Good morning, Ocala.

Pine Avenue Antique Mall, spanning 8,000 sqft in Pine Plaza near downtown, opened its doors on Sept.

3 to reunite local vendors after Diggers Antique Mall closed, and the owners plan a grand opening festival on Saturday, Oct. 10 with special giveaways & local food.

Tickets are on sale for the fourth annual Brick City Bluegrass Festival, set for Saturday, Feb.

6 at Citizens’ Circle in downtown Ocala. Yonder Mountain String Band will headline the outdoor event from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with food trucks + charity sales supporting local causes.

Tropical Depression Nine will strengthen into Tropical Storm Isaias today and become a hurricane tomorrow as it moves toward the Gulf Coast.

Residents in vulnerable areas should follow local alerts (to prepare for heavy rainfall, strong winds, and possible flash flooding).

An Ocala man, Miguel Angel Rumenos, claimed a $105,641 lottery win from a ticket bought at Publix (Heath Brook Commons) on Sept.

24 when he manually selected his numbers. His win adds to several recent payouts along SW College Road.

Marion County Fire Rescue’s lift assist program, which helps seniors avoid unnecessary ER trips, faces a funding gap as only transports generate revenue.

A grand jury report praised the program, and local officials worry that without legislative action similar services statewide may soon be cut.

Several Marion County eateries, including mobile food vehicles (such as Cali Rican Food and Honeybee Cuban Bakery) and dine-in restaurants like Mocha's in Silver Springs and Tokyo Sushi in Ocala, earned perfect health inspection scores during Sept.

28-Oct. 4 with no violations reported.

Ocala firefighters reported dangerous living conditions in a neglected home where a vulnerable adult was found deceased in the one room free of trash (residents often left due to unsanitary conditions), highlighting ongoing challenges with state referral protocols for community care.

Residents now can view updated 2026 aerial imagery showing two years of local commercial and residential growth, including boundary updates and road changes, on the Map It (county mapping portal) system provided by the Marion County Property Appraiser’s Office.