Part of the South Eastern Youth Fair is a Dog Show where the youth and their dog compete.
First place winner, Brianna Fryer and her dog Jazzy, a 15 month old Rat Terrier.
Second place winner was Amanda Valez with her Blue Healer called Tag-A-Long. Amanda is also the winner of the trophy sponsored by Ocala DownTown / Seniors Voice newspapers.
Good job ladies, stay involved with the Youth Fair and thanks for competing.
 Brianna Fryer |
 Amanda Valez |
There is no sense in me commenting on the national news because it’s moving faster than the speed of light. Well at least Trump and his spokespeople can’t keep up. Of course the Left is stalling; it has to come to a head sooner or later. Some of these foreign countries have had their way with us for way too long. When the White House has a briefing, the left media twists the story. Somebody said just shut down the briefing room; don’t do press conferences. That will teach them a lesson.
It seems to me that you have to have a crime before you name a Special Prosecutor. It seems to me that the left has a wish list and I know what the first wish is. They are making themselves look foolish. First the call for Impeachment has to have a crime. So far there is no evidence, only accusations. The one thing that the Left is trying to get us to forget is the leaks, no matter where they came from, were true! First I think we need to pass a law that it is illegal to pay someone to disrupt a meeting, a rally or any public gathering. That is far beyond freedom of speech. Continue reading
One of the two primary goals of the CEP is to create and retain jobs in our community. Four of our five core areas are organized around this goal. You will often see our five-year goal of impacting the announced creation of 4500 new jobs if you attend a CEP event or browse our website. However, job creation is more than just the projects that we directly impact. In fact, if we are doing our jobs then the community should see greater economic impact and job creation.
One way many people track the status of the job market is through the unemployment rate. While there are some real challenges with this approach, it does provide a good barometer of what is happening in our community. Using the latest numbers available (March 2017), the current unemployment rate in the Ocala MSA (Marion County) is 5.1 percent. This is a tremendous improvement from just a few years ago when it surpassed 14 percent. Additionally, when you look at the three-county workforce the numbers remain very positive. Marion County is the center of a regional workforce shed so these numbers are important. The unemployment in this region was 5.2 percent with nearly 5,900 more people employed than a year ago. Continue reading
The 2017 Legislative Session has come to an end! We have worked hard to secure good policy for our constituents and the people of Florida. During our time in Tallahassee this year, some big issues were addressed: tax cuts, increased homestead exemption, more clarity on our self-defense and religious freedom rights, and increased funding for bright futures and higher education institutions.
This year, the legislature passed $180 million in broad based tax-cuts for Floridians. This includes a three day back to school sales tax holiday, a reduction to the business rent tax, a disaster preparedness sales tax holiday, and the elimination of sales tax on feminine products.
A bill was also passed that will provide significant tax savings for homeowners across Florida. The increased homestead exemption bill will proposes an amendment to the Florida Constitution to provide an additional homestead exemption of $25,000. Homestead property owners will receive an exemption from ad valorem taxes, except levies by school districts, for the assessed valuation greater than $100,000 and up to $125,000. If approved by Florida voters in November 2018, the amendment will take effect January 1, 2019. Continue reading
(NAPS)—The 2016 hurricane season ended a decadelong landfall drought in Florida. Hurricane Hermine struck Florida’s north coast in early September, and then Hurricane Matthew tore north along the Atlantic coast in early October. The intensity of that late-season storm left more than 1 million Florida homes and businesses in the dark while 485,000 were without power in South Carolina; 300,000 in Georgia; and more than 127,000 in North Carolina.
The climatological hurricane season is long, running between June 1 and November 30, but it’s become increasingly important for vulnerable home and business owners—from the Gulf Coast to New England—to take the necessary steps ahead of the storm warnings and the inevitable rush for emergency supplies.
“It’s better to be ready for a nonevent than it is to be caught off guard by a strong storm,” said Russ Minick, chief marketing officer at Generac Power Systems. “We believe we can offer manageable ways to guide homeowners and businesses through the storm season, but staying safe starts with preparedness.” Continue reading
(NAPS)—America, it’s time to “Flip Your Fridge”! If your refrigerator is 15 years old or older, replacing it with a new Energy Star® certified model can save you more than $270 over the next five years and reduce your carbon footprint.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if all refrigerators 15 years old or older in the United States were replaced with new Energy Star certified models, Americans would save more than $1 billion in annual energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from more than 1 million vehicles.
There are an estimated 170 million refrigerators and refrigerator-freezers currently in use in the United States. More than 60 million are over 10 years old, costing consumers $4.4 billion per year in energy. Continue reading
(NAPS)—E-mail security is not the problem—it’s how we use e-mail that is the problem. There has been no lack of press and attention regarding the insecurity of e-mail and the consequences of account hacking. Look no further than the latest elections, the Sony Pictures hack, the latest Yahoo compromise, etc. We hear about the problem all the time. What is missing from all the discussion is how to solve the problem.
E-mail in its stock form is inherently insecure but that does not mean that it must stay that way. With a little bit of effort, one can confidently send secure e-mail with virtually no risk of the contents being compromised.
An analogy is that of a car and a seat belt. Cars are useful and largely safe. But we can make them safer by buckling up. While seat belts were not used regularly for many years, today, we understand their benefit and they are widely used. We need to make e-mail safe and secure and we can do this when e-mail encryption becomes as widely used. So get ready to buckle up before sending. Continue reading
(NAPS)—According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Small Business Administration, 80 percent of the 28.8 million U.S. small businesses have no employees, placing a heavy burden on the business owner when it comes to juggling every detail of running a company. From IT issues to customer service and even facilities management, a small-business owner must be a jack-of-all-trades.
Fortunately, some banks are recognizing the need for more specialized support for small-business owners and are carving out a niche to better serve them.
Here are three ways small-business owners can get more from their banking partner:
Relationships Matter
Banks that specialize in serving small-business clients understand the financial pressures they face and will assign a relationship manager with expertise to help them endure the challenges of today’s competitive market. Relationship managers can be a small-business owner’s best resource when it comes to managing finances; they can anticipate needs, troubleshoot, and provide a wide array of products and solutions to help clients achieve their goals. Small-business owners who take the time to get to know their relationship managers can find them to be valuable and trusted partners. Continue reading
A great time was had by all. The weather was perfect, the fish were biting, The food was good, there were plenty of shade trees and friends. Trophies furnished by BJ Trophies. Trophies were awarded to the biggest fish and the oldest fisher person.
Biggest Fish – George Wright – Anna Marie Sneed
Oldest Fisherman – Louise Ramsey
Most Fish – George Wright
Click on thumbnail to see larger view.
City Employee Volunteers: Carla Chindoma, Kelsey Mears, Charles Dobson, Brandon Farmer, Darrin Williams
Parks Dept. Crew: John Spencer new director Division Head
Sponsors: BJ Trophies, Roberts Funeral Home, Clark’s Funeral Home, Greater Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, Colleen Duris PA, City of Ocala Recreation Parks and Recreation, Nelson’s Lawn service, Publix Supermarket, Silver Spring Water, TomL Publishing LLC (Seniors Voice)
Volunteers: Dustin Echols [Clay Electric – cook], Margaret Wise, Dorothy Gunsby, Helen Coleman, Vernice Franklin, Ida Scott, Delores Wise, Marvelene Murihead
Be on the lookout for the fall fishing derby October 16, 2017
MARION COUNTY, FL (May 18, 2017) – Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Major Crimes Detectives identified Emanuel Angelo Tuggerson (B/M DOB: 8/11/1997) and Isaiah Ishmael Richard (B/M DOB:1/1/1997) as suspects in the homicides of Baily Zylo (DOB: 8/21/1998) and Andy Fockler (DOB: 8/14/1978) on January 29, 2017, in Weirsdale.
Richard was located and arrested by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and Tuggerson is at the Marion County Jail on unrelated charges, and will be served with an arrest warrant for these charges while in custody.
On January 29, 2017, deputies responded to 14241 SE 151st Place Road in Weirsdale after receiving a 911 call. Deputies discovered that an apparent home invasion robbery had occurred with two fatalities inside the home. 18 year old Bailey Zylo and 38 year old Andy Fockler were pronounced dead on scene. Continue reading
