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Published by Vero Beach 32963 Media, 2019-12-26 15:47:49

12/26/2019 ISSUE 52

VB32963_ISSUE52_122619_OPT

Mystery plaintiff sues over
cellphone records. P10
Revelers mingle at
‘Light Up Night.’ P24
Ballet’s in their court at

‘Tea up for Nutcracker.’ P15

For breaking news visit

MY VERO County’s bid to
block train near
BY RAY MCNULTY end of the line

Vero murder mystery
solved after 45 years

Forty-five years after Vero Moxley stepped in as interim superintendent of a school district in disarray, and in seven months got things back on track. PHOTO BY KAILA JONES BY GEORGE ANDREASSI
Beach High School teacher Staff Writer
Jack Rose was shot dead in his Susan Moxley: An ‘absolute blessing’ for our schools
car near the north jetty at the Indian River County’s fed-
Fort Pierce Inlet, the detective BY FEDERICO MARTINEZ in chaos and a frustrated Fast, effective rescue ac- eral court challenge against
who solved the cold case last Staff Writer School Board that spent tion was called for. the Virgin Trains USA pas-
summer was left with mixed most of its time fighting senger train project may have
feelings. When Interim Superinten- amongst itself. “When I was hired, the reached the end of the line.
dent Susan Moxley para- board wasn’t looking for
“I’m glad we were able to chuted into Vero Beach in A dark cloud of distrust someone to hold down the The U.S. Circuit Court of
give the victim’s family a sense May, she found a school hung heavy over school dis- fort until a new superinten- Appeals for the District of Co-
of closure,” St. Lucie County district whose finances were trict employees, students dent could be hired,” said lumbia Friday agreed with the
Sheriff’s Detective Paul Taylor and the community. district court judge who threw
said last week, “but, as a cop, CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 out the county’s complaint
I’d love to put somebody in challenging the train project’s
handcuffs.” federal financial and environ-
mental approvals.
Unfortunately, he can’t.
In this case, the crime was “The bottom line is that the
finally solved but the suspect Final Environmental Impact
was buried four years ago, in Statement for the All Aboard
the Orlando area, after he died Florida (Virgin Trains USA/
in Costa Rica at age 58. Brightline) project clearly com-
Which means Frank Selvag- plies with the requirements of
gi Jr. got away with murder – National Environmental Pol-
while he was alive, anyway. icy Act,” wrote Senior Circuit
But Taylor is confident the Judge Harry T. Edwards for a
former Vero Beach High stu- three-judge panel.
dent killed Rose with a rare,
large-caliber, British-made Indian River County lead-
ers will review the court order,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Cleveland Clinic announces generous Bookkeeper accused of stealing to fund cocaine habit
new parental leave policy for employees
high-end communities, to
BY MICHELLE GENZ announced a similar compa- BY LISA ZAHNER forge 48 checks and steal
Staff Writer nywide benefit for its employ- Staff Writer nearly $70,000 from her
ees who are having babies, employers, according to
As the Florida legislature including at Cleveland Clinic A bad cocaine habit led the allegations against a
prepares to consider two bills Indian River Hospital. a trusted 17-year employee Sebastian woman.
filed earlier this month that of Banov Construction, a
would make businesses give Beginning in April, Cleve- close-knit firm that designs As company bookkeeper,
new parents three months of land Clinic employees will be and builds luxury homes Andrea Lindsay, 44, had
paid leave, Cleveland Clinic eligible for fully paid mater- in Orchid Island and other
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

December 26, 2019 Volume 12, Issue 52 Newsstand Price $1.00 Holidays at
Art Museum
News 1-10 Faith 41 Pets 42 TO ADVERTISE CALL magical. P17
Arts 27-30 Games 43-45 Real Estate 61-72 772-559-4187
Books 40 Health 47-50 St. Ed’s 26
Dining 54 Insight 31-46 Style 51-53 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 38 People 11-25 Wine 55 CALL 772-226-7925

2 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

My Vero “But I went through all the evidence we with him during their junior year of Baird said she believes Selvaggi’s
had, I talked to everyone that I could high school after he beat her up in No- father, Frank Sr., intervened and used
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 and, based on all the facts I was able vember 1973. his influence as a retired Federal Bu-
to gather during my investigation, I’m reau of Narcotics agent to have the
Webley revolver shortly after 9 p.m. on convinced he committed the murder. According to Taylor’s report, wit- charge dropped and any record of the
June 13, 1974. nesses said Meyer returned to school arrest destroyed.
“There’s no other person who with “two black eyes,” and she told
He said the case he built, though would’ve been a realistic suspect,” he him: “The entire school was aware of Taylor said Selvaggi’s father was a
lacking DNA and ballistic evidence, added, “and Frank was the only indi- the incident, and the incident caused “rock star for the feds” and played a
would have been strong enough to es- vidual I could find with a known mo- all the suspects friends to stop speak- major role in the highly publicized ar-
tablish the probable cause necessary tive for killing the victim.” ing to him.” rest of New York mobster Joe Valachi,
to arrest Selvaggi for murder and the who in 1963 broke the mafia’s code
St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office now And that motive was? Baird, who now lives out of state, of silence and testified before a Sen-
considers the case closed. Jealousy. said Selvaggi was arrested and charged ate committee about the organiza-
“He was insanely jealous,” said with battery, but Taylor was unable to tion’s structure, operations, rituals and
“Would [the evidence] be enough to Claudia Baird, whose last name was find any record of such an arrest by the membership.
convict him and send him to prison? Meyer when she dated Selvaggi for a Vero Beach Police Department or the
There’s no way to know,” Taylor said. year-and-a-half before breaking up Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. The elder Selvaggi offered no help to
Taylor’s investigation when the detec-
tive phoned him in late May and tried
to discuss the murder of his son’s math
teacher.

“Usually, a retired cop likes to talk to
other cops,” Taylor said, “but his father
shut me down quick.”

In his report, Taylor wrote that Sel-
vaggi’s father was “uncooperative”
and claimed he knew nothing about
the murder, even though the shooting
made headlines in local newspapers
for months.

“He stated that his son had not spo-
ken to him” for many years, Taylor
wrote, adding that Selvaggi’s father
said he was “not interested in speaking
with me” and hung up.

Selvaggi’s father, who still lives in
Vero Beach, did not return a phone
message left at his home.

Taylor’s report also reveals that Sel-
vaggi’s brother and sister were similarly
unhelpful and said Rose’s murder was
never discussed at home, despite the
news coverage and other students say-
ing the shooting “was all everyone in the
Vero Beach talked about for months.”

Much of that talk revolved around
Selvaggi.

Taylor wrote that Selvaggi’s “close
personal friends” immediately as-
sumed he killed Rose because he was
“violent and would easily be consid-
ered a bully by modern standards,”
and “he had access to and was known
to carry firearms.”

Selvaggi’s friends knew Rose was
upset when Selvaggi beat up Meyer
in November, and knew that Selvaggi
and Rose had gotten into a heated,
verbal altercation three days before
the teacher was killed that started
when Selvaggi accused Rose of being
sexually involved with Meyer.

Everyone, it seems, knew Rose and
Meyer were friendly, and that Selvaggi
was jealous of their relationship.

Baird vehemently denied any sexual
or otherwise improper relationship
with Rose, saying any such rumors
were “absolutely false.” She said she
was a teacher’s pet, straight-A student
and student council member, and that
she knew Rose – the student council
faculty advisor – was fond of her.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 3

“But nothing ever happened between Evidence was missing from the case fore any tests or ballistic comparisons questioned or the notes from those in-
us,” Baird said. file and a gun thought to be the murder were conducted.” terviews were missing.
weapon was never tested for a ballistic
Though she broke up with Selvag- match with the bullets that killed Rose. The report also states: “There was Taylor, who took on the case after
gi immediately after he beat her up, no mention of the firearm, the owner, being placed on light duty due to an
Baird said her ex-boyfriend continued “Lead Detective Browning had lo- the location it was recovered from, or injury, said “there are a lot of ques-
to stalk her throughout high school cated and submitted a Webley .455 any copy of the lab submission in the tions” he’d like to ask Browning.
and beyond. handgun to the Crime lab for ballis- case file.”
tic testing, and then canceled the re- Still, Taylor believes his investiga-
“When I worked at the Ocean Grill, quest,” Taylor wrote in his report. “He Making Taylor’s cold-case investi- tion, which concluded in late July, pro-
he’d be standing outside in the parking removed the firearm from the lab be- gation more challenging was the fact duced enough probable cause to clear
lot, waiting for me,” Baird said. “I’d have that some witnesses were either never
to get the cooks to walk me to my car.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Years later, when she moved to
Georgia, he followed her to Atlanta,
where she said he stood outside her
condo, showed up at her office and
followed her into a store.

“The last time I saw him was 20 years
ago, but I was always worried he’d show
up again,” Baird said. “He was a bad
guy, and I knew he had a gun.”

It wasn’t until she spoke with Tay-
lor during his investigation that she
found out Selvaggi had died.

During his investigation, Taylor
learned that Selvaggi as an adult had
been arrested multiple times in the Or-
lando area on weapons-related charges.

On the fateful night in the summer
of 1974, Rose was shot multiple times,
including once “right between the
eyes at point-blank range,” probably
as he tried to climb out of the passen-
ger window of his car after being shot
in shoulder and crashing into a tree
while trying to flee, Taylor said.

“He was executed,” he added.
The first shot appears to have been
fired from a car parked immediately
to the left of Rose’s car, Taylor said, but
the detective has only theories as to
why Rose was at the inlet – and why
Selvaggi was there, too.
But he’s convinced Selvaggi was there.
According to Taylor’s report Sel-
vaggi matched the description of the
man witnesses saw running from the
victim’s vehicle, and the car Selvaggi
drove – a blue Oldsmobile Delta 88 –
matched one witness’ description of
the shooter’s vehicle.
The detective assigned to the case
in 1974 wrote on a napkin that sur-
vived the decades, “Hit made by a kid
named Frank,” who was driving a blue
or green Thunderbird or LTD.
The note prompted Taylor to sur-
mise that Selvaggi’s Oldsmobile “could
have easily been mistaken for the
other model vehicles in the low-light,
evening hours” when the murder was
committed.
Overall, the initial investigation
conducted by St. Lucie County Sher-
iff’s Detective Richard Browning, who
died years ago, raises questions and
adds to the lingering mystery that sur-
rounds the crime.
Even though Selvaggi’s name was
listed numerous times in the original
case file, there was no record of him
ever being interviewed by Browning
or other detectives.

4 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

My Vero 2018. Lindsay was paid by direct de- Lindsay was staying in Fort Pierce and nized Fraud of $50,000 or more, the
posit, so there was no legitimate need attempted to interview her, but she third-degree felony of Forgery of a
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 for paper checks made out to her, the was uncooperative, referring them to Bank Check, and the third-degree felo-
warrant affidavit states. her attorney. ny of Uttering a Forged Instrument.
the case, even if most of his evidence is
circumstantial. “Ms. Banov said Ms. Lindsay was However, before she entered rehab, Lindsay was arrested on Dec. 10 and
writing checks to herself for various Lindsay left behind incriminating is now out of jail on $30,000 bond. Her
“There are a lot of people sitting in amounts and forging Robert Banov’s statements of guilt that could possibly arraignment is set for February when
prison because of circumstantial evi- signature,” the affidavit states. be used against her if entered into evi- she’ll be asked to enter a plea.
dence, so, as far as I’m concerned, the dence in a trial.
case is closed,” he said. “But as I told Police say Lindsay presented checks Assistant State Attorney Michelle
the families: If somebody came for- to Robert Banov out of numerical or- “Mr. and Mrs. Banov said they con- McCarter is prosecuting the state’s
ward and said they had information der and that’s what triggered some red fronted Ms. Lindsay about the scheme case and Vero defense attorney Bobby
about the case, I’d listen – because flags. When Amy Banov showed police on Aug. 14, 2019 and she confessed to Guttridge signed on last week to rep-
there are still some unanswered photocopies of some of the checks that forging the checks and cashing them resent Lindsay. He did not respond to
questions.”  were cashed at CenterState Bank, court at CenterState Bank. I was provided calls and messages requesting com-
records say the signatures “were differ- a copy of the confession letter she ment about the case. 
Bookkeeper accused of theft ent than Mr. Banov’s legal signature.” signed. The confession was also wit-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 nessed by another employee, Scott Cleveland Clinic
“Mr. Banov said he didn’t sign or Taylor,” the affidavit states. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
full access to all Banov Construction’s authorize any of the checks Ms. Lind-
bank accounts, court records say, so it say cashed. He also said that he wrote “Another letter was signed by the par- nity and paternity leave. New mothers
took some time for the extent of the her some personal checks from his ties stating that Ms. Lindsay owes Banov will get eight weeks of maternity leave
year-long fraud to unravel. private checking account and that Construction $55,610 and she intends plus four weeks of parental leave; the
she changed the amount payable and to pay them back,” records show. other parent will get four weeks of pa-
It was only after Lindsay was out of cashed them,” police reports say. rental leave.
the office and in a drug rehabilitation The affidavit states that the Banovs
facility that the full tally of missing Records show Amy Banov told po- were advised, after “consulting vari- “Paid family leave offers economic
money came into clear view. lice Lindsay “became sick last year and ous people on the situation” to file a security and peace of mind to families
has since become addicted to pow- police report, and that led Vero de- during one of life’s most significant
Vero Beach police were called to dered cocaine.” tectives to open their investigation events. And it has a positive effect on
the offices of Banov Construction in August. As more bank documents the health and well-being of both the
on August 16 after architect and co- Vero Beach Police Department de- came in and were compiled, the de- mother and the newborn,” said Cleve-
owner Amy Banov discovered the ini- tectives, including Det. Lee Evans who tectives were able to get an arrest land Clinic CEO and president Tom
tial forged checks dating back to April led the Ira Hatch fraud investigation, warrant, signed on Nov. 25 by Judge Mihaljevic in announcing the paid
and Det. Kyle Edder, worked with the Nicole Menz.
Banovs to collect and assemble docu-
ments related to the alleged fraud. Lindsay has been initially charged
Detectives went to the rehab where with the first-degree felony of Orga-

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 5

leave benefits. “I am incredibly proud “Regardless of the way that one be- organizations would “follow the path Vero hospital said in a statement.
Cleveland Clinic can offer this benefit comes a parent, the time spent with that we are charting.” The news came on the heels of two
to our caregivers and their families.” the child is of paramount impor-
tance,” he said. “Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hos- major parental leave initiatives, one
The policy covers same-sex couples, pital is excited about this benefit for national and one at the state level.
adoptive parents and surrogate par- Mihaljevic cited Cleveland Clinic’s eligible new parents. It is one more Last week, while the country was dis-
ents, according to Mihaljevic, who was “responsibility to advocate for what is way to care for our caregivers, their tracted by impeachment hearings, the
interviewed by Cleveland.com. right,” and added that he hoped other families, and our youngest ones,” the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

6 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

Cleveland Clinic employees must use available hours weeks of paid leave, expanded from Susan Moxley
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 in their “paid time off bank.” They can two weeks in 2018. In April, Cleveland
also use short-term disability, accord- Clinic will become the second large CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
U.S. House and Senate quietly passed ing to a statement by the hospital. employer to offer the benefit.
the Federal Parental Leave Bill giving Moxley, whose last day with the dis-
12 weeks paid leave to federal govern- The Family and Medical Leave Act, The seventh largest employer, Se- trict was Dec. 19. “The district was
ment employees. a major initiative of President Bill bastian River Medical Center, did not bleeding badly. They needed some-
Clinton that was signed into law in respond to queries, but online ben- one to come in and get the work done
According to Forbes magazine, the 1993, applies to organizations with 50 efits listed for Steward Health, the immediately – and that’s what I tried
new law, if signed by President Trump, or more employees, or about 60 per- hospital’s owner, did not include paid to do.”
would affect some 2 million federal cent of the workforce. parental leave.
workers, with the U.S. government the In the eyes of the School Board and
largest employer in the nation. Currently in effect, it grants unpaid Andrea Berry of Healthy Start hopes others in the district, Moxley was bril-
leave of 12 weeks to workers to be other businesses take their cue from liantly successful.
And in Tallahassee, two bills, one with a new baby, take care of a seri- Cleveland Clinic.
in the House and one in the Senate, ously ill family member, or to recover “Dr. Moxley has been an abso-
were filed this month to establish from an illness; 75 percent of workers “My hope is that the Cleveland Clin- lute blessing to Indian River County
a three-month paid parental leave use the leave for those last two cat- ic sets the standard for parental leave Schools,” said School Board member
statewide. The proposed Florida egories, not for new babies. The law on the Treasure Coast and all busi- Jacqueline Rosario. “She came to our
Family Leave Act would apply to also guarantees that the employee’s nesses follow suit,” said Berry. “Par- district at a time when healing was
employers with 15 or more workers job will be protected. Workers must enting is a job worth doing right.” desperately needed and that is exactly
and would require that the employ- have been employed by the entity for what she has accomplished.”
ee have worked for a year and a half at least 12 months and have worked According to healthaffairs.org, a
with the company. The bills will be 1,250 hours in those months. leading journal of health policy re- The most pressing problem was
debated in the upcoming legislative search, “studies on paid family leave the school district’s finances, which
session and if passed, would take ef- Less than a fifth of U.S. workers are in the U.S. and other developed were in disarray, Moxley told Vero
fect July 1, 2020. offered paid leave through their em- countries indicate short- and long- Beach 32963 in an exclusive inter-
ployers. term health benefits of leave taking view last week.
Currently, new parents working at for children and mothers ... [that
Cleveland Clinic Indian River can get In Indian River County, of the six include] a decreased incidence of The school district had been oper-
time off, but it is unpaid, as mandat- largest employers – the school dis- low birthweight and preterm births, ating for months without a chief fi-
ed by the federal Family and Medical trict, Cleveland Clinic Indian River, increased breast-feeding, reduced nancial officer, and a series of poor fi-
Leave Act. the county government, Piper Air- rates of hospitalizations among in- nancial decisions and blunders by her
craft, Publix and Walmart – only one fants, improved maternal health ... predecessor, Superintendent Mark
To receive pay during their leave, offers paid parental leave at present. and large reductions in infant mor- Rendell, had left the general fund dan-
That one, Walmart, gives parents six tality rates.”  gerously low.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 7

To make matters worse, nobody untouched in accounts no one had department and administrator and or- trators and other school employees.
knew how much money the district been aware of. der them to cooperate with the NAACP “My goal was to establish trust and
actually had, which stymied admin- and Equity Committee.
istrators’ efforts to prepare a 2019-20 Other hidden problems uncovered transparency,” Moxley told Vero Beach
school year budget, she said. included a letter notifying the district its Her actions were in stark contrast 32963. “I never wanted the board to be
bond rating had been lowered – some- to Rendell, who spent more than surprised by anything.”
“We had been existing as an organi- thing that could make future borrowing $775,000 of taxpayer dollars on legal
zation without several key positions – more expensive and possibly jeopar- fees struggling to convince a federal She took the same approach with
a CFO and human resources director,” dize capital projects such as new school judge the district had achieved com- the community.
Moxley said. “Those were positions buildings. pliance with the desegregation order
that needed to be filled immediately.” and should be released from oversight. “I’m a very face-to-face person,” Mox-
The letter was addressed to the ley said. “I need to see and hear people
With the board’s approval, Moxley School Board, but Rendell had never Moxley’s style and efforts were quick- and see where they are coming from so
posted the jobs and began taking ap- shown it to board members. ly applauded and consistently sup- that I can help solve problems.”
plications almost immediately upon ported by the School Board throughout
her arrival. Moxley declined to criticize Rendell her dramatic seven-month tenure. That approach was vital to helping
directly – she refuses to mention his the community recover and begin to
But the district’s financial problems name – but her actions as Interim Su- “Dr. Moxley served our school dis- come together after Rendell’s traumat-
couldn’t wait. With the assistance of perintendent speak louder than words. trict with dignity through a rough time, ic tenure, said board member Rosario.
a grant from the Florida Association and did so with grace, and for that, I
of School Superintendents, Moxley By the end of June, she reversed a will be forever grateful to her,” said “Although we are not where we
hired a financial consultant to help flurry of personnel move’s Rendell board member Teri Barenborg. ought to be, we certainly are not where
her begin untangling the district’s fi- made on his way out the door after his we were, thanks to Dr. Moxley’s hard
nances and start work on a new bud- contract was not renewed – including Unlike Rendell, who had a brash, work and dedication. I once said she
get while the search for a new CFO rehiring staff the former superinten- secretive style of leadership, Moxley was heaven sent in jest, but the reality
was underway. dent had fired. took a much different approach. Upon is, she really has been heaven sent.”
her arrival, she began inviting board
She and the consultant soon found “I base my decisions on what I think members to meet one-on-one with Moxley said she too is pleased with
that Rendell had been taking restricted is best for the district,” Moxley ex- her weekly, to discuss concerns and the progress made but isn’t perfectly
money from other parts of the budget plained at the time. share ideas. satisfied.
to bolster the general fund and make it
look healthier than it was. Moxley was also quick to embrace Her open-door policy also encour- “In any job, you say, ‘I should have
working with the NAACP and the dis- aged school employees, parents and the done this, or that,’” she said. “But we –
At the same time, after Ronald Fa- trict’s Equity Committee to begin bring- community to visit. When she wasn’t the board, the district and community
gan was hired as CFO, it was discov- ing the district into compliance with a hosting office meetings, she frequently – have accomplished a great deal.”
ered there were hundreds of thou- 52-year-old federal desegregation order. stopped by district schools to meet and
sands of dollars mysteriously sitting talk with students, teachers, adminis- As she departs, Moxley is confident
One of the first thing’s Moxley did new SuperintendentDavidMoorehasthe
after arriving was to meet with every ability to continue and extend the prog-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

8 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

Susan Moxley County enough that she briefly con-
sidered applying for the full-time su-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 perintendent job.

ress made over the past seven months In the end, she decided it would be
and take the district to new heights. best to return to her home in St. Au-
gustine to spend time with her family,
“We have someone who has enor- including her elderly mother.
mous instructional background,
strong leadership skills and can hit the She plans to do some traveling this
ground running,” Moxley said. “He’s a spring and return to teaching doctorial
great communicator and very consis- classes.
tent about children and learning be-
ing the top priority. Moxley doesn’t rule out the possibil-
ity of serving as an interim superin-
“If anything comes up . . . he will ad- tendent at another district in need of
dress it.” triage in the future, but she’s not ac-
tively seeking employment.
Moxley capped her long educational
career by serving as a school superin- “I’m very grateful to Indian River
tendent in another Florida district for for giving me this opportunity,” Mox-
a decade before retiring two years ago. ley said. “If this happens to be my last
opportunity – then what a way to go
She enjoyed her time in Indian River out.” 

County’s bid to block train VTUSA plans to start construction
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 on a new 1,625-foot-long railroad
bridge across the St. Sebastian River
consult with their legal team and de- in 2020.
cide whether to take the appeal all the
way to the U.S. Supreme Court, said The 30-month-long project in-
county spokesman Brian Sullivan. cludes impact driving of sheet pile
wall elements which area residents
County Commissioner Tim Zorc fear will damage their homes.
said he wants to hear County Attor-
ney Dylan Reingold’s analysis of the VTUSA started service between
appellate decision before deciding West Palm Beach and Fort Lauder-
whether he supports seeking high dale in January 2018 and added Mi-
court review. ami that May.

“We’re disappointed,” Zorc said. By the end of 2022, VTUSA plans to
“We’ll review our options. run 34 passenger trains per day be-
tween Orlando and Miami, with speeds
“That will probably be something reaching 110 mph in Indian River
we’ll have to have a discussion on; County, though that timeframe has re-
looking at what other options are out peatedly been pushed back.
there.”
There are 23 railroad crossings
A Virgin Trains spokesman, Mi- in Indian River County with several
chael Hicks, acknowledged the court in downtown Vero Beach within 20
victory but declined to comment on feet of heavily traveled U.S. 1. All are
the ruling or what it means for the scheduled for safety improvements to
project. accommodate passenger trains travel-
ing 80-to-110 mph.
A loss at the federal appellate level is
frequently tantamount to losing a case Still pending is the county’s state
because the U.S. Supreme Court re- lawsuit asking a judge to declare that
views so few appeals. Just 100-to-150 Indian River County is not required
of 7,000 appeals submitted annually to reimburse VTUSA and Florida East
are chosen by the high court, its web Coast Railway for the construction
page says. and maintenance of railroad crossings
for higher-speed trains.
Indian River County has spent near-
ly $4 million on court cases challeng- Florida East Coast Railway is leas-
ing various aspects of the passenger ing tracks to VTUSA between Miami
rail project originally called All Aboard and Cocoa. Virgin Trains is building
Florida and later rebranded Brightline new tracks along State Road 528/
and Virgin Trains USA. Beachline Expressway from Cocoa to
Orlando International Airport.
The death knell for the federal
court challenge could mark the end Indian River County started fighting
of hopes to block Virgin Trains’ $2.4 the passenger rail project in earnest
billion construction of high-speed late in 2014 after it hired the Bryan
passenger rail tracks from Orlando Cave law firm and began filing legal
to West Palm Beach through Indian actions.
River County.
In the just decided federal appeal,
Railroad construction crews worked Philip Karmel, a Bryan Cave senior
along the tracks in Sebastian this partner, argued the case and filed the
month between the Roseland Road briefs for Indian River County.
railroad crossing and the 93-year-old
St. Sebastian River Railroad Bridge. The case started in February 2018
when Indian River County filed a
federal complaint claiming the U.S.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 9

Department of Transportation im- ruling U.S. DOT met the require- “The District Court’s opinion, which reasonably determined that the proj-
properly issued $1.15 billion in tax- ments for approving the tax-exempt offers an impressively thorough and ect qualifies for tax-exempt PAB fi-
exempt bonds and conducted an in- Private Activity Bonds and the Envi- thoughtful examination of the record, nancing,” Edwards wrote.
adequate environment review of the ronmental Impact Statement for the and which we endorse, is more than
passenger rail project. passenger rail project. sufficient,” Edwards wrote for the “We also hold that the Environmen-
court. tal Impact Statement for the Project
U.S. Judge Christopher Cooper dis- The Dec. 20 appellate court order adheres to the commands of National
missed the case in December 2018 backed Cooper’s decision to the hilt. “We hold that DOT permissibly and Environmental Policy Act.” 

10 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

Mystery plaintiff sues school district over cellphone records

BY RAY MCNULTY provide to the plaintiff the documents, Flowers, who is a candidate for exchanged numerous text messages
Staff Writer including any communications that sheriff, launched a four-month cyber- about the cyberstalking investigation.
have been deleted from her iPhone as stalking investigation requested by
An anonymous plaintiff has filed a well as those stored in the iCloud ac- Justice earlier this year, when a school There is no obvious similar connec-
lawsuit alleging the school district has count that backs up the device. district employee posted tweets im- tion between Justice and Zudans.
withheld public records – specifically plying Justice had an inappropriate
text messages, emails, photos, notes In particular, the plaintiff’s lawsuit relationship with now-former Schools “I don’t really have anything to do
and logs – from board member Tiffany targets phone and message logs for Superintendent Mark Rendell. with the School Board, so I don’t know
Justice’s district-issued cellphone. Justice’s communications with Sher- what they’re looking for,” Zudans said,
iff’s Maj. Eric Flowers and former Vero Justice and Flowers are friends and adding he and Justice are friendly
The lawsuit, filed last week, is seeking Beach Mayor Val Zudans between De- she has publicly endorsed him in the but not close friends. “It’s probably a
a court order to compel the district to cember 2018 and October 2019. sheriff’s race. They are known to have fishing expedition by somebody who
doesn’t like the three of us.”

The plaintiff, identified only as
“John Doe, aka saveverobeach@gmail.
com” in the court filing, claims the
district has refused or ignored nu-
merous and repeated requests for the
documents made last month under
Florida’s public records law.

In addition to a court order for the re-
quested records, the plaintiff also is ask-
ing the judge to order the district to pay
his attorney’s fees, administrative costs
and any “further relief as this court may
deem appropriate,” the lawsuit states.

The school district, school dis-
trict superintendent (now Dr. David
Moore), School Board and Justice are
named as defendants in the lawsuit.

School district Public Information
Officer Cristen Maddux said the dis-
trict “does not comment on open liti-
gation.” Justice did not respond to a
text message seeking comment.

The plaintiff’s Rockledge-based at-
torney, Catherine Jones, did not return
multiple phone calls to her law office.

The case has been assigned to Cir-
cuit Court Judge Janet Croom in In-
dian River County.

The lawsuit states the plaintiff made
“numerous public records requests” on
Nov. 12 and Nov. 13 related to Justice’s
use of her district-provided cellphone,
electronic mail account and social me-
dia accounts, but the district had pro-
duced only one of the many records
sought at the time the lawsuit was filed.

According to the lawsuit, Justice
received the record requests and for-
warded them to Brenda Davis, the
superintendent’s administrative as-
sistant and designated “custodian” of
public records requests presented to
the district.

As of last week, the records still
hadn’t been provided.

Under Chapter 119 of the Florida
Statutes – more commonly known as
the “Public Records Law” – any records
made or received by any public agency
in the course of its official business are
available for inspection, unless specifi-
cally exempted by the Legislature.

Those records include tapes, voice
recordings, photographs, film and re-
cords stored in computers, cellphones
and other devices. 

BALLET’S IN THEIR COURT AT
‘TEA UP FOR THE NUTCRACKER’ P. 15

12 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Fleet of fancy at Christmas Lighted Boat Parade

Pat and Chet Kaletkowski with Anita Thomas. Craig Lopes, Clint Black, Vince DeTurris and George Bryant. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Peggy Hinrichs, Bobbee Larsson and Cris Jamison.

Wade David, Megan Hill, Brynn Hill, Ezra McManus, Sarah Rothman with daughter Emily. Indian River Charter High School Show Choir. Charlie, Nora and Claire Davenport with Santa.
Logan Hill and James McManus. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF a holiday performance by the Indi- the decorations, as viewers in the
Staff Writer an River Charter High School Show tightly knit community called out to
Choir, the annual tree lighting and their boating friends.
Santa’s ship finally sailed in at the the boat parade.
2019 Christmas Lighted Boat Parade, Under the watchful eye of the
presented by the Moorings Yacht Father Richard Murphy from Holy Indian River County Sheriff’s Of-
Club, Moorings Club, Moorings Re- Cross Catholic Church blessed the fice Marine Patrol, the Youth Sail-
alty Sales Company and Moorings of fleet and the waterways to safeguard ing Foundation’s safety boat and
Vero Property Owners Association. the captains and crew members on various Moorings residents’ craft
their journeys. Cannons announced twinkled alongside each other as
Now in its 45th year, the annual the arrival of the holiday armada as they floated by. Boats were adorned
boat parade is a treasured family boats made their way from Compass with everything from a lighted rein-
tradition that kicks off the holiday Cove, led by a United States Coast deer to Santa and his friends, with
season in style. Three years after Guard cutter. outriggers strung to their very tips.
it first began, the spectacle transi- In some boats, even crew members
tioned from a daytime event to an Hardy crews had weathered the wore lighted suits.
evening display, thanks to advance- stormy gales of the previous day,
ments in lighting and power sources many having to re-deck the halls of “We like to bring the entire Moor-
that allowed for mobile light shows. their vessels. A collection of yachts, ings together for a fun time to help
pontoon boats, fishing boats and build community,” said George Bry-
Landlubbers, many arriving by more made their way to the viewing ant, parade organizer. “We try and
foot, bicycle or golf cart, gathered area, set up along the Cutlass Cove draw in as many boats as we can.
at dusk for refreshments and good seawall. The amount of work that goes into
cheer, giving children a chance to getting these boats decorated is in-
visit with Santa Claus and frolic on Emcee Vince DeTurris gave a run- credible, and this year a lot of them
the golf course before settling in for ning dialogue, including details had to do it twice.” 
about the watercraft, the crew and



14 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 15

PEOPLE

Ballet’s in their court at ‘Tea Up for the Nutcracker’

from Dodgertown and Fellsmere el- ing out to this population and provid-
ementary schools will perform along- ing them with a holiday arts experi-
side the professional dancers in “Nut- ence that these families can come to
cracker on the Indian River.” together,” said Schnell.

New this year, BVB will present a “Nutcracker on the Indian River” per-
special, abbreviated “Nutcracker for formances will take place at 8 p.m. Dec.
All” performance underwritten by 30 and 2 p.m. Dec. 31 at the Vero Beach
Quail Valley Charities for differently- High School Performing Arts Center. The
abled members of the community. “Nutcracker for All” production will take
place at 2 p.m. Dec. 29. For more infor-
“We are the only professional arts mation, visit balletverobeach.org. 
organization in the area that is reach-

Adam Schnell with Linda Downey Maria Whittle with Xaque Gruber and
and Camilo Rodriguez. Stacey Logan Lewis. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF
Staff Writer

Pirouettes, pliés and relevés were on PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
the menu during the fourth annual Tea
Up for the Nutcracker luncheon last Katie Guettler and Carol Corr.
Saturday afternoon at the Oak Harbor
Club to benefit the numerous Ballet cans. Guests enjoyed a light luncheon,
Vero Beach education and outreach perused auction items and purchased
programs. last-minute chances for an elegant
Jose Hess diamond necklace, gener-
“At Ballet Vero Beach, our mission is ously donated by Leigh Jewelers.
to promote the art of dance as a uni-
versal language in our community and After the show, the big kids in the
beyond. And we do that through per- crowd indulged in champagne and
formances by our professional resident gourmet desserts, while the little
company, our education and commu- ones scurried off to play miniature
nity outreach initiatives, and perfor- golf, decorate cookies and have a
mances by reputable national and in- chat with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
ternational dance artists,” said Adam
Schnell, artistic director/CEO. “We’re trying to raise awareness,”
said Schnell. “To get out of the the-
Student performers from the up- ater and show people that we do
coming “Nutcracker on the Indian more than just productions.”
River” productions gave attendees a
preview of the good things to come BVB provides free mainstage pro-
before event sponsors, toting and duction tickets to 16 different social
walking with their adorable children service nonprofits in Indian River
and grandchildren, walked the run- County, as well as providing educa-
way clad in festive holiday attire from tional programming to schools and
Casp Baby, GT Rhodes, Lily Pad, Sara local nonprofits. This year, children
Campbell, Sassy Boutique and Vernon
Scott.

The second act of the production is
set on the shores of the Indian River
Lagoon circa 1919 and, through a
partnership with the Indian River
Land Trust, Ballet Vero Beach has
been able to share information about
the lagoon’s health and the environ-
ment.

Tables were adorned with Christ-
mas greenery interspersed with crus-
taceous treasures, tying the ballet
classic with such lagoon-centric crea-
tures as turtles, manatees and peli-

16 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 Carrie Adams, Kelly Grant Holm and Maj. Eric Flowers. Jane Schwiering, Gena Grove, Andrew Harper and Marsha Sherry.
Taylor Weeks, Susan Perry, Debbie Bergstresser and Cindy O’Dare.

Kathy Duncombe, Jann Jerkins and Mary Replogle. Gunilla Stone, Britt-Marie Paul, Lynn Miller and Maryann Braden. Fran Pieck and Karen Lloyd with Dr. Paul and Denise Minotty.

Kelsey Lester and daughter Myra Lester. Audrey Elliott and Henley Lowe.

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Cristina Pines, Charlie Ernst and Madeline Chavers. Tammy Theoharis and Deana Marchant.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 17

PEOPLE

‘Holidays at the Museum’: Magical and magnifique!

Brice Broderick and Sophia Broderick. Alexandra Blouin.

Cullen Etheridge and Cayden Etheridge. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

Teri Lally with Dennise Lally. Madelyn Plank and Sierra Goldstein.

James Bell. Katie Vasiliu and Amy Vasiliu.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF To encourage interest in the art-
Staff Writer work, docents and dozens of volun-
teers steered the attendees into the
The season of celebrating was en- various activities, including an art
ergized with a bit of a Parisian flair hunt that took the fun outdoors into
recently, during the Vero Beach Mu- the Beckwith Sculpture Park.
seum of Art’s annual Holidays at the
Museum event. Local school choirs performed tra-
ditional holiday music, spreading
The favorite family-friendly holi- good cheer and wishing guests a Joy-
day festival is the museum’s gift to the eux Noël, along with nonprofit groups
community as a way to ensure that who showed off their skills at various
the arts are accessible to all. spots throughout the entire museum.
From ballet and karate demonstra-
“This year, we designed activities to tions to singers and musicians, the
get people a little bit more engaged,” entertainment options offered some-
said Denise Giannino, VBMA public thing for everyone to enjoy.
programs manager. “We’re hoping
to meld fun family activities of art- The sounds of a variety of craft-
making with the art that we have in making filled the Education Wing stu-
our collection or on loan to us. We’re dios, where creative little hands tried
doing some new activities to tie more out easel painting and constructing
directly into our special exhibition. Eiffel Towers, alongside other young-
We’re making an effort to engage the sters making holiday-themed snow
whole community.” globes and popsicle ornaments.

Activities this year were influenced The next exhibit at the VBMA, ‘From
by the museum’s current exhibi- Homer to Hopper: American Art from
tion, ‘L’Affichomania: The Passion for the Phillips Collection,’ opens Feb. 1
French Posters,’ on display through and runs through May 31.
Jan. 12, as well as pieces from the mu-
seum’s permanent collection. For more information, visit vbmu-
seum.org. 

18 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 Tangerine Performance Group from Imagine Schools South Vero. Vero Beach Karate Association.
Gary Hurst, Nathan Hurst and Sue Chadeayne.

Rhythm & Soul Dancers. Rosewood Magnet Panther Performers. Tennessee Callie with children Thomas and Leo.

Jackie Farrell and Laura Moss. Maryanne Bohlinger.

Kathy Schlitt and Chris Maggiore. Pat Gabaldon and Denise Giannino.



20 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Heaping of hope at Women’s Refuge Christmas Banquet

BY KERRY FIRTH
Correspondent

Messages of hope, joy, love and PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
healing were eloquently delivered
by staff, volunteers and special Jeanine Harris, Donna Robard, Rebekah Lyons, Diane Ludwig. Chuck and Ann Bateman with Pat and Bill Marine. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE
guest speaker Rebekah Lyons at the
second annual Christmas Banquet remind us who we are and what Down syndrome daughter from connect and breathe.
to benefit the Women’s Refuge of we are destined to do,” said Lyons. China. Her message blended perfectly
Vero Beach. “My first lesson was when I was told
that my first-born child had Down “Now we have Down syndrome with the mission of Women’s Ref-
Nearly 300 guests gathered at the syndrome. After being thrown into bookends, and they bring so much uge to provide a live-in Chris-
Oak Harbor Club, where they en- a world of coping with a special joy into our lives,” said Lyons with tian program where emotionally
joyed a delicious dinner and inspi- needs child, I clearly saw what un- enthusiasm. and spiritually wounded women
rational music by choir members of conditional love was all about.” and families can find sanctuary
the Calvary Chapel Fellowship in Lyons shared her most intimate through biblical counseling in resi-
St. Petersburg and the Calvary Cha- After having another son and struggles with such severe panic at- dential and community outreach
pel in Vero Beach. daughter, she thought her fam- tacks that she was homebound and programs.
ily was complete. But, she said, afraid to f ly, drive or even ride in an
Lyons, a mother of four, is the God had another plan. The couple elevator. She spelled out the four “I actually got the calling from
bestselling author of “You are Free, learned of and adopted a beautiful simple rhythms that have helped God to open a women’s sanctu-
Freefall to Fly” and “Rhythms of her find inner peace: rest, restore, ary in 1972 but it took me 25 years
Renewal.” She shared her own per-
sonal journey of dealing with de-
pression and anxiety before being
renewed after a complete surrender
to God.

“God has a plan for us before
we are even born, and He will put
people and events in our paths to

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 21

PEOPLE

to actually do it,” chuckled Donna Carol Lopez, their new finance “I just finished my two-year pro- terrified. The Women’s Refuge
Robart, who founded the organiza- director, is a true testament to the gram with the refuge,” said Lopez. nursed me through the grief and
tion in 1997. “But since it took Mo- program. In addition to her new “I was overcome with grief and anx- pain and, through the teachings of
ses 40 years, I guess it’s not so bad. job, Lopez is working on complet- iety, as my mother had just been di- Christ, I have found new direction
We have seven counselors and all of ing a counseling program to be able agnosed with metastasized breast and joy in my life.”
our teachings are based on Christ to assist Hispanics in their native cancer and I had lost two children
and scripture.” language. to tragic accidents. I was lost and For more information, visit wom-
ensrefugevb.org. 

22 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 Bambi and Dave Simigran with Bonnie Martinelli. Chad and Mary Elberson with Lanie and Tim Bishop.
Francie Kirkpatrick, Langie Mannion and Nat Jackson.

Jackie and Richard Johnson.

Chuck and Anne Erickson.

Bill and Carol Windsor.
Sue Holbrook and Rebecca Calahan.



24 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Revelers mingle, jingle at Sebastian’s ‘Light Up Night’

BY KERRY FIRTH dozens of festival vendors, who wel- Jody McKenna and Liz Brzozowski. ta, holding court on the porch of Café
Correspondent comed everyone with refreshments, Latte da. “Families are out walking
games, raffles and holiday cheer. and visiting with neighbors, strangers
The magic of Christmas filled the are wishing each other Merry Christ-
streets of Sebastian during the 31st an- Santa was very busy throughout the mas, and everyone is just enjoying
nual Light Up Night, coordinated by the night, making appearances at various this perfect Florida evening. This is
Sebastian River Area Chamber of Com- businesses along the way. Anywhere the true spirit of Christmas.”
merce. Throngs of revelers dressed in he landed, children were quick to jump
their merriest holiday attire – and com- on his lap to ask for presents; others just Even the Grinch was in a jolly mood
fortable walking shoes – strolled along shyly greeted him as he strolled about as he posed for photos and mingled
U.S. 1 visiting nearly 50 businesses and town. with the crowd in front of Paradise
Florist.
“This is such a great event,” said San-
When asked whether he planned
to steal Christmas this year, he an-
swered, “No … I’ve learned my lesson.
Cindy Lou Who is a tough cookie and
even I don’t want to go head to head
with her again. The turnout tonight
reminds me of Whoville with every-
one laughing and smiling and having
fun. Even a Grinch like me can’t ruin
this holiday spirit.”

Families also lined up for photo ops
with Rudolph and his sleigh at a selfie
spot behind the Sebastian River Area
Chamber of Commerce. Standing next
to Rudolph were the real-life heroes of
a Sebastian community outreach pro-
gram, who were serving snow cones
while showing off their mobile units.

“We are part of the C.O.R.E. team,”
said Jason Gillette. “C.O.R.E. stands
for Community Oriented Policing En-
deavor. We form alliances with busi-
nesses and residents while teaching
proactive protection through com-
munity education and involvement.
An evening like this gives us a chance
to interact with the community and
meet the children in a non-threat-
ening way. It’s just great to be part of
such a joyous occasion.”

The crowd-pleasing Sebastian River
High School Sharks Band drew a large
audience as they played Christmas
carols outside of the Sebastian River
Medical Center. Other bands had been
staged strategically along the route,
so there was always music in the air,
adding to the melody of laughter and
greetings from everyone there.

Light Up Night was first introduced
by the Sebastian River Area Chamber
of Commerce 31 years ago as a way
to encourage residents to shop local.
It has grown exponentially through
the years and is now a favorite family
event for locals and visitors alike.

By the end of the evening, many of
the attendees had walked more than
they usually do, and younger children
were being balanced on their parents’
shoulders as folks found their way
back to their cars. With tummies full
of goodies and hearts filled with joy,
all were in agreement that it had been
a very good night indeed. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 25

PEOPLE

Sue Skirvin and Amber Batchelor. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES

Susan Dart with the Grinch.

Randy and Elaine McNeal.

Mikayla Lamb and Morgan Macleary.

26 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ST. EDWARD’S

Stanford next stop in Oakes’ splashy rowing journey

BY RON HOLUB Kylie Oakes. youth nationals regatta we placed I hope to make the team again, and
fourth in a quad and fifth in the pair. medal this time.”
Correspondent letes selected for the Southeast Region
team. Events like that allowed me to “In the meantime I was thinking Something else was stirring the wa-
When St. Ed’s senior Kylie Oakes broaden my experience in the rowing about the summer and how I really ters during this frenzied period. Col-
sustained a broken wrist in the fall of world. After that I decided to make a wanted to be selected for the U.S. Ju- lege was looming on the horizon.
her junior year, she was concerned change. nior National Team. I got my invitation
that her burgeoning desire to row for to a selection camp right after we won “I didn’t start talking to Stanford un-
a competitive college program had “I left Vero Beach Rowing and joined regionals and went to nationals. til late in my junior year,” Oakes said. “I
become a case of untimely, and ulti- the Treasure Coast Rowing Club in had my first phone call with the coach
mately dream-smashing, collateral Palm City. It’s about an hour away, but “The camp at Connecticut College and I really liked her. I never thought
damage. The setback occurred during when I met with the coach it seemed was extremely intimidating because that I would have the opportunity to
a period when college recruiting was like a better fit for where I was with my the girls from all over the country were study and row at a place like Stanford.
peaking, and the injury admittedly led training, and for what I wanted to ac- the fastest on their teams. That was
to an understandable bout of despair. complish. where I was one of 20 athletes selected “What I didn’t understand at the
to compete at the World Rowing Junior time was that Stanford wasn’t this
Undeterred, she did everything “I didn’t know most of the girls, and Championships in Tokyo. unreachable goal. So I talked with the
possible to stay in shape. A little over it was intimidating right off the bat. coach throughout the summer and
two months later the wrist was fully But everyone welcomed me and when “As a team we moved to New Jersey when I visited in August I fell in love
healed. The timeline was compressed the spring season started my part- and trained out of the Princeton boat with the campus. I thought it was the
and she had to ramp up quickly. ner and I were determined to make it house. A month later we went to Tokyo perfect fit. And then I got an offer.
to nationals. We trained twice a day, where my partner and I placed third
“The biggest test in rowing is the raced in regattas, and got first in the in the finals. We wanted to do better, “I’ve lived in Vero Beach since sev-
2K, especially in college recruiting,” pair at sweep states. At the weeklong but it was a really good experience. A enth grade, so I’m ready for a change in
Oakes explained. “In my first 2K on pair is one of the hardest boats to row, cultures and something a little bigger. I
the erg after my cast was removed, I and to be really competitive on a world can step foot on campus and be almost
got my personal best (time). So even level you have to be insanely fast. like a new person. I will be on a team
though I wasn’t rowing, I stayed active with amazing rowers, and on a campus
and that was a really big hurdle that I “We didn’t go in with a lot of ex- surrounded by amazing students.
had to get over. pectations, but I do believe both of
us wanted to end up on the podium. “I originally wanted to study bio-
“I applied for the U.S. Rowing re- When we didn’t that was an impetus medical engineering with a goal of
gional challenge and, based on my for me to train even harder. I’m eli- becoming an orthopedic surgeon. But
scores and results, was one of 40 ath- gible to go to camp again next year, so this past year I’ve become more inter-
ested in computer science.” 

BIG HELPING OF BEETHOVEN
ON ACO’S SEASONAL MENU

28 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Big helping of Beethoven on ACO’s seasonal menu

BY PAM HARBAUGH David Amado. Elena Urioste. rest of the concert. And I have to bal-
ance the soloists’ availability.
Correspondent PHOTOS BY DENISE RITCHIE also checking with Roden to see if there
could be conflicts. “If a soloist wants to play something
Celebration marks the upcoming Gabriela else, then it’s back to the drawing
season of the Atlantic Classical Orches- Martinez. “I stay attentive to the instrumenta- board. It’s a lumpy and inelegant pro-
tra. ACO conductor and music director tion, not picking a Mahler,” he says. “I cess, but it happens.”
David Amado has created a program we are getting a lot of new, younger try to go a step further and be sensitive
filled with glee to celebrate two mile- faces. We’re seeing the next genera- to the musicians’ time. I don’t want to The orchestra is made up of state-
stones – the 30th anniversary of the tion of concert-goers.” play a five-minute overture which will wide professional musicians who re-
ACO and the 250th birthday of Ludwig use a musician who is not used for the ceive the music and initially practice
van Beethoven. Amado, who also serves as music and learn their parts on their own.
director of the Delaware Symphony They then have four group rehearsals
Beginning Jan. 7, the season com- Orchestra, works for months when se- prior to the concerts.
prises a great range of compositions; lecting a season. He comes up with a
from classical icons and inventive proposal and brings it to a committee, The 2020 season begins, fittingly,
new works to pieces combining dance with Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1”
and rarely featured instruments. Each along with Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody
Masterworks concert includes one on a Theme of Paganini” and Dvorak’s
piece by Beethoven. “Slavonic Dances.”

“It’s a unique and great year,” says “It has the simplest overarching con-
Amado. “I felt like I wouldn’t be do- nection, bite-sized pieces,” Amado says.
ing anyone any favors by doing all “With the Rachmaninoff set of varia-
Beethoven all the time. We love tions, you have a tune that gets varied.
Beethoven, but it’s important to con- That’s very much the same with Dvorak,
textualize the programs to keep them a series of events happening one after
interesting.” each other. I like putting them with the
first symphony of Beethoven, which is
Indeed, the Masterworks series in- early. He hasn’t really turned into the
cludes works of the classical, romantic Beethoven we all imagine. He was still
and modern eras. Because of the size in the classical period. So the formal
of the orchestra, all of it comes across transgressions he engages in are subtle.”
as it sounded in the composers’ head,
Amado explains. It’s not too big, nor too All the featured soloists this season
small. It’s just right. are women. Roden says that it was not
a deliberate choice, but instead was
“This music is a good fit for our or- about getting the best musician for
chestra,” Amado says. “The ACO is not the concert. They just all happen to
an orchestra that has enough people be women.
to play a Mahler symphony. We don’t
have 95 people; we’ve got 45 to 50 peo- And, one of the composers is a
ple. It’s an orchestra that Beethoven, woman -- Pulitzer Prize- and Gram-
Haydn, Mendelssohn and Schumann my Award-winner Jennifer Higdon,
would recognize.” whose celebrated work “Dance Card”
will be performed in the Masterworks
Past concerts have been so success- II program.
ful that word about the ACO contin-
ues to grow, says executive director “It’s a wonderful piece; a very ener-
Cindy Roden. gized piece that celebrates the nature of
playing music with one another,” says
“Since David jumped on board (in Amado. “A big point is a reliance on the
2016), we’ve had such great feedback,” baroque form and content dressed up
she says. “We have the traditional in 20th century garb. It gives the piece
concert goer, but we are finding that a very particular quality, with gorgeous

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 29

ARTS & THEATRE

“Symphony No. 3 (Renish).” Jan. 25: Concert I, ‘Impressions and
Expressions,’ with works by Takemit-
April 7: Masterworks IV ‘Strings su, Piazzolla, Porter and Debussy.
Attached,’ with Wagner’s “Siegfried
Idyll,” João Luiz’s “Concerto for Feb. 23: Concert II, ‘American Mod-
Harp” featuring Bridget Kibbey, and ernism,’ with works by Ives, Barber
Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 7.” and Copeland.

The 2020 Chamber Series: April 5: Concert III, ‘Bach to Ballet,’
All concerts begin 3 p.m. at the Vero with works by Ravel, Dohnanyi and
Beach Museum of Art, 3001 Riverside Bach, and featuring dancers from
Dr., Vero Beach. Single tickets begin Ballet Vero Beach.
at $35 and series tickets begin at $75;
however, this season’s series is com- For tickets or for more information,
pletely sold out. (Concerts are also held call 772-460-0851 or visit AtlanticClas-
at the Blake Public Library in Stuart.) sicalOrchestra.com. 

Lydia
Kaminska.

Bridget Kibbey.

tunes and a great sense of humor.” Music Series which performs at the
Amado can talk about each con- Vero Beach Museum of Art.

cert with ease and excitement. In The 2020 Masterworks Series:
fact, he’s so enthused that the board All concerts being 7:30 p.m. at the
has asked that in addition to his pre- Community Church of Vero Beach,
concert chats, he step forward before 1901 23rd St., Vero Beach. Single tick-
each individual piece to speak a bit ets begin at $30, subscriptions begin at
on each one. $90. A pre-concert talk begins 6:45 p.m.
(Masterwork concerts are also held at
He admits that he hopes it will go the Eissey Campus Theatre at Palm
well and that he doesn’t speak too long. Beach State College and at the Lyric
Theatre of Downtown Stuart).
Still, ask him a question such as,
“Tell me about the Piazzolla work,” and Jan. 7: Masterworks I ‘Variations,’
he’ll ask you to tell him when you’ve with Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1,”
heard enough. Piazzolla’s “Aconcagua, Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme
Concerto for Bandoneon” will be per- of Paganini” featuring Gabriela Marti-
formed in Masterworks III. nez, and Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dances.”

“It has a bandoneon, an accordion- Feb. 18: Masterworks II ‘Old, New,
like instrument,” says Amado. “His Borrowed & Blue,’ with Higdon’s
piece bridges the gap between tango “Dance Card,” Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella
music and the concert hall of his native Suite” and Beethoven’s “Violin Concer-
Argentina. You hear the influence of to” featuring Elena Urioste.
tango. You also hear his virtuosity as a
composer of concert hall music. It’s fun March 3: Masterworks III ‘Rivers &
to listen to. Mountains,’ with Beethoven’s “Lenore
Overture No. 3,” Piazzolla’s “Aconcagua
“All over Europe, the accordion gets Concerto for Bandoneon” featuring
a lot more respect and love than on this Lydia Kaminska, and Schumann’s
side of the Atlantic, which is sad, be-
cause it is an incredibly expressive in-
strument and complete, like the piano.”

In addition to the Masterwork Series,
the ACO has a three-concert Chamber

30 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

COMING UP! All aboard for Riverside’s ‘Nutcracker’ shows

BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA and Tuesday, $10 to $75. 772-564-5537
Staff Writer or 772-905-2651.

1 Already becoming an eagerly 2 Here’s your hat, 2019. What’s
anticipated holiday tradition: In your hurry? Join the fun-loving

its seventh season, Vero’s professional bunch who are going to “Kiss 2019

ballet company, Ballet Vero Beach, Goodbye” at Riverside Theatre this

brings to the Vero Beach High School Friday and Saturday, Dec. 27-28, with

Performing Arts Center its own won- the final Howl at the Moon Experi-

derful version of Tchaikovsky’s “The ence live request show of the year

Nutcracker” this Monday and Tuesday, and, outside under the oaks, free live

Dec. 30-31 – “Nutcracker on the In- music and the always terrific full bar

dian River.” Of the numerous produc- ises to be the best ever, with more pro- cessible version of the full production and grill at Live in the Loop. Inside at
fessional dancers, new scenery, and which debuts Sunday, Dec. 29, and,
tions of this holiday classic, this one is the adorable host of local children, explains the promo, “is geared towards the Howl, setting their dueling 88s on
transformed magically into pelicans, the differently abled individuals of our
truly unique: faithful to Tchaikovsky’s turtles, dolphins and other creatures of community and their families and fire while challenging you to suggest a
the lagoon, that has delighted us in the features modified audio/visual ef-
thrilling score and the whimsy and previous productions. Again this year fects, reserved seating and a general (legit) number they can’t play (and lots
Ballet Vero Beach has partnered with admission ‘movers’ section, break ar-
magic of the beloved original story, the Indian River Land Trust “to move eas inside the theater, and subsidized of luck with that), will be Katie Pinder
the production beyond the stage,” cre- tickets prices, funded by Quail Val-
but charming in its own right, set- ating a “walk through environment” ley Charities.” You will want to share Brown and Ken Gustafson, along with
amidst the mangroves, from the lobby “Nutcracker on the Indian River” with
ting the stage, says the show promo, along the hallways, with exhibits that friends and family for the first time, or a “Special Guest Drummer.” Mean-
focus on the health and preservation again and again. Curtain: “Nutcracker
“on Christmas Eve 1919, the year Vero of the lagoon, a truly priceless trea- for All,” Sunday: 2 p.m.; full-length per- while, at Friday’s Live in the Loop, the
sure. Also new this year is “Nutcracker formances: Monday, 8 p.m.; Tuesday,
Beach was chartered.” It follows the for All,” a one-hour abbreviated ac- 2 p.m. Tickets: Sunday – $10; Monday dance party band Ladies of Soul will

ballet’s young heroine, Marie, as she bring their kickin’ brand of Motown

travels with her family from New York and R&B. On Saturday it’ll be Second

City’s Grand Central Station to Flor- Wind, taking the stage with a mix of

ida “in a spectacular adventure that rock and pop faves. Time: Howl, 7:30

prominently features the Indian River p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Loop: 6 p.m. to 9:30

Lagoon.” This marks the third season p.m. Tickets: Howl (pick your seats)

“Nutcracker on the Indian River” has side, $12; table seating, $16 to $22.

delighted Vero audiences, and it prom- Loop: free. 772-231-6990. 

HEAR
IT
LIVE

BEETHOVEN January 7, 2020
Symphony No. 1 7:30pm

RACHMANINOFF Community Church
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini of Vero Beach
Gabriela Martinez, piano

DVOŘÁK 772-460-0851
Slavonic Dances, Op.46
AtlanticClassicalOrchestra.com



32 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Venezuelan opposition
leader Juan Guaidó speaks
to a crowd of some 250
supporters in eastern
Caracas this month.
Earlier this year, Guaidó
commanded masses to
the streets to demonstrate
against the government of
President Nicolás Maduro.
He’s now struggling to hold
the movement together.

It was sunset in the Venezuelan On an electric afternoon in January, Their crisis of conviction comes “We’re losing hope,” cried out one
capital, and Juan Guaidó, the 36-year- Guaidó lit a flame of hope. Standing at the most dangerous moment of woman behind him.
old industrial engineer anointed ear- before the masses on a broad avenue Guaidó’s nearly miraculous political
lier this year as the would-be savior in eastern Caracas, the head of Vene- arc. Earlier that day, Guaidó’s bullet-
of a troubled nation, leaped out of his zuela’s opposition-controlled National proof gray Explorer edged forward
unmarked Ford Explorer and into a Assembly declared President Nicolás Sensing his weakness, the socialist through the traffic of eastern Caracas.
middle-class Caracas neighborhood Maduro a “usurper” and invoked ar- government’s shadowy security appa- Since rising at daybreak in the bor-
of mid-rise apartments. ticles of the constitution that he said ratus has begun to close in – deploying rowed apartment he shares with his
made him the nation’s rightful leader. bribes, intimidation and repression to wife and their 2-year-old daughter, he
“Viva Guaidó!” exclaimed one of snuff his movement out. had chugged three mugs of coffee. The
the most fervent among the 250 or so He vowed to free the people from flat, in a nondescript apartment block
neighbors who had ventured out to police state repression and reverse a Perhaps more ominously, Guaidó is in the capital, is stocked with half-
hear him speak. It was a far cry from disastrous economic collapse – and suddenly confronting revelations of filled suitcases and 14 statues of the
the mass marches he commanded quickly won recognition from the corruption and plots against him from Virgin Mary.
earlier in the year. United States and dozens of other within his own ranks, tarnishing his
countries. movement and threatening to unravel He was en route to his makeshift
Vegetable vendors at a nearby mar- the opposition’s hard-won unity. “presidential palace” – a floor of of-
ket, unmoved, continued to hawk Yet nearly a year later, Maduro – far fices in a high-rise business district
their wilted remainders. Some in the wilier and more resilient than his op- Yet Guaidó’s biggest challenge lies pocked with burned-out lightbulbs. A
crowd tried to stir a chorus of Guaidó’s ponents calculated – is still comfort- in the exhausted eyes of everyday Ven- plastic lectern bearing the official seal
trademark (if borrowed) slogan: “¡Sí, ably ensconced in the presidential ezuelans – such as the smattering of of Venezuela lies tucked away in one
se puede!” “Yes, we can!” palace. And the Venezuelans Guaidó supporters who gathered to hear him corner.
once inspired are losing faith – in the speak on this unseasonably warm Ca-
But the chant quickly fizzled out – opposition he leads, in its backers in racas night. The government knows where
just as the historic movement Guaidó the Trump administration and, for Guaidó lives and works but has thus
launched at the beginning of the year some, in Guaidó himself. He spoke tenderly to the group. far not risked the international back-
is in danger of doing. “I know,” he said. “I know that you lash that could come from detaining
feel mentally tired.”

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 33

INSIGHT COVER STORY

him. Yet as his popularity slips – some Supporters listen to Guaidó. Its No. 2 had sought sanctuary inside
polls now show him below 40 percent, the Chilean Embassy. Its No. 3 was in
down from 65 percent in the spring – Guaidó looks out at Caracas exile in the United States.
his adversaries are growing bolder. as he rides to his office in
the city’s business district. It was precisely Guaidó’s outsider
Through the summer, Guaidó trav- Despite the impression of status that allowed him to sidestep the
eled the country relatively freely. But economic improvement in personal rivalries between party lead-
during a campaign stop at Venezuela’s the nation’s capital, Ven- ers, uniting a long-divided opposition
Margarita Island two months ago, the ezuela is falling apart. “The to oppose Maduro.
government shut down the hotel and people are tired of protest-
seized the cars he used. He has limited ing and not obtaining what For a time, Guaidó seemed poised
his travels ever since. they ask for,” to join a shortlist of global figures who
have almost single-handedly changed
More and harsher stories against their nation’s history. In January, af-
him and his family are appearing on ter Maduro claimed victory in tainted
social media and pro-government elections, Guaidó dared to do what
websites. One talks of his brother’s al- previous opposition leaders in his po-
leged Swiss bank accounts. sition had feared: He publicly claimed
the presidency himself.
“Fake news,” Guaidó said. “They
have launched a psychological war to The following month, he spirited
create negative public opinion.” over the Colombian border to join a
deadly showdown to push humanitar-
Other messages from Maduro are ian aid into Venezuela against Mad-
less subtle. Last month, ahead of a na- uro’s military blockade. He expected
tional protest – the largest Guaidó had soldiers to defect and join the cause,
managed to call since spring – gov- but few did. The effort ended with
ernment forces raided the offices of at least seven dead and 300 injured,
his political party, Voluntad Popular. much of the aid burned, and the op-
A week ago, motorcycle-riding pro- position struggling to recapture mo-
government “colectivos” followed his mentum.
wife’s car as she dropped their daugh-
ter off at day care. Then, in the predawn hours of April
30, Guaidó appeared at La Carlota air
Guaidó said his movement is fund- base in eastern Caracas with a handful
ed by Venezuelans both inside and of soldiers and called for the military
outside the country. He said gathering to rise up against Maduro. Venezu-
contributions remained “a constant elans poured into the streets for what
struggle” that had become “harder appeared to be a turning point in the
with time.” opposition struggle.

In Caracas, the government’s recent But images of a triumphant Guaidó,
easing of import, price and currency cheered on by his backers in Wash-
controls has created the impression ington, soon gave way to word that
of economic improvement. There are the co-conspirators close to Maduro
more items on store shelves, more and within the military whom Guaidó
Christmas decorations in the streets. had counted on had declined to follow
That’s led some caraqueños to feel less through with a carefully laid but pre-
anxious. maturely sprung plot.

But the capital is a bubble in a na- Security forces moved against the
tion falling apart. By the end of 2019, uprising, killing at least four people,
at least 4.5 million Venezuelans – 15 wounding scores and sending oppo-
percent of the population – will have sition leaders into hiding. The move-
fled the country in just three years. ment has flailed ever since, moving
This year, the outflow has included into fruitless and now-frozen negotia-
many who once took to the streets. tions with the government, and losing
In an oil-rich economy that was once steam.
South America’s richest per capita, the
water system and power grid are fail- “I think Guaidó has made mistakes,
ing. Crumbling hospitals and short- and I’m not sure if it is because of lack
ages of basic medicines have left mil- of information or bad advice,” said
lions without treatment. Nationwide, María Corina Machado, an opposi-
untold numbers of Venezuelans are tion hard-liner. “The opposition keeps
going hungry every night. making the same mistakes again and
again. And that has brought distrust.”
“The people are tired of protesting
and not obtaining what they ask for,” Allegations of sedition within
Guaidó concedes. “But the country Guaidó’s ranks run deeper than bribes.
wants a transition.” In recent months, his ambassador to
Colombia, Humberto Calderón, held
A year ago, the vast majority of Ven- unofficial meetings with emissaries of
ezuelans had never heard of Guaidó, Maduro’s defense minister, Vladimir
the sinewy engineer-turned-politician Padrino López, and the head of Ven-
from the coastal city of La Guaira. In ezuela’s supreme court, Maikel More-
December 2018, he rose to the top of no, according to three people familiar
the National Assembly – widely viewed with the talks.
as the last democratic institution left
in Venezuela – largely by default. It was Guaidó fired Calderón last month.
his party’s turn to lead, but its head, “Guaidó needs to renovate his in-
Leopoldo López, was under detention.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

34 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 INSIGHT COVER STORY

ner circle, because the people he has Guaidó fixes his suit Guaidó takes a “I think we underestimated the dic-
around him are not the best,” Calde- in the basement of call from Bolivian tatorship and the harm it is willing to
rón told The Washington Post. “He an office building in protest leader Luis do,” Guaidó told The Post. “We have
needs competence and transparency. Caracas. Fernando Camacho to improve our relationship with the
If you do not set a good example, peo- during breakfast at armed forces.”
ple won’t believe in you.” ceeded mostly in buying the govern- his home in Caracas.
ment time to consolidate its position. His flat is stocked Maduro has managed to withstand
Before Guaidó arrived at the eve- Since the talks broke down in Sep- with half-filled suit- tough U.S. sanctions – including an
ning rally – the kind of small neigh- tember, Maduro has divided and con- cases and several embargo on Venezuelan oil, the life-
borhood gathering that has largely blood of its economy – by running gold
supplanted the massive marches statues of the and gems from the mineral-rich south
he once convened – currents of an- Virgin Mary. to Turkey and Russia in exchange for
ger and frustration ran through the cash. Russia and, to a lesser extent,
crowd. As the year closes out, it has quered, launching new negotiations China remain solid benefactors.
become clear Guaidó did not so – boycotted by Guaidó – with smaller
much promise as over-promise. opposition parties more amenable to U.S. officials held high-level meet-
Maduro’s lead. ings last week to reassess their ap-
Guaidó and his American allies proach on Venezuela and consider
have underestimated Maduro. The more provocative steps. U.S. officials
armed forces, whose leaders enjoy this month identified six state-owned
lucrative business deals under the vessels they said were shipping oil to
current arrangements, still back the Cuba – and are weighing a blockade
57-year-old socialist. to prevent them from reaching the
island.
Channels remain open with senior
government and military officials, ac- “Tougher options are being
cording to people familiar with those weighed, and some of them will be
dealings. But a tipping point, they put into effect,” said a senior admin-
say, does not feel imminent. Some of istration official, who spoke on the
them are already calling the April 30 condition of anonymity to discuss
plot Venezuela’s Bay of Pigs – an op- internal deliberations. “There are no
portunity, now lost, that might never debates about the policy – backing
come around again. Guaidó and pressing for a transition
to democracy – but there are discus-
Guaidó’s decision to enter into ne- sions about how to make the policy
gotiations with the government bro- more effective. So steps will be taken,
kered by Norway – he offered to resign probably after Christmas.”
if Maduro also stepped down – suc-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 35

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Yet some Guiadó supporters blame tary action that now appears to have tion’s most popular leader – far more industrial engineering student who
him for a U.S. policy they believe always been a bluff. popular than Maduro. But analyst say came to hear Guaidó speak.
has failed. U.S. economic sanctions, he is in danger of losing that lead, par-
some argue, are hurting an economy “I’m mad,” said Emperatriz Mach- ticularly as Venezuelans smart over al- “I’m here to get an explanation of why
already on life support. Others com- ado, a 41-year-old veterinarian who legations of opposition corruption. the government is still in power, about
plain that President Trump raised came to hear Guaidó. “A U.S. interven- why there are corrupt lawmakers in the
their hopes by threatening U.S. mili- tion was a dream, and nothing more.” “I used to march in the street loyal- opposition,” he said. “I don’t know who
ly,” said Guillermo Sosa, a 20-year-old or what to believe in anymore.” 
Polls show Guaidó is still the na-

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38 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

Jaime Webb loves buying clothes online. Sometimes it ends up in landfills, another cost to “There’s a lot of abuse going on, which is why
And returning clothes she buys online. the environment, along with the shrink-wrapping, some of these retailers are implementing stricter
She’ll order the same item in several sizes, just in padding and cardboard boxes, not to mention the policies,” said Gabriella Santaniello, founder of the
case, spending, briefly, as much as $600. Keeping carbon emissions from the trucks and planes that consulting firm A Line Partners.
what fits best, she sends the rest in for refunds in haul everything.
what retailers call bracketing. In extreme cases, a consumer will be blacklisted.
“They make the returns process so easy,” said “We can improve the situation, but it’s not clear Asos, Webb’s favorite, announced in April that it
Webb, 31, an American Airlines flight service man- that we can fix it until we convince people not to over- might do so to those taking too much advantage
ager who does most such transacting with London- buy,” Egan said. In the meantime, stores have to do the of its famously lax policy. Amazon.com Inc. has
based Asos Plc. “It’s almost like, why not?” math to determine whether “the cost of the returns is banned some customers for life, according to the
Exactly. outweighed by the lifetime value of the customer.” Wall Street Journal.
Now some in the industry that created the mon-
ster are trying to put it back in its cage. They’re taking To be sure, the calculus still tends to put shoppers Four of the top-ten retailers – Costco, Home Depot
baby steps – not providing pre-paid mailing labels, in the winner’s box. Costco Wholesale Corp., for one, Inc., TJX Cos. and Target Corp. – said they track return
requiring a receipt unless an unwanted item is car- has no plan to pull back on its no-pain-for-you pol- patterns to spot repeat offenders.
ried to a store – but also threatening to cut off serial icy. “Are there people who abuse their returns privi-
returners, the most troublesome of the offenders. lege and bring back a sweater they bought ten years What businesses would like people to do is bring
Among the others: people who wait months (or ago? Sure,” said Richard Galanti, the company’s chief things back in person. That helps with logistics. And
more) before returning and the so-called wardrobers, financial officer. “But generally speaking, we trust our there’s another benefit: According to the Internation-
who wear articles of clothing and then ship them back. members and our members trust us.” al Council of Shopping Centers, an item returned in a
It has all become a bugbear for businesses selling store results, on average, in an additional sale that is
stuff. Last year, $369 billion in merchandise, or 10% Among those willing to risk consumer wrath is Ur- 107% of the value of what was brought back.
of total retail sales, was returned in the U.S., accord- ban Outfitters Inc.’s Anthropologie, which charges a
ing to a study by research firm Appriss, up from $260 fee for mail returns. Fashion Nova, the most-searched “If they come in the store to return we look at it as
billion in 2015. And the holiday season, of course, is fashion brand on Google last year, offers in-store an opportunity,” said Scott Lipesky, Abercrombie’s
the one dreaded in the returns departments: United credit, not refunds. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. will next chief financial officer.
Parcel Service Inc. expects to handle more than 1 year stop accepting returns without a receipt, invoice
million such packages every day, reaching a peak of or order confirmation. There are twists on the strategy. Nordstrom Inc.’s
1.9 million on Jan. 2, which would be a 26% increase Nordstrom Local “service hubs” will take something
from the 2019 high point. you purchased from rivals like Macy’s Inc. and Kohl’s
This is an expensive trend in a competitive sector Corp. and pack it up and mail it for you. Kohl’s ac-
where margins can be extremely thin. Older, estab- cepts Amazon returns, offering a 25% discount on its
lished chains are in particular binds because they goods to anyone who brings those in.
rely on e-commerce for most of their growth, if not
all of it, and returns keep eating away at profits. “Amazon has basically ruined people,” said Brett
Reverse logistics – the transport from buyers to sell- Northart, co-founder of Le Tote, the parent of Lord
ers – is not only costly on its own but creates a need & Taylor, which still issues pre-paid shipping labels.
for lots of room for storage. Return stock is “thrown “You just have to make your supply chain efficient
into an empty space in a warehouse to pile up un- enough to handle it.”
til someone can get to it,” said David Egan, head of
industrial & logistics research for real estate advisory Webb, the over-buyer in Brooklyn, figures the
firm CBRE. no-fuss returns culture just may be too deeply in-
grained by now. “People shop online knowing they
can return stuff however they want and as much as
they want,” she said. “Changing that mentality will
be difficult.” 

A version of this column by Donald Moore first
appeared on Bloomberg. It does not necessarily re-
flect the views of Vero Beach 32963.

Let’s see how much knowledge you’ve retained from this 8. Bone is living, growing tissue made up of:
year’s How Healthcare Works column. o Collagen, which allows bone to be flexible
o Calcium-phosphate mineral complexes, which
1. Volunteering can take your mind off your own situation make bones hard and strong
and add more zest to your life. o Living bone cells that continuously remove and
 True  False replace weakened sections of bone
 True  False
2. Every man with prostate cancer needs to be treated 9. Which three major types of arthritis affect the knee:
right away.  A Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and post-
 True  False traumatic arthritis
 B Psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia and gout
3. Many diseases and conditions can lead to erectile  C Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout
dy sfAun cA(httiaohrned;reopnsicicnklegtr/honesairOsroNwEibnegloowf ththeaatrdteoreisens)’t: 10. The most frequent cause of shoulder pain is injury to
 B Chronic kidney disease the rotator cuff, a group of muscles and tendons that
 C Arthritis surround the shoulder joint and keep the head of the
 D Type-2 diabetes upper arm bone firmly set within the shallow socket of
the shoulder.
4. According to the stem cell hypothesis, unlike most  True  False
cancers, with melanoma a sentinel-node (the node
closest to the tumor) biopsy does not provide prog- ANSWERS
nostic value because non-adherent stem cells are 1. True. Helping Others This Year. 1/03/19
able to transverse lymph nodes, directly enter the 2. False. Prostate Cancer, Part VI. 1/17/19
blood circulatory system and gain access for wide- 3. C. Erectile Dysfunction, Part I. 2/28/19
spread metastases. 4. True. Skin Cancer, Part XI: Theories About the Origin and
 True  False Progression of Melanoma. 5/30/19
5. True. Orthopedic Surgery and Medicine, Part I. 8/08/19
5. Today, in addition to hip and knee replacements, 6. False. Sunshine actually increases vitamin D levels, which
replacement surgery for shoulder, elbow, wrist, is good for people with osteoporosis. Beware, however,
ankle, spine and finger joints is available. sun exposure increases risk for skin cancer. Orthopedics,
 True  False Part II: Osteoporosis. 8/15/19
7. C. Orthopedics, Part IV: Treatment for Osteoporosis.
6. Osteoporosis is a medical condition in which the 8/29/19
bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue, 8. True. Orthopedics, Part VII: Preventing Falls and Fractures
typically as a result of hormonal changes, deficiency (continued). 9/19/19
of calcium or vitamin D or too much sun exposure. 9. A. Arthritis of the Knee, Part I. 9/26/19
 True  False 10. True. Shoulder Pain, Part II. 11/21/19

7. PfoicrkpOeoNpEletrweaitthmoesntte/olifpeosrtoylseisc:hange not recommended SCORING
Medications A+ (10 correct) Wow!
 A Calcium and vitamin D A (9 correct) You put the A in SMART
 B Radiation therapy B (8 correct) Excellent
 C Dairy products, green leafy vegetables, fish, nuts C (5-7 correct) You probably know a lot about a lot
 D Weight-bearing exercise D (3-4 correct) Take notes
 E Discontinue/limit smoking, alcohol and antacids Under 3 correct Keep studying 
 D Your comments and suggestions for future topics are always
welcome. Email us at [email protected].

© 2019 VERO BEACH 32963 MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

40 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

Thanks to modern medi- when stress and anxiety themselves as “very happy.”
cine, the lifespan of the average peaked. But given the variables among people’s experienc-
adult has increased by more
than a decade and will prob- In a paper Blanch- es, it is impossible to meaningfully apply the curve
ably expand even more in years flower co-authored found in large data sets to an individual. An unhappy
to come. If that isn’t enough of a with British colleague 60-year-old who was more content at 30 or 40 could
silver lining, journalist Jonathan Andrew Oswald, they find the conclusions irrelevant. The U-curve, Rauch
Rauch offers even more good wrote: “We show that cautions, “is not an inevitability; it’s a tendency.” But
news about aging in his book wellbeing reaches its it’s a tendency that drives the 218 pages of text, which
“The Happiness Curve: Why Life minimum around the become somewhat redundant once the curve is sub-
Gets Better After 50.” middle of life. The stantially established. Similarly, interviews Rauch
conducted, sprinkled throughout the book, some-
The optimistic, breezy ti- regularity is intrigu- times detract from the far more compelling scholar-
tle could easily be dismissed ing. The U shape is ship. Many of the interviewees are introduced by only
as wishful thinking. However, similar for males and a first name and occupation that serve to underscore
Rauch’s rosy projection is based females, and for each their obscurity. At times Rauch chronicles the trajec-
less on new-age optimism than a side of the Atlantic tory of his own life, presumably to show that it tracks
review of a series of multi-coun- Ocean.” Analysis of with the book’s central premise.
try, big-data studies on happi- the Gallup World
ness conducted over the past few Poll of 99 percent “In my own forties,” he writes, “my life satisfaction
decades. The findings by scholars was low, and much lower than I thought it should be.”
from a range of disciplines consis- of the world’s adult Like the other personal stories, the reflection seems
tently show that life satisfaction is population between immaterial given the range of experiences that con-
U-shaped, with contentment high 2010 and 2012 also tribute to one’s personal contentment at a given age.
in the 20s, plunging at mid-age and showed that people The utility of the anecdotes is further undermined by
taking a turn for the better after 50. got happier over Rauch himself, who writes that the happiness curve
time. “shows up more clearly and consistently after filter-
The ample scholarship on the ing out people’s life circumstances than before.” For
“happiness curve” debunks many In a study of instance, while unemployment substantially affects
long-standing beliefs about aging and happiness and the data of 1 mil- life satisfaction, Blanchflower and Oswald found that
shows that contrary to being over the hill, people over lion Britons between the ages of 16 and going from age 20 to 45 “decreases life satisfaction by
50 are generally happier than they were during their 70, scholars found that the probability of depression about a third as much as becoming unemployed.”
30s and 40s. peaked in the mid-40s. In yet another study of two And the World Values Survey, which polls people in
states in the United States, the highest probability of 150 countries about their life satisfaction, found that
For example, the Office of National Statistics in Eng- consuming antidepressants occurred between ages social interaction was among the factors that most
land surveyed more than 300,000 people of different 45 and 49. So, contrary to popular perceptions, de- contributed to wellbeing.
ages in 2014 and 2015 and asked, “Overall, how satis- pression is less common among the elderly than the
fied are you with your life nowadays?” Like other stud- middle-aged. The strength of the book, then, is less the personal
ies cited by Rauch, the results showed that life satis- And the U is not unique to humans; it is also found anecdotes than what appears to be overwhelming evi-
faction was high between 20 and 34 and hit its lowest in apes, according to a 2012 study by Oswald; Alex dence of a happiness curve after 50 that could inspire
point around 49 or 50, then began to rise, peaking in Weis, a comparative psychologist; and several col- a societal reassessment of later-life planning. 
the mid-60s. laborators. The study, “Evidence for a Midlife Crisis
in Great Apes Consistent with the U-Shape in Human GOLIATH
Similarly, research on data sets from 37 countries Wellbeing,” says the U “may lie partly in the biology
by David Blanchflower, a Dartmouth College eco- we share with closely related great apes.” THE 100-YEAR WAR BETWEEN MONOPOLY
nomics professor, found the same U in response to Not all of the research cited by Rauch is surprising.
the question “If you were to consider your life in gen- Research on wisdom, for example, suggests its corre- POWER AND DEMOCRACY
eral, how happy or unhappy would you say you are, lation with age, and in the United States, people in the
on the whole.” In another data set of 305,000 people highest income group were found to be almost twice BY MATT STOLLER | 588 PP. $29.99
in Britain, the U bottomed at age 49, which is also as likely as people in the lowest group to describe REVIEW BY BENJAMIN C. WATERHOUSE, THE WASHINGTON POST

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 41

ON FAITH

‘Let Him in!’: Open your hearts to God this season

BY REV. DRS. CASEY AND BOB BAGGOTT prospects were dim. Left to our own
Columnists devices, we humans were locked in
darkness, prone to temptation, sub-
It’s been many years since Rev. Garth ject to suffering and to torment. God
Thompson told a moving story about had sent prophet after prophet, mes-
tenacious love, but it has stuck with us senger after messenger to guide us
and this holiday season it seems worth and to plead for us, that we might be
re-telling. The story goes that a man of let out of our terrible dilemma. But
dubious character died. He hadn’t much the wars, famine, heartache and hard-
to commend him to heaven’s precincts, ship in which humanity was trapped
and so he found himself locked secure- were immovable.
ly behind hell’s gates. A delegation of
his friends, acknowledging the fairness And so God looked on us with ten-
of his fate but moved by the man’s mis- der and selfless parental love and
ery, made a trip to the gates of hell and said, “Let me in!” And God came to
shook and rattled those barriers. “Let us. Not as a power-wielding force that
him out!” the friends demanded. But burst our chains and released us from
sadly, the gates remained firmly locked earth’s troubling entanglements. No,
and the man remained trapped within. God came to us as one of us. God en-
tered our world, fraught with uncer-
Prominent experts were called to ar- tainty and danger, as a tiny, helpless
gue the man’s case. Many learned and baby. God came, empowered only
brilliant minds set to work on the mat- with love. But nothing, not the gates
ter. They examined the case from every of hell or the stoniness of human
angle and offered thoughtful reasons hearts, can ultimately withstand the
for commuting his sentence of eternal power of love.
torment. “Let him out!” they pleaded.
But the gates remained locked. This season is one of wonderment
and celebration. Be ready. Be expect-
The man’s pastor was asked to stand ant. Be openhearted. Let him in! 
before those stubborn gates and re-
quest the man’s release. He acknowl- the pastor insisted. But the gates didn’t
edged that the man was not without budge.
some virtue. He had actually demon-
strated some compassion a time or Eventually all the man’s friends and
two, and had even contributed to the supporters left the scene in discour-
poor on one occasion. “Let him out!” agement. It was then that a stooped,
elderly figure appeared alone at the
gates of hell. It was the condemned
man’s mother. In a quiet voice, full of
maternal love, she whispered, “Let me
in!” And at the sound of that prayer, the
massive gates of hell swung wide open,
setting the man free. Nothing, not even
the gates of hell, could withstand a love
so self-giving as that of a parent for a
beloved child.

The Christmas story which churches
around the globe celebrate begins with
the acknowledgement that humanity’s

42 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PETS

You ‘herd’ it right: Bonz meets his first goats!

Hi Dog Buddies! bumps and PHOTO: KAILA JONES goats. And cousins.”
head butts. He “Afternoon, Dude,” said Victor.
My final 2019 column was another hugged them, might be knowing, certain “Were you aware,” Phoenix asked,
first for me. I’ve innerviewed hundreds picked them plants that come here from
of dogs, cats, a rabbit, a parrot, even a up, patted far-away places do not play well with the “that, unlike other goats’ cheese,
zebra. But this was the first time I’d ever their heads natives. They are Brazilian Pepper, Pe- OUR San Clemente goat cheese
innerviewed – a goat. I KNOW! Right? and tumbled ruvian Primrose Willow, Turks’ Turban melts? Cool, right?”
around on the and other equally tough, rude plants,
A fellow reporter old me about a herd ground with who are very greedy and taking over “Why, YES, ab-so-LUTELY!”
of goats working on an Important Cown- them, by way the native plants’ space an food. Then Nuby next introduced Estaban,
ty Project, an I thought, what the Woof! of greeting, I as- things are getting out of the natural bal- a brown, black an white bottle baby
It sounds interesting. Can’t hurt to ask. sumed. After all the greeting an tum- ance.” buckling too shy to speak, but he
bling about concluded, Nuby trotted A stocky blue/gray an white goat gave me a little bump; then came Mul-
After a few calls, I scored an innerv- back. “What would you be wanting to hopped gracefully from atop the hugh ticojo an his liddle brother Beeleebro,
iew with Nuby Slatem, a Nubian Goat, know, Bonzo-the-Dog?” pile of sticks. “That’s where we come in, from a ranch in Missouri. “We were
a liddle more than 1 year old in human. right Nuby?” driving 1,000 miles to get these guys,”
(I Googled and found out that’s a liddle “First, where you’re from, what your “Exactly, Kozi.” Nuby turned to me. Nuby explained.
over 5 in goat.) We met at his jobsite, an job’s all about.” “This is Kozimodrak, the fourth buck in Bruno, a Spaniard, had a Crispy Dog
Undisclosed Location in the Boonies, a our herd. He’s a Spaniard from the Dev- Biscuits black, cream an white coat and
former citrus grove, where he’s in charge “I am being one of the three original il’s River bloodline. Very rare.” a face that I thought looked like a star,
of nine fellow goats. Knowing basically goats of our company, InvasErad: my- Kozi gave me a frenly bump. “Hey, with two pointy horns, ears that stuck
zilch about Goat Etiquette, I was a liddle self, Lamone an Enano. Papa Steve res- Bonzo-the-Dog, did you know Kozi- out to the side and a nice pointy nose.
nervous. cued us when we were baby bucklings, 2 modrak means ‘blue goat’ in Czech?” Super cool.
weeks old an without our Mother. Papa “Why no. No I didn’t.” One goat really stood out, with a sil-
Me an my assistant parked under Steve raised us from the bottle. Myself “So,” Nuby continued, “we got hired very gray coat that looked bunny soft.
some trees an met a nice lady named an Lamone shared a bottle, but Enano for an Important Pilot Project. Miss Beth Nuby saw me staring. “This is Silvio
Beth, who is in charge of the cown- was always preferring to have his own. an the cown-ty wanna find out whether Azulado,” he said. “He also has the Dev-
ty project. She led us to the fenced-in My job title is Fence Stress-Tester-in- us goats can gobble up enough of these il’s River bloodline.”
work area, about 5 acres, with a big Chief, principally because I can clear x-odd-ick species to save the native “Yo, Dog, whatcha lookin’ at?”
pile of branches and a buncha mostly 4-foot-high fences with great ease, an plants. Oops. “I was just admiring your very
munched-on trees and bushes. A sign because I’m the most adventurous, an “They buh-leeve it’s better than put- handsome coat,” I quickly replied.
on the fence said “CAUTION, GOATS strongest, which is why I’m the buck tin’ a buncha chemi-culls all over the Nuby whispered, “The very first day
AT WORK.” An there WERE: all sorts of herd’s Lead Buck, a quite prominent po- place or havin’ lotsa humans mow for Silvio joined the herd, he battled it out
goats, lotsa different colors, some with sition, which on occasion Lamone wish- hours when they could be doin’ other with the lead bucks, an held his own.
curvy horns. An all busy munchin’ on es to challenge.” stuff. We’re tryin’ to, you know, think Earned their respect right away.”
the vegetation. A goat with a soft gold- outside the box.” Heading home, I was still excited that
en coat, light colored floppy ears and a Lamone, of similar color but more I was impressed. I’d ackshully met a herd of goats. I hope
white patch on the tummy approached white splotches, turned from a green “Come, meet the rest of the herd,” their project’s a big success. Who knew
us. leafy branch on which he was snacking. said Nuby. A couple of black-an-tan goats were so Cool Kibbles?
“So says you,” he addressed Nuby, in a goats wandered up. “These are Phoenix
“Good afternoon. You, I assume, are teasing sorta way. “You know we can go an Victor. They’re San Clemente Island The Bonz
Bonzo-the-Dog, yes?” head to head any day of the week.”
Don’t Be Shy
“Yes,” I replied, relieved he spoke a di- “Bring it on, Lamone-head,” replied
alect I could understand. “And you must Nuby. They bumped and nudged each We are always looking for pets
be Nuby. It’s my pleasure to meet you.” other briefly. with interesting stories.

“The pleasure is mine,” he replied. “We’re best frens,” Nuby explained. To set up an interview, email
“Oh, an here is coming our goatherd, “Keep each other on our hooves.” [email protected].
Papa Steve.”
“Tell me about your job,” I suggested.
A tall man came tromping across the “This land we are calling a conserva-
muddy stubblefield, an all 10 goats ran tion area, with wetlands and uplands,
up to him joyfully, greeting him with where native plants enjoy living. As you

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 43

INSIGHT BRIDGE

THE BIDDING GIVES A PERFECT MAP WEST NORTH EAST
— J 10 4 KQ97652
By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist KJ984 7632 Q
Q J 10 8 6 3 K5 92
Mitch Hedberg, a comedian, said, “I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then I’m 10 7 KQ65 843
gonna put pins into all the locations that I’ve traveled to. But first, I’m gonna have to travel to
the top two corners of the map so it won’t fall down.” SOUTH
A83
It is a well-known risk in bridge — if you make a bid but do not buy the contract, you might A 10 5
have helped an opponent to make his contract. A74
AJ92
This deal is a good example. How should South proceed in three no-trump after West leads
the diamond queen? Dealer: East; Vulnerable: Both

East’s opening bid showed a respectable seven-card suit and some 6-10 high-card points. The Bidding:
South, assuming his partner had some values, took a shot at three no-trump.
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
The opening lead made it plain that the spades were 7-0, and that East had not put a club 3 NT Pass Pass 3 Spades
among his spades! Even so, South still had only eight top tricks: one spade, one heart, two Pass LEAD:
diamonds and four clubs. From where was a ninth winner coming? Q Diamonds

The answer was spades, but only if declarer could first extract all of East’s cards in the other
three suits.

South ducked the first trick, took the diamond continuation on the board and led a heart.
When East played the queen, declarer ducked again. West overtook with his king and led
a third diamond. However, declarer won with his ace, cashed the heart ace and ran the
clubs, bringing everyone down to three cards. North, East and South all had spades. When
dummy’s jack was led, East covered with the queen, and South played low from his hand to
leave East endplayed.

44 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™
SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (DECEMBER 19) ON PAGE 60
INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS DOWN
1 Type of cheese (7) 1 Yuletide (9,4)
5 Textile (5) 2 Mistake (5)
8 Of the countryside (5) 3 Predicament (7)
9 Small table mat (7) 4 Break or alcove (6)
10 Small crustaceans (7) 5 Lesson (5)
11 Beach (5) 6 Result (7)
12 Lose (6) 7 Conker (5,8)
14 Oration (6) 13 Genuine (7)
17 Spanish“Mr”(5) 15 Crepe (7)
19 Sets alight (7) 16 Circus tent (3,3)
21 Approximate (7) 18 All set (5)
22 Decorate (5) 20 Treasure stash (5)
23 Adversary (5)
24 Gift (7)

The Telegraph

How to do Sudoku:

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

The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 45

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 98 Dead Sea killer? 43 Nabokov novel The Washington Post
101 Big Apple sch. 45 Gift, to Gide
1 Gives birth to 103 Flower with hips 47 Case of puppy love COLORIZATION By Merl Reagle
4 Deep breathers? 105 Nogales shout 49 Texas A&M player
9 Creator 106 Cagney classic, 1949 50 Defy openly
14 Trumpeter in the park? 110 Fitting quality 51 On edge
18 Hitchcock’s first 113 Day of anticipation 53 “A ___ make an old man
114 Sound in body
talkie, 1929 115 Cleverly effective young” (Tennyson)
20 1,760 yards 118 Prelude to dad 54 Certain massage
21 “Yikes!” 55 Towels off
22 Bela Lugosi or dah 56 Anniversary celebration
119 Prelude to Na Na 58 Place
chiller, 1932 120 A Merry Man 63 Willing recipients?
23 Wolfe et al. 122 Word not appearing in this 65 Enlist
24 Candidate for AA 67 Scratched (out),
25 Make a goof puzzle?
26 ___ Jima 124 Karloff-Lugosi as a living
27 “Look what ___!” 68 South American
29 Colorful fish thriller, 1934
31 Wine container 127 TV commercial award constrictor
32 “Brevity is ___ of wit” 128 Lash of westerns 69 Desert hills
34 Whitmore drama, 1964 129 Colorization booster who 70 Icy downpour
37 Sweetish drink 72 Makes, as socks
38 Founder of New York’s Public thought it was going to be a 73 “___ stun”
TRUE TREND
Theatre 130 Linden and Roach (Kirk order)
41 Abe’s paramour, allegedly 131 Lauder of cosmetics 76 At midnight or so
42 Actress Russo 132 “Long time” followup 79 Wartime president
43 Feel ___ in the air 133 Front or back of a fly 82 Trailblazer Daniel
44 After-shower powder 84 ___ consequence (trivial)
46 Disney subsidiary DOWN 86 Comes together
48 It has a chilling effect 1 Clock parts 87 Resort condo, often
52 Outlawed pesticides 2 Certifies 88 Pilot’s heading: abbr.
53 Glenn Ford drama, 1955 3 Frankie, not Johnny 90 Quite bold
4 “Act your age!” 91 Y. Berra, for one
(with The) 5 Sacrifice 92 Agreeing-to-meet comment
57 Home of St. Francis 6 Retriever, for short 99 Likely
59 “___ partridge ... ” 7 Fvll deck plvs one 100 As ___ a tree
60 The Maharishi, e.g. 8 Word after bob 102 Salt Lake player
61 Austrian artist Schiele 104 The pre-WWI era, La belle
62 “Why me?” sound or dog
64 Slangy private eyes 9 Philippine island ___
66 Finlandia composer 10 L’___ (French for 106 Go and get
68 Words from our sponsors 107 Soft palate projection
71 Fellini film, 1951 32 Across) 108 C.S. Forester’s C
74 Sweltering saison 11 Baryshnikov’s company, 109 Breakable muscle
75 Alert of a sort 111 A series of engagements
77 Impulse once 112 Waited comfortably
78 Did in, as Abel 12 He can’t wait to be 116 Kin of FYI
80 Perfect for the other 117 Teddy alternative
married 121 Lights-out punches
48 Across 13 Middleman’s transaction 123 Chalk it up?
81 “Dewey Defeats Truman” 14 Piglet’s parent 125 Mag. staffers
15 Word not appearing in this 126 Member of the
paper
83 Bible preposition puzzle? under-the-hill gang
85 Orders from headquarters 16 Per ___
89 Chester Morris 17 Zero people
19 Singer Pinza
mystery-comedy, 1941 22 Dog or cat
93 Lane in Metropolis 28 “___ little confused”
94 Moving about 30 Nirvana seeker
95 ___ sauce 33 Bacterial invasion
96 Brigitte’s bridge 35 Take out of the sack
97 Ditto 36 Nut part
39 Big bear?
40 Pedestal base

The Telegraph

46 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

Wife’s at a loss over her chubby hubby’s attitude

BY CAROLYN HAX weight, I support him 100 percent. It’s clear, though, Talking in Circles:
Washington Post he’s unhappy with his situation, but also doesn’t The short answer: boundaries. Your husband
want to do much about it. I’m at a loss. I’ve talked to doesn’t have good ones and he needs them.
Dear Carolyn: My husband is him, but we end up talking in circles. It always gets Yours sound healthy, which means you prob-
overweight. Fine. I still find him put back on me, that he can’t lose weight because I ably already know there’s not a lot you can do
attractive and have no issue with won’t work out with him, so I don’t engage when he that you haven’t already tried. He is, as you said,
his weight if he’s healthy. talks about it anymore. What do I do? a grown man, no matter how creative he gets in
trying to shed his responsibility.
My problem is with his attitude –Talking in Circles You can, of course, buy different foods when
toward his weight. He doesn’t like it’s your turn to shop. You can research fitness-
being heavy. Fine. He wants to lose weight. Fine. He support apps.
says he needs to find ways to work out. Fine. You can also walk and bike without him. It’s
He says those ways NEED to include me or he good for you anyway, but also lays the ground-
won’t be successful, that he won’t do it. He needs work for two possible futures: the one where he
someone to work out with or he won’t feel inclined finally goes with you and the one where you get
to do it. Can you see where this is going? used to moving independently.
I am not overweight, though I could certainly be It’s tough stuff, but if his choices now limit his
in better shape, so I have offered to join a gym with mobility later, then you may be forced to choose
him. He doesn’t like gyms; they’re too expensive. I of- someday: couch-bound with him or out and ac-
fer to go on walks. His knee hurts. I suggest he go for tive without him. You’ll be glad for any foresight.
a bike ride, but there’s always some reason he can’t. You can also encourage him to go to therapy.
I’ve tried to offer support and encouragement, but The boundaries alone are worth treatment with
at some point he needs to take responsibility for his someone reputable, but the secret eating and
own weight loss. the mismatch of words and deeds suggest this is
He also has an eating issue. I don’t monitor what pain-relief behavior.
he eats, he’s a grown man, but I have noticed that If so, then “doesn’t want to do much about it”
food mysteriously goes missing overnight and I can is unfair.
only assume it has been consumed by my husband. It’s OK to tell him his weight doesn’t worry you,
Or we have an unseen houseguest taking care of our his unhappiness and emotional paralysis do. Of-
leftovers, snacks and cereal for us. fer to make appointments. Then invite him on a
What can I do here? If he wants to lose weight, I walk and go regardless. 
support him 100 percent. If he’s fine at his current

REPLACING TINY JOINTS CAN YIELD
IMMENSE BENEFITS

48 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Replacing tiny joints can yield immense benefits

BY TOM LLOYD School, “joint replacements in the
Staff Writer hand are less common than surgery to
replace a knee or hip joint, partly be-
The odds are good you know some- cause the intricate bone structure and
one who’s had a hip or knee joint re- small size of the hand make the proce-
placed. dure more challenging.”

It’s far less likely you know someone However, the challenge has been
with a high-tech elbow, wrist or finger taken up by physicians like Dr. Erin
joint replacement, and that’s not alto- Forest at Vero Orthopaedics & Neu-
gether surprising. rology, and today hand, elbow, finger
and wrist procedures are becoming
According to Harvard Medical

Dr. Erin Forest.

PHOTOS BY DENISE RITCHIE

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 49

HEALTH

increasingly commonplace. hands or their wrists right away and their conditions have steadily evolved versions are more likely to be made
According to Cleveland Clinic, if you so we’ll have them in a splint and since they were first introduced in 1959. of silicone, polyethylene, titanium or
work with therapy and gradually work pyrocarbon, which are less likely to
have stiff and painful elbows, wrists or on their range of motion as things are Indeed, the National Institutes of degrade or loosen over time while pro-
fingers, “joint replacement surgery may healing up.” Health admits that those early en- viding improved range of motion and
offer relief for you.” deavors in small joint arthroplasty greater stability.
Most commonly doctors recom- “were not particularly auspicious, re-
Indeed, Dr. Peter Evans, an upper ex- mend joint replacement for patients sulting from poor implant design, in- If pain in your hands, wrist or elbow
tremity surgeon at the Ohio Cleveland who have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid effective [implant] materials and an is keeping you from living the life you
Clinic campus, goes so far as to call arthritis or significant deformity and incomplete understanding of small want to lead, talk to your primary care
those procedures “life-changing.” dysfunction. Harvard Medical says joint mechanics.” physician or an orthopedic specialist.
more than 20 million Americans – Medicare and most private insurers
Evans continues by saying “joint re- most of them women – have osteoar- Today, NIH says, “advances in small will likely help pick up the cost.
placement surgery is an effective way thritis and 2 million more, 70 percent joint arthroplasty have revolutionized
to eliminate joint pain, correct a defor- of whom are women, have rheumatoid the care of patients with trauma, ar- Dr. Erin Forest is with Vero Orthopae-
mity and improve limited motion” in arthritis. thritis, stiffness and instability” in up- dics & Neurology at 1155 35th Lane, Suite
the upper extremities, just as hip and per extremity joints. 100 in Vero Beach. The phone number is
knee replacements do in the lower ex- For all those people it is good news 772-569-2330. 
tremities. that safe and effective treatments for For instance, instead of the all-steel
prosthetics of the late 1950s, today’s
Forest, who is board-certified by the
American Board of Orthopedic Surgery
and fellowship-trained in hand and up-
per extremity surgery as well as micro-
vascular surgery, has yet another upper
extremity ace up her surgical sleeve.

Reconstruction.
“The most common joint recon-
struction that we do,” Forest explains,
“is not even a replacement; it’s actually
a reconstruction of the thumb base. A
lot of people will come in saying that
they’ve got wrist pain or they’ve got
thumb pain with pinching, grasping,
opening jars or doors. And that’s very
commonplace for us to do a recon-
struction.
“There’s a lot of different ways to re-
construct that joint, but the most com-
mon way in a recent survey of all hand
surgeons in the country is to do a joint
arthroplasty with the patient’s own
tissue. We borrow [the] tendon that
bends the wrist and we use that to re-
construct the ligaments that hold the
thumb in the right position. What’s
left of the tendon goes into the space
where there was bone on bone. So
there’s no more bone rubbing on bone
and we’ve got the patient’s own tissue,
so it’s less likely to wear out over time.
I’m doing probably two a week, on av-
erage” of that procedure.
How successful are these recon-
structions?
Forest says it’s hard to tell – but for
a positive reason. “It actually holds
up so well,” she says, “it’s hard to get
people back [into the office] to do
the follow-ups” needed for outcome
studies.
That said, whether a patient has re-
placement or reconstruction surgery,
the recovery time isn’t short.
“Patients,” says Forest, “still have
some therapy and some splints to deal
with. Even though bony healing can
take five or six weeks in the hand, for the
soft tissue and ligament reconstruction
procedures, we have to be careful with
them for about three months. So it’s not
necessarily something like a knee or
hip where we have them up and walk-
ing the next day.”
Pausing briefly, she adds, “luck-
ily people don’t put weight on their

50 Vero Beach 32963 / December 26, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Fatigue, while common, may also be sign of a health issue

BY EMILY SOHN na’s Sleep & Health Research Program in says. “So, when it starts changing, you after ordinary night wakings, which
The Washington Post Tucson. want to ask, ‘Well, what’s going on?’” typically happen multiple times a night,
Grandner says.
Tired? Join the club. And while tiredness is often tempo- Sleepiness, fatigue, tiredness: In
Feeling tired or fatigued is a common rary, treatable or nothing to worry about, conversation, people use the terms in- But sleep inertia will also make it
experience. Yet healthcare providers of- experts say that tiredness that suddenly terchangeably. But medically, their tough to get up in the morning if the
ten dismiss complaints about tiredness worsens or prevents you from doing definitions differ. Understanding the alarm rings during a deep stage of sleep.
– both because the symptom is univer- what you want can be a sign of a health differences is an important first step to- That grogginess should wear off within
sal and because it can be challenging to problem or sleep disorder. ward tackling the problem – or figuring half an hour of pushing through it.
evaluate medically, says Michael Grand- out if there is one.
ner, director of the University of Arizo- “Sleep seems to be a canary in the Also normal are occasional rough
coal mine, where it’s sensitive to all these Sleepiness is a need for sleep that nights because of stress or sleep interrup-
things going on in your body,” Grandner makes it difficult to stay awake, even tions. And even if you get a good night’s
while driving, working or watching a rest, you may experience a midafternoon
movie, and even after ingesting caffeine. bout of sleepiness as a result of ordinary
circadian rhythms.
Fatigue, on the other hand, is a deep-
er sort of an inability, either physical or Age is something else to keep in mind,
mental, to do what you want to do, such though the evidence there is somewhat
as get to the grocery store. counterintuitive. Studies show that, as
people get older, sleep patterns tend to
Somewhere in the middle is tired- change in predictable ways. It may start
ness, a desire to rest that is less debilitat- taking longer to fall asleep. You may
ing than fatigue and less dramatic than wake up more often and spend more
sleepiness. You can still be productive time awake in the night. And bedtimes
while tired. and mornings may shift earlier. Meno-
pause is another common cause of inter-
Whatever you call it, it’s common. rupted sleep.
In a 2014 survey by the nonprofit Na-
tional Sleep Foundation, 45 percent of But sleep satisfaction doesn’t neces-
adults said they had been affected by sarily drop with age. Studies by Grandner
poor sleep or not enough sleep in the and others have found that complaints
previous week. As many as 20 percent about sleep and tiredness actually de-
of people report excessive sleepiness on cline with age after a peak in early adult-
a regular basis. And, a National Safety hood. In other words, you should not
Council survey reported in 2017 that 76 blame aging if you find yourself strug-
percent of people felt tired at work. gling with tiredness.
If you’re bothered by how tired you
feel, there might be some simple expla- “Aging is associated with sleep that is
nations, including the most basic – not a little shallower and a little more broken
enough sleep. A third of Americans don’t up, but not less satisfying,” Grandner
get the recommended seven or more says. “If you’re an older person and you’re
hours a night, according to the Centers really unhappy with your sleep, that’s ac-
for Disease Control and Prevention. And tually an issue.”
because needs vary widely, even seven
hours isn’t enough for many people. For people of any age, if tiredness is
“If you’re routinely getting five or six making it hard for you to get through
hours of sleep and you’re feeling tired,” most days or otherwise getting in your
Grandner says, “that’s an easy thing to way, experts suggest visiting a prima-
check off the list in terms of figuring out ry-care clinic first to be evaluated for
what the problem is.” common causes of fatigue or tiredness,
Sleep deprivation is not just a nui- including depression, autoimmune dis-
sance. It raises the risk for car accidents eases, vitamin levels and thyroid issues.
and has been linked with health con-
cerns such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovas- One warning: The appointment might
cular disease and depression. be frustrating. Many doctors lack train-
Lack of sleep can also affect mood and ing in sleep medicine, Watson says.
relationships in ways that even caffeine Primary-care physicians don’t routinely
can’t remedy, says Nathaniel Watson, di- ask patients about sleep, Grandner adds.
rector of the Harborview Sleep Clinic at They also often miss the signs of insom-
the University of Washington in Seattle. nia or they suggest ineffective treatments
“There is no substitute for sleep,” he says. for it, a 2017 study found.
Beware the temptation to lie down ex-
actly seven hours before your alarm is set If nothing turns up in the regular
to go off. Nobody sleeps 100 percent of clinic, it’s worth seeing a sleep special-
the time that they’re in bed, Watson says, ist, whose evaluation is likely to include
so it might take eight hours of pillow time screening for sleep apnea. The disorder,
to get seven hours of sleep. which causes people to periodically stop
The physiology of sleep might also be breathing in their sleep, affects up to 10
getting in your way, if only temporarily. A percent of adults – with rates higher for
phenomenon called sleep inertia, for ex- people who are overweight. Most don’t
ample, is what helps you fall back asleep know they have it.

Bottom line, experts say: Being tired is
worth paying attention to – and the good
news is that causes are often treatable. 


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