 9am-4pm This new exhibit of works by artist Shirley S. Wulff celebrates her memories, feelings and thoughts about collaborations with others. Visit ocalafl.org/culturalarts for more information.

B7

APRIL 2 - APRIL 8, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

4/7

Crafter12pm: Suncatchers

4/8

Artists Ignite

Ocala Public Library, 2720 E Silver Springs Blvd.

4:30pm Adults are invited to craft a suncatcher. Visit library.marionfl. org for more information.

NOMA Ocala, 939 N Magnolia Ave. Enjoy snacks, sounds and sips as well as an art auction and artists’ awards at this fundraising event to benefit Wear Gloves, the Marion County Children’s Alliance and Boys and Girls Clubs of Marion County. Visit fb.com/igniteforocala for more information.

Government

4/5

Marion County Development Review Committee

4/5

Marion County Board of Adjustment Variances

Now Luminous Worlds -6/27

4/6

Marion County Board of Commissioners

4/2

Then and Now

4/6

Marion County Public Hearing

4/2

First Friday Art Walk

4/6

Marion County Public Hearing

4/2

Levitt AMP Music Series Launch Party

4/6

Ocala City Council

4/3

Free First Saturday

4/6

Belleview City Commission

4/8

Marion County Development Review Committee Staff Meeting

“Standing Still” by Emmeline Basulto.

Now The Audience -6/25

Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration, 828 NE Eighth Ave. 9am-5pm A new exhibit featuring the paintings of Ocala-based Emmeline Basulto, artistically known as Embot, reflect herself in representational and abstract forms. Her works are also on display at the Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center at 830 NE Eighth Avenue. Both locations are open Monday-Friday. Visit ocalafl.org/culturalarts for more information.

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm An exhibition featuring the large abstract canvases of Kristin Herzog, a Naples, Florida-based artist and former civil engineering draftsman. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

4/5 5/7

Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St. Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 11am-4pm A collective show featuring works by Ocala Art Group members. Opening reception March 5, 5–6pm; exhibit open Tuesday-Saturday through May 1. Visit mcaocala.org for more information.

Ocala Downtown Square 6-9pm Stroll 15 artist displays and enjoy free family art activities and extended shopping hours. The Mudds Jazz and Blues Band will perform live at the gazebo. Visit ocalafl.org/artwalk for more information.

Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St. 6-9pm Learn more about the free Friday concert series returning to Webb Field this year and enjoy light refreshments, activities and live music by Prestine Allen. Visit mcaocala.org for more information.

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd.

10am-5pm See the museum’s permanent collection, special exhibitions including “Memories & Inspiration” and enjoy the courtyard and sculpture walk with free admission. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

Visual Arts Student Exhibition

CF Webber Gallery, 3001 SW College Road 10am-4pm A variety of artworks created by College of Central Florida visual arts students will be on display Monday-Friday. Visit cf.edu for more information.

Office of the County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave. 9am The DRC votes on waiver requests, drainage/site plans, subdivision master plans, preliminary plats, improvement plans and final plats. Call (352) 671-8686 for more information.

Growth Services Training Room, 2710 E. Silver Springs Blvd.

2pm Call (352) 438-2600 for more information.

McPherson Government Complex Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave. 9am Call (352) 438-2323 for more information.

McPherson Government Complex Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave. 10am A public hearing for the adoption of the resolution for Maricamp Market Centre replat phase 1 and 2 municipal benefit unit for general maintenance and capital improvements. Call (352) 438-2650 for more information.

McPherson Government Complex Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave. 2pm The final public hearing for Magnolia Shores/Smith Lake Acres unit 1 improvement area. Call (352) 438-2650 for more information.

City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. and virtual 5pm Participate online at https://zoom.us/j/446885807. Call (352) 629-8401 for more information.

City Hall Commission Room, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 6pm Call (352) 245-7021 for more information.

Office of the County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave. 8:30am Applicants may discuss proposed or current projects with county review staff prior to meeting formally with the Development Review Committee. Call (352) 671-8686 for more information.

ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR 2

4pm Charity Cox

3

Swampy’s

2

5pm Mike Smithson

3

3

6pm Jeff Jarrett

7pm Good Friday Gospel Special Orange Blossom Opry

2:30 & 7pm John Denver Tribute

3

7pm 7 Bridges: The Ultimate Eagles Experience Circle Square Cultural Center

8pm Becca The Corkscrew

1pm Charity Cox

8

The Crazy Cucumber

4

2pm John Johnson

4

3pm The Big Bad

8

5pm The Big Bad Bank Street Patio Bar

7pm Gilly & the Girl Infinite Ale Works

8

Gator Joe’s

7

6pm Jeff Jarrett Ocala Downtown Square

Eaton’s Beach

Orange Blossom Opry

Shuckin’ Shack

2

4

Ocala Downtown Market

Eaton’s Beach

2

10:30am Charity Cox

7pm Orange Blossom Showcase Orange Blossom Opry

8

7pm The Big Bad Pi on Broadway

Answers for pages B4,B5

Ocala Gazette publishes fond remembrances of your loved one Visit ocalagazette.com to submit an obituary

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Top workforce minds aT your fingerTips April 22, 2021 | 8 A.M. - Noon

CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion is an equal opportunity employer/program supported by the U.S. Department of Labor and other agencies as part of awards totaling $8.7 million, revised annually. Auxiliary ads/services are available upon request in Spanish and to persons with disabilities. Voice phone numbers may be reached using TTY/TDD equipment via Florida Relay at 711. For accommodations, call 800-434-5627, ext. 7878 or email accommodations@careersourceclm.com at least three business days in advance. CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion is a proud partner of the American Job Center network and member of CareerSource Florida.

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