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Local News

  • Spring art show features three Oak Run artists

    Fine Art on Broadway’s annual spring show, this year entitled Clash of Cultures, opened Friday evening at the Brick City Center for the Arts.

    Three of Oak Run’s artists were featured in the show.

    Aina Sturms showed two of her newest paintings, Paul Martin Brown showed a collage of Wild Orchids of Marion County and Stan Folsom entered several new works in a dramatic contemporary style.

    Brown and Folsom both won Honorable Mentions for their work.

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  • Quick Care Center coming

    New health care facilities are coming to the area, thanks to expansions at West Marion Community Hospital.

    Ginger Carroll, chief executive officer for West Marion, explained the additional services that will be available in the next few months when she spoke at the March meeting of the S.R. 200 Coalition meeting.

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  • Suddenly: Howard’s out, Niblock’s in

    It came as a shocker to many Marion County residents when county administrator Patrick Howard announced his intent to resign last week and the county swiftly moved to appoint Lee Niblock, the county’s community resources bureau chief, to the position.

    During a public hearing Feb. 25, the Marion County Commissioner accepted Howard’s letter to retire effective Feb. 27 and then approved a three-year contract to hire Niblock for the job, according to a county press release.

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  • CCS takes pride in helping Toys for Tots

    “Toys for Tots is my thing,” said Ginnie Wise, project director assistant at CCS Mechanical Inc. For the last couple of years she has coordinated the business’ efforts in collecting toys for the United States Marine Corps annual toy drive.

    The company contributed 1,566 toys last Christmas, which totaled about $17,000. They donated more toys than anyone else in Marion County, with the help of the community. “They take pride in it,” said Jim McCarthy, liaison for Marion County Toys for Tots and member of Ocala West Detachment 1072.

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  • Finding a sketching niche

    Ronda West has been drawing professionally for years,  but it wasn’t until recently she started to “play around with celebrities.” Before moving back to Florida with her husband, historical western fiction author Charles West, she was doing commissioned portrait work for customers, which she still does.

    After moving to Oak Run,  she tried her hand at drawing famous faces and found her niche. West’s first celebrity pencil portrait was of actor John Wayne.

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  • What was your ‘first time’ after age 60?

    Did you go skydiving for the first time in your 60s? Or did you get married at age 61 for the first time? Did you change careers after age 60, or discover a helpful health- or financial tip? Did you start a new hobby, or find a great recipe geared toward seniors?

    If so, we want to hear from you.

    We are looking for first-time accomplishments after age 60 for an upcoming special section called “Savvy After 60” and a special page, “You’re never too old.” Share your information with our readers.

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  • Silver River Museum a goldmine of history

    There are, at my last count, six museums in Marion County. I’ve asked several friends to name them. Most knew of two, a few named three and one came up with four.

    Apparently we have some great places to visit – but some of these Marion County museums need to be excavated. So I’m going to tell you about one of these lesser-known collections. It’s a terrific place that adults and kids alike will find truly awesome.

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  • Not the typical saddle tramp

    If people thought about it a bit, “everybody’s got a least one book in them,” said Charles “Chuck” G. West. But getting it published is a different story.

    For West, the road to getting his first manuscript in print was not an easy one. In the early 1980s, the former print shop owner decided to start penning a medical science fiction book. “It’s so hard to get published,” he said.

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  • More are ‘living on the edge'

    With a dwindling economy to blame there is an ever-growing number of homeless people and at-risk residents in Marion County. The recent increase of people needing assistance and shelter is keeping organizations like  the Salvation Army of Marion County and the Annie Johnson Senior Services very busy.

    Alice Hodgkins, director of the Center for Hope at the Salvation Army of Marion County, has seen an increase in single men at the shelter. She attributes the increased male population to job losses.

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  • Mall foreclosures • ‘no way’

    Rumors have been swirling through the Corridor recently about the foreclosure of the Market Street at Heath Brook and Berkshire Oaks, but representatives of the properties are saying “no way.”

    To Trent Comer, marketing director for United American Realty, the rumors surrounding the Market Street at Heath Brook are nothing new. He has been hearing various tales about shopping center problems for more than a year now.

    And the latest one about the open-air mall going into foreclosure is another one to add to the list.

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