VOLUME 5 ISSUE 28
$2
New art exhibits Pg B3
JULY 12 - JULY 18, 2024
Can emergency personnel locate me through my cellphone?
Serving those who served Marion County Memorial Honor Guard lay veterans to rest with honor
File photo
By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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s more people have shifted to cellphones instead of landlines, the country’s emergency operations systems have had to find ways to locate people who are making 911 calls on their cellphones indoors. According to the National Chamber of Commerce, seven in 10 adults are wireless-only phone users, which is about 183 million Americans nationwide. Marion County residents are no different; An overwhelming majority of people here have transitioned to relying only on cellphones. But with so much rural area to cover with cell towers, meandering city lines, county enclaves, and two 911 call centers, getting a precise location for a caller can be a challenge. In Marion County, the location data from cellphone callers gives a person’s location “usually within 100 feet,” the “Gazette” learned after observing numerous 911 calls over a combined 30 hours at the two dispatch centers operated by the city of Ocala and Marion County. While 100 feet is reasonably close, there are plenty of scenarios where better accuracy, the kind provided by landlines, would be preferred. The accuracy of the location depends on the cell carrier and a host of other elements. Calling from a landline is still the best way for a 911 operator to determine your location, according to Marion County’s 911 Management Director Michell Hirst. “Where a [cell] call routes to and the accuracy provided with the call can change based on a number of factors. You may not always connect with the same tower and weather conditions can decrease the accuracy of the location provided with the call,” she wrote in an email. With landline phone service, it’s easy to determine where your call will route to based on your address— homes within the city limits route to OPD, and homes outside of the city limits route to PSC[Marion County Public Safety Center], Hirst explained. When asked if she felt one See Emergency, page A4
Marion County Memorial Honor Guard staff photo taken at Florida National Cemetery. [Marion County Memorial Honor Guard]
By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
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ost people count themselves lucky to avoid funerals, but the members of The Marion County Memorial Honor Guard aren’t “most people.” These brave men and women attend an average of five funerals a week and consider it an honor to pay tribute to veterans by providing full military honors as they are laid to rest. On funeral days, a group of eight veterans on average don their uniforms and get ready to travel to the Florida National Cemetery
in Bushnell to serve at the funerals of veterans who, like them, put their lives on the line for their country. Oftentimes, it is veteran Navy Senior Chief Don Kennedy and Army Capt. Steve Petty who answer the call to serve other veterans. “I thought that I would never be able to hear “Taps” again after I left the service in Vietnam,” Petty said. “The reality is that the love and the respect that we get from the families that we are showing how much we are honoring their veterans is almost overwhelming.” Petty served in the Army from 1964 until 1972 and
fought in Vietnam from 1967 until 1968. Kennedy, the captain and CEO of the Honor Guard, was an aviation electronics technician chief petty officer. He served in the Navy from 1971 until 1993, led several commands, and was stationed aboard the USS Forrestal and the USS Nimitz. The Marion County Memorial Honor Guard is a volunteer nonprofit organization founded in 2002. Its members come from all branches of the military. During a funeral service, members of the Honor Guard escort the deceased veteran, salute the deceased and their family, deliver prayers during the
service, provide a rifle salute, play “Taps,” provide keepsakes for the family, and more. An optimal service would have 12 members of the Honor Guard present, including a chaplain, bagpiper, rifle bearers, flag presenters, readers, a bugler, and more. In a typical week, the honor guard provides military honors at four or five funerals, but sometimes they do more than one service in a day. Kennedy said he often learns a lot about the veteran who is being laid to rest, and that it’s an honor to be a part of their life story, even if it’s at the very end. See Veteran, page A2
Marion County 2024 student test scores show improvement, but room for growth By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
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arion County Public Schools students showed slight improvement in testing scores this year in comparison to the previous year across most grade levels and subject areas, but the results still fall short of statewide averages. The scores from the 2023-24 school year are the second full year in which a new testing format has been implemented statewide. The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) tracks student progress and learning with three tests across all subjects throughout the year rather than the previous format of issuing one cumulative exam at the end of the school year. The tests are administered to students from pre-kindergarten through 10th grade in English language arts and mathematics. The tests align with the Benchmarks
for Excellent Student Thinking (BEST) statewide curriculum standards from the Common Core program in 2019. Science and social studies are evaluated through the Statewide Science Assessment and several end-of-course (EOC) exams for biology, U.S. history and civics. The Statewide Science Assessment, which has been in place since 2012, is administered in grades five and eight, with a biology 1 EOC exam administered in eighth grade. Most social studies EOC exams are taken at the high school level. The examinations are scored from Level 1 being the lowest and Level 5 being the highest. Level 1 scores are inadequate and Level 2 scores are below satisfactory, both meaning the student will likely need substantial support in the coming grade. Level 3 scores are on grade level, meaning that the student may need some support in the coming grade. Level 4 is proficient, and Level 5 is mastery, meaning that the student is either likely or highly likely to
excel in the coming grade.
English Language Arts/Reading
In comparison to the 2023 assessment, Marion County students from third grade to 10th grade improved by 4% in English language arts and reading. This increase is on par with the improvement seen on average across the state in the same subject. “Overall, performance at Level 3 or above in Grades 3-10 ELA/Reading increased by 4 percentage points (49% to 53%) from 2023 to 2024,” according to FDOE. Marion County students scored lower than the state average, however, scoring at 45% of students achieving a Level 3 or above in comparison to the statewide score of 53%.
Mathematics
For mathematics, students were examined See MCPS, page A3
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