Ocala Gazette | June 16 - June 22, 2023

To build or not to build?

County facilities management envisions plans for upgrades vs. new construction.

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

The Marion County Board of County Commissioners

recently met with staff to consider options for upgrading or replacing high-use county properties including court facilities and libraries.

The May 17 visioning workshop was held at the McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., which, coincidentally, was one of the structures discussed. Others included the Marion County Judicial Center and a library or mobile unit for Silver Springs Shores residents.

Facilities Management Director Jared Goodspeed brought up concerns about the McPherson structure’s 58 years of wear and tear. The anticipated cost to maintain the complex over the next 10 years is $18.5 million.

Goodspeed proposed creating a 25-year comprehensive master plan to determine the costs of rebuilding vs. upgrading the property’s structures along with operational plans “to guide the best decision.”

“The interesting part about this,” he said, “is that if we were to maintain our current structures with maintenance utilities and just basic CIP (critical infrastructure protection) maintenance to keep the buildings from falling apart, we’re basically at $81 million over the course of 25 years.

See County, page A4

Happy Father’s Day

‘Justice for AJ’ and reassurance for her children

The memorial service for Ajike “AJ” Owens offered hope between tears.

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

The Rev. Al Sharpton called out Florida state officials and Gov. Ron DeSantis for their silence after the shooting in his eulogy at the memorial service for Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens on Monday, June 12.

“We’re not going to let you,” he warned. “We’re not going to be quiet about it. What happened here is wrong, and we’ve come here with AJ’s family to be strong with them.”

Owens died from a fatal gunshot fired by Quail Run neighbor Susan Lorincz through Lorincz’s door on Friday, June 2. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office charged Lorincz with manslaughter and other crimes after the shooting.

Sharpton admonished conservative lawmakers for “wanting to bury what happened to AJ.”

“Does DeSantis have laryngitis?” Sharpton asked rhetorically, adding that he was confused about state officials “who can stand up for someone who has been indicted for espionage but cannot stand up for a mother trying to protect her children.”

Before Sharpton’s speech, Meadowbrook Church Pastor Tim Gilligan gave the welcome address and promised that the church is “a house of love and a house of peace.”

Defying the odds: Ocala-based trainer Jena Antonucci makes history in the Belmont Stakes

By Michael Compton Correspondent

In Arcangelo’s remarkable

1 ½-length triumph in the June 10 $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1), the third leg of racing’s Triple Crown, history was rewritten as his trailblazing trainer Jena Antonucci shattered the glass ceiling, becoming the first female trainer to win the coveted Belmont

Stakes in its 155-year history. In the unprecedented victory, she also earned the distinction of becoming the first female trainer to win any of the Triple Crown races.

“It’s been amazing. I’m just so appreciative of the large amount of positivity and genuine wellwishes that we have received,” said Antonucci, 47, back home in Ocala a few days removed from the excitement of winning the Belmont Stakes. “It’s been a little louder the last few days. I really enjoy quiet. Honestly, it’s been amazing, having the opportunity to share our little story and the story of our amazing industry. To be given these opportunities, I will embrace them and do the best that I can.”

In the aftermath of Saturday’s historical win, Antonucci, who was

only the 11th woman to saddle a horse in the Belmont and the first since Kathy Ritvo sent out Florida-bred Mucho Macho Man to a seventh-place finish in 2011, has been busy, making numerous appearances on national cable news shows and speaking with the media.

“I had already arranged to fly back home on Sunday,” Antonucci shared. “I’m not nearly bold enough to have made any plans to have stayed up in New York (after the race), like I am going to win the Belmont. That’s just not how I am wired. I appreciate other people that may have that ability. I flew home on Sunday, literally drove home to Ocala, unpacked my back, repacked my bag, and flew right back to New York that night (for the television

See Local, page A7

Pamela Dias, the mother of Ajike “AJ” Owens, leaves the church with Owens’ children during the Celebration of Life for Ajike “AJ” Owens at Meadowbrook Church in Ocala on Monday, June 12, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Trainer Jena Antonucci of Ocala, right, hoists the Belmont Stakes trophy in the air as she celebrates with owner Jon Ebbert, left, after their horse, Arcangelo, won the

of

“When you are an underdog, you have nothing to lose by asking questions.”

Jena Antonucci

Community mourns

Continued from page A1

Sharpton thanked the pastor at the opening of his eulogy, saying “he never asked what was going to be said or what was going to be done,” adding with an affectionate chuckle, “This is a house for everybody, but I don’t know if I’d open my doors to Al Sharpton if I was Tim!”

Bishop David Stockton, president of the Marion County chapter of the NAACP, reminded all in attendance that the service was about celebrating Owens, not about politics and “cameras” before welcoming Sharpton to the stage.

The reverend, who’s used to the limelight, countered Stockton’s request with a recommendation of his own.

“I want you cameras to show up,” Sharpton told the journalists and cameramen in the back of the church. “The world needs to know that we shouldn’t be at a funeral right now.”

He recounted a poignant story about his own childhood and provided words of comfort and reassurance to Owens’ children.

“I was raised by a single mother,” Sharpton told the congregation. “My father left me when I was 10. I grew up on welfare and food stamps. The only thing between me and jail was my mother.”

Sharpton told Owens’ children that they should never feel guilty about what happened to her. (Son Israel, 9, has been quoted in several stories after the shooting and was by his mom’s side at Lorincz’s front door when his mother was fatally shot.)

“Your mother chose to stand in danger’s way to protect you,” Sharpton told the children.

Sharpton went on to emphasize fellowship and unity in the wake of Owens’ untimely death, praising the white demonstrators who joined the Black community in downtown Ocala for peaceful protests and vigils following the shooting.

Throughout the service, the auditorium resonated with jubilation between sobs. Before the service began, a booming choir and band performed a spiritual that repeated the imperative, “Jesus, heal,” as Owens’ body lay in an open white casket, later to be escorted by horse-drawn carriage to the cemetery.

Mourners rose up from their seats and raised their hands in praise, swaying back and forth and rejoicing through tears as Owens’ loved ones and children—Isaac, Israel, Afrika and Titus—dressed stunningly in white, walked in procession to their seats at the front of Ocala’s Meadowbrook Church.

City Councilman Ire Bethea was among the local public figures in attendance. Stockton introduced guest speakers and an impassioned choral performance of Owens’ favorite spiritual, “Take Me to the King.”

Sharpton also gave a shout-out to Sabrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, who was also at the service and is now a friend and ally with Owens’ family. Trayvon had just turned 17 when he was shot in 2012. His case brought recognition to trial attorney Benjamin Crump, who is now representing Owens’ family.

“I call Ben Crump the attorney general of Black America,” Sharpton said before the lawyer approached the stage.

In previous years, Crump has since defended George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many others in the national spotlight.

Crump praised Sharpton’s eloquence, how he always says something that makes you stop and take a breath.

“We’re going to stand our ground for the respect, dignity and the humanity of AJ, and most of all, justice for AJ!” Crump shouted, leading the church in a chant, “Justice for AJ!”

The attorney also thanked Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods for making the arrest “and not delaying it another moment further”; the greater the delay, he said, the worse the impact on the children.

After members of Owens’ family approached the platform, noticeably weary from a horrible week, Stockton announced that each of her four children will have numerous full scholarships to choose from.

“They will have the choice to attend any HBCU in Florida,” he said of the state’s historically black colleges and universities.

“The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.”

- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

Publisher Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

Evelyn Anderson Account Executive evelyn@magnoliamediaco.com

Bruce Ackerman Photography Editor bruce@ocalagazette.com

Allen Barney Reporter allen@ocalagazette.com

Rosemarie Dowell Reporter rosemarie@ocalagazette.com

Ron Eddy Account Executive ron@magnoliamediaco.com

Andy Fillmore Reporter andy@ocalagazette.com

Julie Garisto Reporter julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Greg Hamilton Editor greg@magnoliamediaco.com

Susan Smiley-Height Editor susan@magnoliamediaco.com

Belea Keeney Reporter belea@magnoliamediaco.com

Lauren Morrish Reporter lauren@ocalagazette.com

Cheryl Specht Client Services Guru cheryl@magnoliamediaco.com

Amy Harbert Graphic Designer amy@magnoliamediaco.com

News tips tips@ocalagazette.com

Distribution Inquiries info@ocalagazette.com

Follow us @ocalagazette

Our mission is to inform and uplift our readers by reporting on the events, issues and stories that shape Ocala with accuracy, fairness and passion. We also strive to serve as a forum where all voices can be heard and to chronicle our community’s history. ocalagazette.com

©2023 Ocala Gazette, LLC

Ocala Gazette (USPS# 25590) (ISSN 2771-1595) is published weekly by Magnolia Media Company, LLC, 1900 SE 18TH AVE STE 200, Ocala, FL 34471-8235. Periodicals postage paid at Ocala, FL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Ocala Gazette, PO Box 188, Ocala, FL 34471.

Share your news

The Ocala Gazette invites you to share your important news events with the community. Email your submissions to info@ocalagazette.com. Please include your name and contact information on the submission.

• Letters to the editor: 200 words or less.

Honorable Mentions: 150 words or less about an individual or organization accomplishment in the business, education, community service, athletics or other area of endeavor. Attach a photo of the individual or group being honored, if available.

Upcoming events: Are you holding a charitable or community event that is open to the public? Include the organization hosting the event as well as the time, date and a brief description of the event, along with registration information or other important instructions.

• News tips: Include whatever information you consider relevant.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

One of Ajike “AJ” Owens sons speaks as Bishop James David Stockton, left, and attorney Ben Crump, right, listen during the Celebration of Life for Ajike “AJ” Owens at Meadowbrook Church in Ocala on Monday, June 12, 2023.

Pamela Dias, the mother of Ajike “AJ” Owens, pays her last respects to her daughter as she is escorted by the Rev. Al Sharpton, right, and another clergy member.

Pallbearers load the casket of Ajike “AJ” Owens into a horse-drawn carriage.

T’Kyrra Terrell, 6, left, and Curtis Hayes, 5, right, hold a banner asking for justice for Ajike “AJ” Owens after her casket was loaded into a horse-drawn carriage.

“We’re not going to let you. We’re not going to be quiet about it. What happened here is wrong, and we’ve come here with AJ’s family to be strong with them.”

Rev. Al Sharpton

A mom, above all

Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens set an example of positivity, faith and generosity.

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

When a high-profile shooting takes place, we tend to frame the victim’s identity in the context of one horrible event.

But if you read through Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens’ public Facebook profile and comments by her coworkers, friends and family members, you’d learn that she was a devoted mother, someone who would regularly go out of her way to help her singlemom friends and neighbors; someone who endeavored to set a positive example, expressing warmth, compassion and positivity while building a healthy, spiritual life path for her and her children.

According to close friend Kimberly Robinson-Jones, Owens, who turned 35 on Jan. 13, didn’t get a chance to say one word to Susan Lorincz before when she was fatally shot through the neighbor’s closed door on June 2. Bystanders said that Lorincz verbally harassed Owens’ children and shouted racial epithets. Lorincz allegedly threw a rollerskate at Owens’ son while her children played in an outdoor common area, with the landlord’s permission, located next to the neighbor in an Ocala apartment complex.

On June 6, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) took Lorincz, 58, into custody on charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault.

Ben Crump, the attorney representing the Owens family, said Lorincz often directed

racial slurs at Black children around the neighborhood and antagonized them to not play on the field near her home.

Sheriff Billy Woods initially framed the shooting as a “longtime neighborhood feud.” His office confirmed Owens was shot through the door. The MCSO report also shows Owens’ children — sons Isaac, 12 and Israel, 9; daughter Afrika, 7, and another son, Titus, 3 — were at the scene of the shooting when deputies arrived.

A mom with a “heart of gold”

Last week, War Cry 4 Peace hosted a vigil at Immerse Church of Ocala to raise money for Owens’ family, funds that would help with funeral arrangements and other expenses in the wake of her death.

At the vigil, Owens’ best friend, Velecia Woodyard, said she saw in Owens strength she’d never seen at such a young ago.

“This baby,” she said pointing to Israel, ”is sitting here wiping my tears and he lost his mother, but that’s how she raised her children.”

Pamela Dias spoke to the media after her daughter’s death and said the daughter she grieved was “most of all, known for how much she loved and absolutely lived for her four children. To say she loved her children unconditionally is an understatement.”

Susan Castalanato, teacher and dean at Israel’s school, said Owens was one of the kindest women she met, “a beautiful mother.”

“If you know, you know …” “IYKYK” or “if you know, you

Bond set for woman accused in death of neighbor

By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com

Susan Lorincz, who is accused of shooting and killing her neighbor, Ajike “AJ” Owens, had her first appearance before a Marion County Judge on Thursday, June 8, via video link from the Marion County Jail.

On Friday, June 9, bond for Lorincz was set at $154,000, according to an email from the Office of the State Attorney, Fifth Judicial Circuit, “with the condition that an ankle monitor be worn if the defendant bonds out of jail.”

Owens, 35, the mother of four children ages 3 to 12, was shot and killed on June 2 while reportedly standing outside Lorincz’s front door. Reports from law enforcement described an ongoing feud between the neighbors and a confrontation at the time of the shooting.

On Thursday, Judge Lori Cotton read the charges against Lorincz, 58: manslaughter with a firearm (with) culpable negligence, two counts of assault and one count of battery. Cotton then asked Lorincz several questions prior to assigning her a Public Defender. Lorincz told Cotton she lost her job two weeks ago and had no savings. Lorincz said she had filed for disability, owed $22,000 on a vehicle and helped out her 55-year-old sister.

know” was a favorite catchphrase of Owens.

From her posts on social media, you get a sense that her children were the center of her world. In between sharing her opinions about the Black “Little Mermaid” (“Go see it”), people and Christian life lessons, she loved to share milestones and report cards, photos and videos of her kids saying funny and clever things that made her proud.

Last year, the cheerful mom posted on Facebook, “I can’t wait to pop popcorn and drink hot chocolate tonight while watching Hocus Pocus 2 with my littles!”

In Owens’ final Facebook post, she shared photos of her son Titus holding one of the frozen fruit juice cups — “Lilly Dillies” — that she had made and described with laughing emojis how word got around to all the neighborhood kids who got one too, and that her enterprising son Isaac suggested inviting the kids back and selling the Lilly Dillies with the Cash App.

On Titus’ third birthday, Owens wrote that, “Titus is a handful! He punks me daily, definitely keeps me running. He’s sweet when he wants to be. He’s mastered the art of ignoring people. He gives the most amazing hugs and occasional kisses! This boy is fearless; he thinks he can do everything his brothers do! Today we celebrate you, son.”

On Israel’s last birthday, she spoke proudly about her son. “His heart is big and pure; just don’t get him angry! If you know, you know: He’s the calm before the storm! I am so proud to be his mommy.”

A TikTok-like reel of Afrika was captioned, “And then there

was the girl child..... If you know, you know..... #Afrika #MyOnlyGirl #AWilliams.”

The reel spotlights spunky daughter Afrika, wearing a light blue school uniform polo and smart hairstyle with meticulous corn rows and ponytails, accessorized with lavender and baby doodads. “My mama,” Afika declared, “she’s going to have me together! I’m drinking water, my grades are great; my attitude … we’re working on that!”

Afrika ends her announcement by flashing a peace sign with a sassy swing of her hip. Grandmother Dias described her as a “mini Ajike” to WESH News.

Owens has also posted about her “dreamer impartations,” the act of imparting knowledge or wisdom, and noted 1 Corinthians 317 and Joshua 1:8.

She posted self-affirmations and took pride in her selfies, showing off her pride in her appearance with perfectly applied eyeliner, lip gloss and long, sleek straightened hair. Reposted memes said, “The love I give, I never got in return! But I didn’t let it change me; I changed how I deal with ppl” and Talking Sèxuál Too Soon Really Be a Huge Turnoff To A Mature Woman.” Another repost said, “In order to save myself, I first had to destroy the me I was told to be. I am something new now!”

Through her posts, we encounter Owens as a bold, funloving, confident but sensitive woman. She gave regular shoutouts to her friends and offered words of encouragement to single moms. She also expressed anger at men who cheat on and mistreat their partners.

When encumbered by “low moments,” she was not afraid to show her vulnerability or offer up some candid reflections.

Family was a constant theme in Owens’ posts. One reposted meme said, “I come from a family where my first cousins grew up like brothers and sisters.”

Phyllis Wills, a neighbor, told MSNBC that Owens was an “amazing, great mom” to both her own children and Wills’ kids. Owens, Wills said, always went to work at McDonald’s on Highway 326, where she ran things as a manager, and came straight home to her kids.

“She would throw a football, not only with all of her children but all of the neighborhood kids, she encouraged my son Kingston to sign up for football and took him to football practice,” Wills said.

Owens also had a sense of humor too and loved engaging her Facebook friends in random silly questionnaires: Yay or nay on Nilla Wafers or which ice-cream truck treat was their favorite?

On the day after her birthday, Owens wrote, “Good morning I want to take a moment and say thank you to everyone who took time to wish me a Happy Birthday. Yesterday was filled with a few highs, quite a few lows and a few tears. Your wishes were definitely highs and they have given me a reason to smile this morning. I appreciate them all. Here’s to Chapter 35!”

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for the Owens family. Visit bit.ly/42A6YPC

New details on fatal shooting

In reply to further questions, Lorincz told the judge that she has lived in Marion County for 15 years and previously was living in Spring Hill. She stated she had no property here.

A discussion was held about bond amounts and pre-trail motions. A representative for the State asked about a higher than usual bond and Lorincz remained with no bond until Friday. A late Wednesday afternoon check through the Marion County Jail inmate search function indicated that Lorincz remained incarcerated.

Lorincz’s next court date is set for July 11.

Since the incident on June 2, the case gained national attention as supporters of Owens’ called for swifter action.

The jail log indicates Lorincz was booked at 4:25 a.m. June 7. She had been arrested some hours before.

On June 6, following her arrest, Sheriff Billy Woods stated in a video posted on the MCSO Facebook page that over the days since Owens’ death, detectives had “worked around the clock” going through evidence and interviewing witnesses. Woods said he wanted “the same thing (as) Owens’ family … justice.”

He said he was following Florida law and taking the necessary time for a thorough, error-free, investigation that will hold up in court.

Staff report

Susan Lorincz, the woman accused of fatally shooting her neighbor Ajike “AJ” Owens after an altercation with Owens and the victims’ children on June 2, has admitted to investigators that she has used racial slurs toward Owens’ children in the past, swung an umbrella at one of them the night of the fatal encounter, and bought a pair of handguns after a run-in with Owens last year.

New details emerging from Marion County Sheriff’s Office interviews conducted with Lorincz as well as witnesses and others in the Quail Run area reveal Lorincz used racial slurs including the N word more than once against the children including telling one, “This isn’t the underground railroad, slave.’’

Reports also show Lorincz was allowed to keep and use her cellphone for roughly two hours while she sat in a deputy’s cruiser after the shooting. A forensic review found that video from one of her two security cameras was captured on her phone from that night, but it does not show anything after the initial 8:40 p.m. incident. Forensics experts said it does not appear she deleted any video from the security camera app on her phone.

Lorincz, 58, has been arrested on a felony charge of manslaughter with a firearm and

misdemeanor counts of culpable negligence, two counts of assault and a count of battery.

On June 9, bond for Lorincz was set at $154,000, according to the Office of the State Attorney, Fifth Judicial Circuit, “with the condition that an ankle monitor be worn if the defendant bonds out of jail.” A check of the jail inmate search late Wednesday indicated she remains incarcerated.

The arrest affidavit narrative provides new details of the events the night of June 2 while also providing more context of a dispute between two neighbors dating back more than a year.

On the night of the fatal shooting, Lorincz was overheard by neighbors yelling at children who were playing basketball in the street while others played in a grassy field that serves as a common area for residents in the neighborhood of quadplexes on Southwest 107th Lane in Ocala.

Owens’ oldest son, Isaac, 12, told deputies he had been playing basketball in the street while his 10-year-old brother Israel was playing in the grassy area. Israel said he left his tablet on the ground and Lorincz, who had been outside videoing the kids with her cellphone while giving them the middle finger and using slurs, picked it up. When Isaac approached her and said give it back, she threw the tablet, hitting Israel in the foot, then started swinging an umbrella at Isaac and threw a pair of roller skates

at the children.

Isaac told Israel to go get their mother, while Lorincz went back inside. She called 911 at 8:54 p.m. to report three kids who lived across the street were outside her door and were trespassing on her property and one threatened to beat her up.

Meanwhile, Owens, 35, and Israel went to Lorincz’ house, and Owens was heard by neighbors shouting for Lorincz to come outside and, “Throw something at me.’’

While the deputies were enroute from Lorincz’ first call, several 911 calls came in regarding the shooting. Lorincz then called 911 a second time and said a woman was trying to break down her door and was yelling at her.

Lorincz then said she had fired a shot through the door. Owens staggered away from the door and collapsed on the grass, telling her son to call 911. Isaac used his mother’s phone to call for help.

Lorincz told deputies later that she had a headache that night and the kids outside were screaming and yelling. She went outside and told them they were trespassing and needed to leave. She said the kids were not on her patio by her front door but on the grass between the buildings, which she insisted was her property. The buildings are owned by Charles Gabbard, who told deputies the grassy area is

Reports show history of racial slurs aimed at Owens’ children, questions about cellphone use and security cameras.

New details

Continued from page A3 considered a common area available to all of the residents.

Lorincz admitted that she threw the roller skates into the yard and told the kids, “Go fetch them.’’ She initially said she was carrying an umbrella but had not swung it at any time. After being told that witnesses disputed that, she said she did swing it at the kids but did not intend to hit them.

Lorincz said when Owens was knocking on the front door, she said to herself, “Oh my God, she’s really going to kill me this time.’’ She said there have been altercations with Owens before, but Owens never threatened her.

She said she then went into her bedroom and retrieved a Remington .380 pistol she said she bought a year ago for protection. Deputies later found a loaded Ruger 22-caliber pistol in the trash can as well as a spent Blazer 380 Auto shell casing in the kitchen.

The report notes Lorincz said Owens was trying “as hard as she could’’ to enter her home, while admitting that Owens did not rattle the door handle. Lorincz also said she had had an “extra-long deadbolt lock’’ installed on her door, which also had a security chain.

Lorincz’ apartment unit also had two security cameras installed, one attached to the glass sliding door by the front door patio, and the other facing the parking lot. She said her cameras can be accessed through an app on her cellphone, which she unlocked for investigators. Deputies did not find any videos after about 8:40 p.m. on the night of the shooting.

A forensics search of the phone later found several pictures and videos taken the evening of the shooting depicting children playing in the yard, but nothing showing any altercations.

For roughly two hours while she sat

in the back of a patrol car as deputies worked the scene, Lorincz still had her cellphone with her. Video from the patrol car showed that during that time, Lorincz was using her phone based on the screen lighting up, but they could not determine what she was doing on the phone.

Lorincz said she did not delete any recordings, and forensic experts said it does not appear she has deleted any data from the app.

Neighbor Franklin Colon said Lorincz was always yelling at the kids and calling in false police reports on them. He said Lorincz was known to harass the kids including videorecording them with her phone in the field, which she insisted belonged to her and where she posted a no trespassing sign.

Another neighbor, Yvonne Costa, said she had spoken with Owens and Lorincz in the past. She said Owens had always been nice to her and that Lorincz was always yelling at the kids playing in the field. She said she did not understand why Lorincz was so upset about “kids being kids.’’

One of Owens’ children reported Lorincz called him and other kids “bastards” and “jackasses’’ and told them, “This isn’t the underground railroad, slave.’’ He said Lorincz came out to video the kids playing, gave them the middle finger and told them, “Get away from my house, you black slave.’’

Deputies discussed with Lorincz allegations she used racial slurs toward the kids. She admitted using the N word out of anger and calling them other derogatory names.

During the interview, Lorincz stated that what Owens did was not “reasonable or prudent.’’ When deputies asked why she was using those words, Lorincz said she had researched self-defense information online as well as researching Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.

Incident reports

The following are reports from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office related to incidents and calls for service from 2021 to the present at the homes of Susan Lorincz and Ajike Owens.

Incident: Jan. 16, 2021

Names and addresses redacted.

Report was a 911 call and hang-up. A deputy responded and the incident was cleared.

Incident: Feb. 25, 2022

Susan Lorincz, 57, of 1662 SW 107th Lane, Ocala called 911 to report a battery. Lorincz said she and her neighbor Ajike Owens, 34, got into an argument because she said Owens’ dog was on her property. She said she had a no trespassing sign in her yard and had previously warned neighbors to stay off her property. An argument ensued and Lorincz said Owens picked up the no trespassing sign and threw it at her, hitting left shin and causing a red mark. Lorincz called MCSO and Owens went home. Deputies observed no visible injuries or marks on Lorincz’ shin. Lorincz said she recorded incident on cell phone and showed deputies two photos that showed Owens yelling at her but not throwing the sign.

Owens told deputies there had been an argument but nothing physical occurred. Owens noted that Lorincz is an apartment tenant and does not own the property, and the lot is public. She admitted to throwing the sign away.

No arrest was made because deputies observed no visible injuries, plus there were conflicting statements and no eyewitnesses. MCSO placed the case on inactive status, pending new info.

Incident: Oct. 10, 2022

Names and addresses redacted.

911 hang-up; incident closed

Incident: April 4, 2023

Ajike Owens, 1663 SW 107th Lane, called to report a stolen cellphone. She advised MCSO that she would prefer to file a report online and was advised of the MCSO website and the process.

Incident: April 17, 2023

Susan Lorincz called 911 to report that Ajike Owens was opening her mailbox. Said she is not missing any mail but was advised by the Post Office inspector she would need a police report for them to take over the case. MCSO closed the case.

Incident: June 2, 2023

Susan Lorincz calls 911 to report that she has shot someone who was banging on her front door. She reports a female neighbor had been screaming and yelling at her.

MCSO reports Ajike Owens went to Lorincz’ apartment after Lorincz yelled at Owens’ children as they played in a vacant lot and threw a pair of skates that hit one of Owens’ children. Deputies responding to the 911 call for trespassing found Owens suffering from a gunshot wound. Owens was transported to an Ocala hospital, where she died.

County facilities

Our criminal judges have at least 1,000 cases on their dockets.”

Fuller added that a number of senior judges don’t have their own courtrooms and that Marion County has a high number of circuit court filings. “So, if there’s going to be a new circuit judge, it will be in Marion County,” he noted.

Goodspeed proposed that the 25-year comprehensive study include updates, revisiting the objectives every three to five years “because a lot of things change — policies, laws, leadership, economy.”

Topping off the facilities management portion of the workshop, Julie Sieg, Marion County’s public libraries director, presented to the board the budgetary needs for her office to serve library patrons in the growing Silver Springs Shores area. She displayed a chart showing Silver Springs Shores’ population at around 27,550 with 15,571 cardholders in the area code of 34472.

Continued from page A1

“We could potentially not spend $28 million over the next five to 10 years. So, that’s why I think this is the perfect time to have that study done,” he said.

Goodspeed also brought up the Fifth Circuit Judicial Center’s five-story addition, which was constructed in 2011. Each floor is approximately 30,000 square feet, but both the third and fourth floors have remained vacant for 12 years. The fourth floor is scheduled for construction in 2024.

He suggested creating a multi-use room in the unused area, which could also be used as a courtroom when needed.

“We could utilize that space instead of acquiring properties and remodeling other buildings,” Goodspeed said. He asked the board, “Do we want to use that space? Is there any type of service that we have something to think about?”

Commissioner Carl Zalak suggested that Goodspeed consult county courtroom personnel to find out percentages of use in the existing courtrooms.

Jeff Fuller, trial courts administratorelect for the Florida Fifth District Court, responded to Zalak’s questions and other concerns about the court’s personnel and capacity.

“Right now, we have 17 courtrooms and 21 judicial officers,” he said. “So, we already don’t have enough courtrooms to cover all the people who could use the courtrooms on any given day. We use hearing rooms to handle things that maybe could be in the courtroom, and we are always asking for more judges. I think we sent some numbers over earlier this week showing that our civil judges have over 2,000 cases on their dockets.

Sieg provided a chart outlining the costs of a new library in Silver Springs Shores ($8.5 million) using construction plans similar to public libraries in Belleview and Dunnellon; a new lease at the Heather Island Shopping Center ($860,000); or upgrading/adding onto the Silver Springs Shores Community & Youth Center ($439,000-$539,000).

A final option included a mobile unit ($645,000).

“I would pick the (Heather Island) commercial lease,” she said, “because of the high visibility of the space. … It is in a shopping center that is well-used.”

Sieg voiced reservations about the option of using the community and youth center that historically has been used for youth activities and for members of the MSTU (municipal services taxing unit) who pay for the structure.

“My concern is getting past the historic use and the members’ access,” she said, “so that folks who aren’t in the MSTU won’t even know that there’s a library there,” she said, adding that she hopes the library would serve everyone, not just MSTU members.”

On May 24, commissioners and County Attorney Matthew “Guy” Minter, County Administrator Mounir Buoyones; Tracy Straub, assistant administrator for Public Works and Growth Services; and County Engineer Elton Holland, reconvened for a follow-up discussion and brainstorming session that took place at College of Central Florida Webber Center.

Zalak proposed reviewing the community center possibilities, citing the success of the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place in west Ocala, which includes a public library on the premises.

INFORMATION SOUGHT IN SHOOTING OF TEEN

By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com

Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) detectives are still seeking citizens’ help in the apparent homicide death of a 17-yearold male whose body was found in a wooded area northwest of Ocala on June 7.

The body of Lezarius Amirre Graham was found after deputies responded around 7:15 p.m. to the 2100 block of Northwest 43rd Street following a report from a lawn maintenance worker of finding a deceased person on the property, according to an MCSO report.

The area where the body was found

is northwest of Ocala off Gainesville Road. The MCSO report states Graham’s remains were found in a wooded area and near an apartment. He had been shot.

Graham was pronounced deceased by Marion County Fire Rescue personnel at 7:32 p.m.

Graham would’ve turned 18 on June 22.

The MCSO report indicates Major Crimes officials responded to the scene, as did the Watch Commander and Sheriff Billy Woods.

MCSO is asking anyone with information about the case to call (352) 732-9111 or, to remain anonymous, call CrimeStoppers at (352) 368-STOP and reference 23-33 in the tip.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

By Tom Fisher

The Florida Legislature and Governor Bob Martinez passed the Growth Management Act in 1985. This was a blueprint for responsible growth. It required needed infrastructure to be concurrent with new development.

Since then, the legislature and governors have all but destroyed what was a good law. They have done this for the benefit of special interests. On the other hand our local leaders have contributed to this gridlock as well. Our traffic problems didn’t start overnight. It’s the result of inaction and negligence.

File photo: Jared Goodspeed, the Facilities Director, during a County Commission Capital Improvement Project Workshop at the McPherson Governmental Complex in Ocala on Monday, March 21, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Road congestion and development

By Tim E. Gant President -Save Our Rural Areas Inc. 501(c)(3)

“They are so mad about traffic that they can’t see straight,” so reads the Ocala Gazette headline of a rather sticky situation the Marion County County Commission has discovered itself in.

The admission, coming from County Attorney Matthew “Guy” Minter, that, yes, the BOCC can and, indeed, has the obligation to just say no. This comes as bitter parody to those of us who have begged for such a commonsense approach for these past many years.

A guiding principle we have all learned from life is that when you dig yourselves into a hole, the first order of business is to put down the shovel. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help when the state passes laws that forbid you to put down the shovel. Couple that with the recently passed law that holds groups and individuals responsible for developers’ attorney’s fees if they challenge these decisions in court and lose, and the process of citizen participation comes to a sudden halt. A feeling of apathy and helplessness enshrines the public mood as the smell of bitter tar and dank feathers fills the public’s mind. Happy they are not. Indeed, one suspects our commission is not happy either as they as well as their constituents deal with their daily commute.

And now the proverbial chickens come home to roost, and a vague state statute makes it hard to see a clear way out of the morass.

Among solutions proposed, one that might work is more sales tax, but given the bad decisions already made the public is in no mood to trust those who made those decisions with even more of the public’s largesse. And if they build, under the current system, will they not come and build even more?

No, a better solution must be found. A first step would be a temporary moratorium.

This step would allow us all to catch our collective breath and seek out solutions that would work in the long term. It could be six months or 10 years, whatever it takes to get a grip on the situation.

Couple that with full public input in a meaningful dialog as to what the citizens visualize as to what we wish our area to look like in the future.

Perhaps the county should itself challenge the law and “roll the dice” as Attorney Minter stated in order to find out what the law does and doesn’t allow.

Someone long ago said “the business of America is business.” It could better be said that the business of America is its citizens, of which business is an important element but not the only one. In fact, that is closer to what Calvin Coolidge actually meant when giving the speech the quote is attributed to. The BOCC is, one way or the other, going to have to make some tough decisions. Let’s hope and pray they make the right ones and not elect to continue to kick the can down our badly overcrowded roads.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT, FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION

IN RE THE ESTATE OF: CASE NO.: 42-2023-CP-001009

JAMES EDWARD STEVENS , DIVISION: PROBATE Deceased.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The administration of the estate of JAMES EDWARD STEVENS , deceased, whose date of death was December 30, 2022, is pending in the Circuit Court for Marion County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 110 NW 1 st Avenue, Ocala Florida 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative’s attorney are set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate on whom a copy of this notice has been served must file their claims with the court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE TIME OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent’s estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS

AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WILL BE FOREVER BARRED.

NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIOD SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT’S DATE OF DEATH

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE FIFITH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION IN RE: ESTATE OF NICHOLAS BERTUCCI, deceased. Ellen Patterson, Esq. Attorney for Petitioner FBN: 0520012 Levine Kellogg Lehman Schneider & Grossman, LLP

The administration of the estate of NICHOLAS BERTUCCI, deceased, whose date of death was November 15, 2021, and whose Social Security Number is XXXXX-5943,

claims with this court WITHIN THE LATER OF 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TIME OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE OR 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF SERVICE OF A COPY OF THIS NOTICE ON THEM.

All other creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands against decedent's estate must file their claims with this court WITHIN 3 MONTHS AFTER THE DATE OF THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE.

ALL CLAIMS NOT SO FILED WITHIN THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH IN SECTION 733.702 OF THE FLORIDA PROBATE CODE WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIOD SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT'S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED. The date of first publication of this notice is June 9, 2023. (305)403-8788 ep@lklsg.com Thomas Bertucci, Petitioner

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION IN RE: Estate of JAMES EDWARD WHITE, File No: 2023-CP-1290 Deceased. NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the estate of JAMES EDWARD WHITE, deceased, whose date of death was April 3, 2023, is pending in the Circuit Court for Marion County, Florida, Probate Division, the address of which is 110 NW First Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34475. The names and addresses of the personal representative and the personal representative's attorney are set forth below. All creditors of the decedent and other persons having claims or demands

determination of exempt property WITHIN THE TIME PROVIDED BY LAW OR THE RIGHT TO EXEMPT PROPERTY IS DEEMED WAIVED. A surviving spouse seeking an elective share must file an election to take elective share WITHIN THE TIME PROVIDED BY LAW. The date of first publication of this notice is June 9, 2023. Miami Tower 100 SE 2nd Street, Suite 3600 Miami, FL 33131 Levine Kellogg Lehman Schneider + Grossman, LLP Telephone: 302-722-8996 Email: ep@lkisg.com Thomas Bertucci, Petitioner

Two Men and a Truck will be auctioning off two storage units on 6/30/2023. The sale will be held at our office 160 SE hwy 484, Ocala, FL 34480. The owners of the belongings in the units being sold are Janice Casey and Valentine/Lindsay Kosyak.

SUPERINTENDENT NAMED TO ADVISORY GROUP

Diane Gullett, Superintendent of Marion County Public Schools, has been appointed to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) State Advisory Group by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The JJDP State Advisory Group consists of people from across the state

SET FORTH IN FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 733.702 WILL BE FOREVER BARRED. NOTWITHSTANDING THE TIME PERIODS SET FORTH ABOVE, ANY CLAIM FILED TWO (2) YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE DECEDENT'S DATE OF DEATH IS BARRED.

The date of first publication of this notice is June 16, 2023.

Personal Representative Janine Bay a/k/a Janine Bay Teske PO Box 1290 Jackson, Wyoming 83001 Attorney for Personal Representative COLLEEN M. DURIS, B.C.S. Florida Bar Number: 975140 500 NE 8th Avenue Ocala, FL 34470 (352) 732-7020 (352) 867-5111 service@ocalaelderlaw.com

who have training, experience, or special knowledge of the juvenile justice system. All members of this group are appointed by the governor and are responsible for the advisory of federally allocated funds. The group’s mission is to prevent juvenile delinquency in Florida, according to the news release.

SECO AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS

SECO Energy has announced its 2023 SECO Energy Scholarship Awardees, including Imani Linzy, a student at Lake Weir High School in Marion County.

Each of the seven scholarship awardees will receive $3,000 to advance their education. The scholarships are awarded to high school seniors graduating in May or June of the current year. A primary qualification is residence in a home served by SECO

Energy. The awardee must enroll as a full-time student in an accredited Florida college, university or trade school before the end of 2023. The degree objective or electric-industryrelated certification must demonstrate a commitment to pursuing a career in the energy field. The core studies would focus on technology, engineering, math or business and would ultimately lead to a career in the energy industry, the news release noted.

OEU SHARES TIPS TO SAVE ON POWER COSTS

As temperatures continue to rise, Ocala Electric Utility (OEU) offers a few simple tips to keep homes cool and electric costs down:

• Keep thermostats set no lower than 78 degrees when home.

• Keep thermostats set at a minimum of 83 degrees or higher when away from home for more than four hours. Every degree below 78 degrees raises cooling costs by approximately 6% to 8% per degree.

• Change air conditioner filters monthly.

• Reduce water heater temperature settings.

• Keep blinds or drapes closed during the day to reduce heating from the sun.

• Adjust ceiling fans to turn counterclockwise during the summer months.

• Be sure to turn off or unplug any unnecessary lights and electronic devices.

OEU Director Doug Peebles also encourages customers to download the MyUsage app, according to the news release. The app is free and will show daily details of electric usage. For more information, call (352) 629-2489 or visit ocalaelectric.org.

Local trainer makes history

Continued from page A1 morning news appearances on Monday). So, it has been a bit of a whirlwind. I am grateful that all of that came together. It’s been great, and I am proud to share what we do.”

Arcangelo is a lightly raced, late-blooming son of the late champion Arrogate who made the first start of his career at Gulfstream Park in South Florida last December as a 2-year-old. He finished second that day in a promising debut, suggesting that his maiden-breaking win was not far away. He won for the first time in March of this year at Gulfstream Park in the third race of his career, drawing clear from his foes late to register a convincing 3 ½-length win at the distance of one mile. According to Antonucci, it was in that race that everything clicked for Arcangelo.

“I probably have a different approach than others,” Antonucci related. “I don’t like to place the burden or expectation on a horse. I don’t like to disappoint people along the way into thinking we might have the next coming of whatever. Everyone who has trained a horse has had a morning glory where they are unbelievable in the mornings (workouts) and they check every box, including pedigree and physical (conformation), how they do their jobs, and then show up in the afternoon (races) and couldn’t care less about being competitors. We obviously saw all his breezes and how he was doing the work (in the mornings) and coming together, so we wanted to give him all the time we could (to develop) and we spaced his workouts accordingly.

“His maiden win was probably the biggest tipper of all, where he just found that gear, got low, and stretched out coming home. It all came together for him,” she added. “In that race, I think it kind of clicked for him. That was pretty compelling at that

point, and then we just wanted to provide him the opportunity to take his swing.”

Arcangelo has more than proved worth the wait. He got that initial opportunity to take his swing and demonstrate that he belonged with the upper echelon of his division in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park on May 13. The race is a traditional prep for the Belmont Stakes for horses that did not compete in the previous two Triple Crown races—The Kentucky Derby (G1) and the Preakness Stakes (G1). In a determined effort under jockey Javier Castellano, who also partnered with him in the Belmont, he won the Peter Pan by a head, showing grit and stamping his ticket to the Belmont Stakes. The Peter Pan victory marked just the second career graded stakes win for Antonucci, who started her training career in 2010.

“When you are an underdog, you have nothing to lose by asking questions,” Antonucci said. “The Peter Pan was the opportunity to ask the question. Javier did a great job of steering him through that race and teaching him to race eye-to-eye a little more and encouraging him to want it. This horse wants it, and you can’t teach that as much as we think we can.”

There hasn’t been much time to rest for Antonucci since the Belmont. Her assistant trainer Fiona Goodwin is back at Gulfstream overseeing the division there and Antonucci is in Ocala returning to day-to-day responsibilities. While she is trying to find her footing again after making history, Antonucci admitted that she was not getting much sleep in the days leading up to the race either.

“I just didn’t want to mess it up,” Antonucci shared. “I was busy making sure I checked every box. I didn’t want to disappoint anybody or let anybody down,

and I didn’t want to let the horse down. I’m an over-processor in that way and I just wanted to make sure we did everything we could. I’m very much a stay in the moment, stay present kind of person. I’m very careful to not allow all those storylines to become the driving factor of things. My philosophy is to always put the horse first and not chase races. Whatever success or accomplishments we have will be direct benefactors of doing right by the horses.”

Based in Ocala, Antonucci owns and operates horseOlogy with Katie Miranda. The operation, which is located on the grounds of Goldmark Farm, handles everything related to raising, training, and racing thoroughbreds. They also offer bloodstock advising, pinhooking, and micro-investing (small ownership stakes in racehorses).

“We have always watched other people accomplish things and we go, ‘That would be nice to do,’” Antonucci said.

“I read something a long time ago, and I am paraphrasing, but it was along the lines of ‘Be careful in defining your own life goals by what other people are

accomplishing.’ In doing that, you might be overlooking something that might be even bigger for you or something you never even dreamed of. I really just try to stay present to see how things unfold.”

As for what is next for Arcangelo, Antonucci is no stranger to being patient. She indicated that the prestigious Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 26 might be a target.

“There is zero idea,” she noted. “We know what the calendar is and what’s where, so we’ll let him come out of this and tell us. [The Travers] is on our radar, but the stakes schedule is there and if it’s seven weeks until we run or 11 weeks until we run, we’ll just back into it.”

In the immediate moments following the historic Belmont triumph and the ensuing winner’s circle ceremony celebrating the milestone achievement, Antonucci said, “It’s the horse and I am so grateful. I will forever be indebted to his honesty to us, his heart. He is why you get up seven days a week.

“When we were walking out, I said there is not a table made for you. You make the table,” Antonucci related of what her

accomplishment means to women in the sport. “You put great people around you, you work hard. Work your tail off. It will come if you do it the right way. Do it the right way.”

Antonucci keeps between 20 to 25 horses in training at the racetrack year-round, and she trains four horses for Jon Ebbert’s Blue Rose Farm, the owner of Arcangelo, a horse he acquired at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington, Kentucky, for just $35,000. Providing testament to the fact that top-level racehorses can come from anywhere, among Arcangelo’s vanquished rivals in the Belmont were horses that cost $1.3 million, $500,000, and $300,000 at public auction. Also in the field was last year’s Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Forte, who rallied late to finish second in the Belmont.

“It’s amazing,” said Ebbert, a Pennsylvania-based real estate investor. “I’m so proud of the horse. He’s an amazing horse. He’s all heart. We knew he had it him. Javier rode him perfectly and Jena is an amazing trainer. I was so lucky to find her. The rest is history.”

Arcangelo, with jockey Javier Castellano at the reins, wins the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. on Saturday, June 10, 2023. Jena Antonucci of Ocala, the trainer of Arcangelo, is the first woman trainer to win a Triple Crown horse race in the history of horse racing. [Coglianese Photos – Track Photographer NYRA]

“‘Be careful in defining your own life goals by what other people are accomplishing.’ In doing that, you might be overlooking something that might be even bigger for you or something you never even dreamed of. I really just try to stay present to see how things unfold.”

Jena Antonucci

New law becomes issue in pregame prayer fight

FLORIDA NEWS SERVICE BRIEFS BASEBALL MINIMUM WAGE CHANGE SIGNED

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed 17 bills, including a measure (SB 892) that creates an exemption to the state’s minimum-wage law for professional baseball. The measure incorporates into the state minimum-wage law a carve-out for minorleague baseball players that is part of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

The federal act includes several minimumwage exemptions, such as for baseball players, casual babysitters, some seasonal amusement workers and border patrol agents. It requires baseball players to receive an in-season weekly salary equal to the minimum wage for a 40-hour work week.

When Congress amended the federal law in 2018, the minor-league minimum was set

at $290 a week --- the equivalent of $7.25 an hour --- without overtime eligibility. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Florida voters in 2020 backed a constitutional amendment that increases the minimum wage $1 a year until reaching $15 on Sept. 30, 2026.

The Florida minimum wage is now $11 an hour and will go to $12 on Sept. 30.

Before the state House passed the bill last month, sponsor Brad Yeager, R-New Port Richey, warned that without the change, baseball teams could limit access to training facilities or pull players from games to ensure they don’t exceed weekly work-hour limits. Democrats argued the bill supports “billionaire” major-league team owners.

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

Attorneys are battling over whether a new state law could short-circuit a case about whether a Tampa Christian school was improperly prevented from offering a prayer over a stadium loudspeaker before a 2015 high-school football championship game.

The Florida High School Athletic Association on Friday filed a brief arguing the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals should dismiss the case, in part because the new law will allow such prayers.

The Atlanta-based appeals court is scheduled to hear arguments June 27 in the lawsuit, which Cambridge Christian School filed after the athletic association rejected a request by the school to offer a prayer before a game at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium. A federal district judge upheld the athletic association’s decision, but Gov. Ron DeSantis last month signed a law (HB 225) that allows “opening remarks,” which could be prayers, at high-school championship events.

In the brief Friday, attorneys for the athletic association argued that Cambridge Christian could not show it had legal “standing” for reasons including the law.

“(The law) was specifically tailored to eliminate the purported injury CCS (Cambridge Christian) asserts here, and it would plainly do so if CCS were to make it back to an FHSAA championship game,” the brief said. “CCS complained it was denied access to ‘deliver a prayer over the stadium loudspeaker at the (2015 final),’ but (the law) guarantees CCS would have that opportunity if it participates in any future FHSAA championship games. As this change was brought about by the Florida Legislature, the FHSAA has no power to undo it. It would take an unlikely series of events entirely outside of the FHSAA’s control—i.e., the Florida Legislature passing and the governor signing a bill undoing (the law)—for the behavior CCS complains of to recur.”

But attorneys for Cambridge Christian disputed the argument in a brief Friday. They said the athletic association still needs to adopt policies to carry out the law and pointed to the association’s constitutional arguments that such prayers violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

“FHSAA’s justification for the prayer ban is that it is required by the Establishment Clause, which, of course, overrides a state statute. … Accordingly, unless and until FHSAA revokes its (erroneous) position on the requirements of the Establishment Clause—something it has refused to do throughout the seven years of this litigation—the new statute does not moot CCS’s

need for an injunction,” the school’s brief said.

The case stems from the athletic association’s decision to prevent a prayer over the public-address system before a game between Cambridge Christian School and Jacksonville’s University Christian School. Cambridge Christian has argued that the denial violated its First Amendment rights.

But U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell last year rejected the school’s arguments, saying the athletic association is a “state actor.”

“The issue before the court is whether the First Amendment required the FHSAA to grant the teams unrestricted access to the PA system to deliver the prayer over the loudspeaker during the pregame,” Honeywell wrote. “Thus, the questions to be answered are whether the inability to pray over the loudspeaker during the pregame of the state championship final football game violated CCS’s First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and free exercise of religion. … (The) court concludes that the First Amendment does not apply because the speech at issue is government speech, but even if some portion of the speech is considered private speech, the court finds no constitutional violation occurred.”

The Florida Department of Education in August filed a brief supporting the school in its appeal. The Republican-controlled Legislature this spring approved the law that will allow schools to give opening remarks before championship games.

“Such remarks may not be longer than 2 minutes per participating school,” part of the law said. “The athletic association may not control, monitor, or review the content of the opening remarks and may not control the school’s choice of speaker.”

With the June 27 arguments nearing, the appeals court last month ordered attorneys from both sides to file briefs about whether “Cambridge Christian School has demonstrated an ongoing or certainly impending injury to establish standing for its equitable claims.”

In addition to citing the new law, attorneys for the athletic association Friday contended that the case should be dismissed because the school could not show that its participation in another championship event is “imminent.”

But Cambridge Christian attorneys argued the school continues to have standing for a series of reasons, including that the athletic association “maintains a discriminatory policy prohibiting schools’ use of the loudspeaker for pregame prayer at championship events while permitting use of the loudspeaker for secular speech.”

ABORTION INITIATIVE COLLECTS $900K

Apolitical committee leading efforts to pass a constitutional amendment aimed at ensuring abortion rights collected $900,816 in contributions in May, according to a finance report posted Monday on the state Division of Elections website.

The Floridians Protecting Freedom committee, which was formed in April, had collected a total of nearly $2.78 million as of May 31. It had spent $2.06 million, with most of the money going to petitiongathering efforts.

To get the proposed constitutional amendment on the November 2024 ballot,

Floridians Protecting Freedom will need to submit at least 891,523 valid petition signatures to the state by Feb. 1. If the measure reaches the ballot, it would need support from at least 60 percent of voters.

The initiative was launched after Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature this spring approved a bill that seeks to prevent abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Contributions during May included $250,000 from Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida and $250,000 from Coral Gables resident Christine Stiefel, according to the finance report.

RURAL LAND PROTECTION PROGRAM TOUTED

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is encouraging farmers and ranchers to apply for a statefunded program designed to keep swaths of rural property from commercial and residential development.

The department will accept applications through July 27 for its Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. Created in 2001, the program involves purchasing conservation easements, which allow landowners to continue farming and cattle operations in exchange for not developing the property. Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson linked the program to protecting food production.

“Food security is national security,

and Florida’s agricultural lands are the backbone of our economy and the foundation of our food and fiber production,” Simpson said in a prepared statement. The program is slated to get $100 million in the state budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which will start July 1. Gov. Ron DeSantis still needs to sign off on the budget.

Simpson also has directed to the program most of the $300 million in the current year’s budget for land protection.

Last month, DeSantis and the state Cabinet approved spending $57.6 million to place 18,279 acres in St. Lucie, DeSoto, Walton, Hardee, Polk, Highlands and Charlotte counties into conservation easements.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday formally received bills that would expand eligibility for the KidCare subsidized health-insurance program and allow trained certified nursing assistants to provide medications to nursing-home residents. Lawmakers unanimously passed the bills during the legislative session that ended May 5. The KidCare bill (HB 121) would revamp an income threshold for families. Under KidCare, families who do not qualify for Medicaid can pay $15 or $20 a month in premiums to insure children. Subsidized coverage is available to families with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal

poverty level, or about $60,000 for a family of four, according to a House staff analysis.

The bill would increase that threshold to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or $90,000 for a family of four.

The nursing home-related bill (SB 558) would allow certified nursing assistants to become trained as “qualified medication aides.”

They could then administer what supporters have described as “routine” medications to nursing-home residents, freeing up registered nurses to provide other needed care. Also, qualified medication aides could perform tasks such as checking residents’ blood glucose levels.

Pediatricians lose round in subpoena fight

By Dara Kam Florida News Service

Afederal judge has rejected an initial request to block a Florida House effort to obtain internal communications about how the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics developed standards of care for children diagnosed with gender dysphoria.

The pediatricians group sought a preliminary injunction after House Health & Human Services Chairman Randy Fine, R-Brevard County, issued a subpoena seeking information from the chapter.

Fine issued the subpoena during the final week of this spring’s legislative session and asked the chapter to provide the documents before the session ended on May 5, prompting the lawsuit.

Lawyers for the chapter argued that the communications sought were protected by the First Amendment and asked U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor for a preliminary injunction to block the subpoena.

But Winsor ruled that the Republicancontrolled Health & Human Services Committee “has shown a legitimate interest in the requested records” and that the pediatricians had “not shown any harm that the interest would not overcome.”

“That is not to say that FCAAP (the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics) could not succeed with a different record, but on the limited record now before the court, I cannot conclude that FCAAP is substantially likely to prevail

on the merits,” Winsor wrote in a decision posted Monday on the court’s website.

The House committee “has shown a connection between the information it seeks and a sufficiently important governmental interest,” Winsor, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, wrote.

“The issue of appropriate medical standards of care, and of how those establishing those standards of care reach their conclusions, is within the realm of appropriate legislative inquiry,” the judge added.

Winsor’s order gave the House committee and the pediatricians group 21 days to file a joint report setting up a litigation schedule for the case.

The lawsuit argued that compliance with the subpoena would result in “disclosure of the position of individual members with respect to a controversial political issue.” Such disclosure “not only violates the First Amendment rights of those individuals but can reasonably be expected to discourage future membership in the association,” Tallahassee attorney Barry Richard, who represents the pediatricians, wrote in the challenge filed May 1.

The subpoena is aimed at getting information related to guidelines established by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, or WPATH, and the Endocrine Society. Dozens of medical groups point to the WPATH guidelines, which have been revised eight times over the past two decades, to support the treatments.

The subpoena seeks communications about “the development, endorsement, and recommendation” of the standards or “reflecting disagreement or skepticism” by the group’s members or other healthcare practitioners of the standards of care. Fine’s committee is also asking for communications related to the group’s “consideration and rejection of the view that the standards of care should not include gender-affirming care.” The House also is requesting communications “that reference social media, peer influence, or other social influences relating to gender dysphoria in children and adolescents.”

The pediatricians group contends that the effort to compel it to disclose “communications, positions, and thought processes among its members with respect to a matter that has become the subject of public and political controversy” violates the doctors’ speech rights.

But in a response filed May 17, the House committee argued that the state “has well-established, compelling interests in the practice of medicine within its borders and in the health and welfare” of Florida children.

“If a group of Florida practitioners are employing and promoting the use of novel and seemingly harmful procedures on minors, the House undoubtedly has authority to investigate,” David Axelman, general counsel for the Florida House, wrote. “The House’s concern, of course, is that medical organizations in Florida may be parroting and promoting ideological standards that are thinly disguised as medical standards and

then manufacturing a false ‘consensus’ to encourage the widespread adoption of harmful medical practices. That is profoundly a matter of state concern.”

The House investigation is among a number of steps Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and lawmakers have taken targeting transgender children and adults.

The Legislature approved measures prohibiting venues from admitting children to drag shoes; requiring people in government buildings—such as airports, city halls and courthouses—to use bathrooms that line up with their sex assigned at birth; and banning doctors from using puberty blockers or hormone therapy to treat children diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The federal government defines gender dysphoria clinically as “significant distress that a person may feel when sex or gender assigned at birth is not the same as their identity.”

The ban on treatments enshrined in state law rules recently adopted by the state Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine.

But U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle last week blocked the ban on using puberty blockers and hormone therapy to treat three children diagnosed with gender dysphoria, calling the prohibition “an exercise in politics, not good medicine.” Those children are plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the ban.

DeSantis, who recently entered the 2024 Republican race for president, has fiercely opposed gender-affirming care for children, which he has called “child mutilation,” and has made it a campaign issue.

Citrus Growers Await Aid as Season Closes

By Jim Turner Florida News Service

Florida citrus officials are promoting the “grit of this industry” as the growing season is set to close with the lowest production in nearly a century.

But they say growers are getting more anxious while continuing to wait for federal assistance approved after Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole uprooted trees and flooded fields last fall.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday released a report that estimated Florida will produce 15.75 million boxes of oranges this season. That would be down from 41.2 million boxes during the 20212022 season—a total that itself was the lowest production in decades. The department will release a final report for the 2022-2023 season in July.

Hurricane Ian caused heavy

damage to the industry after it made landfall in September in Southwest Florida and crossed the state, including barreling through major citrus-growing areas. But even before the hurricanes, the 2022-2023 harvest was expected to be smaller than in previous years, as an initial “fruit per tree” count was down.

“It was a short crop to begin with, even before the hurricanes hit,” U.S. Department of Agriculture State Statistician Mark Hudson said. “The hurricanes made it even shorter.”

The estimates released Friday showed Florida producing 1.82 million boxes of grapefruit this season, down from 3.33 million in 2021-2022. They also showed the state producing 490,00 boxes of specialty crops, mostly tangerines and tangelos, down from 750,000 in 2021-2022. The industry uses a standard of 90-pound boxes.

The overall total of slightly more than 18 million boxes

would represent the lowest production for Florida growers since 17 million boxes were filled in the 1927-1928 season.

Matt Joyner, CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, said that while growers are resilient, “we must have the hurricane relief promised by our federal government in order to overcome the damages and losses inflicted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.”

Congress passed a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill in December that included $3.742 billion for crop and livestock losses across the nation in 2022.

Several Florida lawmakers have championed a blockgrant process to help distribute money, but it awaits congressional approval.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has estimated Hurricane Ian inflicted up to $675 million in damage to the state’s citrus growers.

Meanwhile, the industry faces development pressures and has grappled for two decades with deadly citrus greening disease, more formally known as huanglongbing.

“We remain optimistic about the future, with new treatment methods making a real difference in our fight against greening,” Joyner said. “With hurricane relief, the dedication of our growers and the grit of this industry, I’m confident Florida citrus will come back.”

State lawmakers last month passed a budget for the 20232024 fiscal year that would increase funding for various aspects of the citrus industry from the current $37 million to $65 million. Gov. Ron DeSantis has not signed the budget or issued vetoes. The fiscal year will start July 1.

The proposed state spending includes $49.5 million for citrus protection and research, including large-scale field trials

on trees that are resistant to huanglongbing.

Friday’s estimate for orange production would be the lowest since the 1932-1933 growing season. At that time, the state was still reeling from hurricanes that crossed Florida after hitting Miami in 1926 and West Palm Beach in 1928. Also, a Mediterranean fruit-fly invasion in 1929 affected the industry. Meanwhile, this year’s grapefruit crop is set to be the lowest since 1911-1912. The estimate for specialty crops is slightly above the levels in 1920-1921.

Friday’s estimates represented a relatively small improvement for oranges and grapefruit compared to a May forecast. The estimate for oranges increased by 100,000 boxes, while the estimate for grapefruit increased by 20,000 boxes. The estimate for specialty crops, however, decreased by 10,000 boxes.

People, Places & Things

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Tyrus Clutter’s current labor of love, in more ways than one, began with a passion for printmaking and an ardent admiration of the 20th-century artists who elevated the medium to new heights.

Clutter, if you’re new to the area, is a renowned Ocala-based artist and College of Central Florida (CF) instructor. A painter and illustrator, Clutter began exploring the fine art techniques of printmaking while he attended grad school at Bowling Green University.

“The gallery director at the time said, ‘I have this really big project that no one has undertaken, which is cataloging our whole collection,’ which was linked to 3,000 pieces,” Clutter reminisced about his Bowling Green experience.

“A lot of that was printmaking. It was in drawers and stuff. … I had never done that before, so that was a big undertaking on its own. But that’s when I first started coming across some of the artists who had worked at Atelier 17.”

Since that fateful job, Clutter has been creating and collecting Atelier 17 artists’ prints. More recently, he has taught aspects of the underappreciated medium to his CF students and has made it his personal mission to keep alive the legacy of Atelier 17, the iconic birthplace of experimental printmaking.

To that end, Clutter is taking a break from exhibiting his own work this year to research the artists who forever changed printmaking. This time though, he’s delving into an area of research that so far has been uncharted territory: the love lives of Atelier 17 artists.

It all starts with one artist: Stanley William Hayter (1901-1988). Hayter pioneered the vanguard departures of printmaking, inspired by the etchings of poet and artist William Blake. After studying chemistry and contracting malaria while working for the oil company that would become British Petroleum (BP), Hayter opened the famed Atelier 17 in Paris in 1927. The studio relocated to New York during World War II; the number 17 comes from its first street address pre-Nazi invasion.

Visionary and unconstrained, Hayter traveled the world and instilled in his peers and acolytes a spirit of discovery while engraving and coloring prints. The British artist’s spirit of adventure and technical skill inspired Clutter as an artist and collector. Last year, Clutter exhibited Hayter prints from his collection at CF’s Webber Gallery and the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs.

Though he didn’t call himself a surrealist, Hayter created imagery that took root in surrealism. His atelier was a hotspot in the 1920s artist/expatriate scene. Over the years, the studio brimmed with famous artists: Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, Joan Miro, Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko and many others. Abraham Rattner, the namesake of the Tarpon Springs museum, was also among Hayter’s circle of friends and collaborators.

In those close quarters, romantic relationships formed and the stories have been mostly apocryphal. As one would imagine when discussing a charismatic artist, Hayter had several lovers. But the cliches don’t necessarily ring true

for this complex persona.

“People kind of thought that, after reading some publications that had been out at different times, Hayter was a bit of a womanizer,” Clutter explained. “With his being married three times, I guess you could see how that might come across to people. But I don’t think that’s completely accurate. There was some stuff going on both sides with some people. He might have been married three times, but I think some of the women he was with, some very strong women, had equally as strong personalities.”

Clutter has been researching Hayter’s love life as well as the relationships of his contemporaries, including Krishna Reddy and Judy Blum, Fred and Jean Morrison Becker, and a handful of others, including one secret couple yet to be revealed. Clutter is still researching it before he reveals the juicy details. (You can learn the lovers’ stories by finding “The Couples of Atelier 17” on Clutter’s YouTube page.)

His recent acquisitions include a greeting card created collaboratively by Hayter and his second wife, Helen Phillips.

“For decades, Hayter was doing these greeting cards that he would send out to maybe a hundred different people,” Clutter said. “One year he and his second wife worked on the cards together. … It’s just interesting to see the artistic collaboration as well as the collaboration in their lives.”

The projects and passions that smoldered within the smoke-stained walls of the atelier have inspired Clutter to embark on the major project that will document the personal lives of the educated and vivacious Atelier 17 artists.

“The plan is for a traveling exhibition for 2027, the centenary of the group’s founding, and hopefully a book,” Clutter explained. “I’ve been meeting with the still living artists, now in their 80s and 90s, in New York City, and going through archives to find old correspondence that shows the relationships between all these folks. Then I am off to London and France for more of the same.”

Clutter’s research and travel expenses have been crowdfunded so far. As of this writing, he has raised $10,502. (To contribute, visit bit.ly/3X26518.)

Clutter shared that the Marion Cultural Alliance gave him a grant for his research from their 4 Friends Grant fund and he presented a workshop titled ‘L’Atelier de l’amour’ on June 14 at the Brick City Center for the Arts.

An artist of renown in his own right, Clutter has been a College of Central Florida associate professor since 2010. He was born in Michigan and holds a bachelor’s degree in art from Spring Arbor University and an MFA in painting from Bowling Green State University. His award-winning work has been exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout North America and in some European galleries.

And what would Clutter want art historians to say about his love life?

“Oh, well that is kind of nonexistent,” he said. “Between teaching, making art, and studying art I’ve never had time to pursue much else. Maybe that is a subconscious aspect of the research: I get to live vicariously through the people I’m studying.”

Learn more about Clutter and his Atelier 17 project at tyrusclutter.com.

“For decades, Hayter was doing these greeting cards that he would send out to maybe a hundred different people. One year he and his second wife worked on the cards together. … It’s just interesting to see the artistic collaboration as well as the collaboration in their lives.”

Tyrus Clutter

The reputed artist and CF instructor is on a mission to make history by documenting the romances of artists who worked at the iconic Atelier 17.

Tyrus Clutter looks through some art prints during his 2021 exhibit “Greater Than 17: The Art and Influence of Stanley Hayter and Atelier 17” at the College of Central Florida Webber Gallery. [File photo by Meagan Gumpert]

A greeting card co-created by Stanley William Hayter and his wife Helen Phillips in 1955. “Le Couple”

by Stanley William Hayter, 1952.

Passing of a pioneer

First woman Marion County commissioner Gail Cross remembered for decades of service.

significance of her election nearly 40 years ago.

“A lot of people had a hard time transitioning with that, specifically since it was considered to be a male position,” she said. “They didn’t exactly know what to do about me.”

“It was a boys’ club,” she continued. “I think if they had questions, they would call another commissioner to ask him instead, and that’s OK. Change is hard for people; I was the first woman to be elected to the county commission, and there has been one on the commission ever since and two today.”

Longtime friends fondly remembered Cross for her ability to navigate through what was then uncharted territory and her dedication to helping the less fortunate.

“In those days, women weren’t expected to be fearless, and she was fearless,” said Toni James, the former longtime president and CEO of United Way of Marion County. “She said she had broken the glass ceiling, and we were all so proud of her. Back then, in the 1980s, it was tough to change who was in charge and it wasn’t easy for women to stand up to men, but she did.”.

County, where she served on the board, eventually becoming the chairperson of the annual fundraising campaign in 1994.

“She was instrumental in helping us raise the critical funds we needed,” said James, who became closer to Cross during the campaign. “She used a phrase at the United Way about people in need: ‘People need a hand up and not a handout.’”

In 1996, Cross was named the executive director of Marion Senior Services and quickly brought about needed changes to the organization through staunch leadership and advocacy for the elderly, including the implementation of Meals on Wheels, expansion of its transportation program and congregate meal sites, and the construction of a new facility.

“The biggest thing we accomplished is that we wrote the first Community Development Block Grant (application) for a nonprofit in the county and were able to get a new building, which was hugely needed,” Cross told “Ocala Style” for the 2019 article.

“She just showed up there and the director had no idea about her other activities from the past or her background,” he said. “She just really loved it and was very proud of having been able to do that.”

Cross and Beth McCall were honored in 2018 with Interfaith’s Legacy of Love award. McCall, in an email, said Cross was a “mentor to me and many other women.”

“Her years of service as the executive director of Marion Senior Services helped so many of our vulnerable senior citizens,” wrote McCall. “Her advocacy for the clients she served, her servant heart, and her strong leadership has helped make Ocala Marion County a great place to live.”

Scott Cross said his wife loved spending time with their three grandchildren whenever possible, reading to them when they were little, and teaching them how to play cards and board games including Monopoly and Yahtzee when they got older.

By Rosemarie Dowell rosemarie@ocalagazette.com

Gail Cross, the first woman elected to the Marion County Board of County Commissioners, who later turned her passion for helping others into an exemplary tenure as head of Marion Senior Services, has passed away.

Ellen Gail Cross, 77, born June 20, 1945, in Winter Haven to Freemont and Elva Stanley, died peacefully Saturday, June 3, while under the care of the E.W. and Lucille Gates Hospice House in Ocala, surrounded by her family.

The Cross family moved to Ocala 47 years ago and Gail Cross soon began a legacy of public service and advocacy for seniors and others in need.

The mother of two was first elected to the county commission in 1984, shattering its “glass ceiling,” and busting up the five-member all-male board for good, cementing her place in the chronicles of the county’s history.

Her pioneering win paved the way for Judy Johnson, who became the second woman elected to the commission in

1992, and others, including current commissioners Kathy Bryant and Michelle Stone.

“She was unassuming and humble and not a self-promoter at all,” said Scott Cross, Gail’s husband of 53 years, a U.S. Navy veteran and retired attorney. “But she understood the importance of her win.”

Johnson, who also served two terms, said no one expected Cross to run.

“First of all, she was incredibly brave to run, especially in a community where the good ole boys were still running things,” she said. “But she did, and she won and paved the way for the rest of us.”

Once in office, Cross never looked back.

“She was the voice of reason on the commission; she got along well with her fellow commissioners, and they respected her because she did her homework,” said Johnson.

“She had the respect of the cross currents in the community and that was important.”

In a 2019 interview with “Ocala Style” magazine for a story about women trailblazers, Cross spoke about the

Former “Ocala Star-Banner” reporter and editor Elaine Hamaker Woodruff, who covered the commission during Cross’ tenure and eventually became friends with her, said the first-time officeholder faced many challenges while on the commission, including the creation of the county’s first state-mandated comprehensive land use plan, and much-needed capital improvements, among other major issues.

“There were many, many commission meetings over the comprehensive plan and they sometimes went until 2 in the morning,” said Woodruff, who now lives in Norfolk, Virginia.

“They had heated discussions sometimes, but she was always a lady who they respected, and she persevered through it all and they worked on things together.

“She was a real guiding light,” Woodruff said. “She was very dedicated to her family, of course, but somehow she fit everything in.”

After serving two terms, Cross left the commission in 1992, but her devotion to public service carried on. She quickly turned her attention to the United Way of Marion

Longtime friend Ellen Amatea said she was always struck by how Cross was always calm under pressure, even when dealing with critical problems in the organizations she served.

“She was a very intelligent woman, and she had a number of administrative roles over the years,” said Amatea, who first met Cross at the University of Florida in 1974. “We had a very long friendship, and she was a great mentor to me.”

The two friends, both English majors, were avid readers and helped form a monthly book club 30 years ago. Cross remained active in it until recently, when health issues prevented her from attending, Amatea said.

Woodruff said Cross told her once her parents had urged her to be of service to the people and that she took it seriously and wanted to serve her community.

“She had so many different endeavors,” she said. “She was always doing something to serve the people; that was deeply engrained in her.”

Despite all her accomplishments on the Marion County commission, the United Way and at Marion Senior Services, Scott Cross said his wife was most proud of her volunteer work at Interfaith Emergency Services following her retirement in 2009.

“When our daughter returned home after Gail died last week, her family was playing Yahtzee and had an empty chair at the table in honor of her and were taking turns throwing the dice when it was Gail’s turn,” he said.

Cross was a graduate of Duke University, where she met Scott and earned a bachelor of arts degree in English; Emory University, where she obtained a master’s degree in teaching and taught middle school while Scott, by then her husband, was stationed with the U.S. Navy in Maryland; and the University of Florida, where she earned a doctorate in counselor education while Scott was stationed overseas.

She was a member of Christ the King Anglican Church, and a former member of the Ocala Women’s Network.

Besides Scott, Gail Cross is survived by her son, Eric Cross (Brittany); daughter Ellen Feeney (Dan); grandchildren Scotty and Emily Feeney, and Annabel Cross. She was preceded in death by her parents and both her sisters, Marsha Rossi and Judy Gosling.

Funeral services will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 17, at Christ the King, 4440 SE Third Ave., Ocala. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Marion Senior Services or Interfaith Emergency Services.

Wilburt loves the thrill of the hunt. We think he might be a great mouser, due to his fierce feather-toy destruction skills. This three-year-old has a few pounds to lose, so a job to do would help him get back to his boyish figure.

Gail Cross [John Jernigan]

Wilburt

Booboo

Booboo is made for you. This happy, social dog is great in the car, likes other dogs, and staff loves to take this-wellbehaved boy on outings. This six-yearold charmer is ideal for someone who likes to go out into the world with a dog by their side.

Current Adoption Specials: Ocala Gazette regularly brings you two furry friends that are available for adoption from local animal rescue organizations. For more information about adoptions please visit MarionFL.org/Animal

Adoption fees are waived in June!

Updates on local TV stars: Chef Yohann and ‘Backstreet’

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Ocala’s “Summer Baking Championship” competitor is on a winning streak, and the locally shot series “Backstreet” is now available on multiple streaming platforms.

Spoiler alert: Two weeks ago, we talked about Chef Yohann Le Bescond, executive pastry chef at the World Equestrian Center, narrowly escaping elimination. We are happy to report that the Frenchman made a fabulous comeback with a lemon-meringue-ball-topped creme pie, which dazzled the judges with both its presentation and flavor sensation. With that sunny creation, Le Bescond won the second round of episode 5.

For episode 6’s Father’s Day-themed competition, Le Bescond wasn’t too thrilled with the challenge of creating a dessert with grill marks, but he muscled through and crafted a vanilla praline mille-feuille with his biker dad in mind.

“He always wanted me to make something from the heart,” Le Bescond shared.

Unfortunately, the grilled top had some problems, and he didn’t win that round, but his creamy layers received raves. The judges recommended that Le Bescond work on the challenges outside his comfort zone to be “amazing” and win the competition.

When the Pride Month-themed second round was announced, our French chef thanked God for making it that episode since Pride is personal to him as an openly gay man in a long-term relationship with Jeremy Le Blanc.

For his second dessert, Le Bescond made a Miami Beach-inspired cheesecake with rainbow colors along with a Twix-based streusel (in response to the cereal bonus challenge).

He handily won the second competition because

of his stunning mirror glaze and cereal streusel.

Tune in to the Food Network next Monday to see if Chef Yohann’s streak continues.

Back in March, we reported on “Backstreet,” a locally shot TV series that premiered at the Marion Theatre. Since then, “Backstreet” has received distribution across five networks and is now available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, TubiTv (a free streaming service), Free Movies+ and Seven Clubs TV via Roku.

Additionally, HeroGoTV, and WATCHVIM have all selected the series and will be streaming it live later this year.

The series is gritty and raw, filmed with some stylized flashbacks, drone shots and tracking shots.

The plot centers on protagonist Quentin Jacobs, aka “Q” (Tekulve Jackson), who’s trying to heal and make a life for himself amid the aftermath of a shooting that took the life of his mother.

Quentin and his crew are determined to uncover the motives of Kane (Horace Tidwell) and to solve the murder of Q’s mother. But they soon find themselves in trouble with the police, as Detectives Bishop (Clyde Garrison), Gunner (Jacob Richardson), Johnson (Rhonda Lane), and Gomez (Stacie Smith) are on their case.

Jackson, the creator, producer and director of the series, has put out a call for locals to audition for their upcoming seasons.

Anyone interested, regardless of experience, should email info@backstreet.live for more information about how to become a part of the cast.

The local series is also looking for filming locations. The idea, he said, is to find establishments that can be featured in the series, while also giving these businesses an opportunity to market their brand.

“We want to make sure that the series captures the local flavor of the area, while also offering a platform for local businesses to get their name out there,” Jackson said.

You can find healthy food for cheap at dollar stores

A look at nutritious staples and snacks available at Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar.

Starkist, 5-ounce can, $1 at Dollar General

The American Heart Association recommends one or two seafood-centered meals every week to reduce the risk of congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, stroke and even sudden death due to cardiac-related causes. Eatingwell.com reports this link is especially strong when seafood replaces less-healthy fast/processed food in an overall diet. While you shouldn’t eat it every day due to its trace mercury content (FDA recommends two-to-three times a week), chunk light tuna is keto-friendly and a source of Vitamin D, iron, protein and omega 3 fatty acids. (Note: Starkist and Bumble Bee label their cans “wild caught.”)

red blood cells. Folate can also help prevent neural tube defects during pregnancy and is an important component of a healthy diet in pregnancy,” the EatingWell article added.

Harvest Snaps Baked Red Lentil or Green Bean Snaps

$1 for 2-ounce green bean bag at Dollar General $1.25 for 2-ounce red lentil bag at Dollar Tree

Not available at Dollar Tree

Editor’s Note: Because we’re all feeling the pinch of inflation, the Gazette has begun “More for Less,” a recurring list of budget-friendly things to experience and buy to help stretch your dollar a little further.

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

For many Marion County residents, it’s not always easy to gain access to healthy food.

The American Heart Association reports more than 39 million Americans live more than a mile away from a grocery store or supermarket. Areas with limited access are considered food deserts, and areas with mostly processed and high-sugar-content foods available are called food swamps.

According to dietitians interviewed by Eater.com, dollar stores often fill the gap when grocery stores don’t exist in communities but also have the potential to make food inequity even worse. In Marion County, Dollar General is most prevalent in our rural areas.

If you’re a savvy shopper, you can avoid falling into the cheap junk food trap. Knowing what to buy and how to stretch your dollars can transform a mirage into an oasis when living in or traveling through a food desert.

“While you won’t find fresh fruits and veggies in every Dollar Tree location, canned and dried varieties can be just as nutritious as fresh in many cases, and can be more easily found on their shelves,” said an article on EatingWell.com. “In addition, Dollar Tree also carries whole grains, nuts and teas.”

Until another solution arises, Marion County residents in rural areas need to work with what’s available, so we’re taking a more piggy bank half-full approach to provide info on some affordable food worth checking out to feed your family at the local Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar General.

Chunk light tuna in water

Bumble Bee, 5-ounce can, $1.25 at Dollar Tree Chestnut Hill, 5-ounce can, $1 at Family Dollar

Outshine Fruit Bars/Outshine Simply Indulgent Fruit Bars

$4 for six-count box at Dollar General $4.65 for six-count box at Dollar Tree

(Not available at Family Dollar)

Made with real fruit or fruit juice, Outshine frozen juice treats are refreshing on a summer day and a sensible alternative to chemical-laden popsicles and candy. Long grain or jasmine white rice, 2-pound bags

Omega, $1.25 at Dollar Tree Mahatma, $1.50 at Dollar General (2-pound rice bags not available at Family Dollar) White rice is the little black dress of cuisine. It can be dressed up fancy in a stir-fry or prepared easily with cheese and broccoli. Look for big bags over instant because you can make a batch and use it in different dishes for three to four days. Keep it in an air-tight container toward the back of the fridge to maintain maximum freshness. Side note: If you’re not used to cooking rice in a pot on the stove, Family Dollar sells a Bene Rice Cooker for only $17.

Pinto Beans

Goya, 15.5-ounce can, $1.25 at Dollar Tree Chestnut Hill, 15.5-ounce can, $1 at Family Dollar Clover Valley Pinto Beans, dried, 16 ounces, $1 at Dollar General Clover Valley 15.5-ounce can, $1 at Dollar General “Goya Pinto Beans are an incredibly economical protein source,” said EatingWell.com, adding that pintos can be used to make Vegetarian Pinto Bean Sloppy Joes. Sautee in a drop of olive oil some onions with the beans, add spices and serve over rice.

“Since they’re an excellent source of folate, eating pinto beans can support the production of healthy

A healthier alternative to potato chips, Harvest crisps are made from red lentils that have been baked for a light, airy, and crunchy texture that pops with every bite. You can get them in a tomato basil flavor. Pack them in school lunches, your glove box for road trips or your office drawer to tide you over until dinner.

Canned Sliced Carrots, 14.5-ounce can Clover Valley, 67 cents at Dollar General Green Giant, $1 at Dollar General Chestnut Hill, 85 cents at Family Dollar (Not available at Dollar Tree)

An easy addition to soups and stews, carrots contain nutrients such as iron, potassium and calcium, and cooked carrots are higher in oxidants than raw because of their digestibility.

Pimiento Stuffed Green Olives

$1.25 for Breckenridge 7.7-ounce jar at Dollar Tree

$2.50 for Clover Valley 7-ounce jar at Dollar General

$2.50 for Chestnut Hill Manzanilla olives, 7-ounce jar at Family Dollar Olives are a zingy addition to salads and a great ingredient in pasta dishes. They provide healthy fats and a salty thrill that’s not ideal for low-sodium regimens but a more nutritious substitute for Cheetos and other salty snacks. The little red-pepper pimiento adds a skosh of vitamin C.

General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios

$3.65 for a 10.8-ounce box at Dollar General

$3.95 for a 12.25-ounce box at Family Dollar

$1.25 for 3.5-ounce pouch

at Dollar Tree

Made with whole-grain oats, which contain a soluble fiber called betaglucan, this breakfast and midnight-snack favorite may help lower the risk of coronary heart disease by possibly reducing cholesterol, research shows.

Bird of the Week

Sudoku is played on a grid of 9 x 9 spaces. Within the rows and columns are 9 “squares” (made up of 3 x 3 spaces). Each row, column and square (9 spaces each) needs to be filled out with the numbers 1-9, without repeating any numbers within the same row, column or square.

By Michael Warren

Male birds are often more colorful than females, but male and female summer tanagers are both striking. The male is a deep ruby red; the female displays various shades of yellow, sometimes with a hint of orange. They’re common in Marion County mixed forests, except during the colder months. This pair was hanging out at Silver Springs State Park on the Sandhill Trail.

MARION COUNTY CITIZENS ACADEMY GRADUATES NEW CLASS

[Supplied]

On June 6, the 2023 Citizens Academy class graduated from the 12-week program during the County Commissioners Board Meeting. This is the 13th class to graduate and become a part of Marion County Citizens Academy alumni.

Citizens Academy is a free, 12-week program that touches on every facet of county government. County Commission Chairman Craig Curry describes the program as “an opportunity to hear directly from elected officials, county leadership, and the staff that help Marion County government provide residents and visitors with a great place to live, work, and play,” according to the news release.

Throughout the program, participants learned about day-to-day operations within county departments through presentations, live demonstrations, question and answer sessions, and onsite educational discussions. Each citizen has an opportunity to speak with county leaders and provide feedback during each session.

More information about Citizens Academy can be found online at MarionFL.org/CitizensAcademy or by contacting county administration at (352) 438-2300.

no”

30 Sudden power increase

32 Like specialty markets

33 Remnant

34 Abounds (with)

36 “Price negotiable,” in ads

37 New Deal pres.

41 Really wow

43 “Bridgerton” actor Regé-__ Page

44 17-Across, e.g.

46 Hurts a lot

50 Goad

51 Civil rights leader Medgar

52 Give up

53 Next in line

54 Otherwise

55 Granola grains

56 Fingerboard ridge

57 Golden Rule word

58 Squeezes (out)

59 Annoy

62 Nor. neighbor

Summer tanager [MichaelWarren.com]

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS

juneteenth

JUNE 16

Juneteenth: Grown Folks A Night of Elegance

Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, 1821 NW 21st St., Ocala

6pm-11:30pm

With featured speaker Lizzie Robinson Jenkins, founder of The Real Rosewood Foundation, this event includes dinner, a dance performance, a DJ and giveaways. Proceeds benefit the Sircle Inc., a nonprofit focused on cultural and economic empowerment and awarding scholarships to high school seniors. Elegant attire encouraged; black tie optional. Tickets are $50. For more info, linktr.ee/thesircleinc

community

JUNE 16-18 (ALSO 23-25)

Market of Marion Market of Marion, 12888 SE US Highway 441, Belleview

8am-4pm

A classic farmer’s market plus lots of vendor shops. Fruits, vegetables, critters, jewelry, soaps, handcrafted items and more. Open every weekend, with monthly special events such as car shows. See themarketofmarion.com

JUNE 16 & 23

Levitt Amp Music Series

Webb Field at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex, 1510 NW 4th St, Ocala

7-9pm

The free weekly concerts sponsored by the city of Ocala and Marion Cultural Alliance focus on a variety of musical genres. On June 16, see Yusa, with opener SeanTMusicGlobal. On June 23, see headliner Shamarr Allan, with opener Miranda Madison. Admission is free. Bring chairs and blankets. Food and drink vendors onsite. For more info, ocalafl.org/levittamp

JUNE 16 & 23

Marion County Friday Market

McPherson Governmental Campus Field, 601 SE 25th

Ave., Ocala

9am-2pm

Shop locally fresh fruits and veggies, baked goods, jerky, freeze-dried treats, olive oils, seafood and more; recurs every Friday.

JUNE 17

Wonderful World of Bees

Reddick Public Library, 15150 NW Gainesville Road, Reddick

12pm Beekeeper Stephen Starks gets the library all abuzz with this presentation on the importance

of bees and how they manage their (very) social lives. Bring a brown bag lunch; beverage and dessert will be provided. Reservations recommended. Free to attend. For more info, library.marionfl.org or (352) 438-2566.

JUNE 17 & 24

Ocala Farmers Market

Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St., Ocala

9am-2pm

Vendors offer local fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, fresh pasta, honey, jewelry, baked goodies, and arts and crafts. Check out local food trucks and the occasional guest entertainer. Rain or shine; recurs every Saturday. Visit ocaladowntownmarket.com for more info.

JUNE 17 & 24

Farmers Swap Meet

Rural King, 2999 NW 10th St., Ocala

9am-2pm

A true farmers market where chickens, ducks, quail, geese, goats, turkeys, rabbits and sometimes even ponies are available, along with horse tack, homegrown plants, produce and hand-crafted items. Booth types vary, with occasional meat vendors, food trucks and other goods. Saturdays, weather permitting.

JUNE 19-23

City of Ocala Summer Camps

Discovery Center, 701 E. Sanchez Ave., and E.D. Croskey Recreation Center, 1510 NW Fourth St., Ocala

Times vary, check website

The city of Ocala’s summer day camps continue this week with an Under the Seas theme. At the E.D. Croskey Recreation Center, camps are suitable for ages 5-12 and costs $75 for city residents; $100 for non-residents. Camps at the Discovery Center are suitable for ages 8-12 and costs $130 for members; $150 for non-members. Themes changes each

critters & equine

JUNE 16-18, 19-25

Summer Series: Hunter/Jumper

Shows

World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala

8am-4pm

FEI CSI3* competitions through July 9. Food and drink options onsite; some events have a parking fee. See worldequestriancenter.com for more info.

JUNE 17-18

June Bring on the Heat Dog Dock

Diving

Ocala Dog Ranch, 440 SW 110th Ave., Ocala

9am-5pm

This International Dog Sports event will have multiple jump opportunities, like Horizon for distance, Eclipse for fetching and Velocity of speed. Free for spectators are free. Jumping rounds dogs start at $20 in advance and $25 day of. For more info, check out ocaladogranch.com

JUNE 19 & 26

JUNE 17 & 24

Summer Sunset Polo Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala

6pm

Free to the public. Tailgate next to the polo field and enjoy a unique evening out. Saturday evenings through September. Check out ocalapolo.com for more info.

JUNE 20

Ocala Horse Alliance: Cocktails & Horse Tales

Herlong Mansion, 402 NE Cholokka Blvd., Micanopy

6pm

This is a fundraiser to support the Black Stallion Reading Project in Marion County Schools, which gives every 4th grader a free copy of the famous Walter Farley book. The guest speaker for the evening is Tim Farley, Walter’s son. Cocktails, silent auction and more. Tickets are $50. See ocalahorsealliance.com for more info.

JUNE 20

JUNE 17

Ocala Juneteenth Celebration

Webb Field at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex, 1501 W Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

10am-3pm

The Ocala Juneteenth Celebration Commission and the city of Ocala will host the annual Juneteenth celebration. The event includes entertainment, vendor booths with a variety of offerings, nonprofit groups, food options, businesses and mentor groups. The event is free to attend. See facebook.com/OcalaJuneteenthCelebration

Marion County Development Review Committee

Office of the County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave., Building 1, Ocala

9am The first step for new development projects, the committee reviews and votes on waiver requests to the Land Development Code, major site plans, and subdivision plans. Meets weekly on Mondays; agendas are usually posted the Friday prior. Agendas, minutes and video available at marionfl.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

JUNE 20

Marion County Board of County Commissioners Meeting McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala 9am & 2pm

Meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. The Planning & Zoning portion is scheduled for the 2pm meeting. Agendas are usually posted the Thursday prior. Agendas, minutes and video available at marionfl.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

week and include educational and recreational activities, field trips, STEM projects, sports and more. To register, see Ocalafl.org/summercamp

JUNE 22

OTOW Farmers Market

The Town Square at Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 80th St., Ocala

9am-1pm

Large selection of fresh seasonal produce from local growers as well as baked goods, plants, handmade soaps and more; recurs every Thursday. Visit circlesquarecommons.com for more info.

JUNE 22

Medicare Classes: Long-term Care

Planning

Online 10am

The SHINE organization is offering free classes for anyone wanting to learn more about Medicare. These are available by computer or phone. For more info, shine@agingresources.org or call (352) 692-5209.

JUNE 22 & 23

Ocala Youth Energy Academy

Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, 1821 NW 21st Ave., 8am-4pm

This annual academy is designed to get 8-12th graders introduced to and interested in careers in the energy industry. With breakfast, snacks and lunch provided, activities, demonstrations and information is provided by the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Free to attend with parent permission; registration is required. See aabefl.org for more info.

JUNE 21 & 28

Wildlife Wednesdays

Fort King National Historic Landmark, 3925 E. Fort King St., Ocala

5pm-6pm

The talks are focused on frogs and toads (June 21) and turtles and tortoises (June 28). Free to attend, this is a great way to learn about these native animals and their distinct habitats. For more info, ocalafl.org

JUNE 22 & 29

Diabetes Education Seminars

Greater New Hope Church, 484 Emerald Road, Silver Springs Shores 5:30pm-7:30pm

The Department of Health is offering free weekly classes with topics such as how the disease affects the body, the importance of healthy and balanced diets, meal planning and physical activity. RSVP to Melissa Marino at (352) 644-2624 or Melissa. Marino@FLHealth.gov.

JUNE 23

Pumps & Politics Women’s

Discussion Panel

Marion Theater, 50 S Magnolia Ave., Ocala

6pm

Marion County Commissioners Kathy Bryant and Michelle Stone, along with Belleview Mayor Christine Kohan Dobkowski, Hawthorne Mayor Jacquelyn Randall and Mount Dora Mayor Crissy Stile talk juggling personal and professional lives. General admission $25; VIP meet and greet cocktail hour $50. Tickets available from the theatre box office or, for more info, ChristieCasey73@gmail.com

JUNE 24

Market of Marion Monthly Car Show

Market of Marion, 12888 US Highway 441, Belleview 9am-1pm

This event features show cars plus valve cover racing, music, food, giveaways food and trophies.

Free to attend. Car show entry is $5. For more info, themarketofmarion.com or tvclassicac.com

JUNE 24

Give a Dog a Bone Dog Fest

Letty Towles Dog Park, 2299 SE 32nd Ave., Ocala

11am-5pm Maricamp Animal Hospital sponsors this doggone good time with music, a dog pool, doggy sprinklers, free treats for pets and services by techs from the hospital. Vendors, pet adoption options, photo booth, animal charity donation and “Let’s Get Tricky With It” competition. See maricampanimalhospital.com or facebook.com/ MaricampAH for more info.

JUNE 25

Pack Walk Silver Springs State Park, 5656 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

9am-10:30am

Help Marion County Animal Shelter dogs by helping staffers walk adoptable dogs. Park entry fee is $2. Recurs monthly on the fourth Sunday. For more info, animalservices.marionfl.org

agendas, minutes and video available at Dunnellon.org/89/ Agendas-Minutes

City of Ocala City Council Meeting

City Hall, 110 SE Watula Avenue, Ocala

4pm

Meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. Agendas are usually posted the Thursday prior; agendas, minutes and video available from ocala.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

JUNE 20

City of Belleview City Commission Meeting

City Hall, 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview

6pm

Meets the first and third Tuesdays; Belleview agendas, minutes and video available at belleviewfl.org/200/Agendas-Minutes

JUNE 20

City of Dunnellon Planning Commission Meeting

City Hall, 20750 River Drive, Dunnellon

5:30pm

Normally meets the second Wednesday of the month; Dunnellon

JUNE 20

City of Ocala Community Redevelopment Board

City Hall, 110 SE Watula Avenue, Ocala

3:45pm

Normally meets the second Wednesday of the month; Dunnellon agendas, minutes and video available at Dunnellon.org/89/ Agendas-Minutes

JUNE 26

Marion County Planning & Zoning Meeting

McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium, 601 SE 25th Ave., Ocala

5:30pm

Meets the second Monday of the month; agendas, minutes and video available from ocala.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

civic

JUNE 16 & 23

South Ocala Chess Club at Freedom Library

Freedom Public Library, 5870 SW 95th St., Ocala

10am-12pm

Meets weekly on Fridays; new members welcome. Please bring your own chess set. For more info, Walt Lamp at (352) 854-9378.

JUNE 16 & 23

Kiwanis Club of Ocala

Central Christian Church, 3010 NE 14th St., Ocala

12pm

Meets weekly on Fridays. Supports Camp Kiwanis, children’s literacy and Habitat for Humanity. More info at ocalakiwanis.org

arts

JUNE 16 & 23

Painting and More Workshops

Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, 1821

NW 21st Ave., Ocala

10am

Arts in Health Ocala hosts a variety of visual artists to teach these weekly art workshops. All supplies are included and beginners are welcome. Limited to 20 adults, so register early. See aihocala.org/ painting-and-more for more info.

JUNE 20/21 (& 27/28)

Regal Summer Movie Express

Regal Hollywood Theaters, 2801 SW 27th Ave., Ocala

10am

The movie fest continues with family and kid-friendly movies. Tickets are $2; check the theater website for show times. Movies this summer include “How To Train Your Dragon 3D,” “Abominable” and “The Croods: A New Age.” For more info, bit.ly/43k01DC

JUNE 21-THROUGH JANUARY 9, 2024

Tony A. Blue, American Painter

Ocala International Airport, 1770 SW 60th Ave., Ocala

Airport hours

Opening this week, Blue’s exhibits includes work in acrylics, mixed media and photographs. His colorful, abstract paintings are inspired by Florida’s tropical natural landscape. The exhibit is free and open to the public during airport hours. For more info, ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

JUNE 21 (& 28)

Summer Kid’s Film Series

Marion Theater, 50 S Magnolia Ave., Ocala

Times vary, check website

The series runs through August 2. Kids age 12

JUNE 17 & 24

Ocala Chess Club at Headquarters Library

Headquarters Library, 2720 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

11am-3pm

Meets weekly on Saturdays; new members welcome. Please bring your own chess set. For more info, facebook.com/groups/53070499106

JUNE 21

VFW Wednesday Dinners Angela S. Santos FVW Post 4781, 9401 SW 110th St., Ocala

4:30pm-6:30pm

The post offers weekly dinners for about $5-$7 with a variable menu.

and under can enjoy movies for $5 (includes a snack pack). Family favorites include “SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” “Madagascar” and “The Lion King.” Visit reillyartscenter.com/mariontickets for more info.

JUNE 21 (& 28)

Kids Summer Show Series

Epic Theatre, 4414 SW College Road, Ocala

Times vary, check website Even more movies for the small humans. With titles like “Paw of Fury: The Legend of Hank,” “DC League of Super-Pets,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” and more, tickets for kids are only $1. See bit.ly/3MEX4Go

JUNE 21-AUGUST 30

Painting for Veterans

Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, 1821 NW 21st Ave., Ocala

6pm-8pm

These free art workshops are hosted by the Arts in Health Ocala Metro group and veteran Aaron Thomas. Beginners welcome. Supplies are included. Register at ocalafl.org/recpark

JUNE 21-25

“Til Death Do Us Part…You First!” Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala Times vary, check website Peter Fogel brings a multi-media comedy show to Ocala. True confessions about marriage, sex and other things that end prematurely. Tickets are $35; see reillyartscenter.com for more info

&nightlifemusic

JUNE 16 & 23 Courtyard Jams

MCA Courtyard 23 W Broadway St., Ocala 6pm

JUNE 16

Second Slice Charlie Horse 2426 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 6pm

JUNE 16

Reggie Stacy Homestead Park 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston

7pm

JUNE 16

Grass Campers

JUNE 16

Stephen

JUNE 17

JUNE 17

The dining room is open to the public, meals are prepped by VFW Auxiliary volunteers and proceeds benefit veterans in Marion County. For the menu, call (352) 873-4781.

JUNE 22

Ocala Lions Club

Ocala Golf Club, 3130 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

12pm

Meets weekly on Thursdays; newcomers welcome. The club supports vision health and diabetes prevention. More info at e-clubhouse.org/sites/ocalafl

JUNE 22

Coffee, Cake & Community

NOMA Art Gallery, 939 N. Magnolia Ave., Ocala

1pm-4pm

These weekly no-pressure coffee (and cake) klatches bring together gallery guests, artists, patrons, creative types and more. Every Thursday afternoon. All are welcome. See nomaocala.com/ events for more info.

JUNE 24

Michelle Wright

Orange Blossom Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale

7pm

Singer of “Take It Like a Man,” expect to hear other hits like “He Would Be Sixteen,” “Guitar Talk” and “One Time Around.” Tickets are $28-$43. See obopry.com for tickets and info.

JUNE 24

Gospel Explosion

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

4pm

With a variety show that features gospel music, entertainment from The Craytons, comedian Des, Charles Groover and his puppets, and Pearlie Mae, this will be a unique evening at the museum. Tickets are $25; see Eventbrite for tickets.

JUNE 24

Rocky and the Rollers Dance Party

Circle Square Cultural Center, 8395 SW 80th St., Ocala

7pm-9pm Start with doo wop, then slide into classic rock n’

roll and boogie into ’70s disco. ’50s, ’60s and ’70s attire encouraged. Tickets start at $25. For more info, csculturalcenter.com

THROUGH JUNE 20

Aerial Dream Views of Land and Sea

Ocala International Airport, 1770 SW 60th Ave., Ocala Airport hours

Part of the Art in City Spaces program, local artist Maggie Weakley shares her ocean-themed collection. Free to the public. Visit ocalafl.org/ artincityspaces and maggieweakley.com

THROUGH DECEMBER 12

“Patternz” by Kelsey Mahoney

Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala

Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm

The city continues its Art in City Spaces program with this exhibit by emerging artist Kelsey Mahoney. Her abstract work is filled with vibrant colors and mosaic themes in ink drawings. Free to the public. For more info, ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

THROUGH JANUARY 8, 2024

The Beauty of Nature and Recyclable Refuse

Recreation and Parks Administration Building and Adult Activity Center, 828/830 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala 8am-5pm

Florida artist Albert Bevilacqua focuses this exhibit on recyclable items and he’s turned them into an artistic statements about protecting the environment. Free to the public, this is part of the Art in City Spaces program by the City of Ocala. See ocalafl.org/artincityspaces for more info.

JUNE 18

JUNE

JUNE

JUNE 22 Jeff Jarrett

Yellow Pony

Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala

6pm

JUNE 23

Landslide Charlie Horse 2426 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 6pm

JUNE 23

Kenna Dee The Keep 36 SW 1st Ave., Ocala, FL 8pm

JUNE 23

Reggie Stacy Crazy Cucumber Market Street at Heath Brook, 4414 SW College Road, Ocala 6:30pm

JUNE 23

Heather Lynn Homestead Park 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 7pm

JUNE 23

Justin Lee Partin The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6pm

JUNE 24

John Johnson The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala

JUNE 24

REL Charlie Horse 2426 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala

JUNE 24

Shelby Lauren Crazy Cucumber Market Street at Heath Brook, 4414 SW College Road, Ocala 6:30pm

JUNE 24

Marion County Line

Homestead Park 1050 NE 6th Blvd., Williston 6pm

JUNE 25

Kenna Dee Charlie Horse 2426 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 2pm

Father’s Day Eve Concert and Fireworks

The Friends of the Marion County Veterans Park Foundation are hosting a Father’s Day Eve Concert and Fireworks event on Saturday, June 17, at the Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park at 2601 NE 26th Terrace, Ocala.

The event will include a water slide, dunk tank, cornhole games, ladder golf and face painting. Gates open at 3 p.m. The event emcee is Tom Schmitz of Ocala Talks! Radio. One-man band Sparky Seymour will entertain from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., followed by Atlas from 4:40 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. and headliner Radlin’ Rootz takes the stage at 5:30 p.m., closing with fireworks after dark. Food trucks on hand will include Big Lee’s BBQ and others.

Attendees are welcome to bring chairs, blankets and picnic baskets.

The cost is $20 for ages 18 and older; free 17 and younger. All proceeds will go toward funding the Landmark Monument, which is planned to be anchored at the corner of State Road 40 and Northeast 25th Avenue in the future.

Event sponsors include Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, MainStreet Community Bank and Citizens First Bank.

For tickets, go to marionvetpark.com/fathersday-concert

For more information, call (352) 804-6953.

SALVATION ARMY REOPENS THRIFT STORE; SEEKS FOOD DONATIONS

The Salvation Army in Ocala, which recently remodeled its thrift store, also operates the Center of Hope, which offers food assistance, emergency shelter, transitional housing, halfway housing, homeless resources, family emergency services and more.

Officials with the nonprofit are inviting members of the community to a grand reopening of the remodeled thrift store while also asking for donations to restock food supplies for those seeking help at the Center of Hope.

The reopening event at the thrift store, which is located at 120 NW 10th St., will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 17. Door prizes will be given away throughout the day and visitors can meet store manager Stephen Bowers and other staff members.

As for the need for donations of food items, “The Salvation Army Center of Hope is running very low on canned goods to be given to families and individuals coming in asking for help. The items most needed are canned meat products such as corned beef, chicken and dumplings, Spam and tuna,” said retired major Forrest McIntyre, who remains active with the organization. “All items are gratefully accepted. Thank you, Marion County, for taking care of our residents in need.”

Food donations made be delivered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the Center of Hope at 320 NW 1st Ave. Ocala.

To learn more about the food outreach, call McIntyre at (352) 816-1059 or the center at (352) 732-8326.

To learn more about the thrift store or to request a pickup of donated items such as furniture, call (352) 732-4469.

ANSWERS FOR PAGE B4

When your child needs medical care, you want to be confident they are getting the best care and expertise available. At AdventHealth Ocala, we offer a range of pediatric services for children of all ages, conveniently located close to home. So, your littlest loved ones can get the care they need and back doing the things they enjoy most.

n Dedicated Pediatric ER

n Urgent Care

n In-home Urgent Care

n Virtual Care

n Labor and Delivery

n Level II NICU

n Pediatric Cardiology

n High Risk Pregnancy

n Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy

Learn more at AdventHealthOcala.com

YOU CAN MAKE THE BEST SPAGHETTI USING PANTRY STAPLES

Treatment for pediatric pectus excavatum

By D. Dean Potter Jr., M.D. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: We’ve noticed an indent in our son’s chest since he was about 6 years old. Our pediatrician diagnosed this as pectus excavatum but said that it was nothing to worry about. Six years later, he’s starting to complain that his heart is racing, and he experiences loss of endurance and shortness of breath with exercise. We are very concerned and wondering if we need another opinion. I’ve heard surgery may be necessary for these children. What does surgery to treat pectus entail? And how do we know when it’s time?

ANSWER: Understandably, having a child with a physical difference brings concern, especially when it progresses to affect quality of life. Pectus excavatum is the most common congenital chest wall anomaly in the U.S. Families do notice the sunken breastbone when children are very young; however, most kids do not have problems with the anomaly until they are teenagers. Symptoms are likely to develop after a growth spurt when the indentation can become deeper due to abnormal growth of the chest wall cartilage. Additionally, when children become more active in sports, this often unmasks the exercise intolerance associated with pectus excavatum.

The most common symptoms we see with pectus excavatum are chest wall pain around the anomaly, exercise intolerance or avoidance, shortness of breath while exercising, and early fatigue with exercise. Certainly, the cosmetic effects of the indentation are of great concern, but the physiologic consequences are very real and most important when we begin to think about surgical correction of pectus excavatum.

By America’s Test Kitchen

The key to a flavor-packed spaghetti made from pantry ingredients is making the most of the garlic. We mince our garlic to make sure that all of it cooks at the same rate. Toasting the garlic over low heat in 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil ensures that it cooks to a pale golden brown. Any darker and its flavor goes from delicately buttery and sweet to bitter and harsh.

We cook our spaghetti in just 2 quarts of salted water in order to ensure that the pasta cooking liquid is loaded with starch. We reserve a portion of this liquid and add it to the spaghetti along with the oil. The starch helps the oil cling to the pasta and gives the dish a perfect—not greasy—texture. Adding 1/2 teaspoon of raw minced garlic near the end of cooking helps to balance garlic’s dual attributes—the buttery sweetness of toasted garlic and the fire of raw garlic.

Garlicky Spaghetti with Capers and Currants

Serves 4

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 pound spaghetti

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and minced

3 tablespoons currants, minced

2 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

1. Combine 2 tablespoons garlic and oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is pale golden brown, 9 to 12 minutes. Off heat, stir in pepper flakes; set aside.

2. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring frequently, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic, capers, currants, anchovies, lemon juice, Parmesan, reserved garlic-oil mixture, and reserved cooking water. Stir until pasta is well coated with oil and no water remains in bottom of pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.

(For 25 years, home cooks have relied on America’s Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 at-home recipe testers. The family of brands—which includes Cook’s Illustrated, Cook’s Country, and America’s Test Kitchen Kids—offers reliable recipes for cooks of all ages and skill levels. See more online at www.americastestkitchen.com/TCA.)

When we first see patients with pectus excavatum, we perform a detailed history, including symptoms related to exercise and progression of the anomaly. We inquire about family history and screen for connective tissue disorders. We complete a physical exam that looks for associated anomalies and evaluates for connective tissue disorders. Initially, a chest X-ray is used to measure the depth of the indent by calculating a Haller index or a correction index. Pulmonary function tests are commonly obtained to rule out primary lung diseases that could be causing the exercise intolerance. If there are concerns about potential connective tissue disorders, an echocardiogram of the heart will be obtained, along with a cardiology consultation. However, less than 5% of children with pectus excavatum will have a known connective tissue disorder, such as Marfan syndrome, identified during our evaluation.

Treatment for pectus excavatum includes surgical repair, called the Nuss procedure, and a nonoperative method using a vacuum bell device. The vacuum bell acts as a suction cup that is worn for several hours per day. The treatment can be effective, though satisfaction with the vacuum bell device tends to be lower than the Nuss procedure. Compliance with the vacuum bell can be a challenge for teenagers.

We recommend the Nuss procedure be performed on children between 12 and 14 if possible. However, it is common to treat patients around 16 because the symptoms were not apparent until the middle teenage years. The Nuss procedure also can be used to treat adults with symptomatic pectus excavatum if they were not repaired as teens. Only in the rarest of situations do we offer surgical repair to children under 12, as these patients may outgrow their Nuss bar and may require revisional surger y.

The Nuss procedure, also known as minimally invasive pectus excavatum repair, involves placing a metal bar behind the sternum to elevate the bone into the normal position. The goal of the surgery is to alleviate the pressure on the heart and improve the symptoms noted during exercise. Cosmetically, the great majority of patients are very satisfied with the correction. We often perform cryotherapy during the surgery to reduce postoperative pain, which speeds our patients’ recovery. Cryotherapy temporarily numbs the nerves on both sides of the chest, often until the pain from surgery has subsided. Because of this innovative approach, half of our patients leave the hospital without requiring opioid pain medication. They begin walking on the same day as surgery and leave the hospital the next day.

Most kids can return to school within a week. There are specific activity restrictions that last for three months after the Nuss procedure to allow for healing, but afterwards, there are no limitations. We have seen patients return to all previous activities, such as competitive athletics, snow skiing, water skiing, band, horseback riding and mountain biking.

The first follow-up visit occurs around four weeks after undergoing a Nuss procedure. This visit can be done in person or by a video consult. The Nuss bar remains in place for a minimum of three years or until the patient has stopped growing. We usually remove the bar as an outpatient procedure when the patient is around 19 or 20 if it has been in place for at least three years.

At Mayo Clinic, we have a long history of caring for children with pectus excavatum. Our multidisciplinary team uses innovative, minimally invasive surgical techniques focused on outcomes, safety and pain management to help our patients recover faster, with less discomfort. Most recently, our team of highly skilled pediatric surgeons described a novel stabilization technique to reduce bar movement while the patient heals. We continue to study this promising method and other potential advances to the field.—D. Dean Potter Jr., M.D., Pediatric Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota (Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org.)

Garlic is the key to this tasty spaghetti. [TNS]