Ocala Gazette | August 5 - August 11, 2022

First Saturday fun at the Appleton Museum - Aug. 6

AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022

The Cal Ripken Rookie World Series brings baseball teams and money to Ocala.

Ocala Rotary Reds players celebrate with Brooks Fabian (2) after he drove in the winning run over Palatka during the 8U Machine Pitch Cal Ripken World Series at the Ocala Rotary Sportsplex in Ocala on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.

Ocala Rotary Reds coach, Matt Fabian, talks to his players before their game against Palatka.

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Fire Union says Zalak has “rarely” been a supporter of first responders

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

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n his bid for re-election this year, incumbent District 4 Marion County Commissioner Carl Zalak touts his support for Marion County first responders high up on the list of his accomplishments during his 12 years in office.

One segment of those public servants, however, begs to differ. The Professional Firefighters of Marion County (PFFMC) has endorsed Rachel Sams, one of Zalak’s opponents in the Aug. 23 Republican primary and a former first responder herself. Sams served on the Ocala Police Department for four years before resigning in 2017.

Daniel Garcia, president of the PFFMC, explained to the Gazette the union chose not to endorse Zalak because of his spotty record when it comes to backing its members.

“Zalak has been an occasional supporter of the fire department,’’ he said, “but he’s rarely been a supporter of firefighters, EMTs or

paramedics.”

In an emailed response to the Gazette, Zalak said he has supported Marion County’s first responders through millions of dollars in new equipment and in salary increases.

Asked by the Gazette to elaborate, Garcia pointed to lawsuits Marion County Fire Rescue captains filed in federal court in September 2019 under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) challenging whether they were exempt from overtime pay as managers or whether they were considered nonexempt employees entitled to overtime.

If they were nonexempt, the captains claimed, they would be entitled to overtime pay at time and a half after working 106 hours in a 14-day pay period. The county said they were classified as exempt from overtime pay because of the managerial role they served within the fire department.

Two groups of fire captains each filed a suit. One group was made up of retired See Fire, page A3

School district 2022-23 budget is in

Ocala Rotary Reds’ Bryson Lamb (21) celebrates with Kaden Lanier (23) after Lamb scored on Palatka.

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Ocala Rotary Reds’ Kayden Jackson (4) slides safely into second base as Palatka’s Nathan Brown (16) looks for the out.

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Page A3

Sportsplex Spectacular

or five days this week, Ocala was the Baseball Capital of the World.

From Monday through Friday, Aug. 1-6, eight teams from across the U.S. and the Bahamas are going head-to-head in the Cal Ripken Rookie World Series tournament hosted by the Babe Ruth League, Inc. As one example of the competition on the fields at the Rotary Sportsplex of Marion County, the Ocala Rotary Reds on Tuesday evening defeated Palatka 15-0 in three innings to advance in the 8U Machine Pitch Cal Ripken World Series.

According to the league website, the rookie division is designed primarily for ballplayers ages 7-8 and makes use of a pitching machine to allow for more hittable balls at the plate and more action in the field.

“Fear of actually being hit by a pitched ball is diminished. It makes the game safer and improves the playing confidence and ability of all participants,” notes the site.

This is the sixth time the world series has been held at the sportsplex since 2009. The selection of Marion County as the host came through collaboration of the Marion County Parks and Recreation Department, Ocala/Marion County

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 31

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com Umpire Tom Rodriguez throws a machine pitch to an Ocala Rotary Reds player.

Visitors and Convention Bureau and the Rotary Sportsplex board of directors. The tournament was expected bring an economic impact of more than $500,000 to the county, with the players, coaches, family members and friends staying in hotels, dining out and shopping in the area.

Games begin at 5 p.m. daily at the sportsplex, located at 5220 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala. The championship game and closing ceremonies will take place Saturday, Aug. 6.

To learn more about activities at the sprawling venue, go to rotarysportsplexofmarioncounty. sportssignup.com/site/ For information about the Cal Ripken League, visit baberuthleague.org/cal-ripken-baseball.aspx

Palatka’s Connor Cheshire (3) makes it safely to first base as Ocala Rotary Reds’ Jacob Schaeffer (11) looks for the out.

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he Marion County School Board adopted its tentative budget and millage rates for the 2022-23 fiscal year Tuesday in a special meeting and public hearing. The proposed $905 million budget calls for a 21.22% increase in spending but a lower property tax rate, thanks to a nearly identical increase in Marion County property values this past year.

The proposed millage rate of 6.50 is .398 mills less than the current year’s rate, according to Chief Financial Officer Theresa Boston-Ellis. One mill equals $1 of tax for each $1,000 of a property’s taxable value, meaning property owners will be taxed at $6.50 per $1,000 of their property’s assessed value.

The total of assessed property values of the school district is nearly $30 billion, according to Marion County Public Schools. With property values increasing 21.04% in Marion County, that means a lower Required Local Effort

millage, said Boston-Ellis.

“In order for us to receive state funding, our local community has to levy the Required Local Effort.

That millage is set by the Department of Education along with our legislators, and that millage for Marion County is 3.250,” she explained.

The RLE millage, along with the local capital improvement millage rate of 1.5, an operating millage rate of 1.0, and the discretionary operating millage rate of 0.748 contribute to the total millage rate of 6.50.

“We always want to keep in mind who is at the forefront of our thoughts—and that’s the children of Marion County,” Boston-Ellis said. “That means looking at our proposed millage levies property taxes.”

The higher budget amount reflects an increasingly positive attitude toward funding education from the county and state, she said.

The district anticipates an alleviation on financial strain as the state legislature will See School, page A2

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AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

School budget Continued from page A1 now appropriate a base student allocation of $214.49 per student in comparison to the previous amount of $53.42 per student.

The state budget also allows for additional funds to be used for increased salaries, mental health initiatives,

safe school programs, and reading enhancement.

The school board will discuss the general fund portion of the proposed budget at an Aug. 11 administrative work session. A work session on Aug. 18 will focus the capital fund and other fund categories.

The board will have a final session on Aug. 25 before a final vote, scheduled for Sept. 9.

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Fiscal Challenges

Officials say that despite the budget increase, the district may be unable to make up for the challenges that the district has faced in recent years and will continue to face in the upcoming fiscal year.

“One of our challenges is to continue operating our schools during what we call the ‘post-pandemic era,’’ said Boston-Ellis. “We’ve always got to be on the ready for anything that needs to happen. We heard [Monday] that our staff is ready to go from the operations perspective, and we have enough inventory to support our schools.”

The Special Revenue Fund--totaling $194,137,003 in federal, state and local revenue--is appropriated for impacts on food service deliveries due to COVID-19 and is also used to combat supply chain issues brought on by the pandemic, according to MCPS. Another challenge identified are costs associated with aging buildings, buses and other vehicles owned by the district. The Capital Projects Fund, totaling

$79,370,536, is appropriated toward any renovation, construction and maintenance necessary in the district.

“The era of digital learning has increased funding mandates for electronic textbooks, interactive instructional technology, computer hardware and meeting the need for all students to have equal access to limited technological resources,” according to the budget summary from MCPS. With providing students technology comes updating that technology when it becomes out of date. Federal funds were used to purchase Chromebooks for students, which have a lifespan of three to five years and could cost up to $8 million to replace, Boston-Ellis said.

“We were delighted to be able to use some of the federal dollars to meet refreshing of our computers, and then also purchasing Chromebooks for all the students,” Boston-Ellis said. “But when these dollars go away, we will have to find funds in the general fund to replace those dollars unless we’re able to find another funding source.”

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All information relevant to the tentative budget and millage rates can be found on BoardDocs. Further explanation on the budget and funding can be found at https://www.marionschools.net/finance.

OCALA EVENT COMMEMORATES NATIONAL STOP ON RED WEEK

Last year’s Always. Stop. On. Red. signs. FDOT will be using the same signs again this year to help promote the safety message.

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

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ince 2018, 910 drivers have run red lights and caused crashes reported in Marion County. Of those crashes, 63 resulted in a death or severe injury.

That’s more than one death a month for the past four years.

Residents are invited to join local officials for a Stop on Red event on Saturday, Aug. 11, to help raise awareness about the dangers of redlight running.

The event will run from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Silver Springs Boulevard (State Road 40) and Pine Avenue (U.S. 441). Officers from Marion County

Sheriff ’s Office and Ocala Police Department will be on hand to provide information and support.

The Ocala Marion Transportation Planning Organization and the Florida Department of Transportation have partnered with the National Coalition for Safer Roads to support National Stop on Red Week in August to host the public event.

“Red light running is dangerous and can be fatal,” said Loreen Bobo, P.E. Safety Administrator Office of Safety Florida Department of Transportation – District 5.

“The Florida Department of Transportation encourages everyone to help save lives and protect those around you by following the rules of the road and always stop on red.”

As part of the campaign, volunteers will post yard signs on each intersection approach displaying “Always. Stop. On. Red” to raise awareness of oneself ’s safety and of others and the likelihood of passing traffic and pedestrians.

“We’ll have safety tip cards and items to provide to people who want more information,” said MPO representative Shakayla Irby.

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AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Fire Union endorses Sams over Zalak Continued from page A1 captains and the other group consisted of 16 captains who still were employed by Marion County.

Transcripts of closed-door meetings between attorneys for the county, county commissioners and County Administrator Mounir Bouyounes became open to the public after the cases were settled in May 2021.

Besides discussions of legal strategies and costs, there was at least one instance in which Zalak told the group the fire captains “are going to go through hell’’ because they sued the county, only to be cautioned by County Attorney Matthew Guy Minter against retaliating against the first responders.

Garcia said the captains filed the suits because it was the only way to clear up the wage dispute.

But what the union learned about Zalak through that process left the members feeling bitter.

“We could never support a commissioner who would consider retaliating against any county employee,” he said.

Minter, the commissioners and Benton N. Wood of Fisher & Phillips, an Orlando firm hired to advise the county, met at least four times to discuss the litigation in addition to oneon-one conferences between commissioners and their lawyers.

In the minutes from meetings on April 13, 28 and May 26, 2020, all limited specifically to the lawsuit brought by the group of 16 captains who were still employed, the attorneys gave their best guess on the likelihood of the commissioners prevailing in the litigation.

On April 13, Wood presented a settlement offer.

“The current proposal on the table, which is as low as it will get, is to settle for a total of $537,057,’’ Wood said, noting that at that point, the captains’ attorneys’ fees were about $74,000.

During the April 28 meeting,

Minter estimated the county commission’s attorney’s fees were about $40,000.

More importantly, he also told the commissioners the attorney for the group of working captains had warned the county against taking any retaliatory actions against them. Zalak, the meeting transcript shows, was not inclined to follow that advice.

“We can make these captains – I mean, listen, at the end of the day, these captains are going to go through hell because of their decision to sue us,” he said.

“It’s going to get very hard for them. We could make it very hard for them.”

Minter cautioned Zalak, “You need to be careful what you’re saying there.”

In his response to the Gazette, Zalak said he was referring to the fire captains having to testify as part of the litigation, where he predicted they would lie under oath.

“I was referencing them having to take the stand and perjure themselves as to their managerial duties,’’ he said. “If people are going to lie about their duties, then I think we should make it very hard on them to tell those lies in court.’’

The group discussed the factors that would be considered as to whether the captains were managers, who created policy, or supervisors, who carried out policies and orders that were made at a higher level.

Commissioner Michelle Stone argued district captains should not be categorized as first responders because of the supervisory role outlined in their job description. Commissioner Jeff Gold pointed out that the captains in fact do respond to scenes, noting an instance in which one of the captains in the suit had been electrocuted, doing a “360 [degree spin] of a scene.”

The attorneys advised the commissioners that the board had at a 50/50 chance of winning

the suits, but there was always risk. The commissioners told them to move forward with defending the two suits.

Almost a year later, on March 11, 2021, at what would be the final meeting on the case, the attorneys for the county recapped testimony to the commissioners that supported the captains’ claims that they were not managers.

For example, the districtwide captains did not perform evaluations of those in lower rank, which Wood said came as a surprise to Fire Chief James Banta. The captains testified that they did not hire, fire, or discipline employees.

Instead, Wood characterized the captains’ testimony as “we sleep in the stations, we go on calls. We are not typically the first on scene. The first unit on scene establishes command of that fire scene. And it’s typical for us, when we do arrive, to not tamper in any way with the command of that scene, unless there’s something problematic at that scene. And so, it’s not unusual for us to put on our bunker gear, go into fighting fires, and performing rescues, when necessary.”

Over the year of litigation, a reorganization of the fire department had taken place, something that Garcia confirmed had been in the works before the lawsuits were filed.

Wood, referring to the group of working captains, told the commissioners, “As a result of recent reorganization, some of the Garcia plaintiffs are now station fire captains and some of them have been promoted to battalion chief positions.”

One of the big differences between the two groups of litigants was the potential for damages. The retired fire captains, for instance, were no longer accruing overtime pay that the county would have to fund should the court rule in their favor. However, the group

of working captains represented additional financial risks to the county should the court rule for them. By the time the commissioners met in March 2021, the potential back pay for the captains had continued to accrue, and the settlement offer had jumped almost $250,000 – from $537,057 to $784,000.

The county’s attorneys’ fees were accruing, too. Minter told the commissioners at the last shade meeting, “We’re over $230,000 on our side in attorney fees at this point.”

Zalak throughout the minutes suggested the captains were attempting a money grab with the suit. “They want their million bucks and the right to come back and sue us again,” he said at one point.

Zalak said the captains were paid enough, adding that if the attorneys could present evidence of how much the firefighters make in “side jobs” and in their pensions during trial, the jury would find that the captains are compensated fairly.

Wood agreed with Zalak.

“You’ve got fire captains who are claiming that they’re being mistreated and underpaid, but

Photo taken by Marion County Public Relations team of Commissioner Carl Zalak giving the State of the Union address.

Another PAC attack mailer hits mailboxes

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

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ocal voters are receiving a direct mail piece from a political action committee aimed at county commission candidate Rachel Sams.

Sams is running in the Aug. 23 Republican primary for the District 4 county commission seat against incumbent Carl Zalak and Keith Poole. There are also two write-in candidates in this race.

The mailer indicates it was paid for by a PAC named Committee to Protect Florida. According to state records, the chairperson for the PAC is Mark Zubaly, who is also a political consultant with Direct Mail Systems, Inc. Financial contributions to the PAC have no obvious Ocala/Marion County connection. However, Zalak, has reported $60,877 in expenditures to Direct Mail Systems primarily for mailers.

The Gazette asked Zalak if he was connected to Direct Mail Systems and the mailer. Zalak did not respond to the inquiry by the time this article was published.

Poole denied knowing anything about the source of the mailers.

The mailer says Sams, a former Ocala Police Department officer, brought a frivolous lawsuit against the City of Ocala along with several other police officers. It says without evidence that the officers “had a party’’ when the cases were resolved in their favor.

Sams, then known as Rachel Mangum, filed a grievance with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleging sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation by thenPolice Chief Greg Graham arising from a trip to Washington D.C. on May 14, 2016. Mangum and the other female officers said Graham made inappropriate comments to them on other occasions as well.

The EEOC found cause to uphold Mangum’s claims of retaliation. She settled with the city for $75,000 rather than pursue further damages in court. The city settled all of the officers’ claims in September 2019.

The campaign mailer includes a photo of Sams,

her then-boyfriend and now husband Matt Sams, who was an OPD officer at the time. The pair were posing with Casey Walsh, then an OPD officer, and Walsh’s fiancé. Sams and Walsh were on a task force that had arrested Merv Cotton on charges related to drug possession and gang violence.

All four are seen posing with bottles of vodka and cash.

Rachel Sams said the photo was taken to poke fun of Cotton, who was notorious for posting photos of himself on social media with fellow gang members, cash and vodka. The four were on a trip to Tallahassee and sent the photo back to some OPD officers as a joke.

This took place before the Washington D.C. trip in May of 2016.

Walsh posted the old photo to social media when the city settled the officers’ claims, but then took the photo down.

Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn, who was a strong supporter of Graham and who disagreed with the city’s settlement with the officers, has also been circulating the old photo on social media, implying that the photo depicts Sams celebrating her legal victory against the city. _________________________ Please send any tips on who might be initiating the PAC activity to tips@ocalagazette.com.

PAC Alert

the fact of the matter is that there was a professional decision that they made to transition into management, and there are some perks that come with management,’’ he said.

“When you work on shift, try to take these people that work on shift, and say: ‘No, we’ re going to put you on a 40-hour work week.’

They don’t like that too much because they have side businesses and side jobs that, you know, it’s in their worst overall interest to do that. So, I mean, there are perks that come with being salaried personnel on shiftwork.

And so, what they’re doing here is certainly trying to have their cake and eat it, too,” he said.

Wood then explained the flip side of that argument.

“They can point to some examples of firefighters or fire lieutenants, because of the overtime hours that they work and get paid for, that, when you look at their gross pay at the end of the year, actually make more money than the fire captains,” he said.

The county settled both lawsuits, paying the captains back pay as well as their attorneys’ fees and costs in May of 2021.

APPLETON MUSEUM OF ART ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR AUGUST’S FIRST SATURDAY FUN

By Ocala Gazette Staff

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he Appleton Museum of Art is offering free admission to the public all day on Aug. 6.

“The Appleton’s Free First Saturday tradition centers on welcoming all our community members,” said Jason Steuber, museum director.

“It allows everyone opportunities to be inspired by selections from the museum’s 24,000 world-class artworks.”

Attendees can enjoy the museum’s permanent collection or special festivities the museum has planned.

From 10:30 a.m.12:30 p.m., you can take a photo with Princess Belle from Once Upon a Party.

Costumes are encouraged and there is no fee to pose with Belle. This photo op is inspired by the “Finding Beauty” exhibition, on view in the second-floor galleries through Jan. 15.

“Finding Beauty” merged costumes, drawings and more from Ocala Civic Theatre’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” with the objects from the Appleton

collection that inspired them.

At 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., free tours of the “Invented Observations” exhibition with renowned photographer Steven Benson are offered. On view in the Balcony Gallery for Florida Artists through Nov. 6, “Invented Observations” features 35 black-and-white photographs taken from 1970-2005. Benson is a professor of photography and video at the Daytona State College School of Photography and Media Studies. He has been an educator, fine art and commercial freelance photographer for more than 25 years.

Big Lee’s BBQ food truck will also be on-site from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. The Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit AppletonMuseum.org.

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AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Elections Q & A with the candidates Editor’s Note: Leading up to the 2022 primary and general elections, we’ll be asking candidates to weigh in regularly on a question related to the office they seek. The

candidates are given almost a week to respond to the questions in writing. We ask that the candidates keep their answers under 250 words, and we do not edit them at all.

School board candidates Should city and county officials factor in school capacity when making development decisions?

What funding mechanisms should the school district explore to raise money for either building new schools or expanding schools in order to meet anticipated demand?

District 2

Lori Conrad I do believe it is important that city and county officials factor in school capacity when they are making decisions about growth in Marion County but we must proceed in the appropriate way.

The state statue allows for the city and the county to enter into an interlocal agreement with the district. This agreement allows us to contemplate how and under what criteria development would proceed in making decisions concerning schools capacity. This is a fair and appropriate way for all parties to provide input and be involved. This in and of itself does not relieve the district of its responsibility for planning and budgeting for future growth here in Marion County.

I think the board has a duty to look at all funding possibilities and these decisions should be made in conjunction with community input, as well as the involvement of city and county officials.

Our united goal, as a community, is to continue making Marion County a wonderful place to live and raise a family.

A major component of successful growth lies in our ability to effectively educate our children.

Joseph Suranni Schools should definitely be considered when making development decisions.

There are several factors that should be

considered.

First, can the school where the development is located accommodate the increase in population?

Second, if that school can not accommodate, is there a school nearby that would be able to support this need? Third, if neither of these is answered with ye, what next steps can we take to avoid overcrowding for long periods of time?

Fourth, if we need a new school where will it be located and how will we pay for it? In addition, how will we staff this new school. These are the forwardlooking planning conversations we should be having as a school board and in conjunction with our municipal leaders (county commissioners, city council members).

For years the school board has not a stake in funding new schools. We have lost 200 million dollars since the impact fees for building new schools were reappropriated. It is time for us to engage in conversation to reclaim our seat at that table so that new schools can be funded.

With the thousands of homes that have been built in Marion County in the last 12 months, we have really missed out on revenue that is desperately needed to alleviate overcrowding in some locations.

District 3

Steven Swett and Eric Cummings, who are running for district 3 did not answer this question.

District 5

Dr. Sarah James For almost a decade, the Marion County School Board has operated in a silo with little to no communication with the local city and county government entities. Within the last month, the interlocal agreement has been revisited and will hopefully be re enacted in the coming months. This interlocal agreement allows the city, county, and School Board to all come together for the purposes of development and school planning.

I believe that if the School Board can develop relationships with the county, city, and private developers, they will be able to properly plan and forecast where the growth is occurring throughout Marion County, not just now, but also in the future.

To directly address the question, I believe the city and county should not use school capacity as a determining factor when making development decisions. I believe, wholeheartedly, that the capacity “issues” are that of the School Board and should be addressed by the School Board.

If the School Board develops a relationship with the city and county officials, they will be in step with the development decisions, can use foreshadowing to plan for growth, and appropriately develop their own school campuses to address overcrowding that currently exists and that which may come in the future due to development.

I believe that there are a variety of both short and long term solutions to raise funds for future development projects

File photo: School crossing guard William Vernon on the last day of school at Eighth Street Elementary School in Ocala on Thursday, May 26, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

within Marion County Public Schools. One option would be for the School Board to request a nominal impact fee be brought back to aid in the development of new schools and/or the expansion of current school sites. This impact fee would have 0 financial impact on individuals currently living in Marion County. The financial responsibility of this impact fee would lie in the lap of those who are developing and building in Marion County in the future.

While I would agree that we are a little late in asking for this impact fee, I would offer the idea that “better late than never” exists. Due to the lack of communication with other government entities over the last decade, the School Board missed out on many developments that would have provided millions in impact fees to date.

However, as I speak with the private sector and city and county officials, I have learned that there is still a significant amount of growth planned for the next 10+ years in Marion County. We must implement some form of revenue generation mechanism if we are to provide quality education to those moving into our hometown and into these new developments.

It is imperative that if and when we receive these funds, we must spend time focusing on where the growth is specifically occurring and plan our school development projects appropriately so that they address not only current over capacity needs but also the needs in school areas with projected growth projects currently in the planning stages. We must be responsible and continue to manage a STUDENT FIRST budget.

Taylor Smith, who is running for district 3 did not answer this question.

School preparation programs give kindergarten students extra help

By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com

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s the beginning of the school year approaches, it can be an intimidating time for young students who are leaving home and going to school for the very first time.

Marion County Public Schools’ Kindergarten Kickstart and Stagger Start programs aim to alleviate those fears by not only getting kindergarten students into the classroom early but by also phasing students’ entry into school—and positive results are already showing.

“We’ve heard some really positive feedback from teachers,” said Ann Hembrook, area superintendent of elementary education. “We actually had a young kindergarten student who even presented the Pledge of Allegiance at our most recent school board meeting.”

The returning Kindergarten Stagger Start program will take place on Aug. 10-12 during the first three days of school, when each kindergarten classroom will be split up into thirds. One third of the class

will come in each day, which allows for the classrooms to have a lower student-toteacher ratio during the first few days of the school year. The program is voluntary and available at all elementary schools across the district, Hembrook said.

“The teacher gets to know the students on a more personal level, so that she or he can plan and anticipate what their needs might be for the next week and for the remainder of the school year,” Hembrook said. “When it comes time to leave their mom and dad all day long, [students] are

more comfortable because they know who their teacher is, and they’ve already spent a day with that person.”

Activities planned for the students on these first few days of school include practicing lining up and learning where they will sit in the classroom, where to put their backpacks and supplies, walking to the cafeteria and becoming more familiar with the school buildings, she said.

Stagger Start is not the only effort taken to give local elementary students the extra boost they need. The new

“Coming into school is hard as a 5-year-old in a large building with lots of different hallways that might look similar with a lot of students. By bringing them in early they get a little bit more comfortable with their surroundings.”

Ann Hembrook

Area superintendent of elementary education

Kindergarten Kickstart program took place on July 11-14 and for the first time brought students into classrooms before the school year even began.

“Coming into school is hard as a 5-yearold in a large building with lots of different hallways that might look similar with a lot of students,” Hembrook said. “By bringing them in early they get a little bit more comfortable with their surroundings. They start to explore the classroom.”

Participation in the program exceeded expectations when 264 kindergarten students came to meet their teachers and fellow classmates, according to MCPS. Before the beginning of the school year, the district also encouraged parents to prepare their children for kindergarten by reading together and reviewing numbers, letters, shapes and colors.

“The opportunity provided bonding time between teachers and students and afforded social time for students to learn and play together,” according to MCPS. “It made a new school environment a little less intimidating before school officially starts.”

A5

AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Back to school and ready One massive community effort has resulted in thousands of backpacks supplied countywide.

Left to right: Sara Russell, Ashley Wheeler-Gerds and Lauren Debick [Supplied]

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

F

or many, a recent Florida sales tax holiday for back-to-school shopping provided just a drop in the bucket of mounting debts and expenses.

Parents are struggling to prepare children for their return to classes later this month as supply chain issues remain and some opportunistic retailers ratchet up prices. Last year, American household debt hit a record $14.6 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve.

Locally, Marion County Public Schools partnered with the Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County and AdventHealth Ocala last Saturday to give out study and hygiene materials for kids at the Back-to-School event. The hospital’s auxiliary building served as the central hub for the countywide event.

In the lead-up to the July 30 event, the Community Foundation placed 30 boxes throughout the community. These were filled to the brim with donations, and other organizations helped multiply the project’s efforts.

But that project was just one of many spokes in the cooperative wheel.

Ashley Wheeler-Gerds, director of strategic engagement at the Community Foundation, started one version of the Back-toSchool project when she was employed by the Paddock Mall.

“I noticed that there was a huge need in the community while working with the Public Education Foundation with Marion County Public Schools,” she explained.

After leaving the mall a year ago, Wheeler-Gerds decided that she wanted the program to stay alive and she once again enlisted her friends in the

construction fields and various nonprofit groups, who played major roles in this year’s campaign.

“When I started my job with the Community Foundation, I was happy to that they agreed to support this effort,” she said.

“Skanska sponsored all 6,000 of our backpacks with the Bullard Family Foundation, and we were part of a much larger event in the Tampa market. We all came together on July 16 to stuff 30,000 backpacks in the Amalie Arena. And 6,000 of those backpacks came here to Marion County.”

Wheeler-Gerds spearheaded the Ocala giveaway with Lauren Debick, Marion County Public Schools’ executive director of communications and community engagement, and Sara Russell, director of marketing at AdventHealth.

Their joint effort, with the help of numerous corporate and nonprofit partners, culminated in the disbursement of thousands of backpacks filled with supplies, provided for students and families across Marion County.

On July 30, volunteers gave out 2,600 backpacks at AdventHealth, and the rest were delivered to sites across the county. Even more will be made available through nonprofits such as the Boys and Girls Clubs and Project Hope.

The Ocala Police Department will host an event in the Berkeley neighborhood this weekend, which will provide 30 backpacks.

“The Community Foundation really did a great job with the vendors and getting a lot of help out in all the locations,” said Debick of Marion County Public Schools.

The Florida National Guard, which sponsored two of the event’s locations,

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Christian fellowship groups and other religious groups.”

At the AdventHealth hub, Heart of Florida Health Center provided an onsite clinic with free health screenings and vaccines.

“We have thousands and thousands of school supplies that are being split among 25 nonprofits to go out into the community with the help of the Ocala Police Department, the Humane Society’s Bark Bus and other nonprofits or organizations that help families in their time of need,” Wheeler-Gerds added.

According to Debick, the schools received all of the allotted parentregistration forms days before the July 30 event.

“We are just so thankful to our community and for giving to our students who have what they need to prepare for the first day of school so they can be successful,” Debick said.

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helped with delivering supplies. “They spent an entire day traveling around with us to deliver 6,000 backpacks around Marion County,” Wheeler-Gerds said.

The event’s satellite distribution sites included Belleview High School, Dunnellon Middle School, Ft. McCoy Middle School, Lake Weir High School, Liberty Middle School and North Marion High School.

“Folks from Dunnellon or Fort McCoy didn’t have to drive all the way into downtown Ocala to pick up pencils, pens and paper that they need for the first day of school,” Debick said. “We had over 200 volunteers who helped out across all of the different sites.”

Children and families in attendance at the AdventHealth site received haircuts from Southern Scissor Works in Paddock Mall plus fingerprinting and ID cards.

Bicycle helmet fittings were provided

by Marion County Fire Rescue and the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office provided bike lights.

“We included specific supplies such as wide crayons for the Transition Life Center for special-needs children,” Wheeler-Gerds said. “We even packed bags for small homeschool programs,

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A6

AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Questionable campaign activity by Zalak

Screenshot of video

Also, why are the commissioners commandeering the crime prevention fund without the expertise to make those decisions?

By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com

I

n a new public service video being shared to Marion County government’s 63,000 Facebook followers, County Commissioner Carl Zalak is seen standing alongside Sheriff Billy Woods talking about ways to keep kids safe from online predators.

While no one would doubt the importance of the message, the timing of the ads--and their political implications during an election year--are questionable.

For starters, why is Zalak, an incumbent seeking re-election in the District 4 Republican primary on Aug. 23, getting such free, valuable face time in a video message that seems to imply a tacit endorsement from Marion County’s top law enforcement officer? The sheriff ’s office, sensitive to the implications, said it will not be sharing the video for the time being to its 172,000 Facebook followers.

Public records indicate the video was produced outside the county’s normal media planning.

In an emailed statement, Stacie Causey, spokesperson for Marion County, explained how the video came about.

“The need for this topic, protecting our community’s children while they’re online, was brought to the chairman and the sheriff by the faith-based community. As protecting our children is a top priority to our organizations, the chairman and sheriff met a nonprofit group referred by the faith-based community, Protect Our Children Project. This nonprofit group referenced Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd’s message from 2020 as one of their examples for how constitutional officers could increase awareness of this rapidly evolving danger to our community’s children.

“The chairman (Zalak) relayed the sheriff ’s intention to join him (the chairman) in a video PSA that would be released before the start of the school year to (Marion County) Public Relations Director Bobbi Perez.’’

The sheriff ’s office confirmed that the meeting with the

nonprofit group, Zalak and members of county’s public information office who accompanied him, took place about a month ago and provided this explanation.

“The Board of County Commissioners recently requested to have the sheriff appear on a video about child safety. This video was produced by the County PIO and not the MCSO. The question was asked if this was considered an endorsement of a commissioner’s re-election campaign. While we do feature Sheriff Woods on his own social media in segments such as Wanted by Woods Wednesdays and other crime prevention topics, the video in question is not intended to be an endorsement of a campaign and, Sheriff Woods’ intention is only to promote a crime prevention message.”

Causey said county staff determines who will be in the videos based on the messages and the availability of the presenters.

“We incorporate the sheriff, commissioners, staff, and local actors,’’ she said. “For example, many of last year’s Litter Task Force PSAs were also part of the crime prevention campaign and involved the task force’s liaison, Commissioner (Craig) Curry.

Lt. Paul Bloom, public relations director for the sheriff ’s office, gave another reason why the agency avoids using elected officials in its PSAs: It gives the videos an expiration date, meaning when the officials no longer are in office. “We have [PSA] videos produced three years ago that are still relevant and usable today. Had we used elected officials in them, that wouldn’t be the case,” he said.

The county receives money for crime prevention efforts each year through a special fund, explained Causey.

“Each year, our team works with the sheriff office’s communications team to

create crime prevention public education campaigns per Florida Statute 775.083(2),” she said. The statute establishes a fine for those convicted of crimes to be used “in consultation with the sheriff, (and) must expend such funds for crime prevention programs in the county.”

Causey said county staff produced the video and money from the crime prevention fund was not used to produce the video or boost views of it.

When it comes to how this fund should be utilized, public records show the county and sheriff office have at times differed these efforts.

In a July 13 email, Woods expressed concerns about the qualifications of those at the county who seem to be the sole deciders about how money collected in the special fund for crime prevention is allocated.

“I understand that this was an issue with a previous administration,’’ he wrote. “I do not believe or think/support that a non-law enforcement entity should have any vote, say, input or direction as to the spending of any crime prevention funding.”

The “issue with a previous administration” referred to former Marion County Sheriff Chris Blair who used money from the crime prevention fund to publish his photo across various media, which drew criticism from the commissioners and the public.

“Simply put, it is not their expertise or job,’’ Woods wrote.

“I personally (would) rather keep my hands off of your decisions on the spending, but I will work with the commissioners on occasion to help get certain messages out on media platforms or have my staff provide input because they are the experts.’’

The sheriff ’s office has proposed funding an officer who would be dedicated to crime prevention programing, along with assets for crime prevention

to be utilized at public crime prevention education events.

Woods noted that he recently was asked about his spending decisions, and it was implied that he should have used some of the funds instead to pay for an additional deputy.

“When my staff presented to the board a couple years back to use the crime prevention funding to add a deputy crime prevention position--by law it can be done-it was a no. This position would not have come out of my (special taxing unit) or the general fund.

Now, that would have given me not just another deputy but a position that would be actually doing proactive stuff to prevent crime in this county. I am not upset or mad, I am just letting you know where I stand,” wrote Woods.

The sheriff ’s proposal for crime prevention did not include media buys or video productions.

However, half of the annual $277,127 crime prevention budget approved by the commission is for media buys to promote public safety messages chosen by the commissioners and county staff.

The county indicated that Zalak has been the county commission liaison for this fund since about 2015.

Referencing Fla. Stat 106.15(3), Candidate & Campaign Treasurer Handbook states gives the following prohibition: “A candidate may not, in the furtherance of their candidacy for nomination or election to public office in any election, use the services of any state, county, municipal, or district officer or employee of the state during working hours.” ______________ Editor’s note: If you notice any questionable campaign messaging from candidates or third parties, please forward it to us at tips@ ocalagazette.com.

VISIT US ONLINE FOR DAILY NEWS 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.

OCALAGAZETTE.COM

A7

AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

State Lottery sales beat expectations but start to slow

File photo

Holger Ciupalo, policy coordinator for the governor’s Office of Policy and Budget, argued at the July 27 meeting that the state’s growing population should counter economic “headwinds.”

“We have never seen growth rates that are remotely near population growth, it’s always been happening mid-single digits or higher,” Ciupalo said.

Amy Baker, coordinator of the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research, said the forecast considered how the lottery was affected by the major recession in 2008, which Ciupalo said was a bigger “shock” to the economy than current financial problems.

“If you look at our old forecasts, and look at where we’ve been over on our forecast for the whole year, you could kind of see we were starting to, you know, not die, but certainly slow down some,” Baker said.

The lottery has seen an increase in play since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Sales for the past fiscal year will result in the lottery for a second consecutive year distributing more than $2 billion to the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, according to the conference report.

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F

lorida Lottery ticket sales were $370.3 million higher than expected during the recently completed fiscal year, even with a slowdown in play during the second half of the year, according to state economists.

The lottery had a record $9.32 billion in sales in the year that ended June 30.

But play should slacken over the next few years because of a “softening economy and pressures on disposable personal income,” according to a report released Tuesday by the state Revenue Estimating Conference.

Play is expected to decrease in the current fiscal year for all but two games. The forecast for one of those games, Mega Millions, was bolstered by people lining up to buy tickets to try to win a massive jackpot last week.

A ticket sold in Illinois won the $1.3 billion jackpot Friday, with Florida tickets worth at least $1 million sold in Jensen Beach, Sebring, DeFuniak Springs, Kissimmee and Palm Harbor.

The other game expected to see an increase this fiscal year is the lottery’s newest game, Cash Pop. “Because it only existed

for a partial year in FY 202122, operation over a full year produces strong positive growth rates,” the report said.

Justin Rock, the lottery’s deputy secretary of product and sales, has attributed a big part of the sales increase in 20212022 to a $50 scratch-off game introduced in February.

But he said an overall slowing of sales in recent months was felt nationwide.

“Last fiscal year, there were nine other states that saw growth between July (2021) and January. And then there was an abrupt fall-off year over year for every state,” Rock told the economists, who serve as the Revenue Estimating Conference, during a July 27 meeting. “That week after Christmas is really when everybody started to note it as did we.”

The report forecast lottery sales will drop 1 percent in the current fiscal year from the 2021-2022 total, with growth at 0.2 percent in fiscal year 2023-2024 and about 1 percent annually through fiscal year 2027-2028.

Economists had forecast 2021-2022 sales at about $8.95 billion before the lottery ended the year with the ending the year with about $9.32 billion in sales. That was 2.76 percent higher than the $9.07 billion in sales in the prior fiscal year.

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A8

AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

FLORIDA NEWS SERVICE STATE BRIEFS

STATE OFFICIALS: MONKEYPOX POSES LITTLE THREAT

G

ov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday waved off the idea of declaring a state of emergency in response to a nationwide outbreak of the monkeypox virus. Data from the Florida Department of Health shows that 525 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the state as of Tuesday, with the highest concentration in South Florida.

DeSantis on Wednesday criticized states such as California, New York and Illinois, which are led by Democratic governors, for issuing emergency declarations amid climbing cases of the virus.

“You see some of these states declaring states of emergency, they’re going to abuse those emergency powers to restrict your freedom. I guarantee you that’s what will happen. We saw it so much with COVID,” DeSantis said during a press event in Brevard County.

Monkeypox can cause flu-like symptoms and progress to a rash

on the face and body, according to the state Department of Health. As of Tuesday, 237 cases have been logged in Broward County and 135 cases in Miami-Dade County. State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, appointed by DeSantis last year to spearhead the state’s response to the coronavirus, said Wednesday that none of the recorded monkeypox cases in Florida have resulted in death.

“We have about 500 known cases, but only heaven knows how many actual cases there have been. Out of those cases, probably somewhere around 98 percent, maybe 99 percent are in men. Just a handful of cases in women. Almost all of those cases have been transmitted by physical contact, basically sexual contact,” he said.

Ladapo added that the state has received about 24,000 doses of vaccines for monkeypox and has distributed roughly 8,500 of those doses.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD SITS OUT CRIST-FRIED RACE

T

he Florida Planned Parenthood PAC said Tuesday it will remain neutral in the Democratic gubernatorial primary between Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried, as abortion has become a top issue in this year’s elections. In a brief news release, the PAC did not explain its decision.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s

decision in June to overturn the Roe v. Wade abortion-rights ruling has intensified the focus on abortion in campaigns across the country.

Fried has touted her support for abortion rights and criticized Crist, citing his previous stint as governor when he was a Republican. But Crist has said he supports abortion rights.

SENATOR PROPOSES PAYING $1.75 MILLION IN WOMAN’S DEATH

A

Senate Democrat has filed a proposal that would require the state to pay $1.75 million to the estate of a woman who was critically injured and later died after a Florida Highway Patrol officer used a stun gun on her.

Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, filed the “claim” bill (SB 18) on Monday for consideration during the 2023 legislative session.

The bill stems from the 2011 arrest of Danielle Maudsley, 20, on traffic charges. Maudsley was taken to a Florida Highway Patrol substation in Pinellas Park for processing. While handcuffed, Maudsley tried to flee by running out a side door.

A trooper followed and fired his stun gun into her back, causing the woman to fall to the pavement, the bill said. Maudsley suffered a traumatic brain injury and remained in a vegetative state until she died in September 2013, according to the bill.

A $1.95 million settlement was reached in 2015, but sovereign-immunity laws prevented the state from paying more than $200,000 without legislative passage of a claim bill.

Jones’ bill would direct payment of the remaining $1.75 million.

Attempts to pass similar bills for the Maudsley estate have failed in past sessions.

COURT UPHOLDS CONFEDERATE MONUMENT REMOVAL

A

state appeals court Wednesday upheld a decision by the rural North Florida town of Madison to remove a Confederate monument from a park.

A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal rejected a series of arguments challenging the removal of the monument, which was erected in 1909 to honor Confederate soldiers.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit included eight people whose ancestors were commemorated on a plaque on the monument, according to the ruling.

Other plaintiffs were the

Florida Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and Save Southern Heritage, Inc.Florida Chapter.

Wednesday’s 12-page decision upheld a ruling by a Madison County circuit judge.

The plaintiffs argued, in part, that removing the monument would violate rights of free speech and free expression of religion. But appealscourt Judge Scott Makar, in a decision joined by Judges Ross Bilbrey and Susan Kelsey, said the circuit judge properly dismissed the argument.

“The asserted interest at stake in this case is the plaintiffs’ claim that their free

speech and religious freedom rights will be violated postremoval; but, in reality, nothing prevents them from gathering, speaking, and commemorating their ancestors at the park after the monument is gone,” Makar wrote.

“It is true that the plaintiffs will have displeasure and sadness because a governmentally controlled structure that they venerate will be gone; the legal question that courts have uniformly answered in the negative, however, is whether this type of psychological/emotional harm from removal or relocation of such monuments is actionable.”

TWO MORE PROPERTY INSURERS LOSE FINANCIAL RATINGS

T

he Demotech ratings agency has withdrawn the financial ratings of two more Florida property insurers, bringing the total number of withdrawals or downgrades to five this week.

Demotech on Tuesday withdrew the ratings of Bankers Specialty Insurance Co. and First Community Insurance Co., according to the Demotech website. The withdrawals were reported Wednesday morning by the Insurance Journal.

On Monday, Demotech withdrew ratings for Weston Property & Casualty Insurance Co. and FedNat Insurance Co. and downgraded United Property & Casualty Insurance Co. The Demotech decisions

reflected widespread financial problems in Florida’s propertyinsurance market.

Financial ratings are important, in part, because mortgage-industry giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require homes to be insured by financially sound companies. For insurers rated

by Demotech, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require “A” ratings or better.

If insurers do not meet those standards, homeowners could be forced to find other coverage. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced a program last week that seeks to allow homeowners to maintain coverage if insurers get downgraded by Demotech.

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That program involves the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. acting as a financial backstop. Citizens is taking on a reinsurance role to help make sure claims get paid if private insurers go insolvent.

United Property & Casualty on Tuesday became the first insurer to participate in the program after its downgrade.

It was not immediately clear Wednesday whether the four companies that lost their ratings would participate in the program.

Bankers Specialty Insurance Co. and First Community Insurance Co. are part of the St. Petersburg-based Bankers Insurance Group.

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A9

AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

State Targets Opioid Addiction Marion County will be among the first counties to receive program access.

File photo

By Ryan Dailey Florida News Service

A

s Florida grapples with nearly 2,000 overdose deaths so far this year, state leaders on Wednesday announced a “massive” effort to address opioid addiction in counties that need it most.

The initiative, which includes Florida’s first statewide director of opioid recovery, is based on a pilot treatment program in Palm Beach County that state health officials touted as a success.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the program’s rollout in Brevard County, which last year saw a 72 percent increase in overdose deaths related to the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl.

The Coordinated Opioid Recovery, or CORE, Network soon will be launched in Brevard and six other counties in the first phase of the program’s expansion, according to a press release issued by DeSantis’ office Wednesday.

Clay, Escambia, Gulf, Marion, Pasco and Volusia counties also will be in the first group of counties to receive what the the governor described as a network of addiction care.

“These are counties that have a demonstrated need for the services, they have existing programs that can serve as a foundation, they have strong interest from community partners and they are actively interested in supporting the network,” said DeSantis, who was joined by a host of other state and local officials at Wednesday’s event.

A second phase of the program will be launched in Citrus, Duval, Flagler, Manatee and Pinellas counties, officials said.

Public and private organizations will work together in the treatment networks, according to Kenneth Scheppke, a deputy secretary at the Florida Department of Health.

“Patients, they have a problem, they can call 911 whether they overdose and even if they don’t overdose. The emergency care providers will arrive, will have specialized protocols, will be careful to minimize the risk of putting patients into acute withdrawal,” Sheppke, who serves as deputy secretary of health, said.

From there, a patient would be brought to a specialty hospital where personnel have received “specialized training in addiction medicine,” then would be stabilized and treated for mental-health issues and co-existing medical conditions.

The final stage of the program, Scheppke said, is important to ensure that patients can break their cycle of addiction.

“Because this is a lifelong disease, they’ll be placed into a long-term care facility with all the multiple specialties that we need for this complex disease,” Scheppke added.

The state health department along with the state Department of Children and Families and Agency for Health Care Administration will work with local health-care partners that have signed up to participate in the program, according to DCF Secretary Shevaun Harris.

Courtney Phillips, a psychologist who is the director of behavioral health for the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, will serve in the newly created role of statewide director of opioid recovery.

Phillips said that understanding opioid addiction as a disease serves as a foundation for treating people with “reverence, compassion and competency deserved.”

“Practically, that means providing 24/7 access to care, having readily available, evidence-based treatment that includes offering medication-assisted therapies, psychosocial treatment, medical care, psychiatric care and social support,” Phillips said.

In her new role, Phillips will offer clinical consultations for people seeking treatment and recovery services, the governor’s office said.

The state has ratcheted up its battle against opioid addiction with a focus on fentanyl following a mass-overdose incident in Gadsden County last month that authorities said caused nine deaths.

Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young said emergency responders were called to 19 overdoses over a four-day span.

State law enforcement officials are increasing efforts to fight counterfeit drugs, which in some cases is attributed to fentanyl overdoses in unsuspecting users. Florida also will launch a statewide public advisory campaign about the dangers of fentanyl.

The Florida Association of Managing Entities, an organization representing service providers, praised the plan announced Wednesday.

“Governor DeSantis’ commitment to combating the state’s opioid crisis could not come at a better time as Floridians are dying from opioid overdoses at alarming rates. Fentanyl overdose was the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-45 in 2020, surpassing the number of deaths from COVID-19, motor vehicle accidents, cancer, or suicide,” the association said in a prepared statement.

DeSantis, whose wife Casey also has led efforts to fight opioid addiction in Florida, described individuals who are addicted to opioids as good people who simply need to get back on their feet.

“Some of these people that end up in addiction … maybe they made like one or two bad choices, but they’re not bad people. They get caught up and it becomes very difficult. And so that’s where we come in with this program, to be able to get them on a sustainable path forward,” DeSantis said.

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High Fuel Costs Continue to Hit Utilities

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

F

lorida residents and businesses likely will continue to feel the sting of high natural-gas prices when they pay electric bills next year.

Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy Florida and Tampa Electric Co. estimated in regulatory filings Wednesday that they will spend nearly $3.4 billion more on power-plant fuel this year than had been expected.

While it is too early to know exactly how that will affect customers, utilities generally are allowed to recoup their fuel costs. As a result, the companies likely will seek to collect the money on customers’ bills next year. — along with whatever the costs will be for fueling power plants in 2023.

Florida utilities are heavily dependent on natural gas and have grappled for months with high gas prices. FPL, for example, said in a document filed in April at the Florida Public Service Commission that natural-gas prices were significantly higher than expected.

“The natural gas market has not stabilized in the intervening three months,” FPL said in its filing Wednesday at the commission. “In fact, market conditions have grown even more volatile since then.”

Each year, electric utilities go before the commission with projections of what their fuel costs will be in the coming year. The commission then sets the amounts that utilities will be able to collect from customers over the coming year.

If, during the course of the year, costs are substantially higher than expected, utilities can seek what are known as “mid-course corrections” that

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allow them to increase the amounts that customers pay. FPL, Duke and Tampa Electric each received such a mid-course correction after the 2022 amounts were set.

But the filings Wednesday indicate the projections used in the mid-course corrections fell far short of actual costs.

FPL estimated it will have an “underrecovery” of $1,658,287,443 this year, while Duke projected its under-recovery at $1,308,956,670 and Tampa Electric came in at $411,964,625, according to the filings.

“The primary reason for the expected 2022 under-recovery is a substantial increase in the price of natural gas, compared to the company’s original 2022 mid-course projection,” W. Ashley Sizemore, a Tampa Electric official, said in written testimony that was part of the company’s Wednesday filing.

The utilities face a Sept. 2 deadline to file projected fuel costs for 2023.

The commission is scheduled to hold a hearing that will start Nov. 1 on the amount of costs that will be passed on to consumers next year.

FPL suggested in the filing Wednesday that its under-recovered 2022 costs should not be considered during the November hearing. It said it would like the commission to consider the costs near the end of 2022 or early in 2023, “based on an updated calculation.”

A report this month by the U.S. Energy Information Administration said natural-gas prices rose steadily from January through May, before declining in June. It pointed to a combination of reasons for price volatility, including “uncertainty in the global natural gas markets leading up to and following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, as well as from weather-related fluctuations in natural gas demand.”

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A10

AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

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AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

People, Places & Things Repurposing his life and the objects around him Artist David Kellner has begun his second act in life as an emerging artist and so far it’s going well.

By Julie Garisto julie@magnoliamediaco.com

Y

David Kellner - “Summer Breeze” is currently on display at NOMA Gallery (35.5”x12.5”x1.5”)

“My biggest excitement is taking found objects, trashed items, or just plain ideas I have and making them into something that people can love. It seems like I never catch up with my dreamed-up ideas or recreated ideas, which I fell keeps me going in this direction, toward what people call ‘an artist.’”

David Kellner

ou know the adage, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

Artist David Kellner lives by the philosophy. He drives by curbs in search of abandoned treasures and uses them to create art.

He also has a way with a welding torch.

Despite his knack for creating sculpture from junk, he doesn’t consider himself an artist yet. He modestly stipulated to us that he’s still learning.

“I have recently applied for the FAFO Emerging Artists Program and have been accepted, so this is a check off the bucket list,” Kellner shared.

The FAFO to which he refers is the Fine Arts For Ocala organization, which was started in 1966. FAFO hosts an annual fine arts festival and supports art education through scholarships and community programs.

For the past couple of years, Kellner, 48, has created mixed media sculptures that have appeared in local galleries. His works have already attracted the admiring gaze of Ocala art-scene luminaries.

Maggie Weakley, who is herself an artist and FAFO’s administrative coordinator, described his metal/acrylic pour sculpture “Summer Breeze,” currently on display at the NOMA Gallery in Ocala, as “pure happiness” in a Facebook post.

With “a bloodline that runs from New York to Florida,” the emerging artist said he is a native of the Sunshine State, born in Citrus County to a family based in Holder, “just a smidge west of Stumpknockers on the River.”

Kellner, who is a member of the Marion Cultural Alliance, spent most of his upbringing in Colorado.

“My family moved a lot, but my growing up years were mostly spent in Lafayette, Colorado. I attended high school and college in Colorado,” he said.

Kellner earned a business management degree from Regis University and an agricultural business degree at Northeastern University. Currently, he

“Finding Balance”

manages the TJ Maxx in Gainesville; that is, when he isn’t creating keepsakes with acrylics, metalwork and found objects.

“My family were builders,” he said, adding that they constructed homes in Beverly Hills and Quail Run before they retired.

That drummed-in work ethic and dexterity, coupled with inspiration from a family patriarch, inspired him artistically.

Kellner’s great-grandfather, John Epherin Jeanson, graduated from Cooper Union in New York and designed patches for NASA. He also painted a watercolor portrait of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, that, according to Kellner, hung in the White House.

“I could go on for days about him, and I feel blessed having such a family who has put a stamp on the community, which I strive to do myself through art and helping others,” Kellner offered.

Kellner’s works, so far, have been exhibited at NOMA Gallery and the MCA’s Brick City Center for the Arts.

They reflect geographical iconography and other personal elements.

In one metal sculpture, Kellner combines a horseshoe and magnolia with the Celtic cross he created for the exhibition, “Broken Flame: The Celts,” at NOMA earlier this year.

“I feel so honored to be a part of both MCA and NOMA. They have such talented artists to learn from and help me grow,” he said.

“There is so much talent around me, what makes me feel great is when my fellow artist friends love the work I do also. We learn from each other,” he added.

Kellner admits that he has no formal training with welding.

“Just a lot of on-hand learning through my years working on a farm,” he said.

He started his art “adventure” by way of a dare from a friend.

“She said that she would like a metal piece in an art show in Micanopy eight years ago. I said I could do that, but she didn’t think so. Ever since then I try my best to make my ideas come to life and try and accomplish whatever is a challenge or

just want to create,” he explained.

What excites Kellner when he creates?

“My biggest excitement is taking found objects, trashed items, or just plain ideas I have and making them into something that people can love,” he offered. “It seems like I never catch up with my dreamed-up ideas or re-created ideas, which I fell keeps me going in this direction, toward what people call ‘an artist.’”

“Drillily”

“The Polychromatic Steed”

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AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Catching the beat

I

Masatoshi Enomoto, left, and Margaret Dixon, right, lead a drumming camp for children during the Buckets and Boomwhackers drumming camp at the Reilly Arts Center in Ocala on Saturday, July 30, 2022.

nside the NOMA Black Box on Saturday, about 20 youngsters seated in a semicircle quickly learned that a couple of well-timed taps on a plastic bucket could translate into a cool sounding song.

The children, from grades 3-8, were having a blast at the Community Music Conservatory’s Bucket Drumming Day Camp at the Reilly Arts Center.

The course, called Buckets and Boomwhackers, is an introduction to basic rhythm and percussion. And when you mix a room full of enthusiastic kids with upside down buckets and drumsticks, and brightly colored plastic tubes of varying lengths, you can expect plenty of high-energy percussion.

The conservatory, which launched in the spring, features teaching studios, professional staff and faculty, and performance spaces that include the 700-seat mainstage auditorium and the NOMA Black Box. Programming includes group classes like the day camp and private instruction for students of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels.

Oliver Dib, 10, Jude Kielecki, 8, and George Grabelle, 7, left to right, practice drumming on their buckets.

To learn more, go to reillyartscenter.com

Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette

Jesse Bruzdzink, 12, center, puts her bucket on her head as she gets ready to practice drumming with Jackson Perry, 10, left, and Noel Avery, 8, right.

Campers practice drumming on their buckets.

Hello, Ocala!

Brian Blair by the statue of Needles at Market Street at Heath Brook in Ocala on July 29, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

Meet your neighbor: Brian Blair

By Eadie Sickler Correspondent

D

espite all the places in the world Brian Blair has been, “Ocala is the best. I will not leave here,” he said.

Blair has traveled extensively during his lifetime, internationally while serving in the U.S. Navy and in his professional career, as well as personally all over the United States. And his life has been as interesting as his travelog.

Born in New Jersey, the third of 10 children, he could not wait to leave home.

His mother died when he was 11 months old and his father, he said, became regimented and strict, although being a “born-again Christian.” Brian said he accepted Jesus as his savior at the age of 11 and that “things were fine for several years.” He hinted, however, that there were challenges within the family and so, as soon as he could, he joined the Navy so he could leave home, “and become my own man.”

“On the first day of boot camp, I realized I had jumped out of the frying pan into the fire,” Blair remembers. “It was more regimented and stricter in the Navy than it was at home.”

By his own admission, he began to live for the world and all its allures.

“My motto was the familiar, ‘Eat, sleep and be merry, for the present is ours and

who knows, on some nearby tomorrow we may die.’”

During his Navy career, Blair first was sent to Green Cove Springs in Florida then to Norfolk, Virginia, where he was stationed on the USS Diamondhead, an ammunition ship, which took him on Mediterranean cruises to Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Crete, Cypress, Lebanon and other locales. His Navy career ended in 1964.

Blair married and had three children: Dennis, who has five boys; Brian, who has one boy, three girls and a stepson; and Jessica, who has one daughter.

During the marriage, the family lived on an 18-acre working farm in upstate New York. They raised animals for meat and eggs for their own use and to sell, and grew and canned produce. The house was heated with wood he cut. In addition, he worked full-time as a pipefitter at a local hospital. After their home was destroyed

by fire, the family moved to Spring Hill, Florida, as he liked the area from his stint there in the Navy.

“I got sand in my shoes and couldn’t get it out,” he quipped, explaining the move to Florida.

Blair developed a career in hospital maintenance that took him into many different experiences and locales, including Tampa, then went to Florida State University in Tallahassee as a maintenance construction superintendent. While there, he was promoted to Engineer II and did construction inspection. He has worked for the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC) as a project manager for 12 prisons across the Panhandle, where, under his direction, five work camps were built as living spaces for the prisoners who worked for the FDOC outside the prison walls.

It was during the time he spent in Tallahassee that Blair and his wife were divorced.

On Valentine’s Day in 1982, a friend and his wife invited Blair to dinner to meet the woman’s sister, Deborah Lovett.

“It was love at first sight,” he said.

They were married the following September and quickly moved to Cairo, Georgia.

Deborah has one son, James Clayton.

While the family lived in Cairo, they started going to a Baptist church close to their home. The church held a revival and Clayton was saved, then so was his mother, the next day. Then Blair rededicated his life to the Lord and things have not been the same since, he said.

He is a chaplain and said he has been a member of the Gideons Bible Society for 30 years. The couple became active in church work together.

Around this time, Blair decided to start his own business in general contracting and engineering, working on various construction projects and building houses. He was responsible for building an 850-seat sanctuary for a church in Georgia.

“We love it here. We love to go to Rainbow Springs, where we go tubing, swimming and walking the trails.”

Brian Blair

“That was my one pro-bono job,” he said.

After 9/11, the business closed because of the economy but Blair remained in the construction and engineering business.

When Hurricane Katrina hit in New Orleans, he worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructing new levies by sector gates that let ships pass through.

During their time in New Orleans, the couple decided to buy a house.

“We really liked Lubbock, Texas,” Blair said. “It was a tough decision between Texas and Ocala.”

Deborah’s mom lived in Live Oak, in north central Florida, and the couple liked Ocala and decided to move here.

“We love it here. We love to go to Rainbow Springs, where we go tubing, swimming and walking the trails,” he said.

Since living in Florida, Blair was instrumental in the building of a very large Veterans Administration (VA) hospital in New Orleans. He was a quality control inspector and estimator and later became a United States licensed Value Management Association representative. He still is involved in that business, working on state and federal government projects, developing more efficient and cost-effective methods to accomplish the required function of a building.

Until last October, he worked fulltime. Now, at 79, he works part-time as a contingent employee doing value engineering work. He has been to Japan and South Korea doing building assessments at Army and Marine Corps base buildings, creating inventories the military uses for budgeting purposes.

He will be traveling to Kuwait this fall to perform a study for a government building on a new college campus.

Blair always seems to have a smile on his face. When asked about that, he quickly answered, “When you have Jesus in your heart, you can always have a smile on your face. Brian is not No. 1.

When you don’t think of yourself all the time and instead think of others, you can live in peace.”

Asked when he plans to retire, he quickly said with a smile, “When they throw dirt on my face. I love what I do.

Why would I quit?”

Deborah does not want to travel with him to foreign lands, he said, so, “When I leave, I give her a kiss and tell her, ‘I’ll see you when I get back, or I’ll see you in Glory.’”

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AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Floridians continue pulling plug on phone lines

By Jim Saunders Florida News Service

N

ot that long ago, millions of Florida homes and businesses had landline phones.

But a new state report details the continued disappearance of what was a staple of life and how demand and competition have “exploded” for wireless and internetbased technology that most Floridians now use to make calls.

“These other modes are simply different technological evolutions of telephone service, much as connecting a call through an operator was replaced by direct dialing many decades ago,” the report by the Florida Public Service Commission said. “The additional capabilities available with these technologies have led the vast majority of

residential consumers and businesses to make the transition to these modes.”

Consider: Florida hit a peak of about 12 million wirelines more than two decades ago. But the new report said that total was down to about 1.152 million in 2021, with only 428,431 residential wirelines.

In 2021, the number of residential residential wirelines dropped by 19.1 percent, while business wirelines declined 15.4 percent. That came after years of similar decreases.

As a comparison, Florida had 22.279 million wireless subscriptions as of the end of 2019, the latest figures available, according to the report. That equated to more than one wireless subscription for every Floridian at the time.

Also contributing to the shift away from landlines is what is known in the telecommunications world as voice over

internet protocol, or VoIP, which allows calls to be made using digital technology over the internet. Providers of the services can include, for example, cable companies.

The Public Service Commission is required each year to submit a report

by Aug. 1 to the Legislature about competition in the telecommunications industry. The new report concluded that wireless and internet-based services are meeting the needs of the state.

“Since reaching a peak in the year 2000, total traditional access lines have declined by over 90 percent in Florida, even as the population has grown significantly,” the 55-page report said. “Given the importance of telecommunications service and the large decline in traditional access lines, consumers must be finding service elsewhere.”

The telecommunications industry has gone through a massive transformation since the Bell system broke up in the 1980s. Florida lawmakers over the years took a series of steps, including largely deregulating the industry in the state.

Lawmakers barred the Public Service Commission from regulating wireless, broadband and voice-over-internetprotocol services.

In a statement Tuesday about the new report, commission Chairman Andrew Fay said the “continued migration to wireless and alternative platforms is no surprise.”

“The telecommunications industry offers consumers ‘new and improved’ technology options on a regular basis,” Fay said. “This evolution of services continues to be beneficial for customers looking for specialized plans.”

B4

AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

MOMS,

Florida

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.

FACTOIDS

WEDNESDAY IS YOUR DAY -- ENJOY IT!

Attention, all moms. If you’ve been hurried, harried, hassled and haggard (not you, Merle), your day is almost here. Wednesday, August 10 is your first stress-free day in months because it’s back-to-school time in the Marion County Public School System.

So go ahead, be nice to #1 and treat yourself: Go shopping, hit the spa, get ice cream for one, just because you deserve it. By the way, MCPS is the fifth oldest school system in the state, expecting about 45,000 students, supported by 5,000+ teachers and staff with a 2022-23 budget approaching $1 billion. Today, let’s quiz on your savvy of our schools.

1.

Virtually all the funding for the Marion County school budget comes from: A. Federal aid B. State funding C. Local property taxes D. All of the above

2.

Established in Ocala in 1853, it educated hundreds of young people until 1861 and is considered the precursor of the University of Florida. It is: A. East Florida Seminary B. Florida Bible C. West Florida Seminary D, Florida Seminary

3.

Ocala’s College of Central Florida was known as Central Florida Junior College when it opened in 1957. What was their original team nickname?

A. Spartans B. Pirates C. Rebels D. Indians

4.

In an epic confrontation over school funding with the governor in 1968, Florida teachers became the first in the nation to go on strike. The governor was: A. Jeb Bush B. Bob Martinez C. Claude Kirk D. Charlie Crist

5.

From the 1940s to 1960s, they were considered part of the campus attire for freshmen at the University of Florida. They are: A. Bobby sox B. Beanies C. Flip flops D. Levis

6.

With an enrollment of 65,000+ this university is by far the largest in Florida and second largest in the U. S. It is: A. Florida B. UCF C. USF D. Miami

7.

Two former governors of Florida, Farris Bryant and Buddy MacKay, are graduates of Marion County’s first public high school, which is: A. Forest High B. Ocala High C. Vanguard High D. Lake Weir High

8.

Listed on the Historic Places Registry, this local school, which is still operating, was founded in 1868 for African American students in Ocala. It is: A. Fessenden B. Howard C. Fifth Street D. Eighth Street

9.

Wanna be a zookeeper? This nearby university is one of the few in the U.S. to offer an associates degree in Zoo Animal Technology. It is: A. Central Florida B. Santa Fe C. Stetson D. Florida

10.

Florida instituted the Hope Scholarship Program in 2018 to aid students who are victims of: A. Bullying B. Sex abuse C. Malnutrition D. Illegal immigration

Answers are on page B8

COMING AUGUST 19: Giving August Some Respect Contact Bob Hauck: bobhauck39@gmail.com

music & nig nightlife ghtlife AUGUST 5

AUGUST 10

Ecliff Farrar

Michelle Ingrham

AUGUST 5

Dan Flok

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm Dinner, drinks and entertainment. For details, visit worldequestriancenter.com

Live Stream

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm For details, visit worldequestriancenter.com

AUGUST 11

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm Live music. Also, karaoke Wed.-Sat.

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm For details, visit worldequestriancenter.com

AUGUST 6

AUGUST 12

Fire Creek

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm

AUGUST 6

Grass Campers

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm For details, visit worldequestriancenter.com

Jeff Jarrett

Charlie Horse 2426 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 7pm

AUGUST 13

Nate Mercado

The Yellow Pony World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 6-9pm For details, visit worldequestriancenter.com

Across

1 Is sporting 6 Bobby who lost to Billie Jean King in tennis’ “Battle of the Sexes” 11 Place to unwind 14 Grenoble’s river 15 Sign up, in Sussex 16 Reliever’s asset 17 “ABC” group, with “The” 19 USN clerk 20 Hot state 21 Heat unit 22 Ruhr Valley city 24 Art class subject 26 Part-plant DC Comics superhero 28 Compulsive thief, for short 30 Thoughts spoken onstage 31 Prefix with comic 32 “Not for me” 35 Left on a liner 36 Pioneer’s wagon with an upwardcurved floor 39 Popular side 42 Sore 43 Makeshift knives 47 More minute 49 Without a musical key 50 Weight loss guru 54 New Haven Ivy 55 Stream of insults, say 56 “It’s __ to you” 58 Given a meal 59 Printemps month 60 Skirt, as an issue ... or a hint to the puzzle’s circles 63 Outer: Prefix 64 Slices in a pie, often 65 Gold unit 66 Blue shade 67 Designer fragrance 68 Prepared for a TV interview

Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 18 23 25 27 29 32 33 34 37 38 39

40 41 44 45 46 48 49 51 52 53 57 61 62

Mischief Ordinarily Any of 11 1860s states Sitcom planet Outdoor home Agree to more issues Start to structure Big name in fairy tales Federal URL ending Makes things slippery, in a way Closes the marital deal Peacock, e.g.

Surrounded by Extremely Shout from the main mast Momentous victories Part of UTEP Excessively Bench press target, for short Bat wood Metaphor for a mess “Breaking Bad” agent Prime meridian std.

Place near the Pennsylvania Railroad Relax Retirement income source Down Chemical bonding number Tobogganed Ophthalmologist, for short Lago filler Wound up costing Highway through Whitehorse __-France Senior’s highlight Comic strip cry Non opposite

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES ON PAGE B8

B5

AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

LOCAL CALENDAR LISTINGS

community AUGUST 5-6

Quarterly Library Book Sale

Headquarters Library, 2720 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Friday 2-4pm; Saturday 10am-2pm Bargain books galore and lots to choose from.

Paperbacks are only a quarter and hardbacks are .50 cents. Fiction, non-fiction, self-help, cookbooks, horror, mystery and more. Proceeds benefit library programs throughout Marion County. More info at library.marionfl.org/home

AUGUST 5-7 (AND 10-14)

Ocala Summer Series Weeks 9 and 10- Hunter/Jumper Show

World Equestrian Center Ocala, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 8am-4pm Final two weeks of shows. Many take place in the indoor arenas, with the Grand Prix on Saturday night in the Grand Arena. Spectators welcome.

WEC has restaurants onsite and shopping options.

For more info, worldequestriancenter.com

AUGUST 6

Paddock Mall Back to School Bash

Paddock Mall, 3100 SW College Road, Ocala 10am-2pm The event offers a day of fun and entertainment, along with free backpacks for local school children.

No registration required; backpacks will be available first-come, first-served. The mall is also accepting donations of school supplies to benefit area nonprofits. See paddockmall.com for more info.

AUGUST 6

Twilight Cruisers of Belleview Car Show

Kent Furniture Center, 10651 SE US-441, Belleview 5pm-8pm Every first Saturday of the month, the Twilight Cruisers put on a car show in the parking lot.

Enthusiasts can see restored, refurbished and retro cars of all kinds. Donations of food for Interfaith Emergency Services are encouraged. For more info, https://twilightcruisersflorida.com/upcoming-shows

AUGUST 5-7

AUGUST 5 & 12

Marion County Friday Market

McPherson Government 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.

AUGUST 6 & 13

Yoga in the Park

Sholom Park, 7110 SW 80th Ave., Ocala 9am Stretch out by the Sholom Park stage; recurs every Saturday morning. Visit sholompark.org for details.

Ocala Farmers Market

Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St., Ocala 9am-2pm A variety of vendors offer local fruits and vegetables, meats and seafood, fresh pasta, honey, jewelry, baked goodies, and arts and crafts. Check out some local food trucks and the occasional guest entertainer. Rain or shine; recurs every Saturday. Visit ocaladowntownmarket.com for more information.

File photo

AUGUST 6

AUGUST 6 & 13

Marion County Development Review Committee Office of the County Engineer, 412 SE 25th Ave., Building 1, Ocala 9am Meets weekly on Mondays.

AUGUST 8

The Art of Aging Opening Reception and Exhibit Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala 5pm-6:30pm The Art of Aging is an annual collaboration with the Marion Cultural Alliance and Marion Senior Services. All art for this exhibit is created by artist members age 55+. Light refreshments will be served during the reception and visitors can meet with participating artisans. The exhibits runs through Aug. 27. Admission is free, and donations are accepted. See mcaocala.org for more info.

AUGUST 5

Uncle John’s Band-Grateful Dead Tribute

Marion Theatre, 50 S Magnolia Ave., Ocala 8pm The Grateful Dead was an iconic rock band and this group from Tampa Bay re-creates the vibe and sound. Tickets from $15-$25. For more info, reillyartscenter.com

AUGUST 9-10

Ocala Summer Movie Express

Regal 16 Theaters, 2801 SW 27th Ave., Ocala Times vary, check website The summer movie fest ends this week. Tickets are $2; check the theater website for exact show times.

This week’s movies are “Trolls” and “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.” For more info, https://bit.ly/3BjlCAA

Meet at Brick City Adventure Park, 1211 SE 22nd Road, Ocala 7:45am Another outdoors event is this City of Ocala kayak trip on the Tomoka River. All equipment is provided for the $50 ticket fee, or you can bring your own kayak for $25. Includes coffee and a light breakfast, and the chance to see wildlife and enjoy the river’s charms. For more info, Register online at https://bit.ly/3vzmBZY

Florida Horse Park, 11008 South Highway 475, Ocala 6pm Free to the public. Tailgate right next to the polo field and enjoy a unique evening out. Saturday evenings through September. For more info, ocalapolo.com

AUGUST 8

City of Ocala Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala 5:30pm

File photo

AUGUST 10

City of Belleview Site Plan Committee Meeting 5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 9am-10am

City of Belleview Planning and Zoning Board

City Hall, 20750 River Drive, Dunnellon 5:30pm

AUGUST 5

World Equestrian Center Ocala, Expo Center 2, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 9am-3pm Wind-FM and KCountry radio stations are hosting this expo, which features fishing, boating, archery, shooting and more. Guests might practice casting, throw an axe or try their hand at archery. Adult admission is $5; free for ages 17 and younger. For more info, www.windfm.com

AUGUST 9

City of Dunnellon City Council Meeting

arts

AUGUST 13

Summer Sunset Polo

government AUGUST 8

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.

Kayaks & Koffee

Rural King, 2999 NW 10th St., Ocala 9am-2pm A true farmers swap meet where chickens, goats, turkeys, rabbits and sometimes even ponies are available along with horse tack, home-grown plants, produce and hand-crafted items. Booth types vary with occasional meat vendors, food trucks and other goods. Saturdays, weather permitting.

Appleton Museum, 4337 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Continuing its tradition of free admission the first Saturday of each month, you can view museum works, regular and special collections, and even create your own art in the museum’s interactive Artspace. This month, photos with Princess Belle

Farmers Market

AUGUST 13

Farmers Swap Meet

Free First Saturday

AUGUST 11

North Central Florida Outdoor Expo

AUGUST 6 & 13

AUGUST 6 & 13

North American Reining Stakes

World Equestrian Center Ocala, Arena 5, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala 8am-7pm Reining horses are Western stock that run patterns and must show particular movements and abilities.

With dramatic full-ring gallops and sliding stops, reining horses take the skills needed by cowboys and amp it up in a flashy way. Spectators welcome.

For more info, worldequestriancenter.com

and a gallery tour with artist Steven Benson are featured. Big Lee’s BBQ food truck will be onsite 11am-2pm. See appletonmuseum.org for more info.

5343 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 5:30-6:30pm

AUGUST 10

Classic Albums Live-Dire Straits

Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE 9th St., Ocala 7:30pm The Reilly offers up the classic album from this influential British band. “Brothers in Arms” was released in 1985 and Dire Straits hit it big with the song “Money for Nothing.” The combination of the animated video story, Sting’s backing vocals and the catchy tune helped send Dire Straits to the top of the charts. This live performance of the album will include all of the songs. Tickets are $20-$55 and available from reillyartscenter.com

AUGUST 13

Fortunate Son, Tribute to Creedence Clearwater Revival Circle Square Cultural Center, 8395 SW 80th St., Ocala 7pm Billed as the “World’s Greatest Tribute to CCR,” this show combines the spirit and authenticity of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Mixing rock, country, folk music and blues, singer Brad Ford leads this tribute band through CCR’s big hits.

Expect to hear “Born on the Bayou,” “Green River,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” “Proud Mary” and, of course, “Fortunate Son.” Tickets are $28-$31. For more info, see csculturalcenter.com

AUGUST 13

Lisa Haley & Cajun Cabin

Morgan’s Music Junction, 6981 SE 147th Street, Summerfield 7pm Grammy nominated singer, songwriter and fiddler,

Lisa Haley entertains in a variety of musical genres, including Cajun, blues, country, folk and jazz. See this show in an intimate setting; tickets are $14-$17.

See morgansmusicjunction.com for more info.

THROUGH SEPTEMBER 13

Journey to My Soul: Landscape of My Mind by Kelley Batson-Howard

City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration Building, 828 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm This free art exhibits showcases the work of artist Batson-Howard, who creates abstract works to bring beauty to the world. Her work is variable, often colorful and full of whimsy. For more info, Kbatsonart.com

THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30

exhibition of his photographs at the museum. His work represents humans’ search for meaning. For more info, appletonmuseum.org for details.

THROUGH DECEMBER 9

A Floral Retrospective by Gregory Dirr

Ocala City Hall, Clerk’s Office, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Boca Raton artist Gregory Dirr emphasizes environmental conservation in his interdisciplinary artworks. Using paint, multi-media resources, fabric and glass, Dirr’s works is a response to the world around us. For more info, visit ocalafl.org/ artincityspaces

Julijana Prest Art Exhibit

Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave., Ocala Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm “Transitional Moments in Nature’s Landscape” is hosted by the City of Ocala as part of its Art in City Spaces program. For more info, www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

THROUGH NOVEMBER 6

Invented Observations: Photographs by Steven Benson

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm Professor, educator and artist Benson has this

THROUGH JANUARY 2023

Colorful Pleasures by Christine Dozier

Ocala International Airport, 5770 SW 60th Ave., Ocala Hours vary per airport operations Ocala resident Dozier exhibits a variety of work including landscapes, abstracts, still life and animal portraits. This is part of the City of Ocala Art in City Spaces program. For more info, visit ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

VISIT OUR EVENTS CALENDAR ONLINE OCALAGAZETTE.COM/EVENTS

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AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

New this week: ‘The Sandman,’ ‘My Life as a Rolling Stone’ teaming up.

— Rising country star Travis Denning has a six-song EP that shows off a lot of his style. “Might As Well Be Me” includes the sweetly rocking song “Buy a Girl a Drink,” the ballad “She’s On It” and the playful “Don’t Give a Truck.”

A native of Warner Robins, Georgia, Denning celebrated his first No. 1 single with “After A Few” and first made waves with the release of his Top 40 debut single “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs.” He’s currently out on the road this summer with Dierks Bentley, and will join Jake Owen on tour this fall.

— T Bone Burnett is back for the second installment of his The Invisible Light project, which is a fusion of trance, electronic, folk, tribal and global music. The trilogy’s first installment, “The Invisible Light: Acoustic Space,” was released in 2019 and now it’s time for “The Invisible Light: Spells,” out Friday. Burnett has once again teamed up with Jay Bellerose and Keefus Ciancia. Singles from the nine-track album include the utterly weird, spokenword “Realities.com” and the captivating, driving “I’m Starting a New Life.”

This combination of images shows album art for Travis Denning’s new six-song EP, “Might As Well Be Me” left, and Calvin Harris’ new album “Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2.”

[Mercury Nashville/Columbia Records via AP]

By Lindsey Bahr, Mark Kennedy and Lynn Elber The Associated Press

H

ere’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.

MOVIES

— Ron Howard is a master at the ripped-from-theheadlines drama and this time takes on the riveting story of the 2018 rescue of a boys’ soccer team from the Tham Luang cave in the new film “Thirteen Lives,” coming to Prime Video on Friday, Colin Farrell and Viggo Mortensen play the English cave divers who travel to Thailand to help with the impossible rescue mission.

The film takes care to present a holistic picture of all the disparate components that came together to make the rescue successful, including the help of the Thai Navy Seals, cave and water experts and nearby farmers. As in “Apollo 13,” it hardly matters that we already know the ending: Howard makes it a suspenseful, thrilling ride.

— Rebecca Hall plays a single mother to a teenage

daughter whose busy life is upended when a figure from her past, played by Tim Roth, returns in “Resurrection” carrying with him the “horrors of her past.” The film from writer-director Andrew Seman made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and will be available to rent on Friday from IFC. As with Hall’s unsettling turn in the “The Night House,” her performance in this diabolical psychological thriller promises to burrow deep in your psyche.

MUSIC

— Has it really been five years since Calvin Harris released his awesome “Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1”? It has, but now it’s time to celebrate: Vol. 2 drops this week. You’ve likely already heard “Potion” with Dua Lipa and Young Thug and the list of contributors on “Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2” is staggering: 21 Savage, Stefflon Don, Chlöe, Charlie Puth, Pusha T, Shenseea, Tinashe, Normani, Lil Durk, Halsey, Offset, 6lack, Justin Timberlake, Coi Leray, Busta Rhymes, Donae’O, Latto, Pharrell, Swae Lee, Jorja Smith and Snoop Dogg.

One disco throwback before the Friday release is “Stay With Me,” which has Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell

TELEVISION

— Straight out of San Diego’s Comic-Con, here comes “The Sandman.” Neil Gaiman, who wrote the acclaimed series of graphic novels published by DC Comics, developed and is executive producer for the 10-episode series debuting Friday on Netflix. Tom Sturridge plays the title character, who’s dream-control central for everyone until he’s captured and imprisoned for a century and then some. His mission: to travel across worlds and time to repair the damage caused by falling down on the job. The sprawling and eclectic cast includes Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Joely Richardson.

— As the title suggests, the four-part docuseries “My Life as a Rolling Stone” takes an individual approach to band members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and the late Charlie Watts. Each is the subject of an hourlong film that relies on new and archive interviews and previously unseen footage to create “intimate” portraits of the artists. The films also trace how they came together to create a timeless body of work. The chapter on Watts, who died in August 2021 at age 80, includes tributes from his fellow band members and peers. The series debuts Sunday on the Epix channel with Jagger’s story and continues on Sundays through Aug. 28.

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AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

Siena’s Palio: 90 Seconds of Sheer Medieval Madness

Pageantry and people at Siena’s Palio. [Rick Steves/Rick Steves’ Europe]

By Rick Steves

“F

or the Sienese life story: You’re born...there’s the Palio...and then you die.”

That’s how my friend Roberto explains the importance of Italy’s world-famous horse race, the Palio di Siena, which takes place twice every summer on July 2 and August 16.

The city’s residents hurl themselves into the traditional revelry of the event with abandon. While it’s been on hold during the pandemic, I enjoy my memories from a few years ago, watching the race in person for the first time ever.

Siena is divided into 17 neighborhoods, or contrade, of which 10 are selected by a drawing to vie for the coveted Palio banner -- and all-important bragging

rights. Each competing contrada’s horse is chosen randomly by lottery. The neighborhood then adopts it, showering it with love, washing and grooming it, and keeping it in a five-star stable.

The contrade -- each with its own parish church, fountain, and square -- are staunch rivals. Each contrada is represented by a mascot (porcupine, unicorn, she-wolf, and so on) and a distinctive flag. Its colors are worn and flown all year long, but omnipresent as the race nears.

While the race itself lasts just 90 seconds, it’s preceded by days of festivities.

As the big day approaches, processions break out across the city, including one in which the famed and treasured Palio banner -- featuring the Virgin Mary, to whom the race is dedicated -- is held high

as it’s paraded to the cathedral. Locals belt out passionate good-luck choruses. With the waving flags and pounding drums, it all harkens back to medieval times, when these rituals boosted morale before battle.

The day before the race, I joined a crowd in the main square, Il Campo, to see the jockeys -- mostly hired hands from out of town -- get to know their horses in a practice run called the “charge of the carabinieri.” At midnight, the streets were filled with eating, drinking, singing, and camaraderie, as neighborhoods gathered to pump themselves up.

On race day, bets are placed on which contrada will win--and lose. Despite the shady behind-the-scenes dealing, the horses are taken into their contrada’s church to be blessed. “Go and return victorious,” says the priest. It’s considered a sign of luck if a horse leaves droppings in the church.

Meanwhile, Il Campo has been converted into a racetrack. Clay is brought in and packed down to create the surface, while mattresses pad the walls of surrounding buildings. The most treacherous spots are the sharp corners, where many a rider has bitten the dust.

The entire city of Siena packs into Il Campo. Bleacher and balcony seats are expensive, but it’s free to join the masses in the square. The well-connected get to watch from the comfort of an apartment window. Roberto’s friend, Franco, shares his apartment overlooking the racecourse-and we enjoy the best seats in town.

From this vantage point, we watch as the square fills, with pageantry unfolding, flags waving, and excitement building.

Finally, it’s time. A cart pulled by oxen carries the Palio banner into the arena.

The crowd goes wild. As the starting places

are announced, 10 snorting horses and their nervous riders line up to await the start. Silence takes over. And then...

They’re off! Once the rope drops, there’s one basic rule: There are no rules. The jockeys ride bareback while spectators go berserk. Life stops for these frantic three laps. Up in the apartment, Roberto and Franco hold their breath...

And then, it’s over. The winner: Lupa, the she-wolf district! We zip out into the street to join the ecstatic mobs coursing toward the cathedral. I’ll never forget the crush and the tribal energy. Just standing in the street while celebrants coursed by is a memory I’ll long cherish. The happy “Lupa-Lupa-Lupa!” horde thunders by, weeping with joy. At the cathedral, the crowd packs in, and the winning contrada receives the beloved banner. They are champions--until the next race.

Seeing euphoria overcome members of the winning contrada -- it’s Lupa’s first win in 27 years -- reminds me that it’s impossible for a tourist to really understand what this ritual race means to the people of Siena.

Carrying their coveted Palio banner high and hoisting their jockey to their shoulders, the Lupa contingent tumbles out of the cathedral and back into the streets, where the celebration continues into the wee hours -- 500 years of proud tradition, still going strong.

(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This article was adapted from his new book, For the Love of Europe.

You can email Rick at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)

From the college dorm trenches: What to bring, leave at home

By Leanne Italie The Associated Press

F

or the uninitiated, outfitting a college dorm room can be a dizzying experience. Doing it at a time of high inflation can make it even more daunting.

The first step: Meticulously go over what the school allows and provides. If you want a microwave and minifridge, are the energy-saving combo models required? Do you need foam pool noodles to avoid hitting your head under an upper bunk, and if so, might the school provide them?

Exactly how thick can a mattress topper be?

“You can see the look of terror on parents’ faces,” said Marianne Szymanski, an independent product researcher who has sent two kids to college. “You know, did I get the right mattress pad?

It’s crazy.”

Etsy’s trend expert, Dayna Isom Johnson, said selfexpression is top of mind for dorm-bound kids in such things as faux headboards and unique dresser knobs.

“Two of my favorite dorm trends right now are moodboosting hues that incorporate bright and energetic colors like neon tones, and heritage styles, a nostalgic trend that embodies the traditional collegiate look with items like plaid linens, woodtoned furniture and monograms,” she said.

There’s no end to help out there, from parents swapping tips in social media groups to seasoned college students offering hacks on TikTok. Some suggestions:

LIGHTING & CHARGING

Dorm rooms have notoriously bad light, and notoriously few electrical outlets in convenient spots. Many schools don’t allow extension cords. For power strips, which are almost always permitted, consider going vertical with a tower that offers surge protection, USB ports and outlets that can accommodate a range of differently shaped plugs.

It may be time to get a threeway charger. Storage carts, headboards and stands with charging capability are plentiful.

Use double-sided tape or hook-and-loop strips to fasten

a power strip to the frame of an elevated bed for easy access.

For students so inclined, putting on makeup can be a problem that a lighted makeup mirror can solve. A desk or clipon lamp is a must for studying.

Consider a shared floor lamp.

Neon signs are also popular as decorative lighting.

BEDDING & LAUNDRY Think extra-long twin sheets, mattress protector and thick, cozy mattress pad, but do know some schools don’t allow certain types of gel toppers, Szymanski said. As for all those throw pillows, where do they go when it’s time to sleep? Usually on the perhaps-not-so-clean floor, so maybe buy fewer. Better yet, take along a body pillow.

Buying two or three sets of sheets does mean using up some already limited storage, but students not terribly laundryresponsible won’t go into crisis when the dirties pile up. And if beds are elevated for storage, get curtains to cover the clutter.

What type of laundry hamper to get is a hot topic, and depends on how far from the room the washers and dryers live. There are rolling hampers, compact mesh hampers and all manner of bags. For trekking up and down stairs, huge laundry backpacks (some with padded shoulder straps) are perfect.

A hack: Invest in a clothing steamer or wrinkle release fabric spray rather than an iron.

SHELVING & HOOKS

Extending storage with shelving is a dorm-size jigsaw puzzle.

Is there room for over-the-bed shelving? Does the school permit hutches on top of desks, or provide them?

Pro tip: Not a great idea to swap sturdy shelving for an over-the-toilet bathroom version that might not be able to handle something heavy, like a microwave. Also, if a bed will be elevated but not all the way up, a tall bedside stand with extra shelves or drawers might be useful.

Ask the school: Can shelving or stands of any kind be placed in front of windows?

And remember those locker shelves from high school?

Use them to extend space in a nightstand or desk.

Those Command stick-on hooks? Bring oh so many, along with the removable poster strips made not to damage walls. Also pick up a couple of over-the-door hangers for bags, coats, robes and hoodies.

CLOSETS & OTHER STORAGE

For the closet, consider sturdy vertical hanger extenders and hanging shoe and clothing storage. Yes, such storage takes up space and adds weight. Can an extra rod be installed?

Storage cubes can triple as seating and step stool, as opposed to a decorative pouf that is simply pretty and comfy.

Under-bed or in-closet storage drawers are essential, along with extra baskets, or at least a bowl for random, easily lost smaller items. Medium plastic baskets for scarves, socks and the like can be used on the top closet shelf.

CLEANING & COOLING

Vacuum cleaners are often available, but they’re usually heavy and must be lugged back and forth. Szymanski has a hack for that. Not your run-of-themill portable vacuum but an ultra-mini handheld and batteryoperated version called the Ayla.

It’s tube-like and just 11 inches tall.

Some students recommend a duster with cling power, along with a dehumidifier or air purifier.

Portable fans are tiny but mighty. Woozoo, a cult favorite, makes oscillating and remotecontrolled versions.

Another Szymanski hack: A roll of Rakot75 towels for cleaning. They’re 100% bamboo, come in a 75-count roll, and each sheet can be reused up to six months. Just rinse and reuse.

Don’t forget small trash cans for the bathroom and sleeping area, after coordinating with roommates, of course, on this and other shared items.

HGTV.com. “It’s now considered cool to decorate your room.”

The pros are mixed on whether removable, peel-andstick wallpaper is a good idea.

Some schools may not allow it and it might not adhere to textured walls. Kirkham suggests using it to decorate desk drawers or other storage units.

Some kids bring along decorative mirrors to hang, rather than the usual all-body vertical kind, or they hang strings of twinkle lights.

The site Dormify.com is full of design inspiration and products.

This year’s freshmen are more confident than last year’s about personalizing their dorm room, said Amanda Zuckerman, Dormify’s co-founder and CEO. “More saturation and color is really popular, so bringing in bright pink, bright orange, bright green and turquoise,” she said.

According to Pinterest, searches are up for hippy and preppy dorm styles.

“People are increasingly searching for things like funky mirror ideas, which have tripled since last year. Indoor plant styling is also on the rise.

Searching for preppy dorm room has increased 80%. Pink and blue are some really strong colors for that preppy aesthetic,” said Pinterest’s data insights lead Swasti Sarna.

BATHROOM & MISCELLANEOUS

Consider getting some scented Steripod toothbrush protectors.

Dorms are dusty. Bathrooms get

DECOR & STYLE

Style is everything for some dorm dwellers.

“People really take pride and they really strive for a sophisticated, grown-up space,” said Adar Kirkham, a DIY designer and star of the new digital series “Freestyled” on

File photo

gross. Toothbrushes might have to be toted around. It should be changed every three months.

Bathrooms are often shared, and stuff gets mixed up. An organizer is essential. Pro tip from the trenches: Use an overthe-door organizer for bathroom stuff. Dormify sells one with a small face mirror built in.

Kirkham suggests a rolling bathroom caddy with just the essentials for quick trips in and out.

Minifridge tip: If allowed leeway on what kind to use, pick one with a separate freezer compartment. It might just guard against freezing food below. Some kids forgo the freezer completely to get more fridge space.

Kirkham, whose show premieres July 24, suggests a minifridge stand that elevates the unit and includes additional storage.

“Everything in a dorm room has to have multiple functions,” she said.

A small, portable, batteryoperated blender could be useful.

It doesn’t take up a lot of space and it helps students eat healthy options stored in room fridges.

Szymanski likes the Blendi.

A tool kit comes in handy, as does a first aid kit. To help elevate a bed, Szymanski said, bring along a rubber mallet.

And rather than a bedside canvas caddy, try an attachable bunk bed tray table. It can hold a drink, a phone and more.

Last but not least: a permanent marker good for labeling fabric as well as plastic.

B8

AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

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B9

AUGUST 5 - AUGUST 11, 2022 | OCALA GAZETTE

THIS DESSERT IS PART PANCAKE, PART CUSTARD, AND ALL DELICIOUS!

A discussion about tick-borne illnesses

By Bobbi Pritt, M.D. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

D The batter is made from eggs, cream and flour. [Elle Simone]

By America’s Test Kitchen

T

his custardy dessert comes from France, where the verb clafir means “to fill.” In other words, clafouti is a dessert filled with fruit.

Because a clafouti is basically a combination of a custard and a pancake, it’s important for it not to have too much flour (it would be too pancake-y) or too many eggs or too much cream (too custardy). Ours strikes a nice balance between the two, especially when studded with fruit.

Clafoutis are traditionally made with cherries; we chose raspberries because they’re easy to find year- round, but you can experiment with whatever seasonal fruit you find!

When taken straight from the refrigerator, butter is quite firm. For some baking recipes and many frostings, you need to soften butter before trying to combine it with other ingredients. This is just a fancy term for letting the temperature of butter rise from 35 degrees (its refrigerator temperature) to 65 degrees (cool room temperature). This takes about 1 hour. But here are two ways to speed things up.

1. Counter method: Cut butter into 1-inch pieces (to create more surface area).

Place butter on a plate and wait about 30 minutes. Once butter gives to light pressure (try to push your fingertip into butter), it’s ready to use.

2. Microwave method: Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and place on a microwavesafe plate. Heat in microwave at 50% power for 10 seconds. Check butter with a fingertip test. Heat for another 5 to 10 seconds if necessary.

Raspberry Clafouti Serves 8

2 large eggs 1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) sugar 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) all- purpose flour 1/2 cup (4 ounces) heavy cream 1/3 cup (2 2/3 ounces) whole milk 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) raspberries 1 to 2 teaspoons confectioners’ (powdered) sugar, for dusting 1. Adjust oven rack to lower- middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Use your fingers to grease a 9-inch pie plate with softened butter. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet.

2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and pale, about 1 minute. Add flour and whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add cream and milk and whisk until combined.

3. Pour batter into greased pie plate. Sprinkle raspberries evenly over top.

4. Place baking sheet in oven. Bake clafouti until it puffs above the edges of the pie plate and turns golden brown (edges will be dark brown), 16 to 20 minutes.

5. Remove baking sheet from oven. Place baking sheet on cooling rack and let clafouti cool for 30 minutes.

6. Dust clafouti with confectioners’ sugar. Slice into wedges and serve.

(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.)

EAR MAYO CLINIC: A close friend was diagnosed recently with Lyme disease due to a tick bite. However, I recently read about some new type of tick-borne illness. My family loves to hike and be outdoors, but I’m nervous now about continuing our activities. How can I reduce our risk of illness from insect bites and protect my family?

ANSWER: Enjoying the outdoors is a wonderful way to spend quality family time together, but there are certainly some risks, especially from ticks. The tiny bugs, which are closely related to spiders, are nearly everywhere in the U.S. and can transmit several different germs to humans. Two new tick-borne pathogens were detected at Mayo Clinic in the past decade.

The most prevalent and commonly known tick-borne disease in North America is Lyme disease. It’s caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii and is transmitted by a black-legged tick, also known as a deer tick.

Recently, there has been concern about the Lone Star tick, which carries the Heartland virus, and can cause illness or even death. These ticks have been around a long time, but the numbers are increasing from the southeastern U.S. to other parts of the country. It is important to be educated about ticks and take measures to protect yourself and your family from tick-borne diseases.

To reduce the risk of tick bites, remember these ABCs:

Avoid ticks

Be aware of the places that are more likely to have ticks and try to avoid them. A forest -- with a lot of areas of undergrowth, leaf litter and tall grasses -- is a prime place to encounter ticks. If you are going for a hike, look for a clear path and stay in the middle to decrease the chance of encountering ticks.

Bug spray

Whenever you go outdoors, whether it’s spring, summer or early fall, apply bug spray.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends applying a bug spray to your skin that contains either DEET 30% or Picaridin. You also could use a bug spray on your skin that has oil of lemon eucalyptus in it. There is also a tick repellent called permethrin that can be sprayed on clothing for an extra layer of protection. Permethrin actually kills ticks, and it will last through several washes.

The Environmental Protection Agency has rated all the different types of tick and mosquito repellents, and has shown these ingredients to be very effective in repelling and even killing certain types of insects and ticks.

Clothing

If you’re going to be outside and in areas where ticks may be lurking, dress in a way that limits skin exposure and will make it harder for ticks to bite. Something as simple as tucking your pants into your socks can help in this regard. When it is hot outside, it may not be comfortable to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, so that’s where the combination of clothing and bug spray come together.

In addition to preventive measures, it’s very important to check yourself for ticks after coming in from outdoors. That also holds true for other members of your family, your friends and your pets. You should check yourself as soon as you come inside and periodically during the day if you’re going to be outdoors for some time. The longer a tick stays attached to your skin while it’s feeding, the greater likelihood there is for transmitting some type of harmful pathogen.

To remove a tick, use forceps or fine-tipped tweezers to pinch the tick at the point where its mouthparts are inserted into the skin. Pull the tick out slowly in one continuous motion. You want to avoid twisting or crushing the tick during this process, since that may increase the risk of getting an infection from the tick. Also avoid home remedies for removing ticks, such as putting nail polish or petroleum jelly on the tick or lighting it on fire.

If you have been exposed to ticks, particularly if you have a known tick bite, closely monitor for symptoms of a tick-borne disease, such as rash, flu-like symptoms, fever, fatigue, muscle aches and joint pains. In rare cases, some patients can develop a significant allergy to meat, such as pork, beef or venison, after a tick bite.

A patient that discovers a tick that has been attached for 36 hours or more, or who has any of the symptoms listed above, should see a primary health care professional.

Thankfully, there are several tests and new testing algorithms that are available at Mayo Clinic to check for both early- and late-stage disease for all the tick-borne diseases in the U.S. As ticks continue to expand their ranges and move into other parts of the country, it’s even more important to take efforts to reduce your risk of tick-borne diseases.

-- Bobbi Pritt, M.D., Clinical Parasitology Laboratory, 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.)

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