Ocala News
About the Artist:
Cara Van Leuven‘s lifelong obsession with horses is probably like yours — it’s in the blood; it’s an impossible attraction and addiction. At the age of nine, Cara began taking riding lessons and knew, due to the likes of Touch of Class, Big Ben, and Abdullah, she wanted to jump. Throughout middle school and high school, Cara showed in hunters, eventually finding true love in the jumper ring.
Life with horses seemingly ended when Cara left her hometown of Ft. Wayne, Indiana to study photojournalism at Western Kentucky University. Although she did remarkably well with a camera and earned internships every summer working as a photographer at newspapers throughout the country, the loss of horses was marked.
Solace needed to be found so Cara turned to hip hop. Yes, you read that right. When she wasn’t break-dancing, she wrote graffiti in her black book and occasionally on dumpsters and walls. Her love of art wasn’t found so much in art museums, but rather on the side of trains.
After graduating, she spent time in Duluth, Minnesota, and London before settling in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She worked quite a bit in design but could not find comfort in the corporate environment. Eventually, a transfer to St. Louis, Missouri reshaped her lifestyle thanks to the 2008 recession. Continue reading
Flags & Flag poles is a local store in business for over 18 years and is run by the Marshall family George, Bill & Linda. George’s father Bill a vet and George’s mother linda keep’s busy with sales thanks to the strong support of local customers in the area. We urge you to buy local from family-owned businesses.
The Marshall family have been able to stay busy through the past year with sales and installing flag poles in the local area. Having a retail store in lady lake also helps so people can walk in and see the supplies the store offer’s and purchase local on site. They also offer discounts on most products when you pay by cash or check. When you buy local you help support a small business like the Marshall locally family owned and operated store.
The store hours are 8 am – 4 pm Monday – Thursday. the Marshall’s can be reached at 352-751-1876
** 211 S. Hwy 441, Lady Lake, 32159 **
Good news for our veterans in FL-03: the new Ocala VA clinic is opened as of January 25th at 4826 SW 49th Road in Ocala! The clinic is fully upgraded and modernized to care for over 10,000 veterans, with patient-aligned care teams to increase efficiency and deliver streamlined services. All services will now be housed under one roof, including primary care, mental health, audiology, podiatry, Telehealth, and more. Interested veterans can enroll in comprehensive healthcare services at this location by calling the enrollment office at 352-369-1328.
Pictured is Clark Yandle long time supporter of North Magnolia and Ocala Florida Development is greeting Kat Cammack at the OBL Club breakfast. Kat is a busy Lady touring to many business communities discussing her plans and asking her constituents what they are concerned about.
Kat Cammack grew up on a farm and knows the rural and city ways of life! She is a force to be reconed with.
“This morning, I had the chance to visit and speak to over 70 business leaders in Ocala at their weekly breakfast meeting. We discussed what our team is doing to advance business-friendly policies at the federal level, fighting back against unconstitutional vaccine mandates for employers, combating inflation and rising prices, and how we can continue to ensure Florida’s Third is the best place to do business in the Sunshine State. Thanks for having me – looking forward to seeing everyone again soon!”
(Ocala, FL) – Ready to hear and feel true horsepower? With twenty-one wagons and six to eight one ton horses pulling each wagon, you won’t have to leave the stands to feel the horsepower. Described as “organized chaos”, this incredible three day event features all breed Draft Horses pulling different types of hitches. Some Hitches have a single horse while others have an eight horse hitch, and everything in between. Hitches are put into competition based on the breed of Draft horse, number of horses in their hitch, and gender of the driver. This event will take place February 4th through February 6th. To purchase tickets and check out the schedule visit https://grandviewinvitational.com/schedule/.
Ocala, Fla.—Marion County’s number of new COVID-19 cases and new positivity rate both reached record highs last week, according to the most recent state report, released Friday.
Marion County reported 5,536 new cases for the week of Jan 7 to Jan. 13. That amount increased the county’s cumulative total of COVID-19 cases to 68,316. The positivity rate for the past week climbed to 31.3%. That was up from 24.6% for the previous week.
Those numbers repreent new weekly peaks for cases and the positivity rate since the onset of the pandemic.
Overall, the daily positivity rate for all new COVID-19 cases throughout Florida was 29.3%.
The state’s new report indicates 990 people in Marion County received vaccines between Jan. 7 and Jan. 13. That was a decrease of 52 vaccines from the previous week. The ratio of Marion County residents aged 5 or older who have been vaccinated remained at 62% during the latest reporting period.
“The increase we have seen this week is an indicator of how transmissible the virus is within our community,” said Department of Health in Marion County Administrator Mark Lander. “We encourage residents to consider a COVID vaccine if they have not received one, or a booster if they are eligible for that. Vaccines continue to be the most effective way to prevent serious illness or hospitalization from COVID-19 for people aged 5 or older.” Continue reading
Dear Fellow Taxpayer,
AFFT has embarked on a profound mission to restore FAIR taxation to this country. The success of this mission will have lasting effects on our children and our children’s children.
As the year comes to a close, we reflect on the many accomplishments AFFT has seen in 2021, namely:
- 27 Cosponsors and counting for H.R. 25, The FairTax Act
- A growing movement at the state level to abolish state income tax
- Leading the charge against the government’s extreme plans for IRS surveillance of your bank account.
We’ve fought hard and seen results in 2021. With your continued support, we will make even more progress in the New Year.
Thank you for your continued support and have a Happy New Year.
Sincerely,
Steve Hayes
Chairman, Americans For Fair Taxation
Ocala, Fla. — Fort McCoy area residents will soon have opportunities to learn more about diabetes at a location close to them.
The Department of Health in Marion County, in partnership with the Marion County Hospital District, is holding free weekly classes on diabetes education and prevention at the Fort McCoy Public Library starting Jan. 19.
The Diabetes Empowerment and Education Program, or DEEP, is a series of classes that helps participants who have diabetes or are considered pre-diabetic better understand their condition and self-care.
Classes will cover topics such as understanding how diabetes affects the human body and how to monitor it. DEEP also includes instruction on the importance of a healthy, balanced diet, meal planning, and physical activity. Further, the classes will teach participants how to identify and prevent diabetic complications.
The six-week class begins on Jan. 19 and will occur each Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Feb. 23 at the public library in Fort McCoy (14660 NE County Road 315, Fort McCoy). Continue reading
The Letty Towles Dog Park is located at the Jervey Gantt Recreation Complex and is a guaranteed dog-gone good time! The park offers plenty of amenities for pups to enjoy and is divided in separate areas for large dogs and small dogs to play. The 4.5 acre park is fenced, giving dogs plenty of room to stretch their legs, chase a ball and make new friends.
Dog parents, please make sure to familiarize yourself with the dog park rules at https://www.ocalafl.org/government/city-departments-i-z/recreation-parks/parks/dog-park.
Location
2299 SE 32 Ave. , Ocala, FL 34470
Located at Jervey Gantt Recreation Complex
Hours
Open Fridays through Tuesdays from 7 a.m. to sunset.
Closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays to allow the grass time to recover
