Ocala News
Pictured is a Purple Passionflower
We have bantering pictures of Animals, Birds, Flowers nonprofessional photography. Here is some information from the web about the Purple Passionflower.
Alternate Names Wild passion flower, maypop, apricot vine, old field apricot, Holy-Trinity flower, molly-pop, passion vine, pop- apple, granadilla, maycock, maracoc, maracock, white sarsaparilla.
Uses One of the uses of the purple passionflower is ornamental in nature. This is because of their showy blooms and their climbing ability over fences, arbors, or up walls. Native American Indians used the poultice root for boils, cuts, earaches and inflammation. Dried leaves boiled with water also aids in insomnia.
Wildlife Purple passionflower attracts butterflies. Young tendrils inch lavender flowers are short-stalked from leaf axils. The petals and sepals subtend a fringe of wavy or crimped, hair-like segments. The pistil and stamens are also showy. Three-lobed, deciduous leaves are dark-green above and whitish below. The plants bloom from June to September. The pulpy fruit or “maypop” develops in two to three months after flowering and may be harvested from July to October. It will be yellowish in color and it is about the size of a large oval hen’s egg. Continue reading
Nestled back in under some Oak trees in rural Marion County I ran across a true Artist. This is Chuck York standing behind one of his creations. A genuine Handmade Rocking Horse with real Horse Hair a miniature hand made saddle. I ask Chuck how much time he had in the Horse? He said he started it last summer. It is hard to tell how many hours are in the project because you do some work on it then you have to let it set for a couple of days. He estimates over 300 hours, I guess at least 500 hours. The horse has been spoken a person person that has collected other creations from Chuck. For questions Chuck’s number is 352-361-6642. If you know someone that has a hobby like this let me know. 352-804-1223.
OCALA, Fla.-The Department of Health in Marion County is reporting 655 cumulative cases of COVID-19 as of this afternoon; 340 of those cases were added within the past two weeks. Because of this substantial increase in cases, residents need to take extra care with Fourth of July celebrations and activities in the coming days.
“Ultimately, we do not want to see a surge in cases linked to Fourth of July celebrations,” said Florida Department of Health in Marion County Administrator Mark Lander. “So, however you celebrate, do so responsibly by practicing social distancing, wearing a mask if you can’t socially distance, avoiding large gatherings, and staying home if you are sick,”
Residents are also advised to avoid the three C’s: closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places with many others nearby, and close-contact settings, such as close-range conversation. The risk of COVID-19 spreading among a group of people is highest when the three C’s overlap. Continue reading
OCALA, Fla. (June 23, 2020) – City of Ocala business offices will be closed Friday, July 3 in observance of Independence Day. There will be no changes to the residential or commercial sanitation schedule.
For those looking to beat the heat over the holiday, the City of Ocala Aquatic Fun Centers are open Mondays through Saturdays, for two daily swim sessions, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pools are closed Sundays due to facilitate current cleaning and sanitation measures. Admission is $2 per child and $3 per adult, each session.
The City of Ocala Splash pads, Lily’s Splash Pad, 2200 NW 17 Pl. and Citizens’ Circle Splash Pad, 160 E Fort King St., are open daily, sunrise to sunset daily.
The City’s online services, including online municipal services bill pay and payment kiosks, will be available to the public over the holiday.
Last month I ran some pictures of flowers and ask that some of readers to share. Angelina Ahrem sharing a picture of her Flowers.
I call this picture Libby’s Hawks. Libby’s husband Dave sent us the picture. This is a photo of two Red Shoulder hawks that Libby Neuharth took. They show up every day and perch on the bird bath. I think they are really lucky to be that closed to nature within the City limits.
By Christy Jergens, Florida Department of Health in Marion County
While the Florida Department of Health in Marion County is heavily focused on responding to COVID-19 in the community currently, the department provides a wide array of programs and services to benefit residents. Read below for more information on what’s offered outside of COVID-19 testing.
The Florida Department of Health in Marion County provides community, environmental and personal health services for Marion County residents. Community health work include epidemiology (contagious disease investigation, reporting and prevention), tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment, health education, and public health preparedness. Preparedness efforts include actions to protect the health of Florida’s residents and visitors from the effects of man-made and natural disasters. As part of these preparedness efforts, the department staffs and operates the county’s special needs shelters in the event of a local state of emergency (such as a hurricane). Community health work also includes the registering and issuing of Florida birth and death certificates. Continue reading
The Sweet Tomatoes restaurant is one of 97 have shut down! The Sweet Tomatoes had buffet style eatery and could not do the curbside service. The reason they gave was the COVID-19 shut down.
Another victim of the COVID-19 Virus is the legendary Katie Belle in the Villages. Management says it will not reopen.
Both were quality restaurants that will be missed.
(OCALA, Fla.) May 14, 2020 – Ocala Fire Rescue (OFR) and Meadowbrook Church partnered with the City of Ocala’s Social Services Coordinator, Dennis Yonce, to offer COVID-19 testing to the homeless. The collaboration resulted in a pop-up testing site at NW 1st Avenue and NW 3rd Street, on Wednesday, May 13.
“It was an honor that the community participated and made use of these beneficial services,” said OFR Fire Chief Shane Alexander. “Offering testing at an open setting allowed us to address this underserved population with dignity and kindness.”
Besides COVID-19 testing, participants were able to obtain Hepatitis A inoculations and a meal, compliments of Meadowbrook Church. The testing site was open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
A total of 52 individuals were tested for COVID-19. Furthermore, 18 participants opted to get vaccinated.
OCALA, Fla. – The City of Ocala’s Aquatic Fun Centers are scheduled to re-open to the public for the summer beginning Monday, June 8. The Jervey Gantt Aquatic Fun Center, 2390 SW 36th Ave., and the Hampton Aquatic Fun Center, 255 NW Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., will be open Mondays through Saturdays with two sessions, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 4:30 p.m. Both facilities will be closed on Sundays to allow for weekly deep sanitizing.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, additional restrictions and guidelines will be in effect for operations at both facilities:
- Temperature and health screenings at entry
- Plexiglass shields installed at customer service counters, as well as six-foot separation markers for entry
- Reduced bathing loads to 50% normal capacity that will be monitored and adjusted to ensure proper social distancing
- No swim lessons
- Waterslides will be closed
- Facility or table rentals will not be permitted
- Groups, camps, or field trips will be prohibited
- Reduced number of chairs available with distancing guidelines in place.No family groups larger than 10 people.
- Concessions will be pre-packaged foods only
- Staff will be assigned to frequently sanitize with a daily deep sanitizing from 12:30 to 2 p.m.
- Staff will be trained on CDC recommended protocols for aquatics operations
Admission for each swim session is $2 for ages 17 and under and $3 for those ages 18 and up. Admission is free for ages one and under. Facility operations are subject to change and staff will continue to monitor conditions based on recommended guidelines. A detailed list of restrictions and guidelines for both aquatic centers may be found at www.ocalafl.org/recpark. Splash pads will remain closed until further notice.
For more information, please call the City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department at 352-368-5517.
