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VOLUME 2 ISSUE 11
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SEPTEMBER 10 - SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
PATRIOT DAY
How Marion spent the penny tax By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com From 2016 to 2020, Marion County collected more than $96.5 million in penny sales tax revenue. And while the percentages it allocated to different road and emergency services sometimes varied widely from year to year, in the end, the proceeds were spent roughly equally. Since 2016, the county has allocated more than $49.3 million to road and transportation projects and $47.2 million to emergency services. Within emergency services, the county allocated more than $17.3 million to the Sheriff ’s Office and almost $29.9 million to Marion County Fire Rescue, according to figures provided by the county. Marion County residents originally approved the One Cent Public Safety and Infrastructure Sales Surtax, also known as the penny sales tax, in 2016. The four-year tax program was targeted to pay for infrastructure and public safety projects. In 2020, voters renewed the tax for another four years. The tax adds a penny to the state 6% sales tax, effectively making it a 7% sales tax in the county. The money collected cannot go toward payroll or recurring costs, but county and city governments can disperse the funding across their agencies as they see fit. While in 2016, the county only received $4.1 million because the tax was collected
A lone firefighter moves through piles of debris at the site of the World Trade Center. [AP File Photo]
Ocala residents remember 9/11 attacks on 20th anniversary By Carlos Medina carlos@ocalagazette.com
J
anet Horton always preferred to focus on the heroic and caring acts she witnessed after a plane crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Twenty years later, nothing has changed. The retired U.S. Army chaplain, now living in Ocala, said viewing the tragic events of that day through her spectrum gives her hope for humanity. “Most people remember this event as the terrorists showing their hatred for our way of life. When I think Janet Horton back on it, I [Submitted] think of the amazing things people did for each other to help each other,” said Horton. In 2001, Col. Horton was serving as the executive director of the Armed Forces Chaplains
Board in the Pentagon near where American Airlines Flight 77 would eventually hit the structure. The morning of the attacks, however, Horton was called to the dental department on the other side of the massive structure. She, along with others waiting in the dental clinic, watched the coverage after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower just after 8:46 a.m. They watched in horror as a second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, crashed into the South Tower just after 9:03 a.m. But at 9:37 a.m., a Boeing 757 struck the west side of the Pentagon. The structure is so fortified, however, that Horton said she never heard or felt a thing. All three planes, and a fourth, United Airline Flight 93 – which eventually crashed in a field in Pennsylvania – were hijacked by Islamic terrorists. The next thing she knew, the Pentagon was being evacuated.
See Tax, page A7
Public school budget hits a record $746.5 million By Carlos Medina carlos@ocalagazette.com A visitor at the 9/11 Traveling Memorial Wall located at Veterans Memorial Park is shown in the 2019 file photo. [Meagan Gumpert]
See Memories, page A4
Marion marks 20th anniversary with planned events Area organizations will mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks with several events during a weeklong commemoration. Ocala Marion County Veterans Memorial Park 2601 SE Fort King St.
[Meagan Gumpert]
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Several hundred motorcyclists from veterans’ groups escort the 9/11 Traveling Wall from War Horse Harley Davidson to the park. The Wall will be on display through Sept. 19.
8:30 A.M. : Opening ceremonies, which will include an honor guard and the playing of the national anthem, will also mark the impact times for each of the planes in the attack.
10 A.M.: First Responders Chaplain Corps Service 3 P.M.: Performance by the Kingdom of the Sun concert band 6 P.M.: Concert by Joan Crowder and Friends.
For more events, see Planned, page A4
The Marion County School Board approved a record $746.5 million budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year on Sept. 7. The board voted to adopt the budget unanimously with no discussion during a special meeting. The final budget eclipsed last year's by more than $94.7 million. Much of the increase came from more than $58 million from federal aid in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds came from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act which authorized $81.88 billion in support for education. The money can be used to prevent, prepare for and responding to COVID-19. The school system also increased the budget by an additional $31.2 million to fully implement the school’s See School Budget, page A8
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Commentary............................ A5 COVID Update........................ A8 Sports........................................ B1 Creative's Corner.................... C3 Comic Con................................C4 Calendar................................... C5