11/02/2017 ISSUE 44

Andrew Coffee Jr. on trial for
attempted murder. P10
‘Hank Williams’: A tale
compellingly told. P34

Security is top priority for
Beach Town Music Festival. P12

For breaking news visit

MY VERO Work finally set
to begin on cell
BY RAY MCNULTY tower in Shores

Hard to believe! No arrest
likely in Grove Bar shooting

It's difficult to believe a Maeve Reicher rides Icey while practicing on new Windsor polo practice field. STORY, PAGE 10 PHOTO BY GORDON RADFORD BY LISA ZAHNER
man could be shot in front Staff Writer
of multiple witnesses in the Vero visitor to Cuba ponders symptoms similar to diplomats
middle of the street – along Work was scheduled to begin
the main drag in Vero’s Old BY MICHELLE GENZ since visiting Cuba last year is injury and other symptoms this week on the long-awaited
Downtown – without the thug Staff Writer related to the mysterious at- date back to the fall of 2016. cellular phone tower at the In-
who pulled the trigger being tacks on U.S. embassy personal dian River Shores Town Com-
positively identified. Island resident and Merrill that injured two dozen people Some who fell ill early on plex.
Lynch financial adviser Scott stationed in the island nation. described hearing a piercing
It's even more difficult to Morton is trying to figure out cricket-like noise outside their Tower contractor Datapath
comprehend why the victim, if the persistent numbness in First reported in August, the residences. After extensive in- has all required approvals in
shot repeatedly at close range his legs and feet he has suffered embassy-related victims’ com- vestigation, U.S. officials be- hand and the Shores has issued
by a man standing in front of plaints of hearing loss, brain all necessary building permits
him, would not have the im- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 to begin moving ground and
age of the gunman's face em- pouring the concrete founda-
bedded in his memory. tion for the project.

But, according to police Engineers reviewed struc-
and prosecutors, that's exactly tural plans with Town Man-
what happened in the after- ager Robbie Stabe on Monday.
math of the shocking incident
that occurred in the wee hours “It should take no more than
of March 31, outside The Grove nine weeks to erect the tower,
bar on 14th Avenue. and no more than six weeks
for the provider to get every-
That's why, seven months thing working,” said an opti-
later, no one has been arrest- mistic Stabe.
ed for shooting Andy Capak,
one of The Grove's co-owners, That timing means the tow-
er would be carrying voice and
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
Jennifer Benjamin: Pet columnist
No bail for surgeon
BY A STAFF WRITER and his wife Tina, moved to being held on drug
Vero Beach from Washington, trafficking charges
Jennifer Benjamin, a dog D.C., in 1996 after undergoing
lover who originated the a pioneering kidney-pancre- BY BETH WALTON
pet column in Vero Beach as transplant. Staff Writer
32963, last week lost a val-
iant four-decade battle with That time, after being Vero Beach spine surgeon
type 1 diabetes. She was 53. medevacked on a snowy win- Dr. Johnny Benjamin Jr. will
ter night from Georgetown have to stay in jail as he awaits
Jennifer, daughter of 32963 Hospital in Washington to trial on federal drug traffick-
publisher Milton Benjamin ing charges after a judge in
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

November 2, 2017 Volume 10, Issue 44 Newsstand Price $1.00 Halloween Parade
attracts a bunch
News 1-12 Faith 47 Pets 48 TO ADVERTISE CALL of characters. P24
Arts 31-36 Games 49-51 Real Estate 71-80 772-559-4187
Books 46 Health 53-58 St. Ed’s 69
Dining 62 Insight 37-52 Style 59-61 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 44 People 13-30 Wine 63 CALL 772-226-7925

© 2017 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

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

NEWS

Jennifer Benjamin from a disease that blind-sided her She again rebounded after another it. Once again, she was in kidney fail-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 in her mid-teens took a cumulative 45 days in the hospital, and it was dur- ure. But Jennifer never gave up. Dur-
toll. She was constantly in and out of ing this period that she began writing ing good periods, as recently as July,
the University of Wisconsin Hospital hospitals. In 2007, toxic antirejection the 32963 pet column, first featuring doctors were offering encouragement
in Madison where the operation was drugs began to kill her transplanted her beloved English springer spaniel about the chances for a third transplant.
performed, she was hospitalized for kidney. In 2008, a clot in an artery Coco, and later Coco’s young assistant, There were, however, too many bad pe-
more than eight months, much of it in cut off the blood supply to her trans- Bonzo. riods. In the end, type 1 diabetes, as it
the ICU. planted pancreas. Once again, she was generally does, won the final round.
a late-stage diabetic in kidney failure. Meeting the pets she wrote about,
In the decade after the transplant, and their humans, brought great joy to Jennifer leaves her parents; Bonzo,
however, she tenaciously fought her Miraculously, however, in Septem- Jennifer. But an all-too-brief respite in her first-responder who summoned
way back to health sufficient to enable ber 2009 the University of Miami Trans- her medical travails came to an abrupt help nights when she needed assis-
her to work as a volunteer victim’s ad- plant Center found her another kid- end in July 2014, when she suffered a tance; and aunts, an uncle, cousins,
vocate with the State Attorney’s Office ney and pancreas – an amazing story near-fatal stroke. nieces and nephews in California and
in Vero. chronicled in the Oct. 15, 2009 edition Massachusetts.
of Vero Beach 32963 and reprinted in The past three years have been a
But residual diabetic complications the Miami Herald and other papers. ceaseless battle that long-since would She was particularly grateful for the
have claimed a less indomitable spir- care and encouragement she received
in recent years from her primary phy-
sician, Gerald Pierone Jr.; her Uni-
versity of Miami transplant surgeon,
George W. Burke III; vascular surgeon
W. Clark Beckett; too many other fine
IRMC doctors and nurses to list; and
her private nurse and companion
these past two years, Gail DeGioia.

Services for Jennifer were private.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a
contribution in her memory to the
nonprofit clinic run by Dr. Pierone,
the Whole Family Health Center, 981
37th Place, Vero Beach, FL 32960. 

Illness linked to Cuba
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

lieve a sonic device may have caused
the illnesses. The Cuban government
denies any involvement; some believe
other foreign actors could be involved.

According to Associated Press re-
ports, three dozen additional U.S.
citizens have contacted the AP about
symptoms they think may be related
to the Embassy illnesses.

After reading an AP article pub-
lished Oct. 19 that details a Charles-
ton man who visited Cuba suffering
from numbness similar to his, Mor-
ton got in touch with AP reporter Josh
Lederman, who is covering the recent
spate of mystery illnesses, to compare
his symptoms to those others have re-
ported.

The Charleston man, Chris Allen,
was stricken during a 2014 stay at
Havana’s Hotel Capri, the same hotel
where Embassy victims had lived, and
his symptoms were eerily similar to
Morton’s

“It got my attention, hell yeah,” Mor-
ton says of the article.

According to the AP, Allen had ex-
treme numbness in all his limbs, but
only in his bed at the Capri. When the
same thing happened the next night,
only worse, he caught the first flight
out the next morning. His symptoms
continued for six months and he
spent thousands on tests that were in-
conclusive.

Morton’s ordeal began when he was

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 3

NEWS

returning to his hotel in Playa Girón, a ter Emily traveled with him to “push AP policy not to comment on develop- Over time, his nervous system seems
resort town on the Bay of Pigs. my little butt up the brick streets” of ing stories or sources. to have adjusted, giving him more mo-
Baltimore in a wheelchair. One week bility. But the numbness never leaves
Halfway back to the hotel after later, they were no further along with In early October, he shared an AP though. Neither does the fatigue.
drinks with his companions from Vero, a diagnosis. Morton and his daughter byline on a story reporting that intelli-
Morton’s left leg buckled underneath came home. A visit to the University of gence operatives were “among the first “Your brain is doing double time,
him. “My leg just went away, like it Miami was similarly frustrating. and most severely affected victims,” of whether you know it or not,” he says.
wasn’t there. There was no pain. I just the Embassy-related attacks. “I’ve never taken a nap before, and it
couldn’t get up.” “Still nothing,” says Morton. “It’s could be 10:30 in the morning and my
just really annoying at this point.” Morton, who says he has no ties to eyes will slam shut.”
Camille Yates, then development the CIA, has not suffered from hearing
director of the Environmental Learn- Lederman, reached by phone, cited loss or headache. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
ing Center, which had organized the
trip, saw Morton lying in the field and NEW LISTING
grabbed a bartender and rushed to
help him. “They got me back to my Exclusively John’s Island
hotel somehow,” says Morton.
This highly desirable 2BR/2BA golf cottage showcases stunning, multiple
The next morning, Morton’s leg was fairway views and is close to all Club amenities. Offering nearly all of
fine, and stayed fine for the rest of the trip. the conveniences of a single-family residence, this 1,700± square foot
retreat features an enclosed lanai adjoining the tray ceiling living room
But his difficulties weren’t over. and dining area, bright kitchen with updated appliances, washer/dryer, and
Eight weeks later, back home in spacious bedrooms. A unique, wrap-around terrace is the perfect place for
Vero, Morton got up one morning to a morning cup of coffee or an evening with friends watching the sunset.
go to work. Or tried to. 151 Silver Moss Drive : $785,000
“Both my legs were sound asleep,
from hips to toes,” he recalls. “It was three championship golf courses : 17 har-tru courts : beach club : squash
the oddest thing – you know they’re health & fitness center : pickleball : croquet : vertical equity membership
there, you can see your legs. You just
can’t feel them. I thought, well, they’ve 772.231.0900 : Vero Beach, FL : JohnsIslandRealEstate.com
just got to be asleep.”
Morton swung his leaden limbs over
the side of the bed. Getting dressed
for work proved the first in a string of
challenges that have yet to end. “You
could lock your bones and hold on to
the wall and kind of bend your leg into
a pair of pants,” he recalls.
He managed the short drive from
his south island home to the Merrill
Lynch office on Beachland Boulevard,
where he has worked, apart from a
brief break, since 1979.
But after an hour at his desk, the
feeling in his legs had not returned.
“That’s when I freaked out.”
Morton headed for Indian River
Medical Center, and gave the triage
nurse his symptoms. There was no fe-
ver, no nausea, no pain – “never has
been,” he says – just the numbness in
both legs.
After he was admitted to the hospi-
tal, Dr. Taher Husainy, a longtime Vero
neurologist, ran a battery of tests on
Morton, including MRIs, blood work
and a lumbar puncture – the dread-
ed spinal tap. On one MRI, there was
a small white spot doctors thought
might be myelitis, an infection or in-
flammation in the spinal cord that can
cause sensory loss. The spot was gone
in a follow-up a month later, even
though symptoms continued.
Everything else came back normal. No
multiple sclerosis, no Lyme disease, no
paralysis – he could push his foot against
the doctor’s hand, and bend back his
toes. Just no sensation in either leg.
“All I found out was 300 things I
didn’t have.”
Two days later, unable to walk with-
out great difficulty, Morton left IRMC.
At Husainy’s suggestion, he headed for
Johns Hopkins Hospital, known for its
neurological center. Morton’s daugh-

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

NEWS

Illness linked to Cuba No bail for Vero surgeon in the investigation during a heated played a video of Benjamin outside his
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 exchange at his office. Vero Beach office. The doctor, dressed
in business attire, accepts a brown bag
Morton takes no medication, but he West Palm Beach ordered him held After his arrest, the U.S. government which authorities say was filled with
has tried acupuncture – the only good without bond. charged Benjamin with two felonies: thousands of fake, Fentanyl-laced oxy-
news there was that he could feel it conspiracy to possess with intent to codone pills and places it in the trunk
when the needle went too deep. The evidence against Benjamin re- distribute a controlled substance re- of his Mercedes.
mains uncontroverted, said Federal sulting in death, and attempted pos-
“The other night, I stepped on a Magistrate Judge John Hopkins at the session of a controlled substance with The doctor is a registered controlled
burning ember. I didn’t really notice it. Oct. 25 detention hearing. Since he is intent to distribute. He faces life in substance prescriber in Indian River
On the other hand, if I step on a rock, accused of manufacturing and illegal- prison if convicted on the first charge. County and holds staff privileges at
I can feel it.” ly selling drugs that resulted in death, the Indian River Medical Center. Fen-
it would be hard not to see him as a Benjamin is currently being held tanyl is a powerful, addictive narcotic
He no longer uses a wheelchair or danger to the community or a flight at the Palm Beach County Jail. An ar- often used as a cutting agent by heroin
walker and can now walk slowly on his risk, he said, calling Benjamin’s case raignment hearing is set for Novem- dealers. Misuse and over-prescription
own, so long as there is something to one of the most tragic he has seen in ber pending an indictment by a grand of the opioid has become a serious
hold onto. his career. jury. At that time, Benjamin will enter problem in the United States, result-
a written plea of not guilty, according ing in tens of thousands of deaths.
He can get from a dock onto a boat The defendant became aware the to his attorneys.
– “with other people watching,” he Fentanyl he allegedly sold was hurting In a secretly recorded conversation
says. “But I don’t want to ever have to people and it appears he proceeded to A federal prosecutor spoke at length played in court, Benjamin acknowledges
climb out of the water and get on. No obstruct justice anyway, Hopkins said. in the West Palm courtroom during he understands the dangers of the pills
way could I do that.” He has large debts, is facing a poten- the Oct. 25 hearing, arguing the doctor he has received, and says he will warn
tial life sentence, and had more than should remain in custody as he awaits his buyers, but adds that there is a rea-
At this point, he is not consumed 20 loaded guns at his house. trial. There is no doubt that people will son why they distribute far away from
with finding a cause for his illness, say that Benjamin was a good man, where they live. “At some point someone
and says he’s leaving the research to The United States Drug Enforce- but those people aren’t seeing the de- is going to have a problem, someone is
others. “I’ve got so many wonder- ment Agency began investigating fendant in custody here today, said As- going to do something stupid, and when
ful friends and family, and they can Benjamin last year after tracing the sistant U.S. Attorney John McMillan. it does it needs to be so (expletive) far
Google all they want,” he says. source of fentanyl-laced oxycodone away,” he tells the informant.
that led to the 2016 overdose death of He said Benjamin had distributed
“If it’s going to get better, I’m going a Palm Beach woman. poisonous, counterfeit drugs and dis- At no time was Benjamin pressured,
to wake up one morning and it’s going cussed dealings with violent crimi- McMillan told the judge. Instead, the
to be gone.” The Pro Spine Center physician has nals. He had “guns galore” in his resi- opposite is true. “Benjamin exists as
been incarcerated since his Oct. 12 ar- dence and car. a guidepost as to how to commit the
Until that moment arrives, there is rest after allegedly stealing the phone criminal activity better,” he said.
one thing Morton misses more than of an undercover informant involved The courtroom gallery, lined with
anything else. two rows of Benjamin’s friends and Shortly after his arrest, DEA agents
family, sat quietly as the prosecution
“Travel,” he says, without hesitation. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 5

NEWS

searched Benjamin’s island home on The physician was recorded discuss- in that case, but later plead to a mis- he had on in the video played before
Painted Bunting Lane and found more ing his involvement with professional demeanor. All this fits with Benjamin’s the court. The doctor looked straight
than 20 loaded firearms, including two criminals in Philadelphia and he is plans to do things far away from where ahead in his prison-issued navy jump-
AK-47s and an AR 15 rifle, said McMil- tied to a Michigan State Police drug in- he lives. suit as his attorneys argued for his pre-
lan. Two loaded pistols were in the vestigation for a commercial marijua- trial release. They offered a $500,000
sports car the doctor used to traffic the na growing operation, the prosecutor Sitting at the defense table, shack- bond secured by the property of his
drugs, he said. added. He was charged with a felony led and handcuffed, Benjamin was
no longer wearing the shirt and tie CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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NEWS

No bail for Vero surgeon children of his own, bought her a used suspect all along, it's now unlikely with the information gathered from
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 car and offered her an allowance so anyone ever will be charged in con- Capak and the other seven witnesses,
she didn’t have to work during the first nection with the crime. citing conflicts in their statements,
family members and a $150,000 cash two years of her studies. mistaken identification and the failure
contribution from his father. "I won't say it will never be solved," of most of them to select the suspect
At the hearing, Dr. Robert Mills, a Assistant State Attorney Bill Long said from a photographic lineup.
Friends and family have come to Fort Lauderdale surgeon, testified that last week after reviewing and then de-
this courtroom today from all over the he met Benjamin some 25 years ago nying the Vero Beach Police Depart- "The totality of their statements
country to vouch for him, said a de- when the two were both young, aspir- ment's request for an arrest warrant conflicted substantially with each oth-
fense attorney Larry Donald Murrell. ing doctors. Mills said he had no doubt for a suspect detectives wanted to er," Long wrote, "as well as with state-
The guns in his house were legal and Benjamin would meet his obligations charge with attempted murder. "Evi- ments from the victim."
stored in a locked case. The ones in his to the court and that he did not believe dence could come forward that can
car were in a holster and the doctor the doctor would harm anyone. provide a new lead." For example:
holds a concealed carry permit. – Three bar patrons initially told
But, during cross examination, the Even though his detectives failed to police the shooter was an "African-
Murrell spoke of several Vero Beach prosecutor asked Mills if he was aware get a warrant after months of investi- American man with dreadlocks," but
community members who wrote let- his friend was dealing in counterfeit gation, Vero Beach Police Chief David two others identified an "African-
ters or were willing to speak on Ben- Fentanyl-laced oxycodone, and if he, Currey said the case remains open, American male with short hair."
jamin’s behalf – people like Merchon as a medical provider, would prescribe though not active. – One on the witnesses who accused
Green with the nonprofit Pioneering such drugs or attempt to manufacture the man with dreadlocks said, "That's
Change, Anthony Brown with the lo- them on his own. Mills answered no. "There's still hope, but unless we the guy who shot the gun, because I'm
cal NAACP and his mother, Jacqueline Those allegations, he said, did not get something stronger – someone like 100 percent. I would swear on my
Warrior, an Indian River County edu- match the doctor he knew.  comes forward, we find new physical dad's grave. That's the guy who shot
cation and racial equity advocate who evidence, we get a confession – there's the gun," but the witness later recant-
holds a doctorate degree in psychology. My Vero nowhere else to go right now," Currey ed and was unable to identify the sus-
said. "We believe we know who did pect in a photo lineup.
The most remarkable story comes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 this, but we need more [proof]." – Another witness who claimed to
from a high school valedictorian Ben- have seen the shooter "clear as day"
jamin met at a commencement cere- during an altercation that began in- That's essentially what Long wrote also was unable to identify the suspect
mony, Murrell said. She was struggling side the bar and spilled out onto the in his four-page letter to police last in a photo lineup.
to pay for college, and even though street, where the shots were fired. Thursday, telling them their case was – A third witness said two of the Af-
the two had never met before, Benja- "lacking the requisite probable cause" rican-American men at the scene had
min offered to help her continue her That's also why, despite police be- to establish that the suspect, who guns, including one who "discharged
education. The doctor, who has no ing confident they've had the right remains unnamed, committed the a firearm," but that witness, like the
crime.

Long detailed a litany of problems

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 7

NEWS

others, couldn't pick the shooter from first shot. He said he was 10 to 15 feet the shooting. He referred back to the "While it is certainly possible the
the lineup. away when the second and third shots detectives’ interview with the victim. defendant is the individual who shot
hit him. the victim, there is not sufficient prob-
– Two witnesses who did identify "Honestly, the further we get away able cause to establish that he com-
the police’s main suspect in the photo Capak told detectives he was en- from the incident, the harder it is for mitted the crime as alleged."
lineup both said the man had short gaged in the brawl outside the bar and me to separate what I'm fabricating in
hair, which conflicted with the state- "remembered punching an individual my mind and what actually, you know, So the case remains unsolved, the
ments of others. with dreadlocks." He said he was "ac- took place," Capak was quoted as tell- suspect remains a free man and none
tively approaching the shooter" when ing detectives. of that is likely to change anytime
There were also discrepancies in the the shots were fired. soon – unless or until something dra-
witnesses' descriptions of the shoot- "You know, I'm upset about the matic occurs.
er's shirt. Capak told detectives he saw the situation, but catching the guy hasn't
shooter and saw the gun discharge been the first thing on my mind," he The best chance for justice? It's al-
"In this matter," Long wrote in his multiple times, but he said he "would added. "It's been about my recovery ways possible one of the shooter's
letter, "the state cannot ignore the fact not be comfortable making an in- and stuff." wing men will fly afoul of the law and,
that the incident occurred at a bar, court identification," Long wrote. facing time behind bars, be willing to
where a majority of the witnesses who Long wrote that it's unfair to blame trade a friend for a favor.
reported their respective observations In his letter, Long stated that when Capak for his failure to remember spe-
had been consuming alcohol prior to asked to describe the shooter, Capak cific details about the shooting, given "Right now, we've exhausted all of
the event." replied: "It's like I keep seeing the guy, the trauma he endured, but he added our leads, which is why we presented
but then it's hard for me ... The face that the state must consider "the ab- out case to the State Attorney's Of-
The shooting also occurred shortly keeps changing." sence of those details" in determining fice," Currey said. "This has been frus-
before 2 a.m. whether probable cause exists. trating for us. We want to get the guy
The victim then added: "It was ei- who did it. But all we can do is give it
As for Capak, who suffered life- ther the clean-cut guy or the Hispanic Thus, Long determined that there our best, which we did.
threatening injuries after being shot guy, 'cause I know it wasn't the guy are too many conflicting accounts
at least three times, he told detectives with the dreads." – too much uncertainty, too little in- "We're not giving up," he added.
he wasn't sure what he saw – another controvertible evidence – to file an at- "We'll keep the case open. You never
significant blow to their case. Pressed for more details, Capak tempted murder charge that wouldn't know what's going to happen."
said, "It could have been a totally dif- stand up in court.
Detectives interviewed Capak, who ferent person that wasn't even in the Certainly, no one expected this.
was 31 at the time of the shooting, on bar. ... I'm just going based on the fact "After what appears to be a thorough A man got shot multiple times in
multiple occasions, the most compre- that, you know, those three were hang- investigation by the Vero Beach Police front of witnesses on the street in
hensive session coming 18 days after ing out together." Department, the facts are what they downtown Vero Beach, and there's
the incident. are," Long wrote in his closing para- not enough evidence to put the thug
Long wrote that Capak's recollection graph. "Ultimately, those facts impli- who pulled the trigger in prison?
During that interview, Capak re- of the incident could be impaired by cate multiple potential suspects ... That's hard to imagine. 
called being about 20 feet from the the traumatic injuries he sustained in
shooter when he was struck by the

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

NEWS

Even with World Series, not much buzz here about Dodgers

BY RAY MCNULTY Dodgers, the Vero Beach Dodgers, the tired former Press Journal sports editor. Dodgers,’” Callan said. “To this day,
Staff Writer fall instructional league . . . We were "They were out front almost every people tell me they miss the Vero Beach
the hub of the entire organization," he Dodgers more than spring training.”
Last week, for the first time in 70 added. "We also had a strong and con- day," he added. "And during the play-
years, the Los Angeles Dodgers went stant presence in the community. offs and World Series, they were usu- Throughout the 1980s, Dodgers
to a World Series without any tangible ally the lead story every day, except on hats – as well as Vero Beach Dodgers
ties to Vero Beach, and almost nobody "There was a real connection be- Saturday mornings." caps – were as common a sight around
here seemed to care. tween the team and town." town as Vero Beach football apparel.
Saturday morning's headlines in the
Such a possibility was unthinkable Not only were the Dodgers' Sunday fall belonged to the legendary Billy Liv- Those hats became more visible in
in 1988, when the Dodgers won their afternoon games broadcast on local ings and the Vero Beach High School 1988, as the Orel Hershiser-led Dodg-
sixth world championship and Vero radio – WTTB-AM also aired all of the football team. The Dodgers, though, ers knocked off the favored New York
Beach wasn't just the home of Dodg- Class A team's contests – but the cover were as much this community's home Mets in the National League Champi-
ertown – then America's most revered of the local daily’s sports section usu- team as the Fighting Indians – even onship Series and then, propelled by
and nostalgic spring-training site – but ally included a headline from the pre- when playing 3,000 miles away. Kirk Gibson's historic, walk-off home
it was a Dodger town. vious day's game. run in Game 1, stunned the favored
Certainly, the arrival of the Florida Oakland Athletics in five games.
"We did everything here," said Craig Occasionally, the newspaper would State League's Vero Beach Dodgers
Callan, the longtime Vero Beach resi- run Dodgers-related columns by the in 1980 enhanced the relationship. "That was a special year for me,"
dent who has spent most of his adult Los Angeles Times' Pulitzer Prize-win- Fans here could watch Dodgers pros- Callan said. "I became the director of
life managing the operations at Dodg- ning writer, Jim Murray. pects embark on their careers at Hol- Dodgertown, got married, built a new
ertown and, more recently, Historic man Stadium and, when the players home and got a World Series ring. I'll
Dodgertown. "Back then, we had a 1:40 a.m. returned for spring training the next never forget it.
deadline, and the reason was so we year, follow the players' progress to-
"We had spring training, extended could get the Dodgers' regular-sea- ward Los Angeles. "And I'll always remember what it
spring training, the rookie league son games on the West Coast in the was like in Vero Beach as the Dodgers
paper," said Chuck Balnius, a now-re- “A lot of people called them the 'Baby kept winning," he added. "This town
was red-hot for the Dodgers. They
were our Dodgers, and everybody felt
a part of it.

"That was always important to Peter."
Former Dodgers owner and presi-
dent Peter O'Malley embraced and
encouraged a family-type feel to the
organization – and he believed Dodg-
ertown and Vero Beach were members
of the Dodger family.
However, with corporate ownership
of major league teams becoming the
norm, O'Malley sold the Dodgers to
Rupert Murdoch's Fox Entertainment
Group in 1998.
A decade later, four years after Fox
sold the team to Frank McCourt, the
Dodgers ended their 61-year marriage
to Vero Beach and moved their spring-
training headquarters to Arizona.
This year, nearly a decade after the
team's buses drove away from Dodg-
ertown for the final time on St. Pat-
rick's Day 2008, the Dodgers played
their way to the World Series for the
first time in 29 years.
But there's not much buzz here –
nothing close to what it was in 1988,
when the Dodgers were Vero Beach's
home team.
This is no longer a Dodger town.
"A lot of those feelings began to dis-
appear when Peter O'Malley sold the
team and the Dodgers went from be-
ing a family business to part of a cor-
porate conglomerate," said Bobby Mc-
Carthy, owner of Bobby's Restaurant &
Lounge, which was a popular Dodgers'
hangout during spring training.
"Then, when they moved their
spring training to Arizona, that was
it," he continued. "They've been gone
almost 10 years now, and nobody
cares anymore. We've got the World

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

NEWS

Series games on the TVs in the bar and His efforts have contributed to the
people are watching it, but it's not a local economy, which has benefitted
focal point. They're not coming in just from the out-of-town groups and sport-
to watch the games. ing events he has attracted to what is
now called Historic Dodgertown.
"There would be more interest if it
were the Yankees or Red Sox," he add- As for Vero Beach, however, the
ed. "There was more interest last year Dodgers are history – so much so that
because it was the Cubs. The Dodgers their former spring-training home did
have been gone a long time now." nothing to mark their return to the
World Series.
O'Malley, whose lifelong affection
for Vero Beach prompted him to form "The Dodgers' following definitely
a five-way partnership to resurrect has dropped off, and that will con-
Dodgertown as a multi-sport facil- tinue as the years go by," Callan said.
ity in 2012, is hoping to keep alive the "It's hard to feel the same connection
Dodgers' spring-training legacy here. when they're not here." 

Indian River Shores Town Manager
Robert Stabe looks over the plans
for the new cell tower.

PHOTO BY GORDON RADFORD

Shores cell tower The so-called “monopine” tower
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 will be built on the northwestern por-
tion of the town complex, with the
data traffic by Valentine’s Day. main pole going up after the concrete
Verizon has signed on to provide slab cures; the fiberglass “branches”
will be attached after the main pole is
service from the tower, and at least one securely installed. The equipment will
more “major provider” is in the works, be fenced in and landscaped in accor-
though the town cannot release the dance with town building code.
name until an agreement is executed.
No additional approvals by the coun-
The Town Council had wanted at cil are needed to begin construction,
least Verizon – the provider for town as all ordinance changes and variances
public safety phones and on-board po- have already been made or granted, ac-
lice computers – and AT&T on board cording to previous statements by Stabe
to serve Shores’ residents and visitors and Building Official Jose Guanch.
when the tower goes into operation.
The 115-foot-tall structure, which will The closest cell towers to the Shores
be camouflaged as a massive pine tree, are a flagpole stealth tower at Sea Oaks
has the capacity to hold the equipment to the north and a tower atop the spire
of five providers in total. Village Spires condominiums on Ocean
Drive in Vero Beach to the south. 

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

NEWS

Windsor expands equestrian center with polo practice field

BY RAY MCNULTY equipped with 22 stables and 14 pad- polo regularly, but exhibition match- 2004 through 2014, became Windsor's
Staff Writer docks, is a unique amenity on the bar- es held at the club draw enthusiastic full-time director of equestrian opera-
rier island, offering boarding, main- crowds. And with many members be- tions last year.
Riding a resurgence of local inter- tenance, riding lessons, recreational ing accomplished riders, he expects the
est in polo, Windsor has expanded its riding and a full-sized polo field for new field to entice some of them to give He previously managed the Vero
Equestrian Center facilities with the exhibition matches. the sport a try. Beach Polo Club, and he still plays pro-
installation of a new 170-yard-long fessionally in Wellington.
stick-and-ball field that can be used The new practice field, which was "The new field and our horses are
for practice, three-on-three matches completed earlier this month, is lo- ready for play, and I look forward to in- "It's a privilege to be here," Secun-
or other horseback activities. cated in front of the stables and was troducing this new amenity to Windsor da said. "The support the Windsor
sodded with a Bermuda grass hybrid members and their guests this season." management has given me has been
"This is an exciting time for us," proven to withstand the rigors of fantastic, and this expansion shows a
said Max Secunda, Windsor's director some of the world's premier interna- Secunda, who moved to Vero Beach strong commitment to the Equestrian
of equestrian operations. "Windsor is tional polo tournaments. from Wellington 12 years ago and Center. It's also a really nice addition to
very supportive of polo, and the addi- managed JohnWalsh's polo team from the polo community." 
tion of this multi-use field enhances "It's the same grass they have at
and expands our capabilities while in- the International Polo Club in Palm ANDREW COFFEE JR. GOES ON TRIAL FOR
jecting new energy into the place. Beach, and the field has been engi- THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF A DEPUTY
neered to drain quickly, so it can be
"Not only do members have a place used for practice even during the rainy BY BETH WALTON gan in an Indian River County court-
to practice their polo on a regular ba- season," Secunda said. "This field is Staff Writer room.
sis, but we also expect it to attract be- so green, so finely manicured and so
ginners – and especially children – to beautiful that it really enhances the Andrew Coffee Jr., a man accused One by one prospective jurors came
the sport," he added. "And while the aesthetics and feel of the place. of attempted murder of a law-en- into the fourth-floor gallery to discuss
popularity of polo is growing again, forcement officer, sat quietly in a what they had heard about the case.
this field can be used for other eques- "Our members are going to love it." maroon shirt and tie Monday as jury Many had read about the charges in
trian disciplines, too. The new field also provides a large selection for his high-profile trial be- the newspaper or seen it on TV. Sever-
space for other activities, such as soc- al had seen online dashboard camera
"There are a number of people who cer, equestrian exhibitions and out-
love to just ride horses. That's a big door parties.
part of life at Windsor." Secunda said Windsor currently has
"seven or eight" members who play
Windsor's Equestrian Center,

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 11

NEWS

footage from the December 2015 traf- In the days leading up to the trial, during the pretrial hearing. “Officers have actual video from the scene, we
fic stop and shootout. attorneys for the defendant pleaded in uniform would send a nonverbal don’t believe that we need these other
with Judge Cynthia Cox to ensure pro- message to the jury.” animations of how the shots may have
In the video, Coffee, Jr. is seen argu- ceedings will be fair. They fought to been fired,” she said.
ing with an Indian River County Sher- keep the sheriff and his representa- She also told the judge that the re-
iff’s Office deputy during an early- tives from addressing the jury pool as enactment video made by Detective The prosecution fought to keep the
morning traffic stop. Records state he is custom in the Nineteenth Circuit. David Rodriguez isn’t a true depiction visual aid in trial. Bakkedahl told the
had been pulled over by Deputy Chris They argued to limit the number of of what happened. The reenactment is judge at the Oct. 23 hearing that this
Lester while driving a scooter without uniformed officers in the courtroom done during the daylight – even though type of reenactment is common. A
proper tags. Conversation between so as not to influence the jury and the alleged crime took place around shooting reconstruction, or flight path
the two quickly escalates and when moved to suppress a reenactment 2:30 a.m., she explained. It makes it analysis, can show where the incident
the officer tells Coffee Jr. to put his video made by a detective to use as a look like the shooter stopped, planned occurred, the location of physical evi-
hands on the vehicle, Coffee Jr. pivots visual aid during his testimony. an attack and hunted the officer down. dence and bullet marks, he said.
in a flash and slugs the deputy in the
face, knocking him down. “The defendant has a right to a fair The reality is everything happened The fact that other video tape exists
and impartial trial,” argued Assistant very fast, Rhodeback said. There were doesn’t detract from the importance
The officer then falls out of the frame Public Defender Michelle Rhodeback sirens and lights, none of which ap- of this animation and its ability to
of the camera, but Coffee Jr. is seen pears in the recreation. “We already
reaching for something near his belt in CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
the back of his pants. Both men then
disappear from the camera’s viewpoint
and there are several gun shots before
the officer reenters the frame, limping.

Lester told police after he saw Cof-
fee Jr. had a firearm, he began to shoot,
according to arrest documents. Coffee
Jr. then took cover by a light pole, the
deputy said. Lester estimated he fired
five rounds from his county-issued
weapon before falling down.

Both men suffered non-life-threat-
ening injuries. Coffee Jr. was later ap-
prehended hiding in a pile of wood
pallets just south of 45th Street and
East of Old Dixie Highway.

The defendant, who is facing trial
for three felonies – attempted murder
of a law enforcement officer, battery
on a law enforcement officer and pos-
session of a firearm by a felon – buried
his head in his hands as one prospec-
tive juror confused his case with his
son’s and grandson’s. Those two were
involved in a high-profile drug raid in
March that resulted in another police
shootout and a young woman’s death.

The 54-year-old looked away when
a prospective juror discussed his
high regard for law enforcement. He
dropped his head toward the defense
table with exasperation after one man
said Coffee Jr. was called to the court-
room for a reason, indicating some-
one had done something criminal.

But what if this is the wrong guy,
argued Chief Assistant State Attorney
Tom Bakkedahl. Could you still be an
impartial juror?

Before being dismissed, the man re-
plied, “I don’t know.”

As the attorneys for each side de-
bated each prospective juror’s merits,
they disagreed over how to proceed.
“They are all going to see the video
soon enough,” Bakkedahl said, argu-
ing that just because someone had
watched the footage online didn’t
mean they couldn’t be impartial.

Assistant Public Defender Alan
Hunt said otherwise. News reports
have detailed Coffee Jr.’s criminal
history and previous convictions, he
said. “Anybody hearing that video is
going to form an opinion.”

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

NEWS

Andrew Coffee Jr. room, but noted such a ruling would After Vegas massacre, security a top priority
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 be hard to manage. for December’s Beach Town Music Festival

help the officer give his account, said In orders filed last week Cox ap- BY RAY MCNULTY "What happened in Las Vegas was
Bakkedahl. proved the defense’s request to sup- Staff Writer horrific," Loar said, referring to the Oct.
press the reenactment video and lim- 1 shooting rampage in which a lone
He reminded the judge that this was ited the number of uniformed officers With the Jake Owen-headlined gunman killed 58 people and wound-
a case involving first-degree attempted in the courtroom to seven. Beach Town Music Festival only five ed more than 500 others at an outdoor,
murder on a law-enforcement officer. weeks away, Sheriff Deryl Loar said he country music concert. "That's not go-
“That means I have to prove premedi- Monday, she was still striving to will take every realistic precaution to ing to happen on my watch."
tation and the fact that he is shooting create a fair atmosphere for the high- ensure the safety of those who attend
at a fleeing officer. I think [the demon- profile case. Shortly before breaking the two-day event at the Indian River In fact, just hours after the Vegas
strative aid] is kind of relevant.” for lunch, she asked the prospective County Fairgrounds. massacre, Loar summoned his ex-
jurors to look at Coffee Jr. and an- ecutive staff to a Monday morning
The prosecutor agreed that it would other defendant awaiting justice. She meeting to discuss additional security
be prudent to limit the number of uni- inquired whether any would have strategies for the Dec. 8-9 festival here.
formed officers allowed in the court- trouble presuming their innocence.
Several people raised their hands.  Loar said he also has told Assistant
County Administrator Mike Zito that
he will not sign off on the permit re-
quired to hold the festival at the fair-
grounds unless the promoter agrees
to cover any additional costs for the
enhanced security measures.

"We already had a plan for the con-
cert, just as we do for any large-scale
event, but after what happened in Las
Vegas, we're going to double and, in
some cases, even triple our efforts,”
Loar said.

In addition to assigning more depu-
ties – including a "special force team" –
to the event, Loar said his plan also calls
for additional fire and emergency med-
ical crews, as well as the use of aircraft.

He said his office has agreements
with the Brevard and St. Lucie county
sheriff's offices for backup, if needed.
St. Lucie County already has commit-
ted to dispatching bomb-sniffing dogs
for the festival.

"It's going to be done right," Loar
said, adding that festival attendees
probably will notice a "show of force."

What they won't see is the behind-
the-scenes communications between
the Sheriff's Office and federal agen-
cies – the FBI and Department of
Homeland Security.

Basis Entertainment's Andrew
Thompson, the promoter's chief busi-
ness officer, said "based on the recent
events," his staff would review the se-
curity plan with Loar and alert ticket-
buyers as to any changes to the time
gates will open, what patrons will be
allowed to bring into the venue and
evacuation routes.

"Although the management will con-
sider any extra burden placed on those
attending or living in the surrounding
areas," Thompson said in a statement
emailed to Vero Beach 32963, "safety of
the patrons, the artists, staff and com-
munity is our highest priority."

Owen is scheduled to perform Fri-
day, Dec. 8, along with David Nail, Clare
Dunn and Vero Beach's Scotty Emerick.
The next day's lineup features Bret Mi-
chaels, the Gin Blossoms, Edwin Mc-
Cain, David Ray and Adley Stump. 

RUNNERS HONOR ACTS OF HEROISM
IN ‘TUNNEL TO TOWERS’ P. 20

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

PEOPLE

Bob and Casey Baggott. Kristina Pernfors, Emily Burgoon, David Bankston and Megan Raasveldt. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Deborah and Dan Crum.

PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Chefs’ creations complement March of Dimes auction

BY MARY SCHENKEL Chet Perrotti, Chelsea’s on Cardinal; Gibb said “she was laying in an open manently blind, have cerebral palsy,
Staff Writer Bob Rose, Amalfi Grille; and Scott Var- cradle of cotton that looked like a ba- would never be able to speak, walk or
ricchio, Citrus Grillhouse. by’s scale; looking like an alien, albeit a be independent, would have limited
Local chefs joined forces with vol- beautiful alien.” cognitive abilities and a seizure condi-
unteers and philanthropists to whip Later in the evening, attorney John tion.
up funds to support research into the Moore presided over the live auc- They couldn’t yet touch her, but Gibb
causes and prevention of birth defects, tion and this year’s Mission Families, remembered, “When her Dad would But, McCarter said, she, Mike and
premature birth and infant mortality Wheatie and Bob Gibb and Stevie and come in to talk with her, her moni- older daughters Stephanie and Parker
at the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Robert “Mike” McCarter, shared their tors would go nuts at the sound of his consider themselves truly blessed to
Auction last Monday at the Quail Val- heartfelt stories. voice.” have been given Elly.
ley River Club.
Wheatie Gibb said that on Nov. 5, Mary McReynolds “Rennie” Gibb “She has taught everyone that she
“We really don’t understand yet what 1986, she was unaware of the life- was welcomed into their home on can be happy in life with very little.
causes premature births and March of threatening pregnancy disorder, pre- Christmas Eve, weighing all of 4 Elly has opened our eyes into a world
Dimes does so much to try and answer eclampsia toxemia, which begins after pounds, and today their tall, lovely we knew nothing about, but she has
that question,” said event chair David 20 weeks. But their golden retriever daughter is a marketing consultant liv- taught us about compassion, patience,
Bankston. Chamois instinctively sensed some- ing in Charlottesville, Va. love and strength. As I said, we are
thing was wrong and woke her in the blessed. We are very lucky people,” said
Guests wandered about the club wee hours of the morning. An unchar- “We were awfully fortunate to have McCarter.
while perusing tables of silent-auction acteristic headache triggered a visit the positive outcome that so many oth-
items and grazing on a mouthwatering to the doctor and a routine urine test ers don’t experience,” said Gibb. “I was so flattered and delighted
array of small-dish creations by talent- proved anything but. Immediately ad- when the March of Dimes asked me
ed chefs. Osceola Bistro Chef Chris Bi- mitted to the hospital, she was told the Sharing ‘the other side of the coin,’ to tell our story. Any help they give to
reley served as chef chair, coordinating baby would be taken out the next day Stevie McCarter told the tender story parents who suddenly find themselves
the efforts of chefs Tibor Andrejszky, to, hopefully, save both their lives. of their twin daughters Elly and Grace, in our shoes is wonderful, priceless
Citron Bistro; Chuck Arnold, Fire and born at 28 weeks, within a day of Ren- help. As we sit here enjoying the eve-
Wine; Stéphane Becht, Bistro Four- “All I kept thinking was, babies are nie. Sadly, Grace did not survive but ning, Mike and I are comforted by the
chette; Armando Galeas, The Wave at supposed to be born at 40 weeks, not Elly was, and continues to be, a fight- thought that many dedicated doctors
Costa d’Este; Eric Grutka, Ian’s Tropi- 26 weeks,” said Gibb. Two days later, er. Elly was born with many complex affiliated with the March of Dimes are
cal Grill; Leanne Kelleher, The Tides; seeing their healthy but tiny 2-pound, medical conditions, requiring numer- working tirelessly to save and help the
11-ounce daughter for the first time, ous surgeries and the family grew to many Ellys and Graces in the world.” 
accept that little Elly would be per-



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

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 Karen Ritter, Edie DuBord, Sandy Hammonds and Nancy Lynch. Henry and Chris Talbot with Michael and Ted Hauser.
Gretchen Szentirmai, Linda Nelson, Jennifer Critchfield and Jami Dalili.

Rennie Gibb with parents Bob and Wheatie Gibb. Mike and Stevie McCarter with Rusty Young. Diane Catenaci, Shirley Becker and Teena Jackson.

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 17

PEOPLE

Mary Ann Curley and Bruce Severance. Alan Temple, Frank Van Den Bosch and Michael Merrill. Eleanor Renuart and Barbara Stewart.

Mary and Mark Sammartino. Michael Wagner and Cheryl Ernst. Marcia and Glenn Petkovsek.

Rennie Gibb and John Moore.

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

PEOPLE

Selfless leaders take a bow at United Way breakfast

BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer

A powerhouse gathering of business Dr. Bob Brugnoli, Barbara Hammond, Kerry Bartlett and Richard Giessert. Marge and Randy Riley.
and community leaders, nonprofit
representatives and politicians gath- dium- and small-business categories Mary Sellers with Scott and Gail Alexander.
ered at the Oak Harbor Clubhouse last to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, Bank
Wednesday for the United Way of In- of America and CenterState Bank, re- here,” said Sellers, crediting her moth- and every community. It succeeds by
dian River County Community Lead- spectively. er, Florence Boons, for setting the ex- bringing people and organizations to-
ers Breakfast and Spirit of Indian River ample. gether to tackle the most difficult is-
County Awards Program, sponsored Recognizing his more than 20 years sues in those communities,” said Sell-
by Florida Power & Light. as a volunteer with the United Way Ranked as the largest privately fund- ers. “We build communities who can
and multiple other nonprofit organiza- ed nonprofit, Sellers said that each fulfill their potential and we serve each
Tom Manwaring was honored with tions, E. Fred Augenstein was honored locally-governed United Way tailors other in times of need.”
UWIRC’s most prestigious recognition, for his Extraordinary Service and Ded- its volunteerism, advocacy and invest-
the Ralph T. King Award, for his stead- ication to the United Way mission. ments to their own community’s most “Our United Way obviously and di-
fast commitment to the organization. pressing needs. rectly benefits from UWW by utilizing
Board Chair Susan Adams noted that Adams noted that for the second the guidance and building on the work
Manwaring has served in numerous year in a row, Jeff Smith and his Indian “Everywhere it operates, United that they do,” said UWIRC CEO Mi-
capacities, including as a loyal contrib- River County Clerk of the Circuit Court Way fights for the health, education chael Kint. 
utor, board member and chair, loan staff were ranked No. 1 (per capita) for and financial stability of every person
executive and as a member of the ma- workplace giving within the public
jor accounts team and citizens review, sector out of Florida’s 33 United Ways.
adding, “This man was an integral part The Supervisor of Elections office,
of United Way’s move to our Commu- School District and Sheriff’s Office
nity Impact model.” were ranked third, fifth and sixth, re-
spectively.
“What a humbling, humbling honor.
I can’t tell you how meaningful this Keynote speaker Mary Sellers, U.S.
award is to me,” said Manwaring. “All president of United Way Worldwide,
I can say is, whatever meager time, tal- said she has a personal connection to
ent and treasure I’ve been able to lend Vero Beach, having attended Saint Ed-
to this organization, goodness gra- ward’s School.
cious, I’ve gotten it back so many times
over in the people I’ve met, friends I’ve “My passion for nonprofits began
made, staff I’ve interacted with and the
ability to contribute back to the com-
mon good a little bit.”

Jeff Smith, UWIRC chair-elect,
presented the Agency Excellence
Award and a check for $2,500 to Dr.
Bob Brugnoli on behalf of the Mental
Health Association, recognizing its
impact on the community and its in-
fluence upon the UW Health Advisory
Group.

Adams and Smith presented the
annual Richardson Spirit of Indian
River County Awards in the large-, me-

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 19

PEOPLE

Dan Nelson, Tom Manwaring, Jeff Smith and Brian Hartman. Michael Kint, Mary Cone, and Bart Gaetjens. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Karen Egan, Marni Howder, Bill Penney and Georgia Irish.

Chrissy Stephens, Laura Wilsey and Christina Price. Shawna Callaghan, Ben Earman and Triana Romano. Toby Hill, Tiffany Justice and Chris Hill.

Chad Morrison and Sue Tompkins. Susan Chenault Hahn and Clay Price.

Mike and Leslie Swan, Marty Zickert, Ross Cotherman and Tom Tierney.

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

PEOPLE

Runners honor acts of heroism in Tunnel to Towers

12

53 4 5
6
True acts of heroism were again 7
recognized and honored as runners
took part last Saturday morning in
a slightly delayed Tunnel to Towers
Vero Beach Run at Riverside Park
thanks to Hurricane Irma. The
3.43-mile run, originally scheduled
for Sept. 9, memorializes the 343
firefighters who ran toward danger
and perished on Sept. 11, 2001,
along with 3,000 other innocent
victims of the horrific terrorist
attacks. Proceeds benefit the
Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers
Foundation and its Building for
America’s Bravest program, which
constructs custom-designed smart
homes for service members with
catastrophic injuries. The run pays
tribute to all who were lost on 9/11
and to those who continue to make
sacrifices every day in the line of
duty, carrying on the promise – We
Will Never Forget. 

1. Glenn Hodges and Rebecca Hendrix.

2. Jonathan and Will Blackburn with Luke Tucker.

3. Chris Jones, Josh Ryan, Nicole Voorhees,

Pamela Lewis, Celina Ramirez and David

Vazquez. 4. Sarah Mazza, Kaylee Coleman and

Lexie Patton. 5. Joseph Mascari Jr. 6. Amanda

Jones with son Ryan. 7. Megan Ryan and Beth

Ryan. PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD



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

PEOPLE

Dulcet moment: Gifford Youth Orchestra soars at soiree

Lee Blatt, Crystal Bujol and Syd Blatt. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Alexis Krasotkin, Tatiana Wallace and Bevohn Dougall.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Harbor Beach Club to introduce
Staff Writer the current crop of talented Gifford
Youth Orchestra musicians.
Ocean breezes carried musical
notes out to sea “on a string and a As guests enjoyed cocktails and
prayer” at a Getting to Know You soi- appetizers and bid on silent-auction
ree last Friday evening at the Grand items, they had an opportunity to
chat with the young instrumental-

Luke Pelt, Jada Powell and Rebekah Dougall.

ists about what they have learned in various cultural and performing
through the program. Throughout arts, with a core focus on mastering
the course of the intimate get-togeth- instrumentals.
er, the musicians also demonstrated
their ability to make music, sweet “Music is the hook, but we also
music. teach life skills, teamwork, coopera-
tion and discipline,” said Bujol. “We
The GYO was founded 14 years ago teach them how to use their musical
by Rev. Dr. Crystal Bujol as a way to skills to earn money so they know
keep children off the streets by teach- they can put food on the table.”
ing them how to play the violin, and
it continues to hit all the right notes. Tatiana Wallace, a seventh-grade
More than 160 children have partici- student at Gifford Middle School, fell
pated in the program since the first in love with the violin at a GYO con-
chord was struck, with 100 percent of cert she attended as a second-grader
their high school graduates moving and now can’t imagine her life with-
on to college. out music.

“Tonight is about letting people “I know if I hadn’t gone to that con-
meet our kids; to see who they are cert I probably wouldn’t be where I
and what they can do. Then they can am today – a first violinist playing
go out and tell the world about us. with eighth-graders,” said Wallace.
We want people to fall in love with “Music has helped me so much.”
our kids and our program,” Bujol ex-
plained. “I am amazed that after 14 Longtime supporter Kathy Tonkel
years there are people in Gifford and said she was impressed by the perse-
Indian River County that don’t know verance of the young artists, noting,
about the Gifford Youth Orchestra.” “They learn discipline and that prac-
tice makes perfect. It’s impressive
What began strictly as a strings considering the environment they
program with violin, viola and cello grow up in.”
has grown to also include piano and
voice. The nonprofit strives to provide The GYO will present their free an-
education, experience and training nual concert at 2 p.m. Nov. 4 at the
Gifford Community Center. For more
information visit gyotigers.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 23

PEOPLE

Javier Edmond, Marian Wenzel, Floyd Jones Jr. and Courtney Godwin. Alexius Mathis, Brittany Brown, Lashun Johnson and Crystal Jordan. Joe and Rosemary Flescher with Leonard Kaczynski.

Kathleen Tonkel and Liz Melnick. Luke Pelt and Judith Lennox.

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Ron Forman, Phyllis Parks, Paul Johnson and Larry Parks.

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

PEOPLE

Halloween Parade attracts a bunch of characters!

1 2
6
3 5 7
8
ROSNER Creativity was key at the
MOTORSPORTS 45 City of Vero Beach Recreation

Come See Our Investment Grade Inventory Department’s 59th Annual
Halloween Parade and Costume
Come Experience Our Showroom Contest, sponsored by Mulligan’s
Exotics  Luxury  Vintage Beach House and the George E.
Warren Corporation.
Contact Us Hours
Parade participants stopped
Sales: (772) 469-4600 Monday - Friday: frequently to pose for photos and
rosnermotorsports.com 9:00AM - 6:00PM selfies as they strolled along 14th
2813 Flight Safety Dr. Saturday: 9:00AM - 5:00PM Avenue in Historic Downtown
Vero Beach, FL 32960 Sunday: By Appointment Only Vero Beach, from the staging area
at the Vero Beach Women’s Club
to the Vero Beach Community
Center, where many also
competed in the annual costume
contest. All the youngsters went
home as winners, clutching goody
bags in their hands and looking
forward to donning their outfits
yet again to go Trick or Treating
on Halloween. 

1. Breella Webb. 2. Michaela Crawford with
daughter Cadi. 3. Liz and Jeff Matthews
with daughter Lileigh. 4. Chelsea Burch with
children Devin, Luke and Sophia. 5. Cheryl
Parham with son Stephen. 6. Catella Castell-
Grigley with son Charlie. 7. Jaelyn Kruger.
8. Rana Khan with Ramani Joseph. 9. Addison
Clem, Lileigh Matthews, Macey Miller and
Serenity Kruger. 10. Julie Buggs with grand-
daughter Evalynn Power. 11. Vero Beach
Mayor Laura Moss and Cookie Pankiewicz.
12. Sebastian River High School Rugby players.
13. Aurora Goldstein with daughter Sierra Rose.
14. Carla King with daughters Lindsey and Soraya.
15. Vero Beach City Councilman Tony Young.
16. Christin and David Paladin with daughter Mya.

PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 25

PEOPLE

9 12
10 11
13 14

15 16

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

PEOPLE

Shoe-perstars! Guys ‘Walk a Mile’ for SafeSpace

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF nual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event to
Staff Writer benefit SafeSpace.

Several hundred men, women and Employing the premise that it is
children put their best stiletto-clad hard to understand what someone
feet forward as they traipsed through else is going through until you put
the Indian River Mall Saturday morn- yourself in their shoes, participants
ing, walking the proverbial mile to got to the heart and ‘sole’ of the mat-
raise funds and awareness for victims ter as they wobbled their way along
of domestic violence at the eighth an- wearing 4-inch-high red heels. Many
brandished signs with messages that

Jeff Labellarte, Richard Boga, Jason Pogany, Dustin Haynes and Bill Douglass. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

read “I’m man enough to walk a mile cur are ever reported.”
in her shoes,” “Hands are not for hit- Borowicz defined domestic vio-
ting” and “Hugs, not slugs.”
lence as any situation in an intimate
While the visuals of men balanced partner relationship, where one part-
precariously in high heels and gri- ner exerts power and control over the
macing with each gingerly placed step other in a negative way.
might be entertaining, the cause is
a deadly serious one. Proceeds help “It’s not just physical abuse. There
fund the SafeSpace operations budget are many more people that suffer
for its Emergency Shelter, 24/7 Emer- from emotional and financial abuse
gency Hotline, outreach programs, as well.”
counseling services and transitional
programs. Noting that it’s often difficult for
victims to talk about abuse because of
SafeSpace, the only certified do- the shame and embarrassment of do-
mestic violence center on the Trea- mestic violence situations, she added,
sure Coast, opened its doors 38 years “Most people judge the victims, ask-
ago and ever since has been helping ing, ‘Why did you stay?’ instead of ask-
victims of domestic violence find their ing ‘Why did he hurt her?’”
way to a safer life.
She said it is not a one-dimension-
“This event is about awareness,” al issue, as generally children and a
said Jill Borowicz, SafeSpace CEO. lack of resources and finances are in-
“In 2016 the Florida Department volved.
of Law Enforcement reported that
there were about 565 domestic vio- After victims leave the shelter,
lence cases reported to law enforce- SafeSpace assists with long-term
ment in Indian River County. That’s housing options and helps them to
almost two a day and only half of the find employment and rebuild their
domestic violence incidents that oc- lives.

For more information, visit
safespacefl.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 27

PEOPLE

Biz and Melissa Gainey. Tracy Levy, Jill Borowicz and Toni Abraham. Damian Avilar.

Calvin Bethel.

Joseph Pierson, Nima Patel and James Coffing Jr.
Nicki and Olivia Maslin.

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

PEOPLE

Read, Write & Brew taps into ‘American Icon’ buzz

BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer

The Education Foundation of Indian Mary Lewisy, Trudie Rainone and Martha Redner. Cathy Filusch and Wanda Lincoln.
River County tapped into Vero’s hot-
test ‘in’ spot last Thursday evening, pub’s culinary fare and sipped on its
holding its sold-out Read, Write & Brew delicious craft beers and wine, while
event at the newly opened American marveling at the astonishing transfor-
Icon Brewery. mation of the former Vero Beach Diesel
Power Plant.
Hoping to introduce as many peo-
ple as possible to the various ways the “My son Drew is a brewer for a very
Education Foundation works to en- large brewery in Ashville,” said Mark
hance the educational experiences of
local students and educators, organiz-
ers hosted two functions at the same
venue – an outdoor lawn party on the
lush, newly planted grassy area in the
front of the Historic Landmark build-
ing, complete with refreshments and
live music by the band Minglewood;
and an indoor VIP reception on the
remarkable ‘floating’ second floor,
overlooking the brewery vats and bar
area where the bright-red, decades-old
former generator is now home to beer
taps.

VIPs dined on a generous buffet
featuring an assortment of the gastro-

Ardith Williams, Cynthia Falardeau, Jim Bates and Carol Marino.

Ashdown, as he peered down at the ty I have ever been in,” said Principal
vats. “He was a chemistry major and of the Year Kathy Pierandozzi. She is
that’s why he became a brewer. As principal at the Wabasso School, a spe-
soon as he comes home for Thanksgiv- cial education center serving students
ing I’m bringing him here.” with developmental disabilities from
pre-K up to age 22. Thanking every-
“It was a vision of our board last year one for their support, she related that
to try something new and different,” through the Education Foundation’s
said Cathy Filusch, EF president, cred- grant efforts with its community part-
iting board member Chris Bieber for ners, her nonverbal students can now
making the connection with Ameri- communicate and a learning lab is
can Icon owner Michael Rechter. She helping to prepare older students for
noted that theirs is a hands-on board independent living and careers.
whose members believe in the vision
of the school district and its leader- Rechter gave a brief history of the
ship, adding, “but we cannot do it American Icon Brewery, calling it “a la-
without the support of all of our family bor of love,” noting that throughout its
and friends who are here this evening, renovation he also strove to maintain
so welcome.” the historic context of the building.

“The Education Foundation is one “This building is so iconic and that’s
of those partners that just comes to where the name comes from; this
our assistance without any questions building is an American icon,” said
asked,” said School Superintendent Rechter. “And that’s what we’re doing;
Mark Rendell. “They’re always here to celebrating American people, places
help us whenever we’ve identified a and things.”
need that we need to be fulfilled.”
For more information visit edfounda-
“This is the most giving communi- tionirc.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 29

PEOPLE

Mark Rendell and Kathrine Pierandozzi. Laura and Tim Zorc with Lillian Torres-Martinez, Pamela Dampier and Tiffany Justice. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE

Laica Moreta and Jim Gerwien. Patricia and Mark Ashdown. Jerusha Stewart with Harvey and Margot Kornicks.

Karl and Cindi Dixon. Sue and George Sharpe.

Tracy Bockhorst, Phil and Helen Tasker, and Dan Bockhorst.

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

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 Minglewood. Ed Filusch with Carolyn and Jay Antenen.
Kelly and David Woodhouse.

Chris and Amber Bieber, Michael Rechter, Julie and Mike Rhue.

Winncy and Joe Schlitt with Natalie and Joseph O’Neill and Jennifer and Chip Watson.
Bob and Joanne Quaile with Tom and Ro Smith and Sue Tompkins.

‘RESTLESS’ DANCE LEGEND
STILL FINDS TIME FOR VERO

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

ARTS & THEATRE

‘Restless’ dance legend still finds time for Vero

BY MICHELLE GENZ
Staff Writer

As a little girl, Wendy Whelan was
never much for tutus. The world-re-
nowned dancer of near-miraculous
ability and the guest of a Ballet Vero
Beach benefit this coming Monday,
she was raised in Kentucky by a mom
who coached women’s college basket-
ball. Whelan herself always wanted to
be an athlete.

“I was a tomboy kid,” she told 32963

Wendy and Soto Whelan.

PHOTOS BY: PAUL KOLNICK

Farewell.

by phone last week, eager to face the ating room for four hours of surgery Whelan on NPR’s “Fresh Air.”
questions of her Vero audience at both to her hip; and along a new and very Now 50, Whelan has swapped out
a meet-and-greet cocktail hour and different path in her life as a dancer,
in the talk-back following the screen- modern dance, a passion that con- leotards and tights for workout pants
ing of her new documentary, “Restless sumes her now. and T-shirts. That “unstrapping,” as
Creature: Wendy Whelan.” she calls it, has helped answer the
That new focus is a logical extension question of what to do with the rest of
That remarkably intimate portrait of the niche she carved for herself at her dancing life.
of the New York City Ballet principal NYCB: contemporary ballet. The way
dancer follows her through her final she executed it was nothing short of Whelan’s Vero appearance is one
months with the company after a re- extreme sport, as interviewer Terry of many she has given since her film
cord-setting 30 years; into the oper- Gross put it in her July interview with began appearing in theaters last May.
Strikingly down to earth, Whelan ar-

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 33

ARTS & THEATRE

ticulates remarkably well not only the gin a West Coast tour of a new suite of diagnosed with severe scoliosis, and From that moment, her ascent was
seemingly indescribable feats she per- dances, “Some of a Thousand Words,” made to wear a 15-pound cast on her rapid. Anointed apprentice at 17, at 19
forms, but her reflections on what it with choreographer Brian Brooks, one torso for month-long stints, alternat- she was welcomed into the company,
means to mature. She’s also a careful of the four choreographers featured ing with days of traction in the hos- quickly becoming a master of the ex-
listener. in “Restless Creature.” (A new Brooks pital. Through those five months, she tremely difficult Balanchine reper-
work will have its world premiere this continued taking ballet classes at the toire. With its lightning fast footwork
“Every time I do a talk, there’s a dif- spring with Miami City Ballet, per- urging of her teachers at Louisville and rigorous demands on muscles,
ferent audience and different ques- forming March 2-4 at West Palm’s Kra- Ballet’s academy. Balanchine’s works made the most of
tions. Someone in their 20s who danc- vis Center.) her athleticism and brought critics’
es asks very different questions from a A year later, her spine much improved, praises for her body’s spare, strong
non-dancer person in their 80s. And I Whelan herself has been a restless she arrived in New York City for a sum- lines.
love that.” creature since she was old enough to mer intensive at NYCB’s academy, the
walk. She says people often compare School of American Ballet. Two years By the time she danced her final
Her internationally publicized re- her to her mother for her stamina, who later, at 15, she became a year-round work in 2014, her muscle memory
tirement from New York City Ballet in while no longer coaching at 73, still scholarship student at the school, leav- was a traffic jam of some 50 ballets,
2014 (witnessed by Ballet Vero Beach’s works for a Catholic school athletic ing her hometown of Louisville with many of them created especially
Adam Schnell and Camilo Rodriguez, association. “She’s got an energy like her parents’ full encouragement.
who flew up for her final rose-laden I can’t even explain. Unlike any other CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
curtain call that Whelan jokes “lasted mother I’ve ever seen.”
half-an-hour”) in ways resembled the
life changes that everyone faces when Hardly the doting ballet mom,
a door closes on a passion or career. Whelan’s mom first checked tiny Wen-
dy into a toddler ballet class to chan-
“It’s kind of like a breakup,” she says. nel her rambunctiousness away from
“When one person or the other can’t her baby sister.
go on with the relationship, you have
to break up. Part of the fear is how is “Oh yeah, she was a dropper-offer,”
it going to feel. Am I going to be bitter? Whelan says.
Am I going to feel depressed?”
That little sister her mother was pro-
Though there are tears shed in the tecting was hardly a shrinking violet
documentary – and likely more will either. She went on to become a Louis-
be by the film’s audience next month ville homicide detective. Whelan’s old-
– Whelan’s change of direction has er brother works in the coffee business
brought a tremendous sense of re- and runs a nonprofit group that stages
lease; she frequently compares it to a “sobriety tents” at rock concerts.
shedding of her skin, like a snake.
Wendy’s early toughness was tested
Following her Vero visit, she will be- at the tender age of 12, when she was

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

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 ARTS & THEATRE

for her. One bit of cartilage had had Ben Hope as ‘Hank Williams.’
enough, though: the gasket-like la-
brum that held her right hip bone in ‘Hank Williams’: Country
its socket. icon’s tale compellingly told

The injury had happened years ear-
lier, doctors told her.

But it only caused her pain after the
insult of a minor slip. That misstep
coincided with another blow: the day
in 2011 that ballet master Peter Mar-
tins told her she was aging out of “The
Nutcracker” role of the Sugar Plum
Fairy, which she had danced for 22
years.

Coming to grips with the limitations
of her body, the expectation of youth-
fulness by both audiences and her em-
ployers, and the need to create a new
set of challenges for herself indepen-
dent of the company, are all fodder for
the down-to-earth discussion she will
doubtless have here.

At the Monday (Nov. 6) benefit,
Whelan will first mingle with guests at
Quail Valley Club’s Royal Palm Pointe
restaurant starting at 5 p.m. Then, the
7 p.m. screening of “Restless Creature:
Wendy Whalen” at the Majestic The-
atre, followed by a talk-back with Adam
Schnell. Tickets are only available
through the ballet’s website, www.bal-
letverobeach.org/restless-creature.php,
or by calling 772-905-2651. 

BY MICHELLE GENZ warned he couldn’t live without.
Dismal as his death was, Williams
Staff Writer
has achieved iconic status in American
After last year’s successful staging of popular music; to many, he is consid-
the Johnny Cash tribute, “Ring of Fire,” ered the father of modern country.
Riverside Theatre opens its 2017-18
season with another lesson in country “Hank Williams: Lost Highway” is
music history. This time, though, the set in the post-war American south.
engaging and illuminating “Hank Wil- It opens with a stirring solo by blues
liams: Lost Highway” is a true narrative singer Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne, an early
and not just a tribute. influence on Williams’ music and a
haunting presence throughout the
The ground-breaking singer/song- show. From his perch on a ragged porch
writer’s career was shockingly brief; he to the audience’s left, actor Tony Perry
died an unstoppable alcoholic at 29. As embodies the role movingly as Tee Tot
such, the story of his life easily com- coaches young Hank to “Sing! SING!”
presses into a two-hour re-telling and and shares swigs from a flask never far
still leaves time for two dozen of Wil- from Williams’ lips.
liams’ greatest songs.
On the opposite side of the stage,
Like so many rags-to-riches tales red vinyl bar stools lined up at a diner
in the music world, Williams’ story counter, with a moony-eyed waitress
suits the stage perfectly. Starting with (Sherry Lutken, the co-director) stand-
his hard-driving mother (Marcie Mc- ing in for Hank’s millions of fans.
Guigan) who saw music as her son’s
escape from poverty to the addiction Joining Hank at center stage are the
that cut short not only his performing Drifting Cowboys, a guitarist, bass
but his prolific song-writing, Williams’ player and fiddler played by three ex-
burn-out came after being fired from cellent actor/musicians. They follow
the Grand Ole Opry, abandoned by his Williams from “Louisiana Hayride,”
band, and divorced from the wife he the early radio show that launched his
career, to Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 35

ARTS & THEATRE

Top: Sam Sherwood (Hoss), Eric Scott Anthony (Burrhead), David Finch (Loudmouth) Riverside. Edwards, who died of a heart liams a few weeks ago, gearing up for
Bottom: Katie Barton (Audrey Williams); Ben Hope (Hank Williams); Marcy McGuigan (Mama Lilly). attack on the day he was scheduled to Riverside’s production, the only song I
fly home from Vero, had worked with really knew well was from a college play
many in the “Lost Highway” cast and I was in.
crew, including with its co-author Ran-
dal Myler. The show’s subject served to My professor, the director, chose an
point out the poignancy of Edwards’ anachronistic ballad to set off his stag-
own talent prematurely silenced, and I ing of the ancient Greek comedy, “Ly-
heard several in the audience note the sistrata,” in which women go on a sex
sad coincidence. strike to force their men to bring an end
to war.
Like Edwards, the actor/musicians in
such biographical revues often perform Even 2400 years ago, what tune could
in the same shows again and again, per- better convey the aching husbands’ mis-
fecting the style of the eras they portray. ery than “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”?
As they entertain, they educate.
“Hank Williams: Lost Highway” runs
Until I started listening to Hank Wil- through Nov. 12. 

Starting with “Setting the Woods Tony Perry delivers a stirring blues solo
on Fire,” Hank and the Cowboys rip as Hank Williams’ mentor Tee Tot.
through tune after tune, including
“Honky Tonk Blues,” “Jambalaya (On grew up with country music, and with a
the Bayou),” “Move it on Over” and Wil- BFA in musical theater at the University
liams’ beautiful signature ballad, “I’m of Central Florida, has gone on to play
So Lonesome I Could Cry.” a half-dozen country and folk music
stars, including Johnny Cash, Elvis Pre-
Infusing his own version of hillbilly sley, George Jones and Woody Guthrie.
with Tee Tot’s soulful blues, Williams Not to mention the heartthrob Guy in
lays the foundation for a new genre of “Once.” (I’m guessing Hope’s Hank has
popular music. In the span of a decade, had a turn with “Falling Slowly.”)
he earned a place in music history as
the father of modern country music. As Hope morphs into a booze-
stricken wreck, foisting himself on
From Williams’ scratchy hillbilly his band, he manages an entire song
songs to his deeper, heart-breaking bal- just off the beat, and with the end
lads, it’s Ben Hope in the role of Hank near, lurches with abandon through
who must convey the singer’s range, in- a frightening joyride with the groupie
cluding from sober to smashed. If coun- waitress that ends when he sprawls
try’s Appalachian roots include traces across the stage, unconscious.
of Irish fiddle music, Hope had his prac-
tice on Broadway: In 2013, he took over Williams’ death is described after
as the male lead in “Once,” a musical set the fact. He died in the back seat of his
in Dublin that won eight Tony awards. convertible Cadillac, discovered by his
driver when he pulled over to check
Regarding Williams’ sound, it got a on the singer as they made their way
major boost early on from Fred Rose, through a New Year’s Eve snowstorm to
himself an excellent songwriter who a show in Ohio.
was also Williams’ producer and pub-
lisher. Rose is played by David Lutken, “Lost Highway” opened off-Broadway
who co-directs with his wife, Sherry. just before New Year’s Day 2002, the 50th
anniversary of Hank Williams’ death. In
The sound Rose does not settle for Vero, the Hank Williams revue runs al-
is the voice of Williams’ microphone- most to the day of the anniversary of the
hogging wife Audrey. That comic role death of Jason Edwards, the actor and
is played by Hope’s real-life wife, Katie director of last year’s “Ring of Fire,” at
Barton. It takes considerable skill to
sing badly, and Barton does; she’s been
in plenty of country music revues where
she has the simpler task of singing well,
albeit in imitation, including as Tammy
Wynette in “Stand by Your Man.”

The horrible voice makes a good run-
ning joke, though the real-life Audrey
Williams had a complex hold on her
husband that is never made clear in the
play. By the time they split up in 1951
after seven years of marriage, Williams
told her prophetically, “I won’t live an-
other year without you.”

By the second act, all levity is lost as
Williams descends into desperate alco-
hol and drug abuse. Hope convincingly
portrays the fading star not just as a
staggering, slurring drunk but a talent at
the edge of sanity. The Alabama native

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

ARTS & THEATRE

Coming Up: For ‘Horrors,’ plant yourself at the Guild

BY SAMANTHA BAITA deliciously creepy sci-fi smash hit It’s A Jungle Out There. 3 The Penny Creek
Staff Writer about a people-eating plant.” “Little Band will bring

Shop of Horrors” runs through Nov. their heart-felt, hard-

1 Who among us can ever forget 26, and it promises to be the kind of driving bluegrass mu-
those immortal words “Feed me, hugely entertaining evening of musi-
sic to the Sebastian

Seymour!” uttered by a potted plant cal comedy theater the Guild has long Inlet this Saturday, as

with a taste for blood? the popular Sebastian

Yep, the rock musical, sci- ‘Little Shop of Horrors.’ Inlet State Park Night
fi, horror comedy “Little
Sounds concert se-

Shop of Horrors” is back in ries continues in one

town, opening on the Vero of the most appeal-

Beach Theatre Guild stage ing outdoor concert

next Thursday, Nov. 9. The venues in the area.

stage play “Little Shop of Penny Creek, says the

Horrors” was originally concert promo, plays

an off-Broadway musi- traditional bluegrass,

cal comedy by composer vintage country, and

Alan Menken and writer fresh, original materi-

Howard Ashman, based al, with “tons of ener-

on a low-budget 1960 film ee, by the Ark Collective of Wildlife gy and excitement, smooth harmonies,

of the same name. It is the Garden Creations in Nairobi, Kenya, heavy rhythm, and dynamic instru-

strange tale of terminally and they are wondrous indeed. You’ll mentation.” The concerts are free with

nerdy orphan Seymour definitely want to have your cellular park entrance fee, and you’ll be able to

Krelborn, who works in in photo mode to capture each of the buy burgers, dogs, snacks and pop. The

Mr. Mushnik’s rundown new denizens of the jungle, peering concerts are held at the pavilions on

florist shop in a rundown out at you from the lush foliage: a lion, Coconut Point, on the south side of Se-

part of town. Seymour not- zebra, hippo, gorilla, giraffe, perhaps bastian Inlet Bridge. Most concerts be-

so-secretly pines for Au- even an elephant or two. As are all gin at 7 p.m. and last a couple of hours.

drey, the sweet, ditsy blond of McKee’s excellent exhibits, “It’s A Toss a couple of folding chairs in the

shop assistant, who has a Jungle Out There” is one for the entire trunk so you can relax and watch the

sadistic dentist boyfriend. family to enjoy again and again, and sun set as the band plays on.

Following a “Total Eclipse it’ll remain through April 29.

of the Sun,” Seymour dis- 4 Intriguing. A choral music concert
celebrating the sounds and songs
covers a strange, spindly

little plant has appeared in of flight, “Wings of Song,” will be pre-

the shop. He names it Audrey II and been known for; one you really, really sented by the Vero Beach Choral Soci-

tries unsuccessfully to nurse it back don’t want to miss. ety this Sunday at Community Church

to health – until he accidentally fig- of Vero Beach. The program will include

ures out what the plant need to sur- 2 Harkening back to the days spirituals and selections from The Sa-
vive. As Seymour dutifully provides when wildlife – mostly mon-
cred Harp, a tunebook (and a tradition

Audrey II with nourishment, it grows, keys – roamed freely in what was then of singing) of sacred choral music that

and grows, and grows – and the plot McKee Jungle Gardens, today’s McK- originated in the American South in the

thickens. Director Mark Wygonik has ee Botanical Garden unveils its new 1800s. Sacred Harp music is performed

assembled a strong cast (mostly all exhibition, “It’s A Jungle Out There,” a capella. Selections will also include

human), led by Guild favorite Ben Ear- starring 24 wonderful replicas of Morten Lauridsen’s “Lux aeterna”, and

man as Seymour, and they’re ready those long-ago animals. The sculp- various contemporary choral works.

to let out all the stops as they “sing, tures have been handcrafted from Penny Creek Band. Tickets are $20. The concert begins at 4

dance and act their way through this recycled metal, specifically for McK- p.m. 



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

INSIGHT COVER STORY

BY MICHELLE BOORSTEIN,
JULIE ZAUZMER AND
SARAH PULLIAM BAILEY
WASHINGTON POST

The Museum of the Bible, a mas- believe that the Bible has only one cor- “The museum has fence posts – limits. them a $3 million fine for trafficking
sive new institution opening later this rect form. And on floor after gleaming It doesn’t overtly say the Bible is good – in thousands of smuggled goods. And
month just south of the Mall in Wash- floor of exhibitions, there is very little that the Bible is true,” said Steve Green, Washington changed, too – from a
ington, DC, is just as notable for what Jesus. the Hobby Lobby chief executive and capital where white evangelical Chris-
it includes – vivid walk-through re-cre- chair of the museum. “That’s not its tians felt they were under attack to one
ations of the ancient world, one of the This isn’t the evangelism that the role. Its role is to present facts and let where the man evangelicals voted for
world’s largest private collections of billionaire Green family first prom- people make their own decisions.” in overwhelming numbers, President
Torahs, a motion ride that sprays wa- ised a decade ago when they set out Trump, is shaking up the halls of power
ter at you, a garden of biblical plants to build a museum dedicated to Scrip- Much has changed in the years since just blocks from the new museum.
– as for what it leaves out. ture. At the time, the museum’s mis- the Greens began building the muse-
sion statement promised to “bring to um. Their company became a byword In this new moment in America,
The $500 million museum, chaired life the living word of God . . . to inspire not just for craft supplies but also for the museum that is set to open Nov.
and largely funded by the conserva- confidence in the absolute authority” a battle in the Supreme Court against 17 has a simpler message for the na-
tive Christian family that owns Hobby of the Bible, the book at the institu- all forms of mandatory contraception tion, a pitch that seems to have more
Lobby, doesn’t say a word about the Bi- tion’s center. coverage for employees. to do with capturing the attention of a
ble’s views on sexuality or contracep- distracted populace than with saving
tion. The museum doesn’t encourage The approach today, while still The family’s lightning-fast acqui- souls. All the museum asks is: Just try
visitors to take the Bible literally or to viewed with skepticism by some sition of troves of historic artifacts reading the Bible.
scholars, appears to be more modest: wound up in federal court, landing

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 39

INSIGHT COVER STORY

The as calendar systems, fashion and lan- riculum that organizers hope will be
guage – most presented without overt used in schools around the world and
museum could judgment on whether that influence a research arm that invites scholars to
quickly become a was good or bad. study Green’s massive collection of ar-
popular draw for tifacts. Admission to the museum will
The point, staff members say, is be free.
evangelical simply to engage an America that is
families losing its connection with the Bible. Mark Noll, one of the country’s
most prominent experts on American
The museum, which will be among “Our goal isn’t to give answers but to Christian history, served as an adviser.
the largest in a city chock-full of mu- arouse curiosity,” said Seth Pollinger, He compared the Museum of the Bible
seums, presents broad, sometimes a biblical scholar who is the director to the Newseum, another huge private
abstract concepts about the Bible, of the 430,000-square-foot museum’s museum.
communicated through cutting-edge content.
technology and immersive experi- “Obviously the museum is there
ences. The nonprofit museum’s projects to make people think better or think
also include a high school Bible cur- kindly about the effects of Scripture in
Children’s arcade games about U.S. history,” he said. “But I did think
“courage.” A sensory room with im- they were trying to be as nonpartisan
ages of animals, minor-key music and as they could.”
creaking boat sounds meant to evoke
the “chaos” on board Noah’s Ark (a Some remain skeptical that the mu-
marked contrast from the Ark Encoun- seum’s viewpoint will be neutral. Ste-
ter recently opened in Kentucky, which ven Friesen, an officer at the Society
presents a life-size literal vision of of Biblical Literature, the largest asso-
Genesis). And many, many examples ciation of biblical scholars, said there
of the Bible’s effect on things as diverse is debate in the academic community
about whether to do research involv-
ing the Greens’ collection. He would
advise fellow scholars to steer clear.

Friesen hasn’t seen the museum,
but he believes from reading the web-
site that its materials subtly promote a
singular version of Scripture; indeed,
the museum mostly omits discussion
about how the Bible was compiled
and which religious traditions believe
which disputed books belong in the
Bible.

Museum staffers say the place for
discussing issues such as sexuality
and abortion, which aren’t mentioned
in the exhibits, might be at events
hosted at the museum; Friesen thinks
those events are meant to draw in in-
fluential people to hear the Greens’
opinions on the culture wars.

“My guess is that they’ve worked
very hard at covering what they would
like to do, trying to hide the agenda
that is behind the museum,” he said,
defining that agenda as the promo-
tion of their deep faith in the literal
truth of the Bible.

The Bible has shaped cultures from
Africa to Asia, Muslim to Mormon.
But the 20-member leadership of the
museum is almost entirely white, male
and evangelical.

Grant Wacker, an expert on Chris-
tian history, said that he declined an
invitation to join the leadership team
because he was asked to sign a state-
ment of faith. Wacker said he considers
himself an evangelical Christian but
that the statement went too far for him.

“It stressed, shall we say, factual ac-
curacy [of the Bible] more than I could
endorse,” he said.

Instead, he agreed to be one of the
many scholars from diverse religious
traditions to weigh in on drafts of some
of the museum displays. The leader-
ship team sought input repeatedly dur-

STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

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42 Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 INSIGHT COVER STORY Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39 and say, ‘That’s not the Bible,’ ” Pollinger
said about the historic paintings in the
ing the three-year construction process both in what is and isn’t there. This mu- museum that depict Mary as a saint.
from experts from Protestant, Catholic, seum doesn’t try to prove the historical
Jewish and secular backgrounds. veracity of the Bible or argue that Earth Jesus is also curiously not central
is about 6,000 years old, as the Creation to the museum’s presentation of the
Pollinger said that originally, the Museum in Kentucky does. biblical story. Visitors walk through a
museum planned to discuss histori- multiroom saga of the Old Testament,
cal evidence that demonstrates proof It devotes a display to theVirgin Mary, and they can visit a re-creation of a 1st-
of the stories in the Bible. Eventually, a biblical figure who evangelicals say century village in Galilee where actors
the team decided to drop that idea; in- has been elevated too highly by Catho- will tell them what the villagers think of
stead, the historical section documents lics. “Some people are going to walk up this controversial preacher Jesus. They
the Bible’s spread across the world, and can watch a movie about John the Bap-
it even shows the Bible’s roots in other tist. But the story of Jesus’ crucifixion
ancient cultures, opening the door to and resurrection is almost absent.
the suggestion that biblical stories pre-
date Judaism and Christianity. The museum opens at a moment of
fierce conflicts about religion – from
When the leaders sought input from Trump’s comments about athletes
African American scholars, they re-
vised their panel on the importance kneeling during the national anthem,
of the biblical Exodus story, spirituals to the battle between conservative
and black churches in fortifying the religious rights and LGBT rights, to a
African American community during host of other sensitive issues. Pollinger
and after slavery. said many advisers to the museum
were motivated by a desire to soothe
With the input of Jewish scholars, the supercharged climate around reli-
they added lines to the script of a film to gion in American public life.
be shown at the museum so it includes
not just Protestant biblical interpreta-
tion but also more context about the
development of the rabbinical Talmud.

The team dodged a host of modern-
day controversial topics by ending its
tapestry that illustrates U.S. history in
1963 with the Rev. Martin Luther King’s
“I Have a Dream” speech (rich in Bible
verses).

Housed in a former design center at
Fourth and D streets SW, the museum
is built to awe from the first moment
visitors pass through two 40-foot, 2.5-
ton bronze doors showing the text of
Genesis 1 – backward, in Latin. The
feeling inside is just as soaring, with
much of the interior made of imported
Jerusalem stone.

The museum could quickly become
a popular draw for evangelical families
– about one-quarter of the U.S. popula-
tion – for whom the Bible is daily reading
in many homes. In a 2014 Pew Research
Center poll, 45 percent of Americans
said they seldom or never read Scrip-
ture, but 63 percent of evangelicals said
they read it at least once a week.

Some conservative evangelicals might
be frustrated with parts of the museum,

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 43

INSIGHT COVER STORY

“Rather than fragment into greater be how well the stated goal of being ple just need to get in the door and wide range of backgrounds,” he said.
hostility, this is a time to find out how nonsectarian can be balanced with see for themselves. “The fact that it is as broad and ecu-
we can work for the good,” Pollinger the history of the museum’s leader-
said. “This is a time to . . . find out how ship. “I know no one person or two or menical and nonsectarian as it is, I
we can learn from difference.” three people are responsible for the think there will be criticism from the
Mark DeMoss, a museum board story of how the Bible is being told religious left and the religious right
The question for the museum and member and prominent evangelical in this museum. It’s the product of – which would mean to me that we
its small army of diverse advisers will public relations executive, said peo- dozens and dozens of people from a probably got it just about right.” 

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

INSIGHT OPINION

Why Vero voters still need to focus on electric sale

BY LISA ZAHNER | STAFF WRITER enue on every asset that will be trans- of Art and Riverside Theatre – which, sale, it would not only be incredibly
ferred out of tax-exempt government when rolled together, pay millions in embarrassing; it could seriously muck
By now, anyone closely following hands and into to FPL’s portfolio. higher electric rates to Vero each year. up the works.
the Vero electric sale saga knows that
the City Council voted 4-1 in favor of What’s more, FPL maintains it will It could be dangerous to every Most of the FMPA votes should take
a $185-million deal that off-loads the offer jobs to Vero’s electric utility em- single Indian River County taxpayer place in November or before boards
city’s entire electric utility to Florida ployees, provided they’re qualified paying the light bill for school class- break for Christmas, with a straggler
Power & Light a year from now . . . if and can pass the company’s back- rooms, auditoriums, gymnasiums, or two in January. If filings and staff
all goes well. ground screening. water treatment plants and govern- analyses happen on schedule, the PSC
ment buildings on the Vero electric should take up the matter of the Vero
For Christmas 2018, Vero’s 34,000 Only Councilman Dick Winger, system. Those taxpayers deserve a sale on Jan. 9. If not, the PSC has no
ratepayers could be getting an FPL ex-mayor and current council candi- holiday gift next year, too. scheduled meeting posted on its cal-
bill with a net rate reduction of as date Jay Kramer, and ex-councilman endar until March 1.
much as 20 percent depending upon and perennial candidate Brian Heady Why the neon caution light?
power consumption. And the city think Vero is getting the equivalent of Because 19 city councils represent- Meanwhile, the Indian River Shores
would have its utility bonds paid an ugly Christmas sweater under the ing Florida Municipal Power Agency Town Council is watching, an extreme-
off, its long-term power contract li- tree from FPL. members need to vote to allow Vero ly interested party on the sidelines.
abilities cancelled, plus $36 million to bow out of its membership in the
in cash left from the sale proceeds to But those three have never shown statewide electric co-op, and the Flor- Encompassed within the FPL con-
pay down debt or to invest. Not a bad much self-control when voicing their ida Public Service Commission must tract packet approved last week by
present. dissent, via tantrums during televised also approve the transaction and the Vero was a 52-page contingency plan
public meetings, and in more-damag- required service territory changes. providing for the “partial sale” of the
According to Vice Mayor Harry ing written protestations. To win those approvals and pull off Shores portion of the electric system
Howle, the FPL contract itself is a huge the full sale by the end of 2018, Vero to FPL for $30 million should the “full
gift to Vero and here’s why: In previous years, the die-hard anti- needs to present a united front that sale” fail to close by January 2019 or
sale folks have at times been exhaust- shows the city and its residents and thereabouts.
It’s actually a $210 million deal ing, misleading, and wildly inaccurate. ratepayers wholeheartedly in favor of
when you figure in the $25 million They’ve engaged in scare tactics about getting out of the electric business and Last week Mayor Brian Barefoot said
FPL agreed to pay to Orlando Utili- property taxes, police protection and wanting to be served by Florida Power that vocal opponents, or the historical-
ties in a side deal to keep Vero out of quality of life. But this holiday sea- & Light. ly problematic Indian River Neighbor-
court and make the city’s bulk power son, if these three and their handful If Winger, Heady and Kramer go on hood Association, working either of-
deal with OUC go away. By purchas- of zealous followers come to the party some Kamikaze mission to derail the ficially or behind the scenes to poison
ing power Vero was obligated to buy, the next few months acting like some- FMPA member cities’ councils, “could
FPL got the city out of its OUC agree- body’s crazy uncle on the sauce, or off create doubt on the part of the rest of
ment with a $20-million exit penalty his meds, it could be downright dan- the FMPA cities and give them an ex-
instead of the $50-million payment gerous. cuse not to support the transaction.”
Orlando had been demanding.
Dangerous not only for the sale but Regardless of Vero’s troubles, the
On top of that, Vero will get a brand- to the local economy – to the home- Shores will be off the Vero system in
new, $8-million substation and the un- buyer banking on lower rates after the 2019 – provided that there isn’t some
told value of a huge riverfront parcel that sale, and to the small business owner major shift of power on the Vero City
can be developed into a park or marina or restaurant manager trying to com- Council as a result of Tuesday’s elec-
resort, greatly benefiting the city. pete with shops on the FPL system. tion. Elections sure do have conse-
quences. Vero ratepayers have learned
Vero will also receive annual revenue To the hospital paying $700,000 more that lesson the hard way in the whip-
from long-term leases on city buildings for electricity each year due to the rate lash they have experienced during the
and property, plus newfound tax rev- disparity and to St. Edward’s School, nearly decade-old Vero electric saga. 
Piper Aircraft, the Vero Beach Museum

MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT 2018 Part III plan’s network. Care is delivered through a health maintenance
organization (HMO) or preferred provider organization (PPO) ap-
Medicare’s annual open enrollment period, which began Oct. proved by Medicare, operated by a health insurance company.
15, continues through Dec. 7. If you are a Medicare beneficiary, Most plans include Part D prescription drug coverage. In addition
or will be turning 65 in 2017, this is the time to make decisions to paying your Part B premium as usual, you may have to pay an
about what type of Medicare coverage, including a prescription extra premium for the plan. Unlike Original Medicare, once you
plan, best meets your individual medical needs. have paid deductibles and copays that add up to specified annual
out-of-pocket limit, the plan pays 100 percent of your medical
Recently we covered Original Medicare which includes Medicare bills for the rest of the year.
Part A and B. In general, Original Medicare Part A covers about
80 percent of approved inpatient costs for the first 60 days of HOW DOES MEDICARE’S PRESCRIPTION
hospitalization. Part B pays for a portion of doctor visits (in the PLAN (PART D) WORK?
hospital and in the outpatient/office settings), some home health
care, medical equipment, outpatient procedures, rehabilitation Medicare’s prescription plan, Part D, is optional. Generally, if you
therapy, laboratory tests, X-rays, mental health services ambu- buy a plan with a higher premium, you will pay less out-of-pocket
lance services and blood. when you actually use the plan. Part D coverage is divided into
three phases: initial coverage that pays until you and Medicare
Last week, we focused on Medigap plans, one form of supple- have spent a specific dollar amount; a “donut hole” phase in
mental coverage otherwise known as Part C. If you select this op- which you pay a larger share of the drug costs up to a certain
tion, you will continue to be covered by Original Medicare, which threshold; and then the catastrophic coverage phase where you
pays its share then automatically forwards the claim to your Me- pay only a small percent of the cost of your drugs for the rest of
digap plan, which pays its portion of the bill. Medigap does not the year.
usually cover prescription drugs.
If you are considering purchasing a Part D plan, go to www.Medi-
This week, we will further explore Medicare Advantage [HMO care.gov and click on “Find health & drug plans.” Type in your zip
and PPO] plans that are also available in Part C, and Part D (Medi- code and list the drugs you take. Depending on where you live, you
care’s prescription plan). might have dozens of plans to choose from, with different premi-
ums, copayments, levels of coverage and lists of covered drugs.
WHAT IS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE (PART C)?
Your comments and suggestions for future topics are always welcome.
Medicare Advantage plans work like managed care plans, i.e., Email us at [email protected].
you must use doctors, hospitals and providers that are part of the
© 2017 VERO BEACH 32963 MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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

INSIGHT BOOK REVIEW

I can imagine only one thing more stars, especially the rather ers’ affinity for gangster movies: “The to sing “Sweet Adeline.” As depicted
pleasurable than reading this book: neglected Joan Blondell: humble upstart who seizes power was by Thomson, it’s a fraught moment.
writing it. “She could sing, she could a very winning fantasy – it matched Already Jack is displaying “all the en-
dance, she could handle a the ascent of people like the Warners, ergy of a natural showoff reluctant to
The fun started, I suspect, when joke.” James Cagney, who who had gained social heights without be subdued by the order and anxiety of
David Thomson thought to take liber- made seven movies with education, class privilege, or old family his family.” Half-a-century later, Jack
ties with Yale’s Jewish Lives series, in Blondell, said he would money, and without abandoning the will stay in character by staging a coup
which “Warner Bros” is the latest en- have married her if he aura of eastern European Jewry.” that leaves him in sole charge of War-
try. Thomson concentrates less on the wasn’t already hitched. ner Bros.
brothers than on the cinematic factory After rating “To Have and Have
they built and ran. The same mind- Thomson calls her Not” “a masterpiece,” Thomson adds There were to be other, better pro-
set might have inspired another series “the one girl who liked this kicker: “While Warner Bros. was jectors; the first talkie; box-office
contributor, Steven Gimbel, to demote Jack Warner,” the young- happy to make very good, entertain- triumphs; best-picture Oscars; and
Albert Einstein and write a biography est brother but also the ing films, it had not the least interest contract disputes, notably with Bette
on the Theory of Relativity. dominant one. When Jack in masterpieces.” He is even fonder Davis and Olivia de Havilland. Besides
screened a 1933 movie of “The Big Sleep,” made a year later those gangster pix, the studio special-
Thomson takes palpable delight called “Convention City,” (1946) by the same director, Howard ized in backstage musicals and gritty
in celebrating the Warners’ stable of he was appalled by how Hawks, collaborating with the same melodramas, recurring to a home-
much of Blondell it bared. sexily bantering leads, Humphrey grown theme that transcended genres:
“I believe in showing [ac- Bogart and Lauren Bacall, to produce an “obsession with sibling rivalry and
tresses’] forms,” he wrote what Thomson calls “114 minutes of pals who become enemies.”
to the film’s producer, splendor.” Speaking of Bogie, Thom-
“but, for Lord’s sake, don’t son puts his finger on one of the fea- Thomson acknowledges that in the
let those bulbs stick out.” tures that make “Casablanca” such a studio’s salad days – the 1930s and ’40s
Blondell herself admitted treat: “Rick likes nearly everyone.” – the Warners’ output was outclassed
that “Convention City” by foreign films such as Jean Renoir’s
was “the raunchiest thing The standard biographical approach “Rules of the Game” and domestic
there ever has been.” Alas, may not be Thomson’s main concern, ones such as “The Shop Around the
“Convention City” is now but he doesn’t neglect it entirely. The Corner” (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), “His
– to borrow a line from an- family name was originally Wonsal or Girl Friday” (Columbia) and “Citizen
other Warners Bros. movie perhaps Wonskolasor, and they hailed Kane” (RKO).
– the stuff that dreams are from a village 50 miles north of War-
made of: Every last copy seems to have saw. The paterfamilias, a shoemaker, But he contends that “you risk mis-
been destroyed or lost, bulbs and all. came ahead to Baltimore in 1888; a understanding America in those same
Then there are the countless exam- year later, he was joined by his wife years if you don’t take into account
ples of Thomson’s insight as filtered and several of their children. The four ‘I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang,’
through his encyclopedic knowledge brothers were Harry, Abe, Sam and ‘Gold Diggers of 1933,’ ‘The Adventures
of cinema. (“Encyclopedic” is no exag- Jack (the only one born in the New of Robin Hood,’ ‘The Letter’ and ‘Casa-
geration. Thomson is the author of the World). There were also several sisters, blanca.’”
strapping “Biographical Dictionary of who stay in soft focus.
Film,” now in its sixth edition and as vi- David Thomson is an immigrant,
tal as ever.) Here he is, recommending The Warners, as they restyled them- too, born in England. You risk misun-
an unusual double bill: “White Heat” selves, were living in Youngstown, derstanding America if you don’t read
(famous for Cagney’s catchphrase Ohio, around 1903 when Sam bought him on the movies. 
“Made it, Ma! Top of the world!”) and a kinetoscope, “a primitive movie
“Psycho,” both centered on a son’s projector, made by Thomas Edison.” WARNER BROS
perverse love for his mom. There he The clan gathered for a showing of The Making of an American Movie Studio
goes summing up the Warner broth- “The Great Train Robbery.” Midway
through, the contraption broke down, By David Thomson
and 11-year-old Jack grabbed the floor Yale University Press. 220 pp. $25

Review by Dennis Drabelle
The Washington Post

COMING ATTRACTIONS! RECOMMENDED CHILDREN’S BOOKS AND VERO BEACH BEST SELLERS

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 47

ON FAITH

Our bird’s-eye view should seek the good in everyone

BY REV. DRS. CASEY AND BOB BAGGOTT The analogy to human beings is too in your midst, finding it nourishes tions. Perhaps we
Columnists obvious to ignore. How we focus our you as nothing else will? need an occasional
attention becomes what we see most challenge to recognize
How many times have you been readily. We may even begin to lose Truth is, we may not be purely one that there is more than
told that the perspective you choose the ability to see beyond our usual fo- or the other sort of bird. But we may one way to view our
to take in life makes a difference, at cus. Perhaps there is far more in our recognize ourselves in their descrip- lives. There is more
least for your sense of satisfaction environment than we have learned than one perspective
and your happiness? We’ve all heard to acknowledge and appreciate. If so, to take in nearly any
that assertion so many times that then how we choose to direct our at- circumstance. And
perhaps we’ve begun to disregard or tention helps to determine who we the perspective we
doubt it. If you are one who is skepti- will become. choose will have pro-
cal about the importance of perspec- found and lasting im-
tive and how you see the world, then So who are you? Are you vulture- pact upon us.
consider this … like in being able to quickly spot the
struggling, agonized and troubled Maybe that is why
Dr. Eli Borden notes that two birds people and places in life? Have you Jesus encouraged his
which fly over the same territories in come to expect nothing else but disciples to “consider
the United States are the vulture and more worry and woe? Have you come the lilies.” Most of us
the hummingbird. But though they to think such misery is simply the could benefit from
are neighbors, these birds have near- way of the world, and have you found spending less time
ly opposite ways of focusing their at- ways to live with all the misfortune focusing on what is
tention. The vulture cruises the skies and ask for nothing more? Or are you passing away, and
looking for dead or dying animals, a hummingbird? Do you mostly no- more time enjoying
while the hummingbird scans its tice the good around you and seek the display of good-
environment for lovely and fragrant out the sweetness and pleasantness ness springing forth
flowers. One has trained itself to see in our midst all the time.
and to benefit from carnage. The So if you had to name which bird
other has evolved to seek out deli- best typified your way of viewing the
cate, blossoming new life and savor world, what would it be? How would
it. Amazingly enough, both birds are you describe your bird’s-eye view? 
able to find what they are looking for
in the very same place.

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

PETS

Bonzo says Sandy, from Far East, is far out!

“No worries, Miss Sandy. My writ- da have operation. Still get drops in “Hurrycane. Branches are crisp an
my eyes each day, an now I see much fun for crunching, I find. I’m still very
ing’s pretty slow, too.” more better. Lizards are funny looking. much jumpy. Also barky. I barking at
Hi Dog Buddies! “I think I first must explaining a I never know that before. bicycles, cars, humans, ’specially the
big something different from here, in human who brings bits of paper Harry
Korea. It is, as humans here calling – “When first arrive, I not do well in calls ‘mail’; also the dishwasher an the
shelter, so put in foster home with very scary, loud thing that makes cool.
You probly remember, back a few cultural.” nice human lady. Meanwhile, my For-
months ago, when a buncha pooches I was all ears. ever O-mo-nee ...” “I’m learning to call O-mo-nee an
got rescued from South Kor-EE-uh, “Here many humans eat cow, chig- Ah-bo-jee Mommy an Daddy, like Har-
which is wa-ay around on The Other “That’s Korean for ‘Mom,’” Harry ry doing. They teaching to me about
Side, and got brought to the Humane gan, pig. Is not bad thing. So, in Korea, said. good behavior, how to sit calm an still
Society. many humans eat dog. Is called Gae- for my eye-drops – and giving me treats
gogi. Is not bad thing there. But bad for “She volunteer at Humane Society,” for eating when I remember what they
This week I interviewed one of ’em, dog, of course.” Sandy explained. “She an my Ah-bo- teaching to me. Harry calls treats Posi-
Sandy Brost, whose story gave me the jee …” tive Re-enforcement an calls O-mo-
Utter Willies at first, but, Thank Lassie, “Woof,” I gulped. “That is Dismal nee an Ah-bo-jee ‘Treatmasters.’”
it has a happy ending. Sandy’s a pretty Dog Biscuits.” “Dad,” said Harry.
“They came see me. I could tell they “I learning most from Harry. We
“Now, with help from Innernational good. I go right up to them, got all run in back yard together for playing.
comftubble an happy for first time. When I sleepy, I wanting snuggle very
yellowy-creamy color, So they keep me. I didn’t know about closely to him an he lets me. He is good
playing, or chasing lizards, or what a big brother.
nice pink sniffer, looks toy is, or tummy rubs. Harry says I was
jumpy.” “Did you know, Mr. Bonz, that when
sorta like a Lab, ’spe- “She was REAL jumpy,” Harry con- Harry coming to Cali-FOR-nya from
firmed. “But we got stuff figured out TaiWAN, he was needing to have Im-
cially in the face, but between us pretty quick. I taught her migration Papers? An they were ALL in
how to be a member-of-the-family Chinese. He have them still. He show-
smaller body. She lives pooch. How to play an do Dog Stuff. ing them to me once.”
And that nobody’s gonna take her food
with her new pooch or toys away. And to NOTchew chairs.” “That is Super Cool Kibbles!” I said to
“I not ever see toy before. Now have Harry.
big brother, Harry; two my own basket full. They make liddle
sounds Harry calls ‘squeaks.’ Also, Heading home, I was thinking about
cats, Bella an Bently; since my eyes now work good, I dis- Sandy an her happily blended Forever
cover whole new world full of lizards!” Family. An about how many differ-
an her new Mom an “She does great in the car, too,” Harry ent combinations of Happily Blended
said with pride. “When that hurrycane, Families there are. An how lucky we
Dad, Kelley an Greg. Irma, was comin’, we drove all the way are to know that, when we get home,
up to South Carolina in our Ultima. there’ll always be a nice bowl of kib-
Sandy an Harry were The humans there were very pet frenly. bles, an a fluffy bed – an a tummy rub.
We stayed in a nice motel, then drove
both barkin’ when all the way home, and we both did The Bonz
great, the whole way. We didn’t whine
me an my assistant or toss our dog biscuits an we always Don’t Be Shy
waited for Pit Stops to Do Our Doodie.”
knocked, but, since Sandy Brost “An,” said Sandy, also sounding We are always looking for pets
proud, “I helping pick up branches all with interesting stories.
Sandy was still kinda over the yard from that, that – I forgot
…” To set up an interview, email
nervous an figurin’ “Hurrycane,” said Harry. [email protected].

stuff out, Harry did the

intros. He’s a rescue,

too, about the same PHOTO GORDON RADFORD
size as Sandy, only

with dark fur. An he’s Humane Society humans,” Sandy con-
from TaiWAN, which is also around on tinued, “many in Korea try to change
The Other Side. (The cats were Else- law so no more dog for lunch. But also
where, as cats often are, in my experi- must find new job for humans who
ence.) work in dog farms. Happy news for me
and friends in dog farm – we get rescue
“I’m pleased to make your acquain- an bring to here. So we getting ready to
tance, Miss Sandy,” I said politely. “I’d be pets, not lunch.”
like to hear all about you, whatever
you’d like to share, an I’ll just write it “How’re things going for you so far,
down right here in my notebook, OK?” Miss Sandy?”

Sandy smiled timidly. “Man-na-seo “We were not in so good shape. Much
ban-ga-wo-yo. Is nize to meeting you. skinny. I had CAT-uh-racks, also. Had-
My Eng-leash is slow.”

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 2, 2017 49

INSIGHT GAMES & CO.

TEXTBOOK DEFENSE FOR ALL PLAYERS NORTH
Q 10 4
Eli Broad, the only person to build two Fortune 500 companies in different industries WEST 10 7 6 2 EAST
(KB Home and SunAmerica), said, “How absurd that our students tuck their cellphones, J962 A J 10 8 2 A75
BlackBerrys, iPads and iPods into their backpacks when they enter a classroom and pull 94 A Q83
out a tattered textbook.” Do you agree? 3 KQ75
J 10 7 6 4 3 SOUTH 982
The result in this week’s deal rested primarily on South’s play at trick one. This K83
depended on his reading of West’s diamond-three opening lead. Was that a singleton AKJ5
or low from length with an honor in the suit? 964
KQ5
Suppose declarer judges it to be from length and plays low from the board. How should
the defenders continue from there? Dealer: South; Vulnerable: North-South

North might have raised one no-trump to three no-trump in the hope that his club ace The Bidding:
would help shore up that suit. Here, that would have worked well. But using Stayman
could hardly be called an error. SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
1 NT Pass 2 Clubs Pass
After East takes the first trick, he should return the diamond seven (or, even better, 2 Hearts Pass 4 Hearts All Pass LEAD:
his other honor!), a suit-preference signal telling partner that he has an entry card in 3 Diamonds
spades. West will ruff, shift to a spade and receive a second ruff to defeat the contract.

With this layout, if South wins the first trick with dummy’s diamond ace, he then has to
guess the trump suit as well. The normal play would be: heart to the ace, club to the
ace, heart to the jack. Here, as you can see, that works swimmingly.

What about Broad’s comment? In some ways, I agree, but children should not be
allowed to use calculators to do math.

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

INSIGHT GAMES & CO.

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (OCTOBER 26) ON PAGE 70

ACROSS DOWN
1 Interview (7) 1 Willpower (13)
5 Tubes (5) 2 Existence (5)
8 Set of three (5) 3 Within a building (7)
9 River in South America (7) 4 Blender (4,9)
10 Gather (7) 5 Cost (5)
11 Occasion (5) 6 Saying or adage (7)
12 Thoughtless (13) 7 Impatient (5-8)
15 Paperwork (informal) (5) 13 Deletion (7)
17 Wrap (7) 14 A few (7)
19 Creates (7) 16 Silky fabric (5)
20 Happen again (5) 18 Lawful (5)
21 Synthetic fibre (5)
22 Akin (7)

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