High schools start at 8:30 a.m.? Central Florida parents say no, surveys show
Most Central Florida parents oppose moving high school start times to later in the morning, despite evidence its better for teenagers, new surveys show. The region’s public high schools now mostly start at 7:20 a.m. To comply with a new state law, school districts surveyed parents and students about their views on a...
March OBS Sale Concludes With Record Gross
Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded March 12 with a record gross of $72,050,000, including private sales, surpassing the previous record set in 2023 when 464 juveniles brought $71,473,500. "Gratified, pleased; happy for the consignors," said OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski. "I...
The latest progress on the downtown Ocala hotel and parking garage
The video above shows the progress, as of March 10, of the downtown hotel and new city parking garage. This video below shows what the area looked like on Jan. 19: For perspective, here's what the area looked like in late November 2025. And here's what it looked like in October and in September 2025. ...
The Perfect Neighbor Examines a Shocking Neighborhood Feud That Turned Fatal
A feud between Ocala, Florida, neighbors escalated for more than two years, eventually reaching a deadly climax. An Oscar-nominated documentary feature revisits the tragic confrontation in a unique way. Now streaming on Netflix, The Perfect Neighbor exclusively uses police body camera footage and other evidential...
Reckless motorcyclist reaches 90 mph during his morning commute to work
An Ocala man was arrested for reckless driving after cutting across lanes on a motorcycle during early morning traffic. An officer saw 36-year-old Jonathan Michael Gonzalez riding a motorcycle next to a small white car on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 at 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police...
Wild Monkeys Make Silver Springs Ocala’s Must-See Sideshow, With a Health Caveat
On the glass-clear water at Silver Springs State Park, the usual roll call of Florida wildlife goes something like this: gators, otters, birds. Then, if you are lucky and in the right spot, a whole troop of rhesus macaques suddenly appears in the treeline just a few feet from kayakers and glass-bottom boat riders. It...
I am not dissatisfied with development in Ocala. I’d actually like more in Marion...
There are many that are dissatisfied with all the new development. But I am not. I have been living in Marion Oaks for 2.5 years and have to spend a lot of time grocery shopping on State Road 200, 20-25 minutes one way. Marion Oaks has many many new homes...
Ocala Car Wash Hero: Teen Drops Ax-Wielding Intruder As Cameras Roll
Closing time at an Ocala car wash turned chaotic on Sunday night when an 18-year-old worker took down a man who allegedly pulled an ax on him as the business was shutting its doors. Surveillance video and deputy body-camera footage captured the tense encounter at the Tidal Wave Auto Spa,...
Man arrested after stealing septic tank from construction site in Marion County
Investigators say it took two attempts for Alfio Nocifora, 24, to steal the septic tank on West US Highway 90 in Dunnellon last month.
Semi-truck overturns on I-75 in Marion County, hits 2 other vehicles
OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - A semi-truck overturned on Interstate 75 in Marion County early Friday morning. Florida Highway Patrol troopers say a semi-truck was traveling southbound on I-75 near mile marker 361 when the driver lost control of the truck, drove off the roadway, and overturned into the northbound lanes.
