Ocala Gazette | Nov. 5 - Nov. 11 by Magnolia Media Company

Daylight Savings Time NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021

Turn Your clocks back Sunday, Nov. 7th

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 19

The 2021 summer of death By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com

Dave Miller

Garytt Gamble, an Ocala Electric Utility lineman trainee, hangs lights downtown on Nov. 2, 2021

Preparation under way for

LIGHT UP OCALA E By Ocala Gazette Staff

xcitement hung in the air as city workers started to string lights throughout downtown Ocala in preparation for Light Up Ocala. The festive event, set for Saturday, Nov. 20, is the annual kickoff for lighting up downtown Ocala through the end of the holidays. Last year’s event was cancelled due to safety concerns related to the pandemic, but the lights still went up. “After having to cancel Light Up Ocala last year, I’m sure our citizens are just as thrilled as city workers that it’s going forward,” said Councilman Jay Musleh However, mitigating the spread of COVID-19 is still a concern the city has addressed in the event plans. These include limiting vendors and entertainment options, setting up sanitation stations, and encouraging attendees to wear masks and practice social distancing. The lighting ceremony starts at 6:30 p.m. when the sun goes down, but the festivities begin at 4.

At 4:30 p.m., the Junior Sunshine Parade will begin at the corner of South Magnolia Avenue and East Fort King Street, winding through downtown, past the gazebo, up to Northeast First Street, then returning to Southeast First Avenue and East Fort King Street. The parade will include performances from local dance studios, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts Troops, Cub Scout Packs and a special appearance by Santa. There will be multiple event zones throughout the downtown area that will feature live music and performers. On stage one, on the Downtown Square, will feature live music by the Audio Exchange as well as photo opportunities at the holiday tree. The stage at Citizens’ Circle will feature live music by Sidepiece as well as performances by local dance groups. Santa and Mrs. Clause will be available for socially-distanced photo opportunities. Simultaneously, a street party will be held at the corner of Northeast First Street and Northeast First Avenue featuring

a DJ, with acrobatic variety and Powerkip shows. The Marion Theatre, at 50 S. Magnolia Ave., will be screening the animated classic, “The Grinch,” with a photo opportunity with a larger-than-life Grinch. At the corner of Fort King and Magnolia, there will be a Punch and Judy puppet show, with “Living Angels” at the corner of Fort King Street and Southeast First Ave. A variety of vendors will be located throughout the downtown area. Guests are encouraged to utilize two parking lots that will offer free shuttle rides throughout the event. One is at the Marion Technical Institute, 1614 S.E. Fort King St. That shuttle will run approximately every 20 minutes between 3 and 10 p.m. The second is at the Ocala Skate Park, 517 N.E. Ninth St. This shuttle will run approximately every 10 minutes between 3:45 and 9:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.ocalafl.org/lightup or call (352) 368-5517.

The spread of the Delta variant through Marion County made this summer a particularly sorrowful one, with the lives of many neighbors ending too soon. At the time of the summer surge, only local hospital workers were vocalizing to the community that their beds and ICUs were full, and many more people were dying compared to the prior variant — and dying young. With no state or local government alerts, the majority of Marion County residents went about their business debating vaccinations and masks, instead of the unusually high death count.

A LAPSE IN REPORTING THE NUMBERS The State of Florida and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) failed to coordinate on reporting COVID-19 statistics over the summer, preventing the public from understanding how many people were dying as a result of COVID, including the Delta variant. Once the number and scope of deaths became accessible in October, statistics painted a picture of Marion County weathering the Delta variant far worse than many other parts of the state. The county was ranked 6 out of the 67 Florida counties for most COVID deaths per 100,000 since June, with 186.3 deaths per 100,000 residents. Dr. Dave Kuhn of Trinity Clinic in Ocala has maintained a weekly COVID dashboard on his clinic’s Facebook page throughout the pandemic. His dashboard tracks local statistics including cases, positivity rates, hospitalizations, and deaths, and he says the inability to access statistics can have a negative impact on public confidence. “The state withholding death data creates the concern that something is being hidden from the public. In such a polarized society, with trust in the media and government so low, transparency should be a priority, particularly with a situation that so directly and significantly See Affects, page A6

Florida-breds poised for Breeders’ Cup By Michael Compton Special to the Gazette The top racehorses from around the globe will assemble at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. on Nov. 5-6 for the 38th Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Six Florida-bred runners, led by Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Medina Spirit in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on Saturday, will carry the state’s banner into competition over the highly anticipated two days of racing that features 14 races and purse money of more than $31 million.

In the event’s 37 prior runnings, there have been 29 Florida-bred winners of races, topping all states other than Kentucky (228 winners). In addition to Medina Spirit, who will attempt to join fellow Sunshine State products Unbridled, Skip Away and Mucho Macho Man as winners of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Floridabred competitors poised to add to the state’s Breeders’ Cup win tally include Pappacap in the $2 million Juvenile (G1) today, Golden Pal and Extravagant Kid in the $1 million Turf Sprint (G1) on Saturday and C Z Rocket and Firenze Fire in the $2

million Sprint (G1) also on Saturday. Medina Spirit will take center stage in the marquee race of the weekend when he faces an accomplished group of runners in the Classic that includes division leader Knicks Go, Essential Quality and Hot Rod Charlie. A two-time graduate of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company (OBS), Medina Spirit sold for the bargain price of $1,000 in 2019 and then went through the auction ring a second time the following year as a 2-year-old, when he was purchased by bloodstock agent Gary Young on behalf of Amr Zedan’s Zedan Racing

Stables for $35,000. Bred by Gail Rice, Medina Spirt, a dark bay son of Protionico out of the Brilliant Speed mare Mongolian Changa, is trained by Bob Baffert. A winner in five of his nine starts, Medina Spirit has rewarded his connections with earnings of $2,525,200. Medina Spirit turned in a maintenance gallop at Del Mar Wednesday morning with his trainer overseeing the final conditioning at the seaside oval. “He likes this track and is training really well coming up to the race,” said Baffert, who is a four-time See Classic page A7

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2022 Elections......................... Editorial.................................... New Exhibit............................. COVID Update........................ State News................................ Calendar...................................

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NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Help for the Holidays By Beth Whitehead Ocala Gazette

his might be the year you realize you are not able to afford that doll for your daughter or remote-control car for your son. Or, it may be the year you realize you can not only afford to buy gifts for your loved ones but you also have a little extra to buy a present for someone else’s child. The needs are great throughout Marion County and opportunities to extend a helping hand are numerous. Check out these ways to spread the holiday spirit over the next couple of months.

Salvation Army Ocala/ Marion County The Salvation Army offers numerous services, such as the Angel Tree program, homeless shelter, food pantry, emergency overnight housing, family shelter, clothing closet, assistance with payments such as rent or electricity bills, nursing home ministry, Evangeline Booth apartments for low-income seniors and community dinners. Community dinners are offered from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. daily at the Center of Hope at 320 NW 1st Ave. for anyone in need. There will be a special holiday meal at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and another on Christmas Day. The Angel Tree program gives the community an opportunity to provide toys to 1,000 Marion County children ages 12 and younger from low-income families. Angel tags with the child’s first name, age, gender and toy wish hang on Angel Trees in the Paddock Mall and the Sonny’s BBQ at 4102 E. Silver Springs Blvd. People also can pick up tags at the Salvation Army Center of Worship complex at 2901 NE 14th St. from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and, starting Not. 20, at every Walmart location in Marion County. Families that apply for a gift for their child via the Angel Tree program receive a Thanksgiving food box that includes a turkey and a box for a special Christmas meal as well. To volunteer with processing toys or to donate call (352) 629-2004.

Interfaith Emergency Services Inc. Interfaith Emergency Services serves around 500 households a week for those who are at or below, or just above the poverty line—a family of two living on $30,000 a year or an individual living on $17,000 a year. Interfaith, as the agency is best known, offers assistance with groceries and prescriptions, government issued IDs, obtaining OSHA-approved work boots, entering shelter programs or with a new apartment, and providing showers and clean clothes to the homeless. The campus at 435 NW 2nd St. is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Interfaith partners with Brother’s Keeper which runs a soup kitchen on the campus, where anyone can get lunch 365 days a year. For their shelter residents of around 50 families, Interfaith partners with The Twilight Cruisers car club, which puts on the annual Toys for Kids Cruise In, set for Dec. 4 at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing. With the proceeds, Interfaith sets up a store for parents to come and “shop” for their kids. This holiday season Interfaith is giving turkeys or gift cards for turkeys to as many families as they can. People interested in helping this outreach can drop off nonperishable food or turkeys at the warehouse on 2nd Street any day of the week or donate at other local food drives that support the agency. Online donations can be made at iesmarion.org. To learn more, call (352) 629-8868 or go to iesmarion.org

Toys for Tots of Marion County Florida Toys for Tots offers free toys for children ages 0-12 from low-income families. Upon a parent providing proof of assistance, residency in Marion County, the birth certificate and Social Security card of every child, Toys for Tots provides a quality toy and stocking stuffers for every child in the program. Toys for Tots served 11,000 kids locally last year during the pandemic. This year, Toys for Tots Marion is trying to supply a minimum of two toys—one a more special toy like a remote-control car or unique doll, along with stocking stuffers like Matchbox cars and small toys for every child. To request a toy for your child, go to ocala-fl.toysfortots.org and click on the “Request a Toy” button, look up your zip code and contact the agency connected with it. That partnering organization will then arrange a date with Toys for Tots for you to come pick up your child’s toy. This year, Toys for Tots also is partnering with Winn-Dixie, which is donating 200 bikes to the Ocala branch. As the age limit may be extended in certain communities, a yearly need locally is especially for boys and girls ages 0-2 as well as 8-12. Volunteers are needed in maintaining the long list of partnerships on the website. Monetary donations can be made on the website as well. For more information, call (352) 390-3457.

Help Agency of the Forest Inc. Based on the campus of Ocklawaha Bridge Baptist Church, the Help Agency of the Forest is a ministry available to anyone who lives in the Ocala National Forest area. The Help Agency maintains a food bank open 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday, along with a back-to-school program for kids, a summer camp and vocational training. This holiday season, the agency will be handing out hundreds of Thanksgiving food baskets for families and organizing a couple thousand Christmas boxes for children of low-income families. The boxes include toys, blankets, pajamas and shoes. Last year, during the pandemic, the Help Agency met a need that had grown by almost one thousand kids and delivered 2,500 Christmas boxes to the Forest area alone. For every child that is signed up to receive a box, the Help Agency tries to give a Christmas ham to each family Donations can be made on the Help Agency website, sozokids.org, or through their partner Toys for Tots. The agency office is at 14148 E. State Road 40, Silver Springs. To learn more, call (352) 812-9158.

Food for Christ, Inc. This family-run ministry in McIntosh offers phone counseling, application assistance or help with computer work, small-scale transportation to doctors and help with shopping trips. Every third Thursday of each month, Food for Christ holds a food giveaway at the McIntosh Grocery Store. There is also a 60 Plus program for USDA available on the same day with prepackaged food for everyone in the program and from Marion County. Every month, to fill a gap in the lack of meat in many food drives, Food for Christ holds a meat giveaway, gifting seven or eight packages of meat to families each month. During the holidays, Food for Christ partners with Toys for Tots. Volunteering consists of helping process toys from Toys for Tots and helping hand out food at the giveaways once a month. The ministry provided the number 352-591-6097 to seek assistance or for volunteer opportunities. Food Giveaway is located at 20675 9th St., McIntosh.

Marion County Sheriff’s Office: The Marion County Sheriff ’s Office (MCSO) supports the Florida Sheriff ’s Youth Ranch year-round and provides a Thanksgiving feast on the holiday. The MCSO collects turkeys, stuffing, canned beans, corn, yams, etc. Publix donates money to purchase the turkeys, but the bulk of donations have come from employees at MCSO, with a few outside contributions from volunteers and businesses. For Christmas, the MCSO adds toys to the list of their donations to the Florida Sheriff ’s Youth Ranch. Find more information about the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office at marionso.com.

istry. Help budgeting rent or utility bills and small temporary assistance with grocery bills or car repair is also offered but assistance is typically onetime until a person joins the Journey program. People involved in the Journey program are provided a Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner if they choose to participate. Parents are taken to Walmart and are given a budget of $75-150 to shop for Christmas gifts for their child with a volunteer. For those not in the Journey program, Love INC refers people to partnering churches for holiday baskets. The clearing house and offices are located at 15797 S. U.S. 441 in Summerfield. The Journey program is held at Tricounty Baptist Church, 38405 Rolling Acres Road, Lady Lake. To learn more, call (352) 2458774.

Bring the Harvest Home Brother’s Keeper Bring the Harvest Home is Marion County’s annual holiday food drive that helps local food pantries restock during the increased need of the holidays. Donations from Bring the Harvest Home benefit Interfaith Emergency Services, the Salvation Army, and Brother’s Keeper. Check out the Marion County website for a list of needed items and drop off locations. Find more information at marionfl.org/our-county/bring-the-harvesthome

Silver Springs Shores Resource Center The Silver Springs Resource Center offers the opportunity for those in need to access a used computer, especially for programs such as the ACCESS Florida application. Every week, the center offers bread, pastries and pizza—whatever they have received from Publix or Pizza Hut—on Tuesday nights. The center is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at 463 Emerald Road, Ocala. For more information, call (352) 6870350.

Love In the Name of Christ (INC) of the Heart of Florida Love In the Name of Christ (INC) of the Heart of Ocala is a ministry that seeks to enable people to get out of their financial struggles by teaching them life skills. Through a program called Journey, Love INC teaches skills like boundaries, finances and how to move on from the past. Love INC also offers an infant and toddler pantry that provides wipes, diapers and baby gear, as well as a transportation ministry that provides some auto repairs and occasionally a donated vehicle. The outreach also boasts a personal care ministry, teaching people personal hygiene and providing household cleaning products, and a birthday box min-

A ministry of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church, Brother’s Keeper operates a thrift store open 9 a.m. to 3p.m. Monday through Saturday, an emergency services office open 9 a.m. to noon Monday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and a soup kitchen serving bagged, to-go lunches every day from noon to 1 p.m. One month before Thanksgiving, Brother’s Keeper collects money to buy bags of groceries for 250 needy families to cook a full course Thanksgiving meal. The soup kitchen collects enough food for a Thanksgiving feast and serves around 450 meals. For Christmas, Brother’s Keeper collects food and toys for more than 300 families, including about 600 children, and donations to buy each family a Christmas ham. Donation of foods such as boxed macaroni, canned vegetables and dessert mixes, along with toys like preschool play sets, scooters and baby dolls, are appreciated. See bkocala. org/holiday-assistance for a full list and other details, or call (352) 6291292. The soup kitchen is on the campus of Interfaith Emergency Services, at 435 NW 2nd St.

St. Theresa Social Services St. Theresa Social Services, a program of St. Theresa Catholic Church, seeks to help anyone in need through services such as utility payments, rent, emergency short-term motel stays, employment assistance, help for the homeless and other financial needs. A holiday clearinghouse outreach coordinates agencies, charities, volunteers and churches desiring to help out families especially during the holidays, with toys, meals and other items. The office is at 11528 US 301, Belleview. Contact Social Services at (352) 345-1359.

Bruce Ackerman

A lighted snowman is shown as James Ponder, a volunteer, carries a couple of bags of food.

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

“The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.” - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971) Publisher Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@magnoliamediaco.com Bruce Ackerman, Photography Editor bruce@ocalagazette.com James Blevins, Reporter james@ocalagazette.com Matthew Cretul, Senior Reporter matthew@ocalagazette.com Sadie Fitzpatrick, Columnist sadie@ocalagazette.com Julie Garisto, Associate Editor julie@magnoliamediaco.com Susan Smiley-Height, Editor susan@magnoliamediaco.com Christopher Smith, Creative Director christopher@ocalagazette.com

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Editorial

COMMENTARY

Gazette Editorial Board Opinion It was a thunderous oratory flourish – the kind that made headlines across the state and the nation. Back in August, in Panama City, Gov. Ron DeSantis took square aim at President Joe Biden and shredded him over his pandemic policies. “I think the question is, we can have a free society, or we can have a biomedical security state,” DeSantis said, “and I can tell you, Florida, we’re a free state. People are going to be free to choose to make their own decisions about themselves, about their families, about their kids’ education.” That will most certainly be a Republican line of attack in 2022 and 2024, and it might just feature DeSantis as the standard bearer: It’s the free state of Florida against the “biomedical security state” of Biden’s America. “If you’re coming after the rights of parents in Florida,” DeSantis rumbled, “I’m standing in your way.” There’s just one problem, DeSantis’ version of freedom includes him deciding which data you have access to in order to draw your own conclusions from. In Marion County over this summer, the state failed to report COVID-19 fatalities directly to us for more than three months as hospitals and morgues filled up. A spokesman for the Florida Department of Health tells us via email: “We were no longer provided that data (on county deaths) as of June 3.” During that three-month summer black out in reporting deaths, Marion County lost almost 700 residents to COVID. The endurance of our hospitals and their ICU’s were stretched— primarily with the unvaccinated. We asked the local health department to help us figure out how many COVID deaths Marion County had experienced in total this year and they were unable to answer the straightforward question. A look through the county’s Facebook page shows they haven’t shared community COVID data through that platform since April. The New York Times COVID data tracker has Marion County holding sixth place in the highest number of deaths per capita for the State of Florida and tenth place for the sheer

number of deaths in our state (1,738) regardless of our county’s population. Which leads us to the question— who should you be relying on to give you information about a more deadly COVID variant that was ravaging our community? The blame game for this goes back and forth, as blame always does. The state shifted its daily reporting to the CDC to a weekly submission, and the CDC failed to adjust to the shift. Blame Washington, blame Tallahassee, blame Atlanta, where the CDC is located. Regardless of fault, the state should have made sure we got the numbers we needed. The free state of Florida went dark on us during the darkest time yet in this pandemic. If we are going to make our own decisions, as the governor promises, we shouldn’t have to make our own data. Withholding information protects us in no way at all; in fact, it suggests the government only wants us to receive good news. The irony is that Gov. DeSantis loves data. In his Panama City speech, he said “the data is clear” about how natural immunity is just as good, if not better, than the vaccine. (The data is actually unclear on that point … but that’s an argument for another editorial.) If the governor wants us to scoot past the liberal media, right to the truth, then he can give us the data. Instead, we got nothing. Gov. DeSantis is about empowering Floridians. But it doesn’t take a quotation on a mural to tell you knowledge is power. When we don’t have the knowledge, we don’t have the power. What else is the state hiding? That’s a question without a satisfying answer, and it shouldn’t be. If you’re one of the people who rightfully ridiculed the disgraced former New York governor for hiding nursing home data, you should probably apply some added scrutiny here at home. If you’re motivated to go to the polls to vote out the Nanny State next year, make sure you’re not being treated like a baby. Could a few Marion County lives have been saved with a little more real-time information? Maybe. We’ll never know.

But what’s the strategy for when the next COVID variant arrives?

QUESTIONS

Who makes up the Gazette Editorial Board? Answer: The editorial board has consistently maintained three to six members, including the publisher. All members are journalists, some of which are not employed by the Gazette. All are committed to maintaining the code of ethics adopted from the Society of Professional Journalism and consider themselves public servants. The editorial board issues opinions only when it feels a subject requires additional explanation due to the complexity of its nature or when there is a community need, sometimes of a sensitive nature, that someone needs to tackle starting the conversation. Opinions are formed after research and debate until the group comes to a consensus. The board holds its duty to Ocala Metro residents sacred. Their goal is always to deliver information that empowers the public to make informed decisions and, some days, hold power accountable. “The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.” - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

COMMENTARY

Get out & vote on November 16 Ocalans came out in record numbers, both at the polls and voteby-mail, for the Sept. 21 mayoral and city council elections. Though there was record-breaking turnout, no one candidate in the District 3 and District 4 races received 50% of the vote, forcing a run-off election for these seats on Nov. 16. Though the turmoil of the initial election is largely behind us, we cannot lose sight that almost half of our city council is still up for choosing. With so many pressing city issues, ranging from determining a possible tax increase to cover the $80 million judgment for the fire assessment fee to developing incentive packages to attract city linemen to better staff Ocala Electric Utilities (OEU), a lot is still at stake and now is not the time for voters to become complacent. The two council members to be elected will face crucial decisions about the future of Ocala that will impact us for years to come. This run-off election provides us with candidates from all walks of life who could bring a variety of experience to the council. Jay Musleh, the District 3 incumbent, has served on council for the last eight years. Born and raised in Ocala, he lists his more than 40 years of banking experience as key to helping manage and oversee the city’s nearly $900 million yearly budget. Musleh is most proud of the development he and the council have brought to the downtown Ocala area, transforming it into a go-to destination for visitors and residents alike.

Meanwhile, Musleh’s opponent, Ty Schlichter, believes the council needs a change in leadership to bring about lasting success. He believes his youth (35) combined with his experience working as vice president of Central Florida Electric make him the best candidate for the District 3 seat. He plans to focus on managed growth of Ocala’s economy and better compensation packages for Ocala’s first responders, if elected. Kristen Dreyer and Lori Martin Gregory survived a crowded contest in September’s election and will face off to represent District 4. Dreyer believes her experience as a local realtor will help her negotiate with both her council colleagues and companies wishing to come to Ocala. She cites the need for full transparency in city government, believing that, in order to maintain their trust, the public should know what is being discussed and how decisions are made by the council. Martin Gregory touts her long Ocala lineage as proof of her devotion to Ocala. Referring to herself as “your hometown girl,” her focus is on protecting small businesses, particularly against vaccine mandates in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic. She believes in responsible urban growth while protecting the small-town charm for which Ocala is known. As of this writing, 8.1% of the 38,464 eligible voters in Ocala have mailed in their ballots. If you haven’t mailed your ballot, do so now. If you’re on the fence about who you should vote for, research these candidates. Call or email them with

your questions. Become an informed voter. We cannot just “like” Facebook posts for a candidate or honk at them as they wave their signs on the corner. We must put pen to paper and vote for whom we believe will best serve the interests of our beloved Ocala. Vote on Nov. 16. It will be 20 minutes out of your day that could affect the next 20 years of Ocala.

Sadie Fitzpatrick Columnist

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

SCHOOL BOARD

REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 33

Incumbent:

Brett Hage, REP (first elected in 2018) Challengers: Marwah, Ashok “Ash” K. (DEM) Current Cash on Hand: Hage – $13,587.64 Marwah – $ 2,396.72

DISTRICT 3

Incumbent:

Eric R. Cummings (Elected 2018) Challengers: None filed as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: Not reported as candidate has not yet formally filed

SENATOR, DISTRICT 5

Incumbent:

Jennifer Bradley, REP

DISTRICT 4

Nancy Thrower (Elected 2018)

(first elected in 2020) Challengers: none as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: $ 62,000.00

Challengers: none filed as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: not reported as candidate has not yet formally filed

Incumbent:

DISTRICT 5

Incumbent:

Kelly King (elected 2018) Challengers: none filed as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: not reported as candidate has not yet formally filed

SENATOR, DISTRICT 8

Keith Perry, REP

Local seats up for re-election in the 2022 elections By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com

COUNTY DISTRICT 2

By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

Incumbent:

Kathy Bryant, REP (first elected in 2010) Challengers: None filed as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: $0

DISTRICT 4

Incumbent:

Carl Zalak, III, REP (first elected in 2010; has not formally filed but plans to) Challengers: None filed as of yet 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: Not reported as candidate has not yet formally filed

COUNTY—GROUP 2

Incumbent:

Lori Cotton (appointed to replace retired Judge Sarah Ritterhoff Williams in 2021)

Challengers: None filed as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: $0

5TH CIRCUIT

5TH CIRCUIT—GROUP 21 Ann Melinda Craggs (appointed Oct. 7, 2014) Challengers: none filed as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: $0

COUNTY—GROUP 1

5TH CIRCUIT—GROUP 29

James McCune

Peter M. Brigham

Incumbent:

(elected 2002, 2004, 2010, 2016) Challengers: none filed as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: $0

REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 20

Incumbent:

Yvonne Hayes Hinson, DEM (first elected in 2020)

Challengers: none as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: $0

Robert W. Hodges

Incumbent:

JUDGES

STATE

Incumbent:

(elected Aug. 30, 2016) Challengers: none filed as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: $0

Challengers: Rodney Long (DEM), Adam Paul Stout (DEM) Current Cash on Hand: Perry – $95,213.20; Long – $111.40; Stout – $0.00

SENATOR, DISTRICT 12

and

COMMISSION

(first elected in 2016)

REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 22

Incumbent:

Joe Harding, REP (first elected in 2020) Challengers: Byram, Barbara (DEM) Current Cash on Hand: Harding – $45,352.29; Byram –$179.00

REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 23

Incumbent:

(appointed Feb. 14, 2017) Challengers: None filed as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: $0

(first elected in 2016) Challengers: none as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: $ 23,602.49

Stan McClain, REP

Incumbent:

Dennis Baxley, REP (first elected in 2016) Challengers: none as of 11/2 Current Cash on Hand: $26,759.36

FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 3

Incumbent:

Kat Cammack, REP (elected 2020) Challengers: Justin Waters (REP); Tom Wells (DEM) Current Cash on Hand: Cammack -$416,095.82; Waters -$7,493.31; Wells -$790.81

REPRESENTATIVE, DISTRICT 11

Incumbent:

Daniel Webster, REP (elected 2020) Challengers: Al Deno (REP); Lateresa Jones (REP); Laura Loomer (REP); Johnathan Puzio (IND); Eliyahu Soriano (REP) Current Cash on Hand: Webster–$312,933.55; Deno–$0; Jones–$0; Loomer–$70,821.36; Puzio–$0; Soriano–$0

Book program moves forward for struggling readers By Ryan Daile Florida News Service A state-backed program designed to help struggling elementary-school readers by delivering free books to their homes is set to start shipping books next month, and eligible families are being encouraged to sign up. The New Worlds Reading Initiative is a more than $200 million investment by the state to boost literacy in students who read below grade level. Lawmakers passed a bill (HB 3) to create and fund the program during this spring’s legislative session, fulfilling a priority of House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the measure in July. The University of Florida’s Lastinger Center for Learning, which was chosen to administer the program, has distributed to school districts about 700,000 fliers that include information on how to sign up for book delivery. The districts provide data to the university to identify eligible students based on reading scores. An estimated 545,000 Florida families will qualify to receive books, according to the Lastinger Center. Families that sign up will receive nine books a year through the program, meaning the program could deliver up to 5 million books annually. So far, about 30,000 families have enrolled after a sign-up period opened on Oct. 12. “Our goal is to get the word out to as many families as possible. We know that there are over 500,000 eligible students in our state who would qualify for participation in this program,” Shaunte Duggins, the program’s

assistant director at the Lastinger Center, told The News Service of Florida in an interview Monday. To be eligible, students in kindergarten through fifth-grade must be identified as “having a substantial deficiency” in reading based on standardized test scores and other performance benchmarks. The book-delivery program aims to help tackle an issue that lawmakers and top education officials see as a key to young students’ success as they later move into high school and potentially higher education. The House Education & Employment Committee heard a presentation Tuesday about how the program is being carried out. “I want to remind the committee, too, that the reason that we’re doing this is because right now, on average, 43 percent of children in Florida in third grade are not reading on thirdgrade reading level,” said Rep. Dana Trabulsy, a Fort Pierce Republican who sponsored the bill during the spring session. According to the Lastinger Center, more than 50 percent of third- through fifth-grade students are eligible in 22 of Florida’s 67 counties. The three districts with the largest numbers of eligible students are Miami-Dade County at more than 31,200, Broward County at 25,000 and Hillsborough County at more than 23,600. Three rural North Florida school districts have the highest percentages of students eligible to receive the free books. About 74 percent of Gadsden County students are eligible, followed by 70 percent in Jefferson County and 69 percent in Hamilton County. State Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran highlighted

efforts to boost third-grade reading scores during a speech to the Florida Chamber of Commerce last week. “It is the single most important, in my opinion, crisis point that has to be fixed if we’re going to survive for another 200 years” as a nation, Corcoran said. “And all things go to that singular point.” Enrollment for the New Worlds Reading Initiative is being offered online at the program’s website. But the Lastinger Center also hopes to reach eligible families who may not have access to the internet. “Beyond this year, we plan to offer paper-based enrollment to make sure that we’re getting access to all the families that may have trouble accessing this online,” Lastinger Center Director Phillip Poekert told lawmakers Tuesday. The program also hopes to reach students who are homeless or transient and migrant families. Duggins said the program’s goal for recipients of the free books is to help build a “home library” that will encourage students to read with parents or guardians. “There’s nothing like reading with

a hard-copy book,” Duggins told the News Service. “We know from the research that when families engage in literacy-specific activities with their kids ... there are impacts on their achievement.” Parents are asked during the signup process to give a students’ reading preferences by topics and genres, such as fiction or nonfiction, to tailor books to the students’ interests. The state is contracting with children’s book publisher Scholastic to provide the books, and Poekert said Florida became the company’s “biggest customer” through the agreement. “They (Scholastic) won on the merits, in terms of our confidence in their ability to deliver against this pretty high-profile and very fastmoving initiative, to be able to serve at a large scale,” Poekert said of the Lastinger Center’s contracting process. amoving initiative, to be able to serve at a large scale,” Poekert said of the Lastinger Center’s contracting process.

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

You asked ...

OPINION

Letter to the Editor

... we answered

DEAR READERS: The Gazette this week received a letter in response to the Oct. 29th article about this weekend’s 37th annual Ocklawaha River Raid at the Florida Horse Park, which commemorates the only Civil War skirmish to take place in Marion County.

The letter writer, retired Presbyterian minister and local community activist Bruce Seamon, expressed concern that many details of the March 1865 raid were left out of the story, particularly that the Union troops were Black.

elections audited?

A: Yes. The only exception to the

Here’s Seamon’s letter, which was edited for clarity and length:

Marshall Plantation Raid Early and even recent versions of the Marshall Plantation Raid in March 1865 erased an amazing account which begs to be told. In Feb. 2016, a local Ocala-based reporter working on a story about a missing historical marker on County Road 314, discovered a letter written by Sgt. Henry S. Hermaan, who was among the raiders and gave his written account just weeks afterward to The Christian Recorder, the journal of the AME Church in Philadelphia. Capt. J.J. Dickison’s account of the event in his volume entitled Florida in the Civil War, published around 1890, was also discovered. There were also Union records of the event in other publications as well. The result is a very different story from the early versions. The Union raiders were roughly 30 Black soldiers on a mission one month before the end of the war, who traveled by boat from Jacksonville down the St Johns River at night, hiding by day. Led by Sergeant Major Henry James, the soldiers land at Fort Gates, hide their pontoon boats, and then travel 30 miles overland through the scrub and cross over near the Marshall Bridge, near the present day Sharpes Ferry Bridge at the Ocklawaha River. There, they encounter a group of Home Guardsmen and exchange gunfire, with two guardsmen killed. The Union troops proceed to raid the Marshall Plantation, taking wagons, horses, and goods, plus freeing 94 slaves and taking several prisoners. They burn the plantation to the ground.

Q: Are all (Municipal, State, Federal)

An abortive probe at the nearby Holley Plantation puts a 6-man raider team into an ambush which kills Sergeant Gray and two scouts are captured. The troops then cross the bridge, burn it down and then head toward Fort Gates with the goal of reaching the Union garrison in St Augustine. Near Salt Springs, the group is beset by Home Guard volunteers who are no match for seasoned Union soldiers and are driven off. The Union troops and their caravan reach Fort Gates and cross the St. Johns River using its ferry, and then race towards St Augustine. Meanwhile, Capt. J. J. Dickison, known as the “Swamp Fox of the Confederacy,” of Company H, 2nd Florida Cavalry gets word about the raid at his base in Waldo and gives pursuit. Outside Ocala, he is told the raiders are gone, having crossed the St. Johns River. Dickison and his 50-man unit turn and head back to Palatka, but bad weather forces a 10-hour delay in crossing the river, giving the fleeing caravan precious time. The delay gives the Union caravan a 25-30mile lead, but they’re on foot. Dickison and his men are on horses and quickly gain ground on the federal group. Within about a mile of St. Augustine, roughly 20 slaves keep Dickison and his men occupied long enough to allow the group to safely reach the garrison, with a wagon, horses, mules, goods, captives, and most importantly 74 freed slaves. The journey from the plantation to St. Augustine took three days, done without provisions. The story is a stunning tale of crazy bravery, remarkable endurance, and wildly good fortune.

statutory audit procedure is when a particular race comes in close, triggering a recount.

When and how does the audit take place? During publically noticed meetings the Canvassing Board randomly selects contest results including “election-day, vote-by-mail, early voting, provisional, and overseas ballots” from “at least 1 percent but no more than 2 percent of the precincts” for audit. These proceedings are conducted publicly and the Supervisor of Elections, Wesley Wilcox, says all observers are welcome. The Supervisor of Election’s office has already published the schedule of the Canvassing Board’s meetings to audit the city’s runoff election.

Here’s the schedule ■ NOV. 15TH at 9 am the canvassing board will consder vote by mail ballots received through November 12th. ■ NOV. 16TH at 5pm, the board will remain in session to oversee the conduct of the election until election night activities are concluded. ■ NOV. 18TH they meet at 5:01 pm to canvass ballots, file official results, and randomly select the race to audit. ■ NOV. 19TH at 2 pm to conduct the voting system audit. All meetings take place at the office of the Supervisor of Elections, located at 981 NE 16th Street, Ocala.

THE CANVASSING BOARD for this runoff election is comprised of Angel Jacobs, City Clerk for Ocala, Robert Batsel, Jr., attorney for the City of Ocala and Wesley Wilcox, as the Supervisor of Elections. How or who established the audit requirement and procedure? The audit procedures are outlined in Florida Statute §101.591. Ocala Gazette Staff

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NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

The deathly 2021 summer of COVID-19 Continued from page A1 affects the general public,” Kuhn pointed out. Not only did the inability to access timely and accurate information erode public trust, Kuhn also said not seeing death statistics specifically has the potential to hinder medical providers when they are trying to make the most informed decision they can for their patients. “During the death data blackout, healthcare providers were not able to answer questions regarding fatality rates, which makes it more difficult to help patients with lifestyle risk assessments. While the state continued to release statewide death totals, no further demographic breakdown was provided, rendering epidemiological analyses impossible. That is certainly not ideal during the worst peak of the entire pandemic,” Kuhn explained. Kuhn cautioned that just because COVID numbers are declining right now, we shouldn’t take that to necessarily mean the worst has passed. Instead, he said, we should stay vigilant, watching what the data tell us. “Death data will always be a lagging statistic. This is due to strict qualification criteria that require time-consuming medical record reviews at the state and/or federal level. Because of this, death data can never be reported reliably in real-time. The final accurate death totals will lag two to four weeks behind the actual date of death during low points during a pandemic and may lag as long as eight weeks during the peaks when the death toll is so high,” Kuhn described. While Florida state-level governmental officials were privy to accurate and updated data, Bill Thompson, the public information officer for the Florida Department of Health in Marion County, stated in an email that, locally, health department officials were no longer provided death-related data as of June 3, which is around the time Florida

switched from daily to weekly reporting of COVID-related statistics. That also was just before the deadly Delta variant began infecting people in the state.

DELTA ARRIVES IN MARION COUNTY Kuhn detailed how and when the Delta variant arrived locally, and the toll it took on residents. “By early June, Marion County had 996 confirmed deaths due to COVID-19. As of last week, the CDC reports that Marion County had 1,568 deaths. The Delta surge began in early July and ended in early October. Over that 90-day time period, Marion County had 572 deaths, or an annual fatality rate of more than 2,000 deaths a year, which would make COVID the leading cause of death in Marion County by far,” he described. Kyle Johnson, the operations manager for Roberts of Ocala Funerals and Cremations, said they saw a difference between the spikes in cases during the winter of 2020 and this summer. “So, the Delta variant actually seemed to come to Marion County, or hit Marion County, a lot faster than the original COVID strain. We actually spiked significantly in August, really, and I know that the county as a whole got hit pretty hard in August and September, in particular,” he relayed. Steve Tweedle, general manager of Hiers-Baxley

Marion County’s COVID numbers continued their sustained decline last week as the county registered 252 new cases, according to figures released by the Florida Department of Health Friday evening, down from 313 cases the previous week. Further, the county positivity rate and cases per 100,000 also fell. The positivity rate dropped from 5.6% to 4.9% and the cases per 100,000 went from 84.0 to 67.7. The state as a whole recorded 15,314 new cases of COVID-19 during the week of Oct 15 to Oct 21, as statewide cases continued their sustained descent as well. Florida has not registered an increase in cases since the weeks of Aug. 13 to Aug. 20, when cases went from 149,714 on the 13th to 151,715 on the 20th. Vaccination rates dropped too, as the state recorded administering 229,389 doses. Overall county

hospitalization numbers dropped from last week, but the percentage of COVID patients in the ICU rose slightly. Health and Human Services data show 86% of all inpatient beds in the county are occupied, down from 88% the previous report, with COVID-19 patients making up 6% of the inpatient population, down from 10% previously reported. Additionally, HHS data shows 88% of all ICU beds are occupied, and COVID-19 patients make up 11% of those in the ICU. Last week’s numbers showed 90% of all ICU beds were occupied, but COVID-19 patients made up only 10% of those in the ICU. According to recently released CDC data, there were 694 deaths in the county, which ranks Marion 6 out of the 67 Florida counties for most COVID deaths per 100,000 since June 5th with 186.3 deaths per 100,000 residents. Moreover, Marion County reported 1,690 total deaths due to COVID since the

as long, it was significant.” “We’ve seen a marked decrease in COVID cases over the last probably two to three weeks,” Tweedle remarked. “It’s almost like it stopped. And I would say that we’re kind of, we’re back to ‘normal.’ We’re back to where I would anticipate us to be on a normal year.” But just because the cases are declining, the ICUs are emptying and life slowly returns to normal, Kuhn says there will be a lasting effect thanks to Delta. “Working in the hospital during the peak of the Delta surge had profound effects on many nurses and other healthcare workers who lost young patients at a rate far higher than has been experienced in the last 100 years. The only exception would be during World War II and other times of war. Some nurses have already or will be, diagnosed with PTSD as a result of their COVID experiences.” Johnson says the experiences Delta brought to Marion County and his industry won’t soon be forgotten. “Funeral directors are very good with what they do. And most of the time, you just kind of have to be able to disconnect from it. But it’s a lot easier to create a disconnect when you know that the person who was on the other end lived a full life and they were 89 years old…. whereas when you’re meeting with a 38-year-old widow, all she’s going to think about and talk about is, you know, the things that they never got to do. How unexpected it was, things like that. So that can be very taxing,” he opined. Tweedle wants the public to know just how hard everyone worked as Delta tore through Marion County. “It’s important for people to understand how much the different facilities that they chose to use, whether it be hospitals, or funeral homes or whatever, how much the staff really stepped up. I think it’s very, very important for people to understand that,” Tweedle said.

which is being cremation or burial,” Johnson continued. Both Hiers-Baxley and Roberts of Ocala have agreements with local hospitals to hold any individuals who pass away without funeral arrangements in place. They also have agreements with smaller funeral homes in the area to utilize their storage and cooling facilities until the smaller organizations are able to perform whatever is necessary to prepare the decedent. Due to the growing number of COVID-related deaths and the delays in paperwork processing, both Hiers-Baxley and Roberts of Ocala were forced to turn to refrigerated tractor-trailers in order to keep up with the rapidly growing demand. “We did end up bringing in some extra refrigeration units,” Tweedle said. “And for us, it wasn’t a scrambling type of an issue. We were watching everything and we were able to react.”

DELTA MOVES ON BUT LEAVES BEHIND A LEGACY When asked to compare Delta’s arrival to previous COVID surges, Johnson was quick to describe the difference between the surges. “I think that it felt like Marion County was heavier affected on the Delta variant than we were on the 2020 spike,” he mentioned. “It seemed like that Delta variant, though it didn’t last

Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette

Refrigeration truck at Hiers-Baxley on Silver Springs Blvd. on Oct. 20, 2021.

COVID UPDATE By Matthew Cretul matthew@ocalagazette.com

Funeral Services, agreed. He said Delta was different than previous increases in cases. “We experienced what everyone else was experiencing in that timeframe. It was a pretty steep increase at a fairly quick pace,” he said. Locally, as well as nationally, numerous businesses felt the effects of COVID as the pandemic wore on. This was especially true of funeral homes, as they were forced to contend with the growing number of deaths. “When more than 150 residents die each month due to COVID, combined with the expected fatalities from all causes other than COVID, local funeral homes are expected to face significant challenges handling the increased volume. Rarely would a county with a population density as low as Marion County experience a per capita fatality rate as high as we did,” Kuhn said. The increased volume of deaths in hospitals led to logistical issues, and Johnson details exactly how. “You can’t cremate until the death certificates are filed. Part of the death certificate being filed is the doctor has to sign off on a cause of death,” he explained. “While the doctors are dealing with the same stresses that the funeral homes are dealing with and they get behind on their paperwork, which is understandable…but when they get behind that puts the entire process behind of getting a loved one from being into our care to actually getting to their final position,

Marion’s COVID, hospital numbers down again, but deaths per 100k within the county rose New reported Covid-19 cases per week

Aug. 27:

3,500

3,228

3,000 2,500 2,000

June 25- Oct. 29

Oct. 29:

1,500 1,000

June 25:

500

Source: Marion County Health Department

230

JUNE

16 JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER Christopher Smith/OG

pandemic began. No other county in the top ten has over 1,000, with the next closest being St. Lucie County with 979 total deaths. Further, of the top ten counties in Florida, Marion has the 3rd highest total COVID deaths per 100,000. The county has reported 453.7 deaths per 100,000 residents, behind Citrus County (500.9 per 100,000)

and St. Lucie County (523.5). MCPS Update MCPS recorded just 18 total new cases for the week of Oct. 16 – Oct. 22, with all 18 cases being students confirmed COVID-19 positive by the Florida Department of Health in Marion County. No employees were among the confirmed cases. The figures, released Monday afternoon, are less

than half of the 41 cases reported on Oct. 16, and 49 cases reported on Oct. 11. Quarantine numbers were down as well, with MCPS reporting only 57 students and employees were quarantined due to direct contact with someone testing positive for COVID-19. The quarantines included 54 students and only 3 district employees.

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Florida-breds poised for Breeders’ Cup Continued from A1 Classic winner and saddled last year’s Classic winner Authentic. “I really can’t do anything about the draw (post position No. 8). The break is always important, so that might help determine how the race shapes up.” In addition to his Kentucky Derby triumph in May, Medina Spirit most recently annexed the Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita in his final prep race for Saturday’s Classic. With Horse of the Year implications on the line in the Classic, Medina Spirit will be ridden by his regular jockey John Velazquez. “There’s speed in the race, but I don’t know if there’s Knicks Gotype speed,” said Young. “Obviously, Medina Spirit’s a fast horse and Hot Rod Charlie’s not a slow horse, but Knicks Go is a very fast horse. You couldn’t ask for Medina Spirit to be in better hands than Johnny V’s. I don’t think he needs the lead to run well. I find it hard to believe a horse with his desire to win has to have the lead to do it. Usually, he’s fast enough to be in front. If he wins the race, I don’t know how you cannot vote him Horse of the Year, I really don’t.” Florida-breds appear to hold a strong hand in the $1 million Turf Sprint, with the formidable duo of Golden Pal, the 7-2 morningline favorite, and Extravagant Kid headlining the five-furlong sprint on the grass. Three-year-old colt Golden Pal will be seeking his second consecutive Breeders’ Cup victory after winning last year’s Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) at Keeneland. Owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, Golden Pal began his 2021 campaign with a three-length victory in the Quick Call Stakes (G3) at Saratoga in July. Following an uncharacteristic seventh-place finish in a Grade 1 stakes in England in August, he returned to the U.S. and captured the Woodford Stakes (G2)

at Keeneland on Oct. 9, defeating Extravagant Kid by 2 ¼ lengths. Bred in Florida by Randall Lowe, Golden Pal is by perennial leading sire Uncle Mo out of the multiple stakeswinning dam Lady Shipman, by Midshipman, an earner of $902,387 in a spectacular racing career for Lowe’s Ranlo Investments. Golden Pal comes by his affinity for the turf naturally, as his dam was an 11-time stakeswinning turf sprinter. Extravagant Kid, the veteran of the group at age 8, finished fourth in the Turf Sprint a year ago. The world traveler won the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint (G1) at Meydan in the United Arab Emirates in March and followed that outing with a third-place finish in the King’s Stand Stakes (G1) at Ascot in England. He most recently finished second behind Golden Pal in Keeneland’s Woodford Stakes in his tune-up for Saturday’s race. All told, Extravagant Kid, who was bred by Vicino Racing Stable and is owned by DARRS Inc., has won 15 races from 53 starts and has bankrolled $1,674,733 for his connections. He is by Kiss the Kid out of the With Distinction mare Pretty Extravagant. “We’re pretty hopeful about Saturday,” said Extravagant Kid’s trainer Brendan Walsh earlier this week. “He’s fit and ready to go. He likes Del Mar. He’s an old pro at this point. At 8 years old, he’s clever and knows the drill. He’s a pretty cool horse.” Leading sprinters Firenze Fire and C Z Rocket will contest the $2 million Sprint. Firenze Fire, owned and bred by Mr. Amore Stable, is a son of Poseidon’s Warrior. Now a 6-yearold, Firenze Fire has been a leading sprinter in the division throughout his lucrative career. The hard-knocking Florida-bred is a winner in 14 of 37 career starts and he totes a bankroll of $2,710,350 into Saturday’s Sprint for trainer Kelly Breen. Firenze Fire’s pair of stakes wins in 2021 came in the Runhappy Stakes

The Associated Press

John Velazquez rides Medina Spirit across the finish line to win the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Saturday, May 1, 2021.

(G3) and the True North Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park over the summer in New York, although he hasn’t found the winner’s circle since then. He finished third in the Sprint last year behind Whitmore and C Z Rocket. C Z Rocket, an $800,000 OBS graduate in 2016, won back-toback stakes earlier this year and finished second in the Sprint last year at Keeneland, beaten just 3 ¼ lengths by Whitmore. Owned by Tom Kagele, Gary Barber, Madaket Stables and Altamira Racing, C Z Rocket, a durable 7-year-old gelding by City Zip out of the Successful Appeal Successful Sarah, has won 11 of 29 career starts and has amassed $1,491,641 in earnings. He is trained by Peter Miller and was bred by Farm III Enterprises LLC. “He likes this racetrack,” Peter Miller said of C Z Rocket. “He’s doing well and deserves a chance in here.” Kicking off festivities on the first day of the Breeders’ Cup, known as Future Stars Friday, is Florida-bred Pappacap. The 2-year-old colt is from the initial crop of Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Gun Runner and is trained by Ocala’s Mark Casse.

Owned and bred by George and Karen Russell’s Rustlewood Farm, Pappacap won the first two starts of his young career by open lengths, including a sharp 4 ¾-length score in the Best Pal Stakes (G2) at Del Mar. He most recently finished a game second to Corniche—expected to be one of the favorites in the Juvenile— in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita. In addition to the Florida-breds participating in racing’s championship event, OBS will be represented in the Breeders’ Cup by 21 sale graduates, highlighted by Medina Spirit in the Classic and the highly regarded Corniche in the Juvenile (G1). Corniche was purchased for a saletopping $1,500,000 out of this year’s Spring Sale, where he was consigned by de Meric Sales. The Breeders’ Cup will be televised on NBC Sports beginning at 5 p.m. E.T. on Friday. The first portion of Saturday’s program will air on NBC Sports starting at 2:30 p.m. E.T. before switching over to NBC at 8 p.m. E.T.

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

State News Accrediting Agency Eyes Investigation of UF By Ryan Dailey Florida News Service

the professors that they would be prohibited from testifying in the case. According to the court document, the university told the professors that “outside activities that may pose a conflict of interest to the executive branch of the state of Florida create a conflict” for the university. The university’s stance garnered national headlines over the weekend. Belle Wheelan, president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, said Monday her organization is asking University of Florida President Kent Fuchs for an explanation. “We are following our ‘unsolicited information policy’ and investigating the issue. It involves a letter to the president asking for information to verify or clarify the news media’s account of what happened. From there, we will decide if there are any non-compliance issues,” Wheelan told The News Service of Florida in an email. The University of Florida issued a statement over the weekend saying that the school “has a long track record of supporting free speech and our faculty’s academic freedom.” The university disputed that the professors’ First Amendment rights were being violated. “Rather, the university denied requests of these full-time employees to undertake outside paid work that is adverse to the university’s interests as a state of Florida institution. ” the

The accrediting organization for the University of Florida has taken preliminary steps that could lead to a probe into whether the university faces “non-compliance issues” over its decision to block three professors from serving as expert witnesses in a high-profile voting rights lawsuit. With an investigation looming, the university clarified that the political science professors would be allowed to testify as plaintiffs’ witnesses if they don’t get paid or use school resources. Professors Daniel Smith, Michael McDonald and Sharon Austin were set to testify as plaintiffs’ witnesses in a federal lawsuit challenging a new Florida election law that, in part, makes it harder for people to vote by mail. Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed the measure (SB 90) during the 2021 legislative session this spring, fulfilling a priority of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The lawsuit filed in May on behalf of the groups Florida Rising Together, Faith in Florida, UnidosUS, the Equal Ground Education Fund, the Hispanic Federation and Poder Latinx, contends that the changes dealing with issues such as voting by mail could curtail voting by Black and Latino residents. A document filed by the plaintiffs on Friday said the university notified

statement said. The university later clarified its position. “It is worth noting, the university views the professors’ request as a request to be paid to testify against the state, and the university, as a public institution, is part of the state -- therefore, that would be adverse to the university’s interests. However, to be clear, if the professors wish to do so pro bono on their own time without using university resources, they would be free to do so,” university officials said in a statement provided to the News Service Monday. But McDonald indicated that the university’s objections to the professors acting as expert witnesses was not related to their compensation. “Lots of folks asking what if we do the work pro bono? Our compensation was not given as a reason in the original disapproval from UF. That is new language the university added in its PR statement,” McDonald tweeted Saturday. The document filed by the plaintiffs Friday noted that University of Florida professors have “historically been approved to serve as experts in numerous other cases both on behalf of and adverse to the state of Florida before” and alleged that the university’s objections were specifically related to the 2021 election law. Higher-education advocacy group The Foundation for Individual Rights

in Education is backing the professors. “The profound civic importance of fair trials requires the ability of fact and expert witnesses to come forward to testify truthfully without fear that their government employer might retaliate against them. Public university faculty are no exception. We call on UF to reverse course immediately,” the organization said in a statement Saturday. A coalition of 36 academic political scientists from across the nation penned an open letter calling on the university to reverse its decision, saying that the school displayed “a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of expert witnesses in electionrelated litigation.” “In denying these professors the ability to offer evidence and testimony to a federal court and prohibiting them from answering empirical questions about the effects of voting law changes, the university is acting as if faculty are agents of the current leadership of Florida state government,” the letter said. On Monday, University President Kent Fuchs and Joe Glover, the school’s provost and senior academic affairs vice president, posted a message on the UF website Monday announcing the formation of the task force to explore the university’s conflict of interest.

Lung Awareness Proclamation By The Cancer Alliance of Marion County

the Cancer Alliance will attend the county commissioners’ meeting as the board announces a proclamation highlighting lung cancer awareness. We encourage you to discover more about how you can save a family member, friend, loved one, or your own self. Right now, only 20 percent of individuals who qualify for screening are actually getting screened. The Cancer Alliance has partnered with the Suwanee River Area Health Education Center’s tobacco cessation groups to further connect people with navigators in an effort to encourage screenings and eliminate barriers when possible. Screenings are covered by most major health plans if you meet the criteria. Medicaid covers screenings. If you are uninsured or underinsured you can access primary care through the Heart of Florida or Langley Health. In addition, there are also payment plans/self-pay pricing available at Advanced Imaging (total cost is estimated at $200.00). The Cancer Alliance of Marion

Many people hear the term “breast cancer” and immediately see pink and think mammogram, early detection, and survivor walks. Sadly, when we hear “lung cancer,” we aren’t nearly as optimistic. In Marion County most lung cancers are discovered at Stage IV, when 5-year survival drops significantly to merely 10 percent. The Cancer Alliance of Marion County is excited because we finally see a way to improve this statistic! New screening standards that include low-dose CT imaging help us detect potential lung cancers very early. For instance, with an early stage I lung cancer, sometimes a tumor can simply be removed without the need for chemo or radiation therapy in order to survive. Let that sink in a minute. Screening for lung cancer can SAVE A LIFE. Of course, you would make this decision with your physician’s guidance. On November 2nd, Marion County’s healthcare community and

County is a committee that falls under the 501(c)(3) HUGs Charities. HUGs Charities offers financial assistance to people facing cancer who are struggling financially, through programs that help them meet urgent non-medical expenses. HUGs/CAMC thanks Robert Boissoneault Oncology Institute for being a community partner for over 6 years.

Donate: If you want to donate to help support people with cancer please visit https://www.hugscharities.org/ Lung Screening: https:// go2foundation.org/risk-earlydetection/about-screening/ Tobacco Cessation: https://srahec.org/ group-cessation/ Get Involved: Register as a member at https://canceralliancemc.org/ For more information contact Rhoda Walkup of Robert Boissoneault Oncology Institute, cellphone: 352.362.6036

Bruce Ackerman

Health representatives for the American Lung Association receives a Proclamation for Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

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State News Virtual School Growth Spurs Debate on Funding By Ryan Dailey Florida News Service The COVID-19 pandemic prompted skyrocketing student enrollment in virtual education, putting a spotlight on competition among Florida providers --- and igniting a debate about whether lawmakers should tweak the way public schools are funded as more students take classes online. “It is a fair question that a 45-yearold funding formula that was designed in a world of zero school choice of any kind, not choice schools, not charter schools, not virtual schools, not private schools, it was ‘you will go to your neighborhood school and like it,’ does that funding formula still work in a world where more and more families are availing themselves of choice? I would argue that it doesn’t,” House PreK-12 AppropriationsChairman Randy Fine told The News Service of Florida in an interview Thursday. Florida students have several virtual-school options. The state offers full- or part-time instruction through Florida Virtual School, the oldest and largest online provider. Students also can enroll in virtual charter schools, and school districts can contract to use the Florida Virtual School model, create their own virtual schools or contract with private virtual providers. Because virtual education has no defined borders, families can choose to enroll their students in virtual schools anywhere in the state. But during the legislative session that ended in April, lawmakers put a cap on how many out-of-district students a county school district’s virtual program can accept. Under the change, the number of

out-of-county students enrolled in a district’s virtual program cannot be more than 50 percent of the number of enrolled virtual students who live in the district. The new policy applies to contracts signed after June 30 and was not applied retroactively. Last week, Fine raised a concern to his House panel about students enrolling in district virtual schools outside of the counties where they live. Fine, for example, said 96 percent of students enrolled in the Hendry County district’s virtual school last school year were from different counties. The roughly 5,700 students who attended Hendry County’s virtual school made up about 42 percent of the district’s total student enrollment. “School districts are created for the benefit of the families and children living in that district. That’s their primary beneficiary. And when 40 percent of your students aren’t even from your school district anymore, and that could easily exceed 50 percent, are you actually working for the benefit of the families that you serve?” Fine said. Fine said he called attention to the situation involving Hendry County to illustrate “problems” with the Florida Education Finance Program, or FEFP, which is the main funding system for public schools. “Students are funded by state and local funds. Every one of those (virtual) students that’s coming to Hendry County from another county is bringing their state funds with them, but they’re not bringing their local funds with them. So, Hendry local funds are having to be spent over many more students than there are actually families being taxed in

Hendry County,” Fine said. Fine said looking at the FEFP and how it funds virtual schools will be a focus during the 2022 legislative session, which starts Jan. 11. But he said “what we’re going to do about it remains to be seen.” In the meantime, he characterized his concerns with virtual school funding as being about “laundering” students from across the state. “Should virtual schools be run through school districts where students have to be laundered? Or should this be centralized and done on a statewide level?” Fine said, floating the idea that all virtual school options should be “run centrally” and accessed on a statewide platform like Florida Virtual School. Jim Horne, a former state education commissioner and state senator, said he agrees with Fine that school funding might need to be modernized to account for virtual education. But he pushed back on Fine’s framing that districts like Hendry are “laundering” students through virtual schools. “The waters get a little bit muddy when you get into virtual, because virtual knows no boundaries. That’s the beauty of virtual education, you do not have jurisdictional lines drawn around a mythical county line,” said Horne, a lobbyist whose clients include Stride, Inc., a private virtual instruction provider. Horne recalled watching the advent of virtual education in the state and the growth of Florida Virtual School through the early 2000s. Over the next two decades, lawmakers opened the door for increased competition through allowing other providers to enter the market. “Quite frankly, each and every one

made everyone better,” Horne said of virtual-school providers that set up shop in Florida. Horne defended Hendry County’s virtual school, arguing that the district is doing what past legislatures encouraged: competing. “Hendry stepped up in a big way and offered their little program statewide, and they had huge success. It feels like in some ways they’re being punished or being misaligned with what their motivations were. We heard comments that they’re laundering students. If meeting Florida parents’ needs is laundering students, then they are laundering students, but they’re doing what everybody asked all of our leaders to do,” Horne said. Horne, who is a certified public accountant, said he understands that a rapid enrollment increase in a district’s virtual program would give pause to lawmakers who craft the state budget. But he doesn’t agree with capping out-of-county students in districts’ virtual schools. “This is probably the first major reversal of education policy in a very long time. Generally we keep moving forward, taking quantum leaps, particularly with private vouchers. This is the first time that I can remember, of a major step back,” he said. While lawmakers are poised to look at funding and enrollment in county virtual schools, Florida Virtual School has launched a program to expand beyond state lines and internationally. Florida Virtual School this month launched a program called FlexPoint Education Cloud, which allows schools and districts from other states and elsewhere in the world to contract with the Florida-based provider for its online curriculum. “Soon after I got here in 2019, we started to discuss the option of having an outward-facing brand for outside of Florida. And the pandemic kind of made it all coalesce, so the idea at the time was to finally get it done,” Florida Virtual School President and CEO Louis Algaze told the News Service this week. Algaze said schools in states like Alaska contracted with the virtual school for curriculum and training for teachers. With the revenue generated by those contracts, Algaze said Florida Virtual School can improve its services. “We generate revenues outside of Florida, we bring it back into Florida, and we use it to improve our curriculum, to update our curriculum,” Algaze said.

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NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Briefs CITY AND COUNTY RENEW THEIR CONTRACTS WITH THE CEP COUNTY The county renewed their annual contract for $300,000 with the Ocala Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP) on Oct. 18 meeting and the city also renewed their annual contract with the CEP for $190,000 at a Nov. 2 meeting. The contracts were passed unanimously by both boards, without discussion except for Mayor Kent Guinn asked a question about what the target salary was in the CEP’s job creation efforts. Joe Reichel, Director of Business Advocacy & Outreach for the CEP indicated the goal was to draw businesses to the area that would offer 15% above the average local salary- or $46,000.

OCALA SOUTH TOWNHOMES Longreen Farm Inc.’s request for the rezoning of a 36-acre tract in order to establish a multi-family townhome rental community was approved on Oct. 19 by Marion County Commission. The rental community would include up to 280-attached townhome units with “cottage style” housing consisting of 3/2 and 2/2 townhome layouts, according to the applicant’s request. The subject parcel is located on the east side of S.W. 60th Avenue and south of S.W. 52nd Street, approximately one mile north of S.R. 200. No members of the public commented on the agenda item prior to it being passed. It was passed in a unanimous 5-0 vote.

WILL THE LIFE OF VISIT FLORIDA BE EXTENDED? FLORIDA NEWS SERVICE—Senate Commerce and Tourism Chairman Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, started to move forward Tuesday with his proposal to extend the life of Florida’s tourismmarketing agency into the next decade. The Commerce and Tourism

Committee unanimously approved the proposal (SB 434), which would extend from Oct. 1, 2023, to Oct. 1, 2031, the “sunset” date for Visit Florida. Visit Florida has been leading efforts to draw tourists back to the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, said Visit Florida is needed to help offset negative media attention following crises. Phillip Suderman, policy director for the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity-Florida, argued to the contrary, saying the role of government should be to focus on core functions needed to operate, which does not include tourism marketing. Hooper’s bill will need to be approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee before going to the full Senate during the legislative session that will start Jan. 11. A House version has not been filed. Without an extension, Visit Florida, which has faced opposition in the past from House leaders, would cease operating on Oct. 1, 2023. Visit Florida is seeking $50 million in next year’s state budget. The agency received $80 million from the Legislature for the current year, which included $30 million from federal stimulus programs.

FLORIDA GASOLINE PRICES STABILIZE After increasing earlier in October, gasoline prices stabilized in Florida last week, according to the AAA auto club. The average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline was $3.31 on Sunday, virtually unchanged from a week earlier. That was up from about $3.06 a month ago, AAA said. “Although oil prices remain elevated, they seem to have leveled off, which helped prevent any additional spikes at the pump last week,” AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said in a prepared statement. “Drivers could see another week of stagnant gas prices, unless there are any big shifts in what has become an extremely tight crude oil market.” AAA said the price of crude oil increased 12 percent in October, leading to higher gasoline prices.

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Child struck by car, killed in Marion County By Julie Garisto Ocala Gazette A 10-year-old boy was struck by a vehicle and killed while walking to his bus stop on Wednesday morning. Ja’siah Williams, a fifthgrade student at ReddickCollier Elementary School, died from injuries incurred during the incident at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Ja’siah was struck shortly before 7am. He was walking along with his mother, who was not injured, when the accident happened. A 1998 Ford Escort driven by a 34-year-old male struck the child at 11025 W. Highway 318, reported Lt. Patrick Riordan, public information officer for troop B of the Florida Highway Patrol. The driver was not injured. The Marion County Crisis Team’s grief counselors talked with 12 students, the school bus driver and aide, and others at Reddick-Collier Elementary this morning. “Our Crisis Team remains on alert and will be at the school tomorrow morning as needed once the RCE community learns more about this loss,” said Kevin Christian, director of Public Relations at Marion County Public Schools. Lt. Riordan of the FHP said that no charges have been filed as of press time. In incidents involving a fatal injury, specially trained troopers investigate what

Special to the Ocala Gazette

Ja’siah Williams, a fifth-grade student at Reddick-Collier Elementary School, died from injuries incurred during the incident at Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

occurred before, during and after the incident, Riordan said. “They consider the weather, lighting, actions of the pedestrians, speed limit, seat belt use, alcohol consumption and other factors,” he added. Some cases take 90-plus days to conclude. As for drivers on Marion County’s many two-lane highways, Riordan reminds all drivers to maintain, at all times, safe driving habits. “We can always be aware of our surroundings especially when we’re driving early mornings, where children are crossing,” he said. “Drive the speed limit and be observant.”

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NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Litter Task Force INTENT ON CLEANING UP MARION COUNTY

Marion County’s new Litter Task Force held an organizational meeting on Monday. The group met to hear updates and results from the recently completed individual committee meetings as well as to offer their feedback on proposed marketing and promotional materials. The task force is comprised of 26 total members from city, county, state, and federal agencies, all operating in Marion County, as well as local business leaders and community members. Additionally, the task force has four committees that are focused on fiscal, marketing, enforcement, and community outreach areas. Each of the five Marion County commissioners appointed one representative from their district to the task force, and Marion

County Public Schools and the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office each have a presence, for a total of seven voting members. The remaining 19 members are in either nonvoting or support roles. Marion County commissioner Craig Curry, who spearheaded the task force, said it was necessary to combat a growing litter problem around the county. Not only is the trash hard on the eyes, it’s hard on the county’s coffers as well. “So, the taxpayers and the county are paying over $933,000 a year in tax money to pick up litter. And that doesn’t include the volunteers, which is probably another half million dollars if you were to pay them for their time,” explained Curry. The focus of the task force isn’t simply on picking up trash around the county, but

it is also focused on seeing a change in attitudes and actions to promote a longterm solution to litter. Marion County School Board representative and Community Outreach & Education Committee chair Lauren Debick highlighted the task force’s two-prong approach. “Clean-up solutions are just part of the puzzle here. We are really focused on prevention tactics and changing the mindset and behaviors of Marion County residents and visitors as it relates to littering,” Debick pointed out. “Educating and engaging the youth in our county [are] going to be key as we can help teach proper disposing and recycling habits from a young age. We are excited about working with students as well on some creative projects that

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Toy Drive

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will bring awareness to this campaign,” she continued. The students are a special focus, according to Curry. “We’ve got about 42,000 school kids [in Marion County], and they are as local as you can get. If we can get the hearts and minds of the kids, they’ll go, ‘Hey, Dad, why are you throwing that can out the window?’” Curry said meetings such as the one held Monday help the task force work toward an actionable plan, which they can approach local governments with to coordinate an implementation. “We will generate over the next six months or less a program of action, and then, it will go to the county commission for approval… we have a fiscal subcommittee that will try to put numbers together...but then, we can go

to the commission, the city of Ocala, maybe Dunnellon and Belleview, and say, ‘Look, this is the price tag. Are you willing to participate?’” After an opening and welcome from task force chair and District 1 representative Beth McCall on Monday, each of the four committee chairs briefed the group on their progress, including a task force mascot and slogan. McCall was happy with the results of the meeting. “I think it went very well. I think we’re further along than I thought we would be,” she said after the meeting. “Everybody here has a lot of pride in Marion County.” “We got a lot of great ideas. We had a healthy discussion about all the different topics, and I think all the committees put a lot of work into it, and I think we’re going to see some good results,” added Bill Gladson, a non-voting member and chair of the Ordinances and Enforcement Committee. The committees have been meeting individually for the last month, and Monday was their first full report. The task force leadership will meet in the coming weeks to determine the group’s next steps, and the next full meeting of the task force will be the first Monday in December. Task force recommendations are to be completed by April 4, 2022.

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NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

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NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

People, Places & Things

Earl Brown,

your neighborhood saxophonist

Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette

Earl Brown, a pastor and saxophonist, is silhouetted as he plays his alto saxophone in the parking lot by the Publix in the Grand Oaks Town Center shopping center in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2021.

By Edith Sickler Special to the Gazette

arl Brown has lived a life full of change. He has traveled around the world and back, from humble beginnings to being a millionaire, being a pastor, and for now, being a street musician. An accomplished saxophonist, he can be seen at local malls, plazas, and occasionally, at a well-traveled intersection in the area. His enjoyable musical talent can be heard as you drive to nearby stores and parking lots. He has been a jazz saxophonist since 1975 and thinks he may be the only street musician in the area. He produced a gospel CD in 2015. But Earl, a soft-spoken man, has a vision. He believes God has called him to a much larger ministry. He plans to “celebrate” God’s leading in life at this point in history, ministering to those individuals who have spiritual needs. It also includes plans for religious concerts and theater productions. These events will require sponsors, he knows. Of course, he plans to utilize his saxophone playing abilities as part of this venture. “Music is a ministry,” he said. Specifically, he is planning for an aluminum/synthetic covered “tent,” built on a 100-acre country setting that will seat 10,000. “I don’t have the money, but God has told me to do this, and I am believing that He will provide the resources to do it.” Earl’s story begins in Ecorse, MI, on the outskirts of Detroit. It was a steel-manufacturing town. When he was young and was expected to take a

music course in school, the instructor gave him a flute to play, followed by a trombone. He insisted he didn’t want to play either instrument. He wanted to play the saxophone—just like an entertainer he had seen—but the school didn’t have one. Earl told his father about the school experience. His dad took him to a small music store in the town and asked him what he wanted. He pointed to a saxophone in a case. Although it was a sacrifice for the family at the time—it was priced at $350—his father took out his credit card and bought it for him. He hasn’t stopped playing it since. He performed as saxophonist in the high school’s jazz band. When he grew up, Earl started working at an automotive services company and grew in that company. He launched and was the owner of Efficient Quality Services, a company that provided “quality engineering and consulting.” He did business with the major automotive industries in the Detroit area, being sought after for his expertise in that field. He decided to sell his business to an international company. During the time of running his own company, and also as part of the international company, he traveled the world to such far-reaching places as the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Sicily, Belgium, and South Africa. He prospered, married a pastor’s daughter, and had two daughters of his own. He was able to pay for all of them to graduate from top colleges with master’s degrees. The international company that had purchased his business decided to move their headquarters to China

Back to life with the undead at CF’s black box theater

Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette

Mariah Feige as Christy, right, teaches a Zombie lesson to Zombies, from left, Jay Buchko, Erica Morales, Cailey Blosser and Jonathan Snell during a dress rehearsal.

and offered him the opportunity to travel and live there with them. He refused, and his income drastically dropped. They defaulted on 50% of the payment to Earl. He lost his job, and a bit later, his wife separated from him. He worked as a manager at a Walmart in Kentucky for several years before moving on to New Port Richie, FL, where it was warmer in the winter. Earl trained in the ministry, becoming a deacon in his church, a Sunday school superintendent, and then, after training, was ordained as a pastor. About eight years ago, Destiny Church in Ocala recruited him as pastor, and he accepted that call. The church fell on hard times, and when the COVID pandemic hit, the church closed its doors. After being a saxophonist since 1972, Pastor Earl took his music and ministry to the streets of Ocala. He says God tells him where to go to play. He puts up a tripod sign that says, “King of Kings,” to identify himself and his message. He plays solo, or often with a recording. He relates he has often seen angels and believes they play a big part in the believer’s life. He is sure God has told him about his future mission, and he is working

By Julie Garisto Ocala Gazette CF’s black box theater is dark no more. The acoustically exquisite space at the College of Central Florida’s Dassance Fine Arts Center springs back to life this weekend with an eclectic musical production that’s spiked with humor and campy horror. Expect a performance catered to those of us adjusting our attention spans post-quarantine—a tasty assortment of bite-size musical theater pieces that add up to around 90 minutes. “It’s a great buffet!” said Jason Longtin, CF associate professor of visual and performing arts. Longtin helps steer the vocal, technical and musical elements of the show. The production starts with four 10-Minute Musicals: “A Most Average Musical,” book and lyrics by Jonathan Keebler and music by Bob Kelly; “The Hipster Sister” by Andy Roninson; “Pellets, Cherries, and Lies” by Erik Przytulski; and “Any Ordinary Sunday” by Joshua L. Mazur.

to make contacts toward that goal. He accepts donations from anyone who enjoys his music and wishes to help him attain his vision. While he was being interviewed for this article, several people came by to give him a donation. His accomplished saxophone music is a joy to behold, and he will witness to anyone who wishes to talk with him. He is not homeless, as one might think of a street musician, and is confident God is leading him in this goal of ministering to many in a new way and venue. He may be reached by email at earlbrowna2018@icloud.com.

Mazur’s “Any Ordinary Sunday” is a new work by the Gainesville-based singer, composer and musician. A sought-after performer and voice coach, he keeps busy at churches, ensembles and other organizations throughout north central Florida. “The students were excited to premiere new work and have a creator here giving them notes,” said director and CF theater instructor Nonalee Davis. The one-act play “10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse” by Don Zolidis caps off the performance, clocking in at around 30 minutes. Director Davis brings a varied background to her role at CF. Along with her experience as an actor and director, she’s a former communication coach, training executive at Feld Entertainment and, of all things, a stuntwoman. So, expect a fair amount of physicality in the show. “Movement is my thing,” she said semi-jokingly before the students’ See Back, page B2

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

HALLOWEEN

CITY OF OCALA

THROWS HALLOWEEN BASH FOR THE KIDS

Photos by Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette The City of Ocala hosted the Downtown Fall Festival at Citizens’ Circle in Ocala, Fla. on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. The free Halloween-themed festival was a free event included games, candy, a selfie photo booth, magic tricks, a petting zoo and a costume contest.

Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette

Mariah Feige as Christy, right, teaches a Zombie lesson to Zombies, from left, Jay Buchko, Erica Morales, Cailey Blosser and Jonathan Snell during a dress rehearsal.

Back to life with the undead at CF’s black box theater Continued from page B1

Alley Bowles, 12, Michelle Howell, 13, and Isabella Bowles, 13, back row, left to right, show off their Halloween costumes with Hadley Downey, 6, bottom, during the Downtown Fall Festival

Jordyn Linthicum, 4, dances as she wears her milk carton Halloween costume.

Officer Nathan Gallops of the Ocala Police Department with Maya Warner, 5, as she wears her police Halloween costume.

dress rehearsal this week. Davis shared that her most memorable stunt involved a car rolling off a bridge and underwater escape during a Lifetime network series dramatization. “The program was called “What Should You Do?” Davis added with a laugh. The comedy “10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse” promises the most physical gags by providing tips on what to do when it’s the end of the world and a horde of rampaging zombies is about to attack. Three of the musical shorts were curated from Theatre Now New York. The arts organization celebrates voices and forms that push the boundaries of musical theater. “A Most Average Musical” finds college freshman Jenny spending her first Friday night at college alone. “The Hipster Sister,” set in Brooklyn in 2015, is the story of Chelsea, who is fed up with her slacker singersongwriter sister and roommate. Gen X folks nostalgic for the video games of their childhood will appreciate “Pellets, Cherries, and

Lies,” which looks addiction through the life of a video game golden boy struggling to keep his family together while dealing with late-night binges. If you grew up watching “Say No to Drugs” PSA’s during the 1980s and ’90s, you’ll appreciate when the hilariously yellow-suited Pac-Man dad hears his son say, “I learned it from you, Dad! I learned it from watching you!” From feisty girl-group ghosts in shiny sequins to outbursts of existential philosophy to ravenous brain eaters, CF’s wild assortment of theater nuggets entertains with catchy tunes and memorable oneliners. “This show is super fun for the students,” Davis said. “They really just get to play after finding their comfort zones just being around people, which for many of us has been difficult. Now we just get to have fun and be silly.” Tickets are free and no advance reservations are required. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime. For more information about CF events, visit CF.edu.

GROW YOUR SAVINGS with CD Specials from Florida Credit Union

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Live music, folk crafts, historic displays, vendors, great food, unique crafts for sale and more. www.SilverRiverMuseum.com for more information

(352) 236-5401

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13 MONTH JUMBO CD $100,000 min. balance $5,000 min. balance

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26 MONTH JUMBO CD $100,000 min. balance $5,000 min. balance

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flcu.org/cd 352-237-8222 Insured by NCUA

*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of 8/06/21. Terms, restrictions and conditions apply. See share certificate agreement for current rates, terms and requirements. Must be funded with money currently not on deposit at Florida Credit Union. Minimum balance to open share certificate varies per certificate with a maximum of $5,000,000. After maturity, if you choose to roll over your CD, you will earn dividends according to the CD agreement or at the then current APY as stated on www.flcu.org at that time. Limited time offer subject to change at any time without notice. A penalty may be imposed for early withdrawals which may reduce earnings. Fees may reduce earnings. Visit www.flcu.org for membership eligibility requirements. Florida Credit Union – P.O. Box 5549, Gainesville, FL 32627. Country Oaks Branch, 9680 SW 114th Street • Maricamp Branch, 10 Bahia Avenue Lane Ocala Branch, 2424 SW 17th Road • Silver Springs Branch, 3504 E. Silver Spring Blvd. FCUMKNP0327-0821

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Creative’s Corner Dance like A

Star

Choreographer, dancer and instructor Maycee Dominguez trains future professional dancers at the Dance Company of Ocala By Julie Garisto Ocala Gazette Maycee Dominguez can’t remember when she started dancing. Her mom — Deb Stromwall, a dance instructor at the now-closed Mary Ellen School of Dance — said her daughter has been dancing since she was a toddler. “We all danced,” Dominguez said of her family. All of the nine Stromwall children learned to plié and spin at some point of their lives. At the Dance Company of Ocala, where Dominguez now teaches, a seafoam-painted studio grabs your attention with the words “Dance. Art. Life.” painted in big black letters over the mirror. Left of the mirror, a dry-erase board slogan motivates students with GRIT spelled out vertically as an acronym for “Give it your all”; “Redo if necessary”; “Ignore the urge to quit”; “Take time to do it right.” Dominguez, an instructor and choreographer at the school, said she lives by these mottos as she teaches kids 6 and older a variety of performance styles that range from athletic to graceful to rhythmic. “I’ve watched my students grow up,” Dominguez said with a smile. Some of those students she met as first-graders at Mary Ellen’s. They’re now seniors who continued their education at the Dance Company of Ocala. “My sister (Marla Goodman)

taught me a lot of what I know,” she added. “She basically was my teacher growing up.” Dominguez, 27, grew up taking classes and taught at the Mary Ellen school alongside her mom, who taught dance and aerobics. At the tender age of 6, Dominguez started competing in regional and national dance competitions, earning top scores and titles throughout Florida. Following in her mom and sister’s dance steps, the doe-eyed force of nature began teaching young dancers when she was 16. Her dance ambitions took her to Los Angeles, a time in her life she called “an amazing experience.” In California, Dominguez danced with some of the top choreographers and performers in the industry while training in contemporary dance. “Everything was just kind of meshed together and it was just so different,” she said. The emotive expression of contemporary dance, a more narrative and interpretive style of movement, awoke in Dominguez a renewed passion for her craft. She absorbed inspiration from top choreographers in the industry, including Shannon Mather, who taught her tools of the trade. For four years. Dominguez worked as a professional dancer for Walt Disney World as a character performer and joined the cast of “Fantasmic!” at Hollywood Studios. Since then she’s been striving for

Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette

Maycee Dominguez, a dance choreographer, The Dance Company Ocala.

excellence with the Dance Company of Ocala, leading the Ocala Dance Collective, the school’s competitive team and tours with them around four or five times a year. Nominated in the 2021 open category by the nationwide Dance Industry Awards, the Dance Collective takes cues from Dominguez’s signature blend of jazz, lyrical and hip-hop styles. “My goal is to not only help build my students’ character but to equip them for everyday life,” the eclectic instructor said. The studio has a Christmas show on Dec. 11, Dominguez shared, “but specifically for what I direct, I prepped the competition team here and we have a show on Feb. 5 and that involves all of our competitive dances that we take to competitions

Annual Ocali Country Days

By Rosemarie Dowell Special to the Gazette

It wasn’t easy being a Florida pioneer. Carving out a life amid the Sunshine State’s unforgiving tropical climate was difficult for folks in the mid-to-late 1800s. That hard-scrabble existence and all it entailed will be feted during the Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center’s Annual Ocali Country Days, slated from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 13-14 on the museum grounds at Silver Springs State Park. “It’s fun, it’s educational and it’s an interactive celebration of pioneer folk life,” said Scott Mitchell, museum director since 2004. The museum, founded in 1991, is a program of Marion County Public Schools in partnership with the Florida Park Service. Demonstrations of pioneer trades and crafts popular during the Florida of yesteryear will be plentiful, he said. “It includes all kinds of folks showing how they made things back then including a syrup maker, weavers

and spinners, potters, basket makers, and blacksmiths,” said Mitchell. “They’ll be dressed in period clothing too.” Held annually on the second weekend of November (last year’s event was canceled due to COVID-19) the family-friendly fundraiser, founded in 1995, will also include historical reenactors, artists, and musicians, he said. The museum’s Pioneer Village, a collection of seven authentic and replica buildings that give a true snapshot of the life of a Florida pioneer including 19th-century log cabins, a blacksmith shop, a wood-ﬁred pottery kiln, and a large cast-iron kettle used to make sugar cane syrup, will be buzzing with living history exhibits during both days of the festival. “It’s a way for us to show these past lifeways that were so important in settling Florida,” said Mitchell. “How many people can take up a basket of raw cotton and weave it into cloth.” “Not many people know how to do that these days,” he said. Woodworkers, rope makers, coopers, flintlock rifle makers, and a Seminole dugout canoe carver, along

with colonialera trader/ trappers historians and Civil War era re-enactors will also be showcasing their talents and taking visitors back to a bygone era. “You can easily spend a half-day here, have some fun and learn about Florida’s past,” said Mitchell. “You can not only watch someone make cane syrup: you can taste it too.” Dubbed Ocali Days as an homage to the area’s Native American inhabitants, a subgroup of the Timucuans known as Ocali who were present when Spanish explorers first arrived in the area in the 1500s, the event will also feature live music, southern barbecue, and arts and crafts vendors selling handmade goods. This year’s performers include the Pasture Prime Bluegrass Band, Johnny “Debt” Prestage, and local singer Je-Brown, who is well known for his repertoire of ‘50s to ‘80s classic rock. Admission is $8 per person (kids five and under are free) and includes free entry to Silver Springs State Park as well as the museum. Parking is free as well, and tram rides will run from the state park to the museum throughout the festival. Mitchell said this year’s event is

for the season. It’s our first showcase of the year and it’s a fundraiser for the school.” When Dominguez isn’t teaching, she’s doing “outdoorsy things” with her husband, Daniel Dominguez. They take to the trails hiking or rambling in their Jeep. Occasionally, they’ll venture out of their Lake Weir environs to enjoy some nightlife and mini golf in Orlando. The rest of the time, mellowing out at home suits Dominguez just fine. “I love Ocala,” Dominguez effused. “I love the slow pace of it. Not a lot of people like that, but I love it.” For more information about classes and events at the Dance Company of Ocala, visit dancecompanyocala.com.

crucial to getting the museum back on track since last year’s was canceled due to the pandemic. “It’s an important fundraiser for us; we are trying to rebuild our program,” he said.

IF YOU GO: WHAT: Annual Ocali Country Days

WHERE: The Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center at 1445 Northeast 58th Ave., Ocala, on the grounds of the Silver Springs State Park.

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 13-14.

COST: $8 per person, children five and under are free. Includes admission to Silver Springs State Park and the museum.

Details: silverrivermuseum.com or 352-236-5401.

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

GO HUG A VET THIS THURSDAY:

Florida

FACTOIDS

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.

VETERAN’S DAY

What better time than Veteran‘s Day to focus on the enduring kinship between Ocala and the military? Two examples say it best: Go back exactly 80 years for news photos of dozens of Ocala men lined up at the downtown recruiting office to enlist in the Army on Monday, December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor. Then, fast forward 50 years to 1990: The men and women of Ocala’s historic 351st Military Police Company leave home for deployment to the Middle East — and that same unit has been called up to hot spots six more times since then! Today we salute all of the 45,000 Marion County men This is a theme puzzle with the subject stated below. Find the listed words in the grid. (They ma and women who are American heroes living in Marion County. They answered the call. Take the quiz and run in any direction but always in a straight line. Some letters are used more than once.) Ring each word as you find it and when you have completed the puzzle, there will be 13 letters left you’ll find out more. over. They spell out the alternative theme of the puzzle.

WORD FIND

What Gateway Arch city was considered a slam dunk to get Disney World before Orlando was chosen in the 1960s? A. Minneapolis B. New Orleans C. St. Louis D. Memphis

All over Queensland Solution: 13 Letters

Answers are on page B7

Although he was born in Chicago, Walt Disney’s grandparents had roots in a Lake County community whose name evokes colorful fabric pattern. It is: A. Houndstooth B. Paisley C. Gingham D. Chintz

On November 15, 1965, our state’s 35th governor announced to great fanfare that “the ‘World’ would be coming to Orlando.” That governor was: A. Jeb Bush B. Lawton Chiles C. Bob Graham D. Haydon Burns

The two original resorts at the Magic Kingdom were the Contemporary Hotel and the: A. Hawaiian B. Grand Floridian C. Coronado Springs D. Polynesian

Which one of these is a no-no never allowed at Disney World? A. Tank tops B. Selfie sticks C .Smoking D. Swearing

In 1987, Super Bowl quarterback Phil Simms, playing for the ________, became the first pro athlete to say on TV he was “going to Disney World!” A. Tampa Bay Bucs B. New York Giants C. Miami Dolphins D. Dallas Cowboys

Opened in 1998 and 500 acres in size, it is the largest of Disney’s four theme parks. It is: A. Frontierland B. Animal Kingdom C. Pirates of the Caribbean D. Hollywood Studios

In 1997, Disney opened its “Wide World of Sports” complex in partnership with: A. ABC B. CBS C. NBC D. ESPN

10. This iconic Disney character appeared as the brand name on Florida orange juice from Florida from 1940 to 1998. It is: A. Mickey Mouse B. Donald Duck C. Daisy Duck D. Cinderella

Answers are on page B7

Next quiz Nov. 5: We celebrate Veterans’ Day Contact Bob Hauck: bob@ocalagazette.com

Aberdeen Diving Alba Drink Alva Dunk Beach Eton Beer Eulo Boat Giru Borneo BarracksHeat Cays Hook Charters Towers Humidity Clifford Park Islets Coal Long Dairy Lucky Dawn Magnetic

Mango Marian Nambour Orallo Palm Cove Pool Regions Relax Roma Sail Sand Scuba Swim

Taroom Tully Tuna Units Warm Weipa Zoos

n: Sunshine state

What was the admission price for children under 12 when Disney opened in October 1971? A. $1.00 B. $5.00 C. $10.00 D. $29.95

Creators Syndicate

737 3rd Street • Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 310-337-7003 • info@creators.com

Date: 11/

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

veteran’s day NOV. 6

NOV. 7

NOV1

ED Croskey Recreation Center, 1510 NW 4th St., Ocala 11am-1pm Brady-Owens VFW Post 7193 and VetNet, the city of Ocala and Councilman Ire Bethea host brunch in honor of veterans lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. All veterans and their families are invited to attend. Free admission; register on EventBrite. com.

Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park 6:30pm

Ocala/Marion County Veterans Memorial Park, 2601 E. Fort King St. 11am

Veteran’s Memorial Brunch

arts

Veterans Light the Stars

Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band performance; includes fireworks. Free admission. Visit kingdomofthesunband.org for more information.

NOV. 5

NOV. 6

Bank Street Patio Bar, 120 E Fort King St., Ocala 3-6pm Sip, nosh and catch a versatile singer-guitarist. For details, visit bankstreetpatio.com

NOMA, 939 N Magnolia Ave., Ocala noon-5pm Grace Netanya’s exhibition features compelling mixed-media drawings that combine figurative art and interpretations of fables and fairy tales. Storytelling, children’s art activities and artist Jackie Davenport’s face painting and temporary tattoos (24pm) commemorate the opening of Netanya’s show. For details, visit nomaocala.com.

Rob Hazen

NOV. 5

First Friday Artwalk

Downtown Ocala 6-9pm Enjoy family-friendly activities, fine art, demonstrations, live music by the Mudds and more. For details, call (352) 629-8447 or visit ocalafl.org/ artwalk.

Fables

Veterans Day Program

Annual ceremony to pay honor and tribute to all veterans. For more information, call (352) 671-8422 or visit fb.com/fmcvp.

THROUGH NOV. 27

Classics & Cocktails: The Third Man The Marion Theatre, 50 S Magnolia Ave.

8pm

Writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in post-war Vienna at the invitation of childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) only to find him dead. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a “third man.” Visit reillyartscenter.com for details.

THROUGH JAN. 10 Art Remembers

Barbara Gaskin Washington Adult Activity Center, 210 NW 12 Ave., Ocala Mon-Fri: 9am-4pm Hospice of Marion County partners with the Appleton Museum of Art to display works highlighting healing modalities of art in bereavement programs; details at hospiceofmarion.com.

NOV. 5

Converging Community & Culture Opening Reception

Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 S Broadway St., Ocala 7:30pm The Marion Cultural Alliance gallery features an exhibition of fine artists such as Charles Eady and a lineup of events celebrating diversity throughout November. Visit mcaocala.org for more information.

THROUGH JAN. 22

Lisa Russo | European Elegance

Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration Bldg., 828 NE Eighth Ave. Lisa Russo studied under a traditional oil painter to learn the techniques and methods from the 1600s. Fun fact: She also holds a U.S. patent for a convertible canvas that creates 3D effects. ocalafl.org

THROUGH JAN. 2 Alison Saar: Works from the Permanent Collection

NOV. 11

Lunch and Learn: Converging Community & Culture Brick City Center for the Arts, , 23 S Broadway St., Ocala 1:30pm Learn about the MCA’s November exhibition. Visit mcaocala.org for details.

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm This exhibit of printed works curated from the Appleton’s collection showcases Alison Saar, an internationally acclaimed artist who incorporates spiritual and political themes. Visit appletonmuseum. org for more information.

THROUGH NOV. 17

A Breeze Through Fertile Gardens

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd.

NOV. 5-6 Quilt Show

Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm This collection of paintings and drawings by Andrew M. Grant are inspired by the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

Circle Square Cultural Center, 8395 SW 80th St, Ocala 9am-4pm Country Road Quilters of Ocala host this 35th anniversary exhibition Visit facebook.com/ circlesquareculturalcenter

NOV. 5-29 Alphonse Mucha: Master of Art Nouveau

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala Tue.-Sat: 10am-5pm, Sun: noon-5pm New exhibit features vintage lithographs, original drawings, paintings, books and other works by the man considered by many as the “creator of the Art Nouveau style.” VIP and Director’s Circle Opening Reception will be held Nov. 5 at 6pm. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

THROUGH APRIL 24 Heart of the Horse

Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E Silver Springs Blvd. Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm The beauty and complexity of horses is revealed through 40 black-and-white photographs by Juliet van Otteren. Visit appletonmuseum.org for more information.

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

community

NOV. 5 Marion County Friday Market

McPherson Government Campus Field, 601 SE 25th Ave. 9am-2:30pm Shop locally fresh fruits and veggies, cinnamon buns, jerky, freeze dried treats, olive oils and seafood.

NOV. 5 Big Hammock Toy Drive

Big Hammock Brewery & Bites, 103 SE First Ave., Ocala 5pm Celebrate happy hour with some warm fuzzies by donating new, unwrapped toys to Toys for Tots. Learn more at Facebook.com/Toys-for-Tots-MarionCounty.

NOV. 5

Sunset Cinema: News of the World

Sholom Park: 7110 SW 80th Ave., Ocala 7pm Sprawl out with your family to see Tom Hanks as war veteran Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd in Paul Greengrass’ heartwarming drama. A trivia contest and Sweet Baby Cheeses food truck will also be featured. Register in advance at sholompark.org.

NOV. 5

Champagne Dreams

Country Club of Ocala, 11008 S. Highway 475, Ocala 7-11:30pm Get gussied up, socialize and sing along to Dueling Pianos to benefit the Transition Life Center. Beverages and hors d’oeuvres included with $150 ticket. tlcocala.org.

NOV. 5-7

34th Mopars with “Big Daddy”

Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, 13700 SW 16th Ave, Ocala Fri. dinner, museum tour: 6pm; Sat. & Sun show: 8am-4pm For details, visit garlits.com or call (352) 625-0879.

NOV. 5-6

Fenrir’s Mayhem

Historic Square, Downtown Ocala Fri: 8pm; Sat: 6pm Cross-Fit athletes compete and show off their mindboggling fortitude. Call (352) 620-2625 for details.

NOV. 5-7 Western Dressage Association Fall Festival Show

Grand Oaks Resort, 3000 Marion County Road, Weirsdale 10am Friday evening features rail and freestyle; Saturday, test levels and divisions followed by demos and raffles; Sunday, competitions, Open Championship Awards and Breed Awards. Visit wdafl.org for details.

NOV. 6

Not-so-Secret 6th Anniversary Party

Secret Six Motorsports, 3710 NE 42nd Lane, Ocala 4-8pm Celebrate with live music, food, muscle cars, trucks, bikes and more. Read more at facebook.com/ SecretSixMotorsports.

NOV. 8

Monday Morning Books and Coffee

Fort McCoy Public Library, 14660 NE Highway 315, 10:30am Make new friends and talk about “Girl in Disguise” by Greer Macallister.

NOV. 6

NOV. 9

City of McIntosh in North Marion County 8am-4pm Step back in time and enjoy a good ol’-fashioned fall Florida festival in picturesque McIntosh. Visit facebook.com/mcintoshfestival for details.

Silver Springs Shores Community Center, 590 Silver Road 5-7pm This indoor farmers market includes farm fresh goods, artisan food products and arts and crafts vendors. fb.com/theshoresmarket

McIntosh 1890s Festival

NOV. 6 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, arts and crafts, rain or shine. Visit ocaladowntownmarket.com for more information.

NOV. 6

Marion County Chili Cook-Off

Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2232 NE Jacksonville Road, Ocala 10am Now in its 40th year, the event hosted by The Cornerstone School draws individuals and businesses competing for prizes. Family-friendly fun will include kids’ games, crafts and inflatables, microbrew beer garden and car show. Visit fb.com/chilicookoff for more information.

NOV. 6-30 Live Music and Dancing on the Square

Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 80th St, Ocala 6-9pm Shake it to cover tunes by One Flite Up and return any Tuesday-Saturday evening in November to enjoy more music and dancing. Visit circlesquarecommons. com/entertainment for more information.

NOV. 6-7 37th Annual Ocklawaha River Raid

Florida Horse Park, 11008 S. Highway 475, Ocala 9am-4pm Re-enactors commemorate the March 1865 Union army raid on area plantations and the resulting skirmish with local Southern troops, the only battle of the Civil War to occur in Marion County. For more information email ltcol2ndbattalion@gmail.com.

NOV. 7

Ocala Cars & Coffee

War Horse Harley-Davidson, 5331 N US Highway 441, Ocala 7:30-11am Enjoy fun for the whole family, live music, vendors, and, of course, coffee and cars. Karim Martin and Humans in Disguise perform. Modern Muscle Cars displays the wheels. Visit facebook.com/ warhorseharley for details.

The Shores Market

NOV. 10

1 Million Cups Ocala

Power Plant Business Incubator, 405 SE Osceola Ave. 9:30-10:30am Email ryan@ocalacep.com for more information.

NOV. 10

Forest Readers Book Club

Forest Public Library, 905 S County Highway 314A, Ocklawaha 2:30pm Discuss “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown. Registration required; call 352-438-254

NOV. 10

Wednesday Midday Market

Ocala Downtown Market, 310 SE Third St., Ocala 1-6pm Browse organic produce, microgreens, fresh-baked breads and more. Food Trucks such as Tom’s Taste of Chicago, Jimmy’s Philly Cheesesteaks and Kona Ice Ocala join the fun. Visit facebook.com/ OcalaDowntownMarket for details.

NOV. 11

Farmers Market

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

NOV. 13-14

Ocali Country Days

Silver River Museum, 1445 NE 58th Ave., Ocala 9am-4pm This celebration of Old Florida includes music, historical displays and re-enactors, craft demonstrations and food. Visit fb.com/ silverrivermuseumofficalpage for more information.

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

le style Mucha Art Nouveau pioneer “Alphonse Mucha: Master of Art Nouveau” opens at the Appleton this weekend. By Julie Garisto, Ocala Gazette He was an overarching influencas much as they inspire, invoking a er of the 1920s aesthetic. Decades nostalgia for a glamorous and excitlater, his art laid the groundwork ing bygone era -- though his works are often as compellingly earthy as for the 1960s’ psychedelic posters, and re-imaginings of his sensuous they are heavenly. illustration style live on today. “Alphonse Mucha: Master of Art Czech painter Alphonse Mucha Nouveau” includes vintage litho(1860–1939) came into prominence graphs, original drawings, paintings, as one of the most celebrated artists books, advertising pieces, and more. Curated from the holdings of the in Paris at the turn of the 20th cenDhawan Collection, Los Angeles tury, and his work became emblem--one of the largest and finest collecatic of the art nouveau movement, tions of Mucha’s work in the United lovingly coined “le style Mucha.” States -- the exhibition shines a Beginning this weekend, visitors spotlight on the ways he revitalized to the Appleton Museum of Art can an interest in his uniquely pivotal enjoy Mucha’s renowned illustraflourish and grace. Highlights intions, organized in three sections clude four versions of a monumental — posters, book and journal illusposter Mucha created in 1894 for trations, and The Slav Epic. Known actress Sarah Bernhardt’s play “Gisfor predominantly female figures dressed in flowing gowns amid halos monda” and two posters advertising Job cigarette papers (1896 and and borders of lush floral arrangements, stars, jewels and other 1898). ephemera, Mucha’s works enchant According to museum, the Mucha exhibition, on display Nov. 6 through Jan. 9, provides an opportunity to see how different media, clients and objectives reflect the time period in which the artist lived and worked. See the exhibition Saturday during owner of Manhattan’s famed Poster the museum’s Free First Saturday Store, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, via monthly event, when no admission Zoom. Visit appletonmuseum.org is charged for the entire day. Learn for details. more during the “Online Exhibition Talk with Angelina Lippert,”

Answers for page B4

FLORIDA FACTOIDS ANSWERS from page B4

Florida

FACTOIDS

1-A Ocala Rifles, 2-D George H. W. Bush, 3-C The Congressional Medal of Honor, 4-B Liberty Ship, 5-A Tuskegee Airmen, 6-C Ted Williams, 7-B PT-109, 8-D Target Store, 9-D Pensacola, 10-C Eglin AFB NEXT QUIZ, November 19: The Thanksgiving Quiz Contact Bob Hauck: bobhauck39@gmail.com

Ocala’s best kept secret. Our College of Central Florida Ocala Campus venues offer versatility for an array of events such as tradeshows, fundraisers, training sessions, weddings, awards banquets and church services. Our CF Conference Services team can assist you with the smallest to the largest details to help make your next conference or special event a success.

Conference Services

We would love to meet with you and help you plan your next event. Call

352-291-4441 or visit CF.edu/OcalaConferences

Ewers Century Center | Klein Center | Webber Center | 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala –an equal opportunity college–

NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

His first football season, Isaiah told us, ‘Wear a jersey with my name on it. I want everyone to know you’re here for me.’ Darnell and Denna, adopted 16-year-old Isaiah

Banking for what’s next. Rusty Branson, Regional President

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NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Sports

Need For

speed

JAGUARS LACK DEEP THREATS

AFTER LOSING CHARK By Mark Long Associated Press

Urban Meyer has one of the NFL’s slowest teams, nothing even remotely close to the speed advantage he enjoyed during tenures at Ohio State and Florida. Meyer’s college offenses thrived with guys such as Michael Thomas, Curtis Samuel, Percy Harvin and Jeff Demps. Now, in his first season with the rebuilding Jacksonville Jaguars, Meyer’s most dynamic offensive player is a former NFL cornerback who’s been playing receiver for less than two years. Jamal Agnew has a team-leading 17 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown in Jacksonville’s past three games, but he’s hardly the deep threat the Jaguars (1-6) need to open the field up for everyone else. Jacksonville’s big-play inability was evident in a 31-7 Continued from page B9

See Drubbing page B10

Trinity Catholic advances to Region 3A-1 final, blanks Trinity Prep 3-0 in semifinal match By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com

Bruce Ackerman/OG

Ocoee’s quarterback Jalen Joiner (9) picks his way past West Port defenders Tae Floyd (7) and Jylique Barnes (5) during a football game at West Port High School in Ocala, Fla. on Friday, Oct. 29, 2021.

West Port loses

to Ocoee 37-13 at home By James Blevins James@ocalagazette.com

ost West Port would score the final touchdown with only 31 seconds left on the clock in Friday night’s prep football game against visiting district rival Ocoee on Oct. 29, but it wouldn’t be enough. The Knights held off the Wolf Pack 37-13 on the latter’s homecoming night. West Port’s record has moved to 1-8 overall and 1-2 in District 8A-3. In the first quarter, the two teams traded punts for a bit until Wolf Pack senior quarterback Gavin Savino fumbled the football deep in his own territory and Ocoee would recover, already first and goal. One play later, the Knights scored on a design run play up the middle at 2:24, making it 7-0 at the end of the first 12 minutes. Ocoee would score on its first possession of the

second quarter as well. Knights quarterback Jalen Joiner would connect with wide receiver Jacquez Cooks for the 30-yard reception touchdown at 10:48. Kicker Ivan Ruiz missed the ensuing extra point, keeping it 13-0. A little later, Joiner would find Ahlston Ware for a passing touchdown at 3:05 of the second quarter, putting the Knights up 19-0 after Ruiz missed another extra point. Savino threw an interception on the Wolf Pack’s next possession, which the Knights would once again turn into points. Joiner handed the ball to running back Charles Pierre, Jr., who ran the ball 25 yards to the house. He also scored the two-point conversion, giving Ocoee the 27-0 lead at the half. Rain showers added slick conditions to the field before the third quarter started, but it also See Seemed, page B11

The visiting Trinity Prep Saints fought hard against Trinity Catholic Tuesday night in a Region 3A-1 semifinal match on Nov. 2, but the Celtics got the better end of the battle at home. The No. 2 seed Trinity Catholic won the highly-contested match in three-straight sets—25-17, 25-19 and 25-18—overcoming the No. 6 seed Trinity Prep to advance to next week’s regional final. The Celtics (23-4 overall record) will next travel to the panhandle to play the No. 1 seed Pensacola Catholic Crusaders on Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. Trinity Catholic is only one win away from another Class 3A Final Four appearance. The Celtics won the 3A state title last season. Pensacola Catholic (26-1) defeated the No. 4 seed Trinity Christian Academy 3-0 on Tuesday night to advance to next week’s regional final. In the opening frame of Nov. 2’s semifinal match, the Celtics and Saints were trading points—and leads—left and right before any one team took the advantage, separating from the other. Locked up at five points apiece, McKenna SeeYates, page B11

Bruce Ackerman/OG

North Marion’s Eric Davis (26) takes down Menendez’ Julian Quintero (4) during a football game at North Marion High School in Sparr on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Forest @ Vanguard By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com As any prep football fan in Marion County can attest, the football rivalry between these two inter-city teams runs deep. And tonight, another chapter in this cross-town saga will be written on the gridiron as the Vanguard Knights host the Forest Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. Vanguard remains unbeaten entering tonight’s non-district contest with a perfect 9-0 record. To reach this summit, the Knights first had to beat Gainesville (30-8) on Aug. 27; West Port (21-0) on Sept.

3; Dunnellon (13-6) on Sept. 10; North Marion (36-19) on Sept. 24; Jefferson (26-0) on Oct. 8; Lecanto (40-6) on Oct. 15; Belleview (42-7) on Oct. 22; and Springstead (33-0) last Friday. Pasco forfeited its game against Vanguard on Oct. 1. Forest currently sits at 3-6 overall. The Wildcats lost their first two games against North Marion (36-8) and Seabreeze (43-8) on Aug. 27 and Sept. 3, respectively, winning their first game against West Port (15-12) in week three on Sept. 17. After dropping its next two games against Dunnellon (200) and Chiles (45-14) on Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, respectively, Forest would next go on a two-

game winning streak, beating Leesburg (29-6) on Oct. 8 and Leon (26-16) on Oct. 15. Hawthorne and Buchholz contributed to the Wildcat’s current two-game losing streak as they enter Booster Stadium tonight, beating them on Oct. 22 (27-6) and Oct. 29 (75-7), respectively. Last season, Vanguard beat Forest 20-14 on the road. This year, the Knights would very much like to do that again, but this time at home. Meanwhile, Forest, which has struggled to string wins together where Vanguard has not, would love to finish the 2021 season on the highest of notes: a victory against its rival on their own turf. Not a bad way to tie a bow on a

season if it’s the last thing the Wildcats can do. With a win, Vanguard could finish its 2021 regular season schedule a perfect 100, a position it hasn’t been in since the 2016-17 season. As any prep football fan in Marion County can surely attest, anything could and would happen in a crosstown rivalry game, especially when it’s the Wildcats versus the Knights. It’s can’t-miss prep football at its best. The decades-long saga is scheduled to continue at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Booster Stadium.

OTHER PREP FOOTBALL GAMES Nov. 5

Weeki Wachee @ Belleview (7-2) 7:30 p.m. Dunnellon (7-2) @ West Port (1-8) 7 p.m. Lake Weir (1-7) @ Mount Dora 7 p.m. North Marion (6-3) @ Hawthorne 7:30 p.m. IMG Academy Blue @ Trinity Catholic (6-2) 6 p.m.

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NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

West Port loses

to Ocoee 37-13 at home Continued from page B9

Stephen Brashear/AP Photo

Seattle Seahawks’ Ugo Amadi, right, knocks the ball away from Jacksonville Jaguars intended receiver Jamal Agnew (39) in the end zone late in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021, in Seattle.

Need for Speed JAGUARS LACK DEEP THREATS

AFTER LOSING CHARK drubbing at Seattle on Sunday. The team’s longest play gained 17 yards. “We have enough playmakers not to let that happen to us,” said Meyer, whose team hosts Buffalo (5-2) on Sunday. When the Jags lost speedy receiver DJ Chark to a broken left foot in a Week 4 game at Cincinnati, it left them without a stretchthe-field guy. Marvin Jones is closing in on his 32nd birthday. Laviska Shenault is more likely to break tackles than ankles. And supposed speedster Tyron Johnson is struggling to get on the field because of route-running concerns. Meyer recognized the need for more speed during the offseason. He brought in recent first-round draft picks Phillip Dorsett (2015) and Tavon Austin (2013), and then claimed Johnson off waivers from the Los Angeles Chargers. He ended up cutting Dorsett, and Austin has been relegated to a backup role. But truly fixing the issue will have to wait until next year’s NFL draft, in which the Jags have 12 picks. Jacksonville’s current receiving group dropped at least four passes Sunday, including some on third downs that provided no help to rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence completed 32 of 54 passes for 238 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He was under duress often but sacked just once. “Quarterbacks have a great day when the players around him play great,” Meyer said. “I can think of

a couple of drops off the top of my head, some accuracy issues. We’re a team. We do everything together. So we’ll come back next week swinging hard.”

He faces the other Josh Allen, Buffalo’s star quarterback, for the first time Sunday.

WHAT’S FOR KING

STOCK DOWN

Run defense continues to be one of Jacksonville’s few strengths. The Jags held Seattle to 69 yards on 25 attempts, a 2.8 yards-percarry average. Only one running back, Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, has topped 100 yards against Jacksonville this season. Other defensive breakdowns, however, overshadowed the latest effort. The unit failed to cover Tyler Lockett (12 catches for 142 yards), was penalized twice for roughing the passer and was nearly flagged for having 12 men on the field on consecutive plays. Meyer called timeout to avoid the second one

WHAT NEEDS HELP

The Jaguars clearly aren’t built to play from behind. Jacksonville’s offensive line is slightly better than average, especially when running the ball, but not good enough to hold up when defenses know Lawrence has to throw. It certainly doesn’t help being without center Brandon Linder (ankle/knee) and right guard A.J. Cann (knee).

Rookie cornerback Tyson Campbell continues to look lost while trying to play the ball in the air. He was no match for Lockett. Campbell, the 33rd overall pick in the 2021 draft, has 26 tackles and three passes defensed in five games.

INJURIES

Running back James Robinson injured his right foot in the first half against Seattle but is considered day to day.

KEY NUMBER

8 — number of Jaguars players remaining from the team’s 2017 postseason victory against Buffalo at home. Three of those — Linder, Cann and tight end James O’Shaughnessy — are injured and won’t play.

NEXT STEPS

seemed to cool down a hot Knights team, who suddenly dropped their guard and allowed a desperate Wolf Pack to get some points for the first time in the game. On its 11th play of a long series, West Port scored at 4:27 of the third quarter when quarterback Savino danced around defenders on a keeper play, jogging into the endzone with little resistance. After placekicker Kieran Ball kicked the extra point, the Wolf Pack were finally on the board and within reach of making it a football game, 27-7. The Knights would possess the ball for the rest of the third frame, draining the clock. But on the first play to open the fourth quarter, Joiner would throw his one and only interception of the game to full safety Nate Rocker, Jr. at 11:51. West Port would fail to convert the Rocker turnover into any points, though. Instead, Ocoee would score again anyway on its next possession after the Wolf Pack punted their turnover possession away. Joiner would give the ball to Pierre for another rush touchdown at 8:40 of the fourth quarter. Pierre would also score another two-point conversion, giving the Knights a 35-7 lead. On the Wolf Pack’s next possession, the Knights would block Savino’s punt, jumping on a loose ball in the end zone, forcing a safety and adding another two points to their commanding lead—37-7. Korey Coats would score one final touchdown for West Port as time on the game clock trickled down like the misty rain that never truly stopped since halftime, but it was too little, too late for the Wolf Pack. Ball would miss the extra point as well, leaving the score 37-13 in Ocoee’s favor. West Port will next face the Dunnellon Tigers (7-2 overall record) in a non-district game—also the Wolf Pack’s season finale— on Nov. 5 at home. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Get Robinson healthy and get back to being offensively balanced. That provides the Jaguars their best chance for getting another win.

STOCK UP

Josh Allen notched his first multisack game in two years at Seattle. Allen took down Geno Smith twice for minus-24 yards. Allen has 4 1/2 sacks this season and 17 1/2 in 31 games over three seasons. He missed eight games last year.

Trinity Catholic advances to Region 3A-1 final, blanks Trinity Prep 3-0 in semifinal match Yates would help Trinity Catholic jump ahead from the service line after teammates Delaney Baker, Kiana Laborde and Amelia Fitzpatrick added a string of kills, putting the Celtics up 11-6 in the first set. Down 21-11, Trinity Prep would score six of the next eight points, narrowing the Celtics’ lead to 2317, but back-to-back errors by the Crusaders would hand Trinity Catholic the first set 25-17. Early in set two, the Celtics were firmly in control. Before Trinity Prep knew what was happening, it was down 8-3. Fitzpatrick tallied two kills and two blocks early in the second set, giving

her a total of six kills through two sets. She would add four more kills in set three. Elayna Johnson had four kills and one blocked shot in the second frame. The Crusaders would crawl back into the set though, briefly taking the lead 17-16 late in the set. But the Celtics would come roaring back, scoring nine of the next 11 points, regaining the lead and winning the set 25-19. Baker racked up two key kills during the Celtics rally. Aariana Gravel-Holtzclaw had a timely and momentum-shifting blocked shot on the 23rd point as well. Set three would be Trinity Catholic

on cruise control. The Celtics scored six of the first seven points with ease, putting the Crusaders in the hole immediately. Trinity Prep would wake up, coming within three points, 8-5, before long, but Trinity Catholic wouldn’t let it get too close. The Celtics scored the next four points. Down 21-13, the Crusaders would narrow things slightly, making it 24-17, but several self-inflicted errors caused by Trinity Prep would once again hand Trinity Catholic the set and the match, 25-18. Trinity Catholic will meet Pensacola Catholic in the regional final at its gym in Pensacola this Saturday.

Bruce Ackerman/OG

West Port’s quarterback Gavin Savino (2) throws a pass under pressure from Ocoee’s Calvin Smith (7) during a football game at West Port High School in Ocala, Fla.

St. John Lutheran advances to Region 2A-3 final The No. 2 seed St. John Lutheran Lady Saints’ volleyball team defeated No. 3 seed Victory Christian Academy 3-0 at home in a regional semifinal match on Nov. 2, advancing to the regional final. The Saints (20-5 overall record)—who won the match 2511, 27-25, 25-14—will next travel to Maitland to face the No. 1 seed Orangewood Christian Rams (20-9) in the Region 2A-3 final on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.

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NOVEMBER 5 - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | OCALA GAZETTE

Final bound: By James Blevins james@ocalagazette.com The Vanguard Lady Knights cruised through its Class 5A regional semifinal against the visiting Gateway Panthers on Nov. 3 at home. No. 2 seed Vanguard won the Region 5A-2 semifinal in three-straight sets Wednesday night, defeating No. 3 seed Gateway 25-7, 25-11 and 25-17— punching its ticket to the tournament final on Nov. 6. The Knights will next face either the No. 1 seed Wesley Chapel or No. 4 seed Robinson. If Wesley Chapel, the match will take place on the Wildcats’ turf. If Robinson, Vanguard will host the final at 7 p.m. on Saturday. In Nov. 3’s semifinal match,

Vanguard will play in the Region 5A-2 championship match on Nov. 6

Vanguard got out to a quick lead in the first set, thanks in large part to junior Ruby Owen, who scored the Knights’ first four points with four big kills. Junior Sophie Reed, who opened the first set behind the service line, would finish the set the same way, helping her Knights’ team earn 10-straight points— four of which were aces. Vanguard took the first set 25-7. Emma Ehmann had two kills to open the second set, behind Reed’s service. Ehmann would tally a total of 10 kills in the match, tied with teammate Owen for the most kills by a Lady Knight. With Reed and Ehmann at the service line, Vanguard scored 11 of the final 14 points scored in the second set, winning it with ease 25-11.

Gateway would accumulate a total of 12 unforced errors in the set, contributing mightily to its deficiency in points in comparison to Vanguard. Reed would add two more aces to open the third and final set, putting the Knights up 5-0 early. The Panthers would fight back a little, getting as close as two points behind, but Reed, once again, would lead Vanguard on another points spree, earning five in a row and putting the Knights up 18-11. From there, Owen and freshman Lilli Hart would trade some kills, helping to separate their Knights’ team from the beleaguered Panthers for good, winning the third set 25-17. If Vanguard (12-17 overall record in 2021) wins next Saturday’s Region

5A-2 final, it will be its second such championship in a row, earning another trip to the coveted Class 5A State Final Four. Should Vanguard win on Saturday, it will play the winner of the Region 5A-1 final between No. 1 seed Mosley and No. 2 seed Ridgeview in the Final Four semifinals scheduled for Nov. 13. The Class 5A state final will take place on Nov. 17 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Knights lost last year in the Final Four to eventual 2020 Class 5A state champion Ponte Vedra in threestraight sets.

SCORE BOARD

PREP FOOTBALL SCORES

Oct. 28

Lake Weir Wildwood

0 61

Oct. 29

Selected Marion County High School

SPORTS RESULTS

Ocoee 37 West Port 13 Citrus 0 Dunnellon 41 Clay 7 (98 points) North Marion 39 GIRLS VARSITY TEAM Vanguard 33 Springstead 0 RESULTS Forest 7 (Oak Hall School won with 18 points out of 10 scoring teams) Buchholz 75 Trinity Catholic, 3rd Place Trinity Catholic 35 Yulee 7 (98 points) Shorecrest Prep 40 St. John Lutheran, 4th Place Ocala Christian Academy 32 (99 points) Bye Week: Belleview

BOYS VARSITY 5K INDIVIDUAL TOP-50 RESULTS

GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL SCORES

Oct. 26

Region 3A-1 Quarterfinal at Trinity Catholic High School No. 2 seed Trinity Catholic

No. 7 seed Providence School (25-19, 25-12, 25-15)

Region 2A-3 Quarterfinal at St. John Lutheran High School No. 2 seed St. John Lutheran

No. 7 seed Geneva (25-20, 25-22, 25-15)

Region 5A-2 Quarterfinal at Vanguard High School No. 2 seed Vanguard

No. 7 seed Freedom (25-5, 25-8, 25-18)

Region 6A-1 Quarterfinal at Leon High School No. 2 seed Leon

No. 7 seed Forest (25-9, 25-21, 25-16)

BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY

District 1A-3 Championship (Lake City, FL.)

BOYS VARSITY TEAM RESULTS (Oak Hall School won with 21 points out of 14 scoring teams) Trinity Catholic, 3rd Place

37th Place, Nolan Farris St. John Lutheran (21:02.00) 38th Place, James Williams Trinity Catholic (21:04.20) 41st Place, Eleto Skahill Trinity Catholic (21:24.40) 42nd Place, Carlos Gomez Trinity Catholic (21:32.70)

Oct. 27

Oct. 26

(Caden Montini of Oak Hall won in 17:14.60) 5th Place, Cedric McFadden Trinity Catholic (17:46.70) 14th Place, Andrew Petrella Trinity Catholic (18:41.90) 23rd Place, Justin Bianculli Trinity Catholic (19:24.80) 27th Place, Andrew Beck Trinity Catholic (19:40.20)

46th Place, Edwin Jett Green Trinity Catholic (22:02.10)

GIRLS VARSITY 5K INDIVIDUAL TOP-50 RESULTS (Lauren Jones of Oak Hall won in 19:42.30) 11th Place, Kaelee Smith Trinity Catholic (22:49.50) 12th Place, Reese Beaser St. John Lutheran (23:09.20)

OCT. 26-30

47th Place, Isabella Carrascosa Vanguard (24:19.00) Trinity Catholic (25:35.70) 36th Place, Zoe Zinnie Trinity Catholic (25:45.20) 50th Place, Taylor Woodham St. John Lutheran (27:10.90)

Oct. 28

Belleview, 5th Place (174 points)

GIRLS VARSITY TEAM RESULTS Vanguard, 1st Place (53 points)

District 2A-3 Championship (Hernando Beach, FL.)

BOYS VARSITY TEAM RESULTS

Sunlake, 2nd Place (61 points) Land O’ Lakes, 3rd Place (107 points)

North Marion, 3rd Place (97 points)

BOYS VARSITY TEAM RESULTS

BOYS VARSITY 5K INDIVIDUAL TOP-50 RESULTS

Dunnellon, 10th Place (247 points)

(Jacksonville, FL.)

(Bartram Trail won with 58 points out of 15 scoring teams) West Port, 12th Place (361 points) Forest, 15th Place (422 points)

GIRLS VARSITY TEAM RESULTS (Buchholz won with 31 points out of 17 scoring teams) West Port, 9th Place (277 points) Forest, 15th Place (417 points)

BOYS VARSITY 5K INDIVIDUAL TOP-50 RESULTS (Rheinhardt Harrison of Nease won in 15:34.30) 9th Place, Eduardo Diaz West Port (16:17.00) 50th Place, Ryan Elfring Forest (17:34.80)

GIRLS VARSITY 5K INDIVIDUAL TOP-50 RESULTS (Kate Drummond of Buchholz won in 18:36.00) 21st Place, Mia White West Port (20:14.40)

17th Place, Kieley Bateman Trinity Catholic (23:21.50)

36th Place, Natalie Nelson West Port (20:59.10)

24th Place, Emma Reese St. John Lutheran (24:13.00) 25th Place, Aliya Hallick St. John Lutheran (24:21.60) 26th Place, Lauren Murphy St. John Lutheran (24:25.30) 29th Place, Peyton Brennan Trinity Catholic (24:40.40) 35th Place, Ava Crews

(55 points)

District 4A-1 Championship

14th Place, Skylar Moore Trinity Catholic (23:11.40)

19th Place, Payton Nazzari St. John Lutheran (23:24.50)

31st Place, Lauren Hellwege Vanguard (22:37.18) 32nd Place, Christina Seecharan Belleview (22:43.63) 33rd Place, Emmalene Labonte Vanguard (22:44.37) 34th Place, Abigail Taylor Vanguard (22:54.70) 41st Place, Alex Rudnianyn Vanguard (23:16.28)

Oct. 30

District 3A-4 Championship (Lecanto, FL.)

BOYS VARSITY TEAM RESULTS (Sunlake won with 50 points out of 14 scoring teams) Vanguard, 2nd Place

(Colby Robbins of Sunlake won in 15:52.41) 4th Place, Clayton Knight Vanguard (16:21.57) 5th Place, Luis Cruzado Belleview (16:21.86) 6th Place, Joshua Moore Vanguard (16:28.27) 12th Place, Tristan Pank Vanguard (16:44.16) 17th Place, Diego Carrascosa Vanguard (17:10.21) 19th Place, Justin Capilli Vanguard (17:18.12) 21st Place, Mark Willis Belleview (17:22.20) 26th Place, Matt Lammens Vanguard (17:47.53) 27th Place, Martin D’Esposito Vanguard (17:50.64) 35th Place, Kartik Koti Vanguard (18:09.62) 36th Place, Brian Frias Belleview (18:12.78) 38th Place, Miguel Cruz Vanguard (18:22.90)

GIRLS VARSITY 5K INDIVIDUAL TOP-50 RESULTS (Lily Henne of Lake Minneola won in 18:43.22) 2nd Place, Pippa Worden Vanguard (19:25.44) 7th Place, Rhema Taylor Vanguard (20:28.15) 10th Place, Brooklyn Fratello Vanguard (20:50.01) 21st Place, Audrey Taylor Vanguard (21:59.67) 22nd Place, Samantha Hansen Vanguard (22:00.14) 23rd Place, Kiley Summerlin Belleview (22:01.55)

(Montverde Academy won with 63 points out of 10 scoring teams)

GIRLS VARSITY TEAM RESULTS (Mount Dora won with 28 points out of seven scoring teams) Dunnellon, 7th Place (209 points)

BOYS VARSITY 5K INDIVIDUAL TOP-50 RESULTS (Riley Novack of Montverde won in 16:31.00) 2nd Place, Byiza Ntozo North Marion (16:55.90) 4th Place, Nathan Canterberry North Marion (17:30.30) 6th Place, Cody Canterberry North Marion (17:53.60) 32nd Place, James Carter Dunnellon (19:47.60) 42nd Place, Curtis Taylor North Marion (20:06.20) 49th Place, Brooks Ferguson North Marion (20:36.80)

GIRLS VARSITY 5K INDIVIDUAL TOP-50 RESULTS (Hannah Douglas of Mount Dora won in 19:18.10) 29th Place, Quiriat Dubon North Marion (24:03.80) 49th Place, Allison Robb Dunnellon (27:47.70) Results were gathered from Maxpreps.com and FLRunners.com Compiled by James Blevins

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