From Bill Gray

To Thomas Loury

It’s cold and quiet in Hillsdale, Michigan. I hope you’re staying warm, and that you and your family are doing well. Our students have headed home for a much-needed break, and I wanted to send you a quick note as we approach the close of 2024.

The end of one year and the beginning of another is a natural time to reflect. When I think back over the year that was, I never could’ve predicted we’d be where we are today. Did you think we’d see…

Campus protests, legacy media censorship, wars in Europe and the Middle East, and multiple assassination attempts of a presidential candidate?

I certainly didn’t!

At the same time…

This year ended with so many Americans showing they haven’t given up on this country. A renewed hope is in the air. There is a feeling that we can and will accomplish great things again. Continue reading →

Ocala, FL – HCA Florida Ocala Hospital and HCA Florida West Marion Hospital today announced a $10,000 donation to Interfaith Emergency Services to fight hunger in the Ocala/Marion County community.

For the 2024 Healthy Food for Healthier Tomorrows Food and Nutrition Drive, HCA Healthcare hospitals nationwide were encouraged to get creative and build sculptures with cans and boxes of food donated by their colleagues. The winner in each division received a $10,000 grant from the HCA Healthcare Foundation for a food bank serving its community. HCA Florida Ocala Hospital is the winner for HCA Healthcare’s North Florida Division and selected Interfaith Emergency Services’ food bank for the $10,000 donation.

Nursing managers at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital built a food structure in the shape of a smiling turkey to recognize the importance of helping neighbors during the holiday season. Continue reading →

Calling all cheese lovers and culinary wizards! The Billy Berg Mac N Cheese Festival & Business Showcase is your golden ticket to not only showcase your cheesy creations but also to connect with the vibrant Lady Lake community!

Join us for this exciting cook-off, where local businesses can strut their stuff, art and craft vendors can shine, and competitors can battle it out for cheesy supremacy!

Saturday, March 8, 2025 – 10 AM – 2 PM

Log Cabin Park, 106 S. US HWY 441/27, Lady Lake

Select Business Associates are in the news again. Here are the people who attended our meeting on the 15 of January. The Club donated $500 to the ORA Clubhouse. ORA has a building fund and sponsorships. It is a place that people with mental health can go for help to talk to someone that can help them through their current crisis and get long term help.

A little bit about the Select Business Associates, it was founded some years back by three business people that wanted a referral club that was special. The rules are you must be invited to join. One person per category so you won’t have competition. The member help each other in business. We meet every first / third / fifth Wednesday of the month at noon at MOJO’s next to Target. We have a private meeting room. Continue reading →

The Rotary Club of IMPACT Ocala proudly welcomed four esteemed professionals into its membership during an induction ceremony held on December 5 at the Midtown Station in Downtown Ocala. Jennifer LeBrecht, of Thrive Home Therapy & Design, Mehul Patel, with HCA Healthcare, David Shults, from Northwestern Mutual, and Sam Cone, from Cone Farms LLC, took their pledges to uphold the values and mission of Rotary International. The ceremony was conducted by President-Elect Herb Silverman, with members of both the Rotary Club of IMPACT Ocala and the Rotary Club of Ocala-Sunset in attendance to celebrate this significant milestone. “This induction is a testament to the strength and commitment of our growing Rotary family. These members bring diverse talents and a shared passion for service that will undoubtedly enhance our impact,” stated

Step into the 1800s at the Festival at Fort King! This two-day event featured historic themed crafts, games, workshops, activities, living historians, vendors, food, drinks and much more. The pinnacle of the festival is a re-enactment of the event that fueled the start of the Second Seminole War.

This year it occurred Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Fort King National Historic Landmark. Watch for the next event…

Admission is free!

Event Activities: Cast iron cooking; Canoe carving; Archery (Saturday Only); Leather tanning; Combat demonstrations; Seminole Artisans; Craft vendors; Pine needle basket weaving; Living historian re-enactors; And more!

Parking Information: Free shuttle parking was available at the Duke Energy power line field, approximately a quarter mile east of the fort.

Cannon Firing Notice

During the event, artillery volunteers conducted live cannon firing. Residents in the area may have heard a series of rounds fired multiple times throughout the day during the event.

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The Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership (CEP) announced today that its first CEO, Kevin T. Sheilley, CCE, has submitted his resignation after 12 years. It was simultaneously announced that he has been hired as the new President & CEO of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce in Charleston, SC.

Sheilley was hired by the CEP shortly after it was formally created in late 2012 with the merger of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce and the Ocala/Marion County Economic Development Corporation. Over the last dozen years, the organization led the community’s incredible economic rebound and was named national Chamber of the Year in 2020, a finalist for this award in 2017 and 2019, and Florida’s Chamber of the Year in 2018. Continue reading →