VOLUME 2 ISSUE 10
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SEPTEMBER 3 - SEPTEMBER 9, 2021
School board appointee anti-mask mandates By Carlos Medina carlos@ocalagazette.com The newest member of the Marion County School Board is no fan of mask mandates. Don Browning, who was appointed to the board by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Aug. 30, said the issue has become hopelessly political
when it should be a personal responsibility question. “I don’t need to tell you what to wear. You are a fully-functioning adult,” Browning said. “Freedoms really matter. If you want to put a mask on, put a mask on.” Browning, 80, bristles as the notion that wearing a mask should be universal. “If they walk into a
situation that needs it, certainly put a mask on,” he said. “But we’re not going to use some kind of amateur political mandate to make a third-grader sit all day long with a mask.” Browning notes the less strict international guidelines for school children wearing masks and what he called the flipflopping of the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention on the matter to illustrate the capriciousness of the mandates. The CDC in early August recommended all students, teachers, staff and visitors wear masks regardless of vaccination status. But the recommendation was in response to the more contagious delta variant of COVID-19.
But while masks can be effective, some studies, including a May CDC study, showed no statistically significant difference between schools requiring students to wear masks and those where masks were optional. The reason, according to the study, was likely due to improper fitting See Mandate, page A2
Skipping school
Fakhoury tops Guinn in mayoral contributions By Carlos Medina carlos@ocalagazette.com Manal Fakhoury outraised incumbent Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn during the latest reporting period between Aug. 1-20 and holds an overall lead in funds raised, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Marion County Supervisor of Elections. Fakhoury raised nearly $41,800 in the latest reporting period while Guinn raised just more than $32,375 during the same time. Fakhoury, however, contributed $6,000 to her own campaign this reporting period, according to reports. Since the start of her campaign, Fakhoury has personally contributed $11,000 to herself. Guinn’s only personal contribution was $100 he gave to kick off his fundraising in April. As of Aug. 20, Fakhoury has raised just more than $83,000 while Guinn has raised $63,700, reports state. In contrast, Guinn has spent just more than $19,000 while Fakhoury has spent more than $65,000 on their campaigns. Both said supporters are excited about their candidacies. “It’s been beautiful. People are reaching out on their own asking, ‘How can we help?’” Fakhoury said. Guinn said he has had to do little fundraising. “There are people that call me frequently,” he said. “People tell me daily, ‘I want to support you. What can I do?’ Things are going really well.” See Elections, page A2
Jed Arcenal walks to his next class at the College of Central Florida. Students are back on campus this semester after no one was allowed on campus for the last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [Bruce Ackerman/OG]
CF enrollment down this fall By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com
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ike many community colleges in the state and the nation, the College of Central Florida is continuing to see a decline in its enrollment numbers in the fall. While final numbers for the 2021-22 year are still incomplete, CF’s Saul Reyes has seen large declines in the number of students enrolling for classes this fall. Reyes, the vice president of enrollment management and student affairs, said it’s a trend made worse by the continuing
pandemic. “CF serves a high proportion of Pell-eligible students and part-time students,” said Reyes. “Students who typically are being pulled in many directions and priorities including family, work career and education. The pandemic has just tipped the balance during very trying times. Many students have discontinued education while attending to family, work and health concerns” In 2020-21, CF had 9,997 registered students enrolled (annual enrollment, unduplicated, credit and noncredit students), a 0.5% drop from a year before
when CF had 10,032 registered students. That was a 7.3% drop from the 2018-19 year when 10,823 students were enrolled. “Some students have found it difficult to balance remote learning and childcare in the same home. Their education and their children’s education are competing for limited time,” said Reyes. “And education is a great investment in themselves, their career and future earnings. It transforms their life and impacts their family’s future too.” See Enrollment, page A2
Pandemic grants help the show go on By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com Rose Miller doesn’t know where the Ocala Civic Theatre would be if not for the special federal pandemic relief grant it received in July. While the grant program’s rollout took months and the enrollment process was buggy at first, the grant, which
were targeted toward entertainment venues affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, will keep the curtain up. “You can only do so much fundraising,” said Miller, the business and development director at OCT. “I think we were smart enough in our finances where we were okay with things with our savings and endowments and things like that. That sustained us for a little while. But it
would have been a struggle without receiving the money.” It’s a similar story for Matthew Wardell, chief executive officer and artistic director of the Reilly Arts Center. “Instead of 18 employees,” said Wardell, “we’d probably be down to about six or seven. It would have been a much different See OCT, page A3
Inside the OCT Theatre is shown in this recent file photo. [Bruce Ackerman/OG]
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COVID-19 Update.................. A3 State News................................ A6 Sports........................................ B1 Rosh Hashanah in Ocala....... C2 Creative's Corner....................C3 Calendar................................... C5