It s been a struggle, Kaplan said.
A question of timing
The issue, for many restaurants, has been timing. Staffers were let go in March 2020 and only a few at a time were hired back as restrictions eased. Now things are closer to normal and eateries need more staff, but some former employees have moved on or are holding out to find a better paying job or to take advantage of unemployment compensation while they figure out what s next. We had to cut back hours on staff members while we were doing takeout and delivery only (and) there were employees that chose to file unemployment since they needed more income, Turnpike Mike s Christina Batte wrote in a text message.
We heard tires screech and an RN, one of the guests, pulled off her high heels and ran to the scene, Taylor Rafferty recalled on Friday.
Deputy Samantha Horne, who is Christopher Rafferty s zone partner, was maid of honor. She was among those who ran to the victim and helped stabilize him. I think (the reaction) was instinctive and none of us hesitated. It’s awesome (that) no matter how important the event or how much planning, Taylor and Christopher ran toward those needing help. It s what we do every day, Horne said.
A fortuitous change of venue
The sheriff s office posted a narrative and some photos from the unusual wedding day on the agency Facebook page this week, and the Raffertys agreed to sit down for an interview with the Star-Banner.
G yaaarrrr! Shiver me timbers! There’s a mutiny on the horizon. Mateys are swabbing the decks along South Magnolia Avenue, getting ready to pour some spirits and fly the ol Jolly Roger in downtown Ocala.
That’s right, Mutiny Ocala will be a bar where “pirates, punks, and scallywags are welcome, according to the establishment s Facebook page. Mutiny Ocala, 46 S. Magnolia Ave., near the Marion Theatre, is slated to open as early as April.
Mutiny Ocala leads off this week s business roundup, which includes news about plans for a new industrial park near Ocala International Airport, the newly opened Starbucks in the Cedar Shores Plaza on Maricamp Road just west of Southeast 36th Avenue, as well as updates on the progress of other businesses previous reported in the Star-Banner.
Pedestrian killed on South Pine Avenue near downtown Ocala
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on Wednesday morning along South Pine Avenue near downtown Ocala.
Ocala Police Department officers closed the busy roadway in both directions between Southwest Fifth Street and Silver Springs Boulevard so they could investigate the case.
The death was the first traffic death of the year within the city limits. In 2020, officers tallied 16 traffic deaths deaths. The year before was 13.
Ten of the 16 deaths were pedestrians. In 2019, six of the 13 fatalities were pedestrians.
Police officials said a yellow VW driven by a man was southbound on Pine Avenue and the victim was walking west to east in the crosswalk.
“Three months ago, the Marion County School Board removed the Sanford Harmony social emotional learning or SEL program because of how it countered gender stereotyping .A Baptist pastor told them its lessons on gender norms blurred the lines between ‘boyness and girlness.’ On Thursday, the board struggled to replace that free and highly rated curriculum for its students in kindergarten through fifth grade.”
“The crackdown follows a deadly traffic accident last weekend at NW 17th Avenue and West University Avenue. Sophia Lambert, 18, a UF sophomore, died and five others were hospitalized after a car crashed into another moving vehicle while turning onto 17th Avenue.”