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Published by Vero Beach 32963 Media, 2021-05-06 15:48:53

05/06/2021 ISSUE 18

VB32963_ISSUE18_050621_OPT

Vero weighs phasing-in
stormwater tax. P9
COVID-19 cases

again down here. P14
Seagrass making strong
comeback at Sebastian Inlet. P10

For breaking news visit

MY VERO Perkins murder
trial set to be first
BY RAY MCNULTY since pandemic

Tragic St. Ed’s drowning
leaves tough questions

There are always questions After career, a time for philanthropy–and time for mom BY LISA ZAHNER
at times like this, when a young
life filled with so much promise BY MICHELLE GENZ ing floor at Salomon Broth- After serving as presi- Staff Writer
is cruelly taken in a tragic acci- Staff Writer ers and went on to become dent of the John’s Island
dent no one saw coming. George Soros’ chief operating Community Service League The case of a six-year-old
For the past decade, Hope officer, has re-directed her from 2018 to 2020, Wood- murder at a South Beach
The first question is: Why? Woodhouse, a longtime Wall skills toward philanthropy. house now chairs its strate- home on Seagrape Drive in
Why did Bidensky “BT” Ter- Street executive who got her gic grants committee – and the Oceanside community is
midor’s celebratory leap into start on the mostly male trad- This time, the neediest are expected to be the first capi-
the lagoon off an on-campus reaping the rewards. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 tal crime tried by a jury in In-
dock – a last-day-of-class rite of dian River County since the
passage for St. Edward’s School pandemic lockdown closed
seniors for nearly 15 years – courts in March 2020.
need to end in such horror?
Why did such a wonderful Asbury Lee Perkins will be
moment have to go so dread- representing himself on first-
fully wrong for a beloved, degree murder charges for
18-year-old student-athlete the November 2015 shooting
who was about to graduate death of his business partner
with honors, and continue his and estranged wife of nearly
education at the University of 25 years, Cynthia Betts, when
North Florida on an academic the case likely goes to trial this
scholarship? summer before Circuit Court
Why didn’t he jump in, Judge Dan Vaughn, who inher-
make the traditional splash ited the case from Judge Cyn-
and quickly return to the sur- thia Cox when judicial assign-
face along with his 50-plus ments shifted in January 2019.
classmates?
There is no good answer. When asked about the tim-
Certainly, there’s no answer ing, as more than a dozen de-
that offers any real solace in positions were recently sched-
uled indicating that things are
now moving along on the case,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

A1A road-widening project ‘not over,’ but Riverfront restaurant, bar and marina for sale – but which one?
those orange barricades are finally gone
BY RAY MCNULTY and marina in an “unbeatable last weekend the seller has al-
BY RAY MCNULTY Causeway were removed last Staff Writer location.” lowed him to identify the prop-
Staff Writer week, but the Florida Depart- erty only to a qualified buyer
ment of Transportation’s $6.7 Somewhere in this county – Nobody, though, will say who provides a personal finan-
The orange barricades that million road-widening project along the banks of the Indian which waterfront establish- cial statement and signs a non-
have lined long stretches of isn’t done yet. River Lagoon – someone is sell- ment is for sale. disclosure agreement.
A1A from just north of Vero ing what an online listing de-
Beach city line to the Wabasso “No, it’s not over,” FDOT proj- scribes as a “well-established Not even the broker. “It is highly confidential,” he
and profitable” restaurant, bar Sebastian-based Justin Lefe- said of the listing, which can
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 bure of Transworld Business
Brokers of Central Florida said CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

May 6, 2021 Volume 14, Issue 18 Newsstand Price $1.00 Kids learn cool stuff
at Indian River
News 1-14 Editorial 36 People 15-30 TO ADVERTISE CALL STEAM Fest. P22
Arts 45-50 Games 39-43 Pets 68 772-559-4187
Books 38 Health 51-59 Real Estate 71-80
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CALL 772-226-7925

© 2021 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Hope Woodhouse in getting a Detroit PBS station to air
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the city’s first Black-produced, Black-
hosted TV show following the Detroit
the volunteer league, operating for 41 riots in 1967.
years out of one of the island’s most af-
fluent communities, has become one Both Hope’s mother and grand-
of the largest generators of donor dol- mother were outspoken progressives,
lars in the county. and major influences on Hope grow-
ing up. They poured themselves into
While the membership of more than nonprofit work, largely because ca-
1,000 John’s Island residents includes reers for women at the time were lim-
several hundred men, new members ited at best, frowned upon at worst.
increasingly are women like Wood- “They made their careers in public
house, retiring from high-intensity service,” said Hope.
careers, now able to apply their lead-
ership and strategy skills to local phi- But the family always told Hope that
lanthropy. she would get a job on Wall Street. No
one expected her to one day apply her
In the past year, the league raised a vast experience with hedge funds to
record $1.5 million, and gave it away raising funds for charity.
to scrupulously selected causes ben-
efiting the county’s women, children “I didn’t see it at all,” said Joan
and families. Woodhouse of her daughter’s change
of focus. “It came all of a sudden. I’m
For Woodhouse, her turn from Wall not surprised she’s done a good job,
Street to philanthropy would seem but I’m surprised she got caught up in
natural, given the long line of power- the nonprofit world the way she has.
ful women volunteers in her family. She was so active in her own career
Her grandmother, Katherine Neuber- that I thought, if it comes, it’ll come,
ger, a Barnard graduate, championed but don’t count on it. People can’t do
causes like equality and prison reform everything.”
and chaired New Jersey’s Board of
Higher Education for 12 years. These days, for many women, the
“everything” is coming sequentially:
“She was a tremendous role model,” family, career, and then philanthropy.
said Hope of her grandmother. “All When the third phase lands post-ca-
of my friends loved her because she reer powerhouses in Vero, the entire
was highly unusual, very progressive, community benefits.
a very strong woman and pro-choice.
She cared about education more than “It used to be when the man retired,
anything else. I was the oldest grand- a couple moved to John’s Island,” said
child and she played us off against Hope. “Now it’s when the man and
each other to see who could get the woman retire.” Those women leaving
highest SAT and that sort of thing. high-powered careers are changing
the social landscape at not only John’s
“My grandmother would have been Island but at Windsor and other com-
a businesswoman or a judge if she’d munities, residents say. Their drive, re-
been allowed to,” said Woodhouse. “It directed toward philanthropy, comes
wasn’t socially acceptable to do that with years of leadership experience
in the early 1900s. But for her to be a and is turbo-charging Vero’s already
board member and CEO and chair of legendary giving.
various nonprofits was acceptable. So
that’s what she did.” Hope Woodhouse reels off name af-
ter name of women who have retired
Katherine’s daughter, Joan – Hope’s here from Wall Street and elsewhere,
mother – attended the academically all volunteering for nonprofit causes,
elite all-girls Brearley School on Man- and all worthy of coverage, she noted,
hattan’s Upper East Side. From there, hoping to deflect attention from her-
she went to Sarah Lawrence, major- self.
ing in political science. One spring
break, she went to Bermuda and fell But her peers in philanthropy are
in love with a Yale man vacationing vocal in their praise of Woodhouse;
from Grosse Pointe – Henry Macau- last May, when Woodhouse had just
ley Woodhouse. Hope was the oldest wrapped up her final year as league
of the couple’s three children, and the president, dozens wrote letters to a lo-
only one to follow her parents to John’s cal magazine urging her to be named a
Island. Mac Woodhouse passed away “hometown hero.”
last November.
Among the mentions: Hope’s fast
Joan Woodhouse, who has lived in action when the COVID-19 pandemic
John’s Island for 30 years, is perhaps struck. Convening a service league
best-known in Vero for raising money meeting by Zoom, Hope garnered a
to build a pool at the Gifford Youth unanimous vote to give $50,000 of
Achievement Center. She was an early league money to the county’s United
advocate for reproductive rights, join- Way COVID response fund. In the
ing Planned Parenthood soon after her weeks that followed, she pulled to-
marriage in 1953. She was active in the gether a challenge grant that quickly
Junior League, and was instrumental raised $400,000 for the response fund.

The John’s Island group also fund-
ed a position with Florida Rural Legal

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 3

NEWS

Services for a locally based attorney to good, well-researched philanthropy. who would become her next mentor give four dollars. It really encouraged
help those facing eviction or foreclo- “Because of who he was, we got ac- in philanthropy: George Soros. me to give my own money.
sure during COVID.
cess to so many speakers and orga- Soros encouraged Woodhouse, chief “Julian ignited my interest in phi-
In all, 40 local agencies or programs nizations. Essentially we were giving operating officer of Soros Fund Man- lanthropy and taught me what good
are helped by the John’s Island group’s away probably $20 million a year out agement, and other top executives to philanthropy is. George Soros, because
fundraising, running the gamut of need of the foundation and he taught us step up their own giving with a three- of his generosity, made it so I could do
from homelessness to mental health how to do it right. This was all volun- to-one matching gift program – a meaningful philanthropy. I never could
services to afterschool programs. Do- teer, but it was so fascinating.” match that was “unheard of, and with have done that with what I was making.”
nations also go toward scholarships a very high cap,” Woodhouse said. “In-
for John’s Island employees and their With the Tiger Fund closed, Wood- stead of one dollar in my name, I could Her last mentor was Ray Dalio, found-
families. house moved on to work for the man
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Woodhouse made strides for wom-
en just by her choice of career.

With a degree in economics from
Georgetown University and an MBA
from Harvard, she got a job on the
trading floor of Salomon Brothers
– one of only a few dozen women in
a room that held 400 traders. At the
same time, she started a family, mar-
rying Richard Canty, an executive at
Chase Manhattan, and raising two
daughters.

“I couldn’t have worked how I worked
without him,” said Woodhouse. “His
job was very important, he was a very
senior guy at Chase, but he always sup-
ported my career.”

During her years at Salomon Broth-
ers, Woodhouse had little time for phi-
lanthropy.

“I was working 80 hours a week and
raising two kids,” she recalled.

Woodhouse credits three post-Sa-
lomon employers with opening her
eyes to the complexities of nonprofit
fundraising and distribution. The first
was Julian Robertson, the billionaire
hedge fund operator, whose compa-
ny, Tiger Management, Woodhouse
joined as treasurer of funds in 1998 af-
ter 15 years at Salomon Brothers.

At the time, Robertson was “the
most famous hedge fund operator in
the world and extremely philanthrop-
ic,” Woodhouse said.

Robertson found a unique way to
occupy his senior partners’ spare time
while furthering his mission.

“He allowed us to be trustees of
a foundation and he left us alone,”
Woodhouse said.

The foundation’s goal was to break
the cycle of poverty in New York City.
To that end, it had essentially three
areas of focus – education, jobs and
social services.

Woodhouse took on education.
“We ended up funding all these
charter school start-ups – KIPP Acad-
emy, Uncommon Schools, Achieve-
ment First. We were really experts
in the New York City charter school
movement. Through allowing me to
volunteer in what I thought was really
cool at that time, I learned. I was just
drinking from a fire hose.”
Woodhouse has continued with the
Tiger Foundation even after Robert-
son closed his fund in the early 2000s.
“I’ve served on that committee for 20
years, and I’m still liaison to all this

4 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Hope Woodhouse Bridgewater, and went straight into The attention has not gone unno- State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl said
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 the program, which involved taking 10 ticed. on Friday that non-capital criminal
classes across all disciplines aimed at trials, which only require six-person
er of Bridgewater Associates, the larg- helping enrollees “solve society’s most “I don’t know what I would do with- juries, have been going forward as
est hedge fund in the world. “He wasn’t pressing challenges.” out my kids,” she said. “They have just Judge Vaughn works diligently to push
focused on philanthropy; he was fo- been amazing and I am so thankful and through the backlog of cases on his
cused on meaningful work and mean- One particular course, on early grateful. I don’t know if they realize how docket. Since these cases are lesser
ingful relationships.” childhood development, made a big much I appreciate what they’re do- known and don’t get much press at-
impact. “I’m not necessarily a person tention, smaller jury pools can suffice
Together, the three financial legends who likes little kids, but I liked the idea ing,” Joan Woodhouse said.  to get a qualified jury seated. Jurors
helped Woodhouse find meaning in of how the brain is wired and could be are socially distanced in the jury box,
her post-career existence. changed in the first three or four years Murder trial and masks are required everywhere in
of life, and that that could be affected the courthouse.
“You’re going through a mental evo- by racial disparities in health and af- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
lution in your life,” said Woodhouse. fect college access and success.” Bakkedahl said it’s unclear what
“Those people were all catalysts to Assistant State Attorney Chris Taylor rules might be in place by late sum-
move from my working world into my Moving to Vero in 2010, Woodhouse said “maybe July, August. It has not mer when Perkins’ case might be ripe
non-working world.” signed on to Indian River County’s been set yet but we’re working hard to for trial, as it depends a great deal
Child Services Advisory Committee, a get things done to have it ready to go.” upon what trajectory the pandemic
There was one final step in her group established by ordinance that ad- takes in the meantime. Right now, he
preparation. With her husband getting vises the county commission on child- The status of Perkins’ legal repre- said, lawyers are leery about embark-
situated at John’s Island, Woodhouse related expenditures. Woodhouse still sentation has delayed the case, apart ing on capital trials with a person’s life
signed up for a year-long leadership chairs the children’s needs assessment from the pandemic, as Perkins has potentially at stake.
program at Harvard. that guides the grant-making process dismissed several court-appointed at-
through its data. torneys working for and with him to “Everybody must wear a mask, that
Woodhouse heard about the new pro- prepare his defense. means the judge, the attorneys, the
gram at a Harvard Business School re- Four years later, she joined the board witnesses and the jurors,” Bakkedahl
union – she and Canty are both graduates. of the Kindergarten Readiness Collab- Perkins is not an attorney, but pre- said. “Some attorneys feel that makes
orative and served through 2020. sumably is of above-average intel- jury selection difficult because you
“Its goal was to take people who’d ligence as he owned and ran a high- cannot see the person’s facial expres-
been leaders in the business world Today, there is another aspect of giv- ly technical electronics company sions.”
and make them leaders in philanthro- ing in Hope’s life, though she may not catering to military clients for nearly
py,” she recalled. “I did a lot of soul- acknowledge the effort. The mother 20 years. Having the defendant and It also makes it tougher for pros-
searching and I felt that it was time Hope calls “awesome” and “incred- the defense counsel being one and the ecutors and defense attorneys to
for me to flip to this ‘phase three.’ It all ible” may be the cause closest to her same will make this trial very different gauge the credibility of a witness on
mentally came together for me that I heart these days, as Joan Woodhouse even if COVID-19 was not a factor in the stand, or to establish a rapport
wanted to make this change.” deals with the loss of her husband court procedures. with the jury, not to mention the chal-
amid challenging times.
She gave a long notice to Dalio at

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 5

NEWS

lenges it poses to the hearing impaired can be tough to get enough potential imum of 70 jurors. With social distanc- lection process, it could take several
who rely on the reading of lips and jurors to seat a 12-person panel plus ing, only 20 can be in the courtroom days to seat a jury. Bakkedahl said the
facial expressions to decode everyday alternates. For high-profile criminal at a time. That means going through issue of whether someone is vaccinat-
conversations. trials in the past, the court has called all of the instructions and questioning ed or not has not been part of the jury
upwards of 200 jurors to find a dozen four times,” Bakkedahl said. selection process, but that people who
Even if all the parties agree to pro- people without bias. are genuinely concerned about the vi-
ceed with a capital case under CO- Coupled with a pro se defendant
VID-19 restrictions, Bakkedahl said it “For this type of trial we’d call a min- who is not experienced in the jury se- rus can be excused. 

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6 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero Given the litigious nature of Ameri- ments will be used during the agency’s “Everyone is devastated,” said one
ca today, however, the lagoon leaps no investigation, along with any cellphone parent who attended Monday’s ser-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 longer can be done with the school’s videos of the incident. An autopsy was vice but requested anonymity. “There
blessing. to be conducted. were tears everywhere you looked.
the wake of Termidor’s drowning on Nobody who was there wants to talk
Friday afternoon, after St. Edward’s It doesn’t matter that Termidor’s St. Edward’s, meanwhile, was com- about it.”
seniors completed their “senior walk” drowning in 6 to 10 feet of water municating only through news re-
along the school’s outdoor halls and was the first since the tradition was leases and emails to members of the Not publicly.
ran to the dock. launched, or that it appears to have school’s community, which was asked Not specifically.
been a freak accident. to “refrain from sharing any cell- Not about what happened on the
Some may say it was “God’s will,” phone footage” from the incident “out dock and in the water after Termidor
but even people of faith struggle when But that also raises the question: of respect for the family.” jumped and sank without anyone no-
trying to make sense of the death of How could it have happened? ticing until it was too late.
someone so young, with such a bright So we wait for the Sheriff’s detec-
future ahead. How did Termidor, who jumped off tives to file their report. But at least
the dock with dozens of other seniors, one of our questions can’t be an-
Others, of course, will be more prag- stay submerged for 4 to 6 minutes be- swered by any investigation.
matic and ask: Why did St. Edward’s fore a classmate noticed that he was
embrace such a tradition, knowing missing and went down to get him? Why? 
there was the possibility someone could
drown? How was a standout, two-sport ath- A1A road-widening
lete not able to fight his way to the sur- CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
That question is likely to be asked, face, where he could’ve yelled for help?
in writing and in the not-too-distant ect spokeswoman Kathleen Dempsey
future, by a lawyer. Speculation was rampant last week- said Monday. “We’re one step closer to
end, when members of the St. Ed- completion, which is still scheduled
You can be sure that the question ward’s community grappled with the for this summer, but we’ve still got
already has been asked and answered loss, wondering if Termidor was un- work to do there.
in the minds of the school’s board of intentionally knocked unconscious
trustees. while under water. “It’s still an active construction proj-
ect.”
This once-fun, previously harmless Did another jumper, who didn’t
tradition cannot be allowed to continue. see Termidor under the surface, ac- Dempsey said the barricades were
cidentally jump on top of him, pos- removed because the repaving of that
That doesn’t mean future seniors sibly knocking the wind out of him section of the island highway is com-
won’t jump off the dock. They’ll simply and driving him deeper toward the la- plete and they’re no longer needed to
do it when no one is watching – be- goon’s murky bottom? redirect the flow of traffic, which has
cause, well, that’s what 17- and 18-year- been “shifted back to normal.”
olds do. Remember: Students began Did Termidor know how to swim?
this tradition spontaneously. Sheriff’s deputies interviewed wit- The remaining work includes install-
nesses on the scene, and those state- ing “thermo-plastic striping” along the
roadway and other punch-list items, as
Bidensky Termidor. PHOTO BY KAILA JONES well as improvements at the intersec-
tion of A1A and the causeway, where
The school canceled middle and up- some barricades still remain.
per school classes Monday, and held a
memorial service Monday morning on The removal of the barricades from
campus. the construction zone brings an end
to the daily frustration felt by island
The boys lacrosse team, which post- residents who endured bumper-to-
poned Friday night’s state playoff game bumper backups during the daytime
against Lake Highlands Prep in Orlan- hours throughout the Vero Beach ar-
do, rescheduled the regional final for ea’s busy season.
Tuesday night, when players wore “BT”
stickers on their helmets. Too often during the project, which
began in June, motorists mired in A1A
In an email to his players, St. Ed- traffic saw no tangible progress being
ward’s lacrosse coach Doug Bailey made, prompting flurries of phone
wrote that the stickers were a symbol calls to Vero Beach 32963, local gov-
that the team would “dedicate the rest ernment officials and FDOT.
of our playoff run to BT, his ear-to-ear
smile and his life.” In early April, in fact, island residents
were complaining that they hadn’t seen
Sources familiar with the incident said any significant work done – for any ex-
senior lacrosse player Ryan Barnett re- tended period, anyway – since before
turned to the lagoon and pulled Termi- Christmas.
dor from the water. Bystanders immedi-
ately began CPR in an attempt to revive FDOT offered several explanations.
him, continuing until a county Fire Res- First, Dempsey cited “FDOT specifi-
cue crew showed up minutes later. cations,” which she said prohibit work
being done from Dec. 24 through Jan.
Termidor was taken to Cleveland 2 “to avoid impacting traffic flow dur-
Clinic Indian River Hospital, where he ing the holidays.”
was pronounced dead. Then, in January, work was inter-
rupted by what Dempsey described as
“asphalt plant issues” that delayed the
delivery of material needed to pave
the roadway.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8



8 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

A1A road-widening February nights when local tempera- Restaurant for sale also offer lodging – Capt. Hiram’s has
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 tures dipped into the 40s and 30s. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 two hotels and Capt’n Butcher’s has on-
premises studio apartments and town-
In early February, Dempsey said work In late March, Dempsey said work be found on the bizbuysell.com and houses – and there’s no mention of any
had resumed two weeks earlier, but it had been suspended for three weeks businessbroker.net websites. such accommodations in the listing.
was being done at night – between 8 because the site was being surveyed
p.m. and 6 a.m., Sunday through Thurs- before crews would embark on the The listing does offer some hints, Moreover, the listing makes no ref-
day – to minimize the project’s impact next phase of the pavement operation. however: erence to Capt. Hiram’s wildly popu-
on the island’s busy-season traffic flow. lar, outdoor sandbar.
Paving resumed in early April, and  The asking price is $4.5 mil-
However, island residents who con- FDOT officials continue to say the Two well-placed sources familiar with
tacted this newspaper said they saw project, which includes the construc- lion and includes real estate valued the establishment said it’s “highly unlike-
little or no night work being done. tion of 7-foot-wide bicycle lanes on at $2.8 million, $60,000 in inventory ly” owner Will Collins was looking to sell.
both sides of a 6.74-mile stretch of and $50,000 in furniture, fixtures and Even if he were, the business and prop-
The reason, perhaps, was because A1A, is progressing ahead of schedule. equipment. erty on which it sits would seem worth
work had been halted by rain and cold more than $4.5 million in today’s market.
weather, particularly the January and “We’re still scheduled for a summer  The business, which was estab-
2021 completion,” Dempsey said, “but Likewise, a manager at Capt’n
lished in 1988 and takes in more than Butcher’s said she was unaware of any
it might be sooner.”  $1.9 million in gross revenue annually plans the ownership might have to sell
with a cash flow of nearly $291,000, “re- the business, adding, “I’m pretty sure
ally caught traction and received the at- I’d know about it if there were.”
tention it deserved in the last decade.”
Both George Hart, owner of the
 The establishment is a “hot spot Mulligan’s Beach House chain, and a
corporate spokesperson for the three
where locals, visitors and tourists can Squid Lips locations said their Sebas-
mingle while enjoying breath-taking tian-area restaurants weren’t for sale.
views of the river” and “live music
complements the great food, drinks Although the Tiki Bar & Grill seems to
and friends” the place is “known for.” fit the description in the listing, a man-
ager there said Sunday he knew of no
The listing also states the property is plans to sell the place. However, mes-
“accessible by land or sea” and offers sages left on the mobile phones of two of
“plenty of room to expand,” and the the establishment’s owners, Chris Pin-
business has 30 employees – four man- son and Dawn Biehl, went unreturned.
agers, three full-timers and 23 part-
time workers. It was in August 2011 that Pinson
and Biehl teamed with another friend,
Could it be the Riverside Café? John Campbell, to purchase the 2
The listing claims there’s “not really ½-acre property and business, previ-
any competition in the area for the ously known as Suzy’s Tiki.
style and setup of this unique proper-
ty,” which is true of Riverside’s lagoon- Over the past decade, they’ve turned
front location in Vero Beach. their investment into a thriving busi-
Reached via Facebook Messenger, ness that competes with the other es-
however, owner David Lane responded tablishments on the Sebastian-area’s
that it wasn’t his listing and his business riverfront – just as the listing says.
is “not for sale.” Also, the bizbuysell.com
website lists the property under “Indian Perhaps it’s also mere coincidence
River County,” not “Vero Beach.” that the photograph attached to the list-
That leaves the Sebastian-area, where ing has a tiki torch in the foreground.
several dining-and-cocktails establish-
ments operate along the riverfront. Five No one is saying.
of them are equipped with adjoining So the name of the “bar, grill and ma-
marinas, or at least boat docks: Capt. rina” in the listing remains a mystery as
Hiram’s Resort, Capt’n Butcher’s Sea- the buzz in the community about the
food Grill & Bar, Tiki Bar & Grill, Mul- potential sale of a popular, waterfront
ligan’s Beach House Bar & Grill, and establishment grows louder.
Squid Lips Overwater Bar & Grill. As the listing states: “The possibili-
Two of those establishments, though, ties are endless with this property and

business.” 

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 9

NEWS

Vero weighs phasing-in proposed stormwater tax

BY LISA ZAHNER and paved surfaces – the area on their the stormwater utility, citing faith as a inadequate stormwater system, plus a
property that does not permit rainwa- reason to care for God’s creation, which sentence saying the church “is willing
Staff Writer ter to soak into the ground – and be- includes the Indian River Lagoon. to pay a prorated share based upon the
cause government bodies, nonprofits percentage of impervious surface dis-
After experiencing sticker shock at and churches pay their share. The letters, obtained in response to charging into the stormwater system.”
the financial burden its proposed new a public records request, appear to be
stormwater tax would place on Vero The city’s churches seem divided on part of a campaign to drum up support Pastor Bruce Jones of Christ by the
Beach’s businesses, churches, non- implementing the stormwater tax this for the stormwater utility as both let- Sea United Methodist Church on A1A
profits and residents, the City Council year. The Community Church of Vero ters included four sentences of nearly said he agrees that protecting the la-
is considering a phased-in approach. Beach and the Unitarian Universalist identical language about the Indian goon is important. “I get that, but
Fellowship of Vero Beach both sent let- River Lagoon’s health, its impact on the we’re coming off a terrible year finan-
Newly appointed Councilman Dick ters to the City of Vero Beach in favor of economy, and the city’s 50-year-old,
Winger proposed the compromise af- CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
ter he saw support for more than $1.1
million in new taxes wavering.

Under the plan put forth by consul-
tants last week, the owner of the av-
erage 2,500-square-foot home would
pay $80 in stormwater taxes in the
fall, but businesses and other non-
residential properties would shoulder
two thirds of the tab. The city’s largest
commercial and government proper-
ties would see tax bills running into
the tens of thousands per year.

Councilman Bob McCabe, previously
a stalwart “yes” vote for the stormwater
tax, began to balk once he saw the dol-
lars and cents of the proposal, and how
it would disproportionately impact the
business community. Next year would
be better, McCabe said.

Mayor Robbie Brackett has long
said 2021 in the lingering pandemic
economy is horrible timing for a new
tax on residents and businesses.

Losing McCabe’s vote for launching
the new tax in the 2021-22 fiscal year
would have placed Winger in the po-
sition of being the swing vote. Winger
vowed not to cast the tie-breaking vote
on any major policy matter when he
was interviewed for the council seat
last month. So he offered up a third
way – approve the stormwater tax this
year, but at a fraction of the cost.

On this Tuesday’s agenda, the city
council had three options ranging
from 25 percent to 41 percent of the
$80 Equivalent Residential Unit tax, or
$20 to $33 per year for that “average”
owner of the 2,500-square-foot home.

The 25 percent scenario would only
pay for the $252,000 “master plan-
ning” consultant fees for setting up
the stormwater utility and calculat-
ing the assessments. It would not be
enough to do any new stormwater
projects, but the city could use sales
tax revenue for the projects, as that’s
how the work is funded currently. The
41 percent scenario would pay for the
planning and administrative fees, plus
$60,000 in new stormwater projects.

Vice Mayor Rey Neville sees the
stormwater tax as more equitable
than property taxes because the payer
is assessed based upon the impervi-
ous area covered by buildings, patios

10 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Stormwater tax Seagrass making strong comeback at Sebastian Inlet

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

cially,” Jones said, adding that he was BY SUE COCKING by boat propellers in the inlet shoals it extended a boat channel connecting
speaking only as the pastor and not on Staff Writer since the prior survey. In 2019, 34 prop the Intracoastal Waterway with Sebas-
behalf of the church board members, scars were documented. tian Inlet in 2007.
who have not taken a position on the Seagrass is making a surprisingly
stormwater utility tax. strong comeback at the Sebastian Inlet, The positive findings at the Inlet are Atkins North America marine bi-
a positive sign for the Indian River La- in stark contrast to the condition of the ologist Don Deis has been in charge
Jones said the new tax would hit goon. Seagrass provides food and shel- remainder of the 156-mile-long water- of the monitoring since its inception.
churches with a large seasonal popu- ter for marine creatures ranging from way, where seagrass coverage ranges Deis finds that while six of the lagoon's
lation like his at the very worst time. tiny crustaceans to huge manatees, and from none to sparse and deep cuts in seven species of seagrass grow on the
“As people were leaving this morning, is the foundation of the lagoon’s ecology. the lagoon bottom from propellers are shoals, the dominant species are shoal
many of them were saying, ‘See you widespread. grass and Johnson’s seagrass – a threat-
next winter,’” Jones said Sunday. The Sebastian Inlet District, which ened species that occurs only here and
has been monitoring seagrass growth Sebastian Inlet is one of only five in Miami's Biscayne Bay.
Looking ahead, Jones said he’d whole- since 2008, recently announced that navigable channels connecting the
heartedly support a new stormwater grass beds on the shoals west of the In- lagoon with the ocean, and the twice- He says he would like to see mana-
tax in 2022, but not this year while his let increased by more than six acres in daily tidal influx of fresh seawater like- tee grass – a stable, slow-growing, bed-
congregation recovers. “It’s a great idea, 2020 and now cover nearly 115 acres. ly accounts for better seagrass recov- forming species that dominated the
but it’s too soon. I think it needs to be ery near the Inlet. shallows before the superbloom – re-
postponed for a year to give everyone That coverage is comparable to 2008 turn to pre-bloom coverage.
the chance to catch up,” Jones said. when the Lagoon was healthy prior “The water exchange, or flushing,
to the algae superbloom in 2012 that between the Indian River Lagoon and “The return of manatee grass could
The City Council is set to vote on killed more than half of the seagrass in the Atlantic Ocean has a positive im- be [an additional] sign of recovery,”
the final plan for the stormwater util- the waterway – a disaster followed by pact on water quality within the La- Deis said.
ity tax assessment on June 1, which other destructive blooms that further goon and has promoted an accelerated
staff says is the last day that can hap- damaged seagrass and slowed recov- resurgence of seagrass beds on the Seagrass benefits the estuary enor-
pen for them to be able to get all the ery. western flood shoal at the inlet as com- mously because it nourishes and shel-
needed assessment information to pared to other parts of the lagoon,” the ters many species of plankton, fish,
the Tax Collector’s office in time to The latest seagrass survey, conduct- Inlet District said in a statement. invertebrates and mammals. It also
implement the tax this year. Brackett ed by district consultant Atkins North improves water quality by trapping and
said he’s totally fine with putting the America, produced additional good The Sebastian Inlet District began removing sediments and algae-pro-
implementation off one year if the news besides the increase in acreage – conducting aerial surveys and ground- moting nutrients from the water and
council cannot come to a consensus there have been no new scars inflicted truthing (snorkeling and wading the protects the shoreline and lagoon bot-
flats) on the inlet shoals shortly after
on the proper path forward.  tom by reducing erosion. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 11

NEWS

Latest bid for charter school at Pointe West comes to an end

BY GEORGE ANDREASSI recruiting minority students and edu- Academy Vero Beach charter school mela Dampier told the School Board
cators, Holden’s report says. bore little resemblance to the K-12 on April 27.
Staff Writer charter school in East Miami it pur-
The school would need to bring in ported to be using as a model for rep- Mater Academy’s chief academic of-
The latest effort to launch a charter students from other neighborhoods lication, which serves a 98 percent ficer, Judith Marty, withdrew the char-
school out to the west of Vero in Pointe to meet its goal of serving a student minority population. ter school application via email about
West has come to naught. body with a minority population of eight hours before the School Board
46 percent, but there was no budget “The application does not explain was scheduled to vote on the proposal.
Mater Academy withdrew its appli- submitted for transportation and the in clear and coherent fashion the edu-
cation for a K-5 charter after school transportation plan lacked specifics, cation program design, or how it rep- Marty did not respond to telephone
district administrators recommended the report says. licates Mater Academy East charter and email messages seeking com-
rejection mainly because it offered no design,” Assistant Superintendent Pa- ment on the company’s reasons for
help with court-ordered desegrega- In addition, the proposed Mater
tion efforts in Indian River County. CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

The Miami-based nonprofit had
proposed opening a college-prepara-
tory school in August 2022 with 414
students and growing it to 768 stu-
dents by its fifth year of operation.

Mater’s plan was to take over the
14-acre parcel at 16th Street and 76th
Drive where Somerset Academy had
proposed building a K-8 charter school
for 1,700 students.

Those plans have been on hold for
three years at the request of Somerset
Academy, according to School Board
Attorney Suzanne D’Agresta.

Mater Academy and Somerset Acad-
emy both use Academica Corp., as an
educational service provider, records
show. A subsidiary of Academica owns
the 14-acre parcel.

Five charter schools, including two
elementary schools, already serve In-
dian River County.

School district officials gave failing
grades to the Mater Academy charter
school application in three subjects
and incompletes in seven other cat-
egories.

“There is no information as to how
the model school plans on addressing
the federally-mandated desegregation
order, Joint Plan or board-adopted Af-
rican-American (Academic) Achieve-
ment Plan,” said Heather Holden, the
district’s coordinator of assessment
and virtual education, in an April 13
report.

The school district has been under
a federal desegregation order since
1967 in a case filed in 1964.

In August 2018, the School Board
agreed to improve minority stu-
dents’ test scores, recruit more mi-
nority teachers and better integrate
schools.

The School Board also worked with
the Indian River County chapter of the
National Association for the Advance-
ment of Colored People (NAACP) on
the Joint Plan for integrating public
schools and the African-American
Academic Achievement Plan.

Mater Academy officials seemed
not to understand Pointe West is a
middle-class white neighborhood,
nor did they offer a detailed plan for





14 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

New charter school bid ends during the April 27 workshop meeting.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 The withdrawal is final, Moore said.
“If they would want to reapply, they
withdrawing the application and its
response to the critical comments by would have to do so in the new school
district administrators. year and resubmit and go through the
whole process again,” Moore said.
“There will be no need to have a
vote,” School Superintendent David Mater Academy Inc. operates 28
Moore told the board in announcing charter schools serving 18,000 stu-
the withdrawal of Mater’s application dents in Miami-Dade and Osceola
counties in conjunction with Academ-

ica Corp. 

COVID-19 cases again down in county;
vaccine supply here now exceeds demand

PHOTO BY BRENDA AHEARN

BY LISA ZAHNER ida’s Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees
went way beyond the CDC’s recom-
Staff Writer mendations.

The average daily number of new On Friday, Rivkees issued a procla-
COVID-19 infections in our county mation rescinding previous COVID-19
continued downward last week to public health advisories and saying,
fewer than 17 a day – a 20 percent re- “Continuing COVID-19 restrictions on
duction from the week before and an individuals, with no end in sight, in-
87 percent reduction from the mid- cluding long-term use of face coverings,
January surge. and withdrawal from social and rec-
reational gatherings pose a risk of ad-
Six island residents tested positive verse and unintended consequences.
for the virus last week. Countywide, the
testing positivity rate remained lower “Due to COVID-19 widespread vac-
than 6 percent for the past two weeks, cine availability, fully vaccinated indi-
with only two days when more than 5 viduals should no longer be advised to
percent tested positive. wear face coverings and avoid social
and recreational gatherings, except in
Hospitalizations remained low, with limited circumstances,” Rivkees said.
10 people reported hospitalized with
COVID-19 as of press time Monday. As of Sunday’s reports, nearly 82,000
But six deaths from complications of Indian River County residents have re-
the virus were reported over the past ceived at least one shot of COViD-19
week, bringing Indian River County’s vaccine, with 53,000 of those being
death toll to 299. Of those deaths, 128 fully vaccinated.
have been people aged 80 and older.
Another 83 deaths were people aged 75 Vaccine supply now exceeds de-
to 79 years old. mand, so the Indian River County
Health Department has closed the
The Centers for Disease Control and drive-up vaccine site at the Indian Riv-
Prevention eased mask-wearing guid- er Fairgrounds. Statewide, more than 9
ance for people who have been fully million Floridians have received at least
vaccinated when outdoors or around one dose of vaccine, representing more
other fully vaccinated people, but Flor-
than 40 percent of the state. 

Stephanie Watson, Vero Beach Academy director,
and Kelly Brown, STEAM Fest Chair.

EAGER KIDS LEARN COOL STUFF
AT INDIAN RIVER STEAM FEST P. 22

16 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

‘Heroes vs. Villains Prom’ was a win-win for veterans

Eldon and Kristina Peterson. PHOTOS: BRENDA AHEARN Kevin and Stephanie Klepac.

Doolin Dalton and Amanda Lindstrom. Maureen Hannigan with sons Riley and Robert. Marc Di Ciccio, Ray Souffrain and Trent Carter.

Tiffany Nugent and Jennifer Ano. Vanessa Bartoszewicz and Samantha Grubbs. Michael and Kristina Pernfors.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF to the music of Category 5 & the Storm tion Veterans, specifically PTSD Sup- and represent our generation by posi-
Staff Writer Horns, captured memories in the pho- port and Recovery for local veterans. tively engaging the community.”
to booth, and nibbled on snacks from
A battle for dominance raged recent- the SoFlo food truck. The evening also featured a costume Other NextGen programs include
ly at a Heroes vs. Villains Prom hosted contest, during which Unique Edden Veterans Helping Veterans, the Next-
by the Next Generation Veterans of In addition to funds raised during took home first place as a Wakanda Gen Honor Guard, providing emer-
Indian River County at Walking Tree the event, including a 50/50 drawing warrior and Det. Labbe took second gency supply provisions for veterans
Brewery, but it was all for a good cause. offered by Walking Tree, the nine Prom place as Batman, beating out such con- in post-weather events, and placing
Court members had used a creative tenders as Thor, Popeye and Olive Oyl, and removing hurricane shutters for
A group of (mostly) caped crusad- method to raise money, with every dol- the Scooby-Doo crew, Superman and veterans needing assistance.
ers, fondly referred to as the 2021 lar raised equal to one vote. Cruella De Vil.
NextGen Prom Court members, val- Collins said the nonprofit antici-
iantly raised funds to support fellow Toward the end of the evening, it Members of Next Generation Veter- pates that their ‘Words From War’
veterans, many of whom struggle with was announced that Dep. Cliff Labbe ans are local veterans who served dur- monument at Riverside Park will soon
the villainous PTSD acquired after and Jennifer Trefelner would reign vic- ing the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, or be completed, and hope for a dedica-
their years in the military in service to torious as this year’s Prom King and any other active service, reservist or tion ceremony this summer.
our country. Queen. guardsman who served after 1990.
Members meet on the second
During an evening parading about Leydiana Collins, event coordinator, Their mission is “to create a network Wednesday of every month at the
dressed as their favorite heroes and vil- said that they and their fellow contend- of Next Generation of Veterans, provide American Legion Felix Poppell Post 39
lains, the costumed attendees danced ers had raised more than $34,000 to a venue for social support, combat mis- or via Zoom. For more information,
support the programs of Next Genera- conceptions about returning veterans, visit ngvirc.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 17

PEOPLE

David and Rachael Pollack with Chris Nolan. Timothy Williams and Xylis Johnson. Jeff and Mary Teepe.

Unique Edden.
Sean Timberlake with Judy.

18 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Circle’s funding of Museum programs roundly appreciated

BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer

After being unable to do so last Marilyn Ragland, Susan Kintner and Kathleen O’Brien Joachim. Margaret Goembel, Diane Wilhelm and Elise Geary. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES
year, the philanthropic ladies of the
Circle recently met face-to-face at “It’s heartwarming and rewarding you’re doing is critical to our mission, with docent-led tours and hands-on
their annual Closing Reception to to be part of this effort,” said Torbin. so thank you for doing it,” said Rob- activities. Festivals began in 1981
determine which of the Vero Beach erts. with the first Children’s Art Festival,
Museum of Art’s educational and “We’ve been very fortunate that and also includes Holidays at the Mu-
outreach programs they would fund the museum has had so much sup- “Last year we fully funded Muse- seum. The goal is to “engage patrons
in the upcoming season. When the port from the community over the um Explorations and partially fund- with meaningful learning experienc-
pandemic forced the museum to past year and in particular the 100 ed Program for Veterans, A+ ART, es through age-specific, child-friend-
temporarily close last spring, the la- members of the Circle,” said Brady and the Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s ly techniques in viewing, analyzing,
dies switched to email voting, so this Roberts, VBMA CEO. “You’ve done so Association Partnership. This year making and doing.”
was the first time they were able to much to keep our educational pro- we have $29,200 that we can distrib-
gather en masse. grams and our outreach going. What ute to support these programs,” said Veterans Program: Launched in
Torbin. 2020, with a goal to “create a safe, cre-
Becky Torbin, steering commit- ative and community-sharing envi-
tee chair, asked members to raise a Before giving an overview of the ronment where veterans can explore
glass and toast fellow members, say- programs under consideration, object-based, art-making experienc-
ing they had “adapted to the new nor- Robyn Orzel, director of develop- es,” the museum wishes to expand its
mal and stayed loyal, supportive and ment/assistant executive director, three five-week classes to include two
committed to our mission.” thanked the committee. 10-week classes and one five-week
class.
She noted that the museum’s edu- “I admire your dedication to en-
cation and outreach programs touch suring that art education remains ac- Alzheimer and Parkinson’s Associa-
lives from the smallest toddlers to cessible for all, especially at this time tion Community Impact Partnership:
school-aged children as well as se- when people need it the most. As has Launched in 2016, the goal is to “cre-
niors, veterans and individuals with been expressed, this past year has ate inclusive art-making and move-
special needs. been a challenge on every front, but ment experiences in a non-judgmen-
the museum found a way to continue tal and physio-emotionally beneficial
to serve those in our community who way.” They want to expand the Music
needed it,” said Orzel. “That we have and Movement in the Moment and the
104 members during a pandemic is Artful Engagement classes to include
remarkable.” weekly occurrences at the Indian Riv-
er Shores and Vero Beach locations.
Circle members contribute $250
or more annually and a committee With the votes counted, it was an-
of volunteers reviews and narrows nounced that the Alzheimer and Par-
the choices for the final vote, help- kinson’s program would be fully fund-
ing to ensure that art programs are ed. As the cost of that one was a little
available to everyone, regardless of less than half the $29,200 raised this
economic limitations. The programs year, the remainder will go toward the
under consideration are classified as Museum Exploration program. The
School Programs, Community En- Museum will seek additional under-
gagement Partnerships, Student Pro- writing to complete the funding of
grams and Family Programs. that program and those not chosen
this time.
This year’s finalist programs were:
Museum Explorations: Launched Since the Circle’s inception 12 years
in 2018, it is offered to Pre-K through ago, and including the monies donat-
12th-grade classes with a goal “to en- ed this year, Orzel said that the group
hance visual literacy, critical think- has contributed $388,617 to support
ing and socio-emotional learning VBMA arts education and outreach
through art museum experiences.” programs.
Museum Studios and Family Festi-
vals: Studios, launched in 1998, offers For more information, visit vbmu-
free monthly programs to families seum.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 19

PEOPLE

Brady Roberts and Becky Torbin. Cathy Egan and Kitty Carleton. Kitty Mountain, Lisa O’Brien and Cindy Binder.

Edwina Arnold and Betsy Morgan. Lee Albro and Louise Schmitt. Barb Dorvee and Marilyn Bosland.

Emily Abbot and Kate Walsh. Trudy Hoffman and Susan Von Hagen.

Laura Moss, Diane Rose, June Fitzgerald and Sally Roberts.

20 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

‘Once Upon an Orchestra’: Concert music charms children

Stephanie and Chris Kollmann with sons Zachary, Jacob and Micah. Luke, Lily and Sky. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Lee Weiler, Pat Donovan and Mila Donovan.

BY MARY SCHENKEL struments through 40-minute musi- preschool children to be introduced ly sold out. “We had to turn people
Staff Writer cal story times. to live orchestral instrumental music away,” added Royals.
in a kid-friendly environment where
The Space Coast Symphony Or- “This is our saxophone quartet. We they can get up and move around and They expect the same with their
chestra recently continued its Once haven’t done a sax feature yet; mostly dance. They don’t have to be quiet or upcoming April 25 and May 23 con-
Upon an Orchestra musical series it’s been brass and woodwinds,” said sit still,” said Jennifer Royals, SCSO certs, the last two of the 2020/2021
with two engaging performances at Aaron Collins, SCSO conductor and principal clarinetist. season.
McKee Botanical Garden geared to- artistic director, who later delighted
ward the younger set. The program, the audience as he narrated the story “Impact funded the first two years, “Then we’ll start right back up in
funded through an Indian River Im- “Cup of Friendship” about a curmud- so next year we’re on our own to see June. There’s no break, but it’s a lot of
pact 100 grant, is an entertaining way geonly King Gilbert, made less so by this program grow and expand. That’s fun,” said Collins.
to introduce children to orchestral in- music. where we find the challenge of con-
tinuing to find funding for these pro- Their 2021/2022 season begins in
“These are concerts designed for grams,” said Collins. He added that a June, with four concerts planned
donor has stepped up to fund the next over the summer, plus the children’s
few programs, and they will continue programming.
to seek contributions for future pro-
gramming. Upcoming SCSO concerts will take
place at 3 p.m. at the VBHS PAC. April
“We love the partnership here at 25 features Ravel’s Bolero, Fuchs’
McKee. We do some at the Brevard Piano Concerto “Spiritualist” and
Zoo as well; we kind of do them in tan- Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with
dem. We’re trying to strike up more Grammy-winning pianist Jeffrey Bie-
and more partnerships,” said Collins. gel. At the May 23 Fan Favorites Part
III, the Space Coast Symphony Youth
As for the full orchestra, Collins Orchestras will perform alongside
said “we never stopped; we never took professional SCSO counterparts.
a break. We did the drive-in concerts
during the summer and now we’re The next in the Once Upon an Or-
back inside.” chestra musical series for small fry
are at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. May 8 and
With fans eager to enjoy an orches- May 29 at McKee Botanic Garden.
tral concert and reduced capacity
regulations at the Vero Beach High For more information, call 855-
School PAC, their last concert quick- 252-7276 or visit SpaceCoastSym-
phony.org. 

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22 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Eager kids learn cool stuff at Indian River STEAM Fest

BY MARY SCHENKEL Jack Battles. PHOTOS: BRENDA AHEARN sters a chance to scramble through the “For each different grade level, it’s
Staff Writer window into the driver’s seat of a NAS- puzzles and things that the kids have
Beach Museum of Art and an owl pel- CAR stock car. to figure out using science, technology,
Youngsters were immersed in Sci- let dissection kit from Busch Wildlife engineering, art and math. They have
ence, Technology, Engineering, Art Sanctuary, free passes to the ELC, and The Sheriff’s Department brought to figure things out in order to break
and Math at the third annual Indian a NASA Mars map with QR codes that a bike used by the C.O.P.E. (Commu- out of the escape room,” said Watson.
River STEAM Fest, hosted at the IG children could scan to learn about nity Oriented Policing Endeavor) unit
Center by Indian River Academy. To Mars. Several departments at Indian they’re developing; the Harbor Branch While there was a minimal charge
ensure everyone’s safety, all activi- River State College gave them straw Oceanographic Institute at FAU at past events, admission was free this
ties were held outdoors this year and rocket experiments, a Fibonacci math showed off their marine ambulance; time.
families had been asked to sign up in experiment, a slime experiment and a the UF/IFAS Florida 4-H Program of-
advance for one of three time slots, to catapult experiment. fered seeds on sticks to cultivate but- “This year it’s truly just a gift to the
accommodate up to 325 people each at terfly gardens; and the Environmental community,” said Watson. “Just com-
Mad Science Shows featuring scientist Exhibits were scattered about the Learning Center had attendees identi- ing out of COVID we really felt that
“Mad Rich.” property, including one on astronomy fying the scat and skulls of various crit- it was important that families could
by Patrick Mugan, who offered attend- ters. come together in a safe and fun way.”
“Instead of doing hands-on ac- ees a chance to safely view the sun
tivities and experiments here like we through a large telescope. The Strick Gifford Middle School science teach- The event was put on by volunteers
would normally do, we have really cool 9 Racing Team, brothers Lonnie and er Melissa Sleeper, who is also a Solar from Vero Beach Academy, a home
activity bags that the kids can pick up Donnie Strickland, gave agile young- System Ambassador at NASA’s Jet Pro- school co-op that combines formal
on their way out,” explained Stephanie pulsion Laboratory, brought some of education and home schooling.
Watson, director of Indian River Acad- her robotic students who drove their
emy. “They have all types of hands-on LEGO robots across a large map of “Kids come to school two days a
fun experiments and activities for the Mars, and some of the Martian rego- week and then we provide parents
kids to do at home this year. So, it’s a lot lith (soil simulant) she’s using to grow with homeschool lesson plans that
smaller than previous years, but that potatoes with her students. help them homeschool effectively. So
was intentional.” it is truly the best of both worlds,” said
In place of an in-person escape room, Watson.
Included in the bags were creative the program had a QR code to virtual
projects such as art kits from the Vero escape rooms; it’s accessible on their For more information, visit indian-
website, indianriversteamfest.com. riversteamfest.com or ira.indianriver-
schools.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 23

PEOPLE

Isabella and Lilyanna Picardi with Lt. Joseph Abollo and Dep. Cliff Labbe.

Colton Mitchell and Nancy Leach. Malcolm and Zahara Boston.

Jadee and Christine Batista. Rebecca Schlitt with sons Solomon and Malachi.

NASA Ambassadors Kerry Wynn, Kathleen Paradis and David Coutu.

24 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Local kids lap up star teen swimmer’s motivational words

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Stephanie Akakabota. PHOTOS: BRENDA AHEARN However, she was able to look at
some of the best Black swimmers –
Staff Writer that will help people when they ap- hard and you end up going slower.” Simone Manuel, Lia Neal and Reece
ply for college.” The inspirational swimmer relat- Whitley – for motivation.
Stephanie Akakabota, an Olym-
pic qualifier and 17-year-old high Akakabota, currently hailed as ed that she hadn’t learned to swim “I was so happy to see some-
school senior in Seminole, Fla., the fastest swimmer in Florida, is a until she was 5 years old and hadn’t one that looked like me doing such
made a big splash at the Gifford USA All-American swimmer, Olym- begun to take the sport seriously great things in swimming. It made
Youth Activity Center during a re- pic Trials qualifier and a University until about four years ago. me believe that I could do it too. I
cent visit with GYAC and Boys & of California, Berkley top recruit. want to spread their message and
Girls Clubs of Indian River County She is also a three-time Carnegie Statistically, she said more than inspire young Black swimmers and
participants. Hall performing concert pianist. half of the people in America don’t all young swimmers that they can
know how to swim, noting that it is reach whatever goal they want to,”
Her visit was hosted by Float Akakabota told her audience that more difficult to learn as an adult. said Akakabota.
Hope of Indian River County as a great swimmers aren’t born with She shared that her mother is only
way to engage and motivate swim- innate abilities; it takes hard work just now learning how to swim. The next evening, some 100 swim-
mers at an early age. The nonprofit and dedication to excel. mers from the Boys & Girls Clubs
teaches swimming as a life skill and Akakabota said she hopes to in- and GYAC dove into the Float Hope
a sport to more than 100 children, “When I asked my coach what to spire other Black students to take Friday Night Lights Swim Meet at
starting at age 6, as a way to “em- do to get faster, he told me three up the sport. the North County pool – the first
bed an advantage to disadvantaged things, ‘Work harder than every- in more than a year – with renewed
children.” body else in the pool, come to prac- “The first day I started compet- vigor.
tice every single day and study the ing, I noticed that there weren’t a lot
Jeffrey Powers, Float Hope found- sport,’” said Akakabota. of people that looked like me when I And regardless of what place they
er and CEO, said that swimming was swimming. When I went to var- took in their particular races, ev-
is more than a life-saving skill. He Explaining that practice helps sity, there were only three out of 40 eryone went home with their heads
said it can also enhance confidence, with focus and builds muscle mem- swimmers,” she recalled. “It changed held high, knowing they had given
build friendships and open doors to ory that takes over when you com- how I thought about swimming; I it their all.
college scholarships – and it’s fun. pete, she said “when you start to thought swimming maybe wasn’t for
overthink, your brain works too people that looked like me.” “Jeff and Float Hope have created
He shared that Freddie Woolfork, an opportunity for our kids to learn
GYAC director of public relations how to swim. Teaching these kids
and facilities operations and a well- how to swim is critical, and they
known and respected Gifford Com- love it. A lot of them didn’t want to
munity leader, had only learned to get into the water when they first
swim about two years ago. started. They were afraid of the wa-
ter, but now you can’t keep them out
Powers relayed that Woolfork had of the water. It’s been a wonderful
a near-drowning in a creek when he partnership,” said Elizabeth Thom-
was a child and had sworn he would ason, B&GC executive director.
never enter the water again. After
persuading Woolfork that he needed Coaches Scott Barlow and Holly
to set an example for the children at McClean of Treasure Coast Swim
GYAC, Powers was finally able to get Team oversee the weekly swim les-
him into the pool and swimming. sons at the Gifford Aquatic Center
and North County Pool. Interested
“Swimming allows the young children are invited to give it a try
children in the Gifford area to as they gear up for the summer pro-
broaden their horizons. It’s more gram.
than just swimming that they are
going to gain,” said Woolfork, add- For more information, visit
ing that they also learn discipline floathopenow.org. 
and teamwork – “great attributes

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 25

PEOPLE

Elizabeth Thomason and Freddie Woolfork. Jeffrey Powers and Stephanie Akakabota. Vera Smith and Scott Barlow.

26 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Appreciating outside’s upside at ELC’s Earth Day fest

Danielle Enrico with daughters Aliyah and Addison. Malania.

Laura Moss and Barbara Schlitt Ford. PHOTOS : KAILA JONES PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
Patty Garrard.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF how you can help care for our planet.” their mission to educate, empower and ronment and our own human health.
Staff Writer Hands-on activities included pond inspire people to be active stewards of “It’s more important than ever for us
the environment and their own well-
Families descended on the Environ- dip-netting, recycled crafts, guided being. to be getting the message out about liv-
mental Learning Center recently for an nature walks, an interactive storytime, ing sustainably, but then also getting
Earth Day Family Fun Festival in cel- the Discovery Station and touch tank, “It’s all interconnected. When people to connect with nature,” said
ebration of Earth Day, where they im- meaning something for everyone. they’re stewarding the environment, Sarah Christopherson, ELC environ-
mersed themselves in a Saturday after- they are also protecting their own mental educator.
noon filled with outdoor exploration. Their goal was to teach families how health. By being immersed in nature,
Activities had been spaced out on the to lead sustainable, eco-conscious life- they’re experiencing all of those posi- Noting the importance of children
64-acre campus so that everyone could styles by providing them with an op- tive physical, emotional and mental becoming aware of the health cri-
safely connect with nature. portunity to spend “meaningful time health benefits they get from just being sis faced by the Indian River Lagoon,
engaging in outdoor recreation while outdoors. It’s the nature prescription Christopherson added “we need to get
The event centered around a Restore also adopting healthy habits to help right here at the ELC,” said Ford. children playing outdoors and enjoy-
Our Earth theme, showing families restore and protect our beloved eco- ing nature. You can’t ask them to pro-
how to “unplug, discover and connect systems.” She added that the pandemic has tect something that they don’t know or
to the natural world while learning shown a spotlight on the interconnect- that they are scared of.”
Barbara Schlitt Ford, ELC executive edness between the health of the envi-
director, said it aligns directly with Christopherson said they have de-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 27

PEOPLE

signed ELC events and programs to connect with nature, and they learn jor, global environmental issues: spe- to “get them young and start them
help build that connection to nature. to care about it,” Ford added. “Then cies extinction, air quality, habitat young,” it is equally important to re-
they’re like, ‘Oh! All these things are loss, water quality, climate change, member that nature is not just for chil-
“Once that relationship is estab- happening to our Earth. What can I do resource scarcity, marine debris and dren. She stressed that the ELC offers
lished, then we can ask the kids to to be part of the solution?’” overfishing. The signs include “eco plenty of activities for adults to engage
become thoughtful, conscious adults steps” that inform how to be part of in with friends, as couples or solo.
making good decisions on protecting Their new Sustainability Walk the solution.
the environment,” she said. around the pond does just that, us- For more information, visit discov-
ing signage focused on the eight ma- Ford said that while it is important erelc.org. 
“We bring them out here to have fun,

28 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26 Kel LaBranche and Joe LaBranche.
Taylor Bertin and Karen Mcdougall.

Lori and London McCormick. Danielle and Addison Enrico.

Logan McCormick.

Sienna McNeal and Vivienne Huberty.



30 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Locals among wave of winners in Steve Martin Memorial Regatta

Cap McGann and Jo Zaza. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES

Dennis and Lynn Bartholomew.

Established 18 Years in Indian River County Paul, Krystal, Jefferson and Jeff Ellig with Michelle Willis.

(772) 562-2288 | www.kitchensvero.com The Youth Sailing Foundation recently hosted the seventh annual Steve
3920 US Hwy 1, Vero Beach FL 32960 Martin Memorial Regatta, with sailboats boosted by a moderate but chal-
lenging breeze as they sailed along the lagoon. The 50-boat regatta was
No. 4 in the Florida East Coast Series that featured 66 sailors in teams from
Daytona Beach to the mid-Keys competing in five classes: Opti Gold, Opti
Silver, Feva, Club 420 and Open Skiff. Among the YSF sailors, Denali Her-
old with crew Luke Franco won the 420 Class; Rayne Herold was first in
the Opti Gold Class; and Alex Delamarter was first in the Opti Silver Class,
propelling him to overall champion for the Spring 2021 Florida East Coast
Series. The late Steve Martin, an avid sailor who was inducted into the U.S.
Coast Guard Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame, left behind a legacy of sea-
manship and sportsmanship as a dedicated volunteer YSF instructor.
For more information, visit ysfirc.org. 



32 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 33

HIGHWAY 1 IS THE MAIN ROAD CONNECTING INSIGHT COVER STORY
KABUL TO THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN
PROVINCES OF AFGHANISTAN.
OVER THE YEARS, THE TALIBAN AND THE
AFGHAN GOVERNMENT HAVE FOUGHT FOR
CONTROL OF THIS IMPORTANT ROADWAY.

KABUL – Taliban checkpoints have porary and permanent – along major itary support for Afghan security forces make the journey by air, and if they do
proliferated across key parts of Af- highways frustrate military resupply is cut back. travel by road, they do so in armored
ghanistan as U.S. forces have with- efforts, stifle the provision of govern- convoys with heavy security.
drawn over the past year, leaving Af- ment services and undercut confi- “It is like we are on an island,” said
ghan towns and cities increasingly dence in the country’s elected officials. Mohammad Yousuf Ayoubi, the head The Afghan government has strug-
isolated and impeding the Afghan of Kunduz’s provincial council, de- gled to maintain control of its highways
government’s ability to function. The new checkpoints have emerged scribing the province’s capital city. “I since the beginning of the Taliban re-
as Afghanistan enters a pivotal period. can’t drive more than four kilometers in surgence in 2005, but the situation has
Dozens of temporary Taliban check- NATO troops began drawing down last any direction without hitting a Taliban steadily deteriorated as the number of
points now dot the main highways Thursday, according to an Afghan of- checkpoint.” U.S. troops in the country has dropped.
leading into and out of the Afghan cap- ficial who spoke on the condition of
ital, according to eight local officials, anonymity to discuss the matter. U.S. A little over a year ago, Ayoubi would CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
and more than 10 permanent outposts forces are set to reach zero by Sept. drive himself the nearly eight hours
have been established by the militants 11, a deadline originally scheduled for south from Kunduz to Kabul for meet-
along the country’s main north-south May 1. The Taliban’s encroachment on ings. Today, that is impossible. Gov-
highway. Many of the new permanent critical roadways is one of many signs ernment officials are largely forced to
outposts are checkpoints abandoned that the group is undiminished after 20
by government forces stretched thin years of war and appears to be press-
by the U.S. drawdown, pushed out by ing for a military victory as foreign mil-
expanding Taliban influence, or both.

Taliban checkpoints are both a sym-
bolic show of force and a real blow to
Afghanistan’s already fragile elected
government. The outposts – both tem-

34 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 INSIGHT COVER STORY

AFGHAN SOLDIERS MAN
A CHECKPOINT OUTSIDE
KABUL.

TRAVELERS AND STREET
SELLERS GATHER NEAR
BUSES LEAVING KABUL
FOR THE SOUTHERN PART
OF THE COUNTRY ON
APRIL 29.

GOVERNMENT SOLDIERS TAKE points where highways crossed long- encircling government-held territory in some of the most dangerous parts of
POSITION TO COUNTER A TALIBAN held districts and send out hundreds many parts of the country. To prevent the country for many Afghans.
ATTACK NEAR THE OUTER GATE of fighters to patrol, according to local increased violence, U.S. negotiators
OF MAZAR-E SHARIF CITY IN officials. are scrambling to secure a peace deal “It’s all Taliban country now,” said
AFGHANISTAN IN DECEMBER 2020. between the militants and the Afghan Muhamadi, a 24-year-old taxi driver
Restricting the movement of gov- government ahead of the withdrawal, who has been shuttling passengers al-
When U.S. military bases began clos- ernment officials, Ayoubi said, makes but have not announced any progress. most every day between Kunduz and
ing across the country after the signing it almost impossible for them to do Kabul for the past three years. Muhama-
of the U.S.-Taliban deal, Afghan forces their jobs. “We used to drive out to the Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman di, who like many Afghans and others in
suddenly found themselves stretched villages to every district and talk to the Tariq Aryan said the country’s “high- this report goes by a single name, works
thin. With less U.S. support, Afghan people,” he said. “Now that we cannot ways are important for us, and we have at one of the main stations in Kabul for
police and soldiers could not hold the speak to the people, how can we know taken serious measures to suppress passengers looking to head north.
same amount of territory. They moved what their problems are?” the enemy on them completely.”
inward to protect population centers, Most Taliban checkpoints along high-
leaving large swaths of Afghanistan’s Kunduz has been one of the least sta- He said some government check- ways in Afghanistan are no more than
rural territory – and the roadways that ble provinces in Afghanistan for years, points that were deemed “not effective” one or two fighters and a flag, but more
crisscross it – largely unguarded. and its capital fell to the Taliban in have been removed in recent months than a dozen drivers say it is enough
2015, but it has never been as isolated and the forces transferred to larger, near- to scare away customers. Revenue has
At the same time, the Taliban dou- as it is now, Ayoubi said. by bases for “strategic” reasons. He ac- dropped by about half over the past
bled down on territory under its con- knowledged that the Taliban has a pres- year, they say, as most Afghans choose
trol, moved into unsecured areas and “Day by day, the government [con- ence on Afghanistan’s roadways, but he not to travel or those with the means opt
actively pushed to expand its areas of trolled] area is getting smaller and small- said the militants are “scattered,” aiming to fly.
influence. With the cessation of offen- er,” he said. only to intimidate and extort travelers.
sive U.S. military airstrikes, the Taliban At a taxi station collecting passen-
was able to set up permanent check- Taliban forces have also launched a The United States prioritized Af- gers for the ride south of Kabul, driv-
series of military offensives aimed at ghanistan’s highways as key to both ers described a similar phenomenon:
security and economic stability after Taliban outposts sprouting up along
the 2001 invasion and spent nearly $3 roadways over the past year where
billion repairing them. Now they are government checkpoints once stood.

Nafi Pashton, a 31-year-old driver,
said the Afghan troops stationed at
the few bases that remain along the
southern highway refuse to leave their

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 35

INSIGHT COVER STORY

are not restricting common people but same province, Mahbubullah Ghafari, he would request a seat in the front of
are keeping watch of the movements of said the increasing presence of Taliban the taxi for the best view. But the last
the enemies and their military.” fighters on the roads is encouraging time he made the journey by road six
his constituents to arm themselves. He months ago, he purposefully sat in the
The inability of government employ- estimates around 1,000 have done so middle of the vehicle and crouched
ees to use major roadways in Afghani- already, many selling their livestock to down to avoid catching the attention of
stan is preventing more Afghans from purchase weaponry. a Taliban fighter.
receiving government services. School
principals in Helmand and Kandahar “What can our government do for us Even though Mujtaba has no ties to
say more Taliban checkpoints there if no one is safe on the roads?” asked the security forces or the government
mean fewer teachers – who often live in Mujtaba, a shopkeeper in Helmand that would make him a Taliban target,
urban areas – can reach schoolhouses who once drove the southern portion he said the fighters’ checkpoints ter-
outside provincial capitals. In Baghlan, of the highway from Kabul every few rify him. He has vowed never to make
a doctor said the checkpoints make it months to replenish his stocks. the trip by road again.
more difficult for him and his patients
to get to his hospital. “I remember before I didn’t want to “During that last entire drive,” he
sleep for any part of the drive, it was said, “I was just thinking, ‘I’m already
A provincial council member in the so beautiful,” he said, recalling that dead.’” 

fortifications out of fear of Taliban at-
tacks. He said they often wave down
taxis to pass provisions along to the
next government outpost just a few
kilometers away on the road.

“They give me food, oil, meat,” Pash-
ton said. “It happens a lot.” Sometimes,
he said, militants stop him and confis-
cate supplies; other times he manages
to deliver the goods to the government
forces.

The taxi drivers said they and most
of their passengers are not hassled by
the Taliban. “They are only looking for
government employees and security
forces,” said Wahid, 43, who has been
a taxi driver in the provinces for over
20 years.

“The Taliban has very good intelli-
gence,” he said, describing one of the
times the fighters pulled a man out of
his car. “They stopped the car, and just
said, ‘You! Get out!’” pointing to a sin-
gle man seated in the middle of the car
without offering any explanation. After
they took him, the fighters let Wahid
and the rest of the car go.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Muja-
hid said the checkpoints are intended
to keep “the enemy” – referring to Af-
ghan government employees and secu-
rity forces – out of Taliban territory and
improve security along main roads.

All the highways out of Kabul “were
unsecured, so we have posted our mu-
jahideen [Taliban fighters] to ensure se-
curity day and night,” Mujahid said.“We

36 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

The announcement was timed to spoil the party. The District of Columbia has acknowledged the Technology says the average downtime caused by
On April 20th, at its “Spring Loaded” event, Apple un- breach and announced it was working with the FBI. But this extortion is 21 days; the average time to fully re-
veiled a clutch of new iGizmos, from purple smart- authorities won’t say whether they’re in conversation cover is 287. Cities, schools and everyday businesses
phones and a new set-top TV box to “AirTags”, small with the Russian-speaking group Babuk, which threat- are also under siege.
connected trackers designed to help people find ened to release officer disciplinary files, background
whatever objects they attach them to. investigations, lists of informants and more should the Working out the size of the problem is tricky. Coali-
D.C. police refuse to fork over an undisclosed sum. tion, a firm which provides insurance against cyber-
On the same day a group of hackers going by the attacks, says ransomware assaults made up 41% of
name of REvil declared that they had broken into Babuk said in an interview with a Polish cyberse- claims in the first half of 2020.
Quanta Computer, a Taiwanese company that as- curity website that “negotiations are ongoing,” and
sembles several Apple gadgets, and made off with the set of files Babuk posted to tease its holdings, ac- According to Palo Alto Networks, a cyber-security
what they claimed was sensitive data. companied by a threat to “contact gangs,” did disap- company, the average ransom demand rose from
pear within hours. $115,000 in 2019 to $312,000 in 2020. (REvil report-
The group claimed that Quanta had declined to pay edly demanded $50 million from Apple.) Ransoms
a ransom for the stolen information, and addressed The D.C. police department surely fears for the safety are often paid with cryptocurrencies.
Apple directly instead. The hackers posted several sets of its employees as well as the integrity of its operations.
of schematic diagrams of Apple laptops to their blog, Chainalysis, which analyses the blockchains that
and suggested that, if the mighty tech company did Hospitals and other health-care facilities felled by underpin cryptocurrencies, calculates that ransom-
not want more secrets revealed, it should “buy back” ransomware that locks up their systems until they ac- ware gangs took nearly $350 million in cryptocur-
the stolen data by May 1st. cede surely fear, similarly, for the lives of their patients. rency payments in 2020, more than four times as
In October, the University of Vermont Medical Center much as the year before.
Apple is a prominent victim of the booming busi- couldn’t treat some chemotherapy recipients because
ness of “ransomware.” In its original incarnation, the their records had been rendered inaccessible. Cyber-insurance – for which premiums amounted
software would encrypt pictures, documents and so to $5 billion in 2020 – can take the sting out of attacks
forth, transforming them into unreadable gibber- A new report from the Institute for Security and for individual firms, at the cost of making things
ish. If the victims paid a ransom, the hackers would worse for everyone else. The willingness of insurers
provide the decryption key necessary to restore the to pay ransoms, says a Western former cyber-security
scrambled files – at least, in theory. official, is one reason why ransomware is booming.

These days, hackers increasingly focus on big organi- That may change as governments become more in-
zations, since they are more likely to pay larger ransoms. terested. The head of GCHQ, Britain’s electronic-spy
And as big organizations usually store back-ups of data, agency, recently called for “concerted action” to tackle
which makes scrambling attacks less damaging, hack- the problem. A report published by American law-
ers increasingly threaten their victims with leaks. enforcement officials and big technology companies,
including Amazon and Microsoft, suggested that ran-
Besides Apple, REvil claims to have stolen data from somware be treated as a national-security threat. The
Kajima Corporation, a big Japanese construction firm, Justice Department has created a dedicated task-force.
the government of Fiji, Pierre Fabre, a French pharma-
ceutical company, and dozens of smaller businesses. Not all victims cough up. When CD Projekt, a Pol-
ish video-game company, was attacked in February,
Other cybercriminals have attacked at least three it refused to pay. But “more often than not,” says the
police departments in the United States, and this ex-official, those that do pay will find that the crooks
past week, the Washington, D.C., police department uphold their side of the bargain.
joined their ranks: confronting a demand that it
deliver a ransom to avoid the perpetrators leaking After all, their professional reputation is at stake:
what they claim are 250 gigabytes of data. if they keep their word, future victims are likelier to
pay, too. 

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

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 37

INSIGHT WORLD NEWS AND OPINION

Tom Kenny's Pixel 3A phone stops the Pixel. A representative assured me were having inventory problems. Ev- didn't have any new Pixel 3As to send
working. Google promised to replace it, in writing that I would receive a re- eryone was having inventory prob- you, it might have considered replacing
but stalls for three months. How can he placement in 5 to 10 business days. lems. But that's not your problem; it's your broken phone with a newer model
get a new phone? I've written to Google several times the company's. Instead of telling you that it did have in stock. Or it could have
since then to find out where the phone why it couldn't get you the phone on offered you a full refund, and you could
QUESTION: is. A manager said that they were hav- time, maybe it should have taken a have bought a different phone. But
ing "inventory issues." I'd like to get minute to explain what it was doing to leaving you without a mobile device for
I bought a Google Pixel 3A phone last a working phone back or a refund for help you get a phone faster. three months is inexcusable.
year. In October, while the phone was the $400 I spent on the Pixel 3A. Please
still under warranty, it stopped work- help! In a situation like this, where Google I list the names, numbers and email
ing. Google asked me to return the addresses of Google's customer service
phone. I did. I've been waiting for a re- ANSWER: managers on my consumer advocacy
placement phone since then. site, Elliott.org. A brief, polite email to
Tom, by the time you contacted one of them might have helped retrieve
In November, Google said it received me, three months had passed. Three your replacement Pixel 3A faster.
months without a phone is unimagi-
nable for most people. I can't go five Your case is a classic example of
minutes without checking mine. (Dis- corporate tone-deafness. Rather than
closure: I'm a loyal Google customer fixing a problem – sending you a new
and own a Pixel 5.) So I feel your pain. phone – Google thought it could keep
you happy by giving you the reasons
Google should have kept you in the for not complying. To show it the error
loop every step of the way and sent you of its ways, I propose we take the man-
a replacement phone immediately, ager's phones away for three months.
and at least within the written promise Let's see how they do!
of 5 to 10 business days. Instead, it sent
you form letters – and excuses. I contacted Google on your be-
half. It promptly sent you a new Pixel
The final response from a manager, phone. 
claiming Google was having inven-
tory problems, was an insult. I mean, Get help with any consumer prob-
it was the holidays, so of course they lem by contacting Christopher Elliott
at http://www.elliott.org/help

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38 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

David O. Stewart tells us that critical relation- the immorality of slavery.
that early American society Stewart’s recapitulation of the War for Indepen-
was “Washingtonian” more ship.
than Jeffersonian or Hamilto- dence and debates over the Constitution is unre-
nian. It is an interesting and His extensive cover- markable, and some of his speculations should raise
provocative plot device, espe- eyebrows. When Washington is bypassed in commit-
cially when one realizes that age of Washington’s tee assignments at the Continental Congress, we are
in leaning on others to write meant to accept that the decision to favor brainier
meaningful pronouncements early professional men “might seem like a snub, but it played to Wash-
for him, George Washington ington’s strengths.” In what way? Attendance at pri-
never aimed so high as to want experience is fit- vate dinners where he could strut his “dignified yet
the adjectival “–ian” after his relaxed manner.” Similarly stretching the rules of
name. ting, given the many history writing, Stewart has his hero gauging how the
other colonies’ best and brightest looked upon him:
According to Stewart, a former documented les- “He might have imagined himself as a leader among
trial lawyer and a historical nov- them. … He could see that he was taken seriously.”
elist, the Constitutional Conven- sons amassed from More hyperbole, over two paragraphs: “Washington’s
tion transformed the Virginian public career would become an excruciating balanc-
into a “working politician” whose colonial-era rela- ing act. … Revolutions are combustible things. … He
essentially conservative values had captured the holy grail for public actors. ... It was
led him to desire, as president, a tionships. Above all, magic.”
“‘respectable’ government that
could tax and govern” without Washington gained We ought to address the overabundance of history
roiling disgruntled citizens. Long and biography on the principal founders, and above
cast as “virtue personified,” Stew- in knowledge of mili- all Washington. With popularly drawn narratives re-
art’s Washington is the “sober” ceiving more public airtime than the nuanced efforts
counterpoint to the “firebrand” tary discipline, “lo- of professional historians who increasingly aim to
Alexander Hamilton. Unlike most merge discerning analysis with lively narrative, Stew-
founder books, “George Washington: The Political gistics, paperwork, art’s latest work lies in between. Is this book a correc-
Rise of America’s Founding Father” contends that tive, remedying other scholars’ mistakes? No. Was this
the first president was in complete control of the and organization,” book necessary? No. Yet it is well-informed, intricate
executive, minding every detail. He was, at various and straightforwardly told. While he gets carried away
moments, the “great unifier,” the “cheerleader presi- which he’d employ in places, Stewart uses an impressive range of sourc-
dent” and a “consummate performer,” doing his all es, showing breadth and scholarly heft.
to hold a fracturing nation together. in the Revolutionary
Washington did not expect to enjoy a ripe old age,
As a young man with an ambition to achieve pub- War, keeping “his being, he said, of “a short-lived family.” Dead at 67,
lic renown, Washington’s height and athleticism before the 19th century arrived, he has continued,
marked him. Growing up fast, guided by his older reputation intact” with posthumous authority, to commission skilled
half brother Lawrence, he became enmeshed in the writers to renew his life and propel him forward,
Ohio Company’s aggressive pursuit of frontier land, despite battlefield century by century. “The glorification of Washing-
which played a role in his choice of soldiering as a ton happened at high speed, long before he took the
means of advancement. Surviving smallpox, he be- reverses, while field against the British,” Stewart breezily notes at one
came a death-defying leader of ungovernable Virgin- point in his spirited chronicle. Yet he himself writes
ia troops during the French and Indian War, annoyed many other se- implausibly of Washington’s singularity at the time
in being denied a British army commission. “His in- of his presidential inauguration: He “embodied the
ability to pacify the frontier tortured him,” Stewart nior officers ended transition from monarchical and aristocratic society
writes. “Having known mostly failure in uniform, he to self-government. As a republican leader more regal
felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.” Yet as their careers ig- than most kings, he was uniquely suited to mediate
the author goes on to show, in tracing Washington’s that transition.” 
demanding life in the 1750s, he was often “petulant” nominiously. Yet
in communications with his patron, Gov. Robert GEORGE WASHINGTON
Dinwiddie; more tact would have yielded him more Washington’s difficult temper never
goodwill. In a masterfully drawn chapter, “Biting the THE POLITICAL RISE OF AMERICA’S FOUNDING FATHER
Hand,” Stewart details the drama (and theatrics) of quite receded.
BY DAVID O. STEWART | DUTTON. 552 PP. $32
The chapter “Man of Business, Master of Slaves” REVIEW BY ANDREW BURSTEIN, THE WASHINGTON POST

instructively analyzes the planter’s eager pursuit

of advanced farming methods. He was a hands-on

manager of his Northern Virginia lands: “Washing-

ton measured work obsessively, searching for better

ways to organize it.” A “devotion to time-and-mo-

tion studies” grew his farm output exponentially and

helped his revenue stream.

Following recent scholarship, the author under-

scores Washington’s complete acceptance of the insti-

tution of slavery. He resorted to euphemistic language

in which beatings were referred to as “correction.”

There is no sugarcoating the fact that he regarded hu-

man property as “assets.” He told an overseer to exer-

cise requisite civility but to avoid such informality as

narrowed social distance between free and enslaved;

for “they will grow upon familiarity, in proportion as

you will sink in authority.” Whether as military com-

mander or plantation master, Washington employed

corporal punishment. The author straddles a line, un-

easily granting a reprieve to one who made emancipa-

tion plans part of his final will. As Stewart writes, “Late

in life, but with his characteristic tenacity, he would

try to set an example.” As president for eight years,

Washington did nothing publicly to draw attention to

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 39

INSIGHT BRIDGE

THE LEAD ACHIEVES TWO PURPOSES WEST NORTH EAST
2 AQ9 7643
By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist A Q 10 9 652 KJ74
7632 A Q 10 8 4 —
Henri Frédéric Amiel, a 19th-century Swiss writer, said, “For purposes of action, 10 7 6 4 83 KJ952
nothing is more useful than narrowness of thought combined with energy of will.”
SOUTH
That applies to bridge players — the more unrelenting your concentration and tunnel K J 10 8 5
vision, the better. But today’s deal revolves around using cards for the purpose of 83
telling partner how to defend. KJ92
AQ
What should West lead against four spades after the given bidding sequence?
Dealer: South; Vulnerable: East-West
Note that this is the right auction regardless of whether you use Standard American
or two-over-one. In two-over-one, because a three-spade rebid by North would be The Bidding:
forcing, the jump to four spades limits his hand to a minimum game-force.
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
West should realize that his partner is probably void of diamonds. Also, when you give 1 Spades Pass 2 Diamonds Pass
your partner a ruff, the card you lead sends a suit-preference signal that tells partner 3 Diamonds Pass 4 Spades All Pass LEAD:
which of the other two side suits to return to get you back on lead, so that you can ??
deliver another ruff.

Here, that means West should lead the diamond seven, not because it is top of
nothing, but because he wants a heart shift. And that is how it goes. East ruffs at trick
one and leads back a low heart to his partner’s nine. West gives his partner a second
ruff, gets in again with a heart and delivers a third ruff for down two.

Note that if East shifts to a club at trick two, the contract cruises home.

Should East or West double the final contract?

No! There is a big risk that the opponents will run to five diamonds, which cannot be
defeated.





42 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (APRIL 29) ON PAGE 70

The Telegraph ACROSS DOWN
1 Comprehend (4) 1 Back of neck (4)
4 Ragout (4) 3 Der Ring composer (6)
8 Narrative (4) 4 Gracefully slim (6)
9 Past eight (anag.) (9) 5 Lengthen (6)
11 Conundrum (6) 6 Anne’s game (anag.)(9)
13 Eighth planet (7) 7 Star in Lyra (4)
15 Evening party (6) 10 Lethargy (7)
16 Soak (6) 12 Norwegian city (4)
18 Trick or gull (6) 13 German philosopher (9)
20 Spanish party (6) 14 Aquatic bird (7)
22 Companion (7) 17 Mound (4)
23 Intelligence agency(6) 19 Thus far (2,4)
25 Plant genus (9) 20 Brawl (6)
26 Pain (4) 21 US inventor (6)
27 King of the Gods (4) 23 Essence (4)
28 Gumption (4) 24 Dance skirt (4)

How to do Sudoku:

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

The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 43

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 110 “Me and Bobby McGee” 52 Sky bear The Washington Post
1 Brouhaha writer’s first name 53 Origin
4 William Colby’s org., once 54 Wiesbaden wife BRAVING THE ELEMENTS By Merl Reagle
7 In ___ (right away) 111 Stack-blowing feeling 55 ___ et orbi (Pope’s words
12 Blender variable 112 1950 Edmond O’Brien film THE Art & Science
17 Flamboyant 1940s singer? meaning “to the city and the
20 Does turkey duty 113 President pro ___ world”) of Cosmetic Surgery
22 Pioneer’s route? 114 Actor Young 56 Pool aid
23 Rap sheet info 115 Malls 58 Dickens pseudonym SPECIALTIES INCLUDE:
25 Brakes a bit 118 Evita character 63 L.A. judge of the 1990s • Minimal Incision Lift for the
26 Chowderhead’s name? 121 Mother-of-pearl 65 Oil tanker country
27 Dick Mary Higgins and 125 Qatar neighbor 66 A possessive Face, Body, Neck & Brow
127 Maverick automaker of gull- 68 Popular Korean surname • Breast Augmentations
Wesley 70 Evita character
29 Lyric-writing brother wing door fame? 71 Woody’s son & Reductions
30 French article 131 WWII POW camp 72 Utah national park • Post Cancer Reconstructions
32 Vacancies: abbr. 132 Sitcom couple? 74 See 103 Down • Chemical Peels • Botox
35 Type of crow 133 Promised 75 Hodgepodge • Laser Surgery • Tummy Tucks
36 Coll. reunion attendee 134 Branson, Mo., footwear 76 Testing places • Obagi Products • Liposculpture
37 Dad’s advice about those 135 Hostile, as a stare 77 On the ___ vive (watchful) • Skin Cancer Treatments
136 Clearance cards, familiarly 79 Author Wolf
smelly sneakers? 82 Abbr. after 65
45 Homework assignment: DOWN 84 Puts on the stove
1 Pretends to be 86 Deep-red stone
abbr. 2 James and the Giant Peach 88 Pianist Gilels
46 Mickey’s first wife 89 Canvas subject
author 91 Close out, as a computer file
47 Peter Pan dog 3 Hydrox alternative 92 Cold War abbr.
48 Positive reaction 4 Underthing, once 93 “Boy, I could ___ horse!”
49 RAF quaff 5 Gerund finish 95 Commonplace
50 Viewer at whom This Old 6 Singer Tori 96 Give in a little
7 Conductor Toscanini 97 ___-European
House is aimed? 8 Vlasic vessel 98 Horn sound
57 Nellie of toast fame 9 Cookbook author Garten 103 Ecstasy star
59 Ariz. neighbor 10 Acct. insurer 104 Tunes for trained voices
60 1796 song, “Comin’ ___ the 11 World Series time 105 The dark times
12 Pyramid insect 106 Dawn hue
Rye” 13 Tree-lined routes 107 With Percé, a tribe
61 Missionary Junipero 14 Uses the wrong 108 Tucson sight
62 Part of a Star Wars name 109 Extreme poverty
64 The Time Machine race fork, e.g. 110 92 Down’s “enforcers”: abbr.
67 Fish by itself? 15 Adam knew her 115 ___ Alto, Calif.
69 Start of a child’s recitation 16 Arnaz-Ball studio 116 “This looks like ___ for
70 Dizzy’s music 18 Crybaby Superman”
73 Daffy Duck’s apology? 19 Price of a loan: abbr. 117 No great shakes
77 Nestlé mix 21 Play a 12-string 119 Fashion’s bottom line
78 Swiss canton 24 Playwright Shepard 120 Pertaining to grades 1
79 Blithe Spirit author’s first 28 Recipe verb through 12, in publisher’s
31 Ayatollah predecessor shorthand
name 33 Pasteur portrayer Paul 122 Latin 103
80 La ___ Tar Pits 34 ASAP, to an RN 123 Regretted
81 Down Under biped 36 Route to your seat 124 Ambulance crew mbrs.
83 Island greeting 37 Group of harnessed dogs 126 Unpolished
85 Like some straits 38 Wheel connector 128 Med. insurance option
87 Jerry’s partner 39 Hull protrusion 129 Word before pick
90 Arouse, as one’s interest 40 Regular or wit
94 Response to a personal 41 Fashioned 130 Fond du ___, Wis.
42 Whenever you want
question? 43 Sodium hydroxide, briefly
99 Abbr. on Dream Team jersey 44 Recycle
100 Medical journal grp. 50 Pull opener
101 Well, to Michel 51 Beyond
102 Response to the JP
103 Tilt, as a ship
104 Shakespeare tragedy?

The Telegraph Proudly caring for patients over 28 years.

3790 7th Terrace, Suite 101, Vero Beach, Florida

772.562.5859

www.rosatoplasticsurgery.com

Ralph M. Rosato
MD, FACS

44 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

Is it OK to (still) use pandemic as excuse to skip wedding?

BY CAROLYN HAX such a long-term friendship but, from my end, I’m but your emotional blockage is OK?
Washington Post I urge you to reframe all this not as a wed-
feeling like things will definitely not be the same.
Dear Carolyn: My child was to ding-attendance-as-proof-of-friendship
have been married last year at a – Anonymous matter, but instead as one of emerging and
venue several hours from our home recovering from a traumatic period.
state. When everything was can- Anonymous: That’s because you are actively
celed because of COVID-19, the choosing not to let them be so. Both of you (read: so, so many of us) are
couple decided to be married at the trying to glue selves and routines back to-
local courthouse. They still wanted to have the wed- The way you describe your friend, they have no gether after seeing so much taken away.
ding ceremony as planned, so it is happening soon. barrier to traveling besides an emotional one. Right? Both of you are going to need some time be-
A number of people have decided against attend- fore you start to feel something like your old
ing because they won’t yet be fully vaccinated.We have Fair interpretation? confidence and insouciance again.
an extremely close, very-longtime family friend who So please note this as well: You have no barrier to
is in good health and fully vaccinated, who was until accepting their decision without hard feelings be- And you will want to do so in your own
recently all about going but suddenly doesn’t feel safe sides an emotional one. ways, presumably, without judges standing
attending and is purportedly very upset about this. So why is their emotional blockage so bad that by.
While this person has been careful this past year, they you feel you can’t trust their friendship anymore,
do work full-time in a public setting and do travel lo- So why not do yourself the favor of fore-
cally. sight and decide, now, that when you even-
Of course I understand and respect people’s con- tually do get your life settled again, it will be
cerns but this really hurts. Their reasoning is that they better with this longtime friend still in it? Why not
are too terrified to fly, stay in a hotel and don’t want decide that maybe you’re overreacting to their first
to drive, although they have driven several hours for wobbly steps toward normalcy? Maybe because
other reasons. you’re still wobbly, too?
Quite a few of the people who are coming are either That is not only a way to be more generous, and
elderly, have health issues or live on the opposite end therefore feel more generous (and therefore be
of the country, yet they are willing to travel. The entire more generous, in a virtuous cycle).
wedding ceremony and reception are outdoors, and It is also squarely on your side of the line; you
the close friend knows this. don’t get to decide for other people whether their
What do I do with this? I really don’t want it to ruin reasons for feeling “terrified” are valid. You just
don’t. But you can correct fundamental attribu-
tion errors – meaning, you can give others the same
benefits you give yourself of the same doubts, and
assume they’re doing their best. 

MUCH ADO IN ’22:

INDIAN RIVER SYMPHONIC ASSOCIATION PREVIEW

46 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

MUCH ADO INDIAN RIVER SYMPHONIC

IN ’22: ASSOCIATION PREVIEW
BY PAM HARBAUGH | CORRESPONDENT Indian River Symphonic board members Susan Smith, president;

When the pandemic hit in March Penny Odiorne, advisor/founder; and Michele Witt, secretary.
2020, the Indian River Symphonic As-
sociation was forced to halt perfor- PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES
mances in the middle of their season.
Like many others, they then also had roaring back with a season that should
to cancel their entire 2021 season, be the envy of any symphonic organi-
leaving musicians, organizers and zation. The season, which runs Janu-
patrons alike at a musical loss. ary through April 2022, boasts musical
gravitas and great promise.
“It was very disappointing,” says
longtime patron Virginia Edwards of It features the return of Joshua Bell
Vero Beach. “There’s nothing like live performing with the Academy of St.
classical music. And their programs Martin in the Fields and, a real rarity
are outstanding.” outside of Miami, will include a concert
by the New World Symphony featuring
Now, though, IRSA is set to come emerging young virtuoso musicians.
The season will present the winner
of the prestigious Wieniawski Violin
Competition playing with the Polish
Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra,
and the return of the Russian National

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 47

ARTS & THEATRE

56, Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. Williams.” This is a pops concert that
2 in D minor, Op. 22 and Schubert’s celebrates the famed composer’s 90th
Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944, birthday.
“The Great.”
Featuring concertmaster Lisa Fer-
Kitts says the Brahms and Schubert rigno, the BSO will perform pieces
pieces were once considered “war from “Schindler’s List” as well as from
horses,” and were played over and “Harry Potter,” “Superman,” “Indiana
over. But they fell out of favor and have Jones,” “Jurassic Park” and “Star Wars.”
not been played for more than 20 years
in Vero Beach. So now, Kitts says, they The BSO is a favorite of IRSA audi-
will be new to IRSA audiences. ences, in part because of Confessore,
whom Kitts calls “very precise, very
Friday, Feb. 4, 2022: The Brevard clear, first rate.” Moreover, because
Symphony Orchestra, led by conduc- it’s not a touring orchestra, the BSO
tor Christopher Confessore, will per- can offer more modern works that
form “The Wondrous World of John broaden programming. Touring or-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 48

The Polish Wieniawski
Philharmonic Orchestra.

Orchestra. And the stalwart Brevard Wojcoech Rodek.
Symphony Orchestra returns to per-
form three outstanding concerts. principal conductor Wojciech Rodek
will feature the winner of the Wien-
“It’s a fabulous season of seven iawski Violin Competition, which Kitts
concerts,” says IRSA board member likens to the Cliburn Piano Competi-
Christopher Kitts. tion. While the winner has yet to be
chosen, Kitts says it will be “one of the
Kitts, who has an extensive back- great young violinists in the world.”
ground in classical music and has per-
formed and conducted professionally The program includes Brahms’
for decades, says he was “absolutely Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op.
blown away” when he moved to Vero
Beach and saw the major orchestras
IRSA was bringing in to perform. He
introduced himself to IRSA adminis-
trator Staci Rosbury, and she quickly
gave his name to the board.

He currently serves as board vice
president and concert producer,
which means he guides the selection
of orchestras and programming, and
deals with agents and contracts.

Kitts also waxes rhapsodic over the
concerts on tap for the 2022 season.
Here’s the extraordinary lineup:

Friday, Jan. 21, 2022: The Polish Wie-
niawski Philharmonic Orchestra with

48 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 47

chestras generally program standard
repertoire because they can’t predict
audience tastes, Kitts says.

Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022: The Rus-
sian National Orchestra with con-
ductor Kirill Karabits and pianist Al-
exander Malofeev will perform the
Beethoven Egmont Overture, Op. 84,
Prokofiev’s Piano concerto No. 3 in
C major, Op. 26 and Prokofiev’s Sym-
phony No. 5 in B-flat major, Op. 100.

Alexander
Malofeev.

Joshua Bell.

Christopher Confessore This concert should be “really ex- Sunday, March 6, 2022: The New
and Lisa Ferrigno. citing,” Kitts says. “It’s so much fun. World Symphony, led by conduc-
It’s Prokofiev at his most whimsical … tor Stéphane Denève and featuring
(and) powerful.” members of the St. Louis Symphony,
will perform Haydn’s Sinfonia Con-
Thursday, March 3, 2022: Virtuoso certante in B-flat major, Beethoven’s
violinist Joshua Bell will perform with Symphony No. 7, II. Allegretto, Si-
and direct the Academy of St. Martin mon’s “Fate Now Conquers,” De-
in the Fields in their fifth appearance bussy’s Nuage et Fêtes from “Noc-
with IRSA, and his concerts always turnes” and Debussy’s “Ibéria.”
sell out far in advance.
Kitts is especially excited about this
The concert includes Bach’s Violin
Concerto in A minor, Barber’s Vio- Stéphane Denève.
lin Concerto, Op. 14 and Beethoven’s
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op.
55, “Eroica.”

Kitts says Bell’s name recogni-
tion is high because of his many PBS
concerts and the music scores he has
played for such movies as “The Red
Violin.” His reputation has also been
amplified by his high-profile concerts
in Central Park.

“And he’s a very handsome, good
looking young man who is a superb
player,” Kitts says. “He has charis-
ma. That puts him in another league
above most violinists.”

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 49

ARTS & THEATRE

concert because it is such a rarity to Joyce Yang.
have the renowned orchestra perform
outside of Miami. “They don’t tour,” of Rome” and “The Pines of Rome.”
he says. This concert is “big,” Kitts says.

“Denève conducted in Vero a cou- “Berlioz uses triangles, trombones,
ple seasons ago with the Brussel’s percussions in a different way. The
Philharmonic. He’s one of the best Chopin totally shows off the piano.
conductors I’ve seen in the last 10 The orchestra is basically told to get
years. His precision, anticipation … out of the way. And you can’t get any
he’s so clear (and) on top of it all.” bigger than the Respighi, one of the
greatest composers of the 20th centu-
The New World Symphony, co- ry. Dramatic, with a finale that’ll blow
founded by conductor Michael Tilson the roof off the auditorium. You can’t
Thomas, is the proving ground for end in a better way.”
young musicians who have graduated
from the finest music schools, and IRSA is also committed to offering
early on made the decision against
becoming a touring orchestra.

“I called them and said, ‘It’s not re-
ally a tour, we’re only two hours away
from Miami,’” Kitts says. “I convinced
them to come up and do this concert.
My board was blown away, they were
so happy.”

Sunday, March 13, 2022: The BSO
with conductor Christopher Confes-
sore and violinist Paul Huang will
perform Beethoven’s Leonore Over-
ture No. 3, Op. 72, Tchaikovsky’s Vio-
lin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 and
Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1 in F

Paul Huang.

minor, Op. 10. musical opportunities to area students,
“The Leonore Overture No. 3 is very through its annual Children’s Concert,
performed by the Brevard Symphony
well known,” Kitts says. “It’s a terrific Orchestra for all fifth-grade students in
piece to play. The audience will love the county; through the IRSA Scholar-
it, and many will know it.” ship program, which has granted more
than $150,000 to 29 local students; and
The concert’s range is wide, with through stipends to support school and
the romance of the Tchaikovsky con- nonprofit music programs.
certo to the Shostakovich modern
work, which audiences with either All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. at the
love or hate, Kitts says. “I think it’s ex- Community Church of Vero Beach,
citing. It’s visceral.” 1901 23rd St., Vero Beach. Season tick-
ets are $395 to $435. Individual tickets
Friday, April 8, 2022: The BSO with range from $60 to $100 depending on
conductor Christopher Confessore the performance; single event tickets
and pianist Joyce Yang will perform will go on sale in November. For more
Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture, information, call 772-778-1070 or visit
Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E mi- IRSymphonic.org. 
nor, Op. 11, Respighi’s “The Fountains

50 Vero Beach 32963 / May 6, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

COMING UP! Start Friday’s Gallery Stroll off the beaten path

BY PAM HARBAUGH a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 170 entries from artists mostly from
Correspondent p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and noon Florida. The annual exhibition has
to 4 p.m. Sundays. Call 302-521-4175 or had a long history. Last year, while the
Enjoy the beauty and expressiveness of visit TheRoweGallery.com. After your pandemic raged, organizers present-
art this weekend at a gallery stroll and visit at the Rowe, head to the actual ed a special online project: Photogra-
at the return of a cherished annual ex- Gallery Stroll up and down 14th Av- phers posted works on social media
hibition. enue from 19th to 21st streets. There, with the hashtag #EyeAmCreative.
about a dozen galleries will remain Certainly, people were thrilled with
1 Try something different at this open until 8 p.m. to welcome visi- the participatory aspect of that proj-
month’s First Friday Gallery tors. “There’s a really fun atmosphere ect. However, this year, organizers
with people out and about, populat- are delighted to bring back the proper
Stroll in the Arts District of downtown ing downtown Vero Beach, enjoying juried exhibition. “We’re up and run-
the art and the Florida weather,” says ning,” says museum executive direc-
Vero Beach – start outside the area. Elise Mahovlich, executive assistant tor Marshall Adams. “We are looking
for the Cultural Council of Indian forward to opening 2021 ‘Eye of the
The Rowe Gallery, new in town, sits River County. “And the restaurants are Camera.’” The panel of three jurors
busy. It makes it feel very communi- decided on which works to accept
outside the conventional area of the ty-oriented.” The First Friday Gallery into the competition and which ones
Stroll runs 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, May receive awards. Entries, which com-
Gallery Stroll. But owner/artist Lori 7. For more information on the Gallery prise both color and black-and-white,
Stroll, call 772-770-4857 or visit Cul- vary in subject matter, including ani-
Rowe says she’s keeping her gallery tural-Council.org. mals, wildlife, landscapes, flora, por-
traits and more. The photographers
open at least until 6 p.m. So why not are primarily from Florida. “We are
sticklers about presentation,” Adams
start there? Enjoy a libation. Chat with says. “We judge by physical entry, in-
cluding framing. That can limit it to
Rowe, a friendly woman who recently people who are nearby.” While some and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Visitors
people may perceive the Backus Mu- should call the museum and RSVP
returned to Vero Beach after living seum to be primarily one that pre- so that the museum can regulate the
serves works of Highwaymen artists, number of people in the galleries at
years in California. View her beautiful for whom Backus was so well known any one time. The A.E. Backus Muse-
for influencing, the photography ex- um and Gallery is at 500 North Indian
art. She says she loves chatting with hibition is in keeping with the muse- River Drive, Fort Pierce. Admission is
um’s mission. “We promote the arts in $5 general and free for children under
people when they visit her gallery. “I the community and we preserve the 18 years of age, students and active
artistic legacy and humanity of A.E. military service. Discounts available.
love it when people pop in just for a 2 “Through the Eye of the Cam- Backus. That gives us the leeway to Call 772-465-0630 or visit Backus-
era” opens this Friday, May 7, at do a lot of exciting things. He was re- Museum.org.
cup of coffee,” she says. “People don’t ally interested in encouraging fellow
artists to do their best work. We view
need to feel like they have to buy some- the A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery these juried shows as an extension of
that legacy.” The exhibition’s open-
thing.” The Rowe Gallery is at 46 Royal in Historic Downtown Fort Pierce. ing hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday,
May 7, Saturday, May 8 and Sunday,
Palm Pointe, Vero Beach. Hours are 10 The exhibition attracted more than May 9. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday
3 See the latest on the runway at the
New Horizons Fashion Bazaar’s

Outdoor Fashion Show. The event takes

place 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, May 10

at the Quail Valley River Club. Dedicat-

ed by Michael Thorpe in loving mem-

ory of Kimberly Thorpe, the fashion

show features local designers, vendors,

complimentary champagne and heavy

hors d’oeuvres. Presented by Nila

Moylan, the event helps raise funds for

mental health services in Indian River

County. The Quail Valley River Club is

at 2345 Highway A1A, Vero Beach. Tick-

ets are $75. Call 772-672-8333 or visit

NHTCInc.org/events. 


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