Today’s Newsreel

posted by Ross Melnick on July 1, 2002 at 12:26 pm

OCALA, FL — The Ocala City Council has created a new task force to find a use for the historic Marion Theatre “using the least amount of public dollars.” According to the Star-Banner, the theater has been closed since January and is being eyed for a possible makeover into a cultural arts center as part of downtown Ocala’s revitalization.

---

SAN DIEGO, CA — The last Mann theater in the San Diego area has closed with the theater circuit ending its lease on the Mann Hazard Center 7 in Mission Valley. According to the Union-Tribune, Madstone Theatres will take over the 7-plex which opened in 1990. The theater will reopen on August 2nd after numerous enhancements and renovations.

---

DELAND, FL — Supporters and local residents are becoming increasingly impatient with the long overdue restoration of the Athens Theatre. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that the $4 million project was originally scheduled to be completed by 2001, but the theater will open no earlier than 2004.

The Athens restoration has been hampered by structural problems and budget overruns. $1.8 million has already been spent to date on construction.