11/06/2025 ISSUE 45

Residents of Provence Bay, a mainland community of Spanish revival townhomes and villas a mile south of the 17th Street Bridge, are up in arms over the Florida Inland Navigation District’s plan to store 163,000 cubic yards of dredged muck in a huge earthen structure next door to their homes.Less than a month ago, the residents were notified that FIND intends to dig a canal and construct a dredge material basin just south of their community to hold muck that will be removed from a stretch of the Intercoastal Waterway running from Grand Harbor down to the St. Lucie County line.Homeowners say they fear The Hospital District in special session Monday night unanimously approved giving Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital $2 million in taxpayer funding in exchange for a commitment to keep its Labor and Delivery Unit here open at least another three years.Hospital Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Richard Rothman did not attend Monday night’s special call meeting, but said: “We truly appreciate all the hard work from our Cleveland Clinic teams and the district that has been put into ensuring that Indian River County can thrive and provide top-tier maternity services for our growing community.”But why this agreement was rushed to a special call vote – which was not even on the schedule when the Hospital District held its regular October INSIDETo advertise call: 772-559-4187For circulation or where to pick up your issue call: 772-226-7925NEWSHEALTHREAL ESTATE1-91016ARTSGAMESCALENDARB1B8B11© 2025 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.MY TAKEBY RAY MCNULTYSorry, judge, this wasno time to be lenientNovember 6, 2025 | Volume 12, Issue 45 | Newsstand Price: $1.00 | For breaking news visit VeroNews.comYOUR LOCAL NEWS SOURCE FOR INDIAN RIVER COUNTYTARGETED THERAPIESHELP PATIENTS BEATBREAST CANCERYour Health, Page 10PHOTO EXHIBITIONPUTS COMPLEXITIESINTO CLEAR FOCUS In Arts & Theatre, P. B2NEWS ANALYSISHospital Districtapproves $2Mfor maternity careBy Ray McNulty | Staff [email protected] ON PAGE 3Two weeks ago, while presiding over a plea hearing in the high-profile Grind + Grape stabbing incident that occurred in the wee hours of New Year’s Day 2024, Circuit Judge Robert Meadows decided the crime didn’t deserve prison time.Instead, Meadows sentenced Michael Gaudiani to 18 months of house arrest and four years of probation.It didn’t matter that Gaudiani had viciously plunged a knife-like weapon into the lower back of an unsuspecting Mason Haynes, a young man who was being bent over and twisted into a vulnerable position by the stabber’s son.Or that Gaudiani wasn’t in fear of bodily harm – wasn’t standing his ground, or defending himself, or even defending his son.Or that Haynes, who collapsed on the sidewalk outside the establishment, could have bled out and died after Gaudiani and his family fled the scene, showing no regard for the victim.Rather than give Gaudiani the punishment he deserved for the second-degree felony of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, Meadows shrugged off prosecutors’ recommendation of a three-year prison term and gave the guy a break.The judge, apparently, embraced Gaudiani’s argument that he was raised by a strict, family-first father and suffered from PTSD, hypervigilance syndrome and anxiety, all of which the perpetrator said contributed to his By Lisa Zahner | Staff [email protected] Steven M. Thomas | Staff [email protected] fume over muck storage plan near lagoonPay-to-park system seen likely amid airport growthBy this time next year, travelers might be required to pay to park in the long-term lots at Vero Beach Regional Airport.Discussions, which began in June, are ongoing between airport management and a new locally connected partnership that has proposed an initial investment of more than $2.3 million to install a payto-park system at the city-owned facility.“This is all very preliminary,” Airport Director Todd Scher said last week, “but we feel pretty good about this partnership, and we’re continuing to talk about potential lease terms and concession fees to address our parking challenges and contribute to our revenue stream.”Currently, parking at the airport is free.CONTINUED ON PAGE 6CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS

2 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.comNEWS OTHERS MISS, OR CHOOSE TO IGNORE | PUBLISHED WEEKLYMILTON R. BENJAMINPresident and Publisher | [email protected] | 772.559.4187LOCATED AT 4855 NORTH A1A, VERO BEACH, FL 32963 | 772.226.7925STEVEN M. THOMASManaging Editor | [email protected] | 772.453.1196DAN ALEXANDERCreative Director | [email protected] | 772.539.2700Associate Editor: Paul Keaney, Asst. Managing Editor: Lisa Zahner, Society Editor: Mary Schenkel, Reporters: Stephanie LaBaff, Ray McNulty, Samantha Rohlfing Baita, George Andreassi, Columnists: Kerry Firth, Ellen Fischer, Jackie Holfelder, Tina Rondeau, The Bonz, Photographer: Joshua Kodis, Graphic Designers: Robert Simonson, Jennifer Greenaway, Larissa BemesderferJUDY DAVIS Director of [email protected] | 772.633.1115KATHLEEN MACGLENNON | [email protected] | 772.633.0753MARIO CORBICIERO | [email protected] | 772.559.5999ADVERTISING SALESCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1MY TAKEviolent reaction to seeing his son engaged in a physical altercation.Meadows also appeared to have been swayed by the substantial restitution payment Gaudiani made to Haynes in an out-of-court settlement, and the stabber’s completion of 90 weeks of anger-management therapy.And, from a legal perspective, Gaudiani’s Vero Beach attorney, Andrew Metcalf, argued that his client had no prior criminal record, expressed remorse, and the stabbing wasn’t premeditated.In a phone interview last week, Metcalf said there was no compelling reason to send Gaudiani, now 68, to prison.“He’s under house arrest, he’ll be on probation for four years, he has paid restitution and gone through anger management,” Metcalf said. “You know something like this is never going to happen again.“So, other than pure retribution,” he added, “what’s the purpose of a three-year prison term?”The purpose?How about imposing a fitting punishment for a heinous, unprovoked and entirely unnecessary act that has left Haynes and his family devastated?Indeed, Florida law states: “The primary purpose of sentencing is to punish the offender. Rehabilitation is a desired goal of the criminal justice system, but it is subordinate to the goal of punishment.”In an emotional courtroom statement to Meadows, Haynes’ mother, Suzanne, said she and her husband, Matt, are still haunted by vivid memories of seeing their son, who was 26 at the time of the stabbing, lying in a hospital bed.She spoke of her heartbreak at observing the changes in her son – how a once confident and outgoing young man now struggles with fear and anxiety, having become more cynical and distrustful.The stabbing, in fact, has prompted Haynes to leave Vero Beach and move to Montana.“I am standing here because I want the court to understand the depth of what this violence has done,” Haynes’ mother told Meadows. “My son did not deserve this. He was just a 26-year-old looking toward the future, out for New Year’s Eve. The defendant’s choice changed everything.“I hope justice is served,” she added. “I ask that your sentence reflects the seriousness of what was done.”It didn’t. It didn’t come close.The maximum penalty for this crime is 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Meadows is letting Gaudiani serve his sentence in the not-too-uncomfortable confines of his homes in the Riomar neighborhood of Vero Beach or Shaker Heights, Ohio.(For those wondering: Shaker Heights is a Cleveland suburb known for its beautiful and walkable neighborhoods, vibrant commercial districts, historic architecture, and desirable quality of life.)All of us should be appalled that someone could be deliberately stabbed in the back in a popular Vero wine bar – in front of witnesses and surveillance cameras – on one of the most-festive nights of the year.All of us should be outraged that one of our local judges gave the perpetrator a pass.“There’s no question what happened,” said Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey, whose department handed prosecutors a slam-dunk case. “We all saw it on the video. There was no way to refute it.“I thought he’d get at least some prison time,” he added. “This is a bad look for our community.”It’s worse than embarrassing.It’s maddening.Remember: Gaudiani admitted to the stabbing. He pled guilty to a violent felony. He settled a sure-thing civil lawsuit out of court.And he doesn’t go to prison?“Any time someone uses a deadly weapon to injure someone, the state is going to pursue prison time,” said Assistant State Attorney Bill Long, who oversees the agency’s office in our county. “We thought prison was merited in this case, and that’s what we asked for.”Even three years seems inadequate, especially in our community, where we’ve become used to tough judges imposing stiff sentences, particularly for violent crimes resulting in serious injury.Just over a year ago, County Judge Robyn Stone sentenced Gaudiani’s son – a Harvard-educated orthopedic surgeon also named Michael – to 30 days in jail for a misdemeanor battery charge for initiating the physical altercation just prior to the stabbing.In doing so, Stone, who wasn’t satisfied that the punishment fit the crime, overrode a no-jail plea deal negotiated between prosecutors and Metcalf, who also represented the younger Gaudiani.She did agree to withhold adjudication of guilt, and Metcalf said the younger Gaudiani’s case filed has been sealed.To be sure, we’ve had plenty of judges who, based on their track record, would not have given much credence to Gaudiani’s claim he suffered from hypervigilance syndrome.Aren’t most parents hypervigilant when it comes to keeping their children safe?“As parents, we live with hypervigilance every day – constantly being on alert, protecting our children – but we don’t harm others because of it,” Haynes’ mother said after Gaudiani’s sentencing. “To use that word as a defense for a violent act is beyond comprehension.”Truth is, the arguments Gaudiani used to stay out of prison ring hollow: On the night of the incident,he was at Grind + Grape with his wife and family – and the stabbing didn’t occur immediately. The friction between the Haynes and the Gaudianis began when the family wanted to occupy a table being used by Haynes and two women friends, who weren’t in a hurry to move.The tensions simmered for about 15 minutes, until Gaudiani’s son grabbed Haynes and wrestled him into a position where Haynes’ bare back was exposed.That’s when Gaudiani, who suddenly had a knife-like weapon in his hand, stabbed him.Which raises the question: If Gaudiani had these troubling issues – PTSD, hypervigilance syndrome and anxiety – why didn’t he, his wife or medically trained son suggest they disengage with Haynes and de-escalate a potentially volatile situation?Surely, one of them could’ve said, “We don’t need this. We’re out to have fun. Let’s go somewhere else.”Had that happened, there would have been no scuffle, no stabbing, no criminal case.In hindsight, Gaudiani no doubt regrets what he did. He might be the good husband, good father and good man his family and friends say he is. Now, he’s also convicted felon.But he’s not an inmate.“When the justice system prioritizes a defendant’s feelings over a victim’s experience, it fails every family who believes justice should mean something,” Haynes’ mother said. “Judge Meadows has failed me and my family.”In this case anyway, Judge Meadows has failed our community. Grind + Grape on Bougainvillea Lane, site of a stabbing in the wee hours of New Year’s Day 2024. FILE PHOTO

cloud the lagoon’s then Key West-clear water.Then and thereafter, FIND began to plan for inland storage and acquire DMMAs, or dredge material management areas, up and down the length of the lagoon.“FIND has purchased properties at various intervals along the lagoon to make dredging more efficient,” FIND executive director Janet Zimmerman told Vero News. “You can only pump the material so far before you have to add booster pumps and it becomes more difficult and expensive to get the dredging done.”As part of that process, FIND selected three sites in Indian River County, including the site by Provence Bay, which is designated DMMA IR-14 in official documents.In the mid-1990s, FIND conducted an extensive evaluation of the Vero Beach site that included soil and water testing, examination of plant and animal life on the parcel, and input from state agencies and a local citizens advisory committee to determine if DMMA IR-14 was a suitable location for muck storage.The answer was yes, and the agency purchased five parcels of land totaling about 54 acres from the state and several private owners, paying between $11,000 and $84,000 per acre.But all of that was years before Provence Bay existed. The community’s earliest phases were built in 2007, so the neighborhood was not considered in FIND’s initial examination of the property.FIND’s land lay fallow for more than two decades and most people moving into the community were blissfully unaware that a major construction project was planned for some point in the future next door to their subdivision.Both Clay and Scardino say they were assured by their real estate agents when they purchased their homes that the property to the south was preserve land that would never be developed.And part of it is. The property that adjoins Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS November 6, 2025 3CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1MOUNTAIN OF MUCKCONTINUED ON PAGE 4construction noise and dust, foul smells from the muck that FIND plans to remove from the Intracoastal Waterway, toxic material, flooding, swarms of mosquitoes due to standing water, and reduced property values.“My level of concern is 10 out of 10,” says Jeff Clay, a dentist who lives in Sandpointe on the island and owns a home on Monaco Place in Provence Bay that backs up to FIND’s 54-acre parcel. His wife’s parents, both in their 80s, reside in the home. “My concerns start with the adverse effect this project will have on our property values,” says Lisa Scardino, who owns a 1,900-square-foot townhome at the southern end of Chevel Drive, right next to FIND’s acreage, according to property records.Drawings included in a public notice published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Sept. 30 show a new canal running within 50 feet of Scardino’s and Clay’s property, and Scardino also fears flooding.“In the eight years we’ve lived here, we have been hit by three hurricanes – Irma, Nicole and Milton – and every one of them changed that field into a lake that came dangerously close to flooding our home,” says Scardino. “That was without a dike, canal and reservoir in the middle of it!”FIND drawings show the dike around the muck basin rising 14 feet above sea level, which is 7 feet above the existing grade in Provence Bay. A Sept. 30 public notice was posted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to let people know that FIND had applied for a Clean Water Act environmental permit needed prior to construction.It states that “the 53.38-acre dredge material management area (DMMA) site is located just south of Vero Beach, Florida, extending from Indian River Boulevard to the Indian River Lagoon, a designated Aquatic Preserve . . . The site is bounded to the north by residential housing and to the south by the Lagoon Greenway, which includes a portion of the Lagoon Greenway Loop Trail.”A designated aquatic preserve might seem like a strange place to build a hulking muck storage basin – which will occupy about a third of FIND’s parcel – but inland storage of dredged material actually began due to environmental concerns.During and before the 1960s, when FIND dredged the Indian River navigation channel, it piled the muck up outside the channel to create the many “spoil islands” that dot the lagoon, and to fill wetlands that were wanted for development. Riverside Park was created out of swampland by this means, according to Indian River County Historian Ruth Stanbridge.In the 1960s and 1970s, scientists determined that creating spoil islands and filling wetlands damaged the aquatic environment and laws were passed that required dredge material to be stored inland to sequester any toxins or materials that would

But the demand for on-site parking has grown as Breeze Airways, which added Vero Beach to route map in February 2023, has steadily expanded its nonstop commercial service to seven destinations.More parking will likely be needed next month when JetBlue launches daily direct service to and from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, and again in February when American Eagle will offer daily flights between Vero Beach and Charlotte, North Carolina.The proposal was submitted by Envision Parking Partners – created specifically for this project by Vero Beach’s Steve Kovaleski and John Mostoller – and Gainesville-based SafeParc, which boasts a resume that includes airports, universities, hospitals and cities.In fact, SafeParc CEO Dilshan Singh joined the Envision partners when they made their formal presentation to the city’s Airport Commission last month.According to their joint proposal, the partnership would provide the infrastructure, technology, maintenance and customer service needed to modernize the airport’s long-term parking facilities.Kovaleski said the planned improvements would include construction of paved lots, lighting upgrades, signage to enhance traffic flow, and user-friendly software provided by SafeParc.Singh said his company employees 200 workers and operates a 24-hour call center to offer assistance to customers, who may pay to park using their mobile phones – by scanning a QR code, texting or calling.The company also utilizes license plate recognition technology, Singh said, relying on cameras to monitor who is using the lots, as well as to provide an additional level of safety and security.In return, Kovaleski said the partnership is seeking a long-term lease that would provide the airport with rent payments and a percentage of the concessions from parking fees.Scher said any lease likely would be for a term of 30 years with at least one 10-year option – much like those offered to other fixed-base operators at the airport.The City Council, which would need to approve any such contract, asked Scher to give a presentation regarding the proposal at this past Tuesday’s (Nov. 4) meeting.“This proposal represents more than a the south side of FIND’s land belongs to Indian River County and St. Johns River Water Management District, and Indian River Land Trust owns property to the south and north of Provence Bay. The Lagoon Greenway Trail runs through connected parcels, passing just east of Provence Bay, and Land Trust executive director Ken Grudens says he expects the trail to remain intact where it crosses FIND’s land even if the muck storage pit is built – though it might be closed temporarily due to pipes crossing the trail.Scardino, Clay and other residents along the southern edge of Provence Bay were informed of U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s public notice via certified mail in the first and second weeks of October.The notice solicited comments from community residents and other interested parties but gave them only until Oct. 21 to respond. After complaints about the tight timeframe, the Corps extended the comment period to Oct. 30.The notice states that the Corps will hold a public meeting to provide information and hear citizen feedback if one is requested and multiple Provence Bay residents have asked for an in-person meeting.A time for the presentation/meeting has not been announced, but the approval process is ongoing. The last time FIND built a dredge material basin in the county in 2011-2012 two miles south of Sebastian, there was a fair amount of controversy.Hundreds of citizens, members of the county commission and state lawmakers pressed FIND to test the muck it planned to store at the site and otherwise ensure the safety of surrounding residents. FIND complied and eventually completed the storage facility. It has since been used in several dredging operations but is not full, according to Zimmerman.If FIND secures its Clean Water Act permit from the Corps, along with all other needed approvals, the Corps will build the impoundment.According to the Corps, FIND is committed to balancing environmental and community concerns with the practical necessities of its mandate to maintain a 12-foot depth along the length of the Intracoastal Waterway for recreational boating, commerce and national security purposes.Seeking that balance, FIND revised its original plan, reducing the size of basin and moving it westward to avoid harming 19 acres of mangrove wetlands on the shore of the lagoon. Revision also brought the project closer to Provence Bay.FIND is a special taxing district created by the Florida Legislature in 1927 to create and keep open an inland waterway along Florida’s Atlantic Coast. Maps on the district’s website show shoaling – an accumulation of muck that reduces the navigation channel’s depth – along the Indian River County stretch of the waterway that necessitates dredging. Zimmerman expects construction to be complete by the end of 2026, with dredging to follow several years later. “The dikes have to settle for a year or two before material can be placed in the basin,” Zimmerman says. 4 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.comCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1AIRPORT PARKINGCONTINUED FROM PAGE 3MOUNTAIN OF MUCKCONTINUED ON PAGE 6

6 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.comlease,” Singh said. “It is us coming in and providing a full, modernized, turn-key parking solution.”Kovaleski and Singh said the cost of parking in the long-term lots – at least initially – will be as much as 40 percent less expensive than the rates offered at airports in Orlando, Melbourne and Sanford.The start-up rate here could be as low as $10 per day, they said, adding that they hope the lower cost will soften the blow of being required to pay to park. The rates are expected to increase over time.Both partners said there was no immediate demand for a multi-level parking structure, but they would be willing to consider such a project if the circumstances change in the future.If the parties agree on lease terms, the project gets the council’s approval and the partnership can get the necessary permitting from the county, work on the additional lots could begin next summer.“That’s a possibility, but not a probability,” Scher said, adding that he expects work on the project, if the lease is granted, to continue into early 2027.Still, he said the proposal is attractive and he’s optimistic a lease can be negotiated.“If you’ve been on social media or have been reading the news, there’s a demand for something to be done quickly,” Scher said, acknowledging that the airport – with the arrivals of JetBlue and American – has generated plenty of headlines in recent months. “This is one way to get it done.”Scher said leasing to an outside vendor not only would expedite any parking projects, but it would also ease the burden on his staff, which, despite the arrival of commercial airlines, hasn’t expanded over the past five years.In the meantime, Scher and his staff have responded to complaints about the airport’s short-term lot too often being at capacity, which impacts customers of C.J. Cannon’s restaurant, located inside the terminal.The airport has converted 54-space Lot A, which previously was used for longterm parking, into an employees-only lot that may be used only by vehicles displaying a permit. meetings just two weeks ago – is still unclear.The big unanswered question is whether the Hospital District – even if it took an extra month or two to negotiate an agreement – could have fought harder and obtained a guarantee of maternity care in Vero long past the close of 2028.Trustee Allen Jones, the district’s liaison on obstetrical and maternity care, acknowledged the obvious unfinished business. “We want this to go forward in a sustainable way. We want mothers to be assured this service is going to be here. We want fathers to know their wives are going to be cared for in our county. It’s important to the public,” Jones said. “I’m ready to get off of first base and start heading toward home.”Most of the agreement, which was written similar to a resolution, seems like window dressing. It establishes a committee to discuss the maternity issue for three years; calls for continuing to explore creation of a neonatal intensive care unit here; and requires Cleveland Clinic to unveil its $7 million renovated Labor and Delivery Unit in the coming year. That latter clause is almost a joke. Construction of the Labor and Delivery Unit is nearly complete, with the ribbon-cutting scheduled for Dec. 15.The only real concession Cleveland Clinic gave the Hospital District in exchange for the $2 million in taxpayer funding was waiving the “25-mile clause” in Cleveland Clinic’s 75-year lease on the taxpayer owned hospital property, which would have allowed it to cease maternity care should the same service be available within 25 miles. Now, even though HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital delivers babies in nearby Fort Pierce, Cleveland Clinic Indian River must also deliver babies in Vero until Dec. 31, 2028. Hospital District Executive Director Frank Isele said, “Given the strong feedback we received from the community survey and the town hall discussions, it was clear that maternity care is both an important and timely issue for our residents and our trustees. The district dedicating a special meeting solely to this topic will ensure it receives the full attention and discussion it deserves.”The Hospital District conducted a survey, and held three well-attended town hall meetings in August, to gauge the community’s interest in keeping Vero’s Labor and Delivery Unit open long-term. The public overwhelmingly told district leaders they wanted Cleveland Clinic to continue to deliver babies in Vero, and the majority of those surveyed approved use of taxpayer money to prop up maternity care, since the hospital loses nearly $4 million per year operating that department. Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital currently delivers roughly 75 percent of the county’s babies, with Rothman publicly stating earlier that the department was trending toward 900 babies for 2025. But Rothman said the anticipated volume took a hit in September following the maternity town hall meetings. Misleading publicity in the Gannett daily paper and social media messagiwng pushed out by local nonprofits scared the public into thinking the maternity ward was in imminent danger of closure when no such danger existed. District trustees subsequently voted to grant the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, which operates the hospital’s Partners in Women’s Health Obstetrics and Gynecology practice, $2 million in fiscal year 2025-26. But the release of the funds was contingent on the execution of the maternity services agreement voted through Monday night. The agreement, as written, does not require Cleveland Clinic to establish a Level 2 neonatal intensive care unit within a certain timeframe – only to study the need for a NICU and report back findings once a year. But where the document really misses the mark is its failure to offer any guarantees of maternity services past Dec. 31, 2028. Not only would this absence be of concern to local couples looking to start or expand families, but it would also undercut plans to utilize obstetrics and gynecology services at the hospital in training thirdand fourth-year medical students – and eventually medical residents – from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, commonly referred to as VCOM. As VCOM specializes in training primary care physicians, having a Vero Beach Labor and Delivery Unit for training young doctors is important to its curriculum. Since the medical school and residency program won’t be fully built out for nine or 10 years, the agreement signed Monday does not extend Labor and Delivery long enough to help VCOM’s training programs get off the ground and accredited here. Hopefully the rushed agreement is only the start of a larger negotiation that will end with a 20 or 25-year requirement that Labor and Delivery services remain available in Vero. A wishy-washy, unenforceable clause addressing deliverables indicates that there may be more to come out of the new maternity committee’s work. “It is the intention of district to have a final deliverable detailing potential strategies for sustainable Maternity Services in Indian River County. While participation from CCIRH in the final deliverable is preferred, such participation is not mandatory.”Each of the seven Hospital District trustees was afforded the opportunity to review the draft agreement privately last week with staff and legal counsel before the document was posted on the district website on Friday afternoon. These private reviews were conducted individually to avoid violating Florida’s Sunshine laws. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4AIRPORT PARKINGCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1MATERNITY PACT

8 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.comLongtime agent opening own brokerage with focus on ultra-luxury nicheWell-known local real estate agent Luke Webb has opened his own brokerage in a 3,000-square-foot office at the corner of Cardinal Drive and Beachland Boulevard.Webb says he started the business because he saw an opening in the market for “a small, locally owned, ultra-luxury brokerage focused intently on white glove customer service and legacy relationships.”Four agents have joined him so far, he said, and he plans to hire another four or five “top agents or teams.”“There are many great real estate agents and brokerages on the barrier island, but I think we can carve out a niche through indepth market knowledge and highly personalized concierge service,” Webb told Vero News. Webb, 45, has an impressive background in luxury sales. After graduating with a business degree from Florida Southern College, where he was captain of the water ski team, he sold high-end Nautique ski and wakeboard boats in Miami and points south, jetting around South America and the Caribbean, setting up dealerships for luxury watercraft that sell for up to $500,000.Seeing his success in the marine industry, Chad Carroll, one of the three stars of “Million Dollar Listings Miami,” recruited Webb to join his team at Douglas Elliman.“Chad was a good friend of mine, who also attended Florida Southern, and he said, ‘You are good at sales, you should sell real estate.’”Webb made the transition in 2012, plunging into the heart of the Miami luxury market. “My first showing was a $14-million condo in Bal Harbour!” he says.Success followed, and Webb and wife Molly, an architect, were enjoying the good life in Miami Beach, playing in one of the most glamorous real estate markets in the country.But when their first daughter was a toddler and a second daughter was on the way, the couple decided Miami Beach wasn’t where they wanted to raise children.Webb was familiar with Vero Beach because his parents had been spending time here for years, and he opened a small office on Ocean Drive.While that venture was still gaining traction, he was recruited to join Kay Brown’s team at Premier Estate Properties, where he spent half a dozen years listing and selling some of the finest properties on the barrier island.He moved to John’s Island Real Estate in early 2022, where he continued his success in ultra-luxury sales during a time when the brokerage was exploding with $10-million-and-up transactions.He decided to start his own brokerage in June, giving notice but staying on to finish up pending deals. Once things were wrapped up there, Webb moved quickly to get his business up and running.“My last day at JI was Sept. 10 and I formed the LLC on Sept. 11,” he says. “I got my brokerage license on Sept. 25 and moved into the new office on Oct. 1.”The office space in the Bailey Building fit Webb’s strategic goals, facing both Cardinal and Beachland on a prominent corner in the beachside business district, “which creates great exposure for our agents and clients.”It was already built out with seven offices with finishes that were new in 2020, but Webb brought in Emily Taft of Emily Taft Interior Design to upgrade the space with the intention of creating “an absolutely premium, elite environment for our clients and agents.”The décor will include a 75-inch TV visible through a large window on the corner of Beachland and Cardinal that will display company listings. The “spare no expense” approach to business carries through to Webb’s marketing operation, which he believes will be nimbler than at some larger agencies.“We bought a print house printer that cost more than a car, and we are using 130-bound paper for our marketing materials.”Webb says he already has a nice portfolio of properties for sale going into season and that “a handful of other clients are getting their homes ready to list.”He says he has received “an outpouring of support” from island realtors he has worked with or done deals with over the past 10 years, and he prizes his relationships with his fellow agents. “We are competitors, but it should be a friendly competition,” he says. “We all need each other to get deals done.”The feeling seems to be mutual.“I think Luke Webb is wonderful person and a great realtor and I wish him the very best,” says ONE Sotheby’s broker associate Cindy O’Dare, one of the islands top agents. “I am sure he will do well.”“It’s great to see Luke returning to the Vero Beach market after several successful years working exclusively in John’s Island,” says Alex “AMAC” MacWilliams, a fourth-generation realtor in his family’s island brokerage. “We’ve known each other for years, both personally and professionally, and I’ve always admired the business he’s built through hard work and professionalism. Now, as he steps into ownership, I have no doubt he’ll bring that same drive and vision to Luke Webb & Associates. I’m excited to see what he accomplishes and look forward to transacting with him again soon.”Webb says he is “getting up earlier and working till 10 or 11 at night,” and enjoying every minute of the challenging undertaking of getting a new business off the ground. “I have been with some of the top firms in Vero and the nation and seen what works and what doesn’t work, and I think we will do well,” he says.Webb believes he is launching his business into what will be a strong 2025/2026 season, due to “pent-up demand and a lot of cash sitting on the sidelines.” By Steven M. Thomas | Staff [email protected] Webb. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS

10 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH www.veronews.com“You’ve got breast cancer.”Few phrases strike more fear into a woman’s heart. But according to Dr. Nataly Torrejon, a medical oncologist with the Scully-Welsh Cancer Center at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, those words no longer have to feel like a death sentence. Thanks to cutting-edge research and targeted treatments, many patients today are beating the once long odds and recovering from the disease.Dr. Torrejon knows this firsthand. She spent the final year of her fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine’s Department of Cell and Gene Therapy doing research and planning trials using CAR T-cell therapy for breast cancer.“CAR T-cells are a type of immunotherapy where we engineer a patient’s own immune cells to attack the cancer,” she explained. “I was working specifically on a HER2-directed CAR T-cell. CAR T-cell therapy has been extremely successful for blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, but not as much for solid tumors like breast cancer. We were trying to change that.”Her team developed a Phase 1 trial using CAR T-cells that target the HER2 receptor, a protein on the surface of some breast cancer cells. “We also added another receptor to the T-cells to attack the cells surrounding the tumor, which usually suppress the immune response,” Dr. Torrejon said. “That dual approach helps the immune system fight back more effectively.” In July, the FDA approved CAR T-cell therapy targeting HER2, a major milestone in breast cancer treatment.Treatment options depend entirely on what type of breast cancer a patient has. Broadly, there are three main types: hormone receptor-positive (ER or PR), HER2-positive, and triple-negative.The most common, accounting for about 70 percent of cases, is hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. These tumors have estrogen and/or progesterone receptors on their surface. “We treat those with endocrine therapy that blocks estrogen,” Dr. Torrejon said. “These types generally have the highest cure rates.”About 15 percent to 20 percent of breast cancers are HER2-positive, which tend to be more aggressive. But the discovery of targeted drugs like Herceptin has transformed outcomes.“Before Herceptin, the prognosis for HER2-positive cancers was poor,” Dr. Torrejon said. “Now, Herceptin attacks only the tumor cells that express the HER2 receptor, sparing healthy tissue from the side effects of chemotherapy. The results are excellent.”The remaining 10 percent to 15 percent of patients have triple-negative breast cancer, meaning their tumors lack estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors.“These are the toughest cases,” Dr. Torrejon admitted. “They don’t respond to targeted therapy and have a higher risk of recurrence. We usually start with chemotherapy and immunotherapy before surgery, then continue immunotherapy afterward to minimize the chance of the cancer coming back.”There’s also increased hope for those Targeted treatments helping patients beat breast cancerBy Kerry Firth | Correspondent

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH November 6, 2025 11whose cancers show only low levels of HER2. “Some tumors don’t qualify as fully HER2-positive but still have a little HER2 expression,” Dr. Torrejon said. “For those patients, we now have a new targeted therapy called Enhertu, which can be used after other treatments stop working.”Knowing the type and stage of cancer is critical.“When I see a patient, I want three things clear from the start,” Dr. Torrejon said. “They should know what type of breast cancer they have, what stage it’s in, and what our treatment goal is – be it curative or controlling. Stage 1 tumors are usually treated with surgery right away. By Stage 3, we often start with chemo and other therapies before surgery. If it’s Stage 4 and has spread, we aim to control the disease and maintain quality of life.”She also considers family history. “Not all breast cancers are genetic,” she said, “but if a patient has a first-degree relative with breast cancer, or if they have triple-negative cancer, I send samples for genetic testing to check for BRCA mutations. Those mutations may require different treatment strategies.”While treatments are advancing rapidly, early detection remains the most powerful defense. “You don’t have to leave a breast cancer diagnosis to fate,” Dr. Torrejon emphasized. “Getting a yearly mammogram starting at age 40 can detect cancer early and significantly reduce the mortality rate. The earlier the stage, the higher the chance of survival.”Lifestyle plays a role, too. “You can reduce your risk by exercising three to five hours a week, limiting alcohol to three drinks a week and avoiding hormone replacement therapy,” she added. “Breastfeeding also reduces risk.”Breast cancer may still be one of the most feared diagnoses, but it’s no longer one of the deadliest. With immunotherapy, precision medicine and targeted drugs like Herceptin and Enhertu, doctors like Dr. Torrejon are rewriting the story and turning what was once a battle for survival into one of recovery, resilience and renewed hope.As Dr. Torrejon put it: “Breast cancer is very treatable now, with more therapies on the horizon than ever before. The future is bright for our patients.”Nataly Torrejon, MD, was fellowship-trained at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and attended medical school at Universidad Privada del Valle, Bolivia. She completed her internal medicine residency at Cleveland Clinic. During her Baylor fellowship, she worked investigating CAR-T cells for the treatment of metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. Her office is located in the Scully Welsh Cancer Center at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, 3555 10th Court, Vero Beach. Call 877-463-2010. Dr. Nataly Torrejon. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODISMAN, OH MAN: MALE FRIENDSHIPS JUST NOT FEELING THE LOVECall it a bromance, the buddy system or male bonding – whatever the nomenclature, chances are that it’s on life support.The sad truth is that American men are getting significantly worse at friendship. A study in 2024 by the Survey Center on American Life found that only 26 percent of men reported having six or more close friends – a huge deBy Jackie Holfelder | Correspondent CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

12 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH www.veronews.comcline from 1990, when Gallup put this figure at 55 percent. What’s going on?Crystal N. Hutchinson, MSW, LCSW, a therapist who practices in Vero Beach, says numbers don’t lie. “There’s no denying men have fewer close friendships than in the past. I attribute it to several things, including more frequent job changes.“Workplaces are an easy spot to build friendships – we often spend more time with our co-workers than with our families, particularly as preCOVID norms return and working from home becomes less common.“But men are likely to change jobs more often than they did years ago. A report published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships stated that it takes roughly 50 hours of time together to move from mere acquaintance to casual friend, 90 hours to go from that stage to simple ‘friend’ status and more than 200 hours before you can consider someone your close friend.“Having the luxury of years in the same workplace gives lots of time to develop deep friendships.”In his book, “We Need to Hang Out,” author Billy Baker writes that the biggest threat facing middle-aged men isn’t smoking or obesity – it’s loneliness.He explains that boys engage in sports or just run with kids in the neighborhood, teenagers hang out with their buddies, college students often have a group of friends who might go out for a beer, go to a football game, or join a fraternity, and young adult men have girlfriends. Once they get married, many of the old friendships may fall away, as wives tend to arrange the social activities.“That’s so true,” adds Hutchinson. “It’s easier for guys to have friends when they are younger. Most are in sports or clubs, a built-in opportunity for friendship. School provides another opportunity to connect. “Around the age of 20, it shifts, moving from what we could call a group sport to an individual sport.“As a child, you do everything at the same time and on the same schedule. You travel through the first 18 to 20 years of your life in a very structured setting with many of the same friends and classmates.“Since virtually everything was done in the same place, it made it easy for friendships. After college, everyone tends to scatter. They move away, get married, start new lives. Their wives tend to form the friendships and make the social plans.“The old friends often start off keeping up with each other, but over time that can fade. This type of scattering happens again throughout life [in a highly mobile society] as we move from job to job and neighborhood to neighborhood.“As the divorce rate increased, the effects on men’s friendship came into play,” says Hutchinson. “Typically, when a couple divorces, mutual friends support one spouse or the other. Most frequently, it’s the woman since she was the ‘social connection’ in the first place.”A recent article in Men’s Mental Health magazine reports that when divorce enters the picture, one of the biggest losses that men face is the loss of shared social networks. Stay-at-home dads, a relatively new phenomenon, can find it even more difficult to make new friends. This is a topic frequently discussed at Fathering Together, an online community where dads can connect and share experiences.According to one post, “finding new friends as an at-home father is no day at the park. If you thought it was difficult to A Trusted Partner in Hearing HealthcareOne in three adults over 65 has hearing loss, yet most delay treatment.A simple hearing test can improve health, communication, and daily life.I’ll provide independent, evidence-based hearing care.WE PROVIDEComprehensive diagnostic hearing evaluationsExperienced hearing aid fitting and care across all major manufacturers Cerumen (earwax) RemovalVirtual care/teleaudiology, including snowbird plansCochlear implant and bi-modal adjustments, service and careCustom noise protection for musicians and sportsmenAuditory TrainingTinnitus management with the FDA-approved Lenire® deviceSHEILA CASE, AuDDOCTOR OF AUDIOLOGY25+ years of experienceIndependent, locally owned practiceChanging the Expectation of what Hearing Healthcare Should BeLOCALLY OWNED, LOCALLY DEDICATED522 21st St. Vero Beach, FL 32960 772.567.2811www.intracoastalhearing.comCONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH November 6, 2025 13ask a girl for her phone number in a bar when you were 21, try asking another grown man for his phone number at the playground. But that is exactly what it has come to. Finding friends as a stay-at-home dad means you start at your new hangouts – the local park, school playground or zoo.”Hutchinson thinks parenting can actually help dads make new connections. “Their activities [with their children] give them an opportunity to get to know the other dads. It’s a builtin friendship just like they had when they were young.”Hutchinson concludes, “High-quality friendships involve intimacy, and being vulnerable, which is difficult for most men. When a young man shows emotion, he may be encouraged or discouraged. This will dictate how he grows emotionally as a young man. “If he isn’t able to learn to express emotion as a young boy, then as a young man, it will be a lifelong problem. Therefore, his connections with men will be superficial. “On the other hand, most women do not have a problem opening up and making themselves vulnerable emotionally, which allows them to create a closer bond. They learned at a very young age that it is OK to show emotion – they have had more practice at it.”Crystal N. Hutchinson, MSW, LCSW, has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in social work from Walden University. She practices as a licensed clinical social at 902 20th Place, Vero Beach. Her phone number is 772-213-1369. Crystal N. Hutchinson, MSW, LCSW. PHOTO PROVIDEDMoldy food is linked to serious health issues, including cancerWhen you open your refrigerator and find a wedge of cheese flecked with green mold or a package of chicken that smells faintly sour, it can be tempting to gamble with your stomach rather than waste food.But the line between harmless fermentation and dangerous spoilage is sharp. Consuming spoiled foods exposes the body to a range of microbial toxins and biochemical by-products, many of which can interfere with essential biological processes. The health effects can vary from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to severe conditions such as liver cancer.I’m a toxicologist and researcher specializing in how foreign chemicals such as those released during food spoilage affect the body. Many spoiled foods contain specific microorganisms that produce toxins. Because individual sensitivity to these chemicals and the amount present in spoiled foods can vary widely, there are no absolute guidelines on what’s safe to eat. However, it’s always a good idea to know your enemies so you can take steps to avoid them.Nuts and grainsIn plant-based foods such as grains and nuts, fungi are the main culprits behind spoilage, forming fuzzy patches of mold in shades of green, yellow, black or white that usually give off a musty smell. Colorful though they may be, many of these molds produce toxic chemicals called mycotoxins.Two common fungi found on grains and nuts such as corn, sorghum, rice and peanuts are Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. They can produce mycotoxins known as aflatoxins, which form molecules called epoxides that can trigger mutations when they bind to DNA. Repeated exposure to aflatoxins can damage the liver and has been linked to liver cancer, especially for people who already have other risk factors for it, such as hepatitis B infection.Fusarium is another group of fungal pathogens that can grow as mold on grains such as wheat, barley and corn, especiallyat high humidity. Infected grains may appear discolored or have a pinkish or reddish hue, and they might emit a musty odor. Fusarium fungi produce mycotoxins called trichothecenes, which can damage cells and irritate the digestive tract. They also By Brad Reisfeld | The Washington PostCONTINUED ON PAGE 14

14 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH www.veronews.commake another toxin, fumonisin B1, that disrupts how cells build and maintain their outer membranes. Over time, these effects can harm the liver and kidneys.If grains or nuts look moldy, discolored or shriveled, or if they have an unusual smell, it’s best to err on the side of caution and throw them out. Aflatoxins especially are known to be potent cancer-causing agents that have no safe level of exposure.FruitsFruits can also harbor mycotoxins. When they become bruised or overripe, or are stored in damp conditions, mold can easily take hold and begin producing these harmful substances.A major one is a blue mold called Penicillium expansum, which is best known for infecting apples but also attacks pears, cherries, peaches and other fruit. This fungus produces patulin, a toxin that interferes with key enzymes in cells to hobble normal cell functions and generate unstable molecules called reactive oxygen species that can harm DNA, proteins and fats. In large amounts, patulin can injure major organs such as the kidneys, liver, digestive tract and immune system.P. expansum’s blue and green cousins, Penicillium italicum and Penicillium digitatum, are frequent fliers on oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits. It’s not clear whether they produce dangerous toxins, but they taste awful.It is tempting to just cut off the moldy parts of a fruit and eat the rest. However, molds can send out microscopic rootlike structures called hyphae that penetrate deeply into food, potentially releasing toxins even in seemingly unaffected bits. Especially for soft fruits, where hyphae can grow more easily, it’s safest to toss moldy specimens. Do it at your own risk, but for hard fruits, I do sometimes just cut off the moldy bits.CheeseCheese showcases the benefits of controlled microbial growth. Mold is a crucial component in many of the cheeses you know and love. Blue cheeses such as Roquefort and Stilton get their distinctive tangy flavor from chemicals produced by a fungus called Penicillium roqueforti. And the soft, white rind on cheeses such as brie or Camembert contributes to their flavor and texture.On the other hand, unwanted molds look fuzzy or powdery and may take on unusual colors. Greenish-black or reddish molds, sometimes caused by Aspergillus species, can be toxic and should be discarded. Also, species such as Penicillium commune produce cyclopiazonic acid, a mycotoxin that disrupts calcium flow across cell membranes, potentially impairing muscle and nerve function. At high enough levels, it may cause tremors or other nervous system symptoms. Fortunately, such cases are rare, and spoiled dairy products usually give themselves away by their sharp, sour rank odor.As a general rule, discard soft cheeses such as ricotta, cream cheese and cottage cheese at the first sign of mold. Because these cheeses contain more moisture, the mold’s filaments can spread easily.Hard cheeses, including cheddar, parmesan and Swiss, are less porous. So cutting away at least one inch around the moldy spot is more of a safe bet – just take care not to touch the mold with your knife.MeatWhile molds are the primary concern for plant and dairy spoilage, bacteria are the main agents of meat decomposition. Telltale signs of meat spoilage include a slimy texture, discoloration that’s often greenish or brownish, and a sour or putrid odor.Some harmful bacteria do not produce noticeable changes in smell, appearance or texture, making it difficult to assess the safety of meat based on sensory cues alone. That stink, though, is caused by chemicals such as cadaverine and putrescine that are formed as meat decomposes, and they can cause nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps, as well as headaches, flushing or drops in blood pressure.Spoiled meats are rife with bacterial dangers. Escherichia coli, a common contaminant of beef, produces shiga toxin, which chokes off some cells’ ability to make proteins and can cause a dangerous kidney disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH November 6, 2025 15Poultry often carries the bacterium Campylobacter jejuni, which produces a toxin that invades gastrointestinal cells, frequently leading to diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. It can also provoke the body’s immune system to attack its own nerves, potentially sparking a rare condition called Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can lead to temporary paralysis.Salmonella, found in eggs and undercooked chicken, is one of the most common types of food poisoning, causing diarrhea, nausea and abdominal cramps. It releases toxins into the lining of the small and large intestine that drive extensive inflammation. Clostridium perfringens also attacks the gut, but its toxins work by damaging cell membranes. And Clostridium botulinum, which can lurk in improperly stored or canned meats, produces botulinum toxin, one of the most potent biological poisons – lethal even in tiny amounts.It is impossible for meat to be totally free of bacteria, but the longer it sits in your refrigerator – or, worse, on your counter or in your grocery bag – the more those bacteria multiply. And you can’t always cook the yuck away.Whatever their source, most harmful bacteria and molds are killed by cooking. But that may not eliminate the toxins they produce – and it definitely won’t quash the foul flavors of spoilage. The safest move, if food appears, smells or tastes abnormal, is to discard it. Q. How common is osteoporosis?A. Osteoporosis, or porous bone, is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue. This condition creates an increased risk of fractures. Our bodies remove old bone and replace it with new bone. During our growth stage, new bone is added faster than old bone is removed. We hit peak bone mass around age 30. After that age, we lose more bone than we form.Who is at risk of getting osteoporosis?The chances are greater for women because they have less bone tissue and lose bone faster than men; this is caused by changes from menopause. Small, thinboned women are at greater risk. Caucasian and Asian women are at highest risk. Age is a major risk factor because bones become thinner and weaker as you age. Heredity can also increase fracture risk. Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for more than 40 million Americans; about 7 out of 10 of them are women. One out of every two women and one in four men over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.Worldwide, osteoporosis is estimated to affect 200 million women and help cause more than 8.9 million fractures annually.Low calcium intake appears to be associated with bone loss. Good sources of calcium include low-fat dairy products, darkgreen leafy vegetables, almonds, and foods fortified with calcium, such as orange juice. Some people may need to take a calcium supplement.Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption and in bone health. It is made in the skin through exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D production decreases in the elderly, in people who are housebound, and for people in general during the winter. Depending on your situation, you may need to take vitamin D supplements. Bone responds to exercise by becoming stronger. Weight-bearing exercise is the best for your bones. Get off the sofa.Women who smoke have lower levels of estrogen compared to nonsmokers, and they often go through menopause earlier. Smokers also may absorb less calcium from their diets. Quit.Regular consumption of 2 ounce to 3 ounces a day of alcohol may be damaging to the skeleton. Heavy drinkers are more prone to bone loss and fractures, because of poor nutrition and increased risk of falling. Quit or, at least, cut down.People may not know they have osteoporosis until their bones become so weak that a bump or fall causes a hip to fracture or a vertebra to collapse. See your doctor for a check-up.Following a comprehensive medical assessment, your doctor may recommend that you have your bone mass measured. A bone mineral density (BMD) test is the best way to determine your bone health. BMD tests can identify osteoporosis, determine your risk for fractures, and measure your response to osteoporosis treatment. A comprehensive osteoporosis treatment program includes a focus on proper nutrition, exercise, and safety issues to prevent falls that may result in fractures. In addition, your physician may prescribe a medication to slow or stop bone loss, increase bone density, and reduce fracture risk. Osteoporosis affects at least 40M AmericansBy Fred Cicetti | Columnist

16 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTATE www.veronews.comA gorgeous new kitchen, spacious lanai and open floor plan are but a few of the great features that give the single-level villa at 7534 15th Lane in Pointe West’s Central Village such great appeal.Whether you are a year-round, seasonal or second home buyer, this special, well priced dwelling has much to recommend it.A thoughtfully placed handrail follows the stairs to the covered, recessed entry porch, where you’ll find a cozy space for reading and relaxing, greeting neighbors passing by.Inside, sand-colored ceramic tile flows throughout the central spaces.Just off the foyer to the left, a wide archway reveals a flexible room in the home’s southwest corner. Windows on both sides of the room, as throughout the entire home, sport tidy white plantation shutters for optimum light control. While this space is currently in service as an office, you could easily make it into a library, den or playroom. Ahead is the sparkling new kitchen, which flows smoothly into the spacious central living/dining/gathering area, a wonderfully airy and light-filled space featuring a pair of high, horizontal windows with plantation shutters along the west side. There is a pair of wood-look, leaf blade ceiling fan/lights, a wide window, and a glass panel door that opens to the covered and screened lanai with its pleasant neighborhood view.In a pale creamy hue, the kitchen wall and island create a nice backdrop for the gleaming white cabinetry, featuring shelf top and crown molding. A white subway tile backsplash offsets the dove gray, cultured marble counter tops. A two-level peninsula is home to the stainless-steel sink and a lunch bar. You’ll also find a dishwasher, stainless steel, water-in-door fridge, four-burner gas cooktop and oven, and a roomy pantry. Illuminating this kitchen area are recessed lights and a solar tube (aka Sun Tunnel), a cool device that provides natural light more efficiently and at less expensive than a sky light.A laundry room with double bi-fold doors is close at hand.The spacious primary suite features a glass slider wall opening onto the lanai. Sheer vertical draw drapes control light and privacy, and a ceiling fan/light cools from above. The floor here, as in the second bedroom, is glowing, wood-look vinyl.Charming Pointe West villa comes with sparkling new kitchenBy Samantha Rohlfing Baita | Staff [email protected]

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTATE November 6, 2025 17The primary bathroom is a spa-like charmer. A pair of blonde-wood, whitetopped, single-basin vanities flank a delicious jetted tub, beckoning from within its tiled alcove. A loo niche and a sleek glass shower with grab bars complete this peaceful space.Cooled by a wood blade ceiling fan/light, the second bedroom sits along the south/front wall. There is a double bi-fold closet and wide, shuttered window that provides soft ambient light. The second bathroom features a tub/shower, loo, and light wood vanity with full width mirror and wide-basin sink.The oversized, two-car garage can easily accommodate your golf cart and all those extra boxes of Must Keep Stuff we all have. The lovely, moderately wooded village neighborhood is convenient to everything the mainland has to offer and only 20 minutes away from A1A and Vero’s famous and friendly island village, with unique boutiques, cozy pubs, fine and casual dining, salons, resorts, parks, live professional theater, fine art museum, huge riverside dog park, and, of course, Vero’s namesake stretch of clean and uncrowded beachfront. Community:Point West Central VillageYear built: 2005 Construction: Concrete block with metal roofHome size: 1,544 square feetBedrooms: 2Bathrooms: 2 full bathsAdditional features: Wide, paved streets; oversized, 2 carplus attached garage; screen porch; tile/vinyl flooring; volume ceilings; recessed lighting; split bedroom plan; den/office/library; walk-in closet; jetted tub; new kitchen with pantry; ceiling fans; storm panels; glass sliders; newer roof, water heater and air conditioning unit; community amenities include clubhouse, heated pool, play area and sidewalks; county water/sewer; monthly HOA fee of $453 includes common areas, exterior painting, roof replacement, individual lawn and sprinkler care and maintenance, recreational facilities and reserve funds; no recreational vehicles; tenant approval requiredListing agency:Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida RealtyListing agent:Chip Landers, 772-473-7888Listing price: $349,9007534 15TH LANE

18 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTATE www.veronews.comMAINLAND REAL ESTATE SALES: OCT. 27 THROUGH OCT. 31TOP SALES OF THE WEEKA week ending with Halloween saw scary-impressive activity on the mainland real estate front, with 41 transactions of single-family residences and lots reported (some shown below).The top sale of the week was in Vero Beach, where the 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom equestrian estateat 455 74th Ave. – listed in August for $1,995,000 – sold for $1,600,000 on Oct. 30.Representing both the seller and the buyer in the transaction was agent T.P. Kennedy of AlexMacWilliam, Inc.SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES AND LOTSORIGINAL SELLINGTOWN ADDRESS LISTED ASKING PRICE SOLD PRICEVERO BEACH 455 74TH AVE 8/2/2024 $1,995,000 10/30/2025 $1,600,000 VERO BEACH 1015 SAINT JAMES LN 8/12/2025 $1,399,000 10/30/2025 $1,400,000 VERO BEACH 5820 PALMETTO PRESERVE RD 5/10/2025 $1,299,967 10/27/2025 $1,150,000 VERO BEACH 4520 JACQUELINE MNR 6/26/2025 $1,149,000 10/30/2025 $1,087,000 VERO BEACH 410 SAPPHIRE WAY SW 8/20/2025 $1,050,000 10/30/2025 $1,000,000 VERO BEACH 1770 ARAWAK ST 5/30/2024 $822,000 10/30/2025 $713,930 VERO BEACH 1135 SAINT GEORGES LN 2/14/2025 $675,000 10/31/2025 $675,000 VERO BEACH 770 SUMMERWOOD LN SW 9/2/2025 $625,000 10/30/2025 $610,000 VERO BEACH 780 FORTUNELLA CIR SW 6/26/2025 $612,000 10/30/2025 $575,000 VERO BEACH 4012 BASKET OAK CIR 4/28/2025 $595,790 10/27/2025 $516,000 SEBASTIAN 533 DOMINICAN TER 9/16/2025 $487,000 10/27/2025 $480,000 VERO BEACH 8580 64TH AVE 8/14/2025 $500,000 10/30/2025 $475,000 VERO BEACH 2365 44TH AVE 9/2/2025 $499,900 10/30/2025 $470,000 VERO BEACH 583 CALAMONDIN WAY SW 6/26/2025 $435,000 10/30/2025 $430,000 Stats were pulled 11/1/25 7:34 PM

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTATE November 6, 2025 19HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOP RECENT INDIAN RIVER COUNTY REAL ESTATE SALES.Listing Date:Original Price:Sold:Selling Price:Listing Agent:Selling Agent:Listing Date:Original Price:Sold:Selling Price:Listing Agent:Selling Agent:Listing Date:Original Price:Sold:Selling Price:Listing Agent:Selling Agent:Listing Date:Original Price:Sold:Selling Price:Listing Agent:Selling Agent:8/20/2025$1,050,000 10/30/2025$1,000,000 Kelly FischerEXP Realty, LLCJennifer MoscripKeller Williams Realty410 Sapphire Way SW, Vero Beach6/26/2025$1,149,000 10/30/2025$1,087,000 Brenda DurwinKeller Williams RealtyBrenda DurwinKeller Williams Realty4520 Jacqueline Mnr, Vero Beach5/10/2025$1,299,967 10/27/2025$1,150,000 Cheryl MichelONE Sotheby’s Int’l RealtyJennifer CiecwierzKeller Williams Realty5820 Palmetto Preserve Rd, Vero Beach8/12/2025$1,399,000 10/30/2025$1,400,000 Jennifer KiteAlex MacWilliam, Inc.Ellyn MarshallONE Sotheby’s Int’l Realty1015 Saint James Ln, Vero Beach

The 33rd Annual Samaritan Center Soup Bowl takes place from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Heritage Center, 2140 14th Ave., Vero Beach. This fundraiser supports the Samaritan Center of Catholic Charities, providing shelter and services to homeless families. Soups including white bean chicken chili, clam chowder, carrot ginger, navy bean and chicken noodle will be available for $5 per bowl or $15 per quart. Attendees can also purchase handcrafted pottery bowls made by local artists for $20 each. Over 1,000 potWARM HEARTSAND STOMACHSAT ‘SOUP BOWL’CONTINUED ON PAGE B5Coming Up!TARGETED THERAPIESTO BEAT BREAST CANCERMALE FRIENDSHIPS 16 10 11 NOT FEELING THE LOVEHOUSE OF THE WEEK:POINTE WEST HOMEBy Pam Harbaugh | CorrespondentSEEING ‘DOUBLE’MUSEUM’S ‘PORTRAITS’ PHOTO EXHIBIT PUTS COMPLEXITIES IN FOCUS PAGE B2 1HESTER BLOOM AND CAITLIN SWINDELL

B2 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE www.veronews.comThe Double Portraits exhibition at the Vero Beach Museum of Art offers a fascinating look into how photography can capture and document life’s nuances, focusing particularly on experiences within the American South.Caitlin Swindell, VBMA chief curator, who has her own personal history with the south, says the show highlights the complexity and evolution of that part of the country.Curated by Swindell, the selection of 47 photographs by 34 artists is on loan from the Georgia-based Do Good Fund collection of more than 800 works, and is on display through Jan. 11, 2026. The works are by acclaimed Magnum photographers, World Press award-winners and Guggenheim fellows, as well as a number of emerging artists.“Portraiture was a really big focus of the collection, and I noticed how often the presence of two people would emerge, which has always been an interest of mine in terms of art history. To my knowledge, there hasn’t ever been a survey exhibition on double portraiture,” says Swindell.As mirrors are often incorporated in the photographs, Swindell has placed a two-panel antique mirror at the entrance to the exhibit.“The hope is that when you come in and you’re greeted by this, you’re immediately picturing yourself within the museum walls. It prompts you to maybe feel a bit more empathetic, prompt a connection with the sitters in these works,” says Swindell.A timeline of key historical moments to the right of the entrance illustrates the evolving portrayal of double portraiture through the ages utilizing sculpture, paintings and contemporary photography.“Especially as we get to the 20th century, there’s a lot of psychology and complexity to how people are picturing two people or even versions of themselves,” Swindell explains.The show is organized into four thematic sections: Portraits in Parallel: A Conventional Photograph; In the Moment: A Snapshot Aesthetic; Between Us: Gestures of Care and Compassion; and Unseen and In-Between: Rethinking the Double Portrait.In Portraits in Parallel, subjects are often depicted facing forward or are positioned side by side, yet the compositions are eminently engaging, as exemplified by “Collins Ave Couple, Miami Beach, FL,” 1975.Shot by the renowned Rosalind Fox Solomon, who died this past June at age 95, the image exudes warmth and happiness, Museum’s ‘Portraits’ photo exhibition puts complexities in focusBY MARY SCHENKEL | STAFF WRITER“Mildred and Mary, Wilson, NC” by Burk Uzzle. \"Boys on Horseback\" by Maude Schuyler Clay.\"Adrienne and Zion\" by Carolyn Drake. \"Becoming One (Annie and Trevor)\" by Peyton Fulford.PHOTOS BY JOSHUA KODIS\"Hilton Head Island, SC, USA, June, 1992\" by Rineke Dijkstra.

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE November 6, 2025 B3leaving no doubt that the couple was as comfortable being photographed as they were confident in their relationship.On the other hand, in “Couple Fishing on the Flint River, Bainbridge, GA,” 1980 by Jimmy Nicholson, the flinty looks of the couple holding fishing rods – a shirtless man with an incongruous foot pendant and a woman with curlers in her hair (one wonders why) – suggests that while they permitted the photo to be taken, they weren’t necessarily happy about it.Several works are by the prolific Burk Uzzle, known for presenting an “atypical way of seeing ourselves” and whose work spans some six decades.In “Mildred and Mary, Wilson, NC,” 2011, elderly twins are seemingly in on the joke, their faces portraying hints of suppressed smiles. Posed just so and seated opposite one another, their matching pink ‘go-to-church’ outfits and bright white pumps are in stark contrast to the peeling blue paint on the wall behind them; even with the wall’s twin parallel lines.In the Moment features photographs that are more spontaneous and less posed.“You’re not always seeing the sitter in full. But also, one of the highlights of this section is that although people had been taking snapshots throughout the whole 20th century, it was not really seen as high art until the ’60s or ’70s,” Swindell explains, crediting William Eggleston for making that transformation. Among the shots in that section is “Anna and Eloise,” 2013 by Cynthia Henebry, whose photographs focus on the mysteries and complexities of childhood. In this one, an attractive, barefoot woman holding an empty mug strikes a pose while glancing away from a little girl who, oblivious to the woman, gabs nonchalantly on her cellphone. Her bicycle’s training wheels allow her to rest her legs on the handlebars, as relaxed as a CEO on the phone with her feet on the desk.The focus of the Between Us section falls somewhere between the first two, but is highlighted by the closeness and dynamic of subjects sharing the frame.“And really, it’s one of my favorite sections, because I think about key photos from my own life and the more intimate photos stand out in my memory,” says Swindell.Among them are several touching mother/daughter shots, such as a mother comforting her little girl in “Durham, North Carolina,” 1971, shot by documentary photographer Alex Harris for a project to document that area’s substandard housing and living conditions.Mark Steinmetz, known for presenting “gentle humanity in the ordinary,” CONTINUED ON PAGE B4“Collins Ave Couple, Miami Beach, FL” by Rosalind Fox Solomon.“Boy with Man, North Carolina” by Burk Uzzle.“Summer Afternoon” by Emma Creighton Hopson.\"Georgia\" by Lawson Little.\"Anna and Eloise\" by Cynthia Henebry.

B4 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE www.veronews.comcaptures a very young mother cradling her baby’s head in a universal gesture of protection, while making a call from a roadside phone in “Knoxville” from the “South Central” series, 1991.The final section, Unseen and In-Between, features more unconventional photos, including one of Swindell’s favorites, “Lynda, Jeremy, Kudzu field,” 1982 by Michael Stipe, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the Georgia rock band R.E.M.“I love the ambiguity in art, like trying to figure out about a photo. And this photograph, which is his sister and one of his friends, a fellow artist in that community, is such a surreal image,” says Swindell, adding that Stipe prefers to not always show faces in portraiture.“So here you’re really just seeing the glow of his sister’s hair and the perspective is kind of unusual. It’s just a really haunting and interesting photograph.”Another complicated piece with a whole lot going on is “Untitled from the ‘Knit Club’ series,” 2018, by Carolyn Drake.Swindell says Drake did documentary work in Turkey and central China for many years before eventually making a complete change by moving to Water Valley, Mississippi, a small town of some 3,000 people. There, she collaborated with a community of women who became known as the Knit Club, to create staged photographs.“They would go to historic houses in this small town, bring props, and be very improvisational with the story that they wanted to tell,” says Swindell.In this one, a colonial portrait is being held by an unseen woman as her unseen daughter wraps her hands around her legs. So while you see the hands of the woman and daughter, the only face is of the little girl in the colonial portrait.“I do love it because it’s again, a double double,” says Swindell.Swindell is always looking for innovative ways to have people experience new shows, and for this exhibit has created an interactive ‘create your own portrait’ feature, providing backdrops and a camera stand where people can place their cellphones.“It provides an opportunity to think about early modes of portraiture,” says Swindell, referencing the early tin types.“I love having an experiential component of an exhibition. So when we’re here, we’re looking, we’re learning, we’re thinking, we’re contemplating, but then we have a little bit of the doing with it, which I think adds to the experience.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE B3“Jasmine and Carmen” by Eva Verbeeck.\"Twins\" by Preston Gannaway. \"Boys with Dumpsters\" by Brittany Little. \"Plankers\" by Preston Gannaway.

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE November 6, 2025 B5tery bowls are available. More than 25 locations across the county, including places of worship and nonprofits, will also serve soup and pottery. Proceeds benefit families transitioning out of homelessness by supporting shelter, counseling, life skills and educational programs. For more information call 772-770-3039 or visit the Samaritan Center Soup Bowl Facebook page.The Indian River Land Trust Annual Benefit begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at Rock City Gardens, 9080 N U.S. 1, Sebastian. The event features dinner and drinks catered by Elizabeth Kennedy Catering, and updates on recent land acquisitions and conservation projects. Rock City Gardens boasts more than 200,000 plants, including 85 types of vegetables and herbs, across seven acres. Tickets cost $250. For details, visit IRLT.org.The Night of Sunshine Gala begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at Pointe West Clubhouse, 7500 14th Lane, Vero Beach. Funds raised help benefit the Sunshine Physical Therapy Clinic. The evening includes dinner, drinks, live entertainment, and auctions. Cocktail attire is requested. Tickets are $150. For information, call 772-562-6877 or visit SunshinePTC.org.The Annual Red, White and Blue Concert begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center, 1707 16th St. Featuring the Vero Beach High School bands, this patriotic concert is free. For more information visit VeroBeachPerformingArts.com.The Vero Beach Theatre Guild Blackbox series production of “The Last Five Years” opens Thursday, Nov. 6, and runs through Nov. 15 at the Vero Beach Theatre Guild, 2020 San Juan Ave. The musical chronicles a romantic relationship told through a unique reverse and forward timeline structure. Tickets are $35 for adults, $29.75 for veterans, and $24.50 for 30 Under 40 members. Call 772-562-8300 or visit VeroBeachTheatreGuild.com.Boujie Handbag Bingo begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, at the Vero Beach Heritage Center, 2140 14th Ave. The event supports the Mental Health Association’s Parent & Child Center. Tickets cost $75 and include eight bingo games, designer handbag prizes, refreshments, charcuterie by Wild Thyme, a dessert table, a raffle ticket and more. Call 772-569-9788 or visit mhairc.org.Jazz Under the Stars begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at St. Francis Manor, 1750 20th Ave., Vero Beach. The event features dinner and a performance by the Indian River Charter High School Jazz Ensemble. Tickets are $50. For more, visit StFrancisManor.org.The Main Street Vero Beach Mural Festival runs this weekend along 14th Avenue. The event features artwork, live painting, live music, food and drink specials, scavenger hunts, and raffles. Hours are 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, and 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9. Visit MainStreetVeroBeach.org.The Sebastian Clambake Lagoon Festival runs this weekend at Riverview Park, 600 U.S. 1, Sebastian. Hours are 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9. For more information, visit SebastianClambake.org. 56789342CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1

B6 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | DINING www.veronews.comThe VeroNews Bite-Sized Review: Ocean Grill3103 Cardinal Drive, Vero Beach, FL (772) 234-3966 • tidesofvero.comReserve Online on our website or the Resy AppCELEBRATING OVER 26 YEARS Innovative Cuisine & Unparalleled Service Award Winning Wine List Covered Outdoor Dining Open Daily at 5pmHours & Address: Lunch, Tues.-Sat., 11:30-2; Dinner, Daily, 5; Sun, 4:301050 Beachland Blvd, Vero Beach 32963 | Phone: 772-231-5409What and Where: For six decades, this restaurant – poised precariously over the beach (and at times, the ocean) at Sexton Plaza – has been synonymous with Vero. If relatives or friends did not bring you here when you first visited, perhaps they were hoping you would not stay.Ambiance/Atmosphere: Eccentric old Florida vibe a la Waldo Sexton.Must-Try Dishes: Best crab cakes around; don’t overlook the duck!Adult Beverages: Very good bar; decent wine selection.Reservations: Only for parties of 5 or more. Price: $$ - $$$Rating: Overall Verdict: If you didn’t get to the Ocean Grill for Halloween to check out its annual spook-tacular transformation, there’s always Christmas – when the Grill turns itself into as much of the quintessential Vero holiday experience as the Ocean Drive Christmas parade. With the best oceanfront views in Vero – and good food combined with great servers – our only quibble is the lengthy wait to be seated. In season, it frequently runs an hour or more. If only they would let parties of two or four make reservations.By Tina Rondeau & the VeroNews Staff

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | DINING November 6, 2025 B756 Royal Palm Pointe  772-567-4160  Follow us on Facebook & InstagramOPEN 6 DAYS • DAILY AT 4 PM • CLOSED MONDAYSSALADS, PASTA, VEAL, CHICKEN , SUBSAND DESSERTSORDER ONLINEFOR PICK UP ATPizzoodles.com or ToastTakeout.comOPENTUESDAY -SUNDAYCLOSEDMONDAYS1931 Old Dixie • 772.770.0977fishackverobeach.com • Like us on Facebook!Gift Certificates, Private Parties & Patio Dining AvailableWe Will Reimburse for Parking.BEST MARGARITAS OPEN FORLUNCH WED-SATOPEN FORDINNERTUES-SATTUES & FRINIGHTSALL YOU CAN EAT FISHFRYSERVINGFRESH LOCAL & NORTHERN FISHPATIODINING!HAPPY HOURALL DAY UNTIL 6PM!NEW LUNCHMENUWED NIGHTLOBSTERTHE CAPTAIN’S HAPPY HOURMONDAY-FRIDAY3PM TO 6PMW E L L SD O M E S T I CH O U S E W I N E S $3C A P T . H I R A M ’ S R E S O R T Why wait for the weekend?W W W . H I R A M S . C O M 7 7 2 . 3 8 8 . 8 5 8 8

B8 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | GAMES www.veronews.comHow to do Sudoku:Fill in the grid so the numbers one throughnine appear just oncein every column, rowand three-by-three square. The TelegraphSOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (October 30th) ON PAGE B11ACROSS1 Mark left by injury4 Cricket boundary8 Mowing tool9 Dines at home10 Amulet11 Cream guitarist13 Son of Isaac15 Incline the head16 Magnitude18 Mesopotamian city20 Makes clever remarks23 Roman ruler24 Isaac —, writer of I, Robot25 Simple26 Radio adDOWN1 Roman god of wine2 Out-and-out3 Bias5 Large cephalopod6 Pachyderm7 Gaelic music evening12 Pyrenean principality14 Roman name for Odysseus17 US mail info19 Proverb21 Employing22 Hackney carriageThe TelegraphCreative Floors Carpet One Floor & Home in Vero Beach, FLcelebrating 50 Years serving our community with three generations.772.569.02401137 Old Dixie Hwy • Vero Beachcreativefloorscarpet1verobeach.comHome Flooring such as Wood, LVP, Carpet and TileKitchen Cabinets and Design

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | GAMES November 6, 2025 B9ACROSS1 Can type7 Designer Gucci11 Bike parts17 Lasagna alternative18 Language quirks20 Like some modern music21 New version of The Old Man and the Sea starring a beach-movie idol?23 Shipmate of Bones and Spock24 Presidential middle name25 Writer whose career has been mostly upstream?27 Werner, not Wilde29 Fishing purchase30 Sir who invented calculus34 ___ with a view37 Personals, e.g.39 Gets, as profits43 Fisherman who’s always in a hurry?47 Go bad48 Holster’s place49 ___ polloi50 Condemn openly51 Group of 101 Across54 Refinement56 Was in first place58 Enough space to walk around and fish?60 401(k) alternative62 Kin of “bang!”64 Oldsmobile precursor65 Stable diet?66 Q: “How come these here night crawlers are so much more expensive?” A: “___”71 Wilma’s guy72 It might be bummed73 “... a man ___ mouse?”74 “I’ve got it!”75 Help for first-time bobber users?78 Top posición80 Slangy gossip84 1980 Depardieu film85 Underlying reason87 Singer Bobby89 Othello fellow91 Alley ___92 Most popular fishing weight in Germany?96 Ninotchka portrayer99 French article100 “Wing” prefix101 Winged honkers102 Singing voice104 Tiny particle106 Honorary college society for anglers?113 Bollywood soundtrack instruments118 Big rig119 Brand name of jumbo-size fishing attire?121 Accompany122 Online missives123 Milieu124 Gets the ball rolling125 90 degrees from norte126 Take exception toDOWN1 Trim2 Like some mirrors3 Start of a drink4 Monroe-Widmark film, Don’t Bother___5 Mixed bags6 Crusty treat7 Extra: abbr.8 Jodie’s Nell co-star9 “First, ___ harm”10 Groundhog’s shadow, e.g.11 Obsolete12 Acid artist13 Marginal art?14 Picketer’s stance15 After curfew16 Sneaky17 Farmland mail abbr.18 Back to back19 Orch. section22 Thin ___26 Bear in the air?28 Log Cabin rival30 Test subjects?31 ___ to a T32 A slave of opera33 A foursome for poker?35 Slow learner of new tricks36 Marseille Mrs.37 Farm-based38 All for Love dramatist40 Specialized lingos41 Some shirts42 Arise (from)44 Unit of heat45 Backwards, rotationally: abbr.46 Onetime Chicagobased “Superstation”52 Greek marketplaces53 Small weight55 Connected with57 Clever sayings59 The Music Man setting61 Yiddish author Sholem63 Journalist’s question66 Theater company67 Mend medically68 Old French carriage (anagram of ERICA F)69 Most loyal70 “Certainly!”71 Elevator stop75 Give a whupping to76 Cow’s chew77 A day of the wk.79 Have thirds, maybe81 Opening time, often82 Brubeck’s “___ Five”83 A long time86 Snapple sample88 Cupid’s counterpart90 Prospector’s prize93 Race in The Time Machine94 Largo and lento, e.g.95 Lights97 President after Polk98 Dr. Sabin of vaccine fame103 Fruit desserts105 “___ mio ...”106 Speedy107 Vito’s enforcer108 Word alphabetizers ignore109 “Je t’___”110 Long-form pros111 Somewhat112 Actor’s quest114 Unexciting115 Word before “brother,” often116 Popeye, according to Bluto117 Futuristic transit now in the past118 “___ bluffing”120 For eachThe TelegraphThe Washington Post...Tackle in your spare timeGone Fishin’ By Merl ReagleEstablished 32 Years in Indian River County(772) 562-2288 | www.kitchensvero.com3920 US Hwy 1, Vero Beach FL 32960

B10 November 6, 2025 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | GAMES www.veronews.comDeflationary point-countBy Phillip Alder - Bridge ColumnistInflation affects us all, especially today. As Henny Youngman pointed out many years ago, “Americans are getting stronger. Twenty years ago, it took two people to carry 10 dollars’ worth of groceries. Today, a five-year-old can do it.”In contrast, deflation has hit high-card points. To open the bidding, few people wait for 13 points these days. For most, 12 are ample, and 11 satisfy some, especially Europeans.On today’s deal, I agree with North’s one-club bid. He has two aces, which are undervalued at 4 points each, a strong suit to show and good intermediates. Edgar Kaplan’s 4Cs method rates the hand at 12.6 points. Also, without the opening bid, North-South might not have bid the good six-spade slam.After West led the heart king, South saw that he was facing a potential loser in each red suit. Rather than rely on a lot of luck in diamonds, declarer preferred to put dummy’s club spots to good use.After winning with the heart ace, declarer drew two rounds of trumps. Next, he led the club nine to dummy’s ace and continued with the club jack. When East played low, South discarded his heart loser. West won with the queen and tried to cash the heart queen, but declarer ruffed. Now South led a diamond to dummy’s ace and continued with the club 10. East played low again, but declarer threw the diamond eight. When West followed with a low club, South ruffed out the club king, crossed to dummy with a trump and discarded the diamond 10 on the club eight.Watch out for ruffing finesses.Dealer: North; Vulnerable: East-WestNORTHQ 10 94 2A 9 6A J 10 8 6WEST6 5K Q J 9J 7 5 4Q 3 2SOUTHA K J 8 7 4A 8K 10 8 29EAST3 210 7 6 5 3Q 3K 7 5 4The Bidding:OPENING LEAD:K HeartsSOUTH WEST NORTH EAST1 Clubs Pass1 Spades Pass 2 Spades Pass4 NT Pass 5 Hearts Pass6 Spades Pass Pass Pass

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | CALENDAR November 6, 2025 B11ONGOINGCheck with organizations directly for updates/cancellations. Vero Beach Museum of Art: Picasso and the Progressive Proof: Linocuts from a Private Collection through Jan. 4; Recent Acquisition Highlights through through Jan. 11; and Double Portraits, photographs capturing the concept of double portraits, thru Jan. 11. Free admission second Saturdays. VBMuseum.orgRiverside Theatre: Little Shop of Horrors on the Stark Stage thru Nov. 9; Free Live in the Loop concerts Thurs./Fri./Sat. evenings; Comedy Zone Fri./Sat. and alternating SAK Comedy Lab and Howl at the Moon performances, Thursdays on Waxlax Stage. RiversideTheatre.com or 772-231-6990A.E. Backus Museum: Best of the Best Annual Juried Exhibition thru Nov. 14. BackusMuseum.orgHolidays for Heroes Holiday Box Drive: visit MilitaryMomsPrayerGroup.com for kit pickup locations thru Dec. 15.NOVEMBER6 Catholic Charities’ Samaritan Center Soup Bowl, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Heritage Center and at 25+ locations throughout the county, with handcrafted pottery made by local artists ($20 ea.) and soups ($5 bowl/$15 quart) to help families transition out of homelessness. 772-770-30396 Indian River Land Trust Annual Benefit, 6 p.m. at Rock City Gardens, with dinner, drinks and updates on recent land acquisitions and ongoing projects. $250. IRLT.org6 A Night of Sunshine Gala, 6 p.m. at Pointe West Clubhouse, with dinner, drinks, live entertainment and auctions to benefit the nonprofit Sunshine Physical Therapy Clinic. $150. SunshinePT.org or 772-562-6877 6 Annual Red, White and Blue Concert, 7 p.m. at the Vero Beach High School PAC. Free. VeroBeachPerformingArts.com6-15 Vero Beach Theatre Guild Blackbox presents “The Last Five Years.” VeroBeachTheatreGuild.com.7 Boujie Handbag Bingo, 5:30 p.m. at the Heritage Center to benefit the Mental Health Association’s Parent & Child Center. $75 includes 8 games of bingo with designer handbag prizes, refreshments and a raffle ticket. mhairc.org7 Jazz Under the Stars, 6 p.m. at and to benefit St. Francis Manor, featuring dinner and the Indian River Charter High School Jazz Ensemble. $50. StFrancisManor.org7-9 Main Street Vero Beach Mural Fest, with artists stationed along 14th Ave., live music, food and drink specials, scavenger hunt and raffles. MainStreetVeroBeach.org8 Space Coast Symphony Orchestra presents a Once Upon an Orchestra performance of Pinocchio, 11 a.m. at Vero Beach Museum of Art, for preschool and kindergarten aged children, featuring storytellers and a woodwind quintet. Free. 8 Vero Beach Beachside Bonfire Fest, 5 to 10 p.m. at the Driftwood, Costa d’Este Beach Resort, Mulligan’s, the Boiler Room and Vero Beach Hotel, with bonfires, food and drink specials. $20 Event Passports to benefit the Veterans Council of IRC. 8-9 Sebastian Clambake Lagoon Festival, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sat., and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sun. at Riverview Park, with food, live entertainment, kids zone and craft vendors to raise funds for local charities. SebastianClambake.org10 BGC Open, 11 a.m. luncheon and 12:30 p.m. shotgun start ($500); and Ladies Nine & Shine, 8:15 a.m. breakfast and 9 a.m. shotgun start ($250), Golf Tournaments at Bent Pine Golf Club to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of IRC. BGCIRC.org10 Tropical Night Luau to benefit Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy, 6 p.m. at Quail Valley River Club, with Polynesian style food and entertainment. YouthGuidanceProgram.org10 Vero Beach Chamber Orchestra String Ensemble presents Music of Memory and Hope, 7 p.m. at the Vero Beach High School PAC. Free; suggested donation $10. 11 Ocean Research & Conservation Assoc. presents Courney Brooks on Water Quality 101: Why it Matters for the Indian River Lagoon, 3 p.m. at ORCA’s DJ Rainone Research & Science Center. Free. TeamORCA.org11 Veterans Day Services, 9 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary, with guest speaker County Commissioner Susan Adams. 11 National Philanthropy Day hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, IR Chapter, 4:30 p.m. at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, honoring philanthropists and volunteers who have made significant impacts on the community. $100. AFPGlobal.orgSudoku Page B9 Sudoku Page B10 Crossword Page B9Solutions from Games Pages in October 30th, 2025 EditionCrossword Page B10 (Definitials)State Certified Electrical ContractorTom G. WaltonServing the Treasure Coast since 1984772-569-1547 • [email protected] • Commercial • IndustrialL. Walton Electric, Inc.EC13003596Time to Clean Your Carpets/Furniture?Maxfield Carpet Cleaning • 772-538-02135300 N. A1A, Vero Beach • SINCE 1979Three Reasons to Call Mitch Maxfield:QUALITY: My “2-step system” removes even tough ground-in dirt. All work guaranteed.SERVICE: I, personally, will clean your carpets and furniture.PRICE: Two (2) Rooms (any size)...$77, 6’ Sofa or 2 Chairs...$66BUSINESS DIRECTORY - ADVERTISING INDIAN RIVER COUNTY BUSINESSESOur directory gives small business people eager to provide services to the community an opportunity to make themselves known to our readers at an affordable cost. This is the only business directory mailed each week. If you would like your business to appear in our directory, please call 772-633-0753. This is also where we publish Fictitious Name or “Doing Business As” notices, Public Notices and Employment ads. To place one, please email [email protected].