Owner faces Ocala code enforcement violation for failing to repair laundromat after explosion
OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - Ocala code enforcement officials are taking action against the owner of a laundromat that suddenly exploded in 2024 after the repair project stalled. On Monday, code enforcement officials will attend a special magistrate hearing regarding a notice of violation against Mike Pardee, the owner of...
Ocala Teen Gets Three Years In Federal Prison For Machinegun Possession
United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Sean Rayvon Hubbard, Jr., 19, of Ocala, to three years in federal prison for possession of a machinegun. Hubbard had previously pleaded guilty to the charge on May 22, 2025. The case stems from an incident on July 28, 2024, when...
Swedish company building new Ocala middle school for $62.7 million
One of the largest construction companies in the world recently signed a $62.7 million contract to construct a new middle school in Ocala. On October 28, the Marion County School Board approved a $62,698,806.77 contract with Skanska to construct a 156,000-square-foot facility to replace Lake Weir Middle School....
Wildwood High School staffer arrested in connection with romance with teen
A Wildwood Middle High School paraprofessional has been arrested in connection with an alleged relationship with a teen student. Madelyn K. Mead, 26, was taken into custody on Thursday at her home in Citrus County and booked at the jail in that county. An investigation was launched after school officials...
81-year-old Villager walks out of jail after 26 days behind bars
An 81-year-old Villager walked out of jail this week after 26 days behind bars. Marilyn Patricia Turner, who lives in the Hydrangea Villas in the Village of St. Charles, was set free on Monday after appearing in Sumter County Court. The Kansas native was arrested Oct. 15 after she allegedly...
Crowds Keep Coming as Hooters Finds Its Groove in The Villages
When Hooters opened its doors in The Villages last July, locals lined up early and kept the parking lot full for weeks. After months of serving wings with a smile and the classic orange shorts, the initial spectacle may have waned, but popularity hasn’t. What started as a much-welcomed...
1 hospitalized after shooting in Silver Springs Shores
OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - A man was hospitalized after a shooting in Marion County on Friday morning. Marion County Sheriff’s deputies say a man was shot around 5:45 a.m. in the area of Oak Lane and Locust Pass Trail in Silver Springs Shores. The victim was taken to the...
Precautionary law-enforcement presence at Marion high school after man shot nearby
MARION COUNTY, Fla. – There will be an increased law-enforcement presence at Lake Weir High School on Friday after a man was found shot nearby, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies located the man while responding around 5:45 a.m. to the area of Oak Lane and...
New Home Depot in Ocala could replace previously approved apartment complex
Home Depot wants to build a new location in southwest Ocala at a site that was previously approved for an apartment complex opposed by residents in an adjacent retirement community. A special use permit for the proposed site in southwest Ocala will come before the Marion County Board of County...
Intoxicated woman allegedly rips out elderly sister’s hair during family fracas
An Ocklawaha woman was arrested for allegedly attacking her elderly sister when it was time to take her medication and go to bed. The sister of 72-year-old Gloria Jean Bowman called 911 during a fight in their shared residence at 5:10 p.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s...
