05/19/2017 ISSUE 20

May 19, 2017 | Volume 4, Issue 20 Newsstand Price: $1.00

YOUR LOCAL NEWS SOURCE FOR INDIAN RIVER COUNTY

PAGE B6 PAGE B6

BURST OF NEW RETAIL BIZ 7 12 B6MAGIC IN BLOOM AT
ADDS TO TRAFFIC WOES FAIRY AND PIRATE FEST
VERO’S DANCING STARS
EVENT PULLS IN $292K

MY TAKE Council votes to
take FPL offer
BY RAY MCNULTY for Vero electric

St. Ed’s football coach:
Committed to the kids

If I had a high school-age St. Ed’s football coach Bill Motta. Player wears new “shock bonnet” over helmet to help prevent concussions. PHOTO: GORDON RADFORD By Lisa Zahner | Staff Writer
son and possessed the financial [email protected]
means to send him to St. Ed-
ward’s, I’d strongly encourage The Vero Beach City Council
him to do something more boys voted 4-to-1 on Tuesday to pur-
there should do. sue Florida Power & Light’s latest
$185 million offer to purchase
I’d want him to play football. the entire Vero electric system.
He’d get fitter. He’d get tougher.
He’d also get smarter, learning life Key players in the electric
lessons on the field that can’t be saga weighed in agreeing the city
learned in the classroom – lessons should go for it.
about teamwork and camarade-
rie, adversity and perseverance, The deal on the table would
sportsmanship and success. pay off Vero’s $20 million in out-
He’d be a better man for it. standing electric utility bonds,
Bill Motta, the football coach relieve the city of $6.6 million
at St. Edward’s since 2010, would in pension liability, provide job
make sure of that. opportunities for electric utility
“We work hard and we want workers, and pay exit penalties
to be successful on the field, but of $20 million to the Orlando
this program isn’t about devel- Utilities Commission and $108
oping college football players,” million to the Florida Municipal
Motta said last week during a Power Agency co-op to extricate
spring-practice session. “The Vero from bad deals entered into
program here is about developing by past City Councils.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 At the end of the day, the pro-
ceeds would leave the city with
approximately $20 million in un-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

INSIDE Sebastian principal cleared Troubled youth behind church vandalism
of sexual harassment charge
NEWS 1-12 PETS 18 By Samantha Rohlfing Baita | Staff Writer
DINING B7 By Ray McNulty | Staff Writer [email protected]
HEALTH 13 GAMES B12 [email protected]
CALENDAR B15 The parents of a teenager Vero Beach
REAL ESTATE 19 A School District investigation found “no evi- Police have identified as a suspect in the
B1 dence” to support an allegation made in March that vandalism at Christ by the Sea Methodist
ARTS Sebastian River High School Principal Todd Racine Church during Holy Week said he somehow
sexually harassed the school’s first-year athletic di- went off track in recent months after being
To advertise call: 772-559-4187 rector, according to a report made public Monday sexually targeted by an older man and hav-
For circulation or where to pick up afternoon. ing difficulties with a girl, becoming bitter,
your issue call: 772-226-7925 angry and combative.
The district’s investigative report states that Ra-
© 2016 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved. cine made only a single remark that not even the Vero residents Tara and Keith Andrew
athletic director, Jessica Upchurch, considered to McFarlane Jr. said their son Keith Andrew
be sexual harassment, and that the principal merely McFarlane III, who was 17 at the time of the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

2 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.com

MY TAKE Michael Villafuerte, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound I’ve been here,” Motta said, adding that Motta said the administration is doing
defenseman who Motta plans to use as his academic exams and end-of-the-school- its part – promoting the team on campus,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 featured running back and as an outside year functions have forced him to conduct providing first-rate facilities and the fund-
linebacker. some practices this spring with as few as ing for top-of-the-line equipment, and al-
character, commitment and accountabili- eight players. lowing him and his players to recruit stu-
ty.” Anthony Chiarenza, who, like Villa- dents already enrolled.
fuerte, will be a senior next season, is the “If you have 80 kids and you’re miss-
That’s not just talk. projected starter at quarterback, but when ing eight, it’s no big deal,” he continued. He said the school purchased $10,000
I’ve seen Motta at work – spring drills, St. Edward’s travels to Maitland for to- “When you have only 15 and you’re miss- worth of new equipment, including state-
summer workouts, in-season practices. night’s spring jamboree at Orangewood ing five, it can be a problem.” of-the-art shock bonnets that attach to the
I’ve watched his teams play. I’ve witnessed Christian School, he will play football un- exterior of football helmets and help pre-
his interaction with players. der game-like conditions for the first time But not a new problem. vent concussions.
“Coaching,” he said, “is about relation- since he was an eighth-grader. Expecting St. Edward’s to field teams
ships.” with rosters large enough to allow Motta to “I’m sure there were some people who
And Motta, blessed with the rare ability Overall, the Pirates’ spring roster has run 11-versus-11 scrimmages in practice had doubts,” Motta said, “but the admin-
to make old-school values mean some- one eighth-grader, two freshmen and four is unrealistic, given that the Upper School istration has not wavered a bit.”
thing to young people in today’s any- sophomores, so the team will be as young has an enrollment of only 240 – and fewer
thing-goes culture, relates in a special way as it is inexperienced – except on the offen- than half are boys. Though there was some concern about
to his players. sive line, where Payton Cleveland and Ed- “If we had six players at every grade lev- the small turnout in the wake of losing a
Yet, as has been the case too often during ward Klinsport will be back as seniors and el, we’d have 24 players, which would be dozen players to graduation, Wachter said
his seven years at the private, seaside Grayson Long and Patrick Quaile return as a good number for us,” Motta said. “But the administration never considered drop-
school, Motta this year again finds him- juniors. that’s about 25 percent of the boys enrolled ping the football program.
self with only a small number of students here.
who want to absorb his extensive football “We were top-heavy last season,” Motta “How many high schools have 25 per- “As long as there are kids who want to
knowledge and valuable life lessons. said. “We had 18 players, and 12 of them cent of their male enrollment playing on play and they can be well trained, phys-
There are only 15 players on the Pirates’ were seniors. We had no ninth-graders.” the football team?” ically fit and competitively sound, we’ll
spring roster, which includes just five from And as St. Edward’s Assistant Headmas- support it,” Wachter said. “It’s part of who
the team that reached the championship In fact, nine of the 12 seniors on last ter Bruce Wachter points out: Boys there we are, and it’s always been a positive ex-
game of the independent Sunshine State season’s 7-4 squad, which Motta said pro- also have other fall-season athletic op- perience for our kids.
Athletic Conference last season. duced “one of my most fulfilling years tions, such as swimming, golf and cross
Of the 10 others, five hadn’t played or- here,” had spent four years in the program. country. “That’s the conundrum for us,” he add-
ganized football until earlier this month, Three others were juniors, but only two of “It’s our preference that kids get involved ed. “We have great school spirit here. Our
though four of them have played other them have returned this spring. in something, and our students do a lot of kids like the sport and our boys get plenty
high school sports, including two that play other things at a competitive level,” said of support from the student body. We pack
lacrosse. Making matters worse: St. Edward’s did Wachter, head of the Upper School. “We the stands for our games.
One of the lacrosse players, though, is not field a middle school team last season have a lot of multiple-sport athletes. But,
because there weren’t enough students sure, football could use a few more guys.” “What we need to do is get more of them
who wanted to play. (The program will be out of the stands and on the field.”
resurrected in the fall.)
Make no mistake, though: St. Edward’s
“This is about the leanest it’s been since is not a school where the football program
is going to attract players from the outside.

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS May 19, 2017 3

The cost is high – annual Upper School CHRIST BY THE SEA learned the suspect in the Marcos incident but by that time McFarlane was already in
tuition is in excess of $26,000 – and the ac- was McFarlane. detention at the St. Lucie Regional Juvenile
ademic regimen is demanding. Financial CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Detention Center in Ft. Pierce “for previous
aid is available, based solely on need, but On April 17, the Monday after Easter, crimes” committed in other jurisdictions.
even the best athletes must be students vandalism, had always been “an awesome Pastor Melvin told Det. Pedersen that the
first. kid” who enjoyed baseball, had a girlfriend, church had identified a possible suspect in Last week, McFarlene’s parents spoke
was headed toward high school graduation the vandalism at the church, and was ad- with Vero Beach 32963 about their son’s
Wachter said about 12 percent of the and had a new a job with an aerospace ma- vised by the officer to contact the detective recent change in behavior and the circum-
school’s seniors go on to play sports in col- chining company in Port St. Lucie. assigned to the case. stances surrounding his arrest.
lege.
Then, over the past several months, the However, when Pedersen spoke with Mel- McFarlane’s mother said she viewed his
“Bill does a fabulous job,” Wachter said. teen began to change. He started “acting vin the following day, the pastor said he was behavior as a cry for help, and she expressed
“The boys work hard and they compete, out,” and developed dangerous behaviors, not willing to release the name of the sus- hope he’ll be able to receive treatment he
but the emphasis isn’t all about football. It continuing to spiral downward in spite of his pect, explaining that the situation was very needs through the court system.
isn’t all about winning games, though we parents’ efforts to get help for him. sensitive and that he didn’t know whether
like when that happens. He also spends the church would want to proceed with a Meanwhile, McFarlane remains in the Ft.
time with the kids doing community ser- In the midst of the problems, the Mc- criminal investigation. Pierce juvenile facility and, according to his
vice.” Farlanes discovered that an older co-worker father, is expected to be there until May 22.
had been inappropriately communicating At that time, a police spokesperson told He was scheduled to appear before a judge
When it comes to coaching football, with their son at work and online. The St. Vero Beach 32963 that the investigation had this past Monday, May 15, which was, ironi-
Motta is getting help this spring from Lucie County Sheriff’s Office was contacted, been suspended, pending further word from cally, his 18th birthday.
two former NFL players – both were Vero and the individual was arrested and charged the church, and Melvin told the paper that
Beach High School standouts, both earned with six counts related to sending obscene the congregation was praying for the as yet Since the vandalism occurred, the church
All-America honors in college – who are materials to minors. unidentified young man and his family. has installed exterior surveillance cameras,
making sure the Pirates are doing it right. and the broken stained glass windows have
Another source told police that the teen On April 19, Melvin disclosed McFar- been taken to the Vero Beach studio where
Motta’s son, Zeke, and Super Bowl-win- was angry at a girl, who may have been a lane’s name to Pedersen and explained that they were created for repair.
ning center Bryan Stork are serving as vol- member of the church where stained glass the youth’s father had contacted him to tell
unteer assistant coaches and sharing their windows were smashed in a series of inci- him his son had confessed to breaking the The windows were designed in the 1990s
vast football knowledge with the St. Ed- dents. church windows. by world-renowned stained-glass artist, the
ward’s players. late Conrad Pickel. Pickel’s son, Paul, who
The first incident of vandalism occurred Later that day, in an interview with an un- helped make the windows, said repairs ex-
“They’re out here every day,” Motta said sometime between April 7 and April 9, when named individual, Pedersen was told that pected to cost between $10,000 and $15,000
of his son, who played for the Atlanta Fal- a brick was thrown into a window on the the reason McFarlane targeted the church have not begun yet, pending approval from
cons, and Stork, who played for the New east side of the church; next, on April 10 just windows was because his “first girlfriend the chruch’s insurance company.
England Patriots. “They have a lot to offer before 8 a.m., the church maintenance man- provoked him.”
the kids.” ager heard a loud noise from the sanctuary Melvin said he has been amazed by the
and discovered a south side window broken Finally on May 2, police charged McFar- support the church has received from the
Although he has opportunities to pursue out by a large rock; at 8:20 a.m. April 12, po- lane, a Vero Beach High School senior, with community in the wake of the vandalism,
other coaching positions – at both the high lice were again dispatched to the church and three felony counts of criminal mischief. De- including thousands of dollars in donations
school and college levels, where he’d have found that six large rocks had been thrown tectives obtained “take into custody” orders, to help defray repair costs. 
enough players for a depth chart – Motta through three large windows in the prow-
continues to do it the hard way at St. Ed’s, like front of the church that faces A1A.
where he has had success despite the lim-
itations imposed by a small student body. Vero Beach Police stepped up patrols in
between the incidents and canvassed the
“I’ve had offers,” Motta said. “I could do neighborhood afterward but were not able
this in a lot of different places. But I love to locate a suspect. During the initial inter-
this community and this school. I respect views, church staff said they were not aware
and admire what the administration is try- of problems with any individuals who might
ing to do here. Besides, I’ve made a com- be considered suspects.
mitment to these people.”
Then, according to the probable cause
He knows about commitment, account- affidavit, on the Saturday before Easter, the
ability, and especially character. He makes church’s pastor, Cliff Melvin, contacted Po-
his players fitter, tougher and smarter. He’s lice Detective Lt. John Pedersen about an in-
also making them better young men. And cident the previous night, April 14, in which
across the past seven years, he has earned a pipe had been thrown through a window
the respect and admiration of our commu- at the residence of the church’s music direc-
nity. tor Dr. Marcos Flores. Vero detectives later

I wish more of our sons played for him.
I wish I had one ... so he could. 





6 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.com

Indian River Shores to hold line on property taxes

By Lisa Zahner | Staff Writer per thousand dollars of non-home- and emergency medical services. That battle over Vero’s electric franchise with
[email protected] stead, taxable property value is expect- department is budgeted for $4.1 mil- the Shores, the Town spent $631,000
ed to bring in $4.56 million in property lion in the coming year. Revenues from and $492,000 respectively in legal fees
Unlike Orchid, its neighbor to the tax receipts, to be supplemented by the traffic tickets and insurance reimburse- with the Tallahassee firm of Holland
north that is proposing a huge increase Town’s slice of revenue sharing from var- ments offset that by $128,000, with the and Knight and its rate consultants. In
in the property tax rate, the Town of In- ious statewide imposed taxes and fees balance coming mostly from property the current year, the Shores budgeted
dian River Shores released a preliminary for a total of $5.65 million in anticipated taxes. $717,000 to continue its legal battles be-
budget last week that maintains last town revenues. fore deciding to drop litigation and com-
year’s tax rate, while investing in a ma- One major downward trend reflected plaints before the Florida Public Service
jor new amenity and beefing up clerical The Shores’ biggest operating ex- in the budget is in the area of legal ex- Commission. As a result, projected legal
staff to handle growing demands. pense is the triple-trained Public Safety penses. In the 2014 and 2015 fiscal years, fees this year are only $138,000, with
Department, which provides police, fire at the height of the legal and regulatory that number going down to $98,000 in
The stable property tax rate of $1.71 the year ending Sept. 30, 2018.

The Town’s postal center costs about
a quarter-million dollars annually to op-
erate and staff, and the Shores spends
about $160,000 per year to maintain the
Town cemetery.

A half-million dollars set aside in a
capital fund for the new Indian Riv-
er Shores Community Center, which
is set to break ground in March 2018,
is the major addition to the new bud-
get; $450,000 to pay for the Town’s new
monopine cell tower is included in the
current budget year ending Sept. 30.

At the close of the budget year, barring
any serious storm-related expenses, the
Town would have nearly $2.7 million in
reserves – roughly $2 million of that for
emergencies and the balance in an un-
assigned reserve fund.

The published budget does not con-
template how the Town might use or
invest the $4.48 million in proceeds it
expects to receive after closing on the
recently-auctioned 5.2 acre oceanside
parcel.

Town Manager Robbie Stabe said he
did not include any benefit from those
proceeds in the budget because they are
non-recurring funds.

The Town’s Finance Committee took
its first stab at the budget on May 8, and,
if anything, expenses would go down
based upon its suggested changes.

Stabe said the committee balked at a
3 percent cost of living increase that had
been budgeted for non-union employ-
ees and also at increasing the adminis-
trative staff by moving a part-time as-
sistant assigned to the Town Manager to
full-time and adding another assistant
for the Town Clerk.

The Finance Committee wants both
assistants to be part-time, as to not incur
benefits and pension costs, but Mayor
Brian Barefoot said he stands by Stabe’s
request for the additional support staff
at a cost of $24,000. Stabe said the cost
of living increase item “will be removed
from the budget sent to the Town Coun-
cil.”

The Shores budget workshop is set
for 9 a.m. June 29, but the Town Council
will have a total of three meetings on the
budget in the coming months before a
final vote on Sept. 28. 

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS May 19, 2017 7

BURST OF NEW RETAIL BIZ ADDS TO TRAFFIC WOES

By Ray McNulty | Staff Writer Publix, Stein Mart, Starbucks and Carrab- Pizzeria & Restaurant, a Mattress One Grille at 1902 U.S. 1.
[email protected] ba’s Italian Grill. store and a salon have moved into a new “This is going to be an ongoing situa-
building on the shopping center property.
By now, a month past Easter and with South of Wawa, a 23,000-square-foot tion,” Graham said. “As new businesses
many of our seasonal residents already retail development with a national auto Earlier, a busy Cumberland Farms store open in that area, it’s going to impact the
back in their summer homes, you’ve parts dealer, restaurant and, possibly, a opened on the southeast corner of the flow of traffic, especially during the busy
probably noticed cruising around town cell-phone store, will be going up soon. congested U.S. 1 and 17th Street intersec- winter season.
has become easier. tion.
There are also new businesses at the “So we’ll continue to monitor the vol-
The number of vehicles on the roads Kmart Plaza at the intersection of U.S. 1 North of 17th Street, Ay! Jalisco, a pop- ume of traffic, where it’s turning and
has decreased. The backups at intersec- and 15th Place: A Moe’s Southwest Grill ular Mexican restaurant, has moved from where it’s backing up, and we’ll make ad-
tions aren’t as long. Most times, anyway, recently opened at the northeast corner its longtime Miracle Mile location to the justments as they become necessary,” she
traffic flows the way it’s supposed to. of the property. In addition, a Vittorio’s site of what was the Vero Beach Sports
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Driving along Vero Beach’s busier cor-
ridors has become far less stressful than
it was only a few weeks ago, when traffic
was so congested – especially when ap-
proaching major intersections – that wait-
ing through more than one light change
was common.

“We get used to the roads the way they
are most of the year, then we get that sea-
sonal influx and everything gets congest-
ed,” said Kim Graham, the county’s traffic
engineer. “Traffic during the season has
been increasing the past three years, and
we adjust a lot of our signals to accommo-
date the extra volume.

“We start modifying the timing of the
signals in December, particularly at major
intersections, and our goal is to coordi-
nate them to get you through two or three
lights before you have to stop again,” she
added. “We have a special software pro-
gram that looks at the traffic flow at each
intersection and calibrates the best way
to alleviate it.

“Where necessary, we’ll adjust the cycle
lengths to keep traffic flowing as best we
can, because we don’t want people wait-
ing too long. But we can’t make it perfect.”

That’s because residential and com-
mercial growth are having a considerable
impact on local traffic.

As more people move to Vero Beach –
even on a seasonal basis – more homes
are being built. That construction puts
more vehicles on the road. So do the new
residents.

And those residents require services,
such as lawn care, pest control and
air-conditioner maintenance, which also
add to the daytime traffic.

Perhaps the greatest contributor to in-
creased traffic congestion is the burst of
new retail businesses that have opened
along the community’s busiest roadways,
particularly U.S. 1 and State Road 60.

The recent additions of Wawa and
Walmart Neighborhood Store on U.S.
1 required temporary lane closures for
construction of right-turn lanes, entranc-
es and exits. Those closures produced
lengthy backups, especially during the
morning, lunchtime and evening rush
hours.

Wawa, a popular convenience store and
gas station, is located at the 12th Street in-
tersection, diagonally across from a heav-
ily trafficked shopping plaza that includes

8 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.com

ORCHID MAY DOUBLE ITS PROPERTY TAX RATE

By Samantha Rohlfing Baita | Staff Writer population, almost all of whom reside with- During council discussions, Vice Mayor After studying several possible options,
[email protected] in the gated community of Orchid Island Robert Gibbons emphasized the importance the Council agreed that building the emer-
Golf and Beach Club. It has only two full of ensuring the Town has sufficient funds to gency reserve “must be the Town’s main goal
Homeowners in the affluent Town of Or- time charter officers, the town manager and respond to another beach/dune emergency for the upcoming fiscal year,” and passed a
chid may see their property taxes almost the town clerk, who carry out administra- without having to borrow money. Council resolution for a tentative millage increase
double, from $1,250 per $1 million assessed tive tasks, plus a part-time police chief and member Howard Thrailkill suggested that from 1.25 to 2.4.
value to $2,400, unless the Town Council re- a part-time building clerk. The Town large- at least $400,000 would likely be needed for
treats from a resolution it adopted at its May ly relies on the property owners association a future beach renourishment project. The With 352 “front doors” in Orchid,
meeting. and the club to provide municipal services. most recent project came in at $375,913. and a current assessed taxable value of
$411,627,920, the proposed rate would gen-
The big proposed increase was prompted erate $938,512.
by the Council’s desire to establish a reserve
fund for emergency beach renourishment From that the Council, intends to make
so that the Town will not have to borrow the first annual Matthew storm repair loan
money for storm repairs, as it did in the af- payment of $92,960 and place $360,260 in
termath of Hurricane Matthew. reserve.

When Matthew passed by offshore, a Because the Council will not have a phys-
stretch of shoreline between Sanderling and ical quorum in July, Council members chose
Wabasso suffered an extensive dune wash- to adopt the resolution at this time in order
out, and the Town was forced to take out a to meet the County Property Appraiser’s
$350,000 loan from the Orchid Island Com- deadline for submitting budget information
munity Association to fund repairs. within 35 days after July 1.

Over the years, previous Town Councils The big increase, however, could be re-
frequently discussed ways to fund emergen- vised during town budget hearings in Sep-
cy beach renourishment but never took any tember.
decisive action.
The Sept. 6 millage and budget hearings
The Town of Orchid is a unique residential are scheduled to take place at 5:01 p.m. at
community in that it has a relatively small the Orchid Island Beach Club. 

Marine Bank’s first-quarter earnings up 20 percent over last year

By Ray McNulty | Staff Writer year, an increase of more than 20 per- Bill Penney, Marine’s president and emailed statements,” he added. “And
[email protected] cent. Meanwhile, the bank’s outstanding CEO, attributed the bank’s success to his we’re seeing our new location in Sebas-
loans totaled $163.5 million, which was team’s customer-friendly approach, tech- tian continue to grow – 20 percent since
Marine Bank & Trust continued to an increase of $7.7 million from March nology upgrades that enabled mobile we welcomed it to the Marine family in
show strong earnings and asset growth 31, 2016. banking and the addition of a full-service October.
through the first three months of 2017. branch in Sebastian last fall.
Total deposits through the first quar- “So customers seem to like what we’re
The only community bank headquar- ter of this year were at $197.9 million, a “The continued success we are enjoy- doing and they’re voting with their wal-
tered in Vero Beach, Marine saw its total 5.4 percent jump from the first quarter of ing is the result of the customers’ posi- lets.”
assets grow $10 million – to $216 million 2016. tive response to our team meeting their
– from the end of the first quarter of 2016 banking needs and helping them man- Marine will mark the 20th anniversary
to the end of the first quarter of this year. That $10.2 million increase in depos- age their money, buy homes and expand of its opening next month.
its not only enhanced the bank’s finan- their businesses,” Penney said.
The 4.9 percent gain in assets was ac- cial standing, but it also helped Marine “I can’t think of a better way to cele-
companied by year-over-year increases maintain its five-star “superior” rating “Customers also are benefiting from brate our longevity in the market than
in earnings, money loaned and total de- from Bauer Financial – the highest rat- last year’s technology upgrade, which with a healthy balance sheet, an ener-
posits. ing available from the nation’s premier brought us some new services, such as gized team and a commitment to provide
bank-rating firm. mobile check deposits, text alerts and an exceptional banking experience,” Pen-
First-quarter earnings in 2017 climbed ney said. 
to $261,000, compared to $216,000 last





Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS May 19, 2017 11

VERO ELECTRIC He praised Vero Mayor Laura Moss, Add beauty and
who along with the Carlton Fields law natural light to your
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 firm, has spearheaded the recent round EXISTING entryway
of talks with FPL and the FMPA.
restricted cash, plus $10 million in lease in about an hour!
payments from FPL for use of the land “Laura Moss deserves our gratitude for
under the substation in front of the old pursuing this opportunity even as she • Glass patterns • Patio & Sliding
power plant. That money could be used pushed for council approval of the partial for every style Glass Doors
to pave roads or construct stormwater sale. and budget
projects to benefit the lagoon – or it could • Framed /
be invested to offset the loss of millions Councilman Dick Winger was the only • Customize to Frameless
in electric transfers into the general fund. member of the Council to vote against the your style Shower Units
sale Tuesday.
The biggest wrinkle to be worked out was • Impact Glass • Etching
the timing. Even though FPL was anxious to Vice Mayor Harry Howle and Council-
close this deal on Jan. 1, the FMPA had cal- man Lange Sykes, who were elected on • Wood Interior/ • Schlage &
culated the city’s $108 million in exit costs staunchly pro-sale platforms, both voted Exterior Doors Fusion Hardware
based upon a closing date of Oct. 1, 2018. ‘yes.’ Councilman Tony Young, who had
Exiting the co-op early, Florida Municipal seemed somewhat skeptical, also voted • Fiberglass • Mirror Wraps
Power Agency officials said would cost Vero in the affirmative, but continued to insist Doors
an extra $12 million to compensate its sis- that the deal be extensively vetted and ne-
ter cities for eight more months of absorb- gotiations be as transparent as possible. 463-6500
ing Vero’s share of the FMPA’s above-market Regency Square
wholesale power rates. Barefoot and his constituents in the 2426 SE Federal Hwy, Stuart
Shores have a major stake in the deal
Politically, the delayed October clos- going through, as the Shores not only Licensed & Insured
ing would protect the FMPA one more dropped ongoing litigation in hopes of a
legislative session against any efforts by sale, but a still-valid $30 million offer by
Tallahassee officials to regulate its opera- FPL to purchase just the Shores portion
tions or rates. Meanwhile, Vero’s custom- of the system has been shelved while re-
ers would pay more than that $12 mil- newed negotiations toward a full sale pro-
lion in excess electric rates in those eight ceed.
months.
“I have said from the beginning that
But even before FMPA presented its the best option for everyone is a full sale
arguments for the delay to council mem- of the electric system, but if necessary we
bers Tuesday, FPL had adjusted its time- will protect the rights of our Town’s citi-
line to the later date. zens and seek rate relief through a partial
sale to FPL,” Barefoot said.
Meantime, while some naysayers con-
tinued to argue for Vero retaining “the Even former Vice Mayor Randy Old,
cash cow,” key leaders agreed that the FPL whose tenure proved him to be ineffec-
offer for the utility was the best chance for tive in pushing the sale, and who was
the city to get out of the electric business. sometimes seen as passively obstructing
it, endorsed what FPL is proposing.
Former Vero Mayor Pilar Turner, who
worked tirelessly for six years to get Vero “This should be accepted by the City
out of the electric business, was in Pam- Council,” said Old, who was unseated by
plona running with the bulls and, she said, Sykes in November but hopes to get back
“enjoying my vacation from politics” when on the council this fall. “The agreements
the FPL offer came in. But she responded are long and detailed, and there may be
by email to express her excitement. some issues that need to be altered or ne-
gotiated, but most seem straight forward
“This may be the last chance for Vero to and reasonable.”
escape the shackles of the FMPA and past
councils’ mistakes. FPL is the lowest cost, Old also noted the deal could still fall
most efficient electrical provider in the through.
state!” Turner said. “Electrical generation
remains an ‘economy of scale’ business. “FMPA’s board must unanimously ap-
It is impossible for Vero to compete with prove the transaction. One City voting
FPL. FPL will always have more resources against the sale could stop it.” But he said
to manage the risks.” he is optimistic.

Turner called the $185 million on the “I believe that FMPA will approve
table “a fair deal for our ratepayers and the transaction and the full sale will be
the City. We cannot afford to let this op- achieved. However, the other key point
portunity slip away. Can’t believe this is is that if the full sale does not go through
still an issue and has not been resolved,” then, there is a commitment to sell the In-
she said. dian River Shores portion of Vero Electric
to Florida Power & Light,” he said.
Indian River Shores Mayor Brian Bare-
foot said, “This is a clean deal that pro- In conclusion, Old said something all
vides tremendous benefits to all.” sides of the issue can likely agree upon,
“It will be a huge relief to the community
“Unlike previous offers, there is no to have this issue not dominate and di-
‘surcharge’ through which City utility vide the city, as it has for the past several
customers would offset the cost. Once years.”
the sale is complete, all customers will re-
ceive FPL service at the utility’s low rates. Local physician Val Zudans has also de-
And unlike today, all will have access to clared his candidacy for the Vero council
electricity powered increasingly by solar in November, coming out with a strong
energy,” Barefoot said. pro-sale position. Long-time utility activ-
ist Glenn Heran is serving as his campaign
treasurer and chief advisor on the electric
issue. 

12 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.com

Magic in bloom at McKee’s Fairy and Pirate Festival

By Christina Tascon | Correspondent stations were set up in the Education Cen- Marybeth Mahoney with Alice and Lexi. PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD
ter and in front of the Hall of Giants. Joseph Stern and Robin Stern.
As Disney’s “When You Wish Upon a
Star” theme song played over loudspeak- A new feature had Glittering Gypsies
ers, colorful sprites and pint-sized Black weave a magic strand of sparkling fairy
Beards covered every inch of McKee Bo- hair into youngsters’ locks with a rule to
tanical Garden at the seventh annual Fairy make a wish when the sparkling strand
and Pirate Festival. was lost.

The festival has grown to become one Also new were dense bubbles, made
of McKee’s most beloved events, enticing from a bio-degradable soap that soared
multiple generations of attendees who high into the trees like compact clouds.
began lining up early to enjoy a variety of Steve Hahn discovered SmileCloudsU-
SA, which uses a fitted stencil over a tank
Babette Dawson with Eva and Emma. to form the bubbles into hearts, birds and
other shapes, and decided to bring the at-
activities centered on glimpses of magical traction to Vero Beach.
fairies and swashbuckling pirates.
“We wanted something new and this just
Seven-year-old Chelsea Hopwood and seemed perfectly fitted for the garden,” said
her great-grandparents were first in line, Executive Director Christine Hobart, who
returning for the third year to enjoy the estimated attendance at roughly 2,000.
joyful festival.
Children followed Fairy Trail and Pirate
“We came early to find a closer parking Treasure maps; hung dreams on a wish-
spot this year,” said Betty Andrade. “Last ing tree; enjoyed magic tricks by a balloon
year we had to park so far away we were in making pirate; had fingers painted; en-
the trees. This is our little tradition bring- joyed a variety of crafts; constructed fairy
ing her here every year.” houses and, of course, danced around the
May Pole.
“She loves the face painting the most,”
added George Andrade. “The garden is enjoyed in different
ways by every age,” said board member
Anticipating the high demand of little John Schumann, who is instrumental in
ones to have their faces transformed by coordinating McKee’s annual car show.
butterflies and pirate makeup, additional “There is such a variety of things which
appeals to different people. This month
is an event like this and then we have the
Waterlily Celebration which brings in pho-
tographers, then holiday light celebrations
and people who just enjoy the beauty of the
garden.”

McKee events often have whimsical
themes to attract families and a wide spec-
trum of attendees.

“We have a very creative staff and vol-
unteers,” said Hobart. “I also think having
a history with creators like Waldo Sexton
and Arthur McKee really gives us some cre-
ative freedom to do the things that we do.”

Following the June 17 Waterlily Celebra-
tion, the Garden will take a well needed
breather as they begin work on the coming
exhibitions. 

Kimberly and Duane Millar with Avery and Kenley.

‘D’-fense! Vitamin can help
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14 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH

‘D’-fense! Vitamin can help prevent colitis flare-ups

By Maria Canfield | Correspondent Dr. Gregory MacKay. PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE good kind – being attacked, a good source of protein. And unnecessary
[email protected] when the immune system antibiotics should be avoided, as those
on their quality of life. UC is believed to should be ignoring it.” drugs disrupt the good bacteria in our gut.”
A new study led by researchers from result from an interplay between environ-
Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical mental and genetic factors that affect the The minimum level of It’s also known that stress can affect the
Center has concluded that lower levels of body’s immune system. blood vitamin D found to immune system, so reducing stress levels
vitamin D in the blood increase the risk of protect against UC flare-ups to whatever degree possible can be help-
flare-ups in patients with ulcerative colitis. Dr. Gregory MacKay, a gastroenterolo- is at least 35 nanograms per ful: Getting plenty of high-quality sleep,
The study was published in the February gist associated with the Indian River Med- milliliter (ng/mL). Patients exercising regularly, and meditating and
2017 issue of the journal Clinical Gastroen- ical Center, says ulcerative colitis is a very with UC should be close- engaging in breathing exercises are other
terology and Hepatology. complex condition, and is not well under- ly monitored for levels of protective factors.
stood. “We’re learning more all of the time. vitamin D as part of their
Through blood tests and biopsies, the We do believe an imbalance in the immune maintenance therapy; defi- There are a number of medications
researchers took “baseline” measurements system is the primary culprit. This imbal- ciencies will likely result in designed to treat UC – including anti-in-
of study participants’ vitamin D levels and ance might result in the gut bacteria – the their doctor recommending flammatory drugs such as corticosteroids,
levels of inflammation while they were in a supplement, as there ar- immune system suppressors, and biolog-
remission (not having a flare-up). The re- en’t many foods which have ics – medications derived from living or-
searchers then followed the participants enough vitamin D to make a ganisms rather than chemicals. Dr. McKay
for 12 months, and compared data from difference. says it’s critical that patients are diligent in
those who remained well and those who taking their prescribed medication. “We
experienced flare-ups. The researchers Dr. MacKay says that peo- can get the condition under control for the
found that people who had higher vitamin ple with UC or Crohn’s disease (another vast majority of patients,” he says, “and im-
D levels when their disease was in remis- type of inflammatory bowel disorder) are prove their quality of life.”
sion were less likely to experience a flare- at a higher risk for a vitamin D deficiency,
up in the future. and he will often suggest they take a sup- He adds that additional studies are
plement of 800 milligrams a day. (While needed to clarify the cause-and-effect con-
UC, a type of inflammatory bowel dis- patients should check with their doctor or nection between vitamin D levels and UC
order in which the innermost lining of the pharmacist, that level is generally consid- flare-ups.
large intestine becomes inflamed, causes ered very safe.)
symptoms including abdominal pain, fe- Dr. MacKay’s practice is in the IRMC
ver, weight loss and fatigue. It’s an often In other advice for UC sufferers, Dr. Health and Wellness Center, located at 3450
miserable condition for its 700,000 Amer- MacKay says, “It’s important to maintain 11th Court, Suite 206. The office phone num-
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16 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH

Registered nurses Barbara Sills and Crystal
Golightly with Dr. Katherine Grichnik.

PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE

TEAM EFFORT: PATIENT-SAFETY
MANTRA IS WORKING AT IRMC

By Tom Lloyd | Staff Writer patients, it might be fair to ask what it has to
[email protected] do with safety.

Hospitals are among the most watched Grichnik jumps in to explain.
and regulated entities in the country. When nature calls, she points out, some
Dozens of federal, state and local agencies patients – who should not be getting out of
are involved in hospital regulation and bed on their own for any reason – will very
oversight. often try anyway and statistics show that
far too many of them will immediately fall
Together they poke, prod and otherwise and very possibly injure themselves.
examine every aspect of every hospital’s Patient falls are clearly a hot-button issue
day-to-day operations including the broad with Grichnik.
topic of patient safety. “We view falls as a preventable issue,”
Grichnik says, “and we analyze every sin-
Almost all those various agencies then gle fall. Every. Single. Fall. That is a part of
rate or rank each hospital based on their a rapid cycle improvement program that I
findings. think we really started in January.”
Meanwhile, borrowing from the best
That is just fine with Dr. Katherine Grich- in the business, Grichnik adds that IRMC
nik, who took over as chief medical officer is now using the Johns Hopkins fall-risk
for the Indian River Medical Center in Jan- safety score. Every patient is scored on it
uary, and registered nurse Barbara Sills, a almost as soon as they come into the hos-
24-year veteran of the Vero healthcare fa- pital. “We’ve also developed [another] pro-
cility who serves as nursing administrative gram,” Grichnik adds. “Should the patient’s
supervisor for the hospital. fall risk get to a certain level, my office, the
supervisor’s office and housekeeping all get
In April 2016, before she took the IRMC a notification saying, ‘Room 425 needs a
post, Becker’s Hospital Review named lowboy bed.’”
Grichnik “one of 50 top experts in the field The lowboys are much closer to the
of patient safety,” and in her first interview ground and padding can be provided
in Vero in January, Grichnik said her “abso- around it on the floor to further reduce any
lute passion is the culture of safety.” injury risk from a fall.
Medication errors and infections also
Now that her new team – and teamwork pose problems for every hospital in the
is a recurring theme in almost all of Grich- country and Grichnik’s team is tackling
nik’s comments – has had some time to- both those issues head-on. As far as infec-
gether, Grichnik and Sills sat down to talk tions are concerned, the chief medical of-
about some of the ways they help keep pa- ficer adds, “We have also had a huge focus
tients safer than ever during an IRMC hos- since the beginning of the year to help pre-
pital stay. vent infections” in the first place.
Something seems to be working.
New safety measures include an im- In April, IRMC received an “A” rating for
pressive “nurse call” system, procedures patient safety from the nonprofit Leapfrog
to prevent patient falls, a medication hospital safety study. But with other – and
management program and infection pre- some say tougher – rankings coming up,
vention. Grichnik, Sills and their IRMC team are
working to set new and even higher stan-
This nurse call system, says Sills, “is new dards for the Vero hospital.
to us” and she calls it both “patient and With a chief medical officer at the helm
staff-friendly.” whose “absolute passion is the culture of
safety,” that probably shouldn’t be a sur-
This system, she says, allows the patient prise to anyone. 
to ask for what they want or need just by
pressing a button with easy-to-see images
on it. The system also tracks each individ-
ual call’s response times, which may well
help foster new ways of meeting and ex-
ceeding the hospitals goals and drive future
improvements and innovations.

While all that is certainly convenient for

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH May 19, 2017 17

U.S. must do more to prevent bird flu pandemic

By Lena H. Sun | The Washington Post flocks are at greater risk of contact with only federal source of data for influenza their impact. In those outbreaks, for ex-
wild birds infected with avian influen- surveillance in pigs, relies on $25 million ample, states and poultry producers en-
If the United States suddenly faced a za. These include poultry certified by the transferred from HHS. But the Trump ad- countered barriers to transporting bird
potential avian influenza pandemic, just USDA as organically raised, which means ministration’s preliminary budget pro- carcasses to landfills. Federal officials
one U.S. manufacturer could be counted turkeys and chickens that had access to posal for fiscal 2018 cuts Agriculture’s provided guidance and training to help
on to make human pandemic flu vaccine outdoor space. budget by 21 percent and that of HHS by producers and states develop disposal
here. And although the chickens that lay 18 percent. plans but never assessed whether either
the eggs used in the process are them-  Pandemic influenza vaccines for hu- was effective.
selves susceptible to the virus, only vol- mans can be made using several technol-  The Agriculture Department, which
untary and often inadequate measures by ogies, but the most common approach re- is responsible for preventing, controlling The department, which reviewed a
poultry producers are in place to protect lies on growing virus cultures in fertilized and eradicating diseases from poultry draft of the report, said it agreed with the
flocks, according to a new Government chicken eggs. The Department of Health and livestock, has taken hundreds of cor- GAO’s recommendation for it to develop a
Accountability Office report. and Human Services has a stockpile of rective actions since the 2014 and 2016 plan for evaluating completed corrective
influenza vaccines supplied by four com- bird flu outbreaks but has not evaluated actions. 
The report, which was scheduled for re- panies, the report notes, but only one
lease this week, comes at a time of height- company has an egg-based vaccine man-
ened public health worries about bird ufacturing facility in the United States.
flu. One of the deadliest strains, H7N9,
is causing a surge in human infections in In the event of an influenza pandemic,
China this season. Of the nearly 200 peo- the government may not be able to rely on
ple who have died, most had direct con- foreign countries to allow exports of pan-
tact with poultry or poultry markets. demic vaccine, the report warns. “There-
fore, the U.S. government considers the
Health officials worldwide are closely one U.S.-based company as the only de-
monitoring the disease’s spread because pendable manufacturer for producing
of the big increase in cases and worri- egg-based vaccine for rapid pandemic
some changes in the virus. Of all emerg- mitigation,” it says.
ing influenza viruses, this strain of H7N9
has the greatest potential to cause a pan- HHS has had a three-year, $42 million
demic if it evolves to spread easily from contract with that company to protect the
human to human. It also poses the great- egg-supply chain and ensure a supply of
est risk to cause serious disease. vaccine-quality fertilized eggs. The con-
tract expires in September, according to
Controlling the virus in poultry is the the report, which does not identify the
main way to reduce human infection and company or its location. HHS officials
prevent a pandemic, the GAO report says. and company representatives told the
It focuses primarily on Agriculture De- GAO that the company controls the risk
partment actions after bird flu outbreaks of bird flu by limiting the density of birds
in 2014 and 2016, which resulted in the on each farm that provides it with eggs
deaths of millions of domesticated poul- and by periodically testing the flocks for
try in 15 states and $2 billion in costs to avian influenza. While the 2014 and 2016
the federal government and U.S. econo- outbreaks did not affect this egg supply,
my. Despite the lessons learned, the re- a previous outbreak of highly dangerous
port concludes federal agencies face “on- avian influenza caused the deaths of lay-
going challenges and associated issues” ing hens and reduced the company’s sup-
in mitigating the potential harm of avian ply of eggs by about 50 percent, the report
inf luen za. says.

Bird flu outbreaks this spring in Ten-  One way to track the potential for the
nessee, Alabama and Kentucky have led spread of avian influenza is to look for the
officials to euthanize more than 200,000 virus in pigs, which act as an intermediate
animals. The American birds were infect- host or “mixing vessel” in which flu virus-
ed with a different strain of the H7N9 vi- es can recombine to pose new threats to
rus than that currently spreading in Asia, humans. In 2009, H1N1 swine flu caused
according to Agriculture officials. a global pandemic. But funding for a vol-
untary surveillance program that gathers
Among the report’s findings: data on the types of influenza viruses cir-
 Unless the agency is responding to an culating in pigs will run out of money by
emergency, the Agriculture Department Sept. 30, the report says.
doesn’t have the authority to require
poultry producers to take preventive bios- The Agriculture program, which is the
ecurity measures to keep avian influenza
from spreading from farm to farm. When
the agency asked 850 poultry producers
to turn in self-assessments on such mea-
sures, less than 60 percent said they had
key practices in place to reduce contami-
nation – such as having workers shower or
change into clean clothes immediately af-
ter arriving at a poultry site to reduce the
risk of introducing a bird flu virus.
The report noted that commercial
flocks raised outdoors and backyard

18 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | PETS www.veronews.com

Bonz gabs with Gabby, a Southern bulldog belle

ilies how fortunate we are. Ah “Your own Facebook page!

don’t remember much about That’s Cool Kibbles!” I interject-

Hi Dog Buddies! mah puppyhood, ’cept bein’ ed.

This week I had a great yap with a Southern scared all the time. Even “Ah KNOW, right? Ah have, like,
girl, very sociable – Gabby Taylor – big brown
eyes, bee-oo-tiful walnut-colored coat that now, ah’m scared of men, a thousand followers, from all ovah
(for some reason) humans call blue, an full of
Southern Hospitality. Gabby’s a rescue Staf- ’tiI ah get to know ’em. Ah the world – Argentina, Scotland,
fordshire/bulldog mix who has one of those
hackles-raising, close-call stories with, thank kept havin’ puppies and Australia, Russia even. There’s Se-
Lassie, a happy ending.
more puppies that always bastian Cabot, he’s a Beagle. An Ti-
Soon as my assistant rang the bell, we heard
lotsa toenail clickity-clicks and excited bark- got taken away from me. tus and Haley, they’re pit mixes, like
ing. A lady opened the door and two pooches
bounced over for the Wag-and-Sniff, woofing An I had my ears totally me. Ah try to spread the word about
and wiggling, in a frenly way. Along with Gab-
by was a black and white pooch, same look as cut off. Ah have lotsa myself an mah fellow pits. Plus, ah
Gabby but a little shorter. The lady was telling
them to “be polite and don’t jump up!” scars all over but ah find it broadening to learn about other

“Welcome to our home, Mistah Bonzo! don’t remembuh how canine cultures.”
Ah’m Gabby Taylor. This heah’s mah Momma
Debra, and mah little sistah Smiley, she’s a I got ’em. I do remem- Gabby Taylor, Staffordshire/Bulldog “You have a nice pool. Do you
Pocket Pit. Mah Daddy’s Scott.” buh bein’ around oth- 2013. swim?” I inquired.

It was easy to see why Smiley got her er pooches who were al- Mix PHOTO GORDON RADFORD “NO!” she instantly responded. “Not
name: her face was white and her mouth just no – WOOF, No! Ah do not like water
was outlined with black all around, which ways real mad at each other. It was like a bad ’cept in mah dish, with ice cubes. When
gave her a nice smiley face all the time. She
was bouncing about, trying to snuggle into dream that went on and on forevah.” Wooff! did I have
her Momma’s lap.
I had already noticed Gabby didn’t have a lot to be thankful for. I got this totally ah first arrived, I fell in that dumb pool
“It’s a pleasure, ladies,” I said, as we got set-
tled in the living room. Gabby was giving my any real ear flaps, just holes with a little fluff fun family: at first, it was Cletus, Biscuit, Foots two times! Scared the ears right off me. (That’s
assistant lotsa frenly slurps, hoping to share
the comfy chair, till her Momma reminded around ’em. I tried not to stare. I knew she’d and Rascal – all Beagles. They took me in right a little inside joke.)”
her about the interview.
had a really pawful former life. away. To tell the truth, ah akshully feel like “Do you Southern Girls like good ’ol
“Oh, right! ’Scuse me. Ah jus LOVE humans.
Ah wanna make sure y’all feel welcome. Are “At some point,” she continued, “a bun- ah’m a Beagle, too, an Momma and Daddy Southern cookin’?” I asked, “Like Kibbles
y’all comf-tubble? Can I get ya’ll anything?
You’ll have to forgive Smiley, she’s only been cha us got arrested by the Dog Catcher and, nevah tell me ah’m not. Ah like doin’ Beagle-y and Grits, maybe?”
with us a coupla weeks. She just wants to
make sure she doesn’t hafta go back.” because we were breeds that humans call pit stuff, like sniffin’, climbin’, diggin’, and woofin’. “Oh, Bonzo honey, ah’m not picky. I’ll eat

“I totally understand. I think we’re all set, bulls, we were put in cages and scheduled to Biscuit, Foots an Rascal are in Dog Heav- anything. Maybe that’s why I’m a tad bit –
Miss Gabby. I’m eager to hear your story.”
go through The Door That Dogs Never Come en now, so it’s jus me, Smiley and Cletus. We fluffy.”
“Ah still get a little emotional when ah talk
about it, but ah’m happy to share, to remind all Back From.” play all the time. We walk in the woods with “Fluffy?”
pooches with good homes and Forevah Fam-
I shivered. Every dog knows about The Momma and Daddy, an play on the beach “Yes, you know, umm, some people say

Door. down in Fort Pierce. People always stop to ‘chunky,’ but us Southern Gals say ‘fluffy.’”

“Well, thank Lassie, mah Momma had talk to me and give me pats on the head. “Ah, I see,” I said.

friends who worked with a place called There’s even one gentleman, from Ireland, Heading home, I was feeling glad that so

Furever Bully Love Rescue. They swooped who writes me PO-ems. many humans adopt rescue pooches. And

in and rescued us Just In Time. After that, “I guess you could say mah Official Mis- thinkin’ that Gabby’s teeny little earflaps are

ah was in a few foster homes. Mah Momma sion is to be an amBASSador for us nice fren- actually kinda adorable. They sorta remind

agreed to foster me just till ah finished my ly, loving pits, an show humans not all of us me of Princess Leia.

heartworm treatment. WELL, turns out mah are mean. Like me, for example: Momma

Momma was a Foster Failure. See, Mistah says ah’m a Perfect Southern Girl. I always The Bonz
Bonzo, even though ah’m called a pit bull, greet visitors at the door. Ah’ve NEVah met
and humans think I’m awful cuzza how ah a strange-ah. When our human niece and

look, I’m not mean at ALL. Ah’m a total girl. nephew, Haley and Jarrod, come visit, we Don’t Be Shy
I wear blue bunny ears at Easter and I have have the BEST time! At Halloween, they were
the coolest pink sunnies. Ah would nevah, Zombies an ah was a Stegosaurus with a cave- We are always looking for pets
ever THINK of biting your face off. It simply man on my back. with interesting stories.
wouldn’t be civilized.
“I sleep with ’em, too.” She giggled. “They To set up an interview, email
“So Momma and Daddy officially adopted don’t even mind that ah snore. But THEN,

me. Ah walked through that very door (she Momma told EVrybody on mah FACEbook [email protected].

pointed a paw) for good on Thanksgiving Day page, and I was SO embarrassed.”





Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTAT E May 19, 2017 21

“I live here or on the porch,” she said. FEATURES FOR 7880 14TH LANE chair rails and other fine architectural
The house was built by Southern Clas- details.
sic, Landers said, which for those in the Neighborhood: Pointe West
know means custom molding, eight-foot- Year built: 2005 The two-car garage can soak up over-
tall interior doors, crown molding and flow storage, Florida’s answer to the
Lot size: .17 acres • Home size: 1,700 sq. ft. Northerner’s attic. 
Construction: Frame with stucco
Bedrooms: 3 • Bathrooms: 2

Additional features: Low home owner’s fee, golfing communi-
ty, nearby shopping, tile floor, covered porch, bay window, cus-
tom molding, crown molding, traditional neighborhood design,

two-car garage off street and onto alleyway
Listing agency: Berkshire Hathaway Home Services

Listing agent: Chip Landers, 772-473-7888
Listing price: $254,900

ZILLOW’S HOUSE-VALUE TOOL PROVOKES A HOMEOWNER LAWSUIT

By Ken Harney | Washington Post ing the matter into a class action, which any house’s street address and you’ll cent of the time and within 20 percent
could touch millions of owners across probably get a property description and 89.7 percent of the time, Zillow claims.
It was bound to happen: A homeown- the country. a Zestimate. The value estimates are
er has filed suit against online realty gi- based on public records and other data A Zestimate “is not an appraisal,” the
ant Zillow, claiming the company’s con- In the suit, Andersen said that she has using “a proprietary formula,” according company says on its website, but instead
troversial “Zestimate” tool repeatedly been trying to sell her townhouse, which to Zillow. is “Zillow’s estimated market value” us-
undervalued her house, creating a “tre- overlooks a golf course and is in a prime ing its proprietary formula. Another way
mendous road block” to its sale. location, for $626,000 – roughly what she The Zestimate feature is the corner- of looking at the Zestimate error rate:
paid for it in 2009. Houses directly across stone of Zillow’s business model because Roughly one quarter of the time, the val-
The suit, which may be the first of its the street but with greater square foot- it pulls in millions of house shoppers, ue estimate is off by 10 percent or more
kind, was filed in Cook County Circuit age sell for $100,000 more, according to allowing the company to sell advertising of the selling price, and wrong by 20 per-
Court by a Glenview, Ill., real estate law- her court filing. But Zillow’s automated space to realty agents. Zillow makes big cent or more 10 percent of the time.
yer, Barbara Andersen. The suit alleges valuation system has apparently used money with the help of its Zestimates: In
that despite Zillow’s denial that Zesti- sales of newly constructed houses from the first quarter of this year, it reported The 5 percent median error rate may
mates constitute “appraisals,” the fact a different and less costly part of town as $245.8 million in revenue – a 32 percent sound modest, but when computed
that they offer market-value estimates comparables in valuing her townhouse, jump over the year before – including against median sales prices, the errors
and “are promoted as a tool for potential she says. The most recent Zestimate is for $175 million in payments from “premier” can translate into tens of thousands of
buyers to use in assessing market value $562,000. Andersen is seeking an injunc- agents, who pay for advertising. dollars – hundreds of thousands in high-
of a given property,” shows they meet tion against Zillow and wants the com- cost areas. Also, in some counties, error
the definition of an appraisal under state pany to either remove her Zestimate or But there’s a flip side to Zestimates. rates zoom beyond the 5 percent me-
law. Not only should Zillow be licensed to amend it. For the time being, she is not Homeowners, realty agents and apprais- dian: 33.9 percent, for example, in Ogle
perform appraisals before offering such seeking monetary damages, she told me. ers have been critical for years about the County, Ill., and 10 percent to 20 percent
estimates, the suit argues, but it also valuation tool, citing estimates that too in a handful of counties in Ohio, Mary-
should obtain “the consent of the home- Emily Heffter, a spokeswoman for often are far off the mark – sometimes 20 land, Florida, Oklahoma and Illinois.
owner” before posting them online for Zillow, dismissed Andersen’s litigation percent or 30 percent too low or too high
everyone to see. as “without merit.” A publicly traded – and misleading to consumers. Zillow Some appraisers are cheering Anders-
real estate marketing company based in itself acknowledges errors. Nationwide, en’s suit and welcomed the idea of state-
In an interview, Andersen told me she Seattle, Zillow has been offering Zesti- according to Heffter, it has a median er- by-state legal challenges. “They’ve been
is considering bringing the issue to the mates since 2006. At present, it provides ror rate of 5 percent. Zestimates are with- playing appraiser without being licensed
Illinois attorney general because it af- them for upwards of 110 million houses, in 5 percent of the sale price 53.9 percent for years, and doing a bad job,” said Pat
fects all property owners in the state. She whether for sale or not. Type in almost of the time, within 10 percent 75.6 per- Turner, a Richmond appraiser. “It’s about
has also been approached about turn- time they got called on it.” 

22 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTATE

MAINLAND REAL ESTATE SALES: MAY 8 THROUGH MAY 12

TOP SALES OF THE WEEK

The mainland real estate market was busy again last week, with 29 single-family residences and
lots changing hands in Port St. Lucie from May 8-12 (some shown below).
Vero Beach’s top sale of the week was the home at 5475 E Harbor Village Drive. First listed
in December for $745,00, this 4-bedroom, 5-bathroom, 2,985-square-foot house sold for
$684,000 on May 11.
In Sebastian, the week’s best sale was the residence at 770 Gossamer Wing Way. Originally on
the market in April for $310,000, the 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1,801-square-foot house fetched
$275,000 on May 8.

SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES AND LOTS

ORIGINAL SELLING
PRICE
TOWN ADDRESS LISTED ASKING PRICE SOLD
$684,000
VERO BEACH 5475 E HARBOR VILLAGE DRIVE 12/28/2016 $745,000 5/11/2017 $390,000
VERO BEACH 1095 SOUTHLAKES WAY 4/18/2017 $399,900 5/8/2017 $380,000
VERO BEACH 4330 AMELIA PLANTATION COURT 2/4/2017 $398,000 5/10/2017 $367,000
VERO BEACH 733 HAMPTON WOODS LANE SW 9/9/2016 $399,000 5/11/2017 $360,000
VERO BEACH 1395 WILLOW OAK COURT 11/14/2016 $375,000 5/12/2017 $360,000
VERO BEACH 7423 16TH MANOR 3/15/2017 $400,000 5/12/2017 $315,000
VERO BEACH 5065 HARMONY CIRCLE UNIT#209 2/6/2017 $324,900 5/11/2017 $311,000
VERO BEACH 1359 SCARLET OAK CIRCLE 1/24/2017 $360,000 5/8/2017 $275,000
SEBASTIAN 770 GOSSAMER WING WAY 11/14/2016 $310,000 5/8/2017 $274,200
VERO BEACH 5853 PINE RIDGE CIRCLE 12/28/2016 $320,000 5/9/2017 $262,000
SEBASTIAN 5620 95TH STREET 2/23/2017 $285,000 5/12/2017 $259,000
VERO BEACH 570 VALENCIA CIRCLE SW 3/24/2017 $269,900 5/11/2017 $247,000
VERO BEACH 450 E TEMPLE COURT SW 4/5/2017 $259,900 5/9/2017 $233,500
VERO BEACH 2075 46TH AVENUE 3/7/2017 $239,000 5/12/2017 $215,000
SEBASTIAN 885 GEORGE STREET 12/6/2016 $239,000 5/8/2017 $212,000
SEBASTIAN 1419 TRADEWINDS WAY 12/20/2016 $219,900 5/10/2017 $190,000
SEBASTIAN 373 TUNISON LANE 2/15/2017 $200,000 5/12/2017 $180,000
VERO BEACH 3085 10TH COURT 3/29/2017 $185,000 5/8/2017 $169,000
VERO BEACH 5010 HARMONY CIRCLE UNIT#103 3/31/2017 $169,900 5/10/2017 $163,000
VERO BEACH 4990 63RD PLACE 3/15/2017 $159,000 5/10/2017 $150,500
SEBASTIAN 534 BELFAST TERRACE 3/7/2017 $153,000 5/8/2017 $147,500
VERO BEACH 1255 35TH AVENUE 3/13/2017 $160,000 5/12/2017 $145,000
VERO BEACH 560 25TH COURT 4/11/2017 $155,000 5/11/2017 $145,000
SEBASTIAN 5825 MARINA DRIVE UNIT#4 4/7/2017 $154,900 5/10/2017 $123,000
VERO BEACH 284 35TH AVENUE 4/13/2017 $123,000 5/8/2017 $120,000
VERO BEACH 5050 FAIRWAYS CIRCLE UNIT#301 2/1/2017 $125,000 5/12/2017 $116,000
VERO BEACH 1665 41ST AVENUE 3/3/2017 $114,900 5/8/2017 $97,000
VERO BEACH 2800 INDIAN RIVER BOULEVARD UNIT#D7 4/3/2017 $99,900 5/8/2017 $84,900
VERO BEACH 835 18TH STREET UNIT#710 1/23/2017 $89,800 5/8/2017

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTAT E May 19, 2017 23

HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOP RECENT INDIAN RIVER COUNTY REAL ESTATE SALES.

1095 Southlakes Way, Vero Beach 4330 Amelia Plantation Court, Vero Beach

Listing Date: 4/18/2017 Listing Date: 2/4/2017
Original Price: $399,900 Original Price: $398,000
Sold: 5/8/2017 Sold: 5/10/2017
Selling Price: $390,000 Selling Price: $380,000
Listing Agent: Marilee Mintzer Listing Agent: Robin M Raiff

Selling Agent: Keller Williams Realty Selling Agent: RE/MAX Crown Realty

Marilee Mintzer Not Provided

Keller Williams Realty Not Provided

733 Hampton Woods Lane SW, Vero Beach 1395 Willow Oak Court, Vero Beach

Listing Date: 9/9/2016 Listing Date: 11/14/2016
Original Price: $399,000 Original Price: $375,000
Sold: 5/11/2017 Sold: 5/12/2017
Selling Price: $367,000 Selling Price: $360,000
Listing Agent: Peggy Hewett Listing Agent: Steven Rennick

Selling Agent: Berkshire Hathaway Florida Selling Agent: Rennick Real Estate

Not Provided Steven Rennick

Not Provided Rennick Real Estate



Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE May 19, 2017 B1

‘GLASS MENAGERIE’ FULL RESTAURANT COLUMN: B7
OCEAN 302 BAR & GRILL
B4 B6OF DRAMA,DYSFUNCTION
VERO’S DANCING STARS
RAISE $292K FOR BABIES

Students take note
of ‘Composer’
exhibit

PAGE B2

Coming Up! creatures imbued with an amazing sense
off animation. When you look at one of
TROT OVER TO MUSEUM FOR Deborah Butterfield exhibit. the horses, even close-up and squinting,
BUTTERFIELD’S HORSE ART you’d swear it was made out of branch-
es. Butterfield studied at the University
By SAMANTHA BAITA | Staff Writer of California under Manuel Neri, known
[email protected] for his life-size figurative sculptures, and
his association with the Bay Area Figura-
1 Deborah Butterfield’s love of tive Movement in the 1960s. Butterfield’s
horses and her amazing talent as horses have found homes in the Whitney
a sculptor are on full display at the Vero Museum of American Art in New York,
Beach Museum of Art now through June the Neuberger Museum of Art, and the
4. Whether or not her birth date, on the Israeli Museum of Art in Tel Aviv, among
same day as the 1949 Kentucky Derby, others, and her many honors include a
had some mystical influence on her artis- National Endowment for the Arts Indi-
tic focus, she has mastered a style where- vidual Artist Fellowship and a Guggen-
in she employs found items such as wood heim Memorial Fellowship.
and scrap metal to fashion three-dimen-
sional images of horses, forming them, 2 “Artful Animals” is the delight-
without sketches or models, into life-size ful exhibition currently on view
at downtown Vero’s Gallery 14. You’ll

CONTINUED ON PAGE B5

B2 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE

Students take note of Windsor’s ‘Composer’ exhibit

By Stephanie LaBaff | Staff Writer dent’s inspiration to compose
[email protected]
is part of a “ripple effect”
Vero Beach High School student Elisha
McKenzie was so moved by British abstract that comes “any time
painter Christopher Le Brun’s music-in-
spired artworks on display this season at we can bring students
Windsor that he composed his own mu-
sical interpretation. Six weeks later, at the here.”
exhibit’s closing reception, he was invited
back to perform his piece for a gallery full “This is a visual show
of art patrons.
but it has a musical in-
McKenzie, 18, an aspiring artist who
plays multiple instruments and hopes to fluence,” says Shapiro.
attend Savannah College of Art and De-
sign, visited Le Brun’s exhibit, Composer, “It really impacted Eli- Barry Shapior and Laura Kelly.
in late March when the Gallery at Windsor sha.” P HOTO BY DENISE RITCHIE
invited the monthly salon of Vero artist
Barry Shapiro. Shapiro recently resumed Le Brun’s exhibit linked
his popular salons that began when he
owned the since-closed Lighthouse gallery art and music by showing that,
downtown.
as the accompanying literature ex-
Shapiro had first met McKenzie two
years ago when he interviewed the student plained, “under the hand of the painter
for a video for the Youth Guidance pro-
gram. The two crossed paths again while and composer the raw material of noise
Shapiro was painting a mural downtown
and McKenzie offered to help. becomes sound, visual chaos becomes

“Elisha’s interest was sparked by the form, and matter aspires to art and music.”
artist’s musical connection,” says gallery
manager Laura Kelley, who says the stu- That message came through loudly for

McKenzie. “For me art is just visual music,”

says the high school junior, who hopes to

attend Savannah College of Art and Design

and major in digital art and design with a

minor in painting.

“When we were looking at the art, we

discussed how we felt about the paint-

ings,” he added.

Hearing that in addition to painting

and drawing, McKenzie played guitar, key- Elisha McKenzie.
board, violin and harmonica, Kelley saw P HOTO BY DENISE RITCHIE

an opportunity to open the studio again

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE May 19, 2017 B3

Windsor docent Pamela Carner with Travis Welsh, Elisha McKenzie and Brendan Donnelly. during the student tour. to take on color and shape, McKenzie did
P HOTO BY DENISE RITCHIE Discussing the paintings, “Bax,” the inverse, as his music took on the hues
of Le Brun’s compositions – comparing, for
for an evening of experiential arts. ly began to discuss what key each paint- “Middle C” and “Note,” the stu- example, the colors red and orange to the
At that second event, McKenzie re- ing would look like if colors were musical dents made comments about the musical notes C major and A minor.
notes, and each brush stroke was a musical “bright compositions,” “major
turned with two fellow students for a pri- arrangement of color and texture. key” and “upbeat tempo” while Local sculptor Cathy Ferrell was in the
vate tour and jam session. Gallery docent debating what notes the colors audience when McKenzie played; she had
Pamela Carner shared Le Brun’s back- “The name of this exhibition is Compos- represent. attended the artist salon with McKenzie
ground and discussed the collection, and er, and it’s the link the artist sees between and was so impressed that she returned for
afterwards, students took self-guided au- music and art. Just like a musician uses “Le Brun inspires me. It’s not his performance. “What you have here is
dio tours, watched videos and browsed notes in a composition and musical instru- chaotic; the abstract part of it is genius. He’s beyond anything that I’ve ever
through an illustrated catalog. ments in an orchestra, they complement actually really profound,” says seen and to have the opportunity to grow
each other. Le Brun is composing on can- McKenzie. “Like in his ‘Middle C’ and learn like this is incredible.”
The students saw the connection be- vas with layers of color,” explained Carner painting; the concept of the red
tween painting and music and immediate- is the centerpiece of the painting “Each season we look forward to oppor-
which is also the centerpiece of tunities to introduce young people to art,”
the piano. It draws in much of the says Kelley, who took over as gallery man-
same tension.” ager at Windsor last year. Kelley, who has
been involved in art education for two de-
After viewing the art, the stu- cades, believes exposure to the arts is im-
dents spent some time improvis- perative to the development of future art-
ing on their instruments – violins ists and patrons. Last year, students from
and guitar – to get a feel for what Saint Edward’s School and Indian River
they were seeing. “It’s really nice Charter High School visited the gallery and
for the young people to improvise sketched and wrote about their reactions
or respond. Christopher Le Brun to the art.
talks much about the sound of
looking, and I think that’s pretty profound. The Charter kids visited again this year,
It’s great to engage all of our senses and studying Le Brun’s work and spending time
have young and old alike respond,” says in the gallery sketching and composing.
Kelley. Kelley says the high school students “were
During the closing party for Le Brun’s ex- inspired and could easily and readily see
hibit, McKenzie played original piano and the correlation between the painting, the
guitar music inspired by Le Brun’s work to process, the artist and the music.”
a gallery filled with an eclectic group of
artists and art patrons. While Le Brun tran- The Gallery at Windsor will reopen in
scended the canvas and allowed the music September with a new exhibition. 

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B4 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE

Uneasy does it: ‘Glass’ full of drama, dysfunction

By Pam Harbaugh | Correspondent by worked to create a “misty one of her favorites. She said the character
[email protected] memory” setting. has a “full gamut” of emotions. “Amanda
“We wanted to portray is a woman, a mother and a fighter,” she
Tackling “The Glass Menagerie” is a del- visually how the family said. “Very few people, especially women,
icate process, but in the end worth every is fractured, torn apart,” would find it hard not to relate to that.”
moment, says Peg Girard, director of Mel- Selby said. “So we
bourne Civic Theatre, where the drama took the set and One of the actions Amanda takes to help
opens this Friday. tore it apart, sep- make their lives better is to get Tom to ask Jim,
arating the spaces a “gentleman caller,” to visit Laura. Her hopes
Written by Tennessee Williams in 1944, and showing them are that Jim will fall in love with Laura and
“The Glass Menagerie” takes a look at a as just disconnect- help pull them out of their bleak existence.
highly dysfunctional family trying to hold ed pieces. Empty
together the shards of their lives. Living in window frames sus- Another popular actor around town, Mark
a St. Louis tenement, a desperate mother, Blackledge, plays the role of Tom, the play-
Amanda, looks after her grown daughter, wright’s alter ego.
Laura, who is at best detached from reality.
They both depend on her grown son, Tom, P HOTO BY BENJAMIN THACKER
but he has had enough and plans to leave.

While the characters are realistic and
confront each other with raw feelings, the
setting, as suggested by Williams, is nearly
gossamer in its impressionistic qualities –
a fragmented floor, a scrim behind which
the family gathers for dinner, and images of
blue roses appear and disappear, as does the
image of a father who abandoned his family.

“It opened the door to creative theater,”
Girard said. “So it was pretty amazing at the
time.”

While many theaters disregard Wil-
liams’ scenic descriptions and go the route
of realism, Girard is embracing them. She
and scenic and lighting designer Alan Sel-

pended in air, just a Admittedly not a Tennessee Williams fan,
portion of the fire escape visible. Even the Blackledge said he fell for the symbolism in
building across the alley is depicted as ap- this play. One line he finds especially reso-
pearing ‘through the mists.’ Lighting helps nating comes when Tom tells Amanda how
the separation, isolating the actors and much he hates his job and how he resents
helping us to see just that moment, just having his family depend on him: “For $65
that fragment.” a month I give up all I dream of doing and
being ever.”
But no matter how impressionistic the set
may be, the acting must be realistic, she said, “I use that as the cornerstone for his
in order to reveal true character. character,” Blackledge said. “Tom loves
his sister and he loves his mother, but he
So, she told the cast to play it straight. abandons them.”
“I wanted them to relate to their char-
acters as much as they could,” Girard said. As any director will do, Girard leads her
“Delve into these people and learn why they cast in the discoveries about their characters.
are the way they are.”
Kathy Minzenberger, a well-respected ac- That meant plenty of research before the
tor in this area, takes on the role of Amanda, first table read.

Girard turned to the 2014 Williams biogra-

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Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | DINING May 19, 2017 B7

Ocean 302: A short trip for some interesting tastes

BY TINA RONDEAU Beef N Blue
Columnist Brick Oven Pizza.

From time to time, we like to venture Day Boat Seared Scallops. Gin n’ Juice very interest-
forth from Vero in search of something new Pan Roasted Colorado ing, combining
and different. PHOTOS BY BENJAMIN THACKER lots of different
Venison Loin. flavors.
While we have become spoiled by three Nutty Spicy Tuna.
decades of island life, and now complain cocoa powder, plus duck fat, plus brown but- Is it worth a 30-40
like everyone else if we actually have more I ‘ve ever had,” my husband said. ter, plus 12-year Appleton rum foam, plus minute drive from Vero? My
than a 30-second wait at a traffic light, a For dessert, we were handed a third com- dark chocolate yum-yums. husband would vote yes, if only for the
30-minute drive to dinner really isn’t a ter- veal chop. I would say, if you are looking for
rible price to pay for an interesting dining plex menu and wound up sharing a dish Dinner for two at Ocean 302, with a cou- a new place to try for some very interesting
venue and good food. called “camp fire” ($10) – chocolate pum- ple of glasses of wine, can easily run $120 tastes, it really is a fairly short trip.
pernickel cake, plus dark chocolate mousse, to $130 before tax and tip – but this is also a
So last Thursday, we drove north up A1A plus torched marshmallow, plus milk choc- place where you could grab a couple of burg- I welcome your comments, and encour-
for a half hour. We had been warned in ad- olate feuilletine, plus salted caramel sauce, ers or a pizza from the brick oven and spend age you to send feedback to me at tina@ver-
vance that the appearance and décor of plus cocoa soil – and a second dessert called less than $50. obeach32963.com.
Ocean 302 Bar and Grill – set in a strip mall “jamoka-me-crazy” ($10) – New York-style
in Melbourne Beach – do not instantly shout wahoo coffee cheesecake, plus graham, plus So what’s our verdict: The food here is The reviewer is a beachside resident who
“fine dining.” But give it a try, we were urged. dines anonymously at restaurants at the ex-
The word several used to describe the chef’s pense of this newspaper. 
approach with fresh farm-to-table ingredi-
ents was “eclectic.” Hours:
Daily, 4 pm to 10 pm
So we went in, were ushered to a table Brunch, Saturday & Sunday,
in the corner of the large dining room, and
were handed both regular menus and a list 10 am to 3 pm
of specials of the day.
Beverages: Full bar
You really want to tackle these menus be-
fore you start drinking. The description of Address:
the dishes was among the most complex I 302 Ocean Avenue,
have ever seen. Melbourne Beach

Take the “Goose Island calamari” ($11), Phone: (321) 802-5728
which our companion ordered as an appe-
tizer. It was described as hopped, marinat-
ed bean town calamari, plus watermelon
radish, plus herbed feta, plus wood-roasted
spicy green tomato marinara, plus micro
tops. Or the “nutty spicy tuna” ($14), which
my husband chose. It was described as
Georgia peanut and Carolina cayenne pep-
per crusted tuna, pan-seared and sliced,
plus mango red pepper and sea bean salad,
plus guava and papaya poppy seed coulis,
plus sunburst farms trout roe, plus mustard
blossoms. Whew!

Both turned out to be successful appe-
tizers (through I didn’t think the feta did
much for the calamari). But I decided to go
for something that seemed relatively un-
complicated – the “wild and fun guy soup.”
This turned out to be a delicious mushroom
soup, though our server – unable to explain
the “wild and fun guy” name – also had no
idea why the price was $6.23. Got to be a sto-
ry there somewhere!

Then for entrees, I picked the day boat
scallops ($28), my husband chose the
16-ounce veal chop ($36), and our compan-
ion opted for the 10-ounce filet mignon.

My beautifully seared scallops were ar-
rayed around a crispy hominy grit cake and
were topped by collards and crispy leeks.
Our companion’s filet was topped with
Béarnaise sauce and crunchy toasted on-
ions, and was surrounded by roasted pota-
toes and assorted veggies.

But the star of the evening was my hus-
band’s veal chop. “One of the best veal chops

B8 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | DINING www.veronews.com

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | DINING May 19, 2017 B9

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Serving Local & New Happy Hour Daily
England Seafood 4-6PM

All You Can Eat Menu

Fish & Chips - Tuesdays • Tacos - Thursday Evening

Fried Shrimp - Sunday

Fishack 1931 Old Dixie Highway, Vero Beach
Lunch & Dinner Open Tuesday - Saturday 11:30 am - Close • Sunday 4pm - Close

772.770.0977 • www.fishackverobeach.com • Like us on Facebook!

B12 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | GAMES www.veronews.com

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (MAY 12) ON PAGE B15

ACROSS DOWN
7 Join in (4,4) 1 Herb used in tea (8)
8 Single element; one (4) 2 Duck; or, a color (4)
9 Chilly (4) 3 Large courgette (6)
10 Response (8) 4 Achieve (6)
11 Type of puzzle (6) 5 Deduct (8)
13 Almost (6) 6 Grain tower (4)
15 Style of hat (6) 12 Exhibit (8)
17 Consumption (6) 14 Tepid (8)
18 Substandard (35) 16 Lack of interest (6)
20 Soft feathers (4) 17 Demand (6)
21 Runners for snow (4) 19 Acorn trees (4)
22 Inn (8) 20 Profound (4)

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

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | DINING May 19, 2017 B13

ACROSS (or creditor?) ___” 79 Herald
1 One-drink, two- 70 Spoiled 13 Gilligan’s boat 80 Oscar-winning
72 With 82 and 105 14 Italian wine city
straws folks 15 The Blues foreign film,
8 Where the Across, the ___’s Feast
observation Brothers’ city, for 81 Old French
Freedom March 74 Black, to Bardot short dance
of 1965 took 75 He’s Bradley in 16 Animal tender 83 Lamont on
place Patton 17 Any place of rural Sanford and Son
15 Broil preceder 76 Elihu and Linus peace and 84 At the drop of
19 Chekov drama? 77 Black-and-blue simplicity ___
20 Stanislaw Lem mark 18 Explanations 85 Gave lip
novel 80 Count William 19 Involuntary 87 Maestro
21 Rabbit relative 81 Actress Tierney movement Toscanini
22 With 38 and 52 82 See 72 Across 23 One-man show 88 Grimaces
Across, the intro 86 Dragnet 28 Low-scoring 89 Wood strips
to an observation 90 Mortal remains baseball game 93 Celebes oxen
24 An Indian, not a 91 Green Acres stat 97 Olive genus
Jimmy Durante handyman 31 Doomed 98 Geometric points
word and others 33 High grade 99 Lawyer Marshall
25 Liable 92 Cigar brand, 35 Violin maker in a TV oldie
26 Some steaks ___-Tampa 37 Contest: abbr. 100 Hay or sleigh
27 “Step ___!” 94 Certain solo 39 Tsar’s edicts follower
29 Court VIPs 95 Area of San 40 Coloring, old- 101 Kind of 1960s
30 Winter vehicle Francisco, style dancing
32 Lick and stick ___ Valley 41 ___ extra cost 104 Healthy fare, ___
33 Egg opening 96 Book with bulk 42 Shelters cuisine
34 Where’s this 98 Cheaply 44 Apr. overworker 106 Nothing
guy? 102 Bldg. leveler, 47 Clavell opus 107 Encountered
36 Forget-___ perhaps 48 Mean (to)
38 See 22 Across 103 My team’s 49 Last two words The Washington Post
43 Arrow’s 105 See 72 Across of Love Story
bowstring groove 108 Cut, as roses 50 They help GOING UP! By Merl Reagle
45 Windy-day 109 Lured Superman fly
hobbyist 110 Open-shelved 51 Nobel-declining
46 Scarlett et al. cabinets author, 1964
47 Freeway snarl 111 Actress ___ May 52 Japanese screen
49 “___ Be Loved Oliver 53 Crib snoozer
By You” 112 Girl of song 54 “Ruby, don’t take
51 “Will build to ___” 113 Old autos your love ___”
52 See 22 Across 55 Flammable gas
54 Most DOWN 56 Eddies
scrumptious 1 Bread or rice, 57 Cheap and
58 Think of kitschy
suddenly e.g. 60 Reveille need
59 Stop, dans le 2 Hurry 63 More like a
metro 3 Start of MGM’s certain spice
60 They’re interest- 64 Pine-Sol target
free? motto 65 Cause of death
61 Delta rival 4 Atlas lines: abbr. in Death in
62 Phone abbr. 5 “To ___ human Venice
63 Some moles 67 Most intimate
64 Lovable pooches ...” 68 Ignited anew
65 Suitable for Elle 6 Injure (a bone) 69 Incline
66 When M.L.K. Jr. 71 Coalesce
was born again 72 “How ___ to
67 Superhero 7 Space station know?”
accessories 73 Serious cleanser
68 Austerity launched in 1973 75 Giant Willie
69 Predator 8 Spore sacs 77 Narrowly
9 Bird or birdbrain 78 Echo
10 Handouts
11 Impact sound
12 “Your worries

The Telegraph

B14 May 19, 2017 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | GAMES www.veronews.com

NORTH

WHAT WAS DUMMY’S CRITICAL SPOT-CARD? Q764

A 10 5

Alan Perlis, a computer scientist and professor at Yale University, said, “It is against the A 10 3
grain of modern education to teach children to program. What fun is there in making plans,
acquiring discipline in organizing thoughts, devoting attention to detail, and learning to be 982
self-critical?”
WEST EAST
A bridge player should think like a programmer, going from trick to trick as if following 3
a flow diagram. Do you win this trick? Yes, then do this; no, then later do that. How did QJ98 98
South program the play in this deal to maximize his chance of making four spades after QJ74
West led the heart queen? AQ65 K732

North’s two-no-trump response over West’s takeout double was the Truscott convention: 652
four-card or longer spade support and at least game-invitational values.
J 10 4 3
South had four possible losers: one heart, one diamond and two clubs. He had nine
winners: six spades, one heart and two diamonds. Was the club ace in the East hand? SOUTH
Not likely, given West’s double, and especially since the heart king was marked with East
from West’s lead. A K J 10 5 2

Declarer decided that he should try to endplay West. South played low from the dummy at 64
trick one, the first key step.
K98
If West had had ace-queen-third of clubs, it would have been right for East to overtake
with his heart king and shift to the club jack, but that would not have worked here. K7

South took the second heart, drew trumps ending on the board, ruffed the heart 10, and Dealer: South; Vulnerable: Both
played three rounds of diamonds. His luck was in: West had to win the trick and either
lead away from the club ace or concede a ruff-and-sluff. The Bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
1 Spades Dbl. 2 NT Pass
4 Spades Pass Pass Pass LEAD:
Q Hearts

2017 Summer
Memberships

Single $250 Family $400
Please Call Golf Shop For Details

Includes Full Golf Country Club Privileges
Golf, Tennis, Pool, Social
Green Fees

Five day Advance Tee time booking advantage
Golf Shop Member Discounts
FSGA Handicap, Tournaments
Golf Club Storage and Lockers
Member Charge Privileges

Events Please call 772-466-4000 ext. 211

Call Mike Yurigan, General Manager and Head Golf Professional
(772) 466-4000 Ext. 213 for details and inquire about other available memberships

Check out our facilities at www.meadowoodgolfandtennis.com

CURRENT RATES Mike Yurigan
General Manager
BEFORE 3PM AFTER 3PM

28 25$ $+tax +tax

Includes: Cart, Green Fees and Range Balls

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | CALENDAR May 19, 2017 B15

ONGOING 28 Space Coast Symphony Orchestra
Cosmos concert, with special narra-
Vero Beach Theatre Guild - Making God tions by Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Dvorak’s
Laugh, thru May 21. 772-562-8300 New World Symphony with HD images on
screen, 3 p.m. at Vero Beach High School PAC.
Vero Beach Museum of Art –Larry Kagan Ob- $20; free 18 & under. 855-252-7276
ject/Shadow thru May 21; Deborah Butterfield:
Horses thru June 4. 29 Memorial Day Ceremony, 9 a.m. at
Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary
MAY with music by VBHS Band, keynote speaker Alan
Thompson, Vice Admiral US Navy (Ret.), and new
Boots on the Ground Memorial. 772-978-6543

18 20th Anniversary Laurel Award Cele- 30 Splash Party, 5 to 7 p.m. at Waldo’s MAY RATES Ask About Our
bration hosted by Cultural Council of Restaurant to welcome home Two Guys $30 $25 $20 Frequent
IRC, 6 p.m. at Riverside Theatre honoring previ- United Against Poverty, Rev. Scott Alexander and
ous award winners and community supporters Jake Piper returning from 3,400-mile coast to Before 11 AM After 11 AM After 2 PM Player Programs
of the arts, with cocktail reception, program coast journey to benefit Success Training for Em-
featuring performances and multi-media dis- ployment Program (STEP). Free admission. (All Rates Include Cart and Tax)
plays, followed by champagne toast and des-
sert . $75. 772-770-4857 JUNE

19 Hurricane Hangar Party hosted by 2-24 Summer Nights Block Party, 6
American Red Cross Florida’s Coast to to 9:30 p.m. weekends at River-
Heartland Chapter, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Corpo- side Theatre, with live music, full bars, food ser-
rate Air Hangar, with exhibitor information on vice and games, plus wine tastings on Saturday
how to prepare and stay safe, plus music, re- nights. Free admission.
freshments, auction and kids’ zone. Free. 772-
562-2549 3 Champions for Charity Golf Shamble, 8:30
a.m. tee off at Moorings at Hawk’s Nest
19-21 Sebastian Lionfish Fest: Golf Club followed by awards lunch to benefit
Making Delicious Dishes Exchange Club of the Treasure Coast and CAS-
from Destructive Fishes. Tournament May 19- TLE. $150. 772-321-8308
21, with Cook Off Noon to 4 p.m. May 21 at
Capt. Hiram’s. Sebastianlionfishfest.com.

20 United Way Citrus Golf Tournament, 3 A Celebration in the Vineyard, 4 to 8 p.m. Iinlasdln_iHOneigtEh_050517
9 a.m. shotgun start at Indian River at Summer Crush Vineyard and Winery
Club. $125. 772-567-8900 x 112 to benefit CASTLE, a casual afternoon of spirits 1600 SOUTH 3RD ST., FORT PIERCE 772-465-8110
and food, live entertainment, raffles and auc-
20 Hands Across the Sands for Turtle tions. $50. 772-465-6011 From US1, turn East on Ohio Ave., Directly behind TD Bank
Save Seas and Shores, 11 a.m. to 1
p.m. at Barrier Island Center at Archie Carr Na- 8-11 Vero Beach Wine + Film Festi-
tional Wildlife Refuge concurrent with beach val to benefit SunCoast Mental
cleanup. 321-723-3556 Health Center. VBWFF.com

20 Family Fun Day, Noon to 5 p.m. at Solutions from Games Pages ACROSS DOWN
Walking Tree Brewery to benefit in May 12, 2017 Edition 7 CAVE 1 GAZEBO
Boys & Girls Clubs of IRC, with waterslides and 8 SYMMETRY 2 RELEVANT
bounce house, kiddy pools, face painting, arts 9 DELETE 3 USHER
and crafts and refreshments. Free. 10 TANDEM 4 SMITTEN
11 TODAY 5 FERN
21 Treasure Coast Chorale presents a 12 KESTREL 6 FREEZE
musical water-themed Wade in the 15 CANTEEN 13 TOASTERS
Water, 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church. Free will 17 CAKES 14 TEXTILE
offering. 772-231-3498 20 STRAIT 16 ACTUAL
22 RETIRE 18 ERRAND
23 MAGNOLIA 19 GREAT
24 RING 21 AUNT

21 Desserts with Directors, 1 to 3 p.m. at Sudoku Page B13 Sudoku Page B14 Crossword Page B13 Crossword Page B14 (TAXING YOUR ABILITIES)
Springhill Suites to meet Vero Beach
Film Festival directors and filmmakers including
Jeff Willnough, with champagne toast and des-
serts by Frostings. Free; open to public.

BUSINESS DIRECTORY - ADVERTISING INDIAN RIVER COUNTY BUSINESSES

Our directory gives small business people eager to
provide services to the community an opportunity

to make themselves known to our readers at an
affordable cost. This is the only business directory
mailed each week during season. If you would like

your business to appear in our directory,
please call 772-633-0753.