11/09/2017 ISSUE 45

Benefits of Vero Electric deal
presented to PSC. P42
Andrew Coffee Jr.
facing life term. P8
Football Classic helps

seniors score scholarships. P20

For breaking news visit

MY VERO Stunning verdict
in Leigh Jewelers
BY RAY MCNULTY robbery retrial

Vero vet opens up about
Vietnam War in new film

The weeks since their re- A $45 million home on South Beach is going to be auctioned off on Dec. 13. Story, Pg 6 BY BETH WALTON
turn home quickly turned Staff Writer
to months, which grew into Pro-sale forces expand majority in Vero Council election
years, which have become a An Indian River County jury
lifetime, and still the Vietnam BY LISA ZAHNER didates who vowed to finally came out on the top of the heap Friday returned a stunning
War is there. Staff Writer get the city out of the electric in the race for the two available not-guilty verdict for a man
business by selling the utility to seats – one Howle will return who was convicted of trying
Even now, nearly five de- Vero Beach voters issued yet Florida Power & Light. to, and one being vacated by seven years ago to rob Leigh
cades later, these men who another crystal-clear mandate former mayor and three-term Jewelers on Ocean Drive.
went to war young in a tumul- Tuesday night, electing by a In a veritable blowout, councilman Dick Winger.
tuous time cannot escape the strong plurality the two can- staunch pro-sale candidates Jamie Grant, who repre-
haunting memories that lurk Val Zudans and Harry Howle CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 sented himself at trial, was
in the jungles of their minds, acquitted on all charges re-
waiting to ambush their ev- lated to the 2010 attempted
eryday lives. robbery of the island jeweler.
He walked away from the Vero
The war never leaves them, Beach courthouse last week
these Vietnam veterans say, with his grandmother and a
and they never really leave the friend at his side as a free man.
war.
His case was retried be-
“Our war was so bizarre,” cause of a judicial misstep. In
said Richard “Doc” Del Valle, response to an appeal Grant
a former U.S. Army combat filed from prison, the Fourth
medic who moved to Vero Circuit Court of Appeals ruled
Beach two years ago from in 2016 that Judge Robert Pegg
New Jersey. “Most of us never erred in his instructions to the
talked about it.” original jury by not allow-

But they’re talking now. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Has deal to buy
defunct INEOS
Scammers used local identities to file Interim hospital CEO focused on operations plant collapsed?
for FEMA cash after Hurricane Irma
BY MICHELLE GENZ BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA
BY RAY MCNULTY Nor does anyone at FEMA. Staff Writer Staff Writer
Staff Writer “Apparently, there’s a ma-
jor scam going on,” Barnet A committee of nine hos- Last July, it looked like In-
Two weeks after FEMA hous- said after learning that her pital officials has selected as dian River County was finally
ing inspectors showed up at and her husband’s dates of interim CEO a woman who, going to be free of problems
her Summerplace home, Helen birth, Social Security num- by at least one account, related to the defunct INEOS
Smith Barnet still doesn’t know bers and Doubloon Drive appears to be a hands-on biofuel plant, when the U.S.
who pirated her and her hus- address were used to file for healthcare powerhouse.
band’s identities to file fraudu- emergency FEMA funds. CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
lent claims in the wake of Hur- “When the first inspector Karen Davis, a University
ricane Irma, or how they did it.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

November 9, 2017 Volume 10, Issue 45 Newsstand Price $1.00 Ladling out goodness
at Samaritan Center
News 1-10 Faith 45 Pets 46 TO ADVERTISE CALL Soup Bowl. Page 24
Arts 31-34 Games 47-49 Real Estate 69-80 772-559-4187
Books 44 Health 51-56 Style 57-59
Dining 60 Insight 35-50 Wine 61 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 42 People 11-30 CALL 772-226-7925

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2 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero band of brothers hope will help other Seattle to Vero Beach and back – across on the big screen, Del Valle said, “This
Vietnam vets open up about what they the past 18 months to interview 10 is the truth.”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 lived through. members of the combat-tested Apache
Troop, which consisted of attack heli- Del Valle was the lone medic in a
Finally, after suffering for so many “What became readily apparent to copters, scout choppers and infantry. combat platoon that embarked on al-
years in silence, the surviving mem- us was that this was possibly the first most-daily missions to do reconnais-
bers of a special platoon in the U.S. time some of these veterans had ever “This isn’t the Ken Burns documen- sance, rescue other troops under siege
military’s first air assault unit are talk- spoken about the war in the 46 years tary,” Del Valle said, referring to “The in the field and recover the dead and
ing about their service – about the since they came home,” filmmakers Vietnam War,” the 10-part, 17-hour doc- wounded from downed choppers.
horrors they experienced, the way Dave Merlino and Dustin Sweet wrote umentary series that premiered on PBS
they were treated upon their return in their info sheet promoting “Apache in September.“That was a history lesson. “We hunted the enemy, we engaged
home, and the impact America’s most Blues: Welcome Home,” a documenta- the enemy and we killed the enemy,”
unpopular war left on their psyches. ry centered on Alpha Troop in the 9th “This goes beyond that,” he added. Del Valle said of his 21-man platoon.
Cavalry Regiment’s 1st Squadron. “This is about what we went through “We worked with Army Rangers, even in
Their recollections will be heard in in Vietnam, how we felt about how we Cambodia. We recovered the remains of
a documentary film slated to be re- Merlino and Sweet, both born after were treated when we came home, air crews. During one six-month stretch,
leased next year that Del Valle and his the Vietnam War had ended, said they and how we feel now.” we saw maybe 30 downed birds.
drove more than 22,000 miles – from
And unlike what you might’ve seen “And we often had to fight our way in
and out,” he added. “There were times
when we had to rappel in from our chop-
pers, sometimes under fire. I remember
going in and our chopper getting shot
down while we were taking off.”

His “worst mission,” he said, took
the platoon into what it believed was
an abandoned North Vietnamese
Army training camp.

“We walked in and found out it
wasn’t abandoned,” Del Valle said.
“They were just sleeping. It turned out
to be a fortified battalion, and we end-
ed up in an all-day battle. Fortunately,
another unit came in to support us.”

His most troubling discovery,
though, was not during any battle.

“We found an NVA weapons cache
and, inside, there was a case of blood
plasma with a note that read: ‘Donated
to the people of North Vietnam from
the people of Berkeley, California,’”
Del Valle said. “It was just another cra-
zy thing people don’t know about that
showed how screwed up that war was.

“In California, when guys came back,
they were instructed to not wear their
uniforms – because it was too danger-
ous,” he added. “There were guys who
got spit at and were called ‘baby killers’
when they got off the plane at the airport.

“Some guys got beat up, just be-
cause they were in uniform.

“A lot of people didn’t differentiate
between the war and the warriors,
and it was a very unpopular war,” he
continued. “So nobody welcomed us
back when we came home. Nobody
thanked us for our service. There was
no appreciation for what we did.

“They treated us like we just got out
of prison – like we needed to apolo-
gize for going over there,” he added.
“It’s pretty easy to understand why we
didn’t want to talk about it.”

Some wouldn’t, because they were
treated so poorly upon their return
from the war. Some couldn’t, because
the life-altering effects of PTSD made
it too emotionally painful to do so.
Others didn’t, because they were con-
sumed by survivor’s guilt.

That began to change in June 2016,
when the remaining Apache Troop
members gathered at a reunion in Las
Vegas, where they met with the filmmak-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 3

NEWS

ers and felt comfortable enough with Leigh robbery retrial Grant used a firearm in the commis- that the Vero Beach Police stopped
them to at least try to share their stories. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 sion of a crime. At the time Grant was him and obtained evidence against
represented by a public defender. him illegally on the day of the attempt-
Del Valle grew up in Teaneck, N.J., ing discussion about possible lesser ed robbery, and that he was convicted
graduated from high school in June charges, such as theft. Grant served five years in prison on the basis of that tainted evidence.
1969 and, the son of a World War II vet- before he was released last year on a
eran, enlisted in the Army two months It also found that the stipulated $100,000 bond pending the new trial. “The state is going to show you a
later because he assumed he’d even- 10-year minimum incorporated into He then lived under house arrest with lot of evidence, mostly circumstantial,
tually be drafted. Grant’s 15-year prison sentence was a GPS anklet while preparing for his but they will probably convince you I
incorrect since the state failed to prove second trial. was up to something that day,” Grant
He did his basic training at Fort Dix,
N.J., and – with the war at full boil – he His main argument for acquittal was CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
expected to be an infantryman. Instead,
he was assigned to duty as a medic, Exclusively John’s Island
which took him to Fort Sam Houston in
Texas for advanced training. This exceptionally renovated 5BR/4.5BA family retreat is a must-see! Custom
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When he got out, however, he was
one of the many veterans who didn’t 772.231.0900 : Vero Beach, FL : JohnsIslandRealEstate.com
want to talk about the war. So he didn’t.

But at night, his parents could hear the
ghosts of war attacking him as he slept.

“When I came home, my mother
and father said I would make noises
– talking in my sleep, moaning, some-
times shaking,” Del Valle said. “I don’t
remember the dreams.”

One day after returning to his par-
ents’ New Jersey home, though, Del
Valle took a job in the floral business,
tried to move past Vietnam and get on
with his life. And he did.

It wasn’t until 40 years later that Del
Valle decided to reach out and recon-
nect with his Army buddies.

“I made that call in 2010, and our
unit has been getting together every
two years for a reunion,” he said. “This
year, the reunion was in Washington,
D.C., and we went to the wall.”

It was through the reunions that the
unit’s survivors began to talk about
their war experience – but it wasn’t
until Merlino and Sweet began their
interviews that they found themselves
able to open up.

The filmmakers spent three days in
Vero Beach, interviewing Del Valle at
his Citrus Springs home, then taking
their cameras to the Veterans Memo-
rial Island Sanctuary at Riverside Park
and the beach.

Del Valle’s wife, Carol, said her hus-
band has told her that the interviews
have done more to help him confront
the effects of the war on his psyche
than the Veterans Administration-
connected group therapy sessions he
attends in Port St. Lucie.

“The last time we all got together, the
guys’ wives and girlfriends saw the dif-
ference,” Del Valle’s wife said. “For some
of them, it was the first time they talked
about the war, even with their wives.

“He was apprehensive at first, and
he’s still a little apprehensive,” she
added. “But now he realizes he doesn’t
need to hide anything anymore – that
it’s OK to talk about it.” 

4 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Leigh robbery retrial ed sweatshirt, gloves and an empty held the prosecutor’s objections at the “That’s not proving the case beyond
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Crown Royal bag in the car. four-day trial, warning Grant he could reasonable doubt,” Grant explained.
not ask the jury for a pardon or directly “We don’t condemn people for what
said in his opening statement. “What I Grant, who did not testify on his appeal to their emotions. Questioning we think might have happened, or
want you to understand is every piece own behalf during his trial last week, needs to focus on the facts and evi- what could have happened.”
of evidence that the state is going to prepared an emotional, apologetic de- dence of the case, he said.
show you was illegally obtained.” fense that touched on issues of race The Vero Beach Police Department
and policing, the fairness of the U.S. Even so, there was no erasing what detective who pulled Grant over for al-
On Nov. 17, 2010, around 3:30 justice system, forgiveness and re- had already been spoken out loud. legedly speeding testified that he did
p.m., the owners of the Ocean Drive demption. He cried during his closing not use a radar gun nor did he have a
jewelry store called police to report arguments as he struggled to tell his During the trial, Grant talked about car calibrated to detect traffic speed.
an attempted robbery. They said a story. how he was laid-off from his job as a Instead, he claimed he clocked Grant
man wearing a mask, gloves and a truck driver at the time of the attempt- driving over the limit using the speed
hooded sweatshirt had pulled ag- “I’m not standing here telling you ed robbery. When he was supposed to of his own unmarked detective car.
gressively on their door handle try- that I’m 100 percent innocent, what be questioning the owner of the store,
ing to get inside. I’m telling you is justice was already he instead apologized to the witness That is not how justice is served in
done,” Grant told the jury. “All I’m try- for what happened, saying there was the United States, Grant told the jury.
When staff refused to unlock the ing to do here is redeem myself, if, if no intention of violence – but never
store, the suspect fled on foot before the state would let me.” directly admitted to the attempted Grant also said a statement being
getting into a silver Toyota Corolla and robbery. The two hadn’t had an op- used against him at trial was given
speeding away. Prosecutor Bill Long repeatedly ob- portunity to speak face-to-face before, before he had been read his Miranda
jected to the defendant’s line of ques- Grant said in front of the jury. rights.
“It shakes the ground you stand on,” tioning and statements throughout
testified store owner Mark Leigh as he the two days of testimony. He repeat- Grant implored the panel of six ju- Authorities claim Grant apologized
recounted the incident and the fear he edly argued against Grant’s notion rors to look at the “big picture.” at the scene and said, “I’m sorry. I don’t
felt for his family and employees in- that police work in the case was done usually do this type of thing,” but in a
side. outside the realm of the law. “Yes, there is a lot of damning evi- motion trying to suppress that evi-
dence against me, but there are also dence, Grant denied such a conversa-
Detectives began following Grant, “We proceeded on a case where we things that don’t add up,” he said. tion occurred.
who was driving a silver Toyota Co- believed the evidence was sufficient to
rolla, within minutes of a “be on the sustain a guilty verdict at trial, just as it No witnesses identified Grant as the When the statement was recounted
lookout” or BOLO Alert going out over was the first time around,” Long said man behind the mask at the jewelry for the jury last week the defendant
the radio. They tracked him crossing after the acquittal on Friday. “I won’t store and the descriptions given of the grilled the detective on the stand.
the Merrill Barber Bridge and eventu- speculate whether the apologies and suspect varied. The BOLO alert told
ally stopped him for speeding near the crying and other behavior affected the police to look for a silver Corolla being Does an individual have the right
intersection of 37th Street and U.S. 1. jury, but that is a difference from the driven by two African-American men, to remain silent, he asked the officer
previous case.” but Grant is light skinned, of mixed who was under oath. Does he have a
They found a gun, a mask, a hood- race and was traveling alone when right to know that any statement can
Senior Judge Larry Schack often up- stopped. be used against him?

Was the defendant told that when he

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 5

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was pulled from the car? Grant asked. hoodie, and the Crown Royal bag on its burden of proof, he said. fect your decision on whether I proved
Is this statement not now being used display, Long reminded the jury dur- The defendant’s statements about this case beyond a reasonable doubt
against him in a court of law? ing his closing argument to use com- would be a miscarriage of justice.”
mon sense, not emotion, when exer- being afraid, his apology to the store
The detective had no choice but to cising the power to convict. Follow owner, the tears – none of that should “I’m handing [this case] to you,”
answer, yes. the law and hold the prosecution to be of concern, the prosecutor said. Long said. “You have control. Your job
“To allow feelings of sympathy to af- is to decide what happened.” 
Placing the gun, the mask, the

6 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Vero election results Zudans, a physician, were heavily sup- better half and the reason that I won. citizens of Vero Beach expressing their
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ported by a political action committee The people’s will will be done when the need and want to sell the electric util-
organized by utility activist Glenn Her- electric contract finally closes. That is ity to FPL. A lot of progress has been
Winger did not seek re-election, an and funded by FPL. mission 1, 2 and 3.” made thus far and I want to continue
paving the way for two of his close al- to work toward that goal and to be
lies, former mayor Jay Kramer and for- Zudans watched returns with his Howle celebrated re-election with his successful,” Howle said.
mer vice mayor Randy Old, to try to re- wife Tracey at the Orchid Island Brew- wife Heather, Indian River Shores Mayor
capture a spot on the council, and tilt ery on the barrier island. Upon hear- Brian Barefoot, Shores Vice Mayor Bob Howle said having Zudans in the mix
the balance back to 3-to-2 in favor of ing the final returns, Zudans said, “I Auwaerter and County Commissioner will change the dynamic of the council
the anti-sale forces. But Winger’s seat am humbled that the people chose me Tim Zorc at Vero Prime restaurant. for the better. “I look forward to working
went to Zudans instead. to represent them. My wife is truly my with Val toward common goals.” 
“This is yet another example of the
The election of both Howle and Zu-
dans enlarges the 3-to-2 pro-sale ma- $45 MILLION HOUSE ON SOUTH BEACH GOING TO AUCTION
jority on the council to 4-to-1.
BY STEVEN M. THOMAS French, who works for both Con- cial,” says French. “It is one of the
Out of the six candidates, Old placed Staff Writer cierge Auctions and Premier Estate most significant estates in Florida.”
third and Kramer fourth, both double- Properties and is the lead broker on
digits behind Zudans and Howle. New- The barrier island has seen some the sale, sharing the listing with part- French emphasizes the “smart
comer Megan Hoots and former coun- impressive residential auctions in ners Cindy O’Dare and Richard Boga. house” and energy-efficient features
cilman Brian Heady finished way back. the past few years, with oceanfront of the home. “The estate was de-
properties going for $10 million or The estate, which encompasses signed to operate efficiently whether
A ballot initiative to lengthen City more, but that is nothing compared 27,588 square feet of air-conditioned there are four people in residence or
Council terms from two years to three to what’s coming on Dec. 13, when living space and has more than 40,000 40,” he says. “Different buildings and
failed by greater than a 2 to 1 margin, an 18-bedroom, 23-bath house on square feet under roof, was completed sections of the main house can be
with 32.88 percent voting for and 67.12 South Beach currently listed for $45 in late 2015. It sits on a seven-acre par- turned on or off, depending on use.”
voting against the referendum. million will be sold in a no-reserve, cel with 315 linear feet of ocean frontage
absolute auction. and includes a massive main house, two The property is being marketed
Turnout in Vero was up nearly 15 per- guest houses, a gatehouse/caretaker’s coast to coast and internationally. It
cent from the last off-year election in “We don’t know what the house will cottage, and a pool larger than the pool will be open for qualified buyers to
2015 with 2,710 people voting, as op- trade for on that day, but it absolute- at the Vero Beach Hotel and Spa. tour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily be-
posed to 2,362 in 2015, showing the elec- ly will sell on that date,” says Clark tween now and the auction date, and
torate was more engaged in the issues. “This one is really something spe- by appointment. 

Howle, an insurance and risk man-
agement specialist, and challenger

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 7

NEWS

Interim hospital CEO spite her strong credentials, she is ex- “They suspended the search when says the likelihood is “fairly remote”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 pected to lead only until a partner is we decided to go forward with finding that a new partner would keep Davis
selected to assume control of the hos- a partner. It didn’t make sense at that in the post rather than install a CEO of
of Alabama graduate in nursing and pital’s management. time,” said Cunningham. “But once its own choosing.
healthcare administration with a long we started that process, it became
career in healthcare finances and op- The decision to give up on having clear we needed an interim CEO, and The timeframe for a partner assum-
erations, is taking over at Indian River an independent stand-alone com- we went back to Spencer Stuart.” ing control of IRMC is around a year
Medical Center for Jeff Susi, who re- munity-owned hospital – the status from now, Cunningham estimates.
tires at the end of December. quo here for some 70 years – began to Susi’s tenure ends Dec. 31. Davis’
take shape in late January after IRMC start date was being negotiated at That means that Davis has a year
Davis will oversee a staff of 1,700 at posted a first-quarter $4 million loss. press time but board members hope to make the most of her expertise at
the hospital, and she will try to keep That was quickly followed by the an- there will be overlap with Susi’s re- IRMC – without worrying about job
afloat a medical center that has been fi- nouncement of Susi’s retirement. maining weeks, Cunningham says. security, Cunningham points out.
nancially adrift – at times taking on wa-
ter – for much of Susi’s 19 year tenure. “Things are really moving along,” said Davis spent the bulk of her 35 years “Bringing in somebody who knows
Cunningham, who chairs the publicly in the healthcare industry with Health- they’re not staying can really be a set
“She’s very impressive,” said Mary- elected Hospital District Board of Trust- South, rising to president and COO of of fresh eyes,” said Cunningham. “And
beth Cunningham, part of the com- ees and initiated the move to consider a its diagnostics division, overseeing 127 they’re not necessarily looking to im-
mittee that selected Davis. All nine drastic change in hospital governance. imaging centers across the country. press anybody.”
members had a chance to interview
her along with two other candidates. The District owns the hospital build- She also has CEO experience: she ran On Friday, Nov. 16, the proposals
ings and property; Davis will oversee Metro West Hospital, a relatively small of as many as a dozen prospective
“I think it’s great that she’s an RN by the separate non-profit company that facility in Framingham, Mass., and partners will be publicly discussed in
profession so she understands that runs the hospital. served as interim CEO at several others. depth and voted on by hospital and
part of the medical profession. She’s district officials to narrow the field to
very focused on operations. That’s It was Dr. Wayne Hockmeyer, chair- She also spent time in Saudi Arabia between two and six finalists.
what she loves,” said Cunningham. man of the board of that management consulting on healthcare operations
company, who pored over the CVs of a in Jeddah. Juniper Advisory, a Chicago-based
“In the interview, she talked a lot dozen candidates for the interim CEO investment banking consultant that
about how she likes to be [on the patient post who were recommended by a Chi- Davis currently works as a senior di- deals exclusively with hospitals and
floors] at 5 a.m. and at 11:30 at night.” cago consulting firm, Spencer Stuart. rector out of the Atlanta office of Alvarez healthcare, will be leading the discus-
and Marsal, a large healthcare consult- sion. That group will analyze the pro-
Davis will assume the interim CEO That firm was first hired to find a full- ing firm, the same firm hired to give posals that are submitted by this Fri-
position as the hospital continues to time CEO to replace Susi. But the search IRMC a “top-down” assessment in 2014. day’s deadline, and compare them to
seek a financially strong healthcare was halted when it seemed a partner the list of strategic objectives that hos-
company with which to partner. De- would be found quickly and would Cunningham expects that Davis will pital officials and district board mem-
want to install its own leadership. retain a relationship with Alvarez and bers came up with last summer. 
Marsal through her time at IRMC. She

8 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Man who shot deputy is convicted of attempted murder, faces life

BY BETH WALTON a routine, early morning traffic stop. hard he knocks him to the ground, The defense countered that while
Staff Writer Events turned violent after Andrew Cof- causing the officer’s glasses to shatter Coffee Jr. shot his gun, it was errant
fee Jr. refused the officer’s command to and flashlight to drop. Coffee Jr. then fire and his intent was not to kill the
A man who punched and shot an In- keep his hands on the patrol car. reaches into his waistband and pulls deputy. The 54-year-old declined to
dian River County sheriff’s deputy was out a 38-caliber revolver and both men testify at the trial and defense counsel
convicted last week of first-degree at- The incident was recorded on the start shooting, wounding each other. called no witnesses on his behalf
tempted murder of a law-enforcement officer’s dashboard camera, which was
officer. He faces up to life in prison for repeatedly played for the jury. During Lester, now a detective with the In- Coffee Jr. also was convicted Nov.
his involvement in the 2015 shootout. one viewing, someone in the court- dian River County Sheriff’s Office, tes- 1 for crimes of battery against a law
room gasped in shock. tified that Coffee Jr. advanced toward enforcement officer and illegally pos-
The trial came two years after Deputy him with his gun drawn as the deputy sessing and discharging a firearm. In
Chris Lester was shot in the leg during In the scene shown, Coffee Jr. struggled to stand back up. “As soon as addition, he plead guilty to being a
punches the deputy in the face so he fired the first round, I began to re- felon in possession of a gun.
turn fire,” he said.
The verdict marks the first conviction
The officer said he feared for his life of three aggressive criminal cases law
as he struggled to find cover and reload enforcement has brought against gen-
his weapon. All he could think about erations of men in the Coffee family.
was his training, his family and getting
home safely to his wife, he said. Coffee Jr. is the grandfather of An-
drew Coffee IV, the 23-year-old who
The trial consisted of two days of was charged with murder in the sec-
emotional testimony as law-enforce- ond degree for the death of his girl-
ment and one witness – a homeless friend, Alteria Woods, after a S.W.A.T.
man sleeping on the sidewalk – re- drug raid in March turned into a
called the harrowing morning. shootout with police. The grandson
also faces charges for attempted mur-
Prosecutors argued Coffee Jr. intend- der of a law-enforcement officer stem-
ed to kill Lester to avoid arrest. He con- ming from the early morning raid.
tinued to shoot as the injured deputy
limped away, they told the jury. “He fired His father, Andrew Coffee III, was
a gun at him four times,” said Thomas the target of the search and is charged
Bakkedahl, chief assistant state attorney. with numerous drug offenses. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 9

NEWS

Has INEOS deal collapsed? with more than 100,000 cubic yards of FEMA scammers Affairs Office in Florida could not con-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Irma-related plant debris. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 firm that report.

Department of Agriculture approved So much waste is piling up that knocked on our door, we had no idea “We are researching the claim num-
West Palm-based Alliance BioEnergy’s the county has obtained permission what this was about,” she added. “It’s bers, will talk with the property owners
offer to buy the monumentally unsuc- from the Florida Department of En- scary that something like this is go- and try to find out what transpired,”
cessful, now-shuttered ethanol opera- vironmental Protection to open two ing on – people are using our personal FEMA’s Yvonne Smith said. “But we
tion. auxiliary sites – off Oslo Road near information and our property to steal can’t say with any certainty that we’ve
the landfill, and off 58th Avenue near money – and we don’t know about it.” had a lot of people calling about this.”
The $8 million deal was supposed Hobart Park – to hold the post-storm
to close in a couple of months – but windfall. Barnet said the inspector, a contrac- That could be because the people
now, well into November, the deal has tor who worked for WSP USA Inspec- whose identities and properties are be-
not been sealed and, of late, Alliance If and when the Alliance deal goes tion Services, told her he had discov- ing used by scammers to file fraudulent
CEO Daniel de Liege has not been re- through, that company will be in hog ered three similar claim-fraud cases claims don’t yet know it is happening.
sponding to inquiries. heaven when it comes to fuel stock that morning.
for its green-to-clean-energy process. It wasn’t until a “tall, thin, balding,
Vero Beach 32963 has attempted to But nobody’s counting those chickens A spokesperson for FEMA’s External late-middle-aged man wearing a bright
contact de Liege several times, asking just yet.  red-and-yellow jacket and driving a
about the delay, without getting a re-
sponse. Last week Commissioner Tim CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Zorc emailed de Liege, relaying Vero
Beach 32963’s request for current in-
formation, and did not get a reply.

Alliance’s radio silence is eerily
reminiscent of the stonewalling that
occurred in the months leading up to
the INEOS closure, when that compa-
ny stopped responding to questions
from the press and county officials.

In August, de Liege told the County
Commission that finally, after months
of delays and much longer negotia-
tions than he ever expected with the
bank and the broker of the property,
he was prepared to begin implemen-
tation of his eco-fuel production
plans. He said he would be rehiring
former INEOS technical personnel,
whose experience at the plant would
be valuable to the new operation.

Because Alliance uses a different
process than the one INEOS tried, the
company and the Agriculture Depart-
ment believed it would be able to suc-
ceed where INEOS failed, converting
yard waste to commercially viable
ethanol.

According to Biofuel Digest, Alli-
ance plans to renovate the plant and
use a patented cellulose-to-sugar pro-
cess to produce bio fuels for less than
$1 per gallon, with fewer greenhouse
gases than petroleum-based prod-
ucts, creating 100 well-paying jobs in
the county.

The prospect of those jobs, and of a
cheaper way to get rid of tons of yard
waste – which Alliance needs to oper-
ate – induced the county commission
in August to extend a yard-waste agree-
ment option with the company, giving
it another 90 days to begin operations
– an extension that is about to run out.

Meanwhile, as all parties play a re-
luctant waiting game, the daily loads
of palm fronds, grass clippings and
hedge trimmings keep arriving at the
county landfill, where they are piled
near existing mountains of decaying
plant matter in which useful energy
absorbed from the sun lies dormant.

Besides the normal massive flow of
yard waste, the county is also dealing

10 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

FEMA scammers said we had filed two claims – one un- was a pre-qualified inspector withWSP “Sounds like bull, right?” Barnet
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 der my name, one under my husband’s USA, a private company that contracts quipped. “Who knows what his real
name – citing damage from Irma. with FEMA’s Disaster Housing Inspec- name is?”
white car with Texas plates” came to tion Services Program, which provides
their oceanfront home that the Barnets, “The paperwork said the claims emergency grants to property owners Better yet: Who knows how much he
who moved to Vero Beach from Con- were filed Oct. 10, and they had our whose dwellings have been damaged has stolen in FEMA funds?
necticut 17 years ago, discovered their birth dates and Social Security num- by natural disasters.
identities had been stolen and were be- bers,” she added. “But the phone Barnet said the WSP USA inspector
ing used to rip off the government. number had a 600-something area “I don’t remember his name,” Bar- told her that, in the immediate after-
code, which wasn’t ours. It also said we net said, “but he was legit.” math of a hurricane or other such di-
“This guy shows up at our front door, had flood damage, which we didn’t. saster, property owners can call FEMA,
tells us he’s an inspector for FEMA and The claims weren’t. say their home was so damaged that
asks if we had put in claims for emer- “We never applied for FEMA assis- Barnet said the fraudulent claims they need assistance in paying for
gency funds,” said Barnet, a retired tance.” requested the FEMA funds be depos- temporary housing, and the funds will
psychologist. “We told him we didn’t, ited into a Green Dot Corporation pre- be sent directly to the applicant.
so he showed us the paperwork, which So Barnet immediately called the paid credit-card account belonging to
FEMA Fraud Tip Line, first to check on a David E. Ferdinand with a davidefer- “He said the government will send
the inspector, then to report the fraud. [email protected] email address. you $1,000 with no questions asked,”
Barnet recalled. “How many times do
She learned that the man at the door you have to do that to become a mil-
lionaire?”

After the claims using the Barnets’
home and identities were filed, the
WSP USA inspector – adhering to
FEMA procedures – followed up with
three phone calls to the number on
the application to inspect the damage.
When he couldn’t reach the applicant
by phone, he went to the house.

Barnet said she has since received
emails from FEMA representatives who
acknowledged her complaint and said
they are investigating the bogus claim.

Helen and Steve Barnett. PHOTO BY GORDON RADFORD

One response came from Thomas
McQuade, an investigator in FEMA’s
Fraud Unit: “Since Hurricanes Har-
vey, Irma and Maria, we are receiving
an unprecedented number of com-
plaints. We are attempting to address
each one in a timely manner. Please
send us a phone number so that an in-
vestigator can contact you.”

Last week, however, a second in-
spector – from Vanguard Emergency
Management, also a FEMA-contracted
company – went to the Barnets’ house,
apparently in response to yet another
claim seeking funds for temporary as-
sistance from the agency’s Individual
and Households Program.

The couple wasn’t at home, so the
inspector left a notice that read, “Don’t
Delay – Call Right Away – and included
her name and phone number from the
352 area code.

Barnet said she called, but there was
no answer and the voice mailbox was
full.

“My husband called the FEMA line
again, and he was told the claims had
been withdrawn,” she said. “But who
knows?” 

Susan and Rick Hahn with
Mary Ellen Replogle
and John Replogle.

FOOTBALL CLASSIC HELPS SENIORS
SCORE SCHOLARSHIPS P. 20

12 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Chocolate Champagne & Chefs fete’s a ‘Big’ success

1 23

4 5 BY MARY SCHENKEL her soccer-playing youngest daughter
is also a straight-A student thanks to
PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 67 Staff Writer her mentor.
CAPTIONS
Supporters of Big Brothers Big Sis- “I just want to say thank you to ev-
1. Jean and Ray Oglethorpe. 2. John and Jeanne ters of Indian River County packed the eryone who supports this program.
Guttman with Dr. Ellen and Barry Van Der Meulen. Quail Valley River Club last Monday It’s made a huge difference in my chil-
3. Matilde and Dale Sorensen. 4. Marie and evening at the ninth annual Choco- dren’s lives,” said Davis.
Armund Ek. 5. Helen Robertson, Bonnie Wilson late Champagne & Chefs fundraiser,
and Maya Peterson. 6. Jean Kelly, Linda Teetz and which this year honored Walmart Dis- Miller presented Walmart repre-
Bonnie Oliver. 7. Elke and George Fetterolf. tribution Center #7038 for its philan- sentatives Joe Wallace and Steve Gil-
thropic contributions. bert with a globe, signifying Walmart
PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Foundation’s “commitment to operat-
“Teamwork makes the dream work,” ing globally and giving back locally.”
said event chair Joanna Meyers, quot-
ing author John Maxwell, and thank- In addition to donating significant
ing the committee, BBBS staff, spon- dollars, Miller noted that over the
sors, auctioneer John Moore, and the past decade Walmart employees have
deliciously sweet chefs. Comment- volunteered as mentors, at events
ing that they hoped to net more than and have served on the board. Each
$100,000 this year, she added, “From year its managers donate bicycles
the bottom of our hearts, our team which are symbolically ‘auctioned’ at
thanks you.” $1,000 apiece during the live auction;
this year 20 children will have brand
To put a face to the mission and new bikes for Christmas.
demonstrate its impact, BBBS CEO
Judi Miller introduced Jennifer Davis, “I joined this board by accident,
whose five children entered the pro- and now Judi can’t get rid of me,” Wal-
gram in 2007. lace joked. “But through the years,
hearing the stories like Jennifer’s and
“When my children started the pro- others and seeing what we do, we
gram they ranged from age 4 to 11; do make a difference. So I just want
you can imagine what that’s like,” said to say thank you to each one in this
Davis, sharing that as a single mother, room for the difference you make.”
she especially wanted her sons, then
ages 7 and 8, to have positive male role Before guests indulged in the deca-
models. dently delicious, chocolaty works of
art crafted by Chefs Chris Bireley,
Her now-21-year-old daughter, who Osceola Bistro; Tim Blouin, Grand
will graduate a year early from FSU Harbor Club; Ashley Cupp, Quail Val-
with a double major, was mentored ley River Club; Adrienne Drew, Ca-
by a former Yale University professor. tering by Adrienne Drew; Scott Var-
Her 18-year old son, studying electri- ricchio, Citrus Grillhouse; and Lori
cal engineering at IRSC, was men- Young, Sweet Creations by LS Young,
tored by a man with a Ph.D. in science. they dined on a sumptuous dinner
Her middle child, a senior at VBHS, created by Quail Valley Executive
was matched with a man who is help- Chef Joe Faria.
ing him to network for college and
career opportunities. The mentor of Big Brothers Big Sisters serves more
a daughter developmentally delayed than 500 children in Indian River
due to childbirth complications, has County in various programs, includ-
helped her blossom into a confident, ing one-to-one mentorships with chil-
straight-A high school freshman. And dren ages 4 through 18. For more infor-
mation visit bbbsbigs.org. 



14 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 8 9 10

5 13 14
11 12
CAPTIONS
15 16
8. Joanna Meyers with Kevin and Sherry
McMahon. 9. Shirley Becker and Eleanor Renuart
with Don and Sue Hubbard. 10. Carol and Judge
Paul Kanarek, Barbara DiMarzo and Sue Powell.
11. Cathy and Mike Curley. 12. Joel and Cristina
Molinari. 13. Marguerite Chastain and Debbie
Chastain. 14. Tanya and Jim Goldsmith. 15. Scott
Varricchio, John and Lee Moore and George Allen.
16. Mel Teetz and Raquel Tilton. 17. Tracey and

17 Dave Griffis with Shannon Bowman.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 15

PEOPLE

Launch time: Astronaut’s inspiring tale of ‘Endurance’

Astronaut Scott Kelly. childhood, adding, “I don’t know how with our whole generation. You can do
you couldn’t be enthralled with space. anything if you put your mind to it,”
PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE I even had my very own space boots.” said Rusty Rhymes. His wife agreed,
adding, “I don’t want to go to space,
Paige and Rusty Rhymes both found but I loved the message ‘you can do
Kelly’s story inspiring, but were on op- anything.’”
posite sides of the universe regarding
their desire to join the ranks of space Signed copies of “Endurance” and
travelers. Kelly’s children’s book, “My Journey
to the Stars,” are available at the Vero
“I think his story is fascinating. It’s Beach Book Center. 
an American dream and resonates

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF gresswoman Gabrielle Giffords) were TRUNK SHOW
eighth-graders, their father sat them November 9th - 10th
Staff Writer down and said that based on their
academic abilities, they should both 10am - 5:30pm
Space enthusiasts left the Waxlax consider trade school.
Center for the Performing Arts at Saint 3325 OCEAN DRIVE, VERO BEACH | 772.234.3404
Edward’s School last Wednesday eve- From then on, Mark Kelly made a
ning envisioning rocket launches and concerted effort to get straight As, but
trips to Mars after an inspiring eve- it wasn’t until he was in college that
ning spent listening to retired astro- Scott Kelly found something he was
naut Capt. Scott Kelly, author of “En- passionate enough about to overcome
durance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of his learning challenges -- by happen-
Discovery.” stance picking up a copy of “The Right
Stuff” by Tom Wolfe.
Kelly commanded the International
Space Station on three expeditions, in- “I felt like I had something in com-
cluding as a member of the year-long mon with them, with the exception of
ISS mission, setting the record for the one thing,” said Kelly. “I couldn’t pay
longest space mission by an American attention in class. If I could solve that
astronaut. A former military fighter problem, maybe I could be like them
pilot, test pilot, engineer and retired someday. The book was the spark for
U.S. Navy Captain, Kelly clearly had me to get me moving in a different
“the right stuff,” overcoming learning direction. Fast-forward 18 years and
difficulties to accomplish what most that boy was the first American in his
could only ever dream of doing. class of 35 Americans to fly in space.”

The audience ranged from chil- Leaving the crowd with much to
dren young enough to imagine that ponder, he shared that if an interna-
their cardboard rockets could pro- tional partnership with 15 countries
pel them into outer space, to adults could build a million-pound structure
who watched as Neil Armstrong first while orbiting Earth at 17,500 mph in a
stepped foot on the moon. vacuum, we can also go to Mars, cure
cancer and fix the environment.
Les Bromwell said he was interested
to learn about the progress that has “I was absolutely inspired after
been made since his days working spending a year in space that if we can
with the original Apollo 11 missions. dream it, we can do it.”

“I was part of a lunar sciences team. As the audience exited the building,
We devised experiments and equip- signed copies of “Endurance” in hand,
ment, trained astronauts and tested the chatter ranged from amazement
the material,” recalled Bromwell. over the space travel details Kelly
“It was a fantastic time, but pretty shared, to a newfound motivation to
primitive when you look at the kind of “shoot for the stars.”
equipment they have today.”
Cynthia Falardeau attending with
Kelly related that when he and twin her family, sheepishly admitted that
brother Mark (retired astronaut Capt. while they are all “huge space fanat-
Mark Kelly, married to former Con- ics,” her own obsession began during

16 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

An ape-tite to save chimps at Celeb Chef Tasting

Bob and Judy Van Saun with Laura and Bobby Guttridge. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Janet Rose, Amber and Adam Lewis, and Beth Compitello.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Guttridge and Judy Van Saun orga- gourmet treats to delight the discern- who volunteers at STC with husband
Staff Writer nized yet another fabulous evening, ing palates of nearly 200 gourmands, Dr. Gary Silverman. “The chimps are
where guests sipped on banana dai- who noshed on dishes such as shrimp compassionate and have emotion.
Guests went bananas last Thursday quiris, perused silent-auction items and swordfish tacos, a pasta bar, veg- You can see it in their eyes.”
evening at the ninth annual Chimps and nibbled on the various chefs’ cre- an pad Thai, and a scrumptious array
Kitchen: A Local Celebrity Chef Tast- ations while listening to the sounds of desserts. “Our work at Save the Chimps has
ing fundraiser to benefit Save the of Duo Vida, whose musicians use an reaffirmed our belief that they are
Chimps. The entire Cobalt Restaurant eclectic mix of ethnic instruments to Among the items up for auction very intelligent. I think they under-
at Vero Beach Hotel & Spa was utilized create hauntingly lyrical music in- were behind-the-scenes experiences stand humans and even learn how to
for the event, which raises funds and spired by the environment. at STC, vacation getaways, spa and manipulate us to some degree,” added
awareness of the 150-acre sanctuary beauty packages, dining packages, Dr. Silverman.
in Fort Pierce, home to nearly 250 res- Chefs from Cobalt Restaurant, artwork and jewelry. Also available
cued chimpanzees. Frostings, Grind & Grape, The Moor- were one-of-a-kind creations by the Ham the Astrochimp, the first chim-
ings Yacht & Country Club and The sanctuary’s resident artists who, as panzee launched into space, paved
Returning event co-chairs Laura Raw Vegan Life Coach whipped up part of their mentally stimulating ac- the way for America’s space program,
tivities, use paintbrushes, fingers and and countless other chimps have
DAN DECAMBRA, welcomes Dan DeCambra, CFP®, CRPS®, even their tongues to create unique, been infected with diseases, used for
CFP®, CRPS® to the Vero Beach office. After 12 years colorful designs. head crash and trauma studies and
serving clients in both his Colorado and have provided organs for transplants.
Senior Vice President, Vero Beach offices, Dan has returned full It comes as no surprise that homo
Investments time to Vero Beach, bringing with him 32 sapiens are fascinated by chimpan- “The chimps that are in sanctuary
years of experience. zees. Given the 98.6 percent DNA have been through some of the most
match to our simian friends, the horrific experiences that an animal
Concurrently, on behalf of the Vero Beach similarities are uncanny. Despite or or a human could go through,” ex-
office, Raymond James is also pleased because of those similarities, chim- plained Janet Rose, STC director of
to announce Dan’s 30th anniversary as a panzees continue to be exploited. For development and communications.
financial advisor putting his clients’ financial more than 20 years, the nonprofit has “We’re not doing that anymore, but
well-being first at Raymond James. been providing quality care, meals, there has to be a place for them. They
veterinary care, enrichment, and so- can’t go into the wild. For what they’ve
Call for a free consultation with a neighbor. cial companionship to chimps res- been through and what they’ve given
cued from research laboratories, the humanity we owe them something.”
582 Beachland Blvd., Suite 200 entertainment industry and the pet
Vero Beach, FL 32963 trade. To commemorate its 20th anniversa-
ry, STC will host Sunset at the Sanctuary
T 772.231.7000 // TF 800.445.4767 “We have a real heart for abused on Dec. 2, with tours and a champagne
F 772.231.7098 animals,” shared Carol Silverman, reception. For more information, visit
savethechimps.org. 
raymondjames.com/decambra NOopwen
It’s a date.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial AL 13068
Planner™, CFP® and in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and Join us for a lunch that
ongoing certification requirements. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC you will remember.

Call with an opening on
your calendar.

772-562-8491

Assisted Living & Memory Care
renaissanceverobeach.com

2100 10th Avenue l Vero Beach, FL 32960

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 17

PEOPLE

Mary Johnston and Scott Smith. Bud Angelus, Chef Ben Tench and Connie Angelus. Dr. Vikranth Gongidi and Dr. David Dinan.

Carol and Dr. Gary Silverman. Steve Gauthier and Amy Elise of Helen and John Stefanacci with Drs. Mary and Seth Baker.
The Raw Vegan Life Coach. Cordy Stewart of Cobalt Restaurant.

Kurt and Marilyn Wallach. Tim Clinton of The Moorings Club.

Jim and Danielle Malloy, Mark and Nina Heyer, Jennifer and Erik Benisch.

18 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

High turnout makes this walk one to ‘Remember’

Last Saturday’s bright and
sunny morning saw more than
450 walkers lacing up their
sneakers as participants in the
14th annual Walk to Remember
at Riverside Park. Organizers
of the signature fundraiser
to benefit the Alzheimer and
Parkinson Association of
Indian River County hoped to
raise $90,000, its highest goal
1 2 to date. All monies raised stay
local, supporting programs
for residents and their loved
ones who are grappling with
neurodegenerative diseases that
affect memory and movement.
Programs and services include
Social Group Respite, In-
Home and Emergency Respite,
Support Groups, Movement
Programs, Education, Project
Lifesaver, Memory Screening
and Virtual Dementia Tours. For

information visit alzpark.org. 

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772.562.5859

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Ralph M. Rosato
MD, FACS

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 19

PEOPLE

6

1. Courtney Sanchez and Dyan Kurth.
2. Judy Lemoncelli with Peggy Cunningham,
Becky Allen, and Trudie Rainone. 3. Lisa
Murdock, April Brown, and Kim Smith.
4. Sally and Dave Jensen, Joan Smith,
Chris Loftus, Sandra Binder and Michelle
Jacobus. 5. Melissa Medlock with children
Cassidy, Jillian and Peyton. 6. Terrie Rizio
and Sherry Baker with Keyhanna and Relle
7. Jacquelyn Ruiz with Sandy Alicea and Debbi
Sanchez. 8. Heather Sellers and Dana O’Brien

57 8

20 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Football Classic helps seniors score scholarships

BY MARY SCHENKEL PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD
Staff Writer

There was unity among the red- the Sharks, 34-6 ers enjoyed a delicious pre-game VIP Elementary, inspired me to get into
and blue-clad fans who braved the el- Founded in 1964 by Dan K. Richard- Barbecue dinner by 14 Bones featur- teaching.”
ements as they gathered at the Sebas- ing mouthwatering ribs, chicken and
tian River High School Shark Stadium son and members of the Rotary Club, all the fixings. The Scholarship Foundation be-
for the 12th annual Scholarship Foun- the foundation has awarded more gan taking applications Nov. 1 for
dation Football Classic. Whether than $11 million in need-based schol- Among the VIPs was 2009 Scholar- 2018 Richardson Scholar Awards,
they attended to cheer on their home arships to 2,865 Indian River County ship Award recipient Courtney Smith. four-year awards of up to $7,500 per
team SRHS Sharks or the visiting Vero students. This past May, thanks to the year, as well as the two-year Scholar-
Beach High School Fighting Indians, generosity of individuals, businesses “I was her principal at Sebastian ship Foundation Awards and Com-
all were also supporting local college- and family foundations, SFIRC award- River High School,” said Peggy Jones, munity College Graduate Awards.
bound seniors to achieve their dream. ed $738,500 to 53 deserving students. looking at Smith with pride. The application deadline is Jan. 30,
2018.
“We get $2 from every general ad- Shielded by the pre-game rain un- “And now I’m back teaching here,”
mission ticket, so everyone who der a tent set up just past the north said Smith, a second-grade teacher at For applications and additional in-
comes to this event supports the end goal post, foundation support- Osceola Magnet. “My fourth-grade formation, visit sfindianriver.org. 
foundation,” said Camilla Wainright, teacher, Mrs. Howard at Vero Beach
executive director of the Scholarship
Foundation of Indian River County.

The Football Classic began in 2006
as a preseason scrimmage to raise
scholarship money for the nonprofit
organization while also resolving a
then untested rivalry. It became a
sanctioned game in 2010. This year,
the Fighting Indians maintained their
undefeated 2017 10-0 season, beating

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 21

PEOPLE

Joan Cook, Jim Slevin and Camilla Wainright. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Antawan Leonard from 14 Bones BBQ. Bob and Sandy Brackett with Dixie and David Brooker.

Katie and Steve Healy with children Caroline and Breck.
John Vidal and Margaret McGrail.
Rosie and Paul Pickel.
Patricia and Mark Ashdown.

22 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Frost things first at Jeane Graves Cupcake Challenge

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF right amount of frosting to comple- Brooke Walker, Mia Webber, Ava Webber and Brianna Walker. PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD
Staff Writer ment the flavor of the cake.
cupcakes, said the labor of love was
Things got frosty in Vero Beach last Hot Cocoa Loco, the Best Overall multi-faceted. She enjoys baking,
Sunday afternoon despite tempera- Cupcake winner, featured choco- hopes to open her own shop someday
tures in the 80s as the sugary sweet late cake with marshmallow cream and her father suffers from Lewy body
scent of cupcake frosting wafted frosting, topped off with chocolate dementia; part of his diagnosis is Par-
down 14th Avenue. The aroma ema- ganache and cocoa sprinkles, and a kinson’s.
nated from the Vero Beach Heritage marshmallow bar offered extra sweet
Center, the result of contestant sub- toppings. The Graves sisters – Janie Graves
missions in the eighth annual Jeane Hoover, Julia Graves and Jeane Graves
Graves Cupcake Challenge to support JUNIOR BAKER WINNERS (8-14): Bartlett – started the fundraiser
the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Best Taste: Jazmyn Morris in memory of their mother, Jeane
Graves, who passed away due to com-
More than 250 cupcake connois- Best Decoration: Isabella Barsano plications from Parkinson’s in 2010.
seurs tasted their way through cre- Voter’s Choice: Isabella Barsano Five years later they lost their father,
ative cupcake concoctions made with
love by 10 bakers. The sweet confec- HOME BAKER WINNERS: Hubert Graves, to the disease as
tioners offered up atypical cupcake Best Taste: Jessica Schmitt well.
flavors such as strawberry milkshake, “This is why the Mi-
chocolate-orange alligator and peach and Sheri Anderson chael J. Fox Foundation
cobbler. Others included chocolate, Best Decoration: Lizette King is so near and dear to
vanilla bean, peach, peanut butter Voter’s Choice: Jessica Schmitt our hearts,” said Jeane
and even “grey stuff” inspired by Dis- Graves Bartlett. “We call
ney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” and Sheri Anderson it our Team Fox Fam-
ily. It’s not a family that you
This year’s judges – Samantha Irvin, PROFESSIONAL BAKER WINNER:
Katherina Paliwoda and Rita Good- Best Taste: Pat Mayo actively want to join, but it’s a
ling – had their work cut out for them, family that once you find it, you know
seeking a moist cupcake with just the Voter’s Choice: Pat Mayo that you’re loved, and you’re envel-
Best Overall Cupcake of 2017: oped with open arms. Our parents
Jessica Schmitt and Sheri Anderson taught us to be good, kind people and
give back to the community. We felt
Isabella Barsano. that this is the best way that we can
honor their memory.” 
The contest provides contes-
tants – junior, home and profes-
sional bakers – with a venue to show
off their skills while supporting a
good cause.

Lizette King, Home Bakers Best
Decoration winner for her intri-
cately designed Caffeine Jolt, Apple
Caramelicious and Autumn Harvest

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 23

PEOPLE

Jessica Schmitt and Sheri Anderson. Samiah Villalpando and Angela Villalpando.

Ana Ciechanowski and Natalie Ferguson.

Janie Graves Hoover, Jeane Graves Bartlett Jazmyn Morris.
and Julia Graves.

Lizette King and Lori Sepulveda. Patty Bruzzese, Jonathan Libman and Jennifer McCall.

24 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Ladling out goodness at Samaritan Center Soup Bowl

BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer

Businesses, churches, organiza- munity Center, annually one of the Shotsi Lajoie, Sophie Bentham Wood and Zo Anne Merrill. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE
tions and restaurants banded togeth- busiest spots, Dustin Haynes coordi-
er to serve up bowls of tasty goodness nated the efforts of Coldwell Banker
at the 25th annual Samaritan Center Ed Schlitt volunteers, who made and
Soup Bowl to benefit the Samaritan served not only 30 different soups, but
Center, a program of Catholic Chari- a full assortment of desserts and soft-
ties and United Way funded partner. drinks.

The Vero Beach Museum of Art The Soup Bowl raises awareness
served as a venue for the first time and and funds to support the daily oper-
had also provided a week of display ating budget of the Samaritan Center,
space in the atrium for Serving up which offers transitional housing to
Kindness: A Show of Tureens, featur- local homeless families with depen-
ing artistic soup tureens crafted by a dent children. 
dozen local potters for a raffle to help
raise additional funds.

“It’s great to have the museum as a
part of the event,” said organizer Shot-
si Lajoie.

Each soup location also offered
some of the more than 1,200 wheel-
thrown bowls created by volunteer
potters at the museum and at artists’
studios around town. Diners happily
donated $5 or more for their soup and
$15 for the hand-crafted bowls.

At the Indian River Shores Com-

Deena Rannazzisi Dick, Mark Seeberg, Cheryl Burge, Regina Moran and Stacy Katz.

INDIAN TRAILS CLUB
ISLAND COMMUNITY

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 25

PEOPLE

Bonnie Ilicin and Nancy Robinson. Carol Martin, Barbara Urban and Karen Spaulding. Sally and Jim Anderson.

Nancy Allerman (center) with Kim and Kurt Allerman. Mark and Maurie Harlan. Alex Gonzalez and Jeanne Wurzburger.

26 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Hallows humor and mask appeal at Ocean Grill

BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer

Anyone who thinks dressing up Rose “Madam Butterfly” Dean. Ryann Dawkins and Sophia Jackson.
for Halloween is just for the kiddies
has never been to Ocean Grill on All fun with it. I keep mine a secret, but aka Norman Mabbitt, “Thank you full hammerhead shark costume,
Hallows’ Eve, which has been draw- it’s always a popular topic of conver- very much”; and Kayleigh Nanny, and she was a mermaid – who come
ing costumed revelers for more than sation amongst everybody.” who made her own elaborate deer every year with friends Alan and
20 years. It’s especially fun for the costume. Becky Gregory, aka John Wayne and
wait-staff who go all out, competing This year’s second-place win- Miss Kitty.
for best costume honors while effi- ner was Zachery Trudnak, seeking Patrons – such as Erik Feightner,
ciently serving roughly 450 dinners a ‘section 8’ as an evening-gowned who was born on Halloween – got For the past 10 years, Milley
in addition to a huge bar crowd. Cpl. Klinger from M.A.S.H., and into the act as well. Dressed as Luke LaCanfora and Carin Fedderman
third place went to the ethereal an- from Star Wars with Yoda hitching a have reserved a table for Island Club
Rose Dean, a bartender at the gel Elizabeth Maresca, dressed all ride on his back, he was celebrating of Vero Beach friends; 12 attended
front bar who has worked at the in white with a trumpet, halo and with Teresa Przybysz, aka Star Wars’ this year, including Lucille Pew as a
Ocean Grill for 25 years, continued lighted wings. Rey. frightening looking bride.
her winning streak, earning the top
prize for the sixth consecutive year. Other favorites included Kyle Noting that they’ve come every “This is the coolest place in town,
This year’s Madame Butterfly cre- Smith, aka Bob Ross Trich, chan- year since 2011, Feightner added, isn’t it?” said Sue Scully, seated at
ation featured a delicate headdress neling the late Bob Ross (TV host of “It’s nice to see an establishment yet another long table filled with
of dozens of butterflies which flut- “The Joy of Painting”) as he nimbly in town really go out of their way friends. “I love Halloween here.”
tered about as she quickly and ex- navigated the crowd, holding the to welcome everyone, with this and
pertly served patrons packed several reins of a blow-up ‘ostrich’ in one also what they do at Christmas.” Next up, an explosion of festive
deep at the bar. hand and trays of food and drink in Christmas decorations will be final-
another; a white jump-suited Elvis, Other perennials included Don ized by the Sunday after Thanksgiv-
“It’s definitely the busiest bar night and Diana McConnell – he wore a ing, Nov. 26. 
of the whole year, by far,” said Dean,
adding that many people book their
dinner reservations a year in ad-
vance. “It’s like Valentine’s Day and
Christmas all wrapped up together.
It doesn’t even matter that it’s on a
Tuesday; people still come out.”

Dean was a teenager when she first
started work there, coincidentally in
October, but said it wasn’t until a few
years later that things really took off.

“Everyone I work with is really cre-
ative,” she said. “Talk about Hallow-
een costumes comes up as soon as
the decorations go up; everyone has

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 27

PEOPLE

51 2 3

1. Alan and Becky Gregory with Diana and
Don McConnell. 2. Zachery Trudnak as Cpl.
Klinger. 3. Elizabeth Maresca and Norman
Mabbitt. 4. Kyle Smith, aka Bob Ross Trich.
5. Lauren Jenks and Christine Daughtrey.
6. Tamara Priddy. 7. Joanne and Dave Partridge.

4 5 6 PHOTOS: STEPHANIE LABAFF & GORDON RADFORD

28 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Clam lovers stuff selves to the gills at Sebastian fest

BY STEPHANIE LABAFF
Staff Writer

The crowds pouring into River- Nancy and Tom Going. PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD Marian Riedling and Sissy Irwin.
view Park last weekend for this year’s
Sebastian Clambake Lagoon Festival
were a clear indication that its theme
– America Runs on Clams – was spot
on for Indian River County residents
and visitors. Gina Belli came up with
this year’s theme, which was high-

PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

Linda and Dick Reppa.

lighted by artist Lisanne Robinson
on a delightfully colorful sea-to-
shining-sea design.

Founded in 2002, the Sebastian
Clambake Foundation hosts the an-
nual fundraiser to honor the yummy
mollusk that once played a signifi-
cant role in the Sebastian fishing in-
dustry.

Connoisseurs enjoyed a bevy of
clam-based concoctions, including
favorites such as linguine with red
or white clam sauce, clam chowder,
fried clams and steamed clams, as
well as other seafood offerings and
dishes for landlubbers. To wash
them down, Sebastian’s own Pare-
idolia Brewing Co. brewed up two
unique craft beers, ClamaJama IPA
and Digger’s Golden Ale.

Filled to the gills, festival-goers
also enjoyed performances by the
rousing Sebastian River High School
Drumline, watched various demon-
strations such as those offered by
the Sebastian Police K-9 Unit, got
mini history lessons visiting with
volunteers at the 1715 Castaways’
Survivor Camp, and perused the nu-
merous vendor booths to get a jump
on holiday shopping. And through-
out the three-day event, local bands
kept things lively, entertaining the
crowds with everything from coun-
try music and jazz to the Beatles.

Over the past 17 years, the founda-
tion has granted more than $675,000
to local nonprofit capital projects.
This year’s grant beneficiaries are
the Economic Opportunities Coun-
cil, Kashi, Roseland Ecumenical
Food Pantry, St. Sebastian Catholic
Church, SRHS Rowing Club, Sebas-
tian Soccer and Treasure Coast Rug-
by Foundation. 



30 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 Tony and Cherrie Sporer with Jim and Lynne Metzgar. Sebastian Police Chief Michelle Morris,
Judi McKallip, Kay and Jack Gurecki, with Sheila Rhinehart. Lynn and Robert Johnson, and Chris McCarthy

June and Steve Coombe. Chelsea Shevchuck with son Levi. Patricia and Michael McInerney. Ron Williams and Rachel Williams.

SKULLS ARE FITTING ‘MEMENTO’
IN VERO ARTIST’S EXHIBIT

32 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Skulls are fitting ‘memento’ in Vero artist’s exhibit

BY MICHELLE GENZ Ellen Fischers’ paintings.
Staff Writer
PHOTOS BY: GORDON RADFORD
It hit Ellen Fischer especially hard
last summer when she learned that
her longtime friend and fellow artist
Lis Bech was opting to end her che-
motherapy. That fraught decision
sent Fischer, a painter and art ap-
praiser, deep into her background in
art history as she contemplated the
notion of mortality.

Last week, as Lis lay close to death,
Fischer put on display the series of
paintings she made in her honor,
though most visitors to her All Saints
Day show weren’t aware of that con-
nection.

Instead, they simply took the realis-
tic still lifes, hung in her central Vero
studio, as memento mori – Latin for
“remember that we must die,” an an-
cient practice dating back to Socrates,
and a long tradition in painting that
often includes depictions of human
bones or skulls. In that same tradi-
tion are the paintings known as vani-
tas, popular in the 17th century, that
may include “a skull, an hourglass, a

riverside 1 worm,” points out Fischer, the former for this paper in 2013; in the course
curator at the Vero Beach Museum of of the interview, Fischer says, the two
Art and a certified art appraiser. became much closer.

Symbols of death, “they make us Fischer had kept Bech apprised of
think about life,” she says. the project’s progress. “She wasn’t
shy about talking about death. I don’t
Fischer, who writes regularly on think she knew I was doing it for her,
fine art for 32963, had profiled Bech

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 33

ARTS & THEATRE

but she certainly approved of it.” drew my eye,” says Fischer, a frequent paintings of two deer skulls she has the series “Kissimmee River Circle of
owned for years. And another large Life” and posted it on her Facebook
For Fischer, the skull that was the visitor to Sexton’s ranch west of Vero. canvas showed two bird skulls with page. Asked in a comment why she
long beaks, one from a pelican, the painted them, Lis wrote, “Maybe be-
model for the still life paintings took Now, with the urge to paint it herself, other an egret. That one she rested on cause I’ve been so close to death so
top of a red clay pot – the belly of the many times this year.” That was in
on a powerful presence in her stu- she asked Sexton to borrow it. “I knew bird. Of all the memento mori, that 2015.
one, with its prankish positioning,
dio. “It was the first thing I looked I’d have it several months,” she says. seemed most mindful of Lis Bech. A Bech died last Friday, three days af-
middle-school art teacher for many ter Fischer’s show.
at when I turned on the lights in the Sexton handed it to Fischer in a plas- years, as well as a teacher at the Vero
Beach Museum of Art, Lis loved to “A sad day for many,” says Fischer,
morning and the last thing I looked at tic bag from Target, after it got a good paint shorebirds, particularly egrets. mourning her loss. “She had so many
friends and former students who
when I turned off the lights at night,” scrubbing from Sean’s wife Sharon in Two years ago, Bech herself painted were inspired by her in so many ways.
a memento mori series, of dead cows I had been expecting this for a couple
she says. “It didn’t convey a spiritual the kitchen sink. The unceremonious surrounded by vultures. She called of weeks now – and still it is a shock to
hear the news.” 
presence to me but it did convey a nature of the transfer seemed to strike

strong human presence.” Fischer right away, in contrast to the

Through her the touch of her brush, associations often made with human

though, an almost metaphysical bones, that range from mystical fervor

transfer happened on the canvas, giv- to maudlin revulsion. Dismissing those

ing the viewer an impression of feel- imaginings, she chose to capture on her

ing the object. canvas the quotidian unveiling. “The

“You touch the canvas as though second I pulled the bag down around

you’re touching the object itself,” she the eye sockets, I knew I had to paint it.”

says of the painting process. “Some That is the least formal of Fischer’s

passes are vigorous but some are efforts, though not the only one with

like putting a just a an element of hu-

breath of color on. mor. Several paint-

That’s how you get ings include a blue- A CLASSIC, SQUARED

tactile quality that gray gourd Sexton Modern and surprisingly comfortable,
our square gemstone rings are
you can feel only had handed her as a statement in style.

with your eyes in a she left his ranch

painting.” that day. Sexton was

That frisson- thinking the shapes

inducing aspect in were complemen-

viewing the skull Ellen Fischer. tary. To Fischer, the
skull and gourd’s
on the canvas is in a

way the very point of function were simi-

the memento mori. lar. “They’re contain-

If we can’t yet feel ers,” she says.

our inevitable death, So was the card-

we can see it coming board box that ap-

through reminders. pears in other paint-

As visitors walked ings. The box, with

through the exhibit its matte surface,

though, at least one, contrasts with the

artist Quentin Walter, had thoughts of sheen of the gourd and skull. It also just

the past. happened to be handy to pop over the

“Whose skull is it?” she asked. skull whenever guests stopped by – “so

Walter wasn’t wondering about the they wouldn’t freak out,” says Fischer.

current owner; she was thinking of its Following her contemplative me-

original one. mento mori months of painting, Fisch-

On loan from lifelong Vero artist and er moved on to her typical summer

rancher Sean Sexton, the skull has been travel. This year, her easel followed her

a fixture in his studio for 30 years. De- to Indiana, where she once lived; she

termined to be of a middle-age woman was director of the Museum of Art in

likely of Asian descent, it came into his Lafayette, and earned a BFA from Indi-

hands through a neighbor who was a ana University before getting an MFA

sheriff’s detective; the skull was taken from the School of the Art Institute of

in some long-ago raid, presumably pur- Chicago. On a trip to the Lake Michi-

chased from some supply store for sci- gan shore in July, she painted “Dunes.”

ence or medical endeavors back in the That landscape just won Best of Show at

day. the Best of the Best Juried Exhibition at

Sexton, who counts among his favor- Fort Pierce’s A.E. Backus Museum. The

ite paintings one by Cezanne of three show is on view through Nov. 17. SEE THESE AND OTHER FINE THINGS AT VERO’S FINEST
COLLECTION OF AMERICAN-MADE ART AND JEWELRY
skulls, first used the skull in one of his In Vero, Fischer’s last solo show was

most spectacular paintings, “Song of at the Center for Spiritual Care in fall

the South,” a large tableau of a table of 2015. That show featured a series of

with a grass green striped cloth laden portraits done from online mug shots.

with gourds and ears of corn. Under “Another type of head,” she says. “The

the table, representing the past, Sexton skull was a natural progression.”

says, is the skull sitting next to large In one painting, the skull faces back-

animal bones, including a horse’s skull. wards. That seemed to sooth viewers

“I’ve used it in probably 20 paint- last week, who declared the painting

ings,” Sexton says of the relic. their favorite, Fischer says. It was as if 2910 CARDINAL DR.
VERO BEACH, FL
The skull seemed part of the family, the skull was being discreet. 7 72 . 2 3 4 . 6711

Fischer says, present much of the time There were other skulls in Fischer’s THEL AUGHINGDOGGALLERY.COM

in front of Sexton’s easel. “It always Day of the Dead tribute. There were

34 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Coming Up: Home in on tours of Vero’s awesome abodes

BY STEPHANIE BAITA Event planners explain: The newly built newspaper column has, according to his
Staff Writer showcase house will feature the talent website, “at one time or another pissed
and creativity of 10 Vero Beach interior off just about everybody in South Flori-
1 Most of us (possibly more of the designers, who will each completely da, including his own bosses,” it has nev-
female persuasion) absolutely design and stage a fabulous room or, ertheless earned multiple awards over
as the event planners say, “transform the past three decades and regularly has
love wandering through a gorgeous it into a haven of sumptuous décor re- its thousands of avid fans laughing hys-
flecting and celebrating the Vero Beach terically, and/or mulling thoughtfully,
“designer house,” and here’s a terrific lifestyle.” The second lovely home, aka over their morning coffee. Tickets are
the Boutique House, will be beauti- $150 per person and can be obtained by
opportunity to do just that: A brand- fully filled with an array of wares from contacting Literacy Services at 772-778-
beachside retail businesses. Talk about 2223. Show time is 6:30 p.m.
new, four-day event, “House of Art, County to next Thursday through Sun- temptation. The four-day schedule:
day, Nov. 16-Nov. 19. Two houses on Old Nov. 16, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Gala Pre-
Culture and Design” will be presented Oak Lane, on the island, will be shown. view with food, entertainment and,
best of all, a chance to stroll through
by the Cultural Council of Indian River the homes; Nov. 17, 5 p.m. – Bubbles
Bar, wine tasting from Vero Beach wine
connoisseurs; Nov. 18, noon – Lun- 3 Well-known local portrait and
cheon and Fashion Show featuring four plein air painter Judy Burgarella
beachside shops; Nov. 19, 3 p.m. – High
Tea and what will no doubt be a fasci- is the Emerson Center’s Foyer Gallery
nating and inspiring discussion by a
panel of designers. The homes will be Featured Artist for November and De-
open to the public Nov. 17, 10 a.m. to
7 p.m., Nov. 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and cember, with a show entitled “Florida:
Nov. 19, noon to 5 p.m. A pavilion on
the grounds, elegant, no doubt, will Paradise through the eyes of an artist.”
be the venue for the following three
days. Tickets are required and available The Florida-centric exhibition includes
(while they last) at: Houseofartculture-
anddesign.com; Stringer Gallery; and landscapes, seascapes, florals, wildlife,
the Cultural Council office in down-
town Vero. Sounds fabulous, n’est-ce local landmarks, exhibiting not only
pas?
Burgarella’s ebullient personality and

obvious enthusiasm for art, but her love

for her adopted state, as well. Included

in the exhibition is a work with special

meaning for the artist: a pastel of the

great Seminole leader Osceola. With a

lifelong love of learning, as a new Flo-

ridian, Burgarella had delved into the

state’s history and became fascinated

with Osceola. Determined to por-

tray him as he really was, she sought a

true likeness, and discovered that the

Seminole warrior’s death mask existed

at the New York Histori-

2 Native Floridian cal Society. Burgarella
Carl Hiaasen, the
was able to get a pri-

legendary Miami Her- vate showing, and the

ald journalist and pro- experience moved her

lific author, will speak greatly. A public recep-

at the Windsor Beach tion will take place at

Club Tuesday, as part of the Gallery Nov. 9, 5 p.m.

the Literacy Services of to 7 p.m. Gallery hours

Indian River County’s are Monday through

Love of Literacy Author Friday, 10 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Series. In spite of the fact Carl Hiaasen. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to

that Hiaasen’s weekly noon. 



36 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

On a sandy peninsula in northwest fice towers and five-star hotels is sup- Arabia 2.0 while its new 32-year-old fanfare, then have floundered short of
Saudi Arabia, the only interruption posed to represent Saudi efforts to leader reconfigures the rest of the econ- expectations, like the $10 billion office
to miles of desert was the wreck of a transform a nation once swimming in omy to make it fit for the modern world park on the outskirts of Riyadh sitting
Catalina seaplane, abandoned by its oil money and now facing a severe fi- in a way that past rulers have failed to largely unoccupied and unfinished.
American pilot in 1960 and now cov- nancial squeeze. do. Other massive cities in the des-
ered in Arabic graffiti. ert have been announced with much The city “constitutes an attempt to
It would be a microcosm of Saudi create an economic zone that is more
But it’s here that Saudi Arabia’s efficient and streamlined than the
crown prince plans Neom, a city from overall economy that will take time to
scratch that will be bigger than Dubai reform,” said James Dorsey, a Middle
and have more robots than humans. East specialist at Singapore’s Nanyang
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Technological University. “The ques-
envisions it as a “civilizational leap for tion is whether one can isolate a mega-
humanity” outside the traditional Sau- city from the inefficiencies of the coun-
di constraints and a business hub with try’s economy.”
advanced manufacturing, bio-tech,
media and airlines. It’s also another example of Prince
Mohammed’s willingness to throw
“We want the main robot and the money at projects regardless of dwin-
first robot in Neom to be Neom, robot dling resources. The unveiling of the
number one,” the crown prince said in megacity last week follows plans for a
an interview in a palatial setting next vast entertainment park, a tourist re-
to the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh. “Every- treat and a $4.8 billion makeover for
thing will have a link with artificial in- the waterfront in Jeddah on the Red
telligence, with the Internet of Things Sea coast.
— everything.”
In keeping with the blueprint called
The sci-fi city with glimmering of- Vision 2030, the project is nothing if

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 37

INSIGHT COVER STORY

SAUDI ARABIA

EGYPT RAS HAMEED

Gulf
of Aqaba

Red Sea

TIRAN FUTURE SITE OF 5 Miles

not ambitious: The Gulf region is al- location” and proximity to interna-
ready full of skyscrapers in the sand tional shipping routes. This year, Egypt
and, whether Abu Dhabi or Doha, signed a treaty to give the Saudis two
no metropolis so far has managed to islands essential for linking the project
match Dubai as an international busi- to the Sinai.
ness center, let alone outdo it.
The drive through the area of the
It took decades to develop Dubai future city cut a path through a bar-
into a tourist destination with 2.9 mil- ren desert, bordered on the right
lion residents, the world’s tallest tower side by sun-burnt, off-white hills and
and regional headquarters for such desert flats. Across the turquoise wa-
international banks as Standard Char- ter, a Saudi Border Guards base and a
tered Plc. Dubai International Airport communications tower sat. There was
is the busiest in the world after Atlan- nothing else around the curvature of
ta’s and Beijing’s. the pristine bay, save for the wreck of
the Catalina airplane.
The planned city, though, won’t
compete with Dubai, but rather com- The prince already knows what he
plement it and other parts of the Gulf, wants to turn the strip of coast into.
according to Prince Mohammed. It Neom Bay will start as the operational
will create “new demand, not the same hub for the city and “be like the Hamp-
demand of Dubai,” he said. “It will help tons in New York later on,” he said. But
Dubai, it will help Bahrain. It will help that doesn’t mean more jobs for the
especially Kuwait,” which can export young Saudi population increasingly
to Europe faster and cheaper than edgy over its economic prospects. “It’s
now, he said. not Neom’s duty to create jobs for Sau-
dis,” Prince Mohammed said. “Neom’s
Neom is a combination of “neo,” or duty is to be a world hub for everyone
new, and a derivation from the Arabic in the whole world.”
word “mustaqbal,” or future. It will
be partly located in an area known as The Saudi Vision 2030 is under-
Ras Sheikh al-Hameed, a peninsula of pinned by the creation of the world’s
land jutting about 31 miles into waters largest sovereign wealth fund, an es-
of the Red Sea after turning west off of timated $2 trillion pot of assets that
route 5, the Saudi coastal road. will drive investment and create jobs.
The fund has already committed $20
Some 10,000 square miles have billion to an infrastructure investment
been allocated for the development fund with Blackstone Group LP and as
of the urban area that will stretch into much as $45 billion for a technology
Jordan and Egypt. More than twice fund run by SoftBank.
the size of neighboring Qatar, the area
was chosen because of its “strategic STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

38 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 INSIGHT COVER STORY Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37 dards applied in similar cities, but
there is 2 percent we can’t do, like, for
Key to Dubai’s expansion has been example, alcohol,” the prince said. “A
the influx of foreign investment and foreigner, if they desire alcohol, can ei-
foreign workers who can live more ther go to Egypt or Jordan.”
freely than in most other places in the
Gulf. Alcohol is tolerated, as are tourists Even by Saudi standards, the area
in bikinis, and the United Arab Emir- where they are building the city is
ates government has allocated land for conservative. Along the coastal road,
churches and temples. there are no tourist facilities and res-
taurants that allow women, other
In Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of than the recently opened Golden Tu-
Islam, booze is forbidden and busi- lip Sharma Resort.
nesses close for prayer several times
a day. Women are banned from driv- The Jordanian beach resort of
ing – the law is set to change next year Aqaba will be a drive away, and there
– and gender mixing is still widely re- will be a bridge linking Egypt and its
stricted in public areas. The country Sharm El-Sheikh tourist town, hit re-
has been criticized over its export of cently by a slump in visitors after ter-
Wahhabism, a fundamentalist strain rorists downed a Russian passenger
of Sunni Islam that has inspired ex- jet in October 2015.
tremist groups, including al-Qaeda
and Islamic State. Prince Mohammed dismissed con-
cerns about past mistakes, such as
A promotional video for the the Riyadh office park or King Abdul-
planned city released last week fea- lah Economic City on the coast north
tures a lifestyle so far unavailable in of Jeddah. In the Vision 2030 docu-
Saudi cities. ment released in April last year, the
government pledged to try to salvage
It showed women free to jog in leo- economic cities that “did not realize
tards in public spaces, working along- their potential.”
side men and playing instruments in
a musical ensemble. The one woman “Neom is a totally different story,”
wearing a hijab had her head covered he said. “There’s a commitment from
with a patterned pink scarf. Although the government; we’re putting our
the futuristic city will be business name on the first line.”
friendly, the government won’t allow
alcohol, Prince Mohammed said. Initial ground-breaking will be in
the last quarter of 2019, with phase
“We can do 98 percent of the stan-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 39

INSIGHT COVER STORY

one completed in 2025, according to and graphics that boasted a series of the Red Sea bay, the Catalina plane region. A few resilient acacia trees
a tour of the city given to delegates superlatives about the city, showing sits, an abandoned piece of Ameri- capable of withstanding the heat dot
attending the Future Investment Ini- images of young people dancing at a can-Saudi history protected by its re- the horizon.
tiative in Riyadh. rooftop party, an orchestra playing, a mote location.
couple going for a walk and a family The city will offer a “life with no lim-
During the extravaganza, guests playing soccer on the beach. The temperature hit 47 degrees its,” the voiceover said during the tour.
climbed stairs into a globe-shaped Celsius in May last year when a “In 2030 free time is plentiful, and we
video projector with surround-sound Meanwhile, on the eastern side of Bloomberg reporter drove up to the make the most of it.” 

126 Properties Sold/Under Contract Since January 2017

Life on John’s Island, a magnificent private paradise surrounded by miles of Intracoastal Waterway and pristine beaches.
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42 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

Electric deal benefits set out for Public Service Commission

BY LISA ZAHNER | STAFF WRITER because FPL claimed and the PSC efits of a partnership with FPL, as the would yield that much revenue after
agreed that the details of how corporate investor-owned utility brought disaster expenses. The petition does state that
Florida Power and Light has filed financial consultant David Herr and his outage response crews into the city’s the $185 million purchase price, plus
two petitions with the Florida Public team at Duff & Phelps valued the Vero territory to help restore power after other consideration, is $116 million
Service Commission related to the sale electric utility as part of FPL’s due dili- Hurricane Irma. more than the valuation of the assets
of Vero electric, one asking state utility gence is privileged information. and equipment, but FPL asks the PSC
regulators to approve the $185 million In addition to the 24-hour customer to take that investment in context with
deal and to allow FPL to charge Vero A key element of the FPL executive care center and full-service online ac- the projected $105 million in net rev-
customers FPL rates, and the second testimony came from a familiar face count and outage reporting options, enue growth over time.
to change FPL’s service territory to in- to anyone who has closely followed ef- Forrest said FPL would pay special at-
clude Vero’s 34,000 customers. forts to sell Vero electric over the past tention to high-demand business cus- The categories related to attracting
eight years. FPL Vice President of Ener- tomers. “Larger commercial customers capital and lower overall cost of capital
The 14-page territory change request gy Marketing and Trading Sam Forrest may have a dedicated account man- relate to the relative size of FPL com-
is the simpler of the two, as it is more of was one of the people who accompa- ager available to service their account pared to Vero. “Because the acquisi-
a housekeeping matter to join the cur- nied Regional Manager of External Af- and optimize any energy-related sav- tion of the City of Vero Beach’s assets is
rent Vero system with FPL’s existing ter- fairs Amy Brunjes to many city meet- ings through various FPL programs.” small in comparison to FPL’s total rate
ritory within Indian River County. ings and has given updates throughout base, there is essentially no effect on
the years on the details of the sale. Indian River Shores residents have FPL’s overall cost of capital.”
The bulk of the documents filed late expressed excitement over the op-
last Friday with the PSC are designed Forrest, an engineer and MBA who portunity to take advantage of FPL’s With regard to the professional, fi-
to demonstrate to the regulatory body joined FPL in 2007, in his written tes- “green” incentives with regard to the nancial, managerial and operational
that the terms of the purchase – includ- timony to the PSC explains why the purchase of more efficient major ap- resources, Forrest cites FPL’s nearly 5
ing the side deal cut with Orlando Utili- deal as written satisfies the five criteria pliances and air conditioners. FPL also million customer accounts and the
ties and promised infrastructure im- the PSC requires for approval. Those offers energy audits and has worked vast system designed to serve and sup-
provements such as the new $9 million factors relate to quality of service, op- with the Indian River County School port them. “Once integrated into the
substation – are fair and equitable, and erating costs, ability to attract capital, District and the Indian River Board of FPL system . . . COVB customers will
will benefit both FPL’s 4.9 million cus- overall cost of capital, and finally, more County Commissioners to find ways to enjoy wider access to experienced,
tomers and Vero’s existing ratepayers. professional and experienced manage- reduce utility bills, and even to incor- professional expertise in all aspects of
rial, financial, technical and operation- porate renewable solar energy into its the electric industry,” Forrest testified.
The 708-page petition includes all al resources. money-saving toolbox.
sale-related agreements and exhib- Forrest concluded this portion of his
its prepared by the Carlton Fields Law In terms of quality of service, Forrest In his testimony, Forrest refers to testimony saying, “These factors taken
Firm and FPL and approved by the Vero touted FPL’s 99.98 percent reliability other experts who detail how FPL’s ex- as a whole demonstrate significant
Beach Council on Oct. 24, plus testi- across its service territory and explains isting customers would benefit from benefits for FPL customers and for
mony from FPL personnel or outside that FPL uses an on-call system to dis- reduced operational costs “largely the COVB customers, supporting approval
experts integral to the sale, either from a patch service technicians quickly. “FPL result of being able to spread fixed op- of FPL’s requests in this proceeding.”
financial, legal or technical perspective. employees operate 24 hours per day erating and maintenance and capital
to service customer needs. In addi- revenue requirements over a larger With regard to timing, PSC Direc-
This testimony, including that of for- tion to service during an outage, COVB customer base.” tor of Consumer Assistance and Out-
mer PSC Commissioner Terry Deason customers will benefit from improved reach Cindy Muir could not estimate
– who, incidentally, worked for Indian redundancy by virtue of being sur- Over the 30-year franchise period, when the petitions might be heard by
River Shores as a rate consultant – was rounded by FPL’s service territory and FPL estimates its existing custom- the five-person appointed panel. “Both
provided in writing to expedite the ap- directly interconnecting to our sys- ers would benefit from $105 million petitions were just filed on Friday, and
proval process, as FPL and Vero are on tem,” he wrote. in additional net revenues from Vero a schedule for Commission consider-
a tight timeline to close the deal be- customers, because once transitional ation has not yet been established,” she
tween October and December 2018. Vero has already reaped the ben- costs are borne, Vero’s 34,000 accounts said. 

One portion of the testimony has
been marked confidential and sealed

SMOKING Part I World. By the end of the 16th century, the plant and use of tobacco © 2017 VERO BEACH 32963 MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
had been introduced to virtually every country in Europe. Some Eu-
Iconic scenes of James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause,” Audrey ropeans chewed it as snuff; others liked smoking it. Numerous doc-
Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and Marlon Brando in “A Streetcar tors claimed it had medicinal properties. In fact, Spanish physician
Named Desire” – smoking – are imprinted into the American psyche. and botanist Nicolas Monardes wrote a book, published in 1571, that
Marlboro Man and the more recent TV mini-series Mad Men made outlined 36 specific ailments that tobacco could supposedly cure.
smoking seem exotic, glamorous and sexy. Even today, especially to
teens, smoking might be considered rebellious and bad-boy cool. WAR-TIME TIES

But “we’ve come a long way, baby.” According to the Centers for Tobacco products gained a strong foothold in the American colonies
Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2010 there were 46 million around the time of the Revolutionary War. In 1776 it was used by
smokers in the U.S. By 2014, the number of adult smokers had fall- the revolutionists as collateral for loans from France.
en to 40 million.
The first commercial cigarettes were made in 1865 by Washington
This series will review the history of smoking, explain how smoking Duke on his 300-acre farm in Raleigh, North Carolina. His hand-
affects the body, share tips on how to quit and describe the ben- rolled cigarettes were sold to soldiers at the end of the Civil War.
efits of being smoke-free. And once American inventor James Bonsack created the cigarette-
making machine in 1881, cigarette smoking became widespread.
HISTORY OF SMOKING
Cigarettes became popular, even coveted, during the First and the
Anthropologists believe tobacco has been growing wild in the Second World Wars as tobacco companies sent millions of packs
Americas for nearly 8,000 years. Around 2,000 years ago, tobacco of cigarettes to soldiers on the front lines. Included in soldiers’ C-
began to be chewed and smoked during cultural or religious cer- rations of food and supplements, these complimentary cigarettes
emonies and events. created hundreds of thousands of faithful and addicted consumers.

In October 1492, Christopher Columbus was offered dried tobacco During the 1920s, as American women were granted the right to
leaves as a gift from the American Indians that he encountered. vote, tobacco companies started marketing heavily to women.
Since the leaves weren’t edible and had a distinct smell to them, Brands such as “Mild as May” feminized the habit and the number
Columbus threw the tobacco overboard. He soon realized, how- of female smokers in the United States tripled by 1935.
ever, that dried tobacco leaves were a prized possession among the
natives. They used tobacco to barter and often bestowed it as a gift. – To be continued –

Sailors began bringing tobacco back from their voyages to the New Your comments and suggestions for future topics are always welcome.
Email us at [email protected].

44 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOK REVIEW

Anne Fadiman, an acclaimed essay- ther “could open a wine bottle to read any book he recommended, common perception of her father
ist, the former editor of the American as deftly as any swain ever un- studied my paperback of “The Lifetime without dwelling on it. Yet, surely, his
Scholar and currently a creative writ- dressed his lover.” Reading Plan” until it fell apart and depressions, nightmares and frequent
ing teacher at Yale, has produced a regularly borrowed from the library self-disparagement must have been
wonderfully engaging memoir of both Still, what I view as blemishes his four collections of literary jour- partly caused by an awareness that he
her father, Clifton Fadiman, and of others may see as beauty marks. nalism: “Party of One,” “Enter, Con- never really mattered in the eyes of the
what it was like to grow up in a highly After all, Anne Fadiman clearly versing,” “Any Number Can Play” and academy. Nor did his writing much af-
bookish and privileged household. knows her trade. By recording “Party of Twenty.” Sometimes in pieces fect the course of modern literature.
She organizes her memories around both her past experiences and such as “The Case for Basic Education,” As a reviewer, for instance, Fadiman is
her father’s love for fine wine and her her current thoughts about Fadiman would allow a few strobe- now mainly remembered for damning
own (vain) attempts to share that love. those experiences, she keeps lit glimpses of his early life, which led Faulkner as barbaric and unreadable.
At times, she pushes this oenophile “The Wine Lover’s Daughter” my young self to find him particularly
theme too hard – she devotes an entire consistently absorbing and, simpatico: He’d been a poor Russian His passion for collecting and en-
chapter to a John McPhee-like account once begun, you will be hard- Jewish kid from Brooklyn just as I was joying expensive wine, as his daugh-
of current research into the mouth’s pressed to stop reading, even a poor Russian-Slovak kid from Ohio. ter sees it, was obviously genuine, but
taste buds – and, to my mind, she over- though the book should prob- For me, as for many of his admirers, also in keeping with the aristocratic,
employs sexualized language: In her ably be savored like a grand cru his books were nothing less than in- WASP ethos he came to live by. With
very first sentence, Fadiman tells us rather than guzzled down like spirational. They demonstrated that some embarrassment, Anne Fadiman
– Block that metaphor! – that her fa- cheap beer. Either way, though, through energetic reading one could mentions the eight bathrooms in her
you’re in for a good time. acquire learning and culture, and that childhood home, the uniformed cook
it was worth any amount of effort to do who served their meals, vacations in
But who, you ask, is Clifton so. Above all, Fadiman was never hoity- Europe, the first-class hotels the family
Fadiman? There lies the un- toity or condescending; he exemplified stayed in, the private schools she and
expressed, but slightly melan- what he preached, coming across as her brother attended and the Harvard
choly subtext of these pages: erudite but easygoing about it, an edu- education that followed. The Fadimans
Few people younger than 60 are cated man at home in the world. led the sort of leisured, cushioned ex-
likely to recognize that name. istence one reads about in novels by
The fame of authors is often But, as Anne Fadiman shows, her Louis Auchincloss and Evelyn Waugh.
mayfly short, but that of liter- father wasn’t entirely what he seemed. Yet for all his easygoing charm and wit,
ary gatekeepers is even shorter. Despite his accomplishments and his old-world manners and a carefully
And yet think of it: Born in 1904, Clif- surface worldliness, he never quite acquired upper-class diction, Clifton
ton Fadiman was the wunderkind edi- shook off the burden of his past. After Fadiman still sometimes felt himself
tor in chief of Simon & Schuster at age graduating from Columbia, Fadiman to be a kind of impostor. No wonder he
28, the New Yorker’s staff book review- hoped that he might one day become loved “The Catcher in the Rye,” a novel
er in the 1930s, emcee of several im- a teacher there, but was informed that obsessed with detecting phonies.
mensely popular radio and television the English department had room for
quiz shows, most notably “Informa- only one Jew and that his friend Lionel Anne Fadiman’s prose, like a proper
tion Please,” a longtime Book-of-the- Trilling was going to be the one. So the gentleman’s suit, is beautifully tailored
Month Club judge, author of the best- ambitious young litterateur pursued without drawing attention to itself. Her
selling guide to classic literature, “The a career in publishing and journalism old man would be proud – indeed was
Lifetime Reading Plan,” and, up until instead. Though he worked hard and proud – of her writing. 
his death in 1999 at age 95, a very-well- made a lot of money, the cost was high.
paid essayist and writer of introduc- In later years Trilling came to be hon- THE WINE LOVER’S DAUGHTER
tions. Fadiman’s imprimatur was once ored as a great critic and teacher, while A Memoir
so great that on many books to which Fadiman was regularly dismissed as a
he merely contributed a brief foreword middlebrow popularizer, the consum- By Anne Fadiman
or afterword, his name would appear erist class’s favorite intellectual caterer. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. 256 pp. $25
in type nearly as big as the author’s.
I know this because as a boy I tried Anne Fadiman acknowledges this Review by Michael Dirda
The Washington Post

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 45

ON FAITH

Admitting we’re wrong is the gift of wisdom

Revolutionary War. Rev. Miller was miles to Gen. George may have been right!
much loved by all the people of Ephrata, Washington’s encamp- The story goes that when Washing-
except for the local priest of the Church ment. There he pleaded
of England who was scornful of Miller passionately for Wash- ton heard this explanation, he decided
and opposed Miller on every possible ington to intervene and to spare the priest’s life. Obviously,
issue. pardon the priest. As- Washington admired the gritty deter-
suming Miller was the mination of Rev. Miller to be an advo-
This particular priest, it turned out, priest’s friend, George cate for someone with whom he had
was no friend to the Colonial cause. Washington shook his never really seen eye to eye. He ap-
And because Miller was sympathetic to head and told Miller re- parently appreciated Miller’s humility
the revolutionaries, the priest called for gretfully that he could and his honesty. He seemed to agree
Miller and many others to be hanged not agree to spare his that we may often be as indebted to
in the town square for treason against friend’s life. our enemies, for what they teach us, as
the King of England. But near the end of to our friends.
the war the situation changed, and the Rev. Miller then told
priest was himself arrested for treason Washington that the We wonder, could we be as generous
and sentenced to die by the Colonial priest was not, in fact, with our compassion and our concern
government for conspiring with British his friend. Actually, the for an enemy’s misfortune as Miller
troops. man was his very worst and Washington? It’s hard not to exult
enemy. An amazed in our enemy’s downfall. But what if we
Rev. Peter Miller’s response to this Washington then asked could acknowledge that on a number
turn of events was remarkable. As soon Miller why in the world of points, our adversary may, in fact, be
as he received the news, he walked 60 he would have walked right? Maybe our humility could end an
60 miles to try to save the on-going dispute, or begin a friendship,
life of an enemy. Miller’s or even save a life.
answer gives us pause.
He said he had come to Perhaps we aren’t right about every-
plead for this man’s life thing, after all. And, as people of faith,
because on consideration, on several our uncertainty could sometimes be as
points of their disagreement, the priest faithful and loving as our certainty; and
admitting our fallibility may be the be-
ginning of the greatest wisdom of all. 

BY REV. DRS. CASEY AND BOB BAGGOTT
Columnists

The legend goes that Rev. Peter Miller
was the pastor of a small Baptist church
in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, during the

46 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PETS

Bonz says Solaris is a ‘Golden’ ray of sunshine

Mom’s first said, “We need a sisters, Lua an Nikki. They’re pro-
bly in their room. Lua’s a rescue and
Hi Dog Buddies! dog an I’M whole buncha ex- she has Issues, so we got Nikki as her
Emotional Support Cat. I sometimes
Yapping with puppies is always her second ercise, so we run snatch their toys and toss ’em around,
fun: They’re so energetic an curious just for fun. Cat toys are my favorite. I
an happy. Recently I yapped with So- dog. So, guess with Dad. He’s a like cats, Mr. Bonzo, but I don’t really
laris Anderson-Searle, who’s only 18 understand ’em. They get grumpy for
months old. He’s a handsome, very what, when RUNNER, you Absolutely No Reason At All.”
golden Golden Retriever, an he looks
like he’s all grown up – but he’s still a I was just 8 know. But I have “I hear you,” I said.
total puppy between the ears. “I’m doing Serious Stuff, too. See,
weeks old I got a Hip Thing so I Gabe is a famous Therapy Dog. He
Me an my assistant knocked, an goes all over making people feel Much
TWO Golden Retrievers an a lady an- to fly AN ride a hafta be careful. Better, specially when they’re sad or
swered. One of the pooches was on lonely or stressed. An I’m learning
a leash and was super wiggly. They tram AN a car to I’m not s’pose how to do that, too. Mom’s an Offi-
wore snazzy matching green collars, cial Trainer with Best Behavior Pet
an they looked like each other ’cept get here. It was to jump - at all. Training, an she’s startin’ to take me
the one not on the leash was getting places, too. She takes me out by my-
white around the face and wasn’t as SO fun. I wasn’t I hafta go to a self sometimes so I can Develop My
wiggly. I cleverly surmised that the Own Personality. I’ve already earned
wiggly one on the leash was Solaris. scared or any- spe-shuh-list my Canine Good Citizen and Good
Community Citizen certificates. An
“Good morning,” I said. “I’m Bonzo, thing!” this month I helped Mom foster three Humane
and this is my assistant.” Society puppies. I love doin’ that. We
“Way to go, kid- an he might had Pebbles the Pit Pup over Thanks-
We exchanged Wag-and-Sniffs and giving, and I really wanted her for
the pooch on the leash said, “I’m very do!” I said. “I’m Solaris, GoldPeHnOTRO GeOtRrDiOeNvReArDFORD hafta do a my little sister. We had the Best Time
pleased to meet you, Mr. Bonzo. I’m thinkin’ Gabriel pruhSEED- together, but Mom said a really great
Solaris Anderson-Searle an THIS is was already here, ure when family wanted to adopt her.”
my uncle, Gabriel – he’s famous – an right? So what was I’m a little Heading home, I was thinking
this is my Mom Sheri. My Dad’s Adam. about Solaris, and all his puppy exu-
Mom put my leash on me cuz I keep it like when you first older. So I can’t berance and enthusiasm, and wish-
forgetting to Not Jump Up. There’s so ing we could hold on to that when we
much stuff to learn an I get excited met?” do a-jill-uhtee training like Ga- got older. I always wanna be excited
when we have compnee cuz I LOVE for whatever’s next, don’t you?
compnee. So I forget.” Gabriel, who’d been lying on briel.”
The Bonz
“No worries, Solaris,” I said. “It’s the couch, winked at me. “Yeah, here “Soggy Dog Biscuits!” I sympa-
great to meet you all. Can’t wait to Don’t Be Shy
hear your story.” was this wiggly little fluffmuffin, get- thized.
We are always looking for pets
We sat down in the living room and ting’ in my face, all slurpy, an I’m like, “Me an Gabe like goin’ for car rides. with interesting stories.
Solaris’ Mom took his leash off. Both
pooches gave my assistant a buncha ‘Oh, for Lassie’s sake, another dog. In the back seat we each have our own To set up an interview, email
frenly nose bumps. “So, Solaris,” I [email protected].
said, “tell me how you got your For- Yech!’ But it turns out he’s a pretty side an No Crossin’ Over. We’re gon-
ever Family.”
cool pupperoo. Now it’s like I have a na go up to Ohio to visit Dad’s folks.
“K. Mom an Dad got me at the same
breeder as Gabriel, out in ColoRAdo. little brother, an Mom says we’re like Gabe says they live on this lake with
His Daddy is my Grandaddy. He’s
peanut butter an jelly.” this super ponTOON boat. (He says

Solaris was really intrested in my pontoons are big, fat float-y things.)

notebook, and kept bumpin’ it with Mom an Dad an Gabe go every year.

his nose as he spoke. “Yep. Gabe I’m goin with ’em this year. I can’t

teaches me lotsa important stuff. WAIT! I love swimmin’. An campin’!

Like We Don’t Destroy Our Toys; an An squirrel chasin’. But we don’t get to

our crates are The Best Places in the do that much cuz most of ’em aren’t

World; an where to Do Our Doodie an dumb enough to hang out in our yard.

where to not; an what couch to sit on. Since we’re, you know, BIRD dogs,

Oh, AND Diggin’! Gabe taught me all we love chasin’ birds on the beach,

about Diggin’! I LOVE diggin’! In the ’specially pellycans. Never catch ’em,

sand, an all over the yard, an the flow- though. I also have a shell collection. I

ers ... an ...” bring ’em home from the beach.”

Glancing at their Mom, Gabriel “Wow! That’s Pawsome! Got any

hastily interrupted, “Ummm, hey pooch pals?” I inquired.

there, Solaris, let’s not get into that, “Oh, sure! Riley Schmidt, she’s a

how ’bout …” hound. Remus is a marina dog; an

To help change the subject I asked, Goldie. Her sister Ruby’s from Thai-

“So what do you do for fun?” land, which is way around on the

In between notebook-bumps, he Other Side. Me an Gabe also have cat

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 47

INSIGHT GAMES & CO.

IF DECLARER SLIPS, MAKE HIM PAY NORTH
A984
Benjamin Franklin wrote, “A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the WEST 54 EAST
tongue you may never get over.” 53 J763 QJ72
Q 10 8 6 KQ6 973
A slip of a card may cost you a contract, whether you are the declarer or a defender. It is 42 Q 10 9
important, of course, that when an opponent slips, you make him pay. Do not slide also A 10 9 8 5 SOUTH 732
and give him a chance to regain his footing. K 10 6
AKJ2
In this deal, how should South plan the play in three no-trump after West leads the club AK85
10? J4

That South hand, despite its 19 points, is close to a two-no-trump opening because Dealer: South; Vulnerable: Both
it has seven ace-king points (two for each ace and one for each king). But the weak
doubleton club suggests taking the low road. The Bidding:

South starts with seven top tricks: two spades, two hearts, two diamonds and one club SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
(at trick one). By far the best chance for two more winners is to play on diamonds. After 1 Diamonds Pass 1 Spades Pass
taking the first trick with the club jack, South should cash the diamond ace. Here, when 2 NT Pass 3 NT All Pass LEAD:
West plays low, declarer continues with the king. When everyone follows, declarer plays 10 Clubs
a third round, and he might well end up with an overtrick. This play has an a priori 92.4
percent chance of success. (If West plays the diamond nine or 10 on the first round,
South should next lead a low diamond toward dummy’s jack.)

At the table in a social game, South slipped: He crossed to dummy with a spade at trick
two, then played a heart to his jack. West defended accurately by taking the trick and
leading a second low club to keep communication with his partner. Now the contract
was over.

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48 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

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SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (NOVEMBER 2) ON PAGE 68

ACROSS DOWN
1 Consequently (4) 1 Traffic queue (8)
3 Circular band (4) 2 Natural (8)
9 Lots of paper (5) 4 Musical dramas (6)
10 Not genuine (9) 5 Plot in advance (3-4)
11 Puzzle (5) 6 One-liners (4)
12 A station shop (9) 7 Russian ruler (4)
15 Pillar (6) 8 Burden (4)
17 Smooth out (eyebrows)(6) 13 Maintained firmly (8)
19 Illusion (9) 14 Acts as sub (6,2)
21 Trunk (5) 16 The Virgin Mary (7)
23 Proposes (9) 18 Shrewdness (6)
24 Find out (5) 20 Rosé colour (4)
25 Skin problem (4) 21 Story (4)
26 Norse god (4) 22 Authentic (4)

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 49

INSIGHT GAMES & CO.

ACROSS 67 Go downhill 5 Island off the 79 What’s My Line?
68 Area of San Malay Peninsula regular
1 Sophocles opus
11 Of bees Francisco, ___ 6 Without medical 80 John Lennon
16 Ostentatious Valley care book, ___ in the
69 Semester tester Works
display 71 Tunnels 7 Type of painting
20 Dental floss, for 73 Anesthetic 8 Hold firmly 82 The quicker
75 It “blows up real 9 Night times, in ads waker-upper
one good” 10 Poison indicators
21 1961 monster 76 Predicament 11 Mushroom variety 84 The Newt
78 Sipped 12 Courtesy Network?
movie 81 English elle
22 Russian city 83 Fuente output 13 He played the 87 Coop group
23 Dangling carrots, 84 Dire situation villain in Die Hard 90 More inclined to
85 Card table stake With a Vengeance
perhaps 86 Disposes of listen at doors
24 Word in a Fugard evidence, perhaps 14 Who-knows-how- 91 Beat at a meet
88 McCartney’s long 93 Like fresh bread,
title McCartney
25 Russian river album, e.g. 15 Stats, often: abbr. perhaps
26 Comic strip 89 Like ___ not 16 The Tenant 95 “We’ll see ’em ___
90 Landlord’s dictum director
exclamation 92 Errata first” (King Lear)
27 City on the Rhone 94 Namesakes of 17 Two-word threat 96 Civil War general
28 Bemused looks Alphonse’s friend 18 Darned 97 Follower of “a la”
29 San Antonio 96 Laments 19 Luther and
97 Pulverize Sleuth, e.g. 98 Insect
Peak, formerly 98 Post-jogging 28 The Tin Drum appendages
30 Used a prie-dieu sounds
31 Down-home side 99 Senator Kefauver author 100 Agreement
100 Israel’s foreign 29 Campsite invader 101 Ed’s mouse
dish minister, 1977-79 30 Kitchen whistler 102 Surprise of a sort
32 Becomes aware 101 Connie in The 31 Goldfinger 103 Grafted, in
Godfather
of 102 Place for an ace portrayer heraldry
33 West African river 105 Snobs put them 32 Clinton Cabinet 104 Raze, with “down”
36 Dave Garroway’s on 106 “Did I tell you?”
106 Embattled member 107 Thermos top,
Today show Balkans 33 Crucial situation,
signoff 107 Clavicle often
37 Ran after 109 God, to Gaius in tennis 108 Jack’s home
38 Sartre play, No 110 Restaurant sign, 34 Huffings and
___ “___ Joe’s” The Washington Post
39 Ty Cobb and Al 111 Burkina Faso, puffings
Kaline before 35 Birthday that’s still ANYTHING GOES By Merl Reagle
41 His day is April 25 112 Puzzle man Rubik
43 Home away from 113 Lycidas, for one ten years too early
home, at times 114 Oliver North’s for Willard Scott to
44 Certain notes superior, once notice you
45 Travel like 36 Butter ingredient
Magellan DOWN 37 Less-than-sterling
46 Adherent’s suffix 1 “Bee’s concern grade
49 Rachmaninoff 2 River into Donegal 40 Smooth-talking
work 42 Waterproof cover
51 Moonwalker Bay 47 Collide with
Eugene 3 First word in a 48 Passer-turned-
53 More, to Moreno pitchman
55 Playful fish-eater carol 50 Drives
56 Scottish town 4 Common 51 Navigator’s place
58 Hungarian dog 52 Put the kibosh on
59 Phonograph part contraction 54 Smug ones
60 A Rocky or a Star 57 Brit. letter carrier’s
Trek stop
61 Tar 62 Crude vehicles
64 Up ___ (100 per 63 “Aromatic” boats
cent) 65 Anoints anew
66 Junior Walker’s 70 Tennyson poem
instrument 72 C-rated
74 Black hair, brown
eyes, etc.
77 Icer’s need

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50 Vero Beach 32963 / November 9, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

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Grandma can’t stand daughter-in-law’s standoffishness

STORY BY CAROLYN HAX THE WASHINGTON POST ing her during our visits now, since I cannot tinue to tolerate” limb, and choose to rethink
continue to tolerate what I perceive as her “what I perceive.” Taking Dilly personally makes
Dear Carolyn: I have known rejection of me. you her adversary. Taking her as socially awk-
my daughter-in-law for 14 years, ward, and being consistently warm and kind,
but we have no relationship. We I vacillate between accepting her “as she makes you her ally. Maybe a thaw will never hap-
have never had an argument or is” and being angry at what can only be de- pen, but where’s your best chance that it will?
even any unkind words between scribed as rudeness. Your suggestions?
us. Their son, our only grand- Oh, and about those absentee linens – Dilly
child, is the apple of my eye, – Never Thought It Would Be This Hard and your son are manners challenged. Don’t lay
and we have a wonderful time that all on the girl. 
with him. The problem is that Never Thought It Would Be This Hard:
no matter what I seem to do, my Your son gave you the only answer you
daughter-in-law shuns me. She rarely speaks to need, and an out: This is just the way his
me. If I speak to her she responds with one or two wife is.
words. On a recent visit to their home, there were
no sheets on our bed, no towels and no toilet pa- It’s not the answer you wanted – you
per in the bathroom. I had just sent them a gift for want a warm relationship with your
their anniversary, and it was sitting in the family daughter-in-law (“Dilly”), understandably,
room. She never acknowledged it or thanked us. and TP is nice, and so you were hoping to
I asked my son, in private, what I might do to hear there was something concrete you
improve my relationship with her. He said there were doing wrong and could therefore fix.
is no problem; she’s like that with everyone, she is
just quiet. He seemed annoyed I would even ask. I But it was the second-best answer, and
clarified that if I perceived it to be a problem then also a totally workable one. Your son gave
there was validity in that, but he simply changed you license to accept Dilly as she is. Forget
the subject. whether it’s actually true that “she’s like
I know things could be much worse. She is not that with everyone”; for your purposes, it
mean to me; she does not prevent access to my is. She’s inert matter: not good, not bad,
grandchild or overtly interfere with my relation- just there.
ship with my son. It is just so terribly awkward and
uncomfortable to be around someone who works Let’s put proper emphasis, too, on the “not
so hard to maintain distance. I worry that if I try bad.” You are welcome in the lives of your son
to address this directly with her, I jeopardize what and your grandchild, and I obviously don’t have
I currently have. I sadly find myself simply ignor- to remind you that not everyone with a less-than-
welcoming son- or daughter-in-law is so blessed.

I’d also argue this reframing is not optional.
Your son’s answer is workable only if you choose
not to walk yourself out onto the “I cannot con-