Ocala, Fla.

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Man Killed in Shooting at Florida Shopping Mall

Police say the victim was targeted in Ocala

(Newser) - One man was killed and a woman was shot in the leg in a shooting at a shopping mall in central Florida two days before Christmas. The man who was killed appeared to be the gunman's intended target, say police. Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken told reporters Saturday evening...

He Turned, Saw Friend's Head in Gator's Mouth

Florida's Marissa Carr says she's lucky to have escaped snorkeling encounter in one piece

(Newser) - "I'm genuinely just really, really lucky" is not a quote you'd expect from a woman who had an alligator bite her face. But that's what 20-year-old Marissa Carr is saying after encountering a 9-foot male alligator while snorkeling in a clear, spring-fed pond. The Florida woman...

Firefighter Adopts Infant He Found in 'Baby Box'

Florida couple had been trying to start a family for almost a decade when little Zoey appeared

(Newser) - A firefighter on duty in Ocala, Florida, suddenly detected a silent alarm. It told him that someone had opened the state's first Safe Haven Baby Box, installed two years earlier at the MLK First Responder Campus, home to Ocala Fire Rescue. When he looked inside the climate-controlled box, which...

Arrest Made After Mom Allegedly Gunned Down by Neighbor

Susan Lorincz is in custody for the killing of 35-year-old Black mom Ajike Owens in Ocala, Florida

(Newser) - An arrest has been made after a fatal shooting last week in Ocala, Florida, that left a mom of four dead amid what cops say appeared to be a long-standing feud between neighbors. Early Wednesday, the Marion County Sheriff's Office announced that Susan Louise Lorincz was detained Tuesday for...

Appetite for Destruction? Man Heads to Taco Bell With Risky Find

No one hurt in Ocala, Fla., after man shows up with hand grenade he found while magnet fishing

(Newser) - The smart thing to do upon finding a hand grenade is to make a run for it—not make a run for the border. But a man in Florida decided he'd cap off his magnet fishing trip in Ocklawaha with some Meximelts in Ocala, and he opted to bring...

Woman Poses for Clerk Holding Stolen Credit Card

Police seeking Florida shopper who used it for beauty supplies

(Newser) - A picture is worth a thousand words—and sometimes a possible jail sentence. Police in Ocala, Fla., are searching for a woman who used a stolen American Express credit card after a suspicious store clerk snapped a photo of her posing with it, reports the Smoking Gun . The shopper charged...

Travoltas Say Goodbye to Jett
 Travoltas Say Goodbye to Jett 
Jan 9, 2009 7:20 AM CST

Travoltas Say Goodbye to Jett

Son remembered at private memorial

(Newser) - John Travolta and his family said goodbye to Jett at a private service yesterday in Florida, the Ocala Star-Banner reports. About 100 guests attended, including Lisa Marie Presley, Garth Brooks, and Cal Ripken Jr, says one source. A female minister from the Church of Scientology spoke, and both Travolta and...

Travoltas' Fla. Town Grieves With Family

Small town gives celebs their space

(Newser) - The small central Florida town of Ocala is about as far from Hollywood as you can get. Maybe that's why actor John Travolta moved his family here. The social scene revolves around ranchers' soirees, and mobile home parks, peanut farms, and moss-covered oak trees dot the landscape. Now, with the...

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