NOVEMBER EVENTS CELEBRATE SERVICE & SACRIFICE

The month of November not only ushers in the holiday season, but it also brings a boatload of Veterans activities to town. Annually, Veterans Day is observed on November 11; this year it falls on a Wednesday. Most Veteran groups in the gated communities have their own Veterans Day observances.

To offer a ceremony NOT on a weekday when most people are working or attending school, Veterans Helping Veterans USA is collaborating with Highland Memorial Park this year to host a Veterans Day service on Saturday, November 7 at 10 am. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend this Community family event at 1515 NE 3^rd Street in Ocala! Please arrive by 9:45 am to secure parking and grab a seat.

Another outstanding Veterans Day celebration takes place on Friday, November 6 at St. John Lutheran School, 1915 SE Lake Weir Avenue, Ocala 34471. Activities include the American Honor Foundation landing two helicopters on the baseball diamond; a free hot dog luncheon takes place before a 1 pm ceremony. Spouses are welcome!

A listing of all upcoming reported events can be explored at www.mission1776.org/upcoming-events.

Have a peaceful and joy-filled Thanksgiving!

Could your home equity help you enjoy a more financially comfortable retirement? Dan Kapellen, known as “Your Loan Navigator,” helps homeowners 55 and older explore reverse mortgages and other home equity solutions to improve financial flexibility and retirement lifestyle. As a Mortgage Loan Officer with Prime Path Lending Team, his CMA, CREV, and CVLS credentials reflect specialized training in mortgage planning, retirement home equity strategies, and helping clients make informed financial decisions. Dan is also the author of the Amazon bestselling book The Housing Wealth Advice That Retirees Never Get and hosts educational Lunch & Learn seminars.

I have been wondering about the success of Marion County. When our country was in a slump and the economy was down \Marion County was doing OK not great but money was moving. I ask how and why? Well we had many seniors spending retirement checks and no one was talking about the thousands of Veterans receiving and spending their checks. Back then the horse industry was not growing like it is now. Now the Horse industry is turning over a lot of money.Now we have the  World Equestrian Center, (for horses and people) which s turning out to be entertainment, hotel stays, restaurants and many things that go with that. But we have the Florida Horse Park which caters to a little bit different crowd of horse competitions that are very popular. I think they have national competition in horses jumping coipition s and all the things that go along with it. The two venues are totally different the only thing that is the same is they compete with Horses. Here are the stats about Marion County that is online.

The numbers can be confusing because some of the numbers overlap. But we have a lot of people  spending a lot of money! Our county seems to be poor because the powers to be keep raising our taxes instead of lowering them! The invisible expense is the mortgage insurance. Every time the County raises the value go your home your insurance goes up. It has put people into a poverty level they never expected to be. Some their mortgage payment has gone up just because of the value increase the county has put on their homes to charge them more money so they have it to spend! Publishers note The numbers I have heard for veterans are 28,000??? Continue reading →

(OCALA, FL) Sept. 16, 2026 – Ocala Fire Rescue and Marion County Fire Rescue responded to a structure fire at Arnold Truss Manufacturing, located at 2250 NW 42nd St. The emergency call was received at 5:38 p.m., reporting flames engulfing the commercial structure.

Ocala Fire Rescue’s Engine 1, Squad 7, Ladder 3, Battalion Chief 11, and a Safety Officer responded. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered a fully involved medium-sized sawmill shed, with access restricted by a bolted gate. The Safety Officer assisted Engine 1 in cutting the chain to gain entry while additional crews conducted a secondary 360-degree assessment of the structure.

Marion Country Fire Rescue crews from Stations 1, 11, 19, and 21 arrived shortly after, established a water supply, and aided in the fire attack.

Because of severe fire conditions and a partial collapse of the structure, crews transitioned to a defensive strategy to extinguish the fire. Despite these challenges, firefighters had water on the fire within four minutes of arrival.

The fire was under control at 5:56 p.m., preventing the flames from spreading to surrounding structures.

No injuries were reported.

HAPPY 251^st BIRTHDAY, UNITED STATES NAVY! 

On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing the purchase and fitting of “two armed vessels, one to carry ten carriage guns and a proportionable number of swivels, with eighty men, to be fitted, with all possible despatch, for a cruise of three months.” A second vessel of similar size was also authorized. This was in response to two British ordnance ships known to be sailing from England unescorted, and their capture would yield powder, arms, and equipment that Washington’s army besieging Boston desperately needed.

On October 30, four more vessels were authorized and, on November 10, the Continental Marines were established. By the end of 1775, seven ships had been authorized, and 13 frigates of 24, 28, and 32 guns were under construction in American shipyards.

The Continental Navy never numbered more than 65 vessels, and it was gradually reduced by capture and attrition, effectively disbanding in 1785. The U.S. Navy traces its continuous institutional existence to the Naval Act of March 27, 1794. But, by convention and by act of Congress, October 13, 1775

Staff writer

Brigette quietly shown up and advocated for our children for over a decade, long before this election. Brigette an operating room nurse with 35 years of experience who trained at Shock Trauma, University of Maryland, a United States Army Reserves Nurse Corps, as a direct commission as a first lieutenant after 911 and a dedicated community volunteer, Board secretary to the Paul Chester Children’s Hope Foundation and Medical missionary traveling abroad helping to perform life-changing surgeries on the indigent children of the area, She has built her life around service and leadership.

Briggete has invested with skin in the game, she has two daughters who graduated from Marion County schools, and she currently have a granddaughter attending Dunnellon middle school. What’s been missing on the School Board is a disciplined approach of assessing, intervening, and evaluating-the same cycle she use every day as a nurse. Despite rising budgets, Marion County has remained in the bottom academically for years. That’s unacceptable. She says if elected, she will raise the bar for students, reject mediocrity, restore fiscal responsibility, and ensure every taxpayer dollar is spent efficiently- especially in school construction-so we can put those resources back into the classroom where they belong. Continue reading →