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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2
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Jan. 16 JANUARY 13 - JANUARY 19, 2023
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West Ocala Resource Opens
CF receives $17 million boost its nursing program By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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Mary Sue Rich, fourth from left, and Ruth Reed celebrate together after cutting the ribbon during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Mary Sue Rich Community Center At Reed Place in Ocala on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.
A ribbon cutting was held Tuesday for the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, which will offer activities and programs for youth, families and seniors. By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
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bright morning sun beamed down on hundreds of people gathered Tuesday, Jan. 10, for the ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place. But neither the sun’s rays nor the lime green ribbon could be outdone by Mary Sue Rich and Ruth E. Reed—both beautifully outfitted in bright red attire— and the absolute shining stars of the festive event. The naming of the new community center and the property on which it sits are designated in honor of Rich, a longtime Ocala City Councilwoman, and Reed, a retired teacher and
community activist who led a years-long campaign against pollution from the Royal Oak Charcoal plant and campaigned for citizens of the area to have the right to breathe fresh air. On Tuesday, Rich and Reed were front and center in a ceremony to pay tribute to their leadership and advocacy and to show off the impressive new community resource. It was a long road that led to the special day. Rich represented District 2 on the Ocala City Council, in which the former charcoal plant was located, from 1995 to 2019. Seen as an asset in 1975, when it opened and provided jobs, the plant was later considered to have a detrimental effect. Residents said soot and ash covered
their vehicles overnight and coated the outsides, and sometimes even seeped into the interiors, of their homes. Though not proven medically, many residents who developed chronic respiratory conditions or cancer blamed their health issues on the emissions and pollution. Reed has lived just down the road from the site of the plant for years. In 1996, while beginning to investigate the plant’s permitting and alleged infractions, she formed the Neighborhood Citizens of Northwest Ocala (NCNO) advocacy group. “We were determined that we were going to do something about it. We were tired of living like that for over 30 years. We had a right to clean air, a right to breathe,”
she said, adding that they finally “began to catch them not doing what they were supposed to do.” The group got some grant money and got in touch with a national environmental organization and lobbied to have the plant clean up its operation. The City Council wrote letters to the Department of Environmental Protection and elected officials. The DEP found nine potential violations, including that the plant was emitting a hazardous amount of the pollutant methanol and not reporting it in permit applications. Additional violations also were found. In December 2005, the
he College of Central Florida has received a $17 million infusion to bolster its nursing program, thanks to an incentive from the state legislature and the Citrus County Hospital District. It is one of the largest gift and grant commitments in the college’s history. In an effort to combat the growing nursing shortage in Florida, legislators created the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) Fund during the 2022 session in hopes of incentivizing collaboration between nursing education programs and healthcare partners. The state grant provides dollar-for-dollar matches to bolster nursing educators’ efforts to raise money from partnering healthcare providers. Dr. Jim Henningsen, president of the College of Central Florida, told the Gazette that he was looking for partners to be first in line with a request benefiting CF even before Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the appropriations bill. “Citrus County Hospital District had originally considered committing $3 million, but when news of the state’s incentive came in, they called back and said they were increasing it to $10.3 million,” he said. Having such a large matching donor to present to the state so quickly paid off because CF received the largest share of LINE funds among the 26 colleges and universities that applied for this competitive grant. The amount is more than one-third of the available $19 million and more than 3.5 times larger than the second-largest grant of $1.9 million. The Citrus County Hospital District had a caveat that its money be used for the benefit of was that Citrus County residents. This means that only Citrus County residents would be open for the nursing scholarships (the details are being
See New, page A3
See CF, page A2
Local high school students recognized for academic achievements By Allen Barney allen@ocalagazette.com
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ive Marion County 11th graders have been honored as Sunshine State Scholars, recognized among their peers in Florida for their excellence in mathematics and science. Jullian Hollis (Belleview High School), Olivia Bittinger (Dunnellon High School),
Devi Sharma (Forest High School), Rishit Shaquib (Vanguard High School) and Caleb Lombardo (West Port High School) were all honored during the Marion County School Board meeting Tuesday night. “They were all recommended by their principal and leadership team because they met a special criteria,’’ explained Danielle Livengood, the
school district’s director of curriculum, instruction and digital learning. “They all have interest in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. They all have a minimum 3.9 GPA and have all participated in at least 25 hours of community service. “It’s exciting to recognize those students involved in
MCPS Juniors Olivia Bittinger (Dunnellon, second from left) and Caleb Lombardo (West Port, second from right) are this year’s MCPS Sunshine State Scholars. School Board members recognized them along with alternate Devi Sharma (Forest, far right) and nominees Rishit Shaquib (Vanguard, far left) and Julian Hollis (Belleview, center) [Supplied]
See Exceptional, page A2
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