08/04/2022 ISSUE 31

Impact 100 urges nonprofits
to apply for grants. P24
Hospitalizations
from Covid surge. P10

Were they just meatballs, or
an illegal campaign contribution? P12

For breaking news visit

MY VERO Big Blue’s subsidy
of Vero city budget
BY RAY MCNULTY is nearing an end

No jail time for driver of BY LISA ZAHNER
car that killed bicyclist Staff Writer

There will be no justice for Those looking for a safe place to sleep for the night find salvation on The Source’s Dignity Bus. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS For the first time in four de-
Carl Cutler, the John’s Island cades, property owners within
resident who was riding his Surging rents price some low-income seniors out of homes theVero Beach city limits will be
bicycle along North A1A on funding almost all the costs of
Memorial Day weekend 2021 BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA market, with some lower-in- Lundy Fields, president and municipal staff, facilities, pro-
when he was fatally struck by Staff Writer come seniors even joining the CEO of theVisiting Nurse Asso- grams and amenities this fall.
a car that inexplicably veered ranks of the homeless. ciation of the Treasure Coast,
off the road. Vero Beach’s fixed-income describes the situation facing Almost.
elderly are, in growing num- With local housing costs some of his agency’s clients as The “glide path” designed to
John Rampp, the driver of the bers, being priced out of their spiraling, vulnerable seniors “a crisis.” wean Vero off nearly $6 million
car that killed Cutler, will spend homes in the white-hot rental on fixed incomes are finding it in annual electric utility trans-
no time in prison, since he was hard to keep up with inflation. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 fers to the city’s general fund
not charged with a crime. – a sum long borne heavily by
electric customers in Indian
The case against Rampp, in River Shores, South Beach and
fact, was closed last week, when mainland unincorporated In-
he entered a no-contest plea dian River County – has all but
to a careless driving violation run out.
and County Judge Nicole Menz Only $500,000 remains from
found him guilty, imposed a the electric sale proceeds that
$1,000 fine and suspended his
license for six months. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

She did her job, making sure Shores incumbents
Rampp didn’t escape at least to stay, but Council
some culpability for his betray- has one new opening
al of the implied trust drivers,
cyclists and pedestrians place BY LISA ZAHNER
in each other on our roadways. Staff Writer

Unfortunately, we can’t say

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Mixed-use village proposed for 5th Avenue
property just north of Vero’s Miracle Mile

BY STEVEN M. THOMAS Kite’s enthusiasm for the While three members of
Staff Writer property goes way beyond the Indian River Shores Town
the prospect of a big com- Council were re-appointed last
Commercial real estate bro- mission. He sees it as an week without an election be-
ker Keith Kite was excited last opportunity to upgrade the cause no one qualified to run
month when he picked up the Vero Beach lifestyle with a against them, residents can
listing for 2300 5th Ave. imme- mixed-use village that would still expect some new faces in
diately north of Miracle Mile. their municipal government.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

PHOTO: ROSS ROWLINSON

August 4, 2022 Volume 15, Issue 31 Newsstand Price $1.00 ORCA benefits
from whale of a
News 1-12 Editorial 30 People 13-24 TO ADVERTISE CALL block party. P18
Arts 39-42 Games 33-37 Pets 49 772-559-4187
Books 32 Health 43-48 Real Estate 59-68
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CALL 772-226-7925

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2 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero ler’s friends and John’s Island neighbors, We don’t know because the FHP’s Both Bakkedahl and Long, though,
who were confused, disturbed and even 18-page report, written and submitted said last week the FHP never sought
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 angry after a Florida Highway Patrol in- by Corporal Bradley Meer, never tells their counsel because the state troop-
vestigation determined Rampp’s con- us why the car left the roadway. ers who investigated the crash had de-
the same for the rest of our legal sys- duct on that ill-fated morning wasn’t termined it was an accident.
tem, which prohibited Menz from do- criminal and issued a $148 traffic ticket The only explanation in the report
ing more. for careless driving. comes from Rampp, who told FHP Cor- It wasn’t until Altieri and his group
poral William Fenton at the scene that contacted the State Attorney’s Office
Florida law defines careless driving After the FHP finally released its the car in front of him passed Cutler, earlier this summer that Bakkedahl
as the failure to drive in a “careful and Traffic Homicide Report in March – 10 causing the cyclist to swerve into the asked Long to review the FHP report.
prudent manner … so as to not en- months after the May 29, 2021 crash roadway and Rampp “did not have any
danger the life, limb or property of any near the Pelican Island Wildlife Sanctu- time to react.” Upon doing so, Long defended the
person.” ary – Jim Altieri, one of Cutler’s neigh- FHP’s decision to cite Rampp for care-
bors, led an effort to demand the State The crash’s lone witness, however, less driving, explaining in an email to
Rampp certainly was guilty of that. Attorney’s Office intervene in the case said he was six car-lengths behind Altieri and his group that there was no
Should he have been charged with and conduct its own investigation. Rampp and saw no other vehicle pass evidence to sustain a criminal charge
reckless driving, a considerably more Cutler before Rampp’s car veered from under Florida law.
serious offense that, depending on They wrote to State Attorney Tom the roadway and into the bike lane
circumstances, can be either a misde- Bakkedahl, as well as State Rep. Erin over a period of several seconds. He sent to Altieri a series of appeals-
meanor or felony and punishable by up Grall and State Sen. Debbie Mayfield, court rulings to bolster his decision.
to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine? citing a gaping hole in the FHP’s in- Also, the diagram in the FHP report
According to the applicable statute: vestigation, which left unanswered the indicates Rampp’s car veered into the “If you read the materials,” Long
“Any person who drives any vehicle question that mattered most: bike lane and crashed into Cutler. wrote, “you will see previous defen-
with willful or wanton disregard for dants whose conduct greatly exceeded
the safety of persons or property is What caused Rampp’s car to veer off “Rampp was obviously distracted at that of Mr. Rampp were found to not
guilty of reckless driving.” the road? the moment of the accident,” Altieri have driven in a reckless fashion.”
Florida courts have interpreted wrote to Assistant State Attorney Bill
those words to mean drivers must be Was he texting-while-driving or Long, the Vero Beach-based prosecu- Long did express sympathy for Cut-
acting purposefully with intentional otherwise engaged with his cellphone tor Bakkedahl assigned to the case. ler’s death, admitting that if he were in
indifference to the consequences that – reading emails, scrolling through Altieri’s position, “I cannot say I would
could result from their recklessness. Facebook, watching videos – when his Altieri, an attorney who said he was handle things any differently or be any
Merely being negligent behind the attention should’ve been focused on acting solely as a spokesman for Cutler’s less upset.”
wheel, however, does not meet Flori- the road, especially while approaching friends and neighbors, wrote that he re-
da’s standard for reckless driving. a cyclist is the bike lane? viewed the FHP report and was shocked In a separate email to Altieri, how-
That’s where the system failed, much to find no mention of any forensic exam- ever, Long wrote that the FHP report
to the dismay of more than 100 of Cut- Was he adjusting his radio? Or was ination of Rampp’s cellphone, particu- presents an “insufficient factual and le-
he reaching for some object and his larly with Florida supposedly committed gal basis” for a criminal charge against
lean caused the car to drift? to a crackdown on distracted driving. Rampp, and that his oath of office pro-
hibits him from prosecuting cases that
We don’t know. In this case, a presumably distracted he knows he can’t win.”
driver took the life of a physically fit,
active, 63-year-old retired investment Despite the strong emotions sur-
broker who divided his time between rounding the crash, Long wrote that
the Greater Philadelphia area and the he has “no doubt” a judge would dis-
32963 island. miss the case before it got to a jury.

“Why was that neither mentioned He’s not wrong.
nor pursued in the investigation?” Al- But could the State Attorney’s Office
tieri wrote. “What, if anything, was he have reopened the investigation to de-
asked about his cell phone? Under the termine what caused Rampp to veer
circumstances, the police obviously had off the highway?
probable cause to impound his phone Yes, but Bakkedahl said the popula-
and take whatever steps would have tion boom along the Treasure Coast –
been necessary to determine if it was in Port St. Lucie is the seventh-most-pop-
use that morning. ulous city in Florida – has produced
an increasing case load and his office,
“What questions were asked?” he with only three investigators to cover
added. “What answers were given? Did the four-county circuit, lacks the man-
the police simply take the word of a se- power to devote to such a mission.
rial driving offender that all was well in Besides, he added, it’s unlikely a sec-
his cockpit?” ond look at the case would’ve changed
anything, even if his investigators un-
A Vero Beach 32963 investigation covered the digital evidence needed to
into Rampp’s driving record revealed prove Rampp was using his cellphone
last fall that he had a long history of when his car drifted into the bike lane.
traffic offenses dating back to 1988 “I doubt very much it would’ve mat-
and twice had his license suspended. tered,” Bakkedahl said, citing the current
standard for proving reckless driving.
Altieri also was puzzled by the State Again, the system failed, this time
Attorney’s Office’s refusal to question on the legislative level.
Rampp, interview the eyewitness and This past winter, a Florida Senate
challenge Rampp’s version of what bill that would add texting-while-driv-
caused the crash, writing that the driv- ing to a class of traffic violations that
er “lied” when questioned at the scene, constitute “aggressive careless driv-
“fabricating a story about a phantom ing” – an offense that would become
second vehicle.” criminal in cases of property damage,
bodily injury or death – went nowhere
He asked if Rampp had been “con- after clearing one committee.
fronted about that deception.” Had that law been in place, pros-
ecutors here might’ve responded dif-
Closing the case without putting
those questions to Rampp was essen-
tially giving the driver a “hall pass,”
Altieri wrote.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 3

NEWS

ferently to Cutler’s friends and neigh- $36.5 million on the city’s “enterprise of $3,974.56 for every man, woman and The coming year’s proposed budget
bors, though a motorist must commit funds” like the marina, airport, solid child living in the city. includes a 5 percent salary increase for
at least two traffic offenses simultane- waste and utilities for a total combined higher-wage employees, or a $1 per
ously or in succession to be charged budget of $65 million, including capital Finance Director Cindy Lawson told hour increase for employees earning
with aggressive careless driving. projects and stormwater management. the Vero Beach City Council during less than $15 per hour, so the city can
budget workshops in mid-July that 85 get in compliance ahead of schedule
The FHP might’ve treated the crash That $65 million would be spent on a percent of the general fund budget goes with Florida’s $15 mandatory mini-
as a crime and not an accident. city of 16,354 people, according to the to personnel costs – salaries, health mum wage effective September 2026.
Vero’s own population number printed insurance benefits, pension contribu- The salary increase in the budget is less
As it played out, Altieri did manage in the budget packet. That works out to tions, other post-employment benefits,
to convince Bakkedahl to send a pros- general fund expenditures for one year and payroll taxes. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
ecutor to court last week to counsel
and observe Meer – a move that prob-
ably induced Rampp to not challenge
the careless driving citation.

“It’s almost unprecedented for this
office to send an attorney to court for
a civil infraction,” Bakkedahl said, “but
we didn’t want him to get off scot-free.”

As fate would have it, Rampp was
arrested in April on felony weapons
charges stemming from a March inci-
dent that had no connection to the fatal
crash. Cutler’s friends and neighbors are
monitoring that case, wondering what
justice will look like this time. 

Big Blue’s subsidy
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

were set aside to facilitate a soft(er)
landing for city taxpayers. In the 2023-
24 budget year, the Big Blue dowry will
be totally gone. Zero glide path money
will be left to cushion the general fund.

Taxable property values in the city
of Vero Beach increased 11.8 percent
this past year, but the remaining cush-
ion alone won’t be enough to fund all
the expenditures.

Taxes are set to increase as much as
9 percent on top of those higher real
estate assessments, netting an extra
$1.8 million in property taxes. That’s a
nearly 22 percent tax increase in total,
and it will require at least four out of
five council members’ votes by Flor-
ida Statute to hike tax revenues and
expenses that much.

The city still holds more than $21 mil-
lion cash from the sale of Vero electric
to Florida Power & Light – funds meant
to redevelop the riverfront power plant
and sewer plant sites. But since City
Manager Monte Falls declared that the
riverfront project must be “revenue
neutral,” how city leaders plan to use
most of that windfall now is unknown.

In the audited financial statements,
the cash is listed as “Capital and Infra-
structure Reserve”; $2 million is being
transferred to the marina to help build
a new dry storage building, leaving
$19 million of taxpayer money in that
council-directed reserve fund.

Vero Beach is looking to spend $28.5
million on general city government func-
tions in the coming year, plus another

4 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Big Blue’s subsidy for a new recruit, and the months of ser- from the academy, or with experienced prise funds are run like businesses, but
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 vice required between salary “steps” has officers relocating from out of state who they all contribute heavily to the gener-
been reduced so Vero can be competi- expect to be paid more than rookies. al fund. The airport and cemetery only
than half the 12 percent that the Team- tive for quality candidates. pay an “administrative fee” to fund the
sters Union has requested for the em- Vero currently has 213 employees salaries at City Hall. Those fees from
ployees it represents, but the city is in More than 10 percent of the 57-mem- paid out of the general fund. This num- all five enterprise funds will add up to
the midst of those labor negotiations. ber sworn police force ended their em- ber has remained fairly stable com- $2,419,334 in the coming year.
ployment withVero in the past year, either pared. With all departments added in,
Police salaries have also been boosted from termination, retirement or resigna- the city employs 330 full-time workers. On top of that, Vero’s water-sewer util-
to a starting pay of more than $48,000 tion. Chief David Currey said he’s looking ity, marina and solid waste department
to fill those positions with new graduates The airport, marina, solid waste de- contribute a total of $1.34 million in di-
partment, water-sewer utility enter-

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Beach pitch in roughly $1.32 million (40 general fund annually to help reduce is being invested in marina improve- this service performed by full-time,
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purchaser or seller. Parties should perform their own due diligence to verify such information prior to a sale or listing. Premier Estate Properties, Inc. expressly disclaims any warranty or representation
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6 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Big Blue’s subsidy bers that if they used a non-recurring The No. 1 priority of the current cil members would want to do one-on-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 revenue source like reserves to fund council majority’s voting bloc is main- one interviews,” Harpring said.
recurring expenses like personnel, in- taining the high level of city services,
WastePro or Republic Services. stead of increasing property taxes sig- staffing levels and salary increases. The But the town will have plenty of con-
Vero residents pay for all the vehicles, nificantly, they would leave the city in status quo (or better) is their legacy, tinuity in government as Mayor Brian
an even bigger hole next year. so floating the possibility of a slate of Foley, Vice Mayor Jesse “Sam” Carroll
fuel and maintenance, equipment, budget-hawks taking control next year and Councilman Bob Auwaerter have
buildings, waste disposal, salaries, ben- There will be three city council seats – and upending their unspoken “Keep all been returned for an additional
efits and pensions instead of paying a on the November ballot. That will Vero Vero” agenda – was a mighty pow- four-year term, starting in November.
trash hauler a set fee for its services. leave the city open to new faces on the erful argument.
city council who might opt to remedy Foley said on Monday, “I look for-
Crestlawn Cemetery is a self-sup- the budget deficit by cutting expenses, The council was set to pick up the ward to continuing to work with my
porting entity, but should the cem- Lawson told the council. budget discussion in a special call fellow council members on behalf of
etery fall short of funds, the general meeting Wednesday morning, plus the people of Indian River Shores. Our
fund would be tapped to maintain the Councilman Bob McCabe, Coun- there will be two public hearings of mission remains to provide the high-
facility, as a matter of public trust. That cilwoman Honey Minuse and Mayor the budget in September. est quality services to our residents
only seems right, since the cemetery Robbie Brackett’s two-year terms are while remaining fiscally responsible.
pays the general fund $70,663 per year ending. Brackett – the most fiscally Ironically, if McCabe and Minuse Keeping taxes low and working hard
out of its $300,000 budget to help cover conservative on the council, but usu- vote for what amounts to a double- to best prepare the Town for its future
City Hall overhead. ally in the minority on budget mat- digit tax increase, they leave them- challenges will remain our focus.”
ters – is expected to handily win the selves vulnerable to challenges from
Nearly $1 million in American Rescue Florida House GOP primary in August, candidates with a more conservative Auwaerter has been deeply engaged
Plan grant money (not free money, as it’s likely sending him to Tallahassee in fiscal agenda – exactly the type of peo- in the town’s ongoing water-sewer
funded by your federal taxes) is being November and leaving an open seat. ple they don’t want to hand the city struggles with Vero Beach, and Carroll
strategically applied to fund stormwater Neither Minuse nor McCabe has yet budget over to in 2023.  is dedicated to making sure taxpayer
management, and $1 million more fed- filed to run for re-election. funds, and especially the town’s em-
eral ARP money is available to use for Shores Town Council ployee and public safety pensions, are
capital projects this year. But that pan- Lawson reminded the council that CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 well managed.
demic-driven grant money will presum- cuts had been made in the past to bal-
ably dry up soon, too, deepening Vero’s ance the budget when members were Councilman Christian Hendricks The Shores has a limit of two consec-
budget deficit in the coming years, and opposed to raising taxes. She didn’t submitted his resignation on Monday utive terms, after which a council mem-
leaving those priorities unfunded. name names, but fiscally conservative morning, effective Friday, saying he is ber can run again or be appointed again
council members like former mayors moving out of state. Hendricks wrote after sitting out one election cycle.
To balance the coming year’s bud- Pilar Turner, Craig Fletcher, Val Zudans in his resignation letter addressed
get, the council could also opt to and Harry Howle did a terrific job keep- to Town Manager Jim Harpring, “To Meanwhile in the town office, Town
dip into reserves. But chief number- ing city spending from getting out of the residents of Indian River Shores, Clerk Janice Rutan started her new
cruncher Lawson told council mem- hand during their terms in office. I wish them all well. They can be as- job on Monday, taking over the per-
sured that you and your staff will do manent position previously filled by
PROVEN LEADERSHIP your best to protect them and provide longtime clerk Laura Aldrich, who re-
for their well-being and happiness.” tired in February.

Hendricks, a local Realtor and a for- Chelley Pallo-Darnell had taken
mer top administrative staffer for the over as Interim Town Clerk after Al-
U.S. House of Representatives, was elect- drich retired, but her untimely death
ed to a four-year term in 2020, so now the in May left a major void in the town’s
council must appoint someone new to small staff. In their shock and grief,
fill the balance of Hendricks’ term. Pallo’s colleagues pitched in, with
Deputy Town Manager and Town Trea-
“We will just use the same process surer Heather Christmas and Harpring
as we did when John McCord resigned. keeping things running, and longtime
My goal is to get a notice of vacancy out Building Official Assistant Elizabeth
to the residents this week and anyone “Liz” Scheidel serving as Interim Town
who is interested would submit a letter Clerk.
and CV. We need to set dates and time
frames and I would imagine the coun- Rutan, 64, who was hired in June by
the Town Council, comes to the Shores
with exceptional qualifications, having
served as town administrator for Haver-
hill in Palm Beach County. She holds

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

DERYL LOAR
★ FOR ★
COUNTY

COMMISSION

PAID BY DERYL LOAR, REPUBLICAN, FOR INDIAN RIVER COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT 4



8 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Shores Town Council ing, which dates from the 1960s, with a of the developers, and we are meeting Citron. People love that outdoor café
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 lively mix of shops, restaurants, profes- with our connections in Orlando.” feel blended with nice shops.”
sional offices and luxury townhomes
both the Certified Municipal Clerk and or apartments. Local developers like the idea, too. Parker said he isn’t convinced retail
Master Municipal Clerk designations, “It could be a good high-end, mixed- would be a winning part of the mix,
which the council desired after Aldrich, “Right now, it is a ghost, but with 7 use project with townhomes and res- based on some lingering vacancy at 3
a Master Municipal Clerk, retired. acres between the two bridges, there taurants,” said Scott Parker, developer Avenues. “It is tough right now,” he said.
is a rare opportunity for a very special of the nearby 3 Avenues shopping cen- “I am not sure you will attract high-end
As of now, Rutan is a charter officer project,” said Kite. “It is a large palette ter, where Panera Bread, Bonefish Grill retail.”
supervised directly by the town coun- that lends itself to a real live/work/ and Chase Bank are mixed in with retail
cil, but if a proposed charter amend- play redevelopment. shops and offices. But there are a range of retail op-
ment is approved on a mail-out bal- “It is an exciting piece of property,” tions, from local shops like those along
lot in January, the town clerk position “I call it a village concept, done in said Yane Zana, who has developed Ocean Drive, to small luxury boutique
would then fall under the supervision a Vero Beach style. Much like Ocean multiple oceanfront luxury projects chains such as Sea Bags and J Mclaugh-
of the town manager.  Drive is today, it would be a place on the island. “It is a great spot where lin at the Village Shops to high-end na-
where you can walk and shop and eat you could actually have a park-like tional chains.
Mixed-use village proposed at nice restaurants, but with residen- pedestrian shopping and dining ex-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 tial as part of the package. perience with unique restaurants and “The Village Shops seem to be suc-
high-end rentals above. cessful and I think they only really
bring new life to the area between the “I have looked at village concepts “The townhomes would be the an- draw from the island,” said Zana. “A
bridges, and begin to fulfill the city’s around the state and in other parts of chor. If they were luxury rentals they place like Keith has in mind would
vision of “incorporating residential the country that have been success- would fill up immediately, probably draw from all of Vero. If they get some
and other non-retail uses” into the ful and we have contacted develop- before the retail space, because there nice stores and something like a Capi-
Miracle Mile district. ers who have had success with similar is such a shortage in Vero.” tal Grille, I will be there!”
projects – places like Park Avenue in Kite told Vero Beach 32963 the site
Right now, the 7-acre property is kind Winter Park and Delray Marketplace, can accommodate between 15 and 25 The site is more than twice the size of
of a dead zone. It has a large, leased- where you have sidewalk cafes and residences, whether for rent or sale.They the Village Shops property, which pro-
up office building at its center – which things like a wine bar with an apart- could be flats above retail businesses vides room to maneuver, and it would
used to be the old Doctor’s Clinic – but ment or studio above, or a concierge or freestanding townhome buildings be much more pedestrian friendly than
it is cut off from Miracle Mile with just medical office with a restaurant and blended in with the commercial space. 3 Avenues.
two obscure ways in and out. shops below. The retail/restaurant/office mix
could go in various directions, de- Kimley Horn has an undeveloped
Kite envisions opening the prop- “We went out to the market last pending on what a developer wants parcel adjacent to the proposed de-
erty up and replacing the old build- week and we’ve already had inter- to do. velopment and there are some emp-
est from a San Diego developer and a He said an attractive 2- or 3-story ty multifamily lots on the other side.
developer in Chicago who is familiar parking garage would free up much of Neither of those is listed for sale but
with Vero. We have had strong inter- the acreage now used as a parking lot if an ambitious developer incorpo-
est out of South Florida, with several for shops, homes, paver pathways and rated them into the project it would
park space with benches and fountains. create a palette twice the size of 3 Av-
Zana compares the proposed proj- enues and larger than Publix Plaza.
ect to both the Village Shops on the
island and City Place, now called The Kite, who has developed three hotels
Square, in West Palm Beach, a develop- in Vero and is part owner of two, wants
ment that revitalized that downtown to work with the city to complete 5th
area when it was built 20 years ago. Avenue, linking Miracle Mile and Royal
“I am not that crazy about shop- Palm Boulevard with a roadway that
ping,” Zana said, “but my favorite runs along the west edge of the devel-
place to shop in Vero is the Village opment; 3rd Court could also be ex-
Shops, because you can cruise around tended across a small canal that now
and buy a nice cashmere sweater for isolates the property to provide direct
your girlfriend and get yourself a access from Indian River Boulevard.
couple shirts at J. McLaughlin and
some candles for your mom at an- Having a leased-up office building
other shop and then grab lunch at on the site would be a benefit for a in-
coming developer, providing cash flow
while the project goes through plan-
ning and approval, a process Kite said
will take several years.

The biggest business in the building
is Omni Tax Help, which is owned by

ENDORSED BY VOTE
AUG. 23
All Four Sheriffs

All Four Clerk Courts

The State Attorney

KEEP JUDGE REBECCA WHITE FOR 19th CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE 

Starting the 1st Early Already serving as Circuit Court Judge since March 2021

Childhood Court in 19th  Prosecutor for over 13 years  Cut docket backlog in half

Circuit to help children and

save taxpayer money Paid by Rebecca White for 19th Circuit Court Judge KeepJudgeRebeccaWhite.com

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 9

NEWS

seller Matt Mulligan, who purchased profit Alzheimer and Parkinson Associa- and institutional – to PD or planned creation of mixed-use and ‘village’
the property for $4,125,000 in 2005. tion of Indian River County’s lease runs development, a designation that would character developments in commer-
until 2027, but Kite said a developer could allow a flexible, mixed-use design. cial corridors, including incorporating
Kite said Mulligan would be willing buy out that one lease or, possibly, incor- residential and other non-retail uses,”
to stay and pay rent during project prep porate the nonprofit into the project. The change would accord with the according to theVero BeachVision Plan.
and relocate when development begins. city’s goals and strategies for the Mira-
The property would have to be re- cle Mile district, which include modi- Kite says the project could be open
Most of the other leases are up in 2025, zoned from POI – professional, office fying “zoning ordinances to allow the for business by 2026. 
when construction would begin. Non-

10 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Homeless ‘crisis’ “After that, I slept in a bus at The From conversations with discharged fordable housing; and currently we have
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Source,” she said. patients,VNA said it would appear many grandparents with their grandchild that
tenants priced out of their apartments have been with Hope for Families Cen-
“Investors purchase properties, Established in 1995, The Source is a due to“exorbitant” rent hikes are seniors, ter for three months and can’t find any-
rents go up, seniors are forced out,” local nonprofit drop-in outreach min- and, while it is “apparently happening thing affordable to rent,” she said.
he said of clients with chronic health istry “for the homeless and less fortu- a lot in Vista Royale, there are definitely
conditions, or recent hospitalization nate” providing cold-weather shelter, others in Indian River County.” When Hope for Families staff an-
requiring skilled nursing care, who meals, clothing, showers, and other swer the phone, the person on the
suddenly find themselves without basic items but not long-term housing. Another local nonprofit seeing other end of the line will frequently be
a home. “Four, I believe, in the past elderly people in a similar predica- elderly, and homeless.
month, all in their 70s, including two The Source Dignity Bus has been ment is Hope for Families Center, a
who have been living in their cars.” retrofitted with 20 sleeping pods, lock- shelter south of Vero Beach. “The crisis is climbing. These resi-
ers, four pet pods, luggage storage, dents feel helpless and not sure of
Fields said the rent of one VNA cli- and two toilets. When it is occupied, Executive Director Marty Mercado what the next step is. In the mean-
ent’s apartment soared from about there is an overnight caretaker. said his typical clients are young fami- time, we let them live in the shelter as
$1,500 a month to $2,000. lies, but recently they have seen grand- we explore options for housing solu-
The goal, according to The Source, parents with grandchildren who can’t tions,” Mercado said.
The nonprofit VNA, which has pro- is to “provide safe, temporary over- find affordable housing, with rent ex-
vided home healthcare in Indian River night accommodation to those sleep- ceeding their Social Security checks. Fields pleaded for action on this
County for 45 years, learned of this ing rough in Indian River County, somewhat invisible, but serious prob-
phenomenon during follow-up calls to get people off the street and keep “We had one grandmother and her lem. “We must let these people know
to patients whom they discovered had them safe and healthy until they can granddaughter that stayed for over six this is a community that does care,” he
been forced out of their apartments. get back on their feet.” months at the shelter, looking for af- said. 

Though theVNA doesn’t handle hous- The homeless widow, with the help Covid hospitalizations up, cases flat
ing, staff worked to help elderly, home- of VNA staff, subsequently found tem-
less patients find temporary shelter. porary shelter at a local assisted living BY LISA ZAHNER one of which is in critical care at Indi-
facility, which was able to “fit me in for Staff Writer an River Hospital.” That’s up 170 per-
One of these patients, a 73-year-old three to four weeks.” cent from the 10 patients hospitalized
widow, said she had lived inVista Royale The number of patients with COV- seven days prior.
more than 15 years, but that recently Finding herself in a frustrating Catch ID-19 in Cleveland Clinic Indian River
her rent was increased far above what 22, the 73-year-old sought housing at Hospital has risen again sharply, but One person died here with COVID-19
she could afford, and she was evicted. local senior residences, but they would deaths were down and reports of new illness this the past week, according to
not even start the paperwork once they infections were almost unchanged last the Centers for Disease Control and
Friends were able to store some of learned she’d been evicted from her pre- week from the previous period. Prevention COVID Data Tracker – down
her belongings, and allowed her stay vious home. With no family, her belong- from six deaths the previous week. That
with them for a few of nights, in viola- ings temporarily stored with friends, and New positive COVID tests reported brings Indian River County’s cumula-
tion of their own rental rules. time running out on the current roof to the Florida Department of Health tive COVID death toll to 691, nearly one
over her head, the end is not in sight. this past week declined slightly from third of whom were residents of nursing
499 to 489 cases, so Indian River homes and assisted-living facilities.
County remains in the high category
for community transmission. Probably the most hopeful develop-
ment for senior citizens awaiting their
The meaning of those weekly num- next COVID-19 booster shot came
bers is muddled, however, due to lo- last Thursday as the White House an-
cal residents and businesses using an nounced plans to deliver a newly for-
unknown number of do-it-yourself, mulated vaccine, tweaked to combat
at-home COVID-19 test kits. Positive the Omicron variant, sometime in Sep-
results on home test kits do not get re- tember.
ported to the health department, un-
less the patient ends up hospitalized Nearly 64 percent of fully vacci-
or seeking medical care. nated Indian River County seniors
age 65 and older have had at least one
Hospital spokesperson Arlene Al- booster dose. That number goes down
len-Mitchell said that as of Monday, to 48 percent for all local residents age
“we have 27 COVID-positive patients, 5 and older. 



12 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Rosario writes check to end campaign contribution confusion

BY RAY MCNULTY The filing stemmed from The Source’s hemently denied making any contri- baugh reached Rosario by phone at
Staff Writer Dignity Catering division having pro- bution to her campaign. Main Street Vero Beach’s Downtown
vided food, free of charge, for Rosario’s Friday celebration. He then called this
School Board member Jackie Rosario, July 14 campaign fundraiser at the Vero “We catered an event for her, but it newspaper and said Rosario offered to
who is seeking re-election to her Dis- Beach Community Center. wasn’t a campaign contribution,” Zor- write a $1,000 check to cover the cost of
trict 2 seat, last week filed a campaign baugh said late Friday, after Vero Beach catering her event and amend her filing.
treasurer’s report that included a $1,000 Rosario’s report, however, seemed to 32963 informed him of Rosario’s filing.
in-kind contribution from The Source – surprise Anthony Zorbaugh, executive “I didn’t write her a check or give her “She was very apologetic,” Zorbaugh
a political gift that could jeopardize the director of The Source, a Christian out- any money. I gave her some meatballs. said. “She said she included the cater-
nonprofit organization’s tax-exempt sta- reach mission that serves the poor and ing service in her report because she’s
tus with the Internal Revenue Service. homeless in Indian River County. “We don’t have any political ties to required to list every in-kind contribu-
anybody,” he added. “ tion. She said she’d write us a check and
Told of Rosario’s filing, Zorbaugh ve- change the report to remove the contri-
Within minutes, apparently, Zor- bution.”

Rosario responded via email Satur-
day and confirmed that she had spoken
to Zorbaugh and told him she would
pay for The Source’s catering service.

She wrote that she offered up front to
pay for the food service at her fundrais-
er. She claimed Zorbaugh rejected the
offer and said he would cater the event
for free.

“He explained his goal is to promote
his programs and help change the
lives of homeless individuals,” Rosario
wrote. “This event was no different. It
gave his organization exposure while
providing his staff more experience in
the catering business.”

She said she listed the amount of
the contribution at $1,000 because
Zorbaugh told her that’s how much
the service would cost if someone
were paying for it.

Zorbaugh said The Source, through
its food-truck and Dignity Catering
programs, provides meals to anyone
in the community who needs food. He
said the Dignity Catering division has
catered other events, including birth-
day parties and summer camps.

As for whether Rosario offered up
front to pay for the catering service
provided at her July 14 fundraiser,
Zorbaugh said he couldn’t recall the
conversation.

“She might have,” he said.
Rosario, who in her email described
herself as a “born-again Christian,” did
not explain why she initially agreed to ac-
cept free catering from a charitable out-
reach ministry that relies heavily on do-
nations to help the poor and homeless.
Rosario did not mention The Source’s
catering service in her initial July 26 re-
port, which included $3,500 in contri-
butions and was filed at 5:43 p.m. She
amended her filing 4 ½ hours later to
include The Source’s contribution.
“It would’ve been nice to know she
was going to do that,” Zorbaugh said.
“She didn’t give me any indication that
this was a campaign contribution.”
The IRS website states that an orga-
nization that violates the prohibition
against political activity could have its
tax-exempt status revoked. 

John Musselman.

ORCA BENEFITS FROM
WHALE OF A BLOCK PARTY

AT WALKING TREE P. 18

14 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

‘Youth Guidance’ fetes summer of expanding kids’ horizons

Adrial Mata and Nathan Diprimio.

Cassidy Baker, Dhalani Henry, Paul Morris, Andrew Edgcomb, Phil Barnes and Noah Myers. PHOTOS: STEPHANIE LABAFF on participants ages 5 to 18, whereas
during the school year they serve up
BY MARY SCHENKEL program, a big hit with the kids, ac- solder, and they learned kind of to age 24. Then, some older teenag-
cording to Barnes. the ins and outs of electricity. And ers and young adults participate in
Staff Writer again, that’s for younger kids, but their Pre-Apprenticeship program
“They learn how to operate farm planting a seed if they’re interested which will begin again in October.
The Youth Guidance Mentoring machinery; they actually learn how in pursuing a career as an electri-
Academy celebrated the conclusion to drive a tractor. They also learn cian or in lighting. There’s a lot of “And this is really exciting, we’re
of its summer camp with an End of how to plant crops and how to care design elements that go on in that partnering with Vero Beach High
Summer Party that featured games, for animals. Really, they learned in field.” School to do our Pre-Apprenticeship
backpack giveaways, food – includ- general, the ins and outs of what program there. It’s eight months, six
ing icy treats from Kona Ice – and it takes to manage a farm,” said That theme was continued hours a week, and they learn HVAC,
signups for its after-school pro- Barnes, noting that some might through the Youth Guidance STEM welding, plumbing, carpentry and
grams. choose to become involved in 4H program, where students were electric.”
Club activities. taught how to build their own bat-
“We are coming up on our 50th teries and magnets. They previously partnered with
anniversary in Indian River County; “It’s the first time a lot of them the Salvation Army for classroom
we were established in 1973,” said have even been out on a farm, so it’s “They had this Tesla coil and got space and made monthly trips down
Phil Barnes, YG executive director. sort of an intro to the types of things to see what it looks like when it’s to Fort Pierce for the more hands-
“So this is sort of the start of a se- that do exist,” said Barnes. shooting sparks. So a lot of tactile on learning of forklift training and
ries of events we will be doing for hands-on projects,” said Barnes. high-reach safety training at Green
our families and for our supporters “With the number of farms that Collar Task Force.
to showcase the 50th anniversary of we have in Indian River County, “And then we invited the Vero
Youth Guidance.” it’s actually a big part of the local Beach Amateur Radio Club out and Youth Guidance will also resume
economy. I don’t think it should they got to see what it’s like to set up its Culinary, Cosmetology and Sew-
As they head into their golden an- be brushed under the rug because a terminal and communicate with ing programs in the fall, along with
niversary year, they are embarking there’s plenty of farmers that need people who are across the Unit- boat mechanics and bicycle repair,
on a $1.5 million Capital Campaign help out there. And it’s cool because ed States via radio signals,” said and they plan to introduce financial
to refurbish the 60-year-old build- it’s just one of those areas where we Barnes. literacy and budgeting.
ing to better meet their growing feel, hey, if a kid likes to do that type
needs. Plans include a commercial of work and they like to be outside And, while ham radios may sound “We’re always looking for volun-
kitchen, a workshop, multi-purpose and they like animals and growing antiquated, they become a critical teers. If anybody wants to help out
rooms for life skills training, and a food, then it can be a good fit for means of communication during kids in our community, I encour-
state-of-the-art tech lab. him.” emergency situations. age them to call us and check out
our volunteer opportunities,” said
Barnes said that they had a record That program and others are de- “The Community Emergency Re- Barnes.
enrollment of 71 participants in the signed to introduce participants to sponse Team becomes the first line
summer camp, an average of 50 at- opportunities they may not have of communication if the wireless During COVID, there was a drop
tending each day, with participants previously considered. towers go out and we can’t commu- in the one-on-one mentor/mentee
receiving breakfast and lunch every nicate through cellphones. We do matches, but those are beginning to
day. Another was an electrician have a few students who are so in- ratchet back up again.
course, provided by LED Capstone, terested that they’re pursuing their
For the second year, they part- a Vero Beach lighting store. certification. That would be an old- “The one-on-one component is
nered with C-B Farms of Vero Beach er group, kids 12 and up.” huge because some of our kids need
to offer a Farming and Agriculture “They learned how to build their that extra level of support that they
own LED light, they learn how to The summer camp was focused can really only get in a one-on-one
setting. They need that adult, that
positive role model, that they can
confide in,” Barnes explained.

The group mentoring takes place
with the program activities, and they
are introducing a third element this fall.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 15

PEOPLE

Taryn Ayson, Emijah Williams and Ezekial Moore. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Nevaeh White and Kristina Victor.
Toni Judon and Autumn Cartwright.

“We found that a lot of the behav-
ioral issues that we’ve seen from
certain children, a lot of times stem
from the home environment. They
lack, in a lot of cases, parental in-
volvement,” Barnes said.

“So we’re launching an evidence-
based parenting aid program, where
we will be starting to provide inter-
vention and support in the homes of
our parents and families, with the
goal of helping support them so that
they can, in turn, become advocates
for their kids success.”

Although Youth Guidance has
never been a babysitting service, it is
sometimes perceived as such by par-
ents who just drop off their children
and are not otherwise involved.

“We want to have the parents
buying into this and help them un-
derstand: ‘Look, we’re really dedi-
cated to the success of your kids
and we’re going to help you guys.
We realize that you’re stressed,
or that maybe you need help with
your finances, or maybe you need
food, so we’ll get you plugged into a
food pantry.’”

Barnes said they plan to take a
three-pronged approach with one-
on-one mentoring, group mentoring
and parental aid.

“What we are trying to do is to
make sure that our kids have the
best chance at success,” said Barnes.

On Oct. 7, Youth Guidance will host
its 45th annual Tropical Night Luau.
For more information, visit Youth-
GuidanceProgram.org. 

16 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 Lashondra Johnson and Cassidy Baker.
Makaye Jackson and Gabriella Diprimio.

Aloni Hillsman and Emile Cesaire. Cedric Anderson and Liz Lind. Marcus Gomez and Elijah Poirier.

Bradley and Bobby Kwong.

Matias Ordaz and Nelyda Herrada.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 17

PEOPLE

Toast Carving at Pareidolia raises needed ‘bread’ for The Arc

Heather Dales with Lynn and Pete Anderson, and Noreen Davis. Mia Schmied. David Tinoco and Kalvin Freed.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF “We have to raise over $400,000 also be available for use by other
through contributions and events special needs organizations in the
Staff Writer this year to cover costs above the re- area.
imbursement rate set by the Florida
Supporters of the Arc of Indian legislature,” noted Davis. Davis said she hopes to christen
River County got ‘toasted’ recently at the pavilion with an authentic Ha-
an inaugural Toast Carving contest at They are also seeking funding for waiian pig roast in April.
Pareidolia Brewing Company to ben- the construction of a pavilion on the
efit the nonprofit, which offers servic- West campus, which they envision as In October, the Arc will host the 7th
es to assist special needs individuals. a place where clients can participate annual Tommy Danaher Memorial
in outdoor activities such as Special Golf Classic at Sandridge Golf Club. For
Pareidolia owners Pete and Lynn Olympics and Special Scouts. It will more information, visit arcir.org. 
Anderson have hosted a variety of
events to benefit the Arc over the Chris Stephenson. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS
years and, according to Noreen Davis,
Arc marketing director, they wanted day training, behavioral services,
to do something a little different this transportation, supported living and
year. supported employment. They also
run five residential group homes with
“Pete has always wanted to do a supervision, and assist clients transi-
toast carving competition, so this was tioning out of high school.
the perfect opportunity,” said Davis.
In addition to their current resi-
“Today was as much about raising dential homes, the Arc’s new Fragile
awareness about the programs and Group Home, a $1.45 million project,
services we offer as it was a fundrais- is slated to open soon. It will be one
er,” said Heather Dales, Arc CEO. of the only group homes on the East
Coast of Florida able to accommo-
Those who participated in the ar- date the needs of severely disabled
tistic endeavor ‘carved’ out a great individuals with medical needs, ex-
time, while also learning more about plained Davis.
the important role the Arc plays in the
lives of its special needs clients. Six people requiring a high level of
care, each with a private bedroom,
Participants were each given per- can be housed in the Fragile Group
fectly browned ‘canvasses’ of sliced Home, which has built-in devices
bread, upon which they each hap- specially catered to their needs, along
pily created their own masterpieces. with an office for the 24-hour “awake-
Some even brought along various staff.”
tools and materials to design unique
images on the toast, all the while sip- The Arc relies on fundraisers, do-
ping on Pareidolia brews and raising nations and grants to offset the ex-
their glasses to toast the creativity of tremely austere rates set by the state,
the crowd. which today are more than 10 percent
less than those received 18 years ago,
Winning entries included a repro- despite increasing costs.
duction of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,”
the Yin and Yang symbol, and the Pa-
reidolia logo. Some pieces didn’t even
make it as far as the judging, as con-
testants couldn’t help but nibble on
their creations.

The Arc has been empowering
adults with special needs since 1975,
providing services, education and ad-
vocacy. The nonprofit provides adult

18 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

ORCA benefits from whale of a block party at Walking Tree

BY MARY SCHENKEL because we set our goal as $1.2 mil- panies, the Vero Beach Marine Cen- Brooke Malone, WTB office man-
Staff Writer lion to pay for the building and its ter, Minute Man Press of Vero Beach ager and “creative wizard,” said they
renovation. And we raised, I think, and Costa d’Este Beach Resort, so were hoping to raise $10,000.
Crowds gathered at Walking Tree up to almost $917,000 already and we all of those funds also go to us,” said
Brewery to enjoy a day filled with just started in April.” Tracy. “That’s our goal. We’ve adopted
live music and old-fashioned family ORCA permanently,” said Malone.
fun at the brewery’s sixth anniversa- Lauren Tracy, ORCA marketing co- “This will benefit our Pollution “From now on, our goal is to partner
ry Block Party to benefit the Ocean ordinator, said this was the second Mapping Citizen Science Project, up every year to try and raise aware-
Research & Conservation Associa- year that Walking Tree had chosen which Walking Tree Brewery is a ness for their pollution mapping. Re-
tion. them to be the nonprofit beneficiary part of. Their workers come out and ally, water is critical to our business,
of the anniversary party. participate in the project and test and we all love to play in the water.
“We’re just so grateful to Walking water samples in the lab,” she added. We’re all kayakers, paddle boarders,
Tree for doing this. I mean, this is so Team ORCA staff and volunteers surfers, scuba divers and fishermen,
amazing,” said ORCA CEO Edie Wid- helped out throughout the day, in- Missy Weiss, director of Citizen so the work that they’re doing is im-
der, Ph.D. “I’m just thrilled. Every- cluding coordinating activities Science and Education, said Walking perative to all of our futures.”
body is having such a good time.” around the Dunk Tank, where a Tree monitors the C-54 canal which
number of community leaders took begins in Fellsmere, near the Stick She said that they have all become
Widder said ORCA will soon move a turn to help raise funds for ORCA. Marsh. quite proficient in the mapping pro-
its headquarters from Fort Pierce Among the brave souls were Mike cess.
to a building on 16th Street in Vero Malone, WTB owner/head brewer; “They monitor that site four times
Beach, next door to Indian River Vero Beach Police Chief David Cur- a year, and they’ve done it for over a “A lot of the equipment that we use
Clay. rey; Adam Faust, principal at Rose- year at this point,” said Weiss. to do the water testing is the same
wood Magnet; Barbara Schlitt Ford, equipment that we use to test yeast
“We’re so excited about it. It’s a Environmental Learning Center ex- “They’re so committed. I mean, and strains in the brewery. So we
huge increase in space for us. I was ecutive director; Linda Moore, Kilt- this is more than just superficial for have a lot of mutual oxygen readers
pretty nervous at the outset, but ed Mermaid owner and City Council them. It’s very obvious that it mat- and refractometers and all that good
we’ve raised the money so fast. I just candidate; and Kendra Cope, execu- ters; they really care,” said Widder. stuff,” Malone explained.
feel so welcomed by the communi- tive director of Coastal Connections.
ty,” said Widder. “They are a very community-ori- “They have lab experience, which
“And then we were also able to get ented business. It’s not just about makes them excellent volunteers.
“I can’t tell you what a wonderful three sponsorships from local com- them. It’s about everyone in their We’re very lucky on several fronts,”
feeling it is. It’s just been amazing, community and who they can help,” said Widder. 
said Weiss in agreement.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 19

PEOPLE

Edie Widder and Brooke Malone. Theo and Matthew Mesorana.

Barbara Schlitt Ford. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS Michelle Martin and Trudie Rainone. Chloe Cappelen takes a shot at pong.





22 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

International Music Festival
chock-a-‘Block’ with string talent

Emri Stenn and Olivia Breen. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS

BY MARY SCHENKEL Stenn began attending the camp
in 2014 as a student at Vero Beach
Staff Writer High School and has since gradu-
ated with a degree in Irish Music
Enthusiastic crowds gathered at and Dance from the University of
each of three Vero Beach Interna- Limerick in Ireland. He is currently
tional Music Festival concerts at the working toward a cybersecurity de-
First Presbyterian Church’s McAfee gree from Indian River State Col-
Hall. The concerts, which featured lege.
a mix of Americana, Celtic, Indi-
an, bluegrass, jazz and folk music, Of the violin, Stenn said, “It’s just
showcased the talents of the world- been so much fun playing it and it
class faculty and participants in has made me play so much better.”
the 13th annual Mike Block String
Camp. Breen, who is pursuing a dual
degree in violin performance and
Led by Grammy Award-winning aerospace engineering at Colorado
cellist Mike Block, the faculty in- University, Boulder, and her twin
cluded Block’s wife, Hanneke Cas- sister Audrey, a cellist, have attend-
sel, a former U.S. National Scottish ed the camp for four years.
Fiddle Champion, as well as West-
ern/Indian violinist Trina Basu, “It’s an honor to know that they
jazz violinist Zach Brock, multi- believe in me to give me this. The
instrumentalist Colin Cotter, fid- first thing I thought when I played it
dler Casey Driessen, cellist Nata- is that feels like butter. It’s magical,”
lie Haas, fiddler Kimber Ludiker, said Breen.
violin/fiddler Taylor Morris, Indian
classical and crossover violinist “The friends that I made the first
Arun Ramamurthy, viola/violinist year at camp are still like, super
Lauren Rioux, classical and jazz vi- good friends. They fill my heart
olinist Curtis Stewart, multi-instru- every year I’m here. The faculty
mentalist Joe Troop and mandolin too. I know I can reach out to them
player Joe Walsh. through the year if I have any ques-
tions or if they come to town and
During the second concert, the play a gig.”
transfer of the Daniel Pearl Memo-
rial Violin saw Emri Stenn relin- Giggling with delight, she re-
quishing the special instrument to called going with friends to hear
Olivia Breen. The violin had been the American string band Mr. Sun,
gifted to the MBSC several years which Joe Walsh plays in. When he
ago in memory of Pearl, a journal- greeted her, she said, “It was so cool,
ist and violinist who was murdered because all of my friends were like,
by terrorists in Pakistan. The violin ‘How do you know Joe Walsh?’ This
is awarded to a camp student for a camp has honestly changed our
year before it is handed off to the lives.”
next person.
Other participants have since be-
come music teachers in their own
right, including Evan Robinet, a cel-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 23

Zach Hessler. PEOPLE

Mike Block and Hanneke Cassel. Gaither High School.
“It’s so great to have our students
list, who teaches Gifford Youth Or-
chestra students. become the next generation of teach-
ers,” said Block.
“Some of my favorite musical mo-
ments have happened at this camp, Explaining that they teach play-
especially at night, when we’re all ing music by ear, rather than sheet
just playing together. It’s all very music, he said it is a new concept for
free flowing and everyone really fits many students.
with each other well,” said Robinet.
“And so we’ve been developing
“One of my favorite parts of the new skills, learning by improvising,
camp is definitely the collabora- grooving, ensemble plan, and all of
tion. I feel like I’m surrounded by it’s been done in a collaborative set-
world-class talent all the time. It has ting,” said Block.
this really cool environment. You
feel really safe to try new things,” In the collaborative track, students
said bass player Jacob Heglud, now learn multiple tunes from multiple
the orchestra director at Tampa’s faculty members and, after form-
ing bands from their peer groups,
put their own personal stamp on
the music. In the apprentice track,
professional and college-age partici-
pants worked with “all-powerful, all-
knowing” faculty bandleaders who
“whip them into shape from zero to
performance” in a few days’ time.

“We’re trying to answer a few
questions with our participants,”
said Block. “Which is: How can we
connect to the world through music?
How can we learn more about our-
selves through creativity? And how
can we collaborate with other peo-
ple to create something bigger than
any one person?” 

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24 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Impact 100 team urges nonprofits to apply for $100K grants

BY MARY SCHENKEL Kris Rohr and Liz Locke. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS cal nonprofits and were surprised to
Staff Writer learn how many were unfamiliar with
then Impact 100 president, to assist ed, in person or via Zoom meetings, Impact 100. Their hope is that readers
Impact 100 of Indian River County Indian River County nonprofits with to ensure that they meet the financial of Vero Beach 32963 who are involved
is encouraging local nonprofit or- formulating ideas for the projects they and project requirements, with the with area nonprofits will encourage
ganizations to apply for one of the wish to have funded. objective of having applications make them to apply. Focus areas include
$100,000 transformational grants they it all the way through the process. Arts and Culture, Children and Fami-
will award during the 2022-2023 grant The visioning team is available to lies, Education, Environment, and
season. Grant applications are being work with nonprofits as often as need- “We encourage them to reach out Health and Wellness.
accepted now through Nov. 3. when they feel bogged down or lose
direction. The committee is experi- “Once grant proposals are received,
The number of grants awarded enced and very eager to see each or- a read-through of all applications is
each April is determined by the num- ganization get to the finish line, where conducted by a group of committee
ber of women who join by Feb. 28 of the members vote,” wrote Gladys La- and board members for the purpose
that year, and this year they are hop- Forge, current visioning committee of ensuring that all applicants and
ing for enough members to award six chair and former president, via email. projects meet our eligibility guide-
$100,000 grants. Annual membership lines,” wrote Liz Locke, grants com-
in Impact 100 is $1,100, with $1,000 “We are a think tank of sorts for mittee chair.
funding the $100,000 grants, and $100 nonprofits fine-tuning grant ideas.
helping with operational expenses. It is interesting how many organiza- Proposals are then assigned to
tions start out with a certain concept grant panels for their review between
Grant finalists are narrowed down to wind their way through visioning December and early March, during
through a multifaceted grant review and come out with a different and which site visits are conducted. Fi-
process, with members casting a vote better idea,” she added. “Every idea is nally, a selection panel hears short
in April to choose that season’s recipi- worth talking about. Brainstorming is presentations on each project to de-
ents. very helpful and leads to creative and termine that year’s finalists.
ingenious grant ideas.”
Recognizing that the applica- “We do our best, as an organization,
tion process can be a daunting task, This year, for the first time, their to support local nonprofits and to be
a visioning committee was formed committee contacted some 160 lo- as transparent as possible. Again, we
roughly 10 years ago by Jane Coyle, are here to help. Visioning sessions are
available, and the grants committee is
always available to answer questions,”
Locke added.

“We want to encourage all local
nonprofits to learn about Impact 100,
schedule visioning sessions, and to
submit applications. There are many
advantages to applying, even if an or-
ganization does not end up getting a
$100,000 grant.”

A nonprofit information session will
be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7 at
the IRSC Richardson Center, where
additional information about vision-
ing and the grant application and re-
view processes will be discussed.

For more information, visit Impact
100IR.com. 



26 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Miles of prairie stretch out across soft, bovine eyes barely registering the the many birds that forge symbiotic working to restore the animal on tribal
the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge stopped cars awaiting their passage. relationships with them – trickle down lands. “Just by how they use the grass,
in southern Oklahoma, acre after acre They quickly set to work mowing down the food chain. how they graze, how their hoofs are
of brush, grasses and hearty vegetation the fresh springtime grass. designed, the way they move. They did
creeping toward the low-range granite Once bordering on extinction, bison this job for us when we allowed them
mountains rising in the distance. Like The bison’s quiet munching does now serve as a great provider for their to be buffalo.”
in much of Oklahoma, the road is flat more than nourish their bodies – it’s ecosystems, standing as an example
here, but the speed limit remains 30 one of many things they do to nurture of the ways in which animal conser- Tribes are leading the effort to bring
mph. That’s because of the bison. their entire ecosystem. Grazing bi- vation and ecological protection can back the bison, Heinert says, which in
son shaving down acres of vegetation work in tandem. turn allows for the return of other na-
They appear seemingly out of no- leave more than dung behind: Their tive grasses, animals and insects – all
where: dozens of massive animals aggressive chewing spurs growth of “Buffalo is the original climate regu- of which will “help fight this changing
lumbering up the shoulder of the road nutritious new plant shoots, and their lator,” said Troy Heinert, a member of climate.”
to cross to the fresh vegetation on the natural behaviors – the microhabitats the Sicangu Lakota (Rosebud Sioux)
other side. The herd moves slowly, their they create by rolling in the ground, tribe and executive director of the In- Bison, called buffalo by some Indige-
terTribal Buffalo Council, a coalition nous peoples, are mammoth creatures.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 27

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Weighing up to 2,000 pounds, they are beating across the land sounded like their quest to wrest Indigenous tribes Park, were ironically sourced from
the largest land mammal in North rolling thunder. off their ancestral homes. By killing as tribal herds). The bison observed in
America. Their giant horned heads bal- many bison as possible (in one case, the Wichita Mountains are descended
ance on hulking sloped shoulders. This For the many tribes of the plains re- the U.S. government provided ammu- from 15 animals commandeered from
massive upper body sits on spindly gion – the Lakota, the Shoshone, the nition to private hunters to illegally the Bronx Zoo in 1907 and brought to
goat-like legs, lending them an other- Arapaho, to name a few – buffalo was trespass on tribal land to kill buffalo), Oklahoma via train car.
worldly quality – more Minotaur than a sacred animal that nourished their they attempted to starve tribes out.
moose. Despite their size, they have a people and played an important cere- In the intervening century, federal,
gracefulness to them. monial role. For European colonizers, By the turn-of-the-20th century, mil- tribal and private herds have brought
the bison were both a commodity and lions of bison had been killed. In 1900, the species back from the brink of ex-
Two centuries ago, bison dominated a weapon. Americans massacred them fewer than 1,000 – of an estimated 30 tinction. The estimated number of bi-
much of the continent from Canada to by the thousands, selling their pelts to 60 million – remained, many in zoos. son nationwide – while far from the mil-
Mexico, when tens of millions roamed and organizing vast sport hunts. lions – now hovers in the low hundreds
North America. They were so numer- President Theodore Roosevelt or- of thousands.
ous that the pounding of their hoofs As the United States pushed West dered federal bison herds to be put
in the 1800s, bison became a pawn in into place (some, such as Custer State CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

28 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 INSIGHT COVER STORY

Two bison follow the herd through tall prairie grass.

A herd of bison graze the prairie lands at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.

Indigenous peoples have been inte- bers, managing a total of more than Donald, lead wildlife biologist at the dubbed a “green wave.” The bison’s vig-
gral to this effort from the start, both 20,000 animals across 32 million acres. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. orous grazing stimulates plant growth,
by managing herds and by introducing “The fresh green [draws] other animals creating a flood of new vegetation
legislation to protect and expand bi- The return of the bison is a victory that would feed on it: elk and deer and that follows in the bison's wake to be
son territory. In the past few decades, not only for the sake of biodiversity whatever other type of grazers that "surfed” by animals large and small.
tribal herd numbers have soared: The but for the entire ecosystem in which would consume some of that new for- Green waves can be so dramatic that
InterTribal Buffalo Council, which be- they live. As a keystone species, the age.” some – such as the one created by Yel-
gan as a modest coalition of fewer than bison sustain their environment from lowstone’s bison herd – can be seen
10 tribes in the early 1990s, will soon the top down. The herd in Oklahoma is approxi- from space.
count 76 tribes across 20 states from mately 625 animals, but when large
New York to Hawaii among its mem- “They move through, graze every- herds move synchronously across the While bison produce methane much
thing down. It’s a type of disturbance land, they create what scientists have like cattle, their grazing patterns and the
– like fire would be,” said Dan Mc-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 29

INSIGHT COVER STORY

fact that they are wild animals that usu- average 20 pounds less. (The climate restoration of this animal is a rare suc- For tribes, they were a giver of life, a
ally roam hundreds, if not thousands, is expected to warm by nearly 3 de- cess story in nature conservancy. To cherished member of the community.
of acres means that bison are generally grees Celsius by 2050.) go from a few-hundred bison to sev- For colonizers, they were a trophy, then
far less destructive to the environment eral- hundred-thousand nationwide in a commodity and a geopolitical tool.
(and produce both more and leaner There are other challenges too. The little more than a century is astound- Much like the tribes that lived along
meat) than domesticated cows. Indian Buffalo Management Act – a ing. This triumph has in turn brought buffalo’s migration patterns and are
piece of legislation that would guar- about the resurgence of local flora and now instrumental in these conserva-
Reintroducing bison as a food source antee steady resources for tribal herd fauna in the regions in which bison are tion efforts, bison eventually became
has been essential within tribal herds. management – has stalled in the Sen- found, including native grasses and “outcasts in their own homeland.”
Indigenous peoples have the highest ate after passing the House of Repre- rare insects.
rate of diabetes of any ethnic group sentatives. Meanwhile, it’s an ongoing “As we look to the future, any assis-
in the United States, in part because process for herd managers to negoti- Buffalo – much like bald eagles or tance or effort that tribes are making
many reservations are located in “food ate with ranchers to convince them wild mustangs – are one of those potent to restore buffalo back to their lands is
deserts,” where access to supermarkets that there’s enough land for cattle and symbols of American culture that con- going to be beneficial for everybody,
– and to healthy food in particular – is bison alike. tain multitudes of meaning. The stories because it is a climate-smart, holistic
hugely limited. told about them are endless, though idea of the relationship with nature,”
Still, many experts in the bison world some stories are truer than others. said Heinert. 
That problem was exacerbated dur- are hopeful for the future. The ongoing
ing the coronavirus pandemic, when
supply chains nationwide crumbled.
Thanks to their local herds, some
tribes have put lean buffalo meat into
school lunches, and the Rosebud Sioux
tribe was able to feed residents strug-
gling with homelessness using the first
buffalo harvested from their Wolakota
herd.

At the same time, holistic herd man-
agement techniques spearheaded by
tribes operate on this principle: Bison
are wildlife – not livestock. These ani-
mals require lots of land to maintain
ecological balance and not to over-
graze.

The southern plains are especially
vulnerable to climate change, where
periods of extreme drought and flood-
ing have cropped up more frequently
in recent years. There is example after
example of how the bison serve a cru-
cial role in their imperiled environ-
ment: Their hoofs push seeds deep
into the ground and aerate the soil.

Small birds often fly around bison’s
ankles because their heavy footfall
kicks up insects that the birds can feed
on. The brown-headed cowbird often
rides on the back of bison, plucking
parasites off its skin. Even bison’s dung
– which contains high levels of nitro-
gen, a vital nutrient for plant growth –
fertilizes the soil as they graze.

Their “wallows” – huge depressions
created by bison’s rolling on the ground
– can serve as microhabitats for other
animals. After strong rains, those wal-
lows fill with water and welcome in-
sects, frogs and other amphibians, ac-
cording to McDonald. In one poignant
example of a once nearly extinct ani-
mal supporting a threatened species,
bison’s wallows serve as an ideal habi-
tat for bird’s-foot violets, the preferred
food source for the larva of regal fritil-
lary, a rare butterfly.

Bison suffer from the effects of cli-
mate change, too. Warming tempera-
tures have caused bison to shrink,
according to several recent studies.
That’s because climate change acts on
the grasses they eat, reducing the pro-
tein content. One study found that for
every 1 degree Celsius the tempera-
ture warmed, male bison weighed on

30 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT EDITORIAL

The first day of school in Florida is only a week away, Florida is already facing a dire teacher shortage, Teachers in Brevard County have been told to “slow
but officials throughout the state are still plagued by with 9,000 open teaching and staff positions unfilled down” on adding books to their classroom libraries.
confusion and uncertainty about what a raft of new as the new school year begins, said Florida Educa-
laws championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis will mean. tion Association president Andy Spar. The shortage “We’ve kind of asked teachers to press pause,”
is severe enough that DeSantis recently signed a law said Russell Bruhn, a spokesman for Brevard County
The measures – aimed at eliminating what DeSantis that allows military veterans to teach without the re- Schools. He said the district’s media specialists are
calls “woke ideology” in public schools – have parents, quired certificate or a four-year college degree. “going over titles as best they can to make sure that
teachers, and students scrambling to figure out how none of the titles are in violation of the new law.”
to follow them, and to also keep from being targeted Spar said Florida’s new laws have made the profes-
by Floridians newly empowered to sue school boards. sion less attractive for experienced teachers and new The school board in Miami-Dade County didn’t wait
college graduates alike. A recent national survey by the for new state rules. After initially approving “Compre-
Florida’s culture war is being waged primarily in American Federation of Teachers found that nearly 80 hensive Health Skills” for middle and senior high health
schools. The DeSantis administration has decried percent of teachers are dissatisfied with their job. classes in April, members changed their mind.
teachings on race, suggested civics instruction that
downplays the historical separation of church and “And here in Florida it’s worse,” Spar said. “The low A long-standing rule allows parents to opt out of hav-
state, told school districts to ignore advice from the pay, the lack of respect, the constant villainizing, that ing their children take sex ed classes, but opponents
federal government that guarantees civil rights pro- all takes a toll.” said that wasn’t enough. One said showing the book to
tections for LGBTQ students and, last week, asserted students would be “illegal in the state of Florida.”
that children in elementary schools are being told Most public school teachers in Florida work un-
they are the wrong gender. der one-year contracts that can be canceled without “If you adopt this, in the end, the country, the state,
cause. and your community will consider all of you groom-
The DeSantis education department issued a mem- ers,” Lourdes Galban told the board, echoing a claim
orandum the next day advising school districts to ig- Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz de- being used by some conservative groups that oppose
nore guidance from the Biden administration that clined a request for an interview, but his office said sex education.
says federal law prohibits discrimination based on the department has provided guidance to school dis-
sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. tricts on how to follow the new laws. The guidance, After school board staff said it would take up to
however, mostly uses the language in the laws, which eight months to find and vet another textbook on the
The memo from Florida Education Commissioner teachers say is too vague. subject, board chairwoman Perla Tabares Hantman
Manny Diaz Jr. said the Biden administration’s rules flipped her vote and approved the new book.
“should not be treated as governing law.” Diaz’s memo DeSantis says the laws are popular with parents.
also says schools can ignore suggestions from the They passed easily in the Republican-led legislature. That fight over sex ed in the state’s largest school
Florida Department of Agriculture Commission that “The government should never take the place of a district alarmed health professionals, who say public
they should post “And Justice For All” posters from the parent,” said Speaker Chris Sprowls when DeSantis opinion surveys show significant support for sexual
USDA in schools. The posters explain anti-discrimina- signed the Parental Rights in Education bill. education. Florida has the third-highest rate of new
tion laws. HIV infections in the country, according to the CDC
The Parental Rights in Education act, dubbed “Don’t and is ranked 23rd for teen pregnancies.
The result of all this conflicting instruction is con- Say Gay” by critics, is the provision that bars classroom
fusion and fear, teachers say. instruction on gender-related issues in grades K-3 and “Florida isn’t a state that’s doing a top-notch job
says lessons should be “age appropriate” after that. in terms of sex education as it is,” said Ellen Daley
Some teachers in Orange County say they don’t a professor at the University of South Florida who
know if it’s safe to bring in photos of their same-sex Even before the law was passed, those issues were specializes in women’s health and sexual education.
spouses. The school district told them pictures are not taught in early grades in Florida, Spar said.
fine but said they shouldn’t talk about their partners, “Parents are generally positive about it, but now we’re
because “it could be deemed classroom instruction Much of the consternation around the laws involves seeing the system kind of going back in time to when
on sexual orientation or gender identity,” according books. In Palm Beach County, teachers have been or- these things were controversial. That’s really scary.” 
to district spokesman Michael Ollendorff. dered to cull books from classroom libraries that are not
“in compliance,” and to hide them“in a classroom clos- A version of this column by Lori Rosza first appeared
et” or somewhere else where students can’t see them. in The Washington Post. It does not necessarily reflect
the opinion of Vero Beach 32963.

During the coronavirus crisis, our Pelican Plaza office is closed to visitors. We appreciate your understanding.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 31

INSIGHT OP-ED

When Theodore Schmiechen canceled listed as "open" with an "oops, we can't ets. The type of fare you booked is non- Timing is important, too. You have
his Delta flight, he received credits value this coupon" message. refundable, but you can still get a flight 24 hours to cancel and receive a no-
for future travel. But the credits don't credit. But Delta never promised the questions-asked refund on most airline
work, and the airline is making it I've contacted Delta's customer ser- credit would be easy to use. tickets. If you had canceled your flight
difficult to book a new flight. What vice department repeatedly, with no within this time frame, you wouldn't
should he do? response. I then called, and after two So why would an airline make a ticket have had to worry about the e-credits.
hours on hold, a representative told me credit difficult to use? That's easy. If you
QUESTION: I would need to call Delta reservations have a tough time redeeming a flight A qualified travel agent might have
to book flights manually. voucher, guess what? Chances are, you advised you on the best kind of ticket
I recently canceled two flights and will never use it. And that means the to book for your trip. A resourceful trav-
submitted a refund request to Delta This is just not an option for me. airline gets to keep your money and el advisor can sometimes get a refund
Air Lines. Delta denied my refund but I need the e-credit so that I can eas- give you nothing for it. a few days after you book your ticket,
offered two e-credits for future travel. ily book new flights. Would you please even if it's nonrefundable.
The problem is that they are both still reach out to them and ask that they There are ways to prevent a problem
convert the open e-credits into two ac- like this from happening. First, you But I loved your case because it's a
tual credits for $1,402 that they already could have booked a refundable ticket. great example of effective self-advo-
approved? Unfortunately, those tickets are often cacy. I supplied you with the names,
ridiculously overpriced – as much as numbers and email addresses of the
ANSWER: two or three times more expensive Delta Air Lines executives. You con-
than a nonrefundable ticket. tacted them, and within a few days, you
Delta didn't have to refund your tick- had working e-credits.

I’m impressed that you ultimately
were able to fix this yourself. Compa-
nies create seemingly impenetrable
systems designed to turn away cus-
tomers with legitimate requests. It's
nice to see someone get the outcome
they deserve. 

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32 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

Lindy Elkins-Tanton is the principal investigator ready to continue her studies (“for reasons still un- 48 states. It oozed out around the time of the end-
for a NASA probe slotted to fly out to the asteroid belt clear to me,” she admits), she surprisingly went into Permian extinction, some 252 million years ago,
to study a rare, metal-rich asteroid called Psyche. business, becoming an analyst for a management when 70 percent of terrestrial species and more
This body, 138 miles wide, is suspected to be the consulting firm. Over the following years, she married than 90 percent of ocean species disappeared. Was
ancient core of a failed planet, one that didn’t fully into a prominent family, gave birth to a son and, while that a coincidence, or was the eruption the cause?
form in that vast region between Mars and Jupiter. later running her own consulting company, raised To find an answer, she organized a vast collabora-
As Earth’s core is inaccessible, Psyche might serve as sheep and trained dogs. But after the dissolution of tion of geologists, geophysicists, geochemists and
the means to unlock the secrets of our own planet’s her marriage and two years of teaching mathematics atmospheric scientists.
mysterious center. at a small Maryland college (where she met her cur-
rent husband), she at last returned to MIT, first for a The expressive descriptions of her field trips
Given the title of her memoir – “A Portrait of the PhD and later a professorship. to Siberia are the most engaging sections of the
Scientist as a Young Woman” – a reader might expect book, providing a ringside seat to the discomforts
to be immersed solely in a scientific story: how a ge- At this point, the book offers valuable lessons and thrills of a geological expedition. “The layers
ologist progressed over the years from hammering on successful scientific strategies. Early on, Elkins- of the rock rose from the river like an endless shelf
terrestrial rocks as a student to leading a deep-space Tanton recognized that to answer the big questions of books, slumped at an angle,” she writes. “Layer
mission. But this riveting book, beautifully written, in her science she needed to step “across disciplin- after layer, rising up through time. We’d float up
is far more. With a brave candor, Elkins-Tanton ex- ary boundaries to synthesize from entirely different through the whole Tunguska sequence, and then
amines all aspects of her experiences – personal and fields.” That became her modus operandi. For ex- we’d meet the flood basalts themselves.” After
professional, the good and the bad – to plumb the ample, she became fascinated with the Siberian flood years of data-gathering by that worldwide network
very meaning of her life. She also offers novel ap- basalts, the most voluminous mass of lava to ever of researchers, they indeed proved that climate-
proaches to education, tactics for handling sexual erupt upon a continent, enough to cover the Lower changing gases released by the flood (“frightening-
harassment cases in academia and new methods for ly similar to what humankind is producing today,”
team-building in scientific research that go beyond she stresses) caused the mass extinction.
the “hero model.” “No single person can alone build
human knowledge anymore,” she notes. “We need Her questions then reached beyond the Earth. In
the breadth of ideas that comes from a diversity of 2014 Elkins-Tanton became director of the School
voices.” of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State
University, where the proposal for the Psyche mis-
Elkins-Tanton’s childhood at first appears quite sion was finalized. The review process was long
idyllic. Growing up in Ithaca, N.Y., she dabbled in po- and painstaking, but it came down to a final one-
etry and music, won awards for her horse riding, and day team presentation before a panel of judges, a
explored her town with great freedom. But there was nerve-racking appraisal that seems 10 times more
also a dark side: Her mother was detached, her fa- intense than a dissertation defense. The Psyche
ther often angry, and she had to wear an uncomfort- proposal was a dark horse, as Elkins-Tanton had
able back brace to treat her scoliosis. More than that, never headed up a NASA mission and her industrial
she was repeatedly sexually assaulted as a small child partner had previously built spacecraft only for Earth
in her neighborhood woods, a fact her mother never orbit, not deep space. This is where Elkins-Tanton’s
wanted to acknowledge. A terror remained within early detour into business and the lessons she learned
Elkins-Tanton for years because of that trauma, until there paid off; NASA noticed that day how well her
a therapist recognized it as a type of post-traumatic team functioned under pressure.
stress disorder. Once launched, the spacecraft will travel three
years to get to Psyche. With the start of that journey,
Before that analysis, though, she found solace in her writes Elkins-Tanton, “we’ll have won, again, some-
chosen major at MIT. “The more I thought about geol- thing actually worth winning: the chance to work
ogy,” she writes, “the more I felt calm and comforted. harder, for longer, on something that will amaze us
… That geologic timeline spooling out and out into and drive human knowledge farther.” She has found
the past and then again into the future felt like a tall her life’s meaning. 
cool drink on a hot day.” By her sophomore year, she
was conducting high-temperature and high-pressure A PORTRAIT OF THE SCIENTIST
experiments that mimicked the interior of the Earth. AS A YOUNG WOMAN
She delightfully recounts each step of her procedures
like a chef lovingly describing her favorite recipe. At A MEMOIR
her graduation, she received not only a bachelor’s de-
gree but a master’s degree as well. BY LINDY ELKINS-TANTON | WILLIAM MORROW. 272 PP. $29.99
REVIEW BY MARCIA BARTUSIAK, THE WASHINGTON POST
Here her life takes an unexpected turn. Not feeling

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 33

INSIGHT BOOKS

A PANCAKE WITH NO-TRUMP TOPPING WEST NORTH EAST
K J 10 8753 42
By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist Q 10 8 7 6 4 AK5 3
10 5 984 QJ732
W.C. Fields said, “The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would Q 10 863 J9742
turn over by themselves.”
SOUTH
The first time I went to a movie in the United States, in Chicago in 1971, I remember AQ96
only one thing: the constant background noise of people eating popcorn. That was J92
something no one did in England, where I was born and lived until 1985. AK6
AK5
In bridge we have pancake hands — those with 4-3-3-3 distribution. They tend not to
be good for suit play, because the losers stay losers forever. They are better either in Dealer: South; Vulnerable: East-West
no-trump or on defense.
The Bidding:
With that hint, look at the North hand in today’s deal. South opens two no-trump; what
should North respond? SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
2 NT Pass ??
With a pancake, do not use Stayman to hunt for a 4-4 spade fit; just raise to three no- LEAD:
trump. 7 Hearts

Against that contract, West will probably lead his fourth-highest heart seven. South can
run that to the nine, giving him eight top tricks: one spade, three hearts, two diamonds
and two clubs. By cashing the spade ace and playing another spade, South will shortly
establish a ninth trick in spades. Give that declarer some popcorn!

Suppose North does use Stayman, and South ends in four spades. West again leads
the heart seven. What happens?

If South wins with his heart nine, then tries to enter dummy with a heart, East ruffs. So
South cashes the spade ace, then plays another spade. West wins two spade tricks
and exits with a heart. South will be unable to avoid losing one trick in each minor to go
down one.

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36 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (JULY 28) ON PAGE 58

The Telegraph ACROSS DOWN
1 Location (5) 2 Quit (5)
4 Chills (5) 3 Cutlers (anag.)(7)
10 Edible seeds (7) 5 Haven (5)
11 Art (5) 6 Free time (7)
12 Cabinet (5) 7 Room (5)
13 Debate (7) 8 Apart (5)
15 Observed (4) 9 Explosion (5)
17 Musical drama(5) 14 Notion (4)
19 Rims (5) 16 Garden (4)
22 Back (4) 18 Tableau (7)
25 Discs (7) 20 Hauled (7)
27 Pointer (5) 21 Faith (5)
29 Material (5) 23 Attempt (5)
30 More cross (7) 24 Mindful (5)
31 Gem (5) 26 Plunder (5)
32 Lazed (5) 28 Lift (5)

How to do Sudoku:

Fill in the grid so the
numbers one through
nine appear just once
in every column, row
and three-by-three
square.

The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 37

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 107 What stamps are for? 42 Say hello with your head The Washington Post
1 Super or superb 110 Time to watch out 43 Mission: Impossible
6 Least beastly 112 Type of crow SOUNDS LIKE FUN By Merl Reagle
12 Made fun of, perhaps 113 Not fooled by composer Schifrin
16 Concert lead-in? 114 Undergarments 45 David’s Kill Bill
19 Two-under-par shot 115 Add names to the will?
20 Backspaces through 118 Funny folks co-star
21 Sp. miss 120 Likely 47 See 48 Across
22 It’s beyond normal “reading” 121 Make a faux pas 52 Where Sioux City is
23 Crusoe and Friday? 122 See 41 Across 53 Physiologist Pavlov
25 Anti-amphibian spray? 123 Sheriff with indigestion? 55 Old Egyptian symbol revived
27 Air Force ___ 125 What the little magician
28 Boxer separator in the 1960s
29 Write quickly was? 59 Grate material
30 Were down a little, as 131 Part of a play 60 Where the Bay of Pigs is
132 Heavenly messenger, in 61 Mo. of masks
stocks 62 Dickens tale exclamation
31 Deli decision? French 64 Fireproofing material
36 Ex-vice-president and 133 One-celled organism 65 Start to come round
134 First non-elected president 67 Greenish drink
family 135 Jaguar model 70 He coached the Packers
38 Concerning, to a lawyer 136 Attendee 71 Long time
40 Concert ending? 137 Jeff of racing 72 Japan’s capital, once
41 Order to a dog 138 Sources of spills on hills 74 Competed
42 What you’ll see in the 75 Clod chopper
DOWN 76 Mosul’s land
Chicago Bulls’ locker room? 1 Fetch 77 Sprightly dance, French-
44 Caesar’s accusation 2 Unprocessed
46 ___ buco 3 Freudian concept style
48 Popeye’s “goil” 4 “Take ___ at this!” 78 Demond’s sitcom co-star
49 One of Frank’s exes 5 Court sport 85 Action word
50 Start of many California 6 Book bet. Ezra and Esther 86 Screenplay
7 Red-faced reaction 87 Animation characters
place names 8 Nile delta city 89 Ignited anew
51 Vacation that involves goin’ 9 County near London 91 Grp. with many a GP
10 Part of “SASE” 92 Magazine contents
wherever ya feel like goin’? 11 Mao ___-tung 93 MacMurray’s Double
54 The fluid part of blood 12 “Any port in ___”
13 Jets, Mets, or Indemnity co-star
56 SE Asian language 94 Start
57 Ingmar directed her often Nets, e.g. 96 Photog’s original
58 Eat, as chips 14 Airport abbr. 97 Perform all over again
61 Bit of shogun attire 15 Some stay-at-home types 98 Be that as it may
63 Used to be 16 Wet quality, as on leaves 99 Part of Orion’s belt
66 Large container 17 “I am mad, or 100 Does darning
68 Big ball of fire 103 Blow up
69 Swiss abstract painter else this ___” 108 Trent of Mississippi
73 What modern sculptor (Twelfth Night) 109 Night sky shape
18 TV’s 86 or 99 111 Work periods
Christo wants to do next? 24 Very heavy, as some trucks 115 Rap sheet entry
79 Bangkok native 26 First letter of the Arabic 116 Exhorted
80 Back-of-a-book blurb alphabet 117 ___ alcohol
81 Shipping magnate’s 29 Allyn of They Won’t Forget, 119 Male deer
1937 121 “Tickle Me” doll
nickname 31 Boat-landing place 123 Car wash option
82 Enjoyed 80 Across 32 Divider’s word 124 Noted numero
83 6 on a cell 33 Island off Los Angeles 125 Sink in the middle
84 The ultimate climb 34 Serious cut 126 A premium channel
88 A Cabinet dept. 35 Popular disinfectant 127 Crayola shade
90 Little glob 36 Paintings by a famous 128 Brewery bottleful
92 Muttered comments Spaniard 129 Actor Beatty
95 Dieted successfully? 37 Relative of a half hitch 130 No and Phil: abbr.
101 84 Across, for ex. 39 Sicilian volcano
102 Freeway, for ex.
104 Caviar
105 84 Across stat.
106 Commedia dell’___

The Telegraph

38 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

Wealthy relative keeps asking for help with child care

BY CAROLYN HAX all have our limits. And we all have standing to say We can point fingers accurately, grow understand-
Washington Post no to people, especially when they ask us to exceed ably resentful, and justifiably feel taken advantage
those limits. “I have my hands full with Mom.” In of, absolutely, yes – but still. Any family, community,
Dear Carolyn: A wealthy fam- fact, if you are unavailable as long as your mom is in society that wants its children to become healthy
ily member of mine, “R,” is getting your care, then kindly make that clear to your rela- adults shares some responsibility for backing up
divorced. R has two school-age tive. Save her some spinning of wheels. parents who fail.
children who live in the family
home; R and her ex-spouse rotate The more complicated answer hinges on the chil- I hope everyone who knows this couple, there-
into the home, returning to their dren’s distress. They are their parents’ responsibility, fore, will think about what they can do. Again – if
own apartments when they’re not “on.” They have yes, no question. But will that logic reassure them it’s nothing, then, fair enough. We can’t all do it all.
an afternoon/evening nanny, and each grandmother when their parents abdicate that responsibility? Will But if there’s something that falls within your emo-
takes the kids one weekend per month. it help them roll with the instabilities? Make them tional capacity, then please try it. See the kids once a
Nonetheless, R asks me and other extended family A-OK with feeling un(der)loved? month or every-other, maybe, to form a bond?
members for help with child care, saying she and her
ex are “burned out.” I’m sure the divorce is difficult, Even better: Take this family member out to cof-
but I’m finding R’s requests to be entitled and clue- fee and say, “OK, what’s really going on.” Because
less. I get the impression neither R nor her ex wants to ruling out her cry for help as unpersuasive to you
raise their children. could be premature or misinformed.
Yes, I’m feeling judgmental even though I know my
focus should be on the well-being of their kids, who A final complication is an extra-credit-type thing
seem quite stressed. So far I have politely declined their but has its own kind of immediacy. I read these let-
requests, but I feel a bit guilty. I work full time and ters several times before I answer them, in case I see
am also my elderly mother’s caregiver, and I cherish new things. With this one, though, I have wondered
whatever free time I can get. Should I say yes to their each time at exactly the same points whether you’d
requests even though it makes me feel resentful? think, choose or feel differently if your distressed
family member weren’t rich.
– Feeling Judgmental
Wealth creates options, yes, no question, and
Feeling Judgmental: This answer can be as simple pays nannies. And people who have options while
or as complicated as you want it to be. implying they don’t will test anyone’s nerves. But
malfunctioning parents can’t just buy their kids new
The simplest is that you are already a caregiver parents.
so you can’t reasonably support anyone else. We
So maybe hold a thought for the people involved
here, consciously, any time the judgmental waves
start to swell. 

‘KEEP CHANGING’

CREATIVE PROCESS INSPIRES

PAINTER CLEMENS

40 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

‘KEEP CHANGING’: CREATIVE PROCESS
INSPIRES PAINTER CLEMENS

Muci Clemens. BY DEBBIE TIMMERMANN | CORRESPONDENT bus to Manhattan on Saturdays to take
drawing courses at the Art Students
PHOTOS BY JOSHUA KODIS A beach cabana generally conjures League. On the way home she would
up visions of a small space with maybe stop and visit museums, especially the
a bench, hooks for towels and a small Metropolitan Museum of Art. There
door, and may seem like an unlikely spot she studied, again and again, the large-
for an artist’s studio. However, Muci Cle- scale (“it must have been 10 feet by 10
mens happened on the perfect setting feet”) painting called “The Tree of Life”
for her cabana art studio, incorporated by Cy Twombly.
into the Orchid Island Beach Club.
“Each time you looked at it there
An aesthetic gem, this air-conditioned was more and more. The artist must
beach cabana features a charming room have spent half his life painting that
with a mini kitchen, a wall of windows painting. It was incredibly quizzical. I
giving a look at the ocean and a balcony. learned that maybe you don’t have to
Here, inspiration flows by osmosis, just spell everything out, but get the viewer
walking through the complex. engaged, like that artist did for me.”

Clemens, who is right at home, Fortuitously, her family was invited
creating wonderful paintings that to go to Rhode Island, where one of their
are true to her core beliefs, calls it “a friend’s neighbors was Cy Twombly.
magical, special place.”
“My mother’s friend let him know
Although taught to paint tradition- I was interested in art, and he invited
ally, she says, “I put emphasis on what me to visit his studio and show me his
is important to me, what really matters, paintings and to talk about art. I was so
instead of just painting a pretty picture.” excited. It was the first time I realized
artists could actually support them-
From still life to landscapes and selves by creating art,” says Clemens.
portraits, Clemens paints in a repre-
sentational, impressionistic style, pri- “Most people don’t get to that point
marily working in oils and pastels. She because life gets in the way. And you
explains that her work is influenced by can have a string of sales, but then if you
the rebirth of nature, the dependable change your style, you lose that whole
cycle of life, peaceful and pensive, filled audience, or they get upset with you. I
with light and a colorful palette. used to do still life, and I really worked
to get all of those hairs on those peach-
Growing up in Montclair, N.J., she es. But as an artist, I want to change, I
recalls picking up a matchbook at age want to improve my craft.”
8, the cover of which advertised an art
school with drawings of a dog and a So she made a change to focus on
cat. Clemens copied the dog on paper, other subjects, including animals, land-
impressing her parents, who encour- scapes and people.
aged her to work on her art.
“It’s exciting and it’s magical to keep
“It was all part of my family; to encour- improving and to keep changing,” says
age the arts. My father loved to paint, Clemens, adding that after making the
and I had an uncle who was an artist.” switch, she had collectors who were
upset with the change.
While in high school, she practiced
her art during the week and took the “What happens is, when you have

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 41

ARTS & THEATRE

passed away and gave it to her friend’s through her art, she can share joy.
daughter as a wedding present. That “Art is like an athlete – you have to
painting will be treasured forever.
practice it a lot. You don’t just get up
“Expressing yourself is a need; find- one day and paint a good picture, to
ing a creative outlet is therapy, fulfill- pass on to the viewer the feeling you
ment,” says Clemens. are trying to create, this magical thing
you want to paint.”
To counter the immense pain in the
world, she consciously chooses light, Clemens is a member of the Vero
color and uplifting themes to focus on Beach Art Club, Connecticut Pastel Soci-
the positive, timeless quality of life. ety, Pastel Society of America, Oil Paint-
ers of America, and the Orchid Island Art
“I create works that make me feel Club, which has a robust membership
good: the stillness of the day, ripening and a yearly art show. She holds elected
fruit, the breathtaking beauty of flow- artist status in Audubon Artists and, in
ers, time by the water, the character Connecticut, the Madison Art Society
of a person’s face, life that lights up and Guilford Art League. 
one’s eyes,” says Clemens, noting that

an audience of people who like your break this time or which
work, they expect you to keep doing you should stick to. So it’s
the same, so they can see what your really good.”
‘new still life’ paintings are.”
She added encaustic,
After studying at Rosemont College, aka hot wax painting, to
Clemens earned a degree in art and ap- her repertoire in the last
plied art at San Diego State University four to five years.
and has been fortunate to participate in
workshops with numerous renowned “In encaustic work, you
artists. Clemens also took classes at get much more involved
Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan, with the painting you have
Conn., from Russian artist Kirill Doron. destroyed by sanding [lay-
ers of wax]. And you have
“He taught me details, which I really to rebuild it. It’s a process.
needed. In Russia, he was one of those There are some paintings
who would have spent a year painting that take so long, [it’s] best
all the details of an orange. But in all to put it off to the side for
my art schooling they didn’t teach me a while instead of forcing
the details,” Clemens explains. yourself to finish it,” she ex-
plains.
“They never taught you how to use a
paint brush, or how to mix paints. So “You need to be exposed
in those things I felt inept.” to different thought processes. You im-
prove with the tools you have. Every-
Although she does believe you can thing is a learning process and you keep
get stifled by over-education, she ex- moving forward.”
plains, “It’s a dance, a thought process.
You’re solving problems constantly. Clemens says that if she goes to
You end up knowing what works for you sleep with a design problem, she usu-
and what doesn’t, what rules you can ally wakes up with several solutions.

“There is a level of excitement that
you can finally create.”

In one workshop, Clemens learned
about grids – how to make the paint-
ing stronger by naturally dividing it
into areas.

“I’m utilizing things that have been
known for thousands of years, but I
was never taught that in school. The
grid gives a painting a more powerful
composition. Now that I understand
it, I am utilizing it in my work.”

Although she enjoys selling her
work, Clemens also enjoys gifting it. “It
makes me so satisfied to give someone
a special gift. It’s karma; it’s important
to give back. It gives me a gift back. It
makes me feel proud that I can do that.”

In one instance, she created a beau-
tiful painting of a dear friend who had

42 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

COMING UP! Ballet Vero presents ‘Crash’ course in excitement

BY PAM HARBAUGH “The elements of dance, design, mu- noon at the Emerson
Correspondent sic, spoken word and humanity that Center. The present-
come together to showcase what ing organization is
1 Dance leaps onto center stage Crash does are simply unmatched the Space Coast Sym-
this weekend with something in the contemporary dance genre.” phony Orchestra.
Chicago Dance Crash performs 7:30 “The program will be
unusual – the Chicago Dance Crash. p.m. Friday, Aug. 5 and Saturday, a joy for our audienc-
Aug. 6 on the Stark Main Stage at es,” says Space Coast
The performance is presented Riverside Theatre, 3250 Riverside Symphony music di-
Park Dr., Vero Beach. Tickets are $10 rector and conductor
by Ballet Vero Beach in partner- to $75. What’s more, the troupe has Aaron Collins. “This
participated in the Riverside Dance is our seventh time
ship with Riverside Theatre. Ballet Festival, bringing intensive summer showcasing Jake and
study for young dancers. There will the first time Sky
Vero Beach artistic director Adam be a free showcase performance of (his sister) has per-
the young student dancers 2 p.m. formed for our au-
Schnell says this will be some- Saturday, Aug. 6, on Riverside’s Stark diences. The entire
Main Stage. Call Ballet Vero Beach program was put to-
thing exciting. The performance is at 772-905-2651 or visit BalletVero- gether by the young
Beach.org. You can also reach the duo and I can’t wait
a full-length narrative work bring- theater at 772-231-6990 or visit to see what they have
RiversideTheatre.com. come up with.” Jake
ing together contemporary dance, (Jacob Velazquez) is
a 14-year-old song-
hip-hop and acrobatics, he says. “I writer and multi-
instrumentalist liv-
guarantee that Vero audiences have ing in South Florida.
He has performed
not seen anything like it before,” he on “America’s Got
Talent,” numerous
says. Fourteen dancers from diverse television network
shows and alongside
backgrounds and each with a dif- big names like Harry
Connick Jr., Andrea
ferent skillset have been working on Bocelli and Gloria
Estefan. His younger
the show for the past two months. sister, Sky (Skylar
Rae), is an aspiring
This will be a sneak preview, if you 2 Billy Eilish and Finneas can performer who was
step aside. There’s another selected for the Bro-
will, of the show that has been in ward County Honors Choir. Diag-
nosed with a form of autism when
production for more than a year brother and sister musical duo set he was 4 years old, Jake has lifted up
the mission to “show the world that
and that will premiere later in Chi- to entertain. It’s “Jake ‘n Sky,” two having a diagnosis doesn’t mean you
aren’t capable of great things.” Col-
cago. “Prepare to be transported, young music prodigies. They will lins says Jake is a “real joy.” “He’s one
of the most dynamic and intelligent
stunned and amazed,” Schnell says. perform in concert Sunday after- musicians I have ever worked with,”
Collins says. “He has won over audi-
ences across the world.” The concert sure, though, to go onto the orches-
will feature songs that Jake and Sky tra’s website and reserve those free
wrote as well as some of their own tickets. Visit SpaceCoastSymphony.
arrangements of popular tunes such org. For more information, call 855-
as “Amazing Grace” and “Sweet 252-7276.
Home Alabama.” Collins says Jake
also thrills audiences when he tack- 3 The City of Vero Beach presents
les challenging Beethoven piano “Heroes and Villains,” its 48th
concerti. “He can perform in all
styles and he makes it seem effort- annual “Aerial Antics Youth Circus,”
less … He’s got a huge career ahead
of him.” The concert begins 3 p.m. at the Saint Edward’s School. On
Sunday, Aug. 7, at the Emerson Cen-
ter, 1590 27th Ave., Vero Beach. This stage will be more than 250 young
free concert is brought to Vero Beach
courtesy of Collins and the Space people performing unique gym-
Coast Symphony Orchestra. Do be
nastics, dance and circus aerial

productions. The program begins 7

p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, Friday, Aug. 5

and Saturday, Aug. 6 at St. Edward’s

School, 1895 Saint Edward’s Dr.

Tickets are $8 general and $7 chil-

dren and seniors. Or, buy a multi-

show ticket for $12 general and $10

for children and seniors. You can get

tickets at Leisure Square, 3705 16th

St., Vero Beach, or purchase them at

the door. For more information, call

772-770-6500 or go the Facebook

page of the City of Vero Beach Rec-

reation Department. 

LOCAL DIABETIC CARE PROGRAM
OFFERS LONG-TERM SUPPORT

44 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Local diabetic care program offers long-term support

BY KERRY FIRTH Colleen Symanski, RN. “The diabetes program
Correspondent at TCCH is patient-cen-
PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS tered and goal-driven.
Living with diabetes can be te- It’s about us listening to
dious, confusing and frustrating at what the patients want to
times. The disease is a 24/7 chal- accomplish and helping
lenge for patients and caregivers. them reach their goals,”
There are times healthy eating, Colleen Symanski, RN,
monitoring blood sugar levels, and CDCES, said. “I was hired
even injecting insulin several times in January 2021 for my abil-
a day don’t bring blood sugar in ity to help patients manage
line with what it should be. That’s their diabetes so they have
when a Certified Diabetes Care and better self-care and better
Education Specialist (CDCES) can health.
provide invaluable help adjusting
the parameters of care while offer- “Toward the end of 2021,
ing individualized instruction and Vicki Soule, CEO of Trea-
support. sure Coast Community
Health, saw the need for an
Happily for diabetes patients in accredited diabetes pro-
Vero Beach, Treasure Coast Com- gram because there wasn’t
munity Health has a CDCES on staff one in this area. There
and its diabetes care program was simply wasn’t a mecha-
recently accredited by the Associa- nism outside of the medi-
tion of Diabetes Care & Education cal arena to help diabetics
Specialists. The accreditation rec- with self-directed care,
ognizes a high level of service to the long-term support and pa-
community and the ability to meet tient-driven goals.”
the needs of Medicare recipients
and others affected by diabetes. Getting accreditation is
a lengthy, detailed process

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 45

HEALTH

that takes months to complete. Ac- patient completes the program at people with diabetes, you reduce They hope to expand within the
creditation programs must meet TCCH, they have access to resourc- the comorbidities of the top killers, next few months making it available
the 2022 national standards for es to keep them focused and they other than cancer,” Symanski said. to others in the community.
Diabetes Self-Management Edu- can always call and get additional
cation and Support established by help if needed. TCCH also hosts “Diabetes is one of those diseas- TCCH is a nonprofit, provid-
the Association of Diabetes Care & a diabetes support group each es that we can effectively manage ing comprehensive, high-quality
Education Specialists, which is it- month at its Gifford location. with both medication and lifestyle healthcare to more than 26,000 in-
self accredited by the Centers for changes. Medication is meant to sured, underinsured and uninsured
Medicare and Medicaid Services. According to the CDC, diabetes work with people being active and patients. TCCH, Indian River Coun-
is the eighth leading cause of death eating well and will not replace ty’s only Federally Qualified Health
The standards are revised every in the U.S. It and can lead to com- healthy eating and physical activity. Center, has eight locations provid-
five years by a group of diabetes ed- plications for heart disease (the Teaching a patient lifelong, self-care ing medical, vision, dental, behav-
ucators representing both ADCES leading cause of death), hyperten- management is every bit as impor- ioral health and pharmacy services.
and the American Diabetes Associ- sion and stroke (the fifth leading tant as the medication itself.” TCCH offers a sliding fee discount
ation and approved by Centers for cause of death). Other complica- based on household income and
Medicare and Medicaid Services. tions include blindness, kidney Because the accreditation is so family size. For more information,
Programs must maintain compli- disease and neuropathy of the feet. new, TCCH is currently offering the visit tcchinc.org or call 772-257-
ance with all standards during the diabetes program to their patients 8224. 
four-year accreditation cycle. “When you improve the health of only.

Treasure Coast Community
Health received full accreditation
in April and now offers a variety
of avenues for patients to achieve
optimal health while living with
diabetes and is fully covered as a
Medicare benefit because of its ac-
creditation.

“Getting the accreditation is
such a group project,” Symanski
explained. “It required participa-
tion from the IT department, the
billing department, the board of
directors, the management and
advisory committee. It’s all of us
working together for a common
goa l .”

While a physician can diagnose
and treat diabetes, support beyond
the provider/patient relationship is
beneficial to the long-term health
of diabetics.

“At TCCH, we recognize that your
health is going to change and we
address the disease distress and fa-
tigue that go along with living with
diabetes,” Symanski continued.
“We offer the patient additional re-
sources to be successful. We work
with other healthcare profession-
als like pharmacists, other physi-
cians and mental health counsel-
ors to ensure patients get the care
they need. We also assist in filling
out applications for financial assis-
tance for medications.

“Our program is totally patient-
focused. We address the essential
areas of diabetes care which in-
clude healthy eating, monitoring
blood sugar, helping with coping
skills, getting medications, reduc-
ing risks and complications. The
patient tells us where he is strug-
gling and we find a way to simplify
it. Maybe a patient is having trouble
utilizing a glucose meter or finger
stick and wants to be taught how
to use a sensor where he can just
swipe his phone and get results. We
will teach him how do that.”

Long-term support and access
to resources are other benefits of
an accredited program. When a

46 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Older and have prediabetes? Try to eat better and not worry

BY JUDITH GRAHAM should be taken seriously,” said Rod-
The Washington Post ica Busui, president-elect of medicine
and science at the American Diabe-
More than 26 million people 65 and tes Association, which recommends
older have prediabetes, according to adults 45 and older get screened for
the Centers for Disease Control and prediabetes at least once every three
Prevention. How concerned should years. The CDC and the American
they be about progressing to diabetes? Medical Association make a similar
point in their ongoing “Do I Have Dia-
Not very, some experts say. Predia- betes?” campaign.
betes – a term that refers to above-
normal but not extremely high blood Still, many older adults aren’t sure
sugar levels – isn’t a disease, and it what they should be doing if they’re
doesn’t imply that older adults who told they have prediabetes. Nancy
have it will inevitably develop Type 2 Selvin, 79, of Berkeley, Calif., is among
diabetes, they say. them.

“For most older patients, the chance At 5 feet and 106 pounds, Selvin,
of progressing from prediabetes to a ceramic artist, is slim and in good
diabetes is not that high,” said Robert physical shape. She takes a rigorous
Lash, the chief medical officer of the hour-long exercise class three times a
Endocrine Society. “Yet labeling peo- week and eats a Mediterranean-style
ple with prediabetes may make them diet. Yet Selvin has felt alarmed since
worried and anxious.” learning last year that her blood sugar
was slightly above normal.
Other experts believe it is important
to identify prediabetes, especially if “I’m terrified of being diabetic,” she
doing so inspires older adults to add said.
more physical activity, lose weight
and eat healthier diets to help bring Two recent reports about predia-
their blood sugar under control. betes in the older population have
heightened interest in this topic. Un-
“Always a diagnosis of prediabetes til their publication, most studies fo-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 47

HEALTH

cused on prediabetes in middle-aged They also confirm the importance get diabetes, go blind, or lose your leg,” at risk, to reduce the chance that you’ll
adults, leaving the significance of this of directing older people with predia- said Elizabeth Selvin, daughter of Nan- need metformin later.”
condition in older adults uncertain. betes – especially those who are most cy Selvin and a co-author of the JAMA
vulnerable – to lifestyle intervention Internal Medicine study. She is also a Unfortunately, some doctors are pre-
A new study by researchers at the programs, said Alain Koyama, the professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg scribing medication to older adults with
CDC, published in April in JAMA Net- study’s lead author and an epidemiolo- School of Public Health. “Almost no one prediabetes, and many aren’t spending
work Open, examined data for more gist at the CDC. develops the [diabetes] complications time discussing the implications of this
than 50,000 older patients with pre- we’re really worried about in younger condition with patients.
diabetes between January 2010 and Since 2018, Medicare has covered the people,” Elizabeth Selvin said.
December 2018. Just over 5 percent of Diabetes Prevention Program, a set of That was true for Elaine Hissam, 74,
these patients progressed to diabetes classes offered at YMCAs and in other “It’s OK to tell older adults with pre- of Parkersburg, W.Va., who became
annually, it found. community settings designed to help diabetes to exercise more and eat car- alarmed last summer when she scored
seniors with prediabetes eat healthier, bohydrates evenly throughout the day,” 5.8 percent on an A1C test. Hissam’s
Researchers used a measure of lose weight and become more active. said Medha Munshi, director of the ge- mother developed diabetes in adult-
blood sugar levels over time, hemo- Research has shown the prevention riatric diabetes program at the Joslin hood, and Hissam dreaded the possi-
globin A1C. Prediabetes is signified program lowers the risk of diabetes by Diabetes Center, an affiliate of Harvard bility that would happen to her, too.
by A1C levels of 5.7 to 6.4 percent, or 71 percent in people 60 and older. But Medical School. “But it’s important to
a fasting plasma glucose test reading only a small fraction of people eligible educate patients that this is not a dis- At the time, Hissam was going to
of 100 to 125 milligrams per deciliter, have enrolled. ease that is inevitably going to make exercise classes five days a week and
according to the diabetes association. you diabetic and stress you out.” walking four to six miles daily, as well.
(This glucose test evaluates blood Another study, published in JAMA When her doctor advised “watch what
sugar after a person hasn’t eaten any- Internal Medicine last year, puts pre- Many older people have slightly ele- you eat,” Hissam cut out much of the
thing for at least eight hours.) diabetes in further perspective. Over vated blood sugar because they produce sugar and carbohydrates in her diet
the course of 6.5 years, it showed, fewer less insulin and process it less efficient- and dropped nine pounds. But when
Of note, study results show that than 12 percent of seniors with predia- ly. While this is factored into clinical she had another A1C test at the start of
obese older adults with prediabetes betes progressed to full-fledged diabe- diabetes guidelines, it hasn’t been in- this year, her number had dropped only
were at significantly heightened risk tes. By contrast, a larger portion either corporated in prediabetes guidelines, slightly, to 5.6 percent.
of developing diabetes. Also at risk died of other causes or shifted back she said.
were Black seniors, those with a fam- to normal blood sugar levels over the “My doctor really didn’t have much
ily history of diabetes, low-income study period. Aggressive treatments for prediabe- to say when I asked, ‘Why wasn’t there
seniors and older adults at the upper tes, such as the medication metformin, more of a change?’” Hissam said.
end (6 percent to 6.4 percent) of the The takeaway? should be avoided, said Victor Montori,
A1C prediabetes range. Men were at “We know that it’s common in older an endocrinologist and professor of Experts said fluctuations in test re-
slightly higher risk than women. adults to have mildly elevated glucose medicine at the Mayo Clinic. “If you get sults are common, especially around
levels, but this doesn’t have the same diabetes, you will be prescribed metfor- the lower and upper ends of the pre-
The findings can help providers meaning that it would in younger indi- min. But it’s just nonsense to give you diabetes range. According to the CDC
personalize care for older adults, Bu- viduals – it doesn’t mean you’re going to metformin now, because you may be study, 2.8 percent of prediabetic seniors
sui said. with A1C levels of 5.7 percent to 5.9 per-
cent convert to diabetes each year. 

48 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Regular coffee drinkers may up chances of longer life span

BY LINDA SEARING were described as inconclu-
The Washington Post sive for the use of artificial
sweeteners. The latest re-
People who drink a moderate search does not prove that
amount of coffee – up to 3½ cups a coffee alone was respon-
day – might have a better chance at sible for participants’ low-
a longer life span, even if their cof- ered mortality risk. Still,
fee is lightly sweetened with sugar, over the years, research has
according to research published in revealed a variety of health
Annals of Internal Medicine. benefits for coffee, linking
its consumption to a re-
For about seven years, the re- duced risk for Type 2 dia-
searchers tracked the coffee con- betes, Parkinson’s disease,
sumption and health of 171,616 par- liver disease, depression
ticipants, who were an average of and more.
nearly 56 years old and were free of
cancer and cardiovascular disease Nutritionists often attri-
when the study started. They found bute the benefits of coffee
that those who regularly drank 1½ to the abundance of anti-
to 3½ cups of coffee a day, wheth- oxidants in coffee beans,
er plain or sweetened with about which may help reduce in-
a teaspoon of sugar, were up to 30 ternal inflammation and
percent less likely to die in that cell damage and protect
time frame from any cause, includ- against disease. Drinking
ing cancer and cardiovascular dis- caffeinated coffee also pro-
ease, than were those who did not vides an energy boost and
drink coffee. increased alertness. Caf-
feine, however, can disrupt
The type of coffee – whether in- sleep and be risky during
stant, ground or decaffeinated – pregnancy. 
made no difference, but the results

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 49

PETS

Unfor-Greta-ble! Bonz enjoys gab with lovely Lab

Hi Dog Buddies! got so much love an snuggles Greta. leaned in, lowering her
that, by the time I got to my voice) don’t tell anyone, but
I hit it off with Greta Dietrich right away, Furever Home, we all realized PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS my most favrite treet is –
like she was my liddle sister or somethin’. how lucky we were to have
When me an my assistant arrived at her each other. TOAST. It’s just buh-tween
house, Greta was already in The Back with
my phu-TAH-graffur. SHE was bouncin’ “Dad says that the next me an Dad. When he’s havin’
an playin’ an HE was tryin’ to get some Sunday in church, the PASS-
Shots, which he finely did. Greta is a beau- ter (that’s the human who his breck-fust he makes me
di-ful Yellow Lab, goin’ on 9. stands in front an talks
about Very Important Hu- a liddle piece of toast. With
“Good afternoon, Miss Greta,” I said. man Things) talked about
“It’s a pleasure to meet you in The Fur. I GRATI-tude (which means (she whispered even softer)
enjoyed your beach twirling video.” being GREAT-ful for some-
thing) so they decide to just a teeny liddle plop of
She approached with a small laugh, name me Greta. Isn’t that
“Oh, yes, well, I do love the beach so much, So Cool Kibbles?” jelly. SCRUMP-shus!
specially playin’ ball ON the beach, I just
get all twirly.” “Totally!” I agreed. “Also,” she smoothly seg-
“I don’t wanna brag, but
Following the Wag-an-Sniff, she said, onetime, a few years ago, I ued, “we have lotsa bunnies
“This is my Dad Karl. My Mom Barb is else- think I helped a fellow crea-
where. Let’s go inside where it’s cooler.” ture. I hope I did. Cuzza in the hood. I usta chase ’em
my instinks, I was over atta
When we got settled in, Greta began neighbor’s house by the beach barkin’ an but they’re SO fast, faster
nose bumpin’ my assistant inna frenly barkin’ an wouldn’t quit, wouldn’t move,
way, an pokin’ about in The Satchel, hav- which was totally not like me. My Dad than ME, if you can buh-leeve
ing discerned the duh-lish-shus yoghurt- came over an discovered there was a big
an-apple snacks therein. With permission, turtle who had got stuck under the house it. ’Cept my bunny stuffy. It’s
she enjoyed one. packing the sand up against the sides and
couldn’t get out. Dad an my brother anna my fave.
“That was yum,” she said. “So now what? fren dug an dug the sand, real careful to
I never did an innerview.” not touch the turtle an I didn’t either cuz “Oh, Mr. Bonzo, I am so for-
you’re totally not s’pose to. Finally there
“Simple! Just tell me how you found was enuf room for it to move an it wiggled tunate. Each night, I sleep in
your Furever famly; what your daily life’s out an went back into the ocean. That
like; pooch pals; fave things, stuff like made me feel happy.” one of my many beds, I have
that, an I’ll write it down right here in my “Thank you for sharin,’ Miss Greta,” I
notebook.” said. one in each room, an a splen-
“In our pooch frenly neighborhood,
“That sounds fun. OK. Here I go. It was Mom an Dad ride their bikes an I run with did crate in Dad’s office. Or, if
back when the famly’s other Lab Maui ’em. Walkin’s too slow. We live right by the
went to Dog Heaven: My human brother beach, so me an Dad go for a morning, well, PIN’! I find a nice, it’s a warm night, I chose the
an sister Karson and Courtney wanted an- it’s called a WALK, but like I said. Anyway,
other pooch but Mom an Dad sorta didn’t. we go every morning at 6, rain or shine. flat rock an Dad skips it out into the wad- nice, cool tile. I must say, you’re a very
I think it was mostly cuzza that human (But NOT thunder. THEN I’m under the
thing where the liddle humans say they’re bed.) I LOVE when it’s SHINE, cuz I meet der. THEN I splash out an feel around with good LISS-ner. I haven’t been at all ner-
Absolutely Gonna Take Care of the Pooch, my pooch pals: Tuny, Oscar, Kiwi, Bennie,
but the mom an dad end up ackshully doin’ Chloe, Magic an Midnight, an Bella. my paw under the wadder, FIND it, an dive vous yappin’ with you. Like I’d pick-shur a
it. Anyway, none of ’em really wanted to “My FAVE beach activity is ROCK SKIP-
be dog-less. They came across my Irresis- down an re-TREEVE it. THEN I bring it big brother, you know?”
tubble Puppy Portrait on line, an drove to
Palm Beach to get me. I was a shy, scared, back, dig a big hole an bury it. Then I find “Thank you, Miss Greta,” I replied, smi-
8-week-old fluffball, but I uh-MEDIATELY
another nice flat rock. Keep doin’ it till I fall lin’ to myself, “I believe I do.”

over in a heap. Then I go home for a lovely Headin’ home, I was still smilin’,

nap. Dad always fills the holes back in for thinkin’ about happily unexpected con-

me. After I rest up an Dad does some work nections between fellow creatures. An

in his office, we go for an afternoon walk. also about the possibility of persuading

“My just-around-the-corner Bestie is my Gramma to buy a Frosty Paw for me

Briar, a Lab like me, only black. Her Gram- to try.

pa Buzz an my Dad work in the same of-

fice. She’s the office mascot an I’m the

backup. Till next time,
“Another Cool Kibbles human is Joey
The Bonz
the UPS Guy: He has treets (an occasion-

ally I climb into his Crispy Biscuits truck). Don’t Be Shy
Sometimes Bella an her humans come
over for dinner or we go over there. The hu- We are always looking for pets
mans sit around an laugh a lot. I like goin’ with interesting stories.
over to Bella’s cuz her Dad has treets in his

pocket an her Mom always gives us a duh- To set up an interview, email

LISH-us frozen Frosty Paw. [email protected].

“I also enjoy WADDERmelon. An (she

50 Vero Beach 32963 / August 4, 2022 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

Why the beehive is the ideal midlife hair hack

BY ANNABEL JONES
The Telegraph

Glamorous and flattering, the state of the global economy af- ment in flux and it’s no wonder hair- launch, and it’s definitive – the infa-
there’s a very good reason this ter the last major credit crunch. styles are back to being big and tall. Cut mous hair silhouette is back.
retro hairstyle is a keeper. We Indeed, there’s no better indica- to Beyoncé and the launch of Renais-
show you how to give it a tor of control over the uncontrol- sance with not one but two renditions A sure clue that beehives were on
modern twist. of a gravity-defying beehive in the im- their way up again was in February,
lable than the size of your hair. agery that accompanies her album when celebrity hair stylist Luke Hersh-
I’m reluctant to admit One pandemic down and a govern- eson backcombed Dua Lipa’s hair into
it (being acutely aware
that back-combing doth
not healthy hair make),
but even I have been
known to wear a bee-
hive. Especially when in
need of an easy (and free)
facelift effect.

Historically, hair teas-
ing returns whenever
times are fraught. “When
everyone’s rich they want
to look poor, when they’re
poor they want to look rich,”
makeup artist Pat McGrath
whispered to me in 2008, referring
to the contrast between the glamorous
hair and make-up on the catwalk and