07/16/2020 ISSUE 29

New Sebastian hospital wing
nears completion. P11
Vero High sends off
2020 graduates. P15

Beachside hotels having
surprisingly good summer. P10

County moves on For breaking news visit
mandatory masks
but Vero resists Long-term care’s
lonely lockdown
extends to Sept. 5

BY LISA ZAHNER BY MICHELLE GENZ
Staff Writer Staff Writer

Five more deaths, plus the As Florida’s governor focus-
doubling of confirmed COV- es on reopening schools, he
ID-19 infections over the past has also quietly extended the
two weeks to a total of nearly ban on visitors to long-term
1,300 cases in Indian River care centers until Sept. 5.
County, may be what it finally
took to force the County Com- The lockdown means visits
missioners Tuesday to take up from friends and family contin-
a sensible proposal for man- ue to be banned, and residents
datory face masks. are not allowed to take field
trips outside of the facility.
If the surging case counts
and deaths weren’t enough “The new ruling is disap-
to persuade county and city pointing, but after what we’ve
leaders that it was time to been through, we support that
show some leadership, a decision,” said Don Wright,
brand-new state report Mon- chairman of the board of the
day on real-time COVID-19 Senior Resource Association
hospitalizations showed that and owner of Rosewood Man-
at press time, 34 people were or, a 50-bed assisted living fa-
hospitalized here with the vi- cility that exploded with more
rus. than 20 cases of COVID-19 af-
ter results of mass testing never
Never before in the corona- made it back to the care home.
virus pandemic have we seen
this many people so seriously “There is no doubt:These peo-
ple are vulnerable,”Wright said.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
MY Are school officials serious? Schools say most kids
VERO here will return to their Kids and COVID-19: Pediatricians not
classrooms in August sure what lies ahead if schools reopen
BY RAY MCNULTY about putting at greater risk
Staff Writer the health of our kids, their BY GEORGE ANDREASSI BY LISA ZAHNER have been tested for the novel
teachers and, ultimately, the Staff Writer Staff Writer coronavirus, so pediatricians
To the great minds who’ve de- entire community, merely like Dr. Karen Westberry aren’t
cided we should send our kids so parents have the daytime Nearly 90 percent of Indian Children have been mostly quite sure what to expect
back to their classrooms during childcare they need to go to River County’s 17,000 students out of circulation since March when schools reopen in less
an alarming spike in coronavi- work and help our pandemic- are expected to return to their – no school, no play dates, than a month.
rus cases, I feel compelled to damaged economy recover. classrooms on Aug. 10 despite no birthday parties, no visit-
ask the obvious question: the recent rise in COVID-19 ing grandparents – and only Normally, Westberry said, the
You’ve seen the infection 1 percent of Indian River separate sick-kid treatment
You’re kidding, right? numbers, which continue to CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 County’s youngest residents areas at Nemours Children’s
Surely, you’re not serious
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

July 16, 2020 Volume 13, Issue 29 Newsstand Price $1.00 Poetry contest
inspires ‘sense of
News 1-16 Editorial 28 People 17-22 TO ADVERTISE CALL community.’ P21
Arts 37-40 Games 31-33 Pets 46 772-559-4187
Books 30 Health 41-45 Real Estate 57-68
Dining 50-54 Insight 23-36 Style 47-49 FOR CIRCULATION
CALL 772-226-7925

© 2020 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

County moves on masks the Board of County Commissioners Castaway Cove, plus Grand Harbor, sion where council members could
was about to act on an ordinance re- southwest Vero and great swaths of take up this issue without waiting for
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 quiring the wearing of a face mask or neighborhoods west of town on the the July 21 regular meeting.
cloth covering everywhere indoors in mainland.
ill from COVID-19 in our community. public and outdoors in crowds of 50 But Mayor Tony Young on Monday
For months the number of patients in people or more, or where social dis- That means the City of Vero Beach, afternoon said he has no plans to call
tancing of 6 feet is not possible. which since March has been the top such a meeting or to propose such an
hospitals, reported at a press conference ZIP code for COVID-19 cases in Indi- ordinance.
on Fridays, hung in the single-digits, oc- While this major decision should an River County with 302 cases at last
casionally spiking into the low teens. have been made a couple of weeks count, would need to act separately to “As of now the focus this week is still
ago, it was probably right that it was make mask-wearing mandatory in- on the budget,” Young said. “We can re-
But the availability of intensive decided in the end by elected officials side the city limits. visit the face coverings at another time.”
care beds and regular hospital beds and not paid staff.
here both dipped below 40 percent TheVero Beach City Council has two Two weeks ago, a measure to require
on Monday, at a time when we’re de- But the ordinance was only written days of budget workshops planned on the wearing of face masks by employ-
cidedly off-season in terms of snow- to cover the unincorporated county, Wednesday and Thursday and a spe- ees of restaurants, shops and offices
birds using our hospitals. which includes the northern part of cial call City Council meeting could open to the public failed, and the City
the barrier island, the area south of easily be tacked-on to Thursday’s ses- Council approved an emaciated ver-
As this week’s issue went to press, sion of the rule narrowing the mask-
wearing requirement to City of Vero
Beach facilities only.

The emergency resolution only
“strongly encouraged” the wearing of
masks by employees of other businesses
and buildings not controlled by the city.

Vero, it seems, is in no rush to step

up to protect its citizens. 

My Vero

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

go the wrong way. You’ve heard the
experts, who warn that reopening
schools during a spike in cases will
only increase the spread of the virus.

You must know you’d be recklessly
rolling the dice, betting that this latest
surge in COVID-19 infections will fade
as we move toward next month’s first
day of school, gambling with lives and
livelihoods.

So, if you’re really going to do this
– and we can only hope you’re wise
enough to reconsider – there can be
only one explanation: You’re feeling
lucky.

That’s the only way we’ll get through
the academic year without an outbreak
disrupting classes, closing schools or
worse, despite all the planned safety
precautions.

Don’t be surprised, though, if our
kids are back to virtual schooling by
the time the calendar turns to 2021.

The odds aren’t on our side.
At the moment, there’s no reason
to believe this worsening pandemic
is about to subside, which means re-
opening our schools can only make
matters worse. Even if we see a de-
crease in the number of COVID cas-
es, returning kids to the classroom
almost certainly will produce anoth-
er spike.
We can’t rely on kids to conduct
themselves as responsible adults.
We can’t expect kids, especially
younger kids, to wear masks properly
and continue to wear them, especial-
ly when the face coverings become
uncomfortable.
Likewise, we can’t expect kids to
abide by social-distancing require-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 3

NEWS

ments and not try to gather in groups so they won’t become infected and learn better when they’re in school, as impactful and lasting as anything
for extended periods of time, particu- possibly transmit a potentially deadly where there are fewer distractions and in the school district’s curriculum.
larly on school buses, in cafeterias virus to someone else? they get more face-to-face interaction
and during physical education classes with their teachers. They also learn The price of admission, though, is
and recess. Eventually, we can expect these same from each other, often through group too high at this time.
parents to face a tougher decision: Do discussions.
It’s also unrealistic to expect kids to I send my kid to school, knowing one Make no mistake: The spread of
keep their hands perfectly clean, no of his or her classmates or teachers has Then there’s the socialization that the COVID-19 isn’t the only potential
matter how often they’re reminded to tested positive? occurs only on campus, where friend- health concern confronting parents,
do so. ships are formed, and life lessons students and teachers during this
Why put them in that position? learned outside the classroom can be pandemic.
Water fountains, if not turned off, There’s no denying that most kids
could pose problems, too. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Resuming school will pose great
risk to our teachers, who would be ex-
posed to students for six hours each
day, five days per week, for the next
several months – until a vaccine be-
comes available, the academic year
concludes or, more likely, an outbreak
closes schools again.

According to local School Superin-
tendent David Moore, teachers will be
required to wear face shields, which
should provide some protection against
the virus. As healthcare workers can at-
test, however, those shields aren’t fail-
safe.

At some point, a teacher – and prob-
ably more than one – would test posi-
tive for COVID-19.

What happens then?
If public health guidelines are fol-
lowed, as we’re told they will be, the
teacher would be required to quar-
antine for 14 days and test negative
twice before being allowed to return
to work. But what about the infected
teacher’s students?
Would they need to stay home? If
so, for how long? Should their par-
ents and other family members also
be quarantined? Should any or all of
them get tested?
In the reverse scenario: If a student
tests positive, should the teacher be
required to quarantine? What about
other kids who might’ve been exposed
to the infected student? Should other
teachers who came into contact with
the infected student’s teacher also be
forced to stay home?
Again, for how long?
If someone in a teacher’s household
tests positive, should that teacher self-
quarantine to avoid the possibility
of bringing the virus to school? If so,
would the district allow the teacher to
stay home with pay and without re-
percussions?
Then there’s this potential dump-
ster fire: When teachers do need to
stay home for virus-related reasons,
how difficult will it be to find substi-
tutes to work during a pandemic and
risk their health for the pay offered?
And what if substitute teachers, who
often work in different classrooms in
different schools, test positive?
You see where this is going?
You see what you’re doing, forcing
parents to choose between putting
their kids in harm’s way so they can
earn a living, and keeping them home

4 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero and spread as kids come together after as the gold standard in general medi- son school is safe for healthy kids if stu-
being apart all summer. cal and specialized care for kids. dents, teachers and everyone on school
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 campuses diligently and consistently
Whether the novel coronavirus will Westberry, a board-certified pedia- adheres to the Centers for Disease Con-
Have you thought about how our spread like this in the initial weeks of trician with 30 years’ experience and trol and Prevention’s guidance on social
kids might react if a classmate or school and wreak havoc in the greater an assistant clinical professor with distancing, frequent hand washing and
teacher gets infected and becomes se- community is the big question. Gov- the Florida State University College of wearing face coverings when social dis-
riously ill or dies? Or how they’ll feel ernment officials say the risk of CO- Medicine, says Nemours doctors have tancing is not possible.
if they unknowingly bring the virus VID-19 to kids is “extremely low” be- seen local COVID-19 positive kids
home to their parents or grandparents cause so far, the statistics show very whose test samples were collected in- But she acknowledges “that may be
and one of them gets sick? few children wind up hospitalized or office, at the Health Department and hard for some schools to implement.
dead from the virus. at other clinics and hospitals.
We’ll probably find out. “Most pediatricians that I engage
Just last week, the superintendent To date, only four Florida children “We have only had a handful of cases with strongly support the use of masks.
said he was expecting nearly 90 per- have died from complications of CO- and all have been very mild,” she said. That’s the best way we know, other
cent of students’ parents to embrace VID-19. Based upon that – and the than social distancing, to prevent the
the district’s plan to reopen schools need for parents to get back to work – Westberry hopes it stays that way spread of the virus,” Westberry said. “I
for traditional classroom learning. schools have been mandated to open when fall classes resume, but when it think we should expect that kids can
There’s still a chance, however, that in August. comes to kids and COVID-19, “I think wear masks. We say they’re not going to
the soaring number of coronavirus cas- it really is the great unknown, because like it and they probably won’t. And the
es in Florida will change some minds. Though children have not been in- most of the data we have is with kids younger ones may not be able to, but I
“Before we open our doors on Aug. fected with COVID-19 at alarming rates, not being in school” she said. “But think if we just expect that they won’t do
10,” Moore said, “we will ensure that is there’s no solid scientific evidence to the American Academy of Pediatrics it, we’re setting ourselves up for failure.
the right thing to do.” show that children are blessed with any strongly recommends that kids go to
special immunity to the virus, mean- school when possible. So that’s kind of “I think we ought to remind par-
Let’s hope he wasn’t kidding.  ing they can be infected and they can the caveat. When is it possible for kids ents that their kids are capable maybe
infect others, even while asymptomatic to get back in school? of more than they think,” Westberry
Kids and COVID-19 or pre-symptomatic. said. “And peer pressure can be a good
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “Most people believe unless you’re thing in this case, if everybody has a
Of the 297 children and teens test- in a community that has very high mask on and you’re wearing a mask
Primary Care in Vero Beach begin to ed in Indian River County, roughly 40 numbers, where the hospitals are just like everybody else.”
fill up about two weeks after school percent or 118 have tested positive, maxed out, that kids should be in pub-
resumes in August. That’s when all the according to the most recent pediatric lic school. We know that kids are less At the Nemours office in Vero, the
garden-variety maladies are swapped case report published by the Florida likely to be severely ill – that is known CDC guidelines are followed religious-
Department of Health. for sure. And it seems like they don’t ly. You’d never know by all the safety
 spread the infection as well as adults, precautions that the risk of COVID-19
Nemours Children’s Health Sys- but that’s the big unknown.” to kids is very low.
tem, which has had a presence in Vero
Beach since 2015, is widely regarded Westberry said in her opinion in-per- Everyone – staff, patients and par-

      

 JULY 20 

Is the last day to register to vote or change your party
affiliation for the August 18 Primary Election.

To register to vote online, visit VoteIndianRiver.com
or complete and submit a paper voter registration
application to the Elections Office by July 20.

LESLIE SWAN INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS
4375 43rd AVE., VERO BEACH, FL 32967 I (772) 226-3440

      
 
 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 5

NEWS

ents – get checked for temperature Sickkidsnotonlyhaveaseparatewait- annual exam but turns up sick, they are day seems to violate all three of the
and symptoms before they enter the ing area from well kids who are there for rescheduled with an appointment on CDC’s Three Cs that should be avoid-
building; then kids older than 2 years a sports physical or an annual checkup the sick-kid side of the facility. ed: closed spaces, crowded spaces
old and every adult must put on a and shots, but the sick kids and well kids and close-contact situations for sus-
mask. Siblings are not permitted to tag have dedicated doctors, nurses and staff Contrast this level of care to prevent tained periods of time.
along, and only one parent is invited who do not cross back and forth during infection with the typical on-campus
in to accompany the patient. the work day. If a patient shows up for an school experience. Kids will study in closed, air-condi-

In-person learning seven hours a CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

LAISFELEESCTTIOYNLOEF OPURROULPTREARLUTXIUERSY

Please visit our New Sales Oceanfront Estate
Development Center at: $6.5 Million
675 Beachland Boulevard
O’Dare/Boga 772.234.5093
772.234.5555 Video | Info: v233369.com

Premierestateproperties.com

Our Unrivaled Global Network

The Shores Riverfront $1.895 Million The Shores Lakefront $1.395 Million Equestrian Estate 4.7± Acres $1.195 Million
O’Dare/Boga 772.234.5093 Info: v167639.com Brown/Harris/Webb 772.234.5332 Info: v233217.com Brown/Harris/Webb 772.234.5332 Info: v188968.com

6 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Kids and COVID-19 With kids there is a unique danger tionally with all the upheaval – young- the new health and safety procedures,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 down the road, a mysterious disease that er kids are generally doing better in monitor how the new system is work-
presents itself long after the prescribed isolation than teenagers – and teach- ing and make adjustments as prob-
tioned classrooms and crowded hall- 14-day quarantine period. It’s called ing kids and parents about COVID-19. lems arise, Moore said.
ways, school buses, gymnasiums and Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome
cafeterias five days a week. Little hands in Children or MIS-C. “I think we’re doing more educa- A team of local pediatricians was
will be touching everything – every tion on how it spreads, how to protect scheduled to meet with school district
desk, chair, doorknob, railing and com- “It’s still very rare, but that is a known yourself and how wearing a face cover- officials Wednesday to critique the pro-
puter keyboard. When team sports and complication of COVID in kids,” West- ing isn’t to protect themselves, but to cedures for handling students who pres-
afterschool clubs and activities resume, berry said. protect their grandparents and their ent COVID-19 symptoms, Moore said.
that’s even more together time, and kids parents,” she said.
are not going to wear a face mask while Some children who turn up in the The school district also extended the
running down the soccer field or play- emergency room with MIS-C don’t Kids are more likely to be asymp- deadline until Wednesday for students
ing football or basketball. even know they have had COVID-19. tomatic than adults, Westberry said, to opt into the semester-long Indian Riv-
Some test positive for the virus; others so the responsibility to protect others er Virtual School or the nine-week-long
Pushing kids and teachers into situ- no longer have the virus but test posi- should not be shirked. And again, kids Transitional Distance Learning model.
ations we know tend to be more risky tive for the antibody. Since very few are the great unknown when it comes
for transmission is a huge public health kids are being tested for COVID-19 to COVID-19 infection rates. Students who miss the July 15 dead-
experiment, but the Florida Depart- and most kids experience very mild line will be scheduled to return to
ment of Education is mandating all cases from the virus, all parents need “A lot fewer kids have been tested their traditional school, Moore said.
schools open in August for the good of to be on the lookout for symptoms of than adults, so it’s difficult to say.”
students’ mental and emotional health, MIS-C since kids might have been in- Westberry said. “Testing has been in So far, 3,502 students have submit-
and their general well-being. fected and weathered COVID-19 with- short supply and for a long time we ted their selections, with 2,033, or
out seeming to be sick. were only testing symptomatic people about 58 percent, choosing to return
It’s a huge decision weighing on par- and with kids out of school and staying to their traditional school, Moore said.
ents right now. “It’s a discussion we “Fever would be the biggest one, fe- home, we had very few symptomatic
have multiple times a day, almost ev- ver for more than 24 hours,” Westberry kids who needed to be tested.” Another 744, or slightly more than
ery parent has questions. Should they said. “Usually it’s pretty high. Kids can 21 percent, chose the Transitional Dis-
send their child? Should they not send have vomiting and diarrhea. A lot of Though testing has become more tance Learning model, Moore said. The
their child? Should they do nine weeks them get a rash on their hands and available, Westberry said, it remains other 725, or just under 21 percent,
of home learning? It’s a real dilemma feet. Red eyes, redness of the lips and “harder for people without symptoms picked Indian River Virtual School.
for all of these parents,” Westberry said. tongue, everything’s inflamed.” to get tested, so we still don’t know the
“Using that data, we’re predicting
Gov. Ron DeSantis and panels of ex- Some kids have chest pain, difficulty numbers.”  right now, between 85 and 90 percent
perts at the state and federal level have breathing and exhibit a blue color on of our students will return to the tradi-
pointed out that public schools are their skin. “These kids can get really A return to classrooms tional model,” Moore said. “The other
where many kids get their only reliable sick really quick,” Westberry added. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 10 percent will be within one of those
nutritious meals and sometimes school two [virtual] models.”
is where kids are safest if their neighbor- Nationally, about 1,000 kids have cases, while the other 10 percent opt
hood or their own home is dangerous. been diagnosed with MIS-C, with the for virtual schooling, according to Once school opens, students and
latest numbers for Florida being 13 as school officials. school employees will be screened for
As parents return to the workplace, of last week. “It seems that they clus- fever and COVID-19 symptoms every
unsupervised kids at home or on the ter,” Westberry said. “The latest data Free cloth face coverings and dispos- day when entering campus, Moore said.
streets is not a viable option, and un- was, about a month after you have a able face masks will be provided to all
supervised kids are more likely to slack surge of COVID is when we’re seeing students, Schools Superintendent Da- Students presenting symptoms of
on completing online learning tasks. these cases. So, it’s like a late effect.” vid Moore said Friday while presenting COVID-19 will be escorted by a health
There’s also the “digital divide” separat- the latest plans for reopening schools. assistant to an isolation room for ad-
ing kids with computers and internet Fortunately, Westberry said parents ditional temperature and symptom
access and those without. On top of all who shied away from medical offices “Face coverings should be worn checks, Moore said.
that, it’s almost impossible for students in the spring due to virus fear have when social distancing is not possi-
with special needs to get services when returned to get caught up on care. ble,” Moore said during a July 10 Face- The parents will be called to pick up
they are not physically in school. School and sports physicals, and the book live presentation. the student and take them for a CO-
need to submit immunization records VID-19 test, Moore said.
So, by the end of August, the sick-kid to schools, are pushing kids into the Teachers will be equipped with plas-
waiting room at Nemours’ Vero office office now and that’s a good thing. tic face shields so they can commu- If the test comes back positive, the
should begin to reveal the results of nicate safely and effectively with stu- state Health Department will establish
the big school experiment. As kids come in, Westberry said doc- dents, Moore said. a quarantine period for the student
tors are not only giving them a good and undertake contact tracing, Moore
head-to-toe check, they’re also check- The first eight days of the school said. The student can return to school
ing in with how they’re coping emo- year will be used to teach students after completing the quarantine pe-
riod and testing negative for the virus.

Anyone who spent more than 15
minutes within 6 feet of a student who

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 7

NEWS

tested positive for COVID-19 positive Senior care center lockdown federal guidelines for reopening long- which were better equipped to isolate
will also be quarantined for several CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 term care facilities include a decline in and care for them. Since then, some
days, Moore said. cases in the surrounding community. of those residents have tested nega-
The move to extend the long-term tive and if they test negative again,
School district personnel will be care lockdown came with Gov. Ron Wright said the staff at Rosewood they can come home to Rosewood.
assigned to schools to help supervise DeSantis’ order last Tuesday continu- tries to keep residents active while so-
students as they arrive, move between ing the state of emergency in Florida cial distancing. But the field trips to “Family members are notified as
classes, pick up lunch in the cafeteria for another 60 days. town are no longer allowed. “It’s heart- soon as we get these results and they
and depart school, Moore said. breaking,” he said. “A simple trip to can’t wait for their loved ones to re-
While all the talk lately has been of Wal-Mart or a ‘mystery ride’ in the bus turn. We can’t either,” Wright said.
“This is going to take an all-hands- young people getting COVID-19, case are off limits since March. Families are
on-deck approach,” Moore said. “With numbers have been rapidly rising not allowed in, and this affects both the In mid-May, DeSantis began agitat-
that additional supervision, we will statewide in senior care facilities, up residents and the families.” ing to reopen long-term care facilities
ensure we are maximizing the space 70 percent in just two weeks. to families. He said the ban on visitors,
to keep students spread out.” As of Monday, Rosewood Manor’s which he had enacted March 9, had
With the same urgency DeSantis May 28 mass testing results had still likely prevented thousands of cases
Drop-off and pick-up times will now speaks of getting kids out of isola- not been received, Wright says. A sec- of COVID-19, but had come at a “psy-
be extended to keep students apart, tion and into classrooms, he spoke in ond mass testing conducted June 19 chological and social cost” that people
Moore said. Student movement on May of concerns about depression in revealed the 20 positive residents and weren’t discussing. “We’ve got to figure
campus will be kept to a minimum. the elderly, unable to see their friends five staff members, and Wright is con- out a way to give some folks hope and
and relatives. In terms of vulnerability vinced those May 28 results, had they be able to see their families.”
Some furniture is being removed to COVID-19, though, those in senior not been lost, could have stopped the
from classrooms so desks can be posi- care are at the opposite end of the spread of COVID-19 by revealing as- CMS guidelines issued around that
tioned further apart, Moore said. Stu- spectrum from schoolkids, much more ymptomatic carriers. time spelled out the way. Along with
dents will constantly be reminded to likely to suffer serious harm if infected. considering the spread of COVID-19
wash and/or sanitize their hands and “I guess we’ll never know how our in the community, the individual fa-
stay 6 feet apart. At the same time, if the reopening situation was back then [in late May],” cilities should have a 28-day reprieve
of schools backfires and triggers a fur- Wright said. “For that I am disappoint- of any COVID-19 cases. They should
New student identification cards ther increase in cases, those numbers ed.” also have adequate staffing; have a lab
will enable students to pay for lunch would start to roll in just when the lined up with availability for weekly
without touching a keypad, Moore state of emergency order – including Wright said three of the four residents testing of both residents and staff;
said. Lunch schedules will also be its stay on long-term care visitation – who died with COVID-19 at Rosewood have adequate supplies of disinfec-
stretched out to keep students apart. is set to expire. were asymptomatic; all had pre-exist- tants and PPE; and have beds avail-
ing conditions. “Only one of the four able in the local hospitals and ICUs.
The school district is still working In that case, a rising infection rate showed virus symptoms. That’s the
out safety plans for providing extra- would leave the governor hard-pressed scary part.” Last week, DeSantis gave up on try-
curricular activities, Moore said. The to ease nursing home restrictions, since ing to reopen nursing homes and as-
district will rely on the Florida High Rosewood Manor relocated all its
School Athletic Association for guid- positive patients to other facilities CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

ance on resuming sports. 





10 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Senior care center lockdown Last week in Indian River County’s jon’s assistant administrator has been even when the Indian River County fa-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 25 facilities, there were seven current out with the virus. “We had some cility does not.
COVID-19 positive residents along very tearful conversations together,”
sisted living facilities this summer, with 29 staff. Wright said. Seven Palm Garden nursing homes
extending the no-visitors rule that around the state show a combined 20
effectively limits the social lives of Thirty-eight more positive residents “Most folks that come in here are deaths on the state’s chart of COVID-19
160,000 Floridians to their caregivers had transferred out of their facilities, here for a reason. Many, especially in deaths in long-term care. Five Consul-
and fellow residents. including 19 residents of Rosewood the memory care area, have condi- ate nursing homes have a combined 15
Manor. tions that are hard to live with without deaths. TwoWillowbrooke Court nursing
A recently added chart posted on any virus,” Wright said. “Our job is to homes have 10 deaths between them.
the state’s Health Department website At least nine long-term care resi- keep them active, fed, clean and living
tracks current cases in senior care cen- dents with COVID-19 have died in the with dignity. That’s our passion and Four Solaris facilities in Florida
ters going back through early March. county, five at HarborChase and four we love the rewards that come with show 23 combined deaths, includ-
The numbers are not cumulative, mean- at Rosewood Manor. it. In normal times, I can walk in any ing Solaris Charlotte Harbor with 18
ing people who get well, or people who one of our communities and tell when deaths. Five Brookdale centers in the
pass away, don’t show up in the figure. While the figures add up to a severe someone has passed. You can see the state have a total of 22 deaths.
public health calamity, each case, to sadness on our staff’s faces. They love
The chart shows that on June 25, say nothing of each death, greatly adds these people.” Vero-based Harbor Retirement As-
1,465 long-term care residents in Flor- to the anxiety already suffered by many sociates was the first in Vero to have
ida were currently fighting the virus. long-term care residents. That in turn Often, the local numbers don’t re- COVID-19 deaths, with its Harbor-
Five days later, the total would break adds stress to the lives of staff members flect the corporate pressures bearing Chase of Vero’s five deaths in April. In
the record set in mid-May for the already dealing with clients’ emotional down on administrators as branches of addition, there were six deaths at Har-
highest daily count in long-term care well-being, and weighing their own risks the same chain face COVID-19 deaths borChase of Tamarac, and one at Har-
since the pandemic began. against the paltry pay many are earning
as nursing aides, cooks or janitors. borChase of Palm Beach Garden. 
And the climb continued. By July 8,
there were 2,489 positives out of the As for facility administrators, the ISLAND HOTELS HAVING SURPRISINGLY
142,000 people living in long-term care. already challenging workload has GOOD SUMMER DESPITE PANDEMIC
That’s a rise of more than 1,000 cases doubled, at least. Wright describes the
in just two weeks, and a 70 percent in- effort Rosewood administrator Zoe BY STEPHANIE LABAFF “They’re dining, they’re eating.
crease in a high-risk population. Morejon has made “with a giant heart Staff Writer They’re feeling comfortable. If they’re
[in taking] this situation on her back. going to travel right now, people want
At last check Monday, the state From South Beach to Ocean Drive, to be outdoors. They want to be at the
added another 500 to that total. As for “She worked endless hours, deal- island hotels and timeshare resorts beach,” he adds.
staff, 5,417 were positive out of close ing with AHCA and the Department of are having a surprisingly good sum-
to 200,000 people who work in senior Health while being in constant contact mer, all things considered, with busy Olson says Costa’s summertime
care centers. with families, checking daily on the resi- weekends and overall business close guests typically are Florida residents
dents that were forced to move out.” to the benchmark set in 2019 at most and even more so this year when many
establishments. people are hesitant about air travel.
All the while, Wright said, More- Many guests are booking at the last
Business was way off in March and minute, which helps the hotel.
April but rebounded in May and June,
hoteliers say, a trend that is continuing “The booking window has shrunk
in July, with Florida residents filling [by half ],” he says. Any cancellations
rooms despite an increase in corona- resulting from the increase in Florida
virus cases here in recent weeks. positive COVID-19 cases have been
backfilled, putting the hotel back on
Chad Olson, Costa d’Este general track.
manager, notes an interesting dynamic
about activity at his hotel this summer. Awet Sium, Kimpton Vero Beach
While overall bookings are on pace with Hotel and Spa general manager, says
last year, food and beverage spending the outlook for his hotel is positive,
is up substantially, which he credits to especially after the establishment was
people wanting to get out of the house. named last week as one of the top 15

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Established 18 Years in Indian River County

(772) 562-2288 | www.kitchensvero.com
3920 US Hwy 1, Vero Beach FL 32960

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 11

NEWS

New Sebastian hospital wing nears completion at critical time

BY MICHELLE GENZ even though Sebastian River as a rule – reach maximum capacity due to the as the hospital addresses the issues and
Staff Writer has not been admitting COVID-19 pa- pandemic. repeats the inspection process.
tients.
Two years past its original an- Sebastian River expressed an ur- Parent company Steward Health
nounced completion date, Sebastian Currently, Sebastian River has 87 gency to county building officials to decided early in the pandemic to
River Medical Center is close to finish- staffed beds compared to 311 at Cleve- get patients into the first two floors of make Rockledge Medical Center its
ing up a significant expansion project. land Clinic Indian River Hospital. the new tower. “They complained it COVID-19 designated hospital. That
Cleveland and Sebastian are the only needed to be rush-rush-rush to open spared Melbourne Regional Hospital
Initiated by its former owner in Au- acute-care hospitals in the county. up some beds,” said deputy building and Sebastian River Medical Center
gust 2016, the 90,000-square-foot ex- official Jose Guanch. from having to establish COVID-19
pansion will add hospital beds to the “We welcome any improvement to wings, as Cleveland Clinic Indian Riv-
county’s total tally at a potentially crit- our existing healthcare capacity and fa- Guanch said the hospital’s file in- er has done.
ical time – even if it opens up patient cilities,” said Phil Matson, Indian River dicates “the third floor is on its way,”
rooms in phases, as officials have said County’s community development di- citing a partial approval on plumbing Cleveland Clinic’s dedicated, nega-
is the plan. rector. and other evidence that indicates the tive-pressure wing of 19 rooms is about
contractor is framing the area now. to “flex” into another wing, a spokes-
“It is our responsibility to grow with The temporary certificate of occu- woman said last week, as the CO-
the community,” said Daniel Knell, pancy issued June 19 describes the Concurrently, the state’s Agency for VID-19 patient count at the hospital
president of Steward Health Care’s project as adding 48 beds, but stipu- Healthcare Administration, known as approached its highest point since the
Florida market. In a statement, Stew- lates the document is “for first and sec- AHCA, has been closely following the pandemic started.
ard called the project “completed,” ond floor use prior to full CO because project. “AHCA’s been involved in in-
though it has only a temporary cer- of COVID-19 outbreak.” spections throughout the project,” It’s not clear, though, that Sebastian
tificate of occupancy and has not Guanch said. “They have their inspec- River is making full use of its current
cleared final inspection with the state The first floor of the building in- tors check at each phase of the project.” capacity. As of Friday, state records
agency that oversees hospital con- cludes a new lobby as well as surgical showed the hospital with 68 of its pa-
struction projects. facilities. The second floor includes 24 The state inspections will test medi- tient beds filled and 19 more available.
patient rooms. cal gas systems; nurse call and code That total would indicate only 87 of
Neither the hospital nor Steward blue systems; the heating, ventilation the hospital’s 154 licensed beds are
would clarify the status of the project Even though Sebastian River has ad- and air condition systems; and fire staffed and ready for use.
or offer an opening date. Building of- mitted few if any COVID-19 patients, protection systems.
ficials say the hospital is claiming the the extra beds could prove useful if Cleveland Clinic Indian River has
pandemic is behind the push to open, other area hospitals – Cleveland Clin- If any of the inspections at the county 183 staffed beds filled with 128 staffed
ic Indian River, Lawnwood Regional or state level find problems, the expan-
Medical Center and Palm Bay Hospital sion’s opening could be further delayed CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

12 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Sebastian hospital wing from U.S. 1 to the back of the hospital Boston-based Suffolk Construction. By summer. Now, mid- to late-summer ap-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 and includes a registration area and last summer, one of the two planned pears to be the target date.
coffee shop. patient room floors had been pushed
beds still available. The Vero hospital back to a second phase, reducing the Hospital president Ron Bierman re-
has 332 licensed beds. Sebastian River was bought by Stew- number of new rooms at opening to 24. portedly said in an online webinar last
ard Health Care System in spring 2017 week that the project will open with
The Sebastian expansion will in- in a deal that included two Brevard That first phase was supposed to be two floors in a matter of weeks, with
clude six operating rooms and three County hospitals, Melbourne Regional completed in December, according to the additional floor of patient rooms
procedure rooms as well as patient and Rockledge Medical Center. then-CEO Kyle Sanders, who left last opening sometime in the fall. Asked to
rooms. The three-story structure re- fall. That deadline was moved to Janu- confirm those comments, the hospital
orients the hospital’s entrance away The expansion project stalled for ary, with an opening date in February. put out a press release that said simply
nearly a year after Steward took over That got bumped up to spring or early
and a different contractor took over, that the project was “completed.” 

Beachside hotels turnover, puts guests more at ease, ac- Court Boutique Resort, says owner Bo- her guests live nearby – a change from
cording to Hughes. ris Gonzalez. When prospective guests their usual guest demographic, which
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 call, “they want to make sure they’re typically includes European guests
Zach Zebrowski, Driftwood Resort not breathing other people’s air.”
hotels in Florida on Travel and Lei- owner relations manager, says his occu- The lack of overseas travelers has
sure’s annual list. pancy numbers are running neck and While they’ve had cancellations of had a more negative impact on Pres-
neck with last year at this time, which big event bookings like fall weddings, tige Hotel, also in South Beach, where
“We’re slower than last summer but he credits to the fact that there is less Gonzalez says June occupancy was 90 the customer base includes many Eu-
not that far off. It’s been an ebb and turnover in a timeshare environment. percent of last year’s occupancy rate. ropeans, according to Edyta Zachari-
flow, a roller coaster of bookings with “If July is as good as last month, I will asz, general manager. “This year is a to-
ups and downs, but overall, very posi- “As of right now, we’re booked pretty be very happy.” tal loss,” she says. “The outlook doesn’t
tive,” he says, noting that weekends are well through the summer on the week- look good.
busy while weekday occupancy hovers ends and not busy during the week,” Sea Turtle Inn owner Vera Northey
between 60 percent and 70 percent. says Zebrowski, who adds he has seen says “things are doing pretty good. On “In September, October and No-
an increase in phone calls from out- the weekends, we are booked. Things vember, we are dead because of the
At the Sea Spray Inn, also in Cen- of-state guests concerned they will not were slow in March and April, but May hurricane season. It’s been so hot we
tral Beach, Manager Stacey Jones says be able to return home if they come to and June have been the same as last think there’s going to be a major hurri-
“we’re open for business, and we haven’t the beachside resort or will be required year.” cane,” she adds, predicting that things
slowed down!” to quarantine upon their return, since may not pick up until January of next
Florida now is a virus hotspot. Since travel is limited to the U.S. for
Timeshare resorts are even busier the most part, explains Northey, most of year. 
than the hotels, with the Reef Ocean As a result, most Driftwood guests
Resort operating at nearly 100 percent of late have been Florida residents VERO WILL RELY ON RESERVES
of capacity, according to General Man- who don’t have to worry about cross- TO MEET CITY’S BUDGET NEEDS
ager Debbie Hughes. “We’re booked ing any state borders to get to and
pretty solid through the end of August. from the resort. BY LISA ZAHNER $25.2 million budget using its rainy-
People are tired of being quarantined. Staff Writer day fund.
They are getting out and wanting to get South Beach hotels are doing well,
their vacations in,” Hughes says, but too, except for those that rely on Euro- Every municipal budget in the State revenue sharing plus the local-
adding that she has seen a decline in pean guests. Florida is in flux as the local-share option gas and sales taxes amount
the number of elderly guests. numbers for sales tax and gas tax re- to about $3.6 million, or 14 percent
Business is booming at South Beach ceipts diminished by COVID-19 are of the city’s general fund budget, ac-
“Since the rise in the number of Place, says manager Nikki Barroso, due out by Friday, but it looks like cording to City Manager Monte Falls
COVID-19 cases, we’ve had a lot more who is hosting mainly South Florida the City of Vero Beach will be able to and Finance Director Cindy Lawson.
phone calls, but everybody seems to families, with many guests booking at afford all the essentials, plus salary Those receipts for March to date are
be staying. They’re just a little bit more the last minute. She attributes the ho- increases and eight additional em- expected to take a hit, but how much
nervous,” says Hughes. Most recently, tel’s strong bookings to regular guests ployees in October without a tax rate was not known when the first draft of
guests have been calling with con- familiar with the hotel’s amenities. hike – if the City Council balances the the budget was finalized in prepara-
cerns over beach closures.
“Our hotel is very good for a stayca- CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Since the Reef is a timeshare, guests tion because we have kitchen facilities
tend to return year after year and are so they can transport their home to our
familiar with cleaning protocols and hotel, so they feel safe,” she explains.
standards at the resort. That coupled
with the fact that week-long stays limit The absence of interior hallways and
use of individual air conditioners in
every room are a big plus at Caribbean

Cofuonrty Commission
District 5

Help Steve Maintain And Improve The
Quality Of Life In Indian River County By:
• Cleaning Up The Indian River Lagoon

and The Lakes
• Attract Higher Paying, Professional Jobs
• Quality Development And Growth
• Promoting Local Businesses

Paid for by Steve Boyle for County Commission Dist. 5

SteveBoyle2020.com



14 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Vero city budget rate of 2.5 mils would net $7.5 million
in property taxes for the general fund.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
The city’s budget has gradually been
tion for two days of budget workshops drifting upward each year, going from
this Wednesday and Thursday. $23.9 million in 2018 to $24.8 million
in 2019.
The Vero City Council was set to
decide whether to use a portion of The budget calls for 3-percent raises
the city’s $2.5 million “budget stabi- citywide at a cost of just over than a
lization fund” to pay for all the staff half-million dollars, though police of-
and council’s priorities in the budget. ficers have petitioned for a 5-percent
“This would enable the city to main- increase and those negotiations could
tain stable service levels until next impact the budget further.
year, when the long-term impacts of
the pandemic on the state and local The eight new positions would
economy may be better understood,” bring the number of employees up
Falls said in his budget message. to 383. One of the new positions will
be charged to the general fund and
Other options on the table are cut- one to the city’s marina. The other
ting expenses, raising taxes, or a lit- six will be funded by the water, sewer
tle of both. As the budget is written, and reuse irrigation water rates of
which includes tapping the reserves, Vero’s utility customers inside the
the property tax rate would remain city, on the South Barrier Island and
flat at $2.50 for every $1,000 of tax- in Indian River Shores. Utility Direc-
able value. Thanks to a 3.86 percent tor Rob Bolton said those six people
increase in overall property values in are needed to comply with the Clean
the city, that will bring in an additional Waterways Act requirements, and to
$245,000 in revenue. If approved, that prepare for moving the sewer plant

off the river. 

COUNTY PROJECTS $5.5 MILLION HIT
TO REVENUE BUT NO CUT IN SERVICES

BY RAY MCNULTY son Brown said last week no reduction
Staff Writer in services is planned.

The economic damage suffered lo- “It’s a significant loss, but we’ve
cally from the coronavirus pandemic been tightening our belts and cut-
has put a noticeable dent in the coun- ting costs where we can, and we also
ty’s coffers. have reserve funds in hand to cover
the rest, so we’ll be able to absorb it,”
Even though official budget num- Brown said, adding that he has im-
bers aren’t out yet, county officials posed a limited hiring freeze and staff
project a loss of at least $5.5 million in travel ban to reduce spending.
receipts – from local taxes, state rev-
enue sharing and various fees, includ- Brown said he and his staff will con-
ing impact fees for new construction tinue to monitor the situation, which
– for the current fiscal year because of already has improved slightly: A pre-
the COVID-19 crisis, which prompted vious projection had put the revenue
a six-week shutdown of non-essential loss at nearly $7 million.
businesses in March and April.
He attributed the improvement to the
However, County Administrator Ja- reopening of more of the local economy
and a surge in revenue from county-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 15

NEWS

owned Sandridge Golf Club, which was As for home-grown revenue, Brown
shut down in March but has been busi- said impact fees from new construc-
er than usual since reopening May 1. tion are down 25 percent the past two
months, but it’s too soon to know if the
Brown said the county expects to trend will continue.
receive nearly $28 million in federal
CARES Act funds, which must be spent “I don’t know what the virus’ long-
by Dec. 30, but that money may not be term impact on construction will be, but
used for revenue replacement. if you drive around the county, you’ll see
they’re still building,” Brown said. “My
Last week, the County Commission suspicion is that, because of the situa-
adopted a tentative plan for allocat- tion we’re in, residential construction
ing an initial $7 million in CARES Act will be stronger than commercial con-
funding to cover local expenses from struction, which has been lagging.
the ongoing COVID-19 health and eco-
nomic crisis. “I don’t know how many people want
to build a new restaurant during a pan-
The county plans to divide $1.9 mil- demic.”
lion among the county’s five municipal-
ities and provide $1.4 million to county County Commissioner Tim Zorc said
government for payroll expenses, per- new construction is “one of the larg-
sonal protective equipment and IT est contributors” to the revenues that
equipment needed to operate remotely. help pay for capital-improvement and
storm-water projects.
Constitutional officers, such as
the sheriff, would receive $900,000. “And that’s down some,” he said.
The Health Department would get “Looking at new revenue coming in
$500,000, and other healthcare pro- from new construction, we’re not falling
viders would get $200,000. The circuit off a cliff yet,” Zorc said, but he acknowl-
courts and other state agencies would edged the pandemic’s impact on com-
get a share of $100,000.
mercial construction is a concern. 

VERO BEACH HIGH HOLDS UNIQUE
GRADUATION FOR CLASS OF 2020

BY GEORGE ANDREASSI pated in a drive-through ceremony,
Staff Writer rolling up to the stage in the middle of
the football field for another diploma
Vero Beach High School seniors who walk while friends and family in ve-
persevered through the COVID-19 hicles cheered and took photos.
pandemic were rewarded with unique
dual graduation ceremonies last Fri- Several seniors told Vero Beach
day at Billy Livings Field. 32963 said they were glad to have a
chance to see their classmates one
Several hundred members of the last time in the morning and celebrate
Fighting Indians class of 2020 spread with family and friends in the evening.
out in the stands for a “seniors only”
graduation ceremony Friday morn- “I’m happy they at least gave us some-
ing featuring the traditional speeches thing,” said Megan Bryant, who is head-
and diploma procession with women ing to the University of North Florida in
wearing white caps and gowns and the fall. “At first they were supposed to
men wearing red ones. cancel everything.

Friday evening, after a brief rain “It’s been crazy not being in school
delay, hundreds of graduates partici- for four months – no graduation, no

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

Laura Zorc is our Conservative leader on the Indian River School Board, District 3 and has been
endorsed by the Indian River County Republican Executive Committee.

Laura is the mom of 3 children attending our schools,
supports school choice, vocational ed and parental rights. She is fiscally

responsible, tough on accountability and strives for transparency.

Vote Early or join us at the polls on August 18th for our trusted Conservative Leader.

Pd. Pol. Adv. by friends of Laura Zorc • 1490 5th Av. Vero Beach, Fl. 32960
Content approved in advance by Laura Zorc,candidate for School Board, District 3

16 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Vero High’s unique graduation college, not finishing high school. Florida State University in the fall, said Dayana Santes said she wanted to
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 “But they at least let us at least the dual graduation ceremonies pro- participate in both ceremonies to share
vided a special ending to a unique year. her accomplishment with her family.
prom, nothing,” Bryant said. “We have a morning ceremony and then
didn’t really have a last day of school. the drive-through, which is nice so “I’m really glad they were able to “It’s one of a kind,” Santes said. “It’s
So, it was just pretty odd going off to our family could come and take pic- pull it together to have a ceremony really memorable. I will never forget
tures,” Bryant said. that wasn’t virtual and to offer closure this. There is a pandemic, so it’s just
to the graduating class,” Williams said.
Olivia Williams, who plans to attend really awesome they did this for us.” 

Board members Susan Lovelace,
Marie Stiefel, Carrie Adams,

Sean Sexton and Jacque Jacobs.

PANDEMIC POETRY CONTEST
INSPIRES ‘SENSE OF COMMUNITY’

18 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Bridge to Peace Concert & Unity Rally: Positively perfect!

James Broxton, Linda Morgan, Laura Moss, Clinton Hatcher and Justin Mandell. Debra Jenkins with Vicki Smith and daughter Kylie Smith. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

PHOTOS: BRENDA AHEARN

Jerry and Denise Green with Edward and Jackie Spencer. Co-organizers Janice Milesic and James Broxton.

BY STEPHANIE LABAFF riots that broke out in Minneapolis white woman and he’s a Black man. doesn’t need to happen here.
Staff Writer after George Floyd was killed while We want to be the lighthouse for our “Now, the light is turned on for
in police custody during an arrest community first and foremost, and
America may be in turmoil, but that went horribly wrong. then the world,” said Milesic. us to make positive change. We’ve
on the Fourth of July locally, people made progress over the years [in In-
came together at an inaugural Bridge “I told my family that I wanted to Broxton said that for him, it was all dian River County], but there is so
to Peace Concert & Unity Rally, held go into that setting and start sing- about “unifying the community and much more to be done, and it has to
at the Indian River County Fair- ing songs, especially praise and wor- spreading love through music. I’ve start with us physically being around
grounds. ship songs. I think that noise would been here for 53 years. I was born and one another. Us purposely injecting
drown out all the evil and anything bred here. I know the demographics ourselves into each other’s lives,” ex-
Organizers James Broxton and Jan- that’s bad in the world,” Milesic re- of the community. I know the inner plained Broxton.
ice Milesic did not previously know called. workings of this place, and I know
one another, but each was moved to people on both sides of the fence. I’m Attendees enjoyed a day of music,
try and do something for the com- When she shared her desire to or- a conduit for their coming together.” with free food and drinks provided
munity in hopes of uniting with one ganize a concert to bring people to- by local churches under the pavilion.
another and bridging racial gaps. gether via social media, out of the A saxophone player and leader of With more than 12 individuals and
blue a friend connected her with the James Broxton and the Essence groups performing a variety of spiri-
Milesic, owner/founder of Mat- Broxton, who had posted a similar of Sound Band, he said he wanted tual and patriotic music, the day was
tress Market Vero Beach, said she message. people to see that what is happen- filled with love, kindness and hopes
was heartbroken as she watched the ing elsewhere around the country for a united tomorrow. 
“God brought us together. I’m a



20 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 Steve Milesic and Steve Schwartz.
Jacob Reed and Emma Brown.

Monica Milesic and Olivia Lore. Elena Marine and Liz Sullivan. PHOTOS: STEPHANIE LABAFF Connie Clark and Jamier Clark.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 21

PEOPLE

Pandemic poetry contest inspires ‘sense of community’

BY MARY SCHENKEL STORY & PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 brother and more recently his fa-
ther-in-law died while in nursing
Staff Writer Executive director Louise Kennedy and board president Marie Stiefel. PHOTOS: BRENDA AHEARN homes.

When the coronavirus put a had a sense of unmooring. dress the COVID condition; that “I tried to bring out the indigni-
halt to the Laura (Riding) Jackson “A lot of the teachers really wanted was the criteria.” ties of old age; he was 92,” said Hin-
Foundation’s annual Poetry and kley, noting that while his father-in-
Barbeque fundraiser, the staff and to do it; they were looking for some Mark Hinkley, a member of the law’s death was not caused by the
board members came up with a way for students to channel their LRJF Tuesday Writers group, won coronavirus, they were unable to be
creative way to put a voice to the feelings,” said Kennedy. “Teachers for his touching poem “Monarchs,” with him because of it. “I look at it
pandemic. This would have been were happy to have this as a plat- which he said was inspired by the that when words fail, poetry is the
the 10th anniversary of the popular form; as a way to get their students images he experienced when his next hopeful form of expression.”
event, held each April in honor of to explore the experience.”
National Poetry Month. To document the experience,
For the Youth Writing Competi-
The nonprofit organization, tion, six names were drawn to re- ADULT WINNERS:
which seeks to nurture a passion ceive gift cards from the top sub-
for the written word in writers of all missions selected. Their work, along First Place:
ages and genres, had quite literally with the other top entries, will be “Monarchs” by Mark Hinkley
been on a roll since last summer. included in a publication currently
being worked on by LRJF. Second Place:
Last July, the historic Florida “A Time Like This” by Pat Draper
“cracker” style house where the 20th In the Adult Competition, al-
century poet Laura Riding Jack- though cash prizes were only Runners-Up:
son resided with husband Schuyler awarded to Indian River County “Waiting for the Coronavirus Wave”
B. Jackson, was taken on a 12-mile residents, they received numerous
journey from its former location on submissions from all around the by David Kimball
the grounds of the Environmental country and the world.
Learning Center to its new home at “In the Valley of April” by C.M. Clark
the Muller campus of Indian River “We got such an outpouring. We
State College. The house was offi- had submissions from Britain, In- “COVID Calendar”
cially opened to the public in Janu- dia, African nations; sometimes by Jennifer Hawthorne
a r y. poems in different languages,” said
Kennedy. “We were finding this in-
Adding to that, last year’s stand- teresting pull from the communi-
ing-room-only Cowboy Poets event ty; a sense of community at a time
at the Heritage Center was a huge when everything felt so isolated. It
success. They were hoping to build confirms for us the role of art and
on that momentum with this year’s the role of writing. People were
Neighboring States reading, featur- looking for ways to connect.”
ing Southern Poets Laureate Cathy
Smith Bowers, Judson Micham and The judging committee consisted
Jennifer Horn. But COVID-19 put a of Sean Sexton, Indian River Coun-
stop to all that. ty Poet Laureate; Janna Schledorn,
assistant professor of Communica-
“So we started brainstorming to tions at Eastern Florida State Col-
find ways to bring the essence of the lege in Melbourne; and Carrie Ad-
barbecue back,” said Louise Kenne- ams, Language Arts teacher at Vero
dy, LRJF executive director. Beach High School. Entries were
numbered to ensure impartiality.
Very quickly, they launched two
writing contests on ‘What COVID-19 “I was looking for absolute magic,
Means to You’ as a way to create a honestly,” said Sexton, when asked
“space for community and healing.” what he was looking for in the en-
tries. “We wanted to definitely ad-
“We always have a platform for lo-
cal writers at the event, so this was
a way to build a sense of community
during this period of isolation for so
many people.”

Kennedy said they received more
than 200 entries in the Youth Writ-
ing Competition, an all-genre,
teacher-curated contest for stu-
dents from sixth to 12th grade. An-
other 160 poems were submitted
to the Indian River County Poetry
Competition for adults, ages 18 and
older.

She added that the teachers were
all receptive to the idea, explaining
that with classes by then being held
online, teachers and students alike

22 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

STORY & PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

High school winners Alexandria Taylor, Christopher Schultze,
Ryan Guilianotti, Alyssa Sturgeon and Anjaleahmae Leviste.

Middle school winners Reese Dion, Sean Monrreal, Abigail Sylvia, Jack Powers and Lilly Kofke.

Runner-up David Kimball and second-place winner Pat Draper.

Kennedy said they are currently viewed now on the LRJF website un-
working on a publication that will der the ‘Featured Poets’ tab.
feature some 60 submissions, rep-
resenting adults and children. They Kennedy said they are continuing
expect the book to be available in to build more online content to keep
August, for a suggested $10 dona- the community engaged in the writ-
tion, at the Vero Beach Book Center ing process. While the LRJF Writing
and LRJF Writing Center on 14th Av- Center is not currently open, the
enue in Downtown Vero Beach. Porch Poets continue to meet at the
open-air Pole Barn at the house, and
The works of the first- and sec- the Tuesday Writers meet via Zoom.
ond-place winners, three runners-
up, and a selection of others can be For more information, visit laura-
ridingjackson.org. 



24 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

BY CLAIRE SUDDATH | BLOOMBERG security cameras in its galleries, just Anthony Amore, the chief investigator see that they had hats, coats, badges,”
motion detectors that recorded Abath’s at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. he said in a 2013 interview with a Bos-
On the night of St. Patrick’s Day in movement as he made his rounds. At ton Globe reporter. “So I buzzed them
1990, Rick Abath was working the over- one point, an alarm on the fourth floor 1 a.m., then switched places at the se- in.” (Abath didn’t respond to emails,
night shift as a security guard at the went off, but when Abath checked, curity desk with Hestand, who went off Facebook messages, or letters asking
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in nothing seemed to be amiss. He fin- on his turn to patrol. for an interview for this story.)
Boston. While the rest of the city drank ished his tour of the museum around
and partied and drank some more, he Abath was still relaxing behind the The officers explained that they’d
and another guard, Randy Hestand, desk at 1:24 a.m. when two Boston received reports of a disturbance and
took turns patrolling the empty rooms police officers approached a side en- needed to ask the guards some ques-
of what had once been the ostenta- trance and asked to be let in. “I could tions. “Randy, will you please come to
tious home of a Victorian-era socialite the desk?” Abath radioed to Hestand,
who was really into art. who quickly returned. That’s when
things got weird.
Their shift started at 11:30. Abath
made the first rounds while Hestand The cops asked Abath for his ID.
hung out at the security desk. They Then they said they had a warrant for
were young, in their mid-20s, and his arrest. They asked him to step out
didn’t have any formal security train- from behind the security desk – tak-
ing. Hestand was a New England Con- ing him away from a panic button in-
servatory student who liked to use the stalled near it – and to stand against a
downtime to practice his trombone. wall. Then they handcuffed him. “I’m
just standing there with my jaw open
Abath played in a rock band and going, ‘Wow, what’s going on? What
was known to occasionally show up to did Rick do?’ ” Hestand told radio sta-
work drunk or stoned. He had a scruffy tion WBUR. They cuffed Hestand, too.
beard and long brown hair that fell in
a mess of Weird Al ringlets, and on this “This is a robbery,” one of the men
particular night he arrived wearing said. They wrapped the guards’ heads
bright red pants and a tie-dyed T-shirt with duct tape, leaving a space for
under his unbuttoned security shirt. them to breathe, and led them down to
the museum’s basement. They hand-
The Gardner Museum didn’t have cuffed Hestand to a limestone sink and

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 25

INSIGHT COVER STORY

left Abath slumped on a concrete ledge. that hung on the wall, including his took the paintings down, separated its heavy metal anchor while the other
The motion detectors followed the only seascape; a landscape by Govaert them from their frames, and even cut one moved on to the next room and
Flinck; and one of the only 36 Vermeer two of the Rembrandt canvases from swiped five sketches and watercolors
thieves as they made their way up- paintings known to still exist. their stretchers. by Edgar Degas. At one point they tried
stairs to the Dutch Room, a second- to grab a silk flag that had once be-
floor gallery that contained some of If they’d felt pressed for time they One of the thieves also spent what longed to Napoleon’s Imperial Guard,
the museum’s most valuable art. They would have just removed the frames must have been several minutes pry- but it was screwed into the wall, so
took three of the four Rembrandts from the wall and run off. Instead they ing a Shang dynasty gu (or vase) from instead they took the 10-inch bronze
eagle finial at the end of the flagpole.

According to the motion detectors,
the thieves spent 34 minutes in the
galleries. Then they hung around the
museum for a while. They checked on
the security guards – yep, still duct-
taped. They went into the security di-
rector’s office and took the videotape
from the museum’s security cameras,
which had been positioned to record
the front door, parking lot, and secu-
rity desk. Finally, at 2:45 a.m., they left.
Neither they nor the stolen artwork
have been seen again.

Abath and Hestand sat in the base-
ment for another four hours until the
morning guards showed up for their
shifts. The police – the real police –
were called and, because hundreds of
millions of dollars in artwork had been
stolen, the FBI. Statements were given,
damage was assessed, missing works
were tallied: 12 pieces from the up-
stairs galleries and then, what’s this?

A small Manet painting had been
swiped from a downstairs gallery that,
according to the motion sensors, the
thieves had never entered. The last
person to visit that room was Abath,
when he was making his rounds.

“The Manet has always confused
me,” Anthony Amore, the chief investi-
gator at the Gardner Museum, told me
last fall. Amore is calm and thoughtful,
the kind of person who considers his
words carefully. He joined the Gardner
Museum in 2005, overseeing its secu-
rity efforts and working as an in-house
detective who, the museum hoped,
would eventually solve the crime.

The Manet in question was a small
impressionist oil painting, only 10
inches by 13 inches, of a dark-suited
man enjoying a drink while writing
in a notebook at the famous Parisian
cafe Chez Tortoni. It, too, had been
cut from its frame, which was left on
a chair in the security director’s office.

“It’s such a small painting. Why
would you bother to remove it from
its frame and leave it on that chair?”
Amore wonders. Sure, Abath could
have stolen it. He’s never been official-
ly crossed off the list of suspects. But
he clearly didn’t steal the other paint-
ings, and besides, he’s now a teacher’s
aide living a modest life in Vermont –
not the profile of someone who’s spent
decades harboring millions of dollars
in stolen art.

There were other incongruities, too.
Most art thefts last less than three min-
utes, a quick grab-and-dash before po-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

26 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 INSIGHT COVER STORY

Retired art and antiquities investigator
for Scotland Yard, Charley Hill.

A list of motion alarms
on the night of the theft.

lice have a chance to arrive. The Gard- ever, not only because of the money references to a character’s criminal probably a fake. Another analysis con-
ner heist lasted for almost an hour and involved – the value of the missing past. On The Simpsons, Mr. Burns was tradicted that conclusion, but the art
a half; how did the thieves know they works, now estimated at $500 million, once arrested for possessing the stolen dealer didn’t offer further proof, and
had so much time? makes it the largest art theft in history, works. A copy of one painting used on the painting was never returned.
and the museum’s $10 million reward the show Monk looked so real, the FBI
If they targeted the Rembrandts and makes it the most lucrative for anyone called the producers to double-check “The Gardner is the big one. It oc-
the Vermeer because they were worth who solves it – but also because of the that it was a prop. cupies most of my time,” Charley Hill,
a lot of money, why did they leave the countless FBI agents, private detec- a retired art and antiquities investi-
museum’s most valuable painting, Ti- tives, art dealers, and armchair sleuths The Gardner heist has attracted a cot- gator for Scotland Yard, told me last
tian’s Rape of Europa, which art histo- who’ve tried and failed to solve it. tage industry of private detectives of year when I called him up to discuss
rians have called one of the most im- varying levels of legitimacy, all claim- an entirely different art theft. Of all
portant examples of Renaissance art? The statute of limitations ran out on ing to be hot on the paintings’ trail. “I’d the private detectives nosing around
the actual robbery years ago, and the say I’m working on it on a weekly basis,” the case, Hill has the most impressive
Amore has been contemplating these museum has publicly promised not to says Arthur Brand, an art historian- résumé. During his time at Scotland
questions for 15 years and still doesn’t prosecute anyone who admits to hav- cum-detective who lives in Amsterdam. Yard he recovered an estimated $100
have any answers. The Manet, though, ing the paintings, as long as they’re million in stolen art.
particularly irks him. “It’s really em- returned. And yet the silence endures. Brand offers himself as a go-be-
blematic of the whole investigation,” he The theft has been the subject of books, tween, someone criminals can come In 1993, for example, he retrieved
says. “The deeper and deeper you dig, documentaries, and podcasts. to when they want to anonymously Vermeer’s Lady Writing a Letter With
the more questions are raised.” surrender stolen art – last year he fa- Her Maid, which had been lifted sev-
Copies of the paintings occasionally cilitated the return of a $28 million en years previously from the Russ-
What happened at the Gardner has show up on television shows, subtle Picasso that had been snatched off a borough House, a private estate in
become the most famous art heist yacht on the French Riviera 20 years Ireland. The following year, Edvard
earlier. In 2017, Brand told Bloomberg Munch’s The Scream was stolen from
he’d have the Gardner’s paintings re- the National Gallery in Oslo; to get it
turned to the museum within months. back, Hill posed as a representative of
It’s been three years. the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Ange-
les who was willing to buy the work.
“A lot of guys in this industry just say
things to get press,” says Robert Witt- Hill is 73 now. It’s been a long time
man, a retired FBI special agent who since he last worked for Scotland Yard.
founded the bureau’s Art Crime Team. These days he mostly putzes around
“Every few years someone will call up his garden “getting bored and fat,” but
a newspaper and say, ‘We’re going to he still investigates the occasional theft.
get the Gardner paintings soon.’ ” For the past few years he’s been working
on the Gardner case. “A person, a key
The most famous example of this player, rang me this morning,” he told
happened in 1997, when a Boston Her- me. “I hope to see him straightaway.”
ald reporter claimed an antiques deal-
er showed him one of the Rembrandts The Gardner Museum – and the
— “We’ve Seen It!” the Herald boasted 16,000 paintings, sculptures, and ce-
on its front page. Then an analysis ramics that make up its collection – are
of some paint chips indicated it was the doing of one woman. Isabella Stew-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 27

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Security guard Rick Abath with
his head wrapped in duct tape.

art Gardner inherited her wealth from It was a re-creation of a Venetian pal- died young), she left everything to the walls where the stolen paintings had
her father, a linen merchant who died in ace, complete with columns, stone public. There was one catch: Accord- hung. According to Gardner’s will, the
1891. She and her husband, Jack Gard- arches, and an open courtyard filled ing to her will, the works couldn’t be museum wasn’t allowed to fill them. So
ner, a Boston merchant whose fam- with lush greenery. Gardner covered rearranged, sold, or donated, and new it just rehung the empty frames, a vi-
ily had also amassed a sizable fortune, its walls with works by Titian, Vermeer, art couldn’t be added. If these condi- sual testament to what had been lost.
used her inheritance to buy art. They Botticelli, Degas, and a portrait of her- tions were ever violated, the entire
traveled frequently to Europe, returning self that she commissioned from John collection, along with the house and Over the years the pictureless frames
with sculptures, ancient Roman vases, Singer Sargent. In glass cases she put the land, would be turned over to Har- have become one of the most famous
and sometimes a Rembrandt or two. illuminated manuscripts, 11th centu- vard. The walls of what soon became features of the museum. Visitors stand
ry Chinese statues, and an early copy known as the Gardner Museum have thoughtfully in front of them as if will-
After Jack died in 1898, Isabella of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. remained unchanged ever since. ing the paintings to reappear. In a way,
moved out of their Brookline man- they’ve become their own exhibit – a
sion and into an even grander one Gardner died in 1924, and in the This posed a problem after the theft. reminder that while we value great
she’d built in Boston’s Fenway district. absence of heirs (her only child had There were glaring blank spots on the
beauty, we also destroy it. 

28 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

Americans (surprise) are historically unhappy these days

Given the circumstances, it would be astounding THE ECONOMY: Collapsing consumer confidence Americans also continue to support an active role in
if Americans were not in a sour mood. Public opin- has undermined the recovery. In April, the Univer- world affairs. That position registered a 69 percent ap-
ion polls show that on a long list of subjects Ameri- sity of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment ex- proval rating in 2019, according to the Chicago Coun-
cans are angry, pessimistic, disillusioned and fed perienced the largest drop in its history. cil on Global Affairs. “Americans are internationalists,”
up. They fear for themselves, their children, the writes Bowman, “but often reluctant ones.”
economy, the United States’ role in the world and THE FUTURE: A May/June poll reported that only
for their own happiness. 28 percent of respondents felt that the next genera- Are there lessons to be drawn from this tsunami of
tion would do better than the present generation, gloom? The answer is yes.
We know this because Karlyn Bowman, the pub- while 47 percent expected it to do worse. About 20
lic opinion guru at the American Enterprise Insti- percent thought it would be the same. The connecting threads of these pessimistic sur-
tute, has done us the favor of collecting a long list veys are the novel coronavirus and its devastating
of statistics that describes the national mood. Here As with many polls, there are inconsistencies and impact on the economy. Nearly everyone is affected
are some of the most interesting, gathered with the variations. There still seems to be fairly wide support in one way or another.
help of Samantha Goldstein, her research assistant: for democracy, as reflected in a 2019 survey from
the Voter Study group. Three-quarters (77 percent) There’s a clash between America’s individualistic
HAPPINESS: NORC at the University of Chicago found democracy preferable to other forms of gov- culture (“You can’t make me wear a mask.”) and the
regularly asks people about their personal happi- ernment. Similarly, an April NBC News/Wall Street need for a collective response (“If we don’t respond
ness. In 2020, the share saying they’re “very happy” Journal poll found that 61 percent of registered vot- collectively to the pandemic – wearing the masks,
fell to 14 percent, the lowest on record. The share ers were mainly optimistic about the future. practicing social distancing – then the virus will ex-
expressing unhappiness (“not too happy”) jumped plode and make many more of us worse off.”).
to 23 percent, the highest since 1972. The remain-
der are in a group of just over 60 percent who are Under the best of conditions, this is not an easy
“pretty happy.” message to convey to the public. We need to surren-
der some of our individual choice to minimize the
RACE RELATIONS: Though they’re in flux, they damage to us as individuals and as a society. Or, to
may be stronger than you think, according to sur- say the same thing backward, if we insist on maxi-
veys. A poll just taken says 35 percent of Ameri- mizing individual choice by refusing to follow the
cans think relations are “generally good.” That’s advice of doctors and scientists, then we lose control
way down from the 66 percent registered during over our destiny. The resulting sense of helplessness
the Obama presidency, but near the 41 percent re- and loss of control are deeply discouraging.
corded in 1990.
The role for leadership in a situation like this is to
PATRIOTISM: Here, the apparently good news is ac- persuade most of the public about the nature of the
tually bad. For two decades, Gallup has asked about paradox: that we protect individuals better when we
people’s pride in being an American. In a June sur- act together, rather than asserting an artificial free-
vey, 63 percent said they were “very” or “extremely” dom that ultimately harms more of us as individu-
proud to be an American. Sounds solid. It isn’t. In als. This is, in short, a central reason for having reli-
the early 2000s, feelings of strong pride were as high able leadership.
as 90 percent. They’ve fallen for six years, especially
among Republicans. It has not been forthcoming, as by now almost ev-
eryone knows. If people weren’t pessimistic, you’d

have to question their sanity. 

A version of this column by Robert Samuelson first
appeared in the Washington Post. It does not neces-
sarily reflect the views of Vero Beach 32963.

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

© 2020 Vero Beach 32963 Media, all rights reserved NEUROSURGERY Part VI from the loss of neurons (nerve cells) that release dopamine
in the brain. The drug levodopa converts to dopamine by the
Treatments on the Horizon for Parkinson’s Disease enzyme aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase. AADC’s ability to
convert levodopa to dopamine decreases over time, increas-
It’s important to understand the concept of “on” and “off” ing a patient’s off time. Symptoms return because the medica-
periods related to Parkinson’s disease. On periods refer to the tion doesn’t work as well as it did in the past. The goal of gene
time the drug levodopa is working well and involuntary mus- therapy for PD is to give more brain cells the ability to make
cle movement, tremor, rigidity, slow movement and non-mo- dopamine, i.e., to provide cells with the proteins and enzymes
tor difficulties are controlled. Off periods are when levodopa needed to make dopamine.
no longer works effectively and symptoms return before the Numerous clinical trials (studies that evaluate effectiveness and
next dose is scheduled. safety of medications and medical devices on groups of people)
of gene therapy for patients with mid- to late-stage Parkinson’s
While off periods are more common as patients over a long are underway. One biotech company is testing a therapy that
period of time as the disease progresses, some patients find delivers AADC, through a one-time surgical procedure, directly
their on-off swings are not closely related to timing of a dose to the brain. Another is testing a different form of gene therapy
of levodopa. And, some fortunate patients never experience that infuses genetic instructions for making dopamine to brain
off time. cells, also through a one-time surgical procedure.
A study by the University of California San Francisco, published in
Innovative therapies that show great promise for improving 2019 in the Annals of Neurology, found that infusion gene ther-
symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include gene therapy, immu- apy improved mobility and reduced involuntary muscle move-
notherapy and cell transplantation. ment in patients with moderately advanced Parkinson’s disease
whose symptoms were no longer controlled by their medica-
GENE THERAPY tions. This was the first gene therapy trial for Parkinson’s disease
in which intraoperative MRI-guided monitoring was used. This
Gene therapy is an experimental technique that in the future allowed surgeons to visualize and guide the infusion of the treat-
may be used to treat Parkinson’s instead of using drugs or sur- ment into the brain real time to ensure the gene was delivered
gery. to the area they believed would provide the most benefit.
To learn about clinical trials for gene therapy for Parkinson’s dis-
Researchers are testing three different approaches: ease, ask your neurologist and/or visit the National Institutes of
 Inactivate a mutated gene that does not function properly. Health website at clinicaltrials.gov. 
 Introduce a new gene into the body that will help fight a Your comments and suggestions for future topics are always welcome.
disease. Email us at [email protected].
 Replace a mutated gene that causes disease with a healthy
copy of the gene.

To comprehend how gene therapy works in Parkinson’s disease,
it’s helpful to know that symptoms of Parkinson’s disease result

30 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

In her deeply re-

searched new book,

Catherine Belton

tells a dark tale of

Vladimir Putin’s rise

to power and his 20

years as leader of

Russia. Reading “Pu-

tin’s People: How the

KGB Took Back Rus-

sia and Then Took

On the West,” we are

reminded of how far

we’ve come from the

romantic days of the

late 1980s and early

1990s, when West-

ern writers depicted

a Russia full of hope

and hints of freedom.

We’ve also progressed

far from the exhilarating

but scary portrayals of

the immensely rich oli-

garchs in the late 1990s

who flocked around Bo-

ris Yeltsin and his family.

In Belton’s view, free-

dom, private enterprise

and liberalism simply

don’t exist in Russia. To

her, Putin’s Russia is all a counterweight to Yeltsin’s oligarchs, and port for the war in Chechnya, which was beginning
he seized control of television, the regional gover- to flag.” Patrushev assured Putin that the terrorists-
gloom. She details how Putin’s ne- nors and the judiciary. He ordered the oligarchs to for-hire did not have real bombs and that in the end,
keep out of politics, but their power remained great. Belton writes, “Putin would emerge as a hero, as the
farious efforts took shape with others in St. Peters- Putin ended the Yeltsin regime by taking down the one world leader who’d ended a hostage crisis with-
biggest of all the oligarchs, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, by out any civilian deaths – and then he could tighten
burg and its seaport, an area that “became ground confiscating the Yukos Oil Company. control in Chechnya.”

zero for an alliance between the KGB and organized That story is well-known, but Belton’s account is But it all started falling apart on the first day of the
probably the best. She spoke extensively with the siege, when a civilian entered the theater and was
crime that was to expand its influence across Russia, main Yukos owners, including Khodorkovsky and shot to death by one of the Chechens. Belton’s source
Leonid Nevzlin. In her view Khodorkovsky had fallen told her: “Everything spiraled out of control. … By
and later into Western markets and institutions.” victim to his own hubris, believing he could criticize the time the security forces prepared to storm the
corruption within Putin’s circle. The result was that building, the hostage-taking was being treated as if it
Hers is a story about Putin, his KGB colleagues, Putin took him down. But Khodorkovsky’s plight re- were a real act of terror.”
flected something much larger. Putin’s grip was be-
businessmen and mobsters pieced together though coming a stranglehold. “The country was turning Belton builds a strong case against Putin’s cor-
back to the times of the gulag,” Belton writes. “The ruption and the bald hypocrisy of his propaganda.
interviews with many relevant players. Belton’s ac- Kremlin had taken control of the legal system. The She quotes Putin’s former banker, Sergei Pugachev,
power of the secret services was being cemented. as saying, “They’re stealing from all sides and then
cess to prominent personalities is impressive, per- Khodorkovsky, the country’s onetime richest man, they come out and speak about how Putin is fight-
was languishing in a prison camp in Krasnoka- ing against corruption.” But Belton is unable to shed
haps unmatched, though her interlocutors also mensk.” any new light on Putin’s personal finances. Pugachev
is her dominant source, but he “had gradually been
steer the direction of her story. In October 2002, about 40 armed Chechen fighters sidelined,” Belton writes, after Putin’s attack on
seized the Dubrovka Theater in a Moscow suburb and Khodorkovsky.
The main takeaway is that the KGB and organized took about 900 people hostage. The siege lasted three
days, until Russian security forces stormed the the- Belton’s book is an outstanding account of Putin’s
crime have operated symbiotically for a long time ater after gassing both the fighters and the hostages. Russia, and elegantly told. At the heart of her story
More than 100 hostages died. The traditional story is the long battle between the KGB and the coun-
and that their overt Russian nationalism is nothing is that the heavy-handed security services could not try’s oligarchs. From 1994 to 2000, when Putin came
have cared less about the loss of the civilians. to power, Russia was an oligarchy. Today, the tables
but a veneer. Belton characterizes the ambitions of have turned: Russia has no oligarchs, only wealthy
But Belton offers a novel interpretation of what servants of Putin and his FSB. As a former senior
Putin’s people in her description of Nikolai Patru- happened at the theater. On the basis of credible military intelligence officer told Belton, the KGB
inside information, she claims that this purported once had to serve the oligarchy. “Now they are hav-
shev, the former head of the Federal Security Service Chechen terrorist attack was a Putin charade that ing their revenge.” 
went horribly wrong. Based on her conversation with
(FSB) and now secretary of the powerful Security a source familiar with Kremlin discussions about the PUTIN’S PEOPLE
matter, Belton argues that the attack was planned
Council. “A hard-drinking KGB man,” she writes, by FSB chief Patrushev as a way to “cement Putin as HOW THE KGB TOOK BACK RUSSIA
president. It was intended as no more than a fake
“he combined a strong capitalist ethic of amassing exercise that would boost Putin’s authority when he AND THEN TOOK ON THE WEST
successfully brought it to an end, and increase sup-
wealth with an expansive vision for the restoration BY CATHERINE BELTON | FARRAR, STRAUS AND GIROUX. 624 PP. $35
REVIEW BY ANDERS ÅSLUND, THE WASHINGTON POST
of Russian empire.” Thus, Putin’s men (they are all

men, of nearly the same age, mostly from St. Peters-

burg) have created a potent mix of the KGB, larceny

and a wistfulness for Russian imperialism.

Belton appropriately compares Putin’s regime to

that of Czar Nicholas I, who reigned from 1825 to

1855. Putin’s “philosophy was a direct copy of the

state doctrine of ‘Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Na-

tionality’ of Nicholas I, one of the most reactionary

tsars, known for his brutal suppression of one of

Russia’s first democratic uprisings,” Belton writes.

“Putin’s KGB men were seeking to recycle his ideol-

ogy to define their rule and justify their clampdown

on any opposition.”

When Putin became president in 2000, he already

controlled the FSB and soon Russia’s legislative

body, the Duma. During his first term (2000-2004),

he consolidated his power: His KGB men served as

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 31

INSIGHT BRIDGE

KEEPING UP GOOD RUFFING WORK WEST NORTH EAST
Q J 10 8 5 A K943
By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist 9763 K Q J 10 2
J7 AK8542 Q 10 9 6
What is a ruff? K6 73 Q 10 5 4

The answer you get will depend on the person. Some will mention the item of clothing that SOUTH
was popular from the mid-16th to mid-17th century. Others might comment on the wading 762
bird. A bridge player will talk about winning a trick by using a trump; and he might add that if A854
that ruff does not occur in the longer-trump hand, it will generate an extra trump trick. 3
AJ982
How is that relevant in today’s deal? South is in six hearts, and West leads the spade queen
to dummy’s bare ace. Dealer: North; Vulnerable: Both

North’s three-spade rebid was a splinter, showing four-card heart support, at least game- The Bidding:
going values and a singleton (or void) in spades. Four clubs was a control-bid promising the
club ace and expressing slam interest. SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1 Diamonds Pass
South had only eight top tricks: one spade, four hearts, two diamonds and one club. Ruffing 1 Hearts Pass 3 Spades Pass OPENING
spades on the board was dangerous because it risked establishing a trump trick for a 4 Clubs Pass 4 NT Pass
defender. Instead, declarer realized that it was better to ruff diamonds in his hand. 5 Hearts Pass 5 NT Pass LEAD:
6 Clubs Pass 6 Hearts All Pass Q Spades
South cashed dummy’s diamond ace, ruffed a diamond, played a trump to dummy, ruffed
another diamond with the heart ace, drew West’s trumps, ran the rest of the diamonds and
conceded a club at the end. He took one spade, four hearts, four diamonds, one club and
the two ruffs.

Note that with this layout, drawing a round of trumps at trick two would have been fatal.

32 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (JULY 9) ON PAGE 56

ACROSS DOWN
1 Contented (5) 2 Straighten (5)
4 Energetic (5) 3 Venture (7)
10 Kenyan capital (7) 5 Boulders (5)
11 Group of trees (5) 6 Ateliers (7)
12 Logic (5) 7 Worry (5)
13 Omen (7) 8 Salad dressing (11)
14 Leading character (11) 9 Bout (5)
19 Aisle (7) 15 Relaxation (7)
21 Prod (5) 16 Constant (7)
23 Rotate (5) 17 Flood, rush (5)
24 Colossal (7) 18 Pew (5)
25 Seaside (5) 20 Loft (5)
26 Tempo (5) 22 Crowded or compact (5)

The Telegraph

How to do Sudoku:

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

The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 33

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 111 Blanco or Bravo 66 Tortilla concoction The Washington Post
113 Soc. sec. items 67 Heady orders
1 Travel through walls? 115 Leader to “meter” 69 Made puns
5 Chicken choices 116 Navy ranks: abbr. 70 Medal getters
11 Vainglory 119 Anticipated a chilly 71 Poisoned condition
18 Los ___, N.M. 73 Camper’s need
20 Old-sch. cooking class walk 76 Exhaustive dict.
21 Convention product 124 Money for a venture 77 Pitch ___
22 Extravagant 128 Damaged,
23 Personification (get mad)
24 Pedicure problem as by rain 80 Tasted cautiously
25 Reversed legally 129 “Hey, ___ Over” 81 Two, to Revere
28 Director Craven 130 Mother-of-pearl source 84 Start of many titles
29 Enjoyed Thanksgiving 131 Directed by the Post Office 85 Start of the yrs.
30 British rule in India 132 Become interested in, as a 88 Not out
31 Piece of comedy 89 They’re on the board: abbr.
32 Boomer born in hobby 90 Smell ___
133 Money your boss owes you 91 Novelist Jaffe
the ‘40s 134 Financier’s family 93 Oil modifier
37 Lake Superior city 135 Pain in the neck 95 Grand ___
40 SUV driver, often
42 Showman Ziegfeld DOWN National Park
44 Eye part 98 59 Down military base
45 ___ d’oeuvre 1 “Dred was one 99 Emit
47 Annoying pedant 2 Listened, in a way 101 Vintage auto
49 Travis McGee’s boat 3 Biggie in Bahrain 106 “___ the last drop”
52 Actress Massey 4 Of the mail 108 “Forget it”
54 Examples 5 In comparison with 110 Bar legally
56 Small masterpiece 6 Hang in the air 112 Vocal work
57 Tulsa tycoon 7 Palindrome chunk 114 Condescending look
58 Stop and leave 8 Join the workforce 117 Runs the ___
9 Now do this? 118 Anagram of 135 Across
(the car) again 10 Prepare for surgery 120 Lang in Superman
60 ER folks 11 Give a right (to) 121 Love god
62 Swerved 12 Henchman 122 Chances
64 Dummy 13 Psi follower 123 ___ bottles
65 Knack 14 Stannum
68 Name in newspaper 15 Chef Garten (thick specs)
16 Six, in Italian 124 Take that,
publishing 17 Brooks who played Yogurt in
72 Violin city New Yorkers
74 Inexperienced Spaceballs 125 Legal grp.
75 “I have ___” 18 “That’s ___ blow!” 126 Fund-raising grp.
19 “That’s enough!” 127 Type
(words of support) 26 Evocative of old styles
78 Fictional “evil side” 27 Elevator-operating chaps OOPS! By Merl Reagle
79 Army chow 33 Early newspaper edition
82 Alsace-born Dadaist 34 Egg THE Art & Science
83 Shaw title character 35 Plains “flattop”
86 Cafeteria need 36 Reinhart’s road of Cosmetic Surgery
87 Saturday Night Fever settings 38 Annapolis sch.
89 She’s a Mason 39 Swami, for one SPECIALTIES INCLUDE:
92 Court figs. 41 Gertrude’s stein • Minimal Incision Lift for the
94 Part of DOS 43 Dump emanation
96 Star Trek co-star 45 Taxi co-star Face, Body, Neck & Brow
97 Cases of chewing food after 46 Cow owner of note • Breast Augmentations
48 Equestrian Bloomberg
eschewing food? 50 Half a fortnight & Reductions
100 Appear 51 Elizabethan exclamation • Post Cancer Reconstructions
102 Tell all with “up” 53 Italian river • Chemical Peels • Botox
103 Royal Indian 55 Cliff • Laser Surgery • Tummy Tucks
104 They’re just plain tarred: abbr. 59 Neb.’s neighbor • Obagi Products • Liposculpture
105 Tent need 61 Hibernated • Skin Cancer Treatments
107 Did penance 63 Major addition?
109 Confusion or California, e.g.

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





36 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

Try casting a wider net to find the support you need

BY CAROLYN HAX employee, and she sends me reams of advice she’s Exhausted: Ugh. I suspect many of us have a
Washington Post version of your problem but can’t put our fingers
not qualified to give on pursuing legal action for right on it as you did.
Dear Carolyn: This week, my
husband lost his job. I make wrongful termination. If I want people to treat me And those of us with calm, supportive people
enough to cover the bills while in our lives – who know how to listen – maybe
he’s out of work, he has a few re- normally, it feels like my only option is to cheer- need to take a moment to thank them.
ally solid leads on other oppor-
tunities, and our overhead is low fully tell people we’re absolutely OK! It’s just really hard when you’re looking for
– no kids, no mortgage, no student loans. Basically, help and wind up with an even bigger emotional
I can reason through it that we’re going to be fine, My husband is really the only one I can be honest workload dealing with the stress of your would-
but this is really scary and stressful. He was a star be helpers. (It happens to new parents all the
employee and fired for a stupid mistake that none with, but he feels responsible because it’s his fault. time.) Some people you just have to write off, as
of his colleagues even realized was a fireable of- you have, as not worth the trouble of confiding
fense. It really killed him to be let go because he I’m feeling that and that kills him. I’m exhausted in.
loved his job.
I just can’t talk to anyone about all the fear and and I’m not sure how to help myself. But some, please at least try to “train.” Spell out
uncertainty I’m feeling. I can’t stand people’s pity the problem, kindly: “I know you mean well, but
and I’m baffled by the judgments people can ex- – Exhausted right now getting advice/suggestions/warnings
trapolate from any crack in my bravest, this-is-fine just means more emotional work for me. What I
face. If I am anything but positive and confident, could really use is a sympathetic ear.” Or, as you
I’m flooded with pity, unhelpful advice and plati- said so well: “We’re going to be fine, but this is
tudes. still really scary and stressful.”
For instance, my parents and in-laws were
screeching that we can’t pay rent next week, which If you can swing it financially, a good therapist
we absolutely can, but now I can’t express fear to can be where you unload without hassle.
them because I’m calming them down. I told my
sister I was upset that he’d made a boneheaded Oddly enough, people in tough spots often
mistake and then hear from my brother that we’re find it’s a second-degree friend or relative, not
on the brink of divorce, which is absurd. I told a a super-close one, who comes through with the
friend I was shocked because he was a rising-star steady support, patience and flexibility. Being
less emotionally connected lowers the stress and
ups the clarity, perhaps? So consider looking a
little further out for the shoulder you need.

And don’t discount movement: Where people
don’t help, often motion and fresh air can. 



The sweeping view of the Kohala From a viewpoint within the fore- Kapaau in North Kohala from the late most immediately upon taking his post
coastline at Hawaii’s northernmost tip ground’s dark expanse our eyes move 1990s to 2012, when they returned to in 2017.
is breathtaking, and James Hutchin- to a dramatically lit peak. Against its Stuart (where Joan died in 2016).
son’s painting of it compounds that gilded flank floats a group of tropic “I was trying to get the lay of the land.
beauty. In it, a sun shower falls be- birds – with their streamered tails, as In total, three of Hutchinson’s Hawai- Jim (Hutchinson) was back from Hawaii
tween us and the coast’s rocky cliffs, fantastic as any bird of legend. ian landscapes greet guests to his current and I knew it would be fitting to have a
whose sheer faces are lightly veiled in solo exhibition at the A.E. Backus Muse- show. Not a retrospective, but a home-
morning mist. Hutchinson’s cumulus- Titled “Kohala Valleys,” the 48-inch- um & Gallery in downtown Fort Pierce. coming,” Adams says.
filled sky throws strategic shadows on by-60-inch oil on canvas was painted
the sea below, and makes a stern sil- in 2009 during Hutchinson’s long so- “James F. Hutchinson: Visionary Hutchinson was born in Buffalo, N.Y.,
houette of one rocky prominence. journ in Hawaii. He and wife Joan, life- Truths” is on view to the public on Sat- in 1932 and came to Florida that same
long Floridians, lived in the village of urdays and Sundays only through Aug. year, growing up in Fort Pierce and Stuart.
9. The show originally opened on Feb.
22 of this year, but the museum closed At age 16, Hutchinson studied for a
in March due to coronavirus precau- time with A.E. “Bean” Backus, who was
tions. It reopened in late June. as interested in Hutchinson’s sister Pat-
sy, as he was in the future of the young
The extension of Hutchinson’s show artist. Bean and Patsy married in 1950,
is a boon for those who have not seen the same year James Hutchinson gradu-
his latest work, including his Hawaiian ated Martin County High School.
idylls. The exhibition contains many
recent paintings from Hutchinson’s 60- After a stint in the U.S. Navy and a
year plus career, including landscapes brief period of study in New York City,
of the Everglades and portraits of Semi- Hutchinson came to Vero Beach in the
nole women and men from times past. mid-1950s. He worked for a time as
Hutchinson created many of the works a tour guide at what was then McKee
on display within the past decade; three Jungle Garden and, at Waldo Sexton’s
were completed in 2020. With the ex- behest, painted murals for the Turf Club,
ception of the Hawaiian scenes, most of a building known in recent times as
the works on display are for sale. Szechuan Palace.

Marshall Adams, Backus Museum ex- Hutchinson married Floridian Joan
ecutive director, says he got the idea to Austin in 1956 and renewed his friend-
have a feature show for Hutchinson al- ship with Bean Backus; painting with
Backus in Jamaica as well as scenic

Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 39

ARTS & THEATRE

of sapling poles draped with rough fab- The Seminoles emerged in the 1700s European royalty, circa the mid-16th
ric. At the composition’s bottom left, the as an indigenous people when the century. The 4-foot-high canvas shows
prow of a dugout canoe juts into the Creek tribes of Alabama, Georgia, and the woman from the elbows up, formally
picture like an adamant finger, pointing northern Florida were pushed south- posed, face forward and eyes locked on
to the painting’s theme of ‘Man Alone in ward from their homelands by white ours. In her left hand she holds a green
Nature.’ The painting’s human center- settlers. The influx of Creek formed palm frond fan with as much authority
piece, meanwhile, is shown contempla- allegiances with the indigenous tribes as Queen Elizabeth I would hold a scep-
tively chewing a bite of fry bread fresh of south Florida, as well as self-eman- ter. Annie Tommie’s numerous glass
from his smoking campfire. cipated people of African heritage, to bead necklaces, a weighty collar around
become a united Seminole people. her neck, would put a noblewoman’s
In the background, a landscape with strand or two of pearls to shame.
setting sun vies for preeminence in the The exhibition contains a portrait
painting. Its color is so high key that of Seminole matriarch Annie Tommie, The brightly illuminated portrait is
you might find yourself squinting as who lived from 1856 to 1946. set against a black background, and the
you look from it to the lone hunter and woman’s name, Annie Tommie, is print-
back again in a visual tug of war. Which In this 1999 portrait, Hutchinson ed behind her head in capital letters so
motif will prove itself more riveting to chose to portray the regal old lady in
the viewer, the sun in his heaven or the much the same way as a member of that future generations might know it. 
man in his camp?
spots around Florida. Hutchinson’s ca-
reer as an artist of Florida and its native A clue to this rivalry appears in the
peoples was sparked by long stays that dates 1984, 1986 and 2007 that Hutchin-
he and Joan were permitted on Florida’s son inscribed near his signature in the
Brighton and Big Cypress Reservations. picture’s lower right corner.
The couple lived among the Seminole
and Miccosukee from 1959 to 1963. Evidently, 1984 is when Hutchinson
composed the painting. The second
During that time Joan, alongside the and third dates commemorate his ad-
indigenous women of her acquain- ditional work sessions with it. That’s 23
tance, engaged in such everyday tasks years of artistic engagement between
as cooking and minding the communi- Hutchinson and his creation; a continu-
ties’ children. Both she and James made ing conversation between the artist and
notes and sketches of reservation life a composition that can’t decide if it is a
during those years. landscape or a set piece. The inclusion
of “Hunter’s Camp” in the current ex-
After settling in Stuart, Hutchinson’s hibition bears witness to Hutchinson’s
received the commission of his life in fondness for the picture, which repre-
1971, when he received a private grant sents a sort of truce between artistic vi-
from the Arthur Vining Davis Founda- sion and artistic outcome.
tion to produce 50 history paintings,
including portraits of celebrated in- There is a second painting titled
digenous leaders and scenes of 19th “Hunter’s Camp 2” in the exhibition;
century Seminole activities. Hutchin- executed in 2011. That somewhat
son completed the series in 1976. smaller work shows the camp from a
different vantage than the first. In both
While none of the paintings in the pictures, the hunter’s lean-to is shown
exhibition date from that time, several under the branches of a lofty pine tree,
paintings in the current exhibit feature and in both a low sun lights the scene.
similar recreations.
In “Hunter’s Camp 2,” the lean-to
One of them, “Hunter’s Camp,” fea- looks long abandoned. It is a footnote
tures a lone Seminole man seated un- in the landscape, which now includes
der a lean-to composed of a framework the body of water that the indigenous
hunter plied long ago in his canoe.
The bottom corner of the composition

contains an egret that has just alighted
on a dead branch. Behind this, a pur-
ple mass of blooming water hyacinth,
a non-native species that has been the
bane of south Florida waterways for
140 years, reminds us that the days of
a pristine Florida are gone. In this pic-
ture, there is not a Seminole in sight.

The portraits of Seminoles that grace
the show are also reminders of times
past, and the influence of European
Americans on indigenous peoples.

40 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Aaron’s Hearing Care Center sculpturUe insisqiumepnleyw‘GMracKndee’

As you reconnect with others, trust your hearing
to an audiologist with 30+ years of experience

Hopefully, all of you are doing well as we BY PAM HARBAUGH ets online at McKeeGarden.org. Call
take the necessary precautions to reduce Correspondent 772-794-0601.
the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus). We
are committed to keeping our patients, any 1 While museums and galleries 2 Laugh it up this weekend at Riv-
visitors to our offices and our staff healthy may still be closed, art lovers erside Theatre’s “Comedy Zone.”
and safe.
At all times we’re careful to maintain clean- can still feast on artful substance at This weekend features stand-up com-
liness in our offices in Vero Beach. We take
extra steps and follow guidelines to further McKee Botanical Gardens. Known ics Greg Hall and Mark Evans. Hall,
protect everyone.
primarily for its gorgeous gardens who is from West Texas, jokes that his
We have instituted a deep cleaning policy
Aaron Liebman, Au. D. and our staff disinfects all surfaces that are and breezy pathways filled with de- 6-foot, 5-inch frame kept him away
Doctor of Audiology touched throughout the day. We’re read-
ing up to date recommendations as they lightful resting spots, McKee also is from his dream of being a jockey.
Why wouldn’t you want to be fit become available while discussing and im-
with your hearing aid from the plementing best hygiene practices to ensure where you can find “Grand Central,” He won a Kennedy Center award for
only audiologist-owned hearing your safety.
aid office in Indian River a new work by the celebrated sculptor musical composition at the Ameri-
County? According to Aaron than I thought possible.”
Liebman, Au.D., Doctor of “Aaron is a very caring man, Patrick Dougherty and his son, Sam. can College Theatre Festival, which
Audiology, “both Audiologists patient and works very hard to
and hearing aid salesmen do the best for your problems. Dougherty works with natural media encouraged him to hit the road with
are licensed by the state. But, I would highly recommend
typically, the salesman has no him.” These are just three to create a monumental sculpture de- music artists including Keith Urban.
formal education in hearing, of the glowing testimonials
while the audiologist has gone delivered by local people who signed to “play” in a natural setting. Now he tours the nation as a stand-up
to college and obtained a degree are “graduates” of Liebman at
in the field”. Aaron’s Hearing Aid Center. This is his second installation at McK- comic. Murphy is from New York City.

What this means to you – Dr. Liebman moved to Florida ee Botanical Gardens. “Grand Cen- A self-effacing comic, he says that
as a patient – is that Liebman in 2001. He is originally from
will not only fit you with Albany, N.Y. area where both he tral” comprises willow saplings into his only television experience was in
a hearing aid, he’ll use and his father were audiologists.
alternative methods of testing He has found the residents a unique outdoor sculpture intended a North Korean soap opera. In addi-
for accuracy, so you receive of Vero Beach and the rest
the proper instrument. He’ll of Indian River County to be to “shake up” the formal line of Royal tion to the humor, the Comedy Zone
provide all-around service and receptive and loyal once they
counseling so its full potential are exposed to his caring and Palms in McKee’s stately Royal Palm also serves up music, food and drinks.
will be clear. And, perhaps most concern for them.
importantly, he’ll consider you So, if the concept of having your Grove. It took Daugherty, his son and Menu items begin at $8 for sandwich
as an individual…including hearing aid fitted by someone
the affordability of the product who offers more than 30+ a team of volunteers three weeks to baskets, $6 for salads and nachos, and
he’ll be recommending. years of experience, who offers
This type of kid glove treatment no-fee consultations, who will weave, bend, trim and shape the wil- $4 for fries. Drinks begin at $2 for soft
may have contributed to a return your phone calls, who
finding quoted on the AARP will supply free batteries for the low saplings into “Grand Central.” drinks and water, $4 for beer, $5.75 for
website that states ‘people fitted life of your hearing instrument,
for hearing aids by audiologists and who will provide quarterly The artist said “it turns the whole wine, $6.50 for cocktails, $1.45 for cof-
are 13 times more likely to clean up and adjustments
be satisfied than people who attractive to you, there’s only place beneath it into a kind of lounge fees and $3.50 for dessert. Before the
made their purchase through a one local audiologist to seek
hearing aid salesman’. out: Dr. Aaron Liebman, (with) little cabanas.” Daugherty cre- comedy show, ticket holders are in-
owner of Aarons Hearing Care,
Dr. Liebman’s satisfied clients OIthnWediaNOnENRDiLvYhereaCAroiUnugnDtaIyiO.dLoOffiGceISiTn ated his first sculpture for McKee in vited outdoors to “The Loop” to rock
have willingly put their praises
into print. For more information call 2016. That was called “The Royals” out to the “British Invasion Express”
“Everything I needed to know (772) 562-5100 in Vero Beach.
was talked about up front in a and remained in the grove for two when the combo performs music by
very professional way.” “Aaron
has done more for my hearing and a half years before disintegrating. the Beatles and other big British ’60s

While the artist uses willow saplings, rock groups. The comedy show is held

he does not kill trees. The saplings in Riverside’s Waxlax Stage, where

are harvested from a willow farm and seating is limited to 50 percent capac-

cut in a way that will allow the tree to ity. Staffers keep the place clean and

grow, as if pruned. Sometimes he uses disinfected. To that end, guests are re-

sticks from beneath power lines or quired to wear masks, which may be

along highways because those sticks taken off once seated. The shows be-

are destined to be pruned regardless. gin at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday

The artist has created more than 300 and Saturday, July 17-18. Tickets are

sculptures, which have graced the $14 to $18. These are very popular, so

outdoors around the world in places you’d be wise to call ahead for reser-

like the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, vations or, better still, buy your ticket

Wash., and the Los Angeles County online at RiversideTheatre.com. Call

Arboretum and Botanic Garden. He 772-231-6990. Riverside Theatre is at

has received multiple awards and was 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach.

the subject of a book by Princeton Ar-

chitectural Press. You can see beauti- 3 Don’t miss Live from Lincoln
Center’s staged concert presen-
ful photographs of his work by visit-

ing StickWork.net and clicking onto tation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s

“Enter Site.” So, yes, this is a good “Carousel.” It is being streamed on-

time to go to McKee and enjoy its gar- line until Sept. 8. The production puts

dens as well as work by renowned art- the New York Philharmonic on stage

ist. McKee Botanical Gardens is at 350 with a cast of stunning talent, includ-

U.S. 1, Vero Beach. Hours are 11 a.m. ing Kelli O’Hara, Nathan Gunn and

to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Satur- Jessie Mueller. The staged concert lets

days, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. No the music shine. That is apt since this

entry after 4 p.m. Cost of admission is one of the most beautiful and ro-

is $15 general, $13 seniors and youth, mantic of the Rodgers & Hammerstein

$10 children and military, free to chil- songbook. And it’s free. All you need is

dren under 2 years and to members. the Internet. Visit LincolnCenter.org
and scroll down to “Carousel.” 
They request that you purchase tick-

GLAUCOMA SPECIALIST
JOINS NEW VISION
EYECARE TEAM

42 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Glaucoma specialist joins New Vision eyecare team

BY TOM LLOYD drain fluid as well as it should and as a Dr. Mohamed Sayed. ami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute,
Staff Writer result, eye pressure starts to build and where he was also an assistant profes-
damage the optic nerve. In angle-closure sion is lost in early glaucoma, the pa- sor of ophthalmology.
Vero Beach’s New Vision Eye Center glaucoma, the narrow-angle between the tient may maintain excellent central
just added a new member to its oph- iris and cornea causes blocked drainage vision until the disease has irreversibly That kind of academic achievement
thalmology team, Dr. Mohamed Sayed. canals which can result in rapid eye pres- wiped out the entire peripheral vision could lead to cockiness.
sure. If not treated right away, angle-clo- before central vision is finally lost in
With fellowship certifications from sure glaucoma can cause blindness. end-stage disease.” Sayed, however, takes a modest ap-
both the Royal College of Surgeons of proach, saying many of his peers are
the United Kingdom as well as the U.K.’s Worse, as the Mayo Clinic points out, Some other types of glaucoma, Sayed capable to handling this disease be-
International Council of Ophthalmol- “the damage caused by glaucoma can- adds, may have other symptoms. “For cause “recent advances and innova-
ogy, Sayed brings an advanced skill set not be reversed.” example,” he continues, “in a less com- tions in the field have rendered glau-
to Vero, offering what he calls “the most mon type of glaucoma called angle clo- coma care – including cutting-edge
advanced anterior segment surgery; Unfortunately, according to the Uni- sure glaucoma, patients may have inter- imaging studies and treatment mo-
glaucoma treatments including laser versity of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Cen- mittent episodes of eye pain, headache, dalities – something most ophthal-
treatments; minimally invasive glau- ter, most people don’t even know they blurred vision and halos around light. mologists and cataract surgeons are
coma surgeries; and cataract surgeries have glaucoma unless they have regu- competent at providing, particularly
with premium lens implants.” lar eye exams, which is why the disease “In the acute form of that disease,” in milder forms of the disease.”
remains a leading cause of blindness Sayed continues, “patients may experi-
That’s a major plus because glau- worldwide. ence intractable pain, loss of vision and When pressed, however, he admits
coma and cataract cases are common vomiting, and [then] emergency treat- “there are types of complex glauco-
here – especially glaucoma cases. The Kellogg Center continues, “early ment is typically necessary.” mas associated with other ocular and
detection and treatment by an ophthal- systemic disorders that are more re-
In the simplest of terms, glaucoma mologist are the keys to preventing op- That is why, according to Sayed, “as sistant to standard treatments [and]
is a group of eye disorders that leads to tic nerve damage and vision loss from a general rule, all individuals who are in these instances, the intervention of
progressive damage of the optic nerve glaucoma,” and Dr. Sayed agrees. 40 or above should have an annual eye a glaucoma specialist is typically nec-
which can cause irreversible blindness. exam. For those with a family history of essary.”
“Glaucoma, in its most common glaucoma, particularly in first-degree
According to the American Academy form, is unfortunately a disease that relatives, they should seek expert help As the new kid on New Vision’s block,
of Ophthalmology, there are two main has no symptoms, which means pa- to rule out glaucoma at an even younger Sayed joined the team of Drs. Minotty,
types of glaucoma. tients can lose considerable vision with- age.” Tate, O’Brien and Reinauer on June 6.
out even noticing,” according to Sayed.
In the most common form of primary And, almost unique among his peers, “Glaucoma,” he says, “is primar-
open-angle glaucoma, the eye doesn’t “Since, typically, the peripheral vi- Sayed is equipped to deal with those ily an age-related condition that af-
younger patients, too. fects mostly older individuals who
commonly have family history of the
He also has a fellowship certification disease. However, it can affect pretty
in pediatric ophthalmology from Mi- much any age group.

“In fact, children can even be born
with it. Additionally, children may also
suffer from cataracts. Part of our job [at
New Vision] is educating our colleagues
in other specialties such as obstetri-
cians and pediatricians on possible
signs that can be recognized in a new-
born or a child with possible glaucoma,
cataract, or other ocular disorders so
that referral to expert ophthalmic care
is done in a timely manner.”

Dr. Mohamed Sayed is now seeing
patients at Vero Beach’s New Vision Eye
Center at 1055 37th Place. The phone
number is 772-257-8700. 

DR. KEITH KALISH

OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE

Bunions • Hammertoes
Corns • Ingrown • Fungal

Warts • Calluses • Heel
Arthritis & Diabetic
Custom Orthotics
& Diabetic Shoes

Same Day
Appointments

DUAL BOARD CERTIFIED MEDICAL
& SURGICAL FOOT

SPECIALIST PODIATRIST

I KALISHFOOTCARE.COM
VERO BEACH I 1285 36TH ST I SUITE 203

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 43

HEALTH

Faulty heart valves can be fixed, replaced ... or left alone

BY FRED CICETTI Medicines can help with symptoms area of the valve larger. The balloon mal tissue. There is an increased
but don’t fix a bad valve. Surgery or is then deflated and removed. risk of blood clots forming with a
Columnist a less invasive procedure is often mechanical valve, so patients who
needed to correct valve disease. During surgery, valves may either get them must take blood-thinning
Question: I have a leaky heart be repaired or replaced. Repair may medicines as long as they have this
valve that may need surgery down There is a percutaneous (through- involve opening a narrowed valve or kind of valve.
the road. Can you tell me about the-skin) procedure that may be reinforcing a valve that doesn’t close
heart-valve surgery in one of your used to open narrowed tricuspid, properly. Surgeons replace irrepa- Valve surgery is an open-heart
columns? pulmonary and mitral valves. In rable valves with prosthetic valves. operation that requires a heart-lung
rare cases, it is used on aortic valves. bypass machine. During the opera-
Answer: First, let’s explain briefly A balloon-tipped catheter is inserted Prosthetic valves can be mechan- tion, the heart must stop beating.
how the heart works. into the narrowed valve and inflat- ical, made of plastic, carbon, or The machine keeps the blood circu-
ed. The balloon makes the central metal. Or these replacement valves lating in the patient’s body. 
There are four chambers in the can be composed of human or ani-
heart – two atria on top and two
ventricles below. There are four
valves that open and shut with ev-
ery heartbeat to control the circu-
lation of the blood. These valves,
which are made of tissue flaps, are
called the tricuspid, pulmonary,
mitral and aortic.

Blood flows in one direction
through the heart to get a new sup-
ply of oxygen from the lungs. Here’s
how it goes:

Used blood comes back to the
heart from the body and goes into
the right atrium. The right atri-
um pumps the blood downward
through the tricuspid valve into
the right ventricle. The right ven-
tricle pumps the blood through the
pulmonary valve to the lungs. The
oxygenated blood returns from the
lungs to the left atrium. The left atri-
um moves the blood down through
the mitral valve into the left ven-
tricle. The left ventricle pumps the
blood out the aortic valve, which
supplies the body.

Valves can malfunction and strain
the heart. If a valve doesn’t close
properly, blood will flow backward.
This is called “regurgitation.” If
valve flaps don’t open correctly, they
prevent blood from flowing through
them. This is called “stenosis.”

Advanced valve disease can cause
blood clots, stroke or sudden death
from cardiac arrest.

For seniors, there is a problem
with the flaps of the aortic and mi-
tral valves; they thicken and harden
with age, making blood flow more
difficult. These changes may lead to
complications in people with heart
disease.

Other common causes of valve
disease are birth defects that pro-
duce irregularly shaped aortic
valves or narrowed mitral valves;
infective endocarditis, a bacterial
infection of the lining of the heart’s
walls and valves; coronary artery
disease; and heart attack.

People with malfunctioning
valves who don’t have serious
symptoms may not need treatment.

44 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Talking about my cancer elicited unexpected reactions

BY LITSA DREMOUSIS had cancer even as I was grieving for my a new species of rodent. So, of course, I
The Washington Post dad was too much bad news to impart, bumped into three neighbors in the el-
and no one would benefit if I spun out of evator, each nattily dressed from work.
Sixteen days after my beloved dad control. Indeed, I often comforted them
died last year, I ended up in the emer- as they teared up. “I’m not violating the social con-
gency room with what turned out to be tract,” I said and laughed. “I’m recov-
papillary carcinoma, one of five kinds A long list of illness and misfortune – ering from cancer surgery.” And these
of thyroid cancer. More so than devas- almost too much to believe – had made strangers, who until now only knew me
tation, I felt alternately numb and nau- me well-versed in sharing aberrant bad in passing, were so exceptionally kind,
seous. news. holding the door open for me and help-
ing me stack my packages on my walk-
Telling loved ones and colleagues I I became disabled with myalgic en- er. I remain deeply grateful.
cephalomyelitis (formerly known as
Conversely, a colleague I’ve known
chronic fatigue syndrome) at 24, lost for years emailed to ask how I was re-
my best friend and partner to a hor- covering. I was candid but spared him
rific mountain climbing accident at the goriest details. Still, his reply was
42, my ex-fiancé was diagnosed with a the written equivalent of stuffing his
brain tumor five days after we became hands in his ears like a little kid and
engaged when I was 47, and the man I humming, “La! La! La! I cannot hear
dated after him was diagnosed with a you!” At no point did he acknowledge
different type of brain tumor less than the bad news I was sharing. All I could
two years later. (Each man’s tumor was think was, “Dude, why did you bother
benign but required major surgery.) asking in the first place?”

But I quickly learned that cancer is That’s the thing about cancer:
singular, requiring its host to become There’s no way to know who will come
fluent in a new language. One must closer and who will step away until you
learn to navigate contorted emotional speak the word, and the word is un-
backflips (“I might die but I probably avoidable if, like me, you have a three-
won’t!”), apologize for feeling awful and-a-half-inch scar across your neck
when others have felt worse (“I’m sorry or other palpable evidence that some
you had to have chemo – I only had to of your heretofore cooperative cells
have radiation!”), and to reassure ev- went rogue.
eryone that you are, as so many will im-
plore you, fighting to stay alive, i.e. the While I miss my dad each day, I’m
thing that even a single-celled organ- glad he didn’t live to see me eviscer-
ism evolved to do (“I just ate a kale sal- ated. He didn’t need that as he was pre-
ad! Don’t worry! Lots and lots of kale!”). paring to exit Earth. That’s the silver
lining. Well, that and the fact I didn’t
The simplest conversations can veer follow him. But without self-pity, I can
unexpectedly because cancer is a mag- say that the near-simultaneous loss of
net of sorts, immediately pulling people my father and my cancer-free self has
toward you or repelling them far, far been gutting. I feel as if I were robbed
away. Either way, it’s impossible to ig- of something vital and never got the
nore; no one hears the word “cancer” chance to fight back.
and shrugs.
It’s somehow reassuring that the
Because the thyroid gland is key to most honest exchange I’ve had this
regulating the body’s energy and my past year has been with my 8-year-old
cancer had been misdiagnosed for nephew. We’re extremely close and
two years, I was profoundly weak by hold forth on everything from why
the time I had my thyroidectomy. Too Steph Curry is his favorite basketball
ill to get dressed, one evening I wan- player to how my dad, his grandfather,
dered to my building’s lobby to get lived under Nazi occupation in Greece
the mail in my plaid pajama bottoms when he was the same age.
and my “Keith Richards for President”
shirt. Few subjects are off limits and the
week after surgery when he saw my
As sentient beings know, the number scar, then crimson and jagged, he
of people one encounters is directly pro- asked all about the thyroid gland.
portionate to how much one resembles When I explained that it helps regulate
metabolism, energy, body temperature
and mood, among other functions, he
grew animated and blurted, “But don’t
you need that?” I laughed, kissed his
forehead, and assured him that I’d be
fine. I explained how different medi-
cines would replicate my absent or-
gan and that he had nothing to worry
about.

But for the first time since my diag-
nosis, I felt understood. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 45

HEALTH

Nearly 800,000 people a year have a stroke in the U.S.

BY LINDA SEARING and some 140,000 Americans die each ing to walk or a very severe headache.
The Washington Post year from a stroke. The likelihood of A condition similar to a stroke, known
brain damage and disability increas- as a transient ischemic attack, occurs
es the longer a stroke goes untreated, when the blood supply to the brain is
making it critical to call 911 and get blocked for a short time (hence its nick-
emergency stroke treatment started as name, “mini-stroke”).
soon as possible.
Though damage to the brain from a
Signs of a stroke usually come on TIA is not permanent, it does make the
suddenly and may include numbness chances of a full-blown stroke more
or weakness in the face, arm or leg, likely. Because of this, the American
trouble speaking, blurred or double vi- Stroke Association refers to a TIA as a
sion, dizziness or stumbling when try- “warning stroke.” 

BY LINDA SEARING which causes the cells to start dying
The Washington Post within minutes.

Every 40 seconds, on average, some- The other main type of stroke, hem-
one in the United States has a stroke orrhagic stroke, occurs when a blood
– amounting to 795,000 people a year, vessel in the brain leaks or bursts, with
according to the Centers for Disease the flood of blood putting pressure on
Control and Prevention. and damaging the brain cells. This type
of stroke may be caused by high blood
Most strokes, 80 percent or more, pressure (which over time can weaken
occur when blood flow to the brain is blood vessel walls) or an aneurysm (a
blocked by a clot. Known as an isch- bulge in a blood vessel that bursts).
emic stroke, it results in brain cells not
getting needed oxygen and nutrients, Both types of stroke can cause last-
ing brain damage, disability or death,

46 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PETS

Lovely Juliet’s uplifting story makes Bonzo’s day

Hi Dog Buddies! ’em or protect ’em. It was awful. Scout, Oswald, an another
After my second litter, I remem-
For a pooch who had such a Dis- ber being very scared. I couldn’t Emma.
mal Dog Biscuits start, sweet, pretty walk or eat an I hurt all over. I
Juliet Bumgarner is now a happy an figured I was Done For. “Since I never learned to act
charming grrrl. Juliet’s a Beagleman.
I KNOW. I hadn’t heard of that either. “Then, a buncha humans like a normal pooch, Mama,
So I Googled: It’s a mixture of Beagle came an scooped me an some
an Doberman. Juliet sure got all the others up an brought us to the Daddy an Nora are teach-
best parts, too. She’s slender, about my hue-MANE suh-si-utty. I was
height, Dobie colors, black with but- still scared cuz I thought all ing me Dog 101: How To Be a
terscotch trim, an a white star on her humans were mean. But they
chest. She’s fem-uh-nun an soft-spoken were kind. They gave us food Dog. First time I went to the
(never barks), an has the best Sit ever. and wadder an comfy beds, an
Like a stah-choo. got us all cleaned up. A doctor dog park, I was, like, ’um, what
did a check-up an found out I
Cuzza that scary virus, we met across had bullet frag-mutts in me, do I do?’ There are so many
the street from her house, under a which is why I kept hurting,
shady tree. My assistant an Juliet’s hu- I guess.” Cool Kibbles smells at the Dog
mans were wearin’ masks. Us pooches
didn’t haff to. “Oh, Juliet, for Lassie’s Park. I really enjoy investigatin’,
Sake, that’s terrible!” I ex-
“Good morning, Miss Juliet. I’m Bon- claimed. watchin’ an sniffin’! Chewin,’
zo the Columnist an this is my assis-
tant. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” “Soon I began to feel much bed- too, but only what I’m Allowed
der. I didn’t hurt. I wasn’t so scared.
“Thank you, Mr. Bonzo.” Following Then I went to stay with a wunnerful To. If a toy has a squeaker in it,
the Wag-an-Sniff, she said, “This is my Foster Famly, who gave me lots of love
Mama, Sara, an my sister, Nora. My an taught me Basic Dog Stuff, such as that squeaker’s TOAST pretty
Daddy, Jay, is at work. Shall we sit here Procedures for Doing My Duty. An now
in the grass an you can ask me stuff?” comes the Cool Kibbles part: My Mama fast. Now that I have soft mats
an Daddy were definitely NOT lookin’
Just then a lady came leash-walkin’ for a dog. Ackshully, Daddy was more Juliet.PHOTO: KAILA JONES and sunny snoozin’ spots, I do a
down the street with a Chocolate Lab. like ‘ABSOLUTELY NO PETS! TOTALLY
Juliet trotted right over. After a wag- NO DOGS!’ Well, Mama is in charge of lotta nappin’. Snugglin’ is at the
an-sniff, the two did a liddle meet-an- volunteers at VNA Hospice, where they top of my ToDo List, also.”
greet dance, then Juliet bounced back. have a pet therapy program, cuz, like
“That’s my new fren Bosco. He’s cool. we all know, us pets can help humans “Do you like snacks?” I asked.
Sorry for the inner-UP-shun.” She sat feel Much Bedder.”
back down. “Duh! My favrites are a little
I nodded.
“No worries. Let’s start at the begin- “A fren of Mama’s at the hue-MANE I was Their Dog, an they were my For- plop of whipped cream with a
ning. I know you’ve had some tough suh-si-utty knew me an, athough she
times, so I get it if you don’t want to talk knew about the NO DOGS thing, she ever Famly. Now they call me their Pan- cherry from Sonic! An, when I go to
about some stuff.” sent my pickshur an told Mama she
HAD to meet me. The instant Mama demic Puppy.” Grammy an Papa’s house, Grammy
“I don’t mind, Mr. Bonzo. It reminds saw it, she wanted to see me in the
me of what a lucky grrrl I am. My whole fur. It took a coupla weeks to convince I sniffled behind my paw. always has a little bit of chiggen in her
life, I lived inna cage at one of those Daddy. When they finally visited, they
dreadful Puppy Mills. I wasn’t much had No Intention Whatsoever of taking “Buh-leeve it or not, when I got to my pocket.
more than a puppy myself an I’d al- me home Then an There. But, what can
ready had two litters. My puppies got I say, soon as we met, we all ree-lized Forever Home and met my new sister “At bedtime, I usually sleep with
taken away so fast I didn’t get to cuddle
Nora, all the bad stuff faded away, like Nora. I think I’m the luckiest an hap-

it was a dream. Now I have the Best. piest pooch ever, Mr. Bonzo. An Mama

Life. Ever! My BFF’s Liberty, she lives says I bring them JOY. Isn’t that paw-

with my Aunt Kristi. Me an Liberty some?”

race around her pool deck. She taught Headin’ home, I was feelin’ uplifted.

me how to swim. Nora hadda lift me in Don’t you just love happy endings like

at first, but now I jump right in. Same Juliet’s? I was also wonderin’ what it’d

with the car. I didn’t know how to get take to get Grampa to go to Sonic one of

in, but now I do. I love lookin’ out the these evenings.

car window. Ackshully, I like observin’

all sorts of stuff. Mama says I’ve blos- The Bonz
somed in the last few weeks.

“I also help Mama garden. I’m most-

ly a supervisor, but I’m ready to dig if Don’t Be Shy
she ever needs me to. An I observe
birds. Woof, those woodpeckers are We are always looking for pets
uh-MAZE-ing. You’d think they’d get with interesting stories.
headaches. Once I creeped up on a To set up an interview, email

bunny and WATCHED it for hours, un-

til it got bored, I think. [email protected].

“My neighbor pooch pals are Emma,

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 47

The 8 best ‘It’ creams for women over 40

Dior, Capture Totale Chanel, Sublimage La Crème Lumière Sisley, Black Rose
Skin Infusion Cream
Charlotte Tilbury
Magic Cream Light

Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Clarins, Hydra-Essentiel Cream Elemis, Ultra Smart Pro-Collagen
Enviro-Adapt Day Cream
Allies of Skin,
Peptides & Antioxidants
Firming Daily Treatment

BY SONIA HARIA Light gives your skin an immedi-
The Telegraph ate plumped effect without feeling
greasy. Also light, but packing a punch
It was around 20 years ago when in terms of moisture is the Peptides
‘It’ creams really became a thing – & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treat-
thanks to Crème de la Mer’s thick-as- ment by one of my favorite skincare
clotted-cream facial moisturizer in brands at the moment, Allies of Skin.
its weighty ceramic pot. Some people
would physically recoil at the $125 Another brilliant cream is the Sub-
price tag, while many others slath- limage La Crème Lumière by Chanel.
ered it on, savored every last scoop It’s extremely expensive at $385 (ouch)
and true worshippers – of which there but for a serious dose of complexion-
were many – even stockpiled it. brightening luxury on the skin, and
eye candy for the bathroom shelf, you
For me, an ‘It’ cream needs to fulfil can’t beat it.
two criteria: Firstly, it has to work – no
one wants to spend their hard-earned For something more affordable,
cash on something ineffective. But it I think Clarins ticks all the boxes for
also needs to feel luxurious. A cream its skin-loving formulas and spa-like
that wouldn’t have looked out of place smells. The brand’s Hydra-Essen-
on your grandmother’s dressing table tiel Cream is my favorite. And, yes,
and the type of product you have to 20 years on from when it originally
hide from your husband so he doesn’t caused a skincare sensation, La Mer
get his bear-like paws into it. (I’m is still one of the best. Its Moisturizing
speaking from experience.) Soft Cream is lovely for the summer
– it’s less like clotted-cream than the
As thick and decadent as they are, original, more like the ice cream you
there are some excellent creams that get in a whipped ice cream cone from
are perfect for warm summer weath- an ice-cream van. As I said, perfect for
er. Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream sunny days. 

48 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HOW DOES DAME JUDI DENCH LOOK SO GOOD AT 85

BY CAROLINE LEAPER
The Telegraph

At 85, the veteran British actress
Dame Judi Dench has set a new re-
cord becoming Vogue’s oldest ever
cover girl.

Appearing in the June 2020 edi-
tion of British Vogue, Dench is pho-
tographed up close by Nick Knight
in a refreshing set of portraits which
serve to illustrate how far the fashion
and beauty industries have come, in
terms of representing women of all
ages.

Dench, who began her acting ca-
reer in 1959 with a part in the tele-
vision series Hilda Lessways, has
earned her national treasure status
over a 60-plus year career, via parts
in everything from the James Bond
franchise, to Shakespeare in Love,
for which she won an Oscar in 1999,
aged 64.

“It’s fascinating to me that this
is Judi’s first cover, at the age of 85,
when she is such a megastar,” edi-
tor Kate Phelan, who styled Dench
for the shoot, has commented. “But
in her day, ‘when she was young and

beautiful’, as she likes to say – though could have been draining on her com-
of course, she is still absolutely plexion.
breathtaking – actresses weren’t
Vogue cover stars. They weren’t re- The lipstick is paired with a fresh
ally given celebrity status until they wash of pinky highlighter, which to us
were ‘ancient’, as she would put it.” looks like the Highlighter in Peau de
Peche, by Westman Atelier, £69. Part
Dame Judi Dench on the cover of blusher, part highlighter, it gives the
British Vogue's June 2020 issue complexion enough colour and light
without looking shiny or shimmery.
Dame Judi Dench on the cover
of British Vogue's June 2020 issue, Her eyelids are well defined, too - a
wearing Dolce and Gabbana soft but distinct pencil eyeliner has
been used to enhance the upper lash
The cover was shot before lock- line, while her lower lids have been left
down, and the accompanying pro- deliberately bare, which gives the face
file was topped up with another in- and fresh 'wide-awake' appearance.
terview after the crisis had begun. It also helps to prevent the ‘creasing’
Due to her age, she explains, she transfer which can come with wear-
anticipates that she will be in self- ing heavier eye make-up and is par-
isolation until June. ticularly difficult to manage when the
wearer smiles and has light wrinkles
In the interview, Dench offers very around the eyes. Mascara has also
little insight into how she looks and been added to the top lashes only, for
feels so good as an octogenarian more definition.
(she snaps at the interviewer that
she likes “nothing” about being 85) Dame Judi Dench photographed in
however it is possible to glean some November 2019
takeaways from the piece, and the
pictures. Dame Judi Dench photographed in
November 2019
Dench’s make-up in the portraits,
by the leading British make-up art- Finally the eyebrows are an essen-
ist Val Garland, is light and radiant tial part of this look. Going too heavy
- a signature look of the make-up on the pencil would have clashed with
artist. On her lips, Dench is wear- Dench’s hair colour, however to add
ing a soft, rose-pink gloss that looks definition in a portrait it was essen-
far more youthful than a matte fin- tial to apply a little light colour to add
ish. For a similar product, you could shape to the eyebrows.
try the Nars Lip Gloss in Turkish
Delight, £19. A bolder colour would For Dame Judi Dench, attitude is,
have overpowered in the image, and above anything else, the crucial rea-
son that she looks so good at 85 - this

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 49

is the woman who had

“Carpe diem” tattooed

on her wrist on her

81st birthday, after

all. But via some

light makeup

touches, and

some clever

brushwork to

add definition

to her most dis-

tinctive features,

her eyes and lips,

Dench is ready for

her close up.

“[The shoot] meant

an awful lot to her,”

Dench’s daughter, Finty Wil-

liams, tells Vogue in the piece.

“This age thing, I

think, affects very

much how she

feels about her-

self and this gave

her just that little

boost of confi-

dence to make her

go, ‘Oh, maybe I’m

still OK.’ Then of

course after the

photoshoot, she

came back liter-

ally thinking she

was Beyoncé.” 

It’s time to start using a vitamin C serum

BY SONIA HARIA brands at the moment is Sun-
The Telegraph day Riley, a skincare brand
whose founder hails from Texas.
The lockdown has highlighted Sunday Riley’s Superstars Kit
a lot about our consumer spend- contains a vitamin C and retinol
ing habits. While it’s no surprise product.
that sales of root touch-up prod- Speaking to the Telegraph, Riley
ucts and box dyes have been on thinks the rise in vitamin C might
the rise, there have been some
surprising winners in the be down to how stressed our
skincare stakes, too. skin is in lockdown.
“Anxiety about the
Skincare products unknown can result
with a concentrate of in changes to your
vitamin C have seen sleep cycle, your diet,
an uplift of 248 per- and your general
cent since the start of peace of mind,” she
lockdown. The skin- says. “Stress causes
brightening antioxi- an increase in cortisol,
dant is part of the ‘golden which wreaks havoc on
trio’ of smart ageing skincare,
along with retinol and SPF. It’s the mind and body, including
proven to help future-proof the your skin.”
skin from ageing, if used in a suf-
ficient enough daily dose – plus If your skin is accustomed to
helps with pigmentation from the vitamin C already, Riley suggests
sun. combining vitamin C with a gly-
colic acid to supercharge the ben-
Vitamin C has lots of benefits, efits. (She makes up her own ‘vi-
most notably its hydrating prop- tamin C cocktail’ every morning
erties and the instant glow effect with two different serums includ-
that it gives your skin. Vitamin C is ing her CEO Glow Vitamin C + Tu-
also known for its role immunity. meric Face Oil, so confident she is
of the ingredients skin-brighten-
One of the top performing ing, protecting benefits.) 

50 Vero Beach 32963 / July 16, 2020 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

DINING AND WINE NEWS

HOW COVID-19 IS CHANGING RESTAURANT DESIGN

COMPILED FROM WIRES BY 32963 STAFF

Every summer, in cities around the doing away with traditional tabletop According to Forbes, QR codes are American summer classics served in Ol-
world, the demand for outdoor din- decor such as candles, lamps, flowers, popping up all over the place in re- msted’s backyard with bigger portions
ing skyrockets. This year, though, the tablecloths, and menus that would sponse to the pandemic. We can likely than diners would find at the restaurant.
ability to sit outside in the fresh air need to be cleaned between seatings. expect to see more forms of contactless
– where coronavirus infection is less ordering and payment in the future. Amass in Copenhagen, an avant-
likely to occur – is paramount. In fact, At Oro Bistrot by Natale Giunta, garde restaurant with a focus on sus-
outdoor dining may be the only op- the rooftop restaurant at the Fori Im- There’s also a trend toward offer- tainability run by Noma alum Matt Or-
tion for restaurant-goers in cities like periali in Rome, guests are seated at ing more casual, flexible dining op- lando, recently decided to devote half
New York for the foreseeable future. bare tables with QR codes that allow tions at a variety of sit-down and even its dining space to Amass Fried Chick-
them to load the menus directly on fine dining establishments. en & Wine, which serves more ap-
So far, 6,800 restaurants in New York their smartphones – an innovation proachable food at a lower price point.
City have reopened for outdoor dining. that has already become rather com- Brooklyn chef Greg Baxtrom, for ex-
monplace around the globe. ample, just launched Olmsted Summer Whether these changes will last re-
“I believe that by continuing to Camp, which offers Baxtrom’s take on mains to be seen. 
think about flexibility and how to im-
prove outdoor dining, this ‘new nor-
mal’ will be sustainable,” says David
Rockwell, president of the Rockwell
Group, an international design firm.

“Based on what we know about CO-
VID-19, I think we will see more res-
taurants redefining the boundary be-
tween indoors and out. In the long run,
restaurants will have to be adaptable,
with seating plans that expand and
contract easily and quickly, providing
a great experience in every format.”

Of course, New York restaurants are
not the only ones to take advantage of
previously unused outdoor space.

In Rome, the Michelin-starred Imà-
go restaurant in the iconic Hassler Ho-
tel has relocated from its indoor space
to the terrace of a seventh-floor suite
for the duration of the summer. “It’s
really a great gift to my guests: a Mi-
chelin-starred dinner under the stars,
with the beauty of the great Rome un-
der your feet,” says hotel owner and
managing director Roberto Wirth.

With the heightened need to disin-
fect surfaces, many restaurants are

Oceanfront DINING explore the costa vibe
thursday
Now Open Lunch & Dinner | Abundant Outdoor Seating taco tuesday daily happy hour paella night
Offering Takeout & Curbside
$6 margaritas $5 draft beer selection of paella dishes
Daily 11am–9pm | Happy Hour 4–5:30pm $4 tacos $6 house wine
Full Cocktail Menu & Bar Available $7 house cocktails

Reservations 772-469-1060 or CobaltRestaurant.com wednesday 4 - 6 pm sunday brunch
steak night
early-bird dinner a la carte brunch menu
a la carte sunday - thursday 11:30 am - 3 pm
specialty steak menu 5 - 6 PM
two courses endless cocktails
$20 per person $18 mimosas

$22 bloody marys

call 772.410.0100 for more information or visit costadeste.com