There will be no residential collection for sanitation, yard waste or recycling routes Thursday, Nov. 22.

OCALA, Fla. (Nov. 5, 2018) – City of Ocala business offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 22 and Friday, Nov. 23 in observance of Thanksgiving. There will be no residential collection for sanitation, yard waste or recycling routes Thursday, Nov. 22.

Residential sanitation collection regularly scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 22 will experience a one-day delay and will be collected Friday, Nov. 23.

Waste Pro recycling collection for City of Ocala residents regularly scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 22 will take place Friday, Nov. 23.

For more information, please contact the City of Ocala Residential Sanitation Department at 352-351-6697.

OCALA (Oct. 19, 2018) – The unemployment rate in the CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion region was 3.7 percent in September, down a full percentage point over the month and 1.1 percent lower than the same time last year.

The labor force was 202,042, a bump of 1,707 over the month and 795 more over the year. The number of those with jobs increased by 3,603 over the month to 194,554 which is 2,917 more than September 2017.  The number of unemployed dropped by 1,896 since August to 7,488, a decrease of 2,122 over the year.

According to today’s release of the September employment summary by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Levy County continues to hold the lowest jobless rate in the region at 3.2 percent, down from the August rate of 4.1 percent; Marion County’s rate is 3.6 percent, a 0.9 percent drop over the month; and Citrus County’s rate fell from 5.4 percent to 4.3 percent.

To put that in context, the last time the region’s unemployment rates were that low, the average price of a movie ticket was $6.88, admission to Disney World was $71, gas cost $2.85 a gallon and The Departed struck box office gold. That was in April and May 2007 for Marion and Citrus counties and May 2006 for Levy County. Continue reading →

The Ocala Art Group (OAG) is hosting a lecture by acclaimed artist Curtis Arnett, one of the original Florida Highwaymen, on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 from 11 am to 1 pm in the auditorium of the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, FL 34470.

Arnett is one of the youngest of 26 African-American artists who traveled the highways of I-95 and A1A decades ago, who later became known as The Highwaymen. They sold their Florida landscape paintings inexpensively which today are widely sought after for their historical value.  Many of these paintings can be found on public display in banks, office buildings and private homes throughout Florida and the United States.

You won’t want to miss this program that will include a history of Mr. Arnett’s life, his journey as one of the Florida Highwaymen and a demonstration of his art.  This event will undoubtedly excite and inspire artists as well as art enthusiasts.  The program is free to members of the Ocala Art Group and the Appleton Museum of Art.   If you are not a member, you may join prior to the program.  Please contact Richard Woy at (352) 598-9069 or woyzus@cs.com for more information.

Welcome to Bargains by the Pallet.  Bargains by the Pallet is a new locally owned business, open to the public.  Our clients vary from online stores, flea market merchants, brick and mortar small business retail stores to individuals needing items for themselves.  We sell full pallets of mixed merchandise that arrive straight from various retail store distribution centers.  Products can range from furniture items, computer and other electronic goods, baby items, skate boards, patio items, tools, small kitchen appliances and other general merchandise.  Every pallet is different. Every truck load is different.

Bargains by the Pallet was established September 1, 2018 by Andrea Calhoun and Bob Siebert, commonly referred to as beauty and the beast.  This couple is not originally from Ocala, Florida.  They moved to Ocala from Rome, GA.  where Andrea lived most of her life.  In Rome she was a mother (now grandmother), a florist and a friend.  Bob has lived in Georgia for over 25 years.  There he was a father, retail manager, a super hero and movie buff and all around great guy.  Continue reading →

(OCALA, Fla.) Oct. 19, 2018 – Ocala Fire Rescue (OFR) received 14 cancer exposure decontamination kits from the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Thursday, Oct. 18.

The decontamination kits are 14 of 4,216 units obtained through a $1million grant to the Firefighter Cancer Mitigation Grant Program, awarded to 405 fire departments across the state of Florida. Each kit includes tools essential for soot and particulate removal from bunker gear before firefighters leave the scene of a fire. Kits are comprised of: a five-gallon bucket, clear bags, duct tape, dish soap, scrub brush, spray bottle, wipes, two 50-foot hose lines with nozzles, adapters and collapsible traffic cones.

According to research by the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH), firefighters in the United States have a nine percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and 14 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than the general U.S. population. The purpose of the decontamination kits is to reduce firefighter’s exposure to cancer-causing agents which result from combustions at a fire scene.  Continue reading →

Ocala Business Leaders had an old friend come by and visit. Sandy Mandell used to come to the OBL meetings as a District High Patrol supervisor. He is now in Tallahassee Fl as Bureau Commander of of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence. He spoke to the group about what was going on state-wide. The Bureau Commander gave us a brief highlight on things he could talk about. Of course the Hurricane readiness of the state dwarfed all the conversations. Sandy Mandell is a great asset to state law enforcement. The description of their job values are Courtesy. Service. Protection!

One of the speakers this month at Ocala Business Leaders was Stacy Edmondson Cruz ARNP. Stacy and her husband have Magnolia Walk In Clinic. Picture from left Stacy Edmondson Cruz ARNP, John Hoogerhyde office manager and not pictured Miguel Cruz, MD. The audience was sharing their experiences at the clinic. One patient said that when you walk in and you need a test, it will happen while you are there. They don’t have to send you somewhere else . They do MRI’s, Xrays, and just about anything you will need. So if you need care go to 1490 SE Magnolia, Ocala Fl 34471. Phone 352-512-9703