07/08/2021 ISSUE 27

State OKs elementary school
curriculum. P6
Words from

War Sculpture. P18
Grady Bunch resuming
annual cruise to Abacos. P8

For breaking news visit

MY VERO School district
is joining forces
BY RAY MCNULTY with Foundation

No new airlines coming
soon to Vero’s airport

Three years ago, an Alle- BY GEORGE ANDREASSI
Staff Writer
giant Air representative vis-
The school district has
ited Vero Beach to explore the partnered with the Education
Foundation of Indian River
possibility of joining Elite Air- County to try to tap into the
wellspring of philanthropy on
ways as a commercial carrier the barrier island to help pay
for new school facilities and
at the city’s regional airport. advanced programs.

Last week, Allegiant an- It seemed more efficient to
work with the independent
nounced it was adding Mel- foundation that has provided
money for public and private
bourne to its rapidly expanding schools for three decades, rath-
er than starting a new founda-
route map, starting in Novem- tion from scratch, said School
Superintendent David Moore.
ber, offering non-stop passen-
Education Foundation Ex-
ger jet service – twice per week ecutive Director Douglas Her-
ron and the school district’s
at one-way fares as low as $39 director of instructional inno-
vation, Cindy Emerson, have
– to and from Pittsburgh, Nash-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
ville and Concord, North Caro-
Massive home on
lina. Ocean Drive sells
for $16.8 million
The move effectively kills
BY STEVEN M. THOMAS
any realistic chance the Las Staff Writer

Vegas-based budget airline will An oceanfront home once
listed for $35 million – a re-
come to Vero Beach. cord asking price for Vero at
that time – sold last week for
“I don’t see that happening $16,813,000.
anytime soon,” Vero Beach Re-
The seller was business-
Prime lots, great river views, but few housesgional Airport Director Todd woman and developer Kath-
Scher said in the wake of Al-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
legiant’s expansion into a re- BY STEVEN M. THOMAS ready-to-build lots – many with “It is kind of confusing,” says
gion where the airline already Staff Writer some of the prettiest riverfront Grand Harbor Club general
offers service at the Orlando/ views to be found anywhere manager Michael Gibson.“You

Sanford and West Palm Beach Grand Harbor is the scene of around – are being allowed by are in the middle of the biggest

airports. the Great Vero Real Estate Mys- GB Vero Beach Development housing boom in the history

“We haven’t heard anything tery of 2021. to lay fallow during the stron- of the world, and it is hard to

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Forreasonsunknown,142prime gest seller’s market in memory. understand why any devel-

oper would be sitting on their

Kenneth Earl Padgett, visionary developer, dies at 100 hands and not building.”
GBVB construction manager

Cameron Luedke, who just fin-

BY STEPHANIE LABAFF South Beach community of ished the last new home avail-
Staff Writer Seagrove, and known as a vi- able in Grand Harbor, a luxu-
sionary with a ‘Midas touch’ rious riverfront villa, says new

Kenneth Earl Padgett, a for real estate, passed away home starts there wound down

longtime resident of Vero on June 30 at age 100. last summer as the second CO-

Beach who was developer of Padgett was born on April VID-19 surge cast a dystopian

the island Holiday Inn, the CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 pall over the country.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

July 8, 2021 Volume 16, Issue 27 Newsstand Price $1.00 Car show caps
big weekend
News 1-12 Editorial 28 People 13-21 TO ADVERTISE CALL for veterans. P16
Arts 37-40 Games 31-33 Pets 22 772-559-4187
Books 30 Health 41-47 Real Estate 59-68
Dining 52-56 Insight 23-36 Style 48-51 FOR CIRCULATION
CALL 772-226-7925

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

2 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero generate enough revenue for the city
to offset the grant-funding shortfall.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Unless Elite massively expands itsVero
from Allegiant recently, and now that Beach route map – the Maine-based
they’re in Melbourne, I’d be surprised concierge airline has given no indica-
if they were still interested in coming tion it plans to do so – the only way the
here,” he added. “In fairness, though, airport could get to that number would
we haven’t reached out to them, either.” be to add another commercial carrier.

Actually, Scher hasn’t reached out to And city officials don’t seem eager to
any airlines since he succeeded Eric do so.
Menger, the city’s longtime airport di-
rector who retired last summer. Nor should they be.
As Falls put it: “I don’t have people
The reason? beating down my door asking for ad-
City leaders have decided that add- ditional airline service.”
ing another commercial carrier doesn’t Besides, the potential loss of state
make sense, financially and in terms funds would be compounded by the
of demand from the community. costs of expanding the city airport’s
“That doesn’t mean we’re not open to terminal and other facilities to accom-
talking to an airline interested in com- modate a second airline – especially
ing here,” Scher said. “If Allegiant or any a carrier that uses larger aircraft and
other carrier came to us, we’d definitely transports more passengers.
welcome the conversation. We’re not “Our building can accommodate
opposed to adding another airline. about 75 passengers, which works for
“We’re just not actively seeking out Elite, but we don’t have the facilities to
another airline.” handle a 130- or 150-passenger aircraft,”
Given the economic consequences Scher said. “It’s not just the passengers;
of luring another commercial carrier to it’s all the people who take them to the
Vero Beach – the expense of expanding airport or who are waiting to pick them
the terminal and an all-but-certain cut up when they arrive.
in annual state funding for airport im- “You could have 200 to 300 people in
provements – it seems a wise decision. the terminal,” he continued. “If an air-
At least for the foreseeable future. line like Allegiant wanted to come here,
Remember: The Florida Department we’d need to expand not only the termi-
of Transportation notified the city in nal, but probably our parking area and
December 2019 that the airport will be our staffing. And we’d have to come up
reclassified from “general aviation” to with the money to pay for that.
“commercial” if it boarded more than “But it’s difficult to get the funding
10,000 passengers in one year. until you have a commitment from an
Elite, which began flying into and airline, and the airlines usually want
out of Vero Beach in December 2015, incentives, like free rent for a year,” he
surpassed that threshold for the first added. “There are a lot of obstacles for
time in 2018, when more than 11,000 an airport of our size trying to bring in
passengers boarded its flights, primar- a bigger airline.”
ily to Newark, New Jersey, with sea- Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic –
sonal service to Portland, Maine, and and before the city decided to cease its
Asheville, North Carolina. pursuit of additional airlines – Menger
City officials responded to FDOT’s engaged with as many as five that ex-
notice by requesting and receiving a pressed at least a passing interest in
waiver that expires in 2023. They also coming to Vero Beach.
have joined the state’s other smaller Allegiant was among them.
airports in lobbying legislators to re- “Their guy was pretty aggressive with
structure the agency’s classifications, a timeline on when they (Allegiant)
which they say hinder their ability to wanted to start here,” said Scher, who
attract commercial carriers. was Menger’s assistant director at the
If that doesn’t happen, though – and time. “But then Eric went to a confer-
Elite boards more than 10,000 passen- ence somewhere and met someone else
gers in a year after 2023 – Vero Beach from Allegiant, and he wasn’t as eager.
would lose as much as $1 million an- “I don’t think we heard from them
nually in FDOT grant revenue for air- again.”
port projects included in the city’s That’s OK.
five-year plan. Scher and Falls both said they’re
That’s because the state usually “happy” with Elite’s service here, though
covers 80 percent of the cost for large they’d welcome flights to more destina-
projects at “general aviation” airports, tions – especially a return to Asheville,
while the city would be responsible for North Carolina, which was a popular
20 percent. As a “commercial” airport, route before the pandemic shut down
the split would be 50-50. airline operations.
“We’re trying to get the Legislature to Elite didn’t fly between Vero Beach
help,” City Manager Monte Falls said, and Asheville last summer, and com-
adding that the airport would need pany President John Pearsall said last
Elite to reach 200,000 boardings to week the airline hadn’t yet decided if it
will do so this summer.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 3

NEWS

“We’re still looking at it,” he said. Breaking down the finished lots, the The multifamily tract, known as Os- GB Vero Beach Development, a Carl
With nothing on Elite’s schedule site lists 72 lots for sale in The Reserve prey Village, is a proposed condomin- Icahn entity, took over new home de-
this deep into July – and with the air- subdivision at the northern end of Indi- ium project that has not been started. velopment in Grand Harbor sometime
line moving its Vero Beach flights to an River Boulevard, where homes go for after Icahn Enterprises acquired the
Melbourne in September to allow the $1 million and up; 42 lots in The Falls, “From what we have heard, the deal community in 2004 and built some
airport here to resurface its longest a large subdivision laid out across from in the works does not include Osprey number of homes, but construction
runway – it seems unlikely we’ll see Grand Harbor’s main gate between In- Village or the commercial property,” came to a halt during the real estate
Vero-Asheville service this summer. dian River Boulevard and U.S. 1.; and says Sweeny. downturn that began in 2007.
But let’s hope Asheville is back on 22 lots in Laguna Village, where the new
Elite’s Vero Beach route map next year, waterfront home just became available. The brokers representing the Grand In 2016, the company resumed devel-
along with another destination or two, Harbor properties did not respond to
perhaps somewhere in the Midwest or inquires from Vero Beach 32963. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
in the Baltimore-Washington area.
“We’re proceeding as if the current
airline is the only one we’re going to
have here,” Scher said. “So, for right
now, the only expansion of commer-
cial service here would involve Elite
adding routes, and we’d love to see it.
“But, again, if another airline is in-
terested in coming here, we’re open to
the possibility.” 

Great Vero Mystery
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Since then, the developer has been
completing homes already started, in-
cluding the modernist villa on the river,
which just got its certificate of occupancy
and is listed for $2,995,000 by ONE So-
theby’s broker associate Michael Thorpe.

Thorpe says, as he understands it, the
developer isn’t building new homes be-
cause the company “is in the process of
selling all the remaining land and lots.
They have had a couple of people in the
running and had it under contract.”

Doug Sweeny, past president of the
Grand Harbor Members Association,
echoes Thorpe. “We’ve heard they are
in the process of selling the remain-
ing lots through CB Richard Ellis. The
developer hasn’t told us anything, so
we don’t know for sure what is hap-
pening, but we have some people we
know at the brokerage who say they
are very close to deal.”

But Luedke says he is not aware of any
impending deal and speculated that the
delay could be related to COVID-19 or
the drastic spike and ongoing volatility
in the cost of building materials, which
make it hard to accurately estimate the
cost of building a new home and come
up with a realistic listing price.

“The only thing they have said to me,
is that ‘everything is always for sale,’” Lu-
edke says, quoting company executives.

One thing that’s certain is the lots
in question are listed for sale on the
CBRE website along with two other
Grand Harbor tracts.

According to the website, “There are
5 separate Grand Harbor neighbor-
hoods for sale ... comprised of a total
of 142 finished single-family residen-
tial lots, 4.45 acres of residential land
proposed for 56 multifamily units,
and 12.45 acres of commercial land.”

4 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Great Vero Mystery ago, and has become predominant on
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 the oceanfront, especially in the Es-
tate Section where many of the most
opment, announcing commencement expensive homes in Vero are located.
of four subdivisions to be built simulta-
neously within Grand Harbor: The Falls “Almost everything being built
II, The Reserve, Laguna Village and Os- down there is modern design,” says
prey Village. Luedke, who codesigned as well as
built the $3-million house at 4844 S.
Numerous spec homes were built in Harbor Drive. “The difference is you
The Falls and The Reserve, but just one can get this one for half of what you
in Laguna Village and none in Osprey would pay on the island for something
Village. this size. That and this house is prob-
ably more luxed out. We went over the
Some of the homes were eventually top with the features and finishes. And
listed with Thorpe, who says they sold it is ready to move into tomorrow.”
briskly during the pandemic.
Luxury details include a 10-foot tall,
“I had 24 homes for sale last August; solid mahogany entry door, 8-foot
now I only have one, the Villa in Laguna high, solid white oak interior doors, a
Village,” Thorpe says. “We were selling a floating white oak and glass staircase,
house a week at one point this spring.” a double waterfall marble island kitch-
en, travertine pool and patio deck, and
Sweeny says he and other members a rooftop lounge and dining area with a
of Grand Harbor Golf & Beach Club deluxe outdoor kitchen and stunning,
“would like to see the three subdivi- 360-degree views of the Indian River
sions already underway completed.” Lagoon and Grand Harbor community.

Club members recently bought the “People absolutely adore the roof-
club from another Icahn entity and are top,” says Paige Verhoeven, Thorpe’s
in the process of revitalizing and adding marketing manager. “There is so
to recreational and dining amenities. much room and the kitchen they put
up there is phenomenal. People have
“We have a bunch of things on the responded really, really well to that.”
drawing board for the club, and we
would love to have a new developer Thorpe says there has been strong
come in and sit down with us and interest from “high-net-worth clients
have a conversation to get them to in- looking for a second home,” including
vest along with us and encourage their a potential buyer who owns a compa-
buyers to join the club,” Sweeny says. ny that builds mega-yachts and anoth-
er who owns an aerospace company.
“We are gung-ho to have some-
body start moving dirt,” adds Gibson. “I absolutely love it,” says Premier
“We would love to see it built out and Estate Properties broker associate
hopefully add to our membership.” Cindy O’Dare, who showed the prop-
erty to one of her clients recently. “It’s
In the meantime, the one new home a great house!”
available in the community is attract-
ing favorable interest and serving as There’s room for 22 similar luxury
an advertisement for Grand Harbor’s villas in the riverfront subdivision
resort-like lifestyle. whenever someone is prepared to
build them. And in a market where
The 4,700-square-foot, 5-bedroom, inventory is exceptionally tight and
5.5-bath, two-story house with a roof- homes are getting as many as 20 offers,
top deck sits right on the river with wide, they would likely sell in short order.
unobstructed, protected water views.
Luedke says that, if in fact the subdivi-
Most of the western shoreline south sion is not on the verge of being sold, the
of the home is conservation land sale of the existing house might stimu-
owned by The Indian River Land Trust, late GBVB Development to start addi-
and Luedke says “that far shore is an tional spec homes in Laguna Village.
aviary. It will never be built on.”
“I could start two more tomorrow,
The architecturally dramatic house if they call and give me the go-ahead,”
exemplifies the shift toward modern- he says. 
ism in the high end of the Vero Beach
market that began eight or 10 years

School foundation Foundation’s new focus on rais-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ing money from different sources and
developing relationships with island
been working together for several philanthropists, the school district will
months to improve coordination be- assume responsibility for running the
tween the two agencies. annual Science and Engineering Fair,
Moore and Herron said.
School administrators were in the pro-
cess of creating a new foundation to sup- At the same time, the Education
port the district when new leaders in both Foundation will continue providing its
organizations realized they could work yearly High Impact Grant, STEP into
well together, Moore and Herron said. Kindergarten, Vision for Reading and
Sneaker Exchange programs.
In conjunction with the Education
The Education Foundation will also

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 5

NEWS

continue its fundraising through its COVID-19 pandemic took precedence robotics and/or aerospace programs, “There is nothing to prevent us from
Adopt-A-Class/Fund-A-Project and giv- over foundation development efforts apprenticeships, mentoring and re- working on capital projects,” Herron
ing programs, which generate approxi- until earlier this year. medial learning, Moore said. said. “We just never have in the past.”
mately $500,000 per year.
In addition to raising money for “The sky is really the limit as far as “By re-establishing this relationship,
Moore started work in December new athletics and performing arts fa- the services we could provide to the I think we’re going to be able to work
2019 and Herron assumed his position cilities, the foundation could provide district,” Herron told the School Board on those types of things together, not
in March 2020, but responding to the funding for innovative classrooms, during a workshop on June 22.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

A SELECTION OF OUR ULTRA LUXURY

LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES

Please visit our New Sales Sanderling Oceanfront Estate
Development Center at: $3.495 Million
675 Beachland Boulevard
Bob Niederpruem/Cindy O’Dare 772.257.7456
772.234.5555 Video | Info: v244586.com

Premierestateproperties.com

Our Unrivaled Global Network

Old Riomar $2.55 Million Oceanfront Penthouse $1.895 Million New Beachside Cottages Starting at $1.025
Brown/Harris/Webb 772.234.5148 Info: v244082.com Brown/Harris/Webb 772.234.5148 Info: v244572.com O’Dare/Boga 772.234.5093 Info: v231607.com

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

NEWS

School foundation detailed plans and cost estimates, Bare-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 foot said.

separately like has been done for the The Education Foundation’s board
past several years,” Herron said. “Al- of directors would review the proposal
though we’re an independently oper- and decide whether to undertake a
ating foundation, our primary goal is fundraising campaign to cover the
to support the school district.” costs, Barefoot said.

School administrators are formu- Other initiatives could include en-
lating a strategic spending plan based dowing the Superintendent of Schools
on the district’s most pressing needs, position to ensure top pay, so a highly-
Moore said. The priorities will be re- qualified person always gets the job,
fined during School Board discussions, Barefoot said.
possibly as soon as the July 20 meeting
and will serve as a guide, to some extent, “As we all know, we’re fortunate enough
for the Education Foundation’s focus. to live in a very generous philanthropic
community,” Barefoot said. “I’m not
The foundation’s upgraded fundrais- aware of any of the major philanthropists
ing strategies should be patterned after in the community that actually give mon-
those deployed by Cleveland Clinic In- ey directly to the Education Foundation.”
dian River Hospital, Riverside Theatre
and the Vero Beach Museum of Art, said The foundation could assign board
School Board Chairman Brian Barefoot, members to be “ambassadors” to make
who also serves as vice chairman of the fundraising pitches to Vero Beach’s
hospital’s charitable foundation. charitable organizations and top phi-
lanthropists, Barefoot said. The foun-
One scenario is for the school district dation could also recruit new board
to propose a capital project for funding, members from those ranks.
such as a track and field facility for Vero
Beach High School at the old Jimmy “There is a lot of interest in support-
Graves Sports Complex, complete with ing public education in the county that
was not there a year ago,” Barefoot said.
“We’ve got to take advantage of that.
This is a good start.” 

State OKs non-controversial curriculum
in time for school district deadline

BY GEORGE ANDREASSI English curriculum materials from
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt of Boston.
Staff Writer
Dozens of conservative activists and
The school district’s three-month- parents who showed up at School Board
long contretemps over the elementary meetings in recent months feared that
school English curriculum for the up- outcome, with many calling the Hough-
coming school year has been resolved ton Mifflin curriculum too progressive
by state education bureaucrats. and liberal for Indian River County.

The Florida Department of Education “I could not be more pleased that
decided Friday to place Amplify Educa- the Amplify K-5 curriculum has been
tion Inc.’s Core Knowledge Language approved by the Department of Edu-
Arts Grades K through 5 instructional cation,” said School Board Chairman
materials on the state approved list. Brian Barefoot.

That decision enabled school ad- “This approval confirms the early
ministrators to order instructional ma- recommendation from the district’s
terials from the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based review committee and staff and elimi-
publisher in time for use in the upcom- nates some concerns brought forth by
ing 2021-2022 school year, which starts our community.”
August 10th.
Schools Superintendent David Moore
The state Education Department said having the Amplify Education cur-
initially blocked Amplify Education’s riculum for grades K-5 and 6-8 will help
K-5 English Language Arts curriculum, students make a smooth transition from
saying it did not meet new Florida elementary school to middle school.
standards, but the company prevailed
upon appeal with county school offi- Moore credited the School Board’s
cials supporting the cause. advocacy for the Amplify Education cur-
riculum with helping convince the state
The school district’s curriculum re- Education Department to approve it.
view committee had selected Amplify
Education’s K-5 and 6-8 curriculums School Board Vice Chairwoman Teri
for the 2021-2022 school year. Barenborg said she had been speaking
with state officials about Amplify Edu-
Had Amplify Education lost its ap- cation’s K-5 English curriculum and
peal, the School Board’s fallback po- the district’s July 6 deadline for order-
sition would have been to order K-5
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8



8 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Curriculum approved cials weren’t aware of our deadlines, so
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 we wanted to make them aware of the
need to know as soon as possible.”
ing the educational materials for the
new school year. School Board member Mara Schiff
said she hopes the state decision to
“I did make several calls to the De- OK the Amplify Education curricu-
partment of Education and to [state] lum will put to rest the local contro-
Rep. Erin Grall, who also helped,” versy.
Barenborg said. “I did not pressure the
DOE to approve. Instead, I inquired “I’m glad the curriculum was ap-
about the issues, but also informed proved, and we can move forward to
them of our timeline. The DOE offi- ordering books and preparing teach-
ers for the upcoming school year,”
Schiff said. 

‘BAHAMAS OR BUST!’– GRADY BUNCH
RESUMES ANNUAL ABACOS CRUISE

BY RAY MCNULTY Cunningham said the group usually
Staff Writer has 12 to 16 boats, but he limited this
trip to 10 because many of the resorts,
As the Vero Beach “Grady Bunch” hotels and restaurants in the Abacos
prepares for its annual summer boat haven’t fully recovered from Dorian,
trip to the Bahamas, Brian Cunning- which pummeled the Bahamas the
ham admits there’s a different feel to first three days of September 2019 and
this one. devastated the islands.

“We go over there every year, but “With 10 boats, we’ll have 40 to 50
this won’t be the same old thing,” said people, and a lot of the islands don’t have
Cunningham, the Vero Marine Cen- the capability to handle larger groups,”
ter owner who will lead a group of 10 Cunningham said. “Between Dorian

Brian and Karen Cunningham aboard the boat “Karizma.” PHOTO BY BRENDA AHEARN

boats that will depart Sunday on a and COVID, they’re just not ready, so we
10-day excursion to the Abaco Islands ended up with a wait list of three or four
and back. members because there was no room.”

“There’s more excitement this year, Cunningham and his wife, Karen, who
more of a curiosity factor,” he added. handles the overseas reservations, began
“We didn’t go last year because of the booking this year’s trip last fall, giving
COVID-19 pandemic, and people want first preference to Grady Bunch mem-
to see what the place looks like after bers who were scheduled to go last year.
Hurricane Dorian.
Eight of them immediately committed,
“It’s a little more of an adventure this leaving open two spots for new members,
time.” who jumped at the chance to go.

It’s also one of the smaller Grady “My wife and I met in the Bahamas
Bunch groups to make the five-hour in 1971, and this will be our first time
trip from Vero Beach – down the Indian back there since then,” said one of the
River Lagoon, out the Fort Pierce Inlet new members, Bob Teets, who moved
and across the Gulf Stream – to West from Texas to Vero Beach in October
End on the island of Grand Bahama. and lives at Grand Harbor.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 9

NEWS

“We bought a boat so we could en- location that offers ferry service, and
joy the water here, and we saw this trip you can take day trips to Man-O-War
as a great opportunity to learn more or Hope Town.”
about boating and meet other people
who enjoy it,” he added. “I’ve done a The Abacos are a group of islands
lot of boating, but I’ve never crossed an and cays that offer great fishing and
ocean before, so we’re excited about it. include several dive sites with under-
water caves and coral reefs.
“It’ll be wonderful to get over there
and see that beautiful water.” Under normal circumstances, Cun-
ningham said, the trip would include
Teets said he learned of Vero Marine stops at other islands – such as Marsh
and the Grady Bunch through his real- Harbor, Hope Town, Man-O-War Cay
tor, who is one of the club’s 200-plus and Inagua – but there was too much
members. uncertainty this year.

Founded in 1988 by the late Bruce “We’re going to miss some of our oth-
McIntyre, Cunningham’s former busi- er favorite stops,” he said. “Hopefully,
ness partner, the boating club is the things will be back to normal next year.”
first, largest and most-active in the
Grady White dealer network. All of the Something out of the norm this
year: COVID precautions.
local members purchased their Grady
White boats at Vero Marine. Cunningham said the Bahamas
Customs and Immigration is requir-
“I still remember my first trip over, and ing visitors to show upon their arrival
it’s great when we have new folks come proof of their COVID vaccinations or a
with us and they see the island com- negative COVID test taken within the
ing up on the horizon for the first time,” previous five days.
Cunningham said. “It’s quite a thrill.”
“I didn’t go to the Bahamas at all in
Cunningham said the group’s first 2020, because international travel was
stop will be West End’s Old Bahama shut down,” Cunningham said. “But
Bay Resort & Yacht Harbour, where it I’ve been there once this year, just to get
will stay for one night, then continue familiar with the process, so I can share
on to Green Turtle Cay. it with everyone who’s going on this trip.

The boaters will spend the next eight “We don’t want to get over there and
nights at the Green Turtle Club Resort & have someone turned away.”
Marina before returning to West End for
one last night. From there, they’ll make The local Grady Bunch schedules
the 120-mile trip back to Vero Beach. eight to 12 outings during the course of
the year, and Cunningham said they al-
“The Green Turtle Club is one of the ways involve 10 to 15 boats. In April, in
best spots over there,” Cunningham fact, the group took an overnight trip to
said. “It’s a nice resort in a good, central Cocoa Village and watched the historic
SpaceX launch of astronauts on a flight
to the International Space Station.

“We live in a great place where there
are so many fun things you can do by
boat, but the Bahamas is our signature
trip,” Cunningham said. “We come up
with a name for each trip, and this year
is a little different because of COVID
and Dorian and the fact that we didn’t
get to go last year.

“So, we’re calling this one: Bahamas
or Bust.” 

Ocean Drive home they really liked,” Brown says. “They
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 had a young boy with them, and I told
them where they could get him some
erine McConvey, who completed the ice cream as well.”
house as a personal residence in 2014
and later decided to offer it for sale, test- Brown has been involved with the
ing the market with a price never before home at 3700 Ocean Drive from the
seen on the island. beginning.

The buyers are a couple from Cali- “I helped Katherine find the land
fornia with several children who love when she was looking for a place to
the home’s dramatic, modern archi- build. The property wasn’t for sale, but
tecture and the in-town location, ac- I called the owners of the two lots, and
cording to listing agent Kay Brown of we put the deal together in 2011.”
Premier Estate Properties.
Construction of a spectacular resi-
“When they flew in to look at the dence on the 1.4-acre parcel with 200
house the first time, it got to be din- feet of ocean frontage got underway in
nertime and I told them they could 2012.
just leave their car at the house and
walk down Ocean Drive to eat, which Designed by Jared Della Valle of New
York-based Alloy Development, which
is co-owned by McConvey, and built

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

10 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Ocean Drive home ‘Let’s see if it will sell,’” McConvey told ally attracted the California buyers. family, friends and fun. She has had as
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 the Wall Street Journal at the time. “I In the meantime, McConvey en- many as 25 people staying there.”
do think it will sell.”
by Joe Foglia of Foglia Custom Homes, joyed living and entertaining in the ex- “I was very impressed with Kather-
the project literally stopped traffic as it It didn’t at that price, and the ask was ceptional residence she created. ine’s design team, the way they were
was going up, with small crowds gath- reduced to $29.9 million in 2017, $21.9 able to bring so much warmth and
ered along the street to watch progress million in 2018 and, finally, to $19.9 “She poured her heart and soul into hominess into a very modern struc-
and debate the virtues of the 8-bed- million in August 2020, which eventu- building that house,” Brown says. “It ture,” says Foglia, adding that it took
room, 12-bath, 18,000-square-foot is a fabulous house she designed for 21 months to complete the house.
modernist masterpiece that has since
disappeared behind a wall of palms “That place is still cutting edge, sev-
and other plantings. en years after we finished it,” he says.
“It was a privilege to be part of such an
Completed in the summer of 2014, outstanding project.”
the house set a new standard for resi-
dential design in 32963 and started a McConvey is the founder of KMM
trend toward modern architecture on Telecommunications, a company with
the island that continues today. hundreds of million in annual revenue
that provides material and logistics
When McConvey put the house on to the telecom industry. She’s also the
the market for $35 million in 2015, it founder of Alloy Development, where
made news nationwide, with write- she, co-founder Jared Della Valle and
ups about the home’s design and re- their associates have done more than
cord-breaking offering price in Archi- $1.6 billion in mostly residential rede-
tectural Digest, the Wall Street Journal velopment in Brooklyn.
and other publications.
“Now she wants to create some-
“I built this house thinking I would thing else a little different,” Brown
stay here forever, and then decided, says. “She loves Vero Beach and is
looking for an exciting new project
here to work on.” 

Kenneth Earl Padgett Padgett and his fellow pilots contrib- ity to find and develop quality prop- sence of high-rises is something consid-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 uted significantly to winning the war erties,” recalled Sorensen, who at the ered part of Vero’s charm today.
in the Pacific. He received numerous time worked for the multi-industry
24, 1921, in Panama City, Florida, flew medals for his distinguished service conglomerate Gulf and Western. Padgett would go on to own numer-
the China-Burma-India route over the and had the distinction of being one ous oceanfront hotels in Vero Beach
Himalayan Mountains as an Army Air of the last known living pilots to have “We were beginning to develop Casa and secure the franchise rights to Hol-
Corps pilot during the World War II, navigated the “Skyway to Hell.” de Campo in the Dominican Republic,” iday Inns in Cuba.
and was a foundational developer in Sorensen said. “Our president, Alvaro
the Florida Panhandle and Vero Beach. After the war, Padgett returned to Carta, thought so much of Mr. Padgett “It’s too bad that didn’t come to frui-
Panama City, where he met and mar- he flew him to the D.R. to consult with tion,” Cathy said.
The purchaser late in life of Bay ried Sarah Williams Padgett, the woman us on the hotel construction projects.”
Bank and Trust, Padgett pledged 10 who, for the next 77 years, family mem- Padgett considered the development
percent of the bank’s earnings to local bers lovingly referred to as his “co-pilot.” Considered a visionary in his field, of Seagrove his crowning real estate
charities and civic organizations. Padgett developed the first subdivi- achievement. After creating it, he re-
The couple raised three children: sions and lodges on Panama City sided in the ocean-to-river community
“Because of his ownership of the Carolyn Hotham, Cathy Padgett and a Beach; most notably Woodlawn, the until his passing. His love of the ocean
bank, he was instrumental in financ- son, Kenneth Earl Padgett Jr., who pre- Holiday Lodge Fishing Resort, and and the natural beauty of Florida were
ing Quail Valley River Club, both per- ceded his father in death. Padgett also Pirates Cove Marina. After moving to the inspiration for the development.
sonally and through Bay Bank,” said leaves behind six grandchildren and Vero Beach in 1973, Padgett continued
his daughter Cathy, illustrating an- nine great-grandchildren. his development activities, starting Padgett achieved his goal of pre-
other important impact Padgett had with the Holiday Inn in Central Beach. serving the beauty of the property – a
on the island and Indian River County. Padgett was a successful and well- place he and Sarah could enjoy with
respected businessman who was con- “The Holiday Inn was more than their family in the ensuing years.
“He was a friend of our family for over sidered a pioneer among his contem- just an oceanfront hotel; it was a fine
five decades, and we valued and trea- poraries. resort with a first-class restaurant,” “We often commented that when it
sured the relationship,” said Dale So- said Sorensen about the early days of came to real estate, Mr. Padgett had
rensen Sr., founder of Dale Sorensen Real His daughter, Cathy Padgett, reflected hotel that still welcomes guests next the Midas touch,” noted Sorensen.
Estate. “A few months ago, we attended on her father’s business acumen, recall- to Sexton Plaza. “One of its managers
his 100th birthday party. He was witty ing his belief that everything needed for once shared with me that it had the Those who knew him well affection-
and charming and made a wonderful a business deal should fit on a 3-inch x highest percentage occupancy of any ately recalled Padgett’s “need for speed,”
talk that touched all that were there.” 5-inch index card, along with a hand- hotel in the chain.” whether on a bike, boat, car, or in his be-
shake. loved Falcon aircraft, which he contin-
“He was acutely aware of the fini- Cathy added that her father’s Holiday ued to fly well into his 80s. It was noted
tude of this life on earth, and he pur- “That’s the way he thought a deal Inn ranked among the top five hotels in that Sarah could often be heard telling
sued everything with great intention- should work,” she said. “He’s from the the chain and maintained a 98 percent Padgett to slow down, but to no avail.
ality,” said one of his granddaughters. greatest generation.” occupancy rate. “That was our guests’
winter home. We all became a fam- “He was a visionary in business and
Serving as an Army Air Corps pilot Padgett discovered Vero Beach dur- ily, and a lot of those people ended up society,” said Padgett’s grandson, Frank
during the Second World War, he was ing a family road trip. “He’d drive un- buying homes here. What my father did Howard. “He was a man of the people.
among those who flew the “Hump,” the til he found a place he liked and then brought a lot of people to Vero.” He didn’t see black or white. He judged
China-Burma-India route over the east- stop,” said Cathy. “He came down people by their character, commit-
ern Himalayan Mountains – a 530-mile, Route 60 and turned left. He came to Speaking to her father’s integrity, ment and integrity. From the Model
treacherous flight over rugged terrain, the ocean and said, ‘This is beautiful. I Cathy noted that when he came to Vero, T to the Great Depression to iPhones
often through extreme weather. More like it and I want to be here.’” there weren’t any zoning regulations and electric cars, my grandad saw it all.
than 1,000 men and 600 planes were prohibiting him from building the ho- What a life.”
lost crossing the mountains. “I first met Mr. Padgett in the early tel as high as he wanted. “He wanted
1970s, shortly after he came to Vero to keep the charm of Vero as it was and Padgett lived his life on his own
By their bravery and determination, Beach to build the Holiday Inn. It was make only positive changes.” An ab- terms to the very end, saying his final
very obvious that he was a man with goodbye to his lifelong love with a kiss
great vision as well as an uncanny abil- on her hand and a final “I love you,”
before passing. 





Marty Sanderson
and Jodie Grainger.

ACING THE TASTE TEST AT
BURGERS AND BREWS ‘UP’ BENEFIT

14 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Acing the taste test at Burgers and Brews ‘UP’ benefit

Terrie Divine and Sandy Divine. PHOTOS: BRENDAAHEARN & MARY SCHENKEL Kat Redner and Kirk Funnell with Alec and Mia Macaulay.

Nicole Jewell, Matt Tanner and Allison Zukowski. Nancy Forlines, Mark Keim and Barbara Lowry. Carlos Perez and Thomas Dolan of Heaton’s.

BY MARY SCHENKEL trophy, impressed by their Fun Guy beautiful turnout. It took a lot of spon- ners and CareerSource connections.
burger, with its candied mushrooms, sors and a lot of competing restau- An increasing number of commu-
Staff Writer bourbon bacon aioli and smoked gou- rants. We’re just so thankful for the
da cheese. community coming together,” said nity partners now provide services at
Grills were sizzling and delectable Tanner. offices on the UP campus, including
aromas wafted through the Down- Ticketholders also had their say, a Treasure Coast Community Health
town Vero Beach area at the 2021 awarding the People’s Choice Award The annual event raises awareness walk-in clinic.
Burgers and Brews fundraiser to ben- to Marsh Landing, having relished and funds to support UP’s four core
efit United Against Poverty, where tasty burgers topped with tomato programs – the Membership Grocery, “Last weekend we eclipsed 500
festival-goers sampled sliders pre- jam, candied bacon and pimento Crisis Stabilization, STEP (Success vaccinations for the community. So,
pared by nine local chefs vying for cheese. Training Employment Program) and we’re continuing to look for creative
the title of Best Burger in Indian River Education. All the programs, except new ways to get people to come in and
County. The other worthy competitors were Education, which brings in outside maximize the space,” said Tanner.
Barefoot Café, BigShots Golf, Captain speakers for workshops, continued
The annual event, canceled last Hiram’s, Heaton’s, Greedy Burger, throughout the pandemic. He said that their fifth of seven
year for obvious reasons, was wel- Sean Ryan Pub and American Grill. STEP cohorts per year will begin on
comed back by burger lovers eager An Entrepreneurship program is July 26. That one is open to all adults,
to eat and drink their fill on the Sat- Sponsors, top-level ticket-holders still in the planning stages, but Tan- and the sixth cohort will launch a new
urday before the Independence Day and judges enjoyed their burgers in ner says that the creative ideas being initiative called STEP UP for Vets.
weekend. It was a fitting prelude as the air-conditioned Heritage Center, discussed indicate lots of potential.
the ultimate goal of UP is to empower making periodic forays outside to pe- “We are encouraging more mili-
individuals to achieve the American ruse the various vendors and choose Additionally, they are launching tary veterans and military spouses to
dream of economic independence. which slider to try next. Other VIPs a partnership with Gifford Youth participate in STEP. We’ll have some
chose to sit in comfy chairs on the pa- Achievement Center to offer career keynote speakers come in specifically
This year’s quartet of judges includ- tio listening to live bands playing on exploration programs for middle and talking about resources for that pop-
ed Chef Leanne Kelleher of the Tides; the nearby stage. high school students, and other part- ulation,” said Tanner.
television personality Chef Sue Tor- nerships are in the works.
res; Chef Dan Wood, owner/operator “This is the first event I’ve been able Upcoming awareness/fundrais-
of Café 66; and Thomas Miller, Trea- to take part in with UP,” said Matt “On July 15 we’ll be partnering with ing events include an inaugural River
sure Coast Foodie blogger. Tanner, United Against Poverty ex- CareerSource Resource Coast to host Raft Regatta Kickoff, 2 p.m. July 25 at
ecutive director, who moved up from our first-ever job fair. Our goal is to Capt. Hiram’s, followed by an inaugu-
After sampling each of the delicious Miami and started in the position in have 250 community members come ral River Raft Regatta, at noon Sept. 18
concoctions in a blind tasting, the December. out who are looking for work,” said at Capt. Hiram’s.
judges chose American Icon Brewery Tanner. They hope to have 50 employ-
as the winner of the golden burger “It’s been months in the making ers, culled from their 180 STEP part- For more information, visit upirc.
and we’re thrilled. Obviously, this is a org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 15

PEOPLE

UP volunteers (front) Jerry Harris and Willie Wynn; (back) Abram H.A.L.O. representatives Jon and Phyllis Turner, Chefs Sue Torres and Leanne Kelleher.
Smith, Elizabeth Lewis, Kiayah Townsend, Russell Jackson, Marina Harvey, Jacque Petrone and Rob Kyzer.
Alto Charles and DJ Anderson.

Karen Kost with Rick and Jane Greene and Linda Rusciano.

Peter and Justine Songster.

Suzanne Clune and Werner Schmidt.
Angie and Jim Messner.

16 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Father’s Day Car Show caps wonderful weekend for vets

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF and the 11th annual Father’s Day Car
Staff Writer Show.

Members of Vietnam Veterans of On Saturday, a sell-out crowd of 260
Indian River County invited fellow players participated in the golf tour-
veterans and supporters to celebrate nament at the Sandridge Golf Club,
Father’s Day weekend in a big way, by before making their way to the nearby
hosting a trio of events – its annual Indian River County Fairgrounds, the
Mary Snyder Golf Tournament, an site of the Business Expo, for lunch
inaugural Veterans’ Business Expo, and an awards ceremony. At the Expo,
people had a chance to network and

learn about opportunities at local cars’ various eras played in the back-
businesses, and could purchase raffle ground, offering up a kind of metal
chances to win donated prizes. history museum, with automobiles
dating from a 1929 Ford Model A
Festivities culminated on Sunday, Coupe and a Studebaker Street Rod to
Father’s Day, with the Father’s Day Car the 2010 Dodge Challenger, a relative
Show at the Vero Beach Elks Lodge. babe in comparison.

“This was the biggest show we’ve The day-long exhibition also kept
ever had with more than 100 cars, folks entertained with raffles and
said Craig Waskow, event organizer. drawings, awards, refreshments and
“We’ve had such an overwhelming re- even a stogie bar.
sponse.”
Membership in VVIRC is open to all
Waskow said they raised roughly U.S. Armed Forces veterans who served
$3,000 from the car show and $22,000 this country honorably. Meetings are
from the golf tournament. held at 6 p.m. on the first Wednesday
of every month at the VVIRC office at
Proceeds from this marathon of ac- 696 8th Ct. For more information, visit
tivities are allocated to support the vvirc.org. 
VVIRC assistance and housing pro-
grams for Indian River County veter-
ans. The group also aids all veterans “in
their readjustment to life in the civilian
community” by connecting them with
outside resources and services.

Waskow noted that there had been
an increase in need among the vet-
eran population as a result of the pan-
demic, so much so that they needed to
bring in additional veteran assistance
officers to help out.

Despite the humidly steamy day,
car enthusiasts showed up in droves
on Father’s Day to peruse the fleet of
classic cars, demonstrating a great
deal of envy and admiration over the
showcased vehicles, which included
everything from a classy Rolls Royce
to Mustang muscle cars.

As viewers ambled up and down
the rows of cars, music befitting the

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 17

PEOPLE

Craig Waskow, Darlene Short and Vic Diaz. Skip Davis and Joan Legue. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES John Kachuba and Tony Kisielewski.

Sue Goode, Mike Schmanko and Marilyn Musiowski. Mike Hendrich and Don Deily.

Daniel Jr., Daniel and Tatum Bakos.

Clark Ballard, Roger Butler and Jim Kastensmidt.

18 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Words from War Sculpture ‘speaks to’ those who served

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Bruce Cady.
Staff Writer
PHOTOS: KAILA JONES & STEPHANIE LABAFF
Next Generation Veterans of Indian
River County recently unveiled its PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
Words from War Monumental Sculp-
ture at Riverside Park, near the en- blast protection for soldiers serving in veterans, but we must realize that it is
trance to Veterans Memorial Island Iraq and Afghanistan. the mental health of the world that cre-
Sanctuary. The group had commis- ates war. And it is the mental health
sioned artist Ross Power to create the The sculpture is an imposing struc- that we need to focus on to help our vet-
massive sculpture nearly five years ture, built to last. Power used more erans to stop the ridiculous and painful
ago. than 48,000 pounds of cast concrete amount of suicide and constant return-
and epoxy-coated rebar to construct ing from service with PTSD that lasts
A large crowd of veterans, military the 9-foot-high by 18-foot-wide monu- forever.”
families and local dignitaries stood ment.
alongside civilian members of the As a voting member of the Veterans
community, all united in their belief During a private Thank You Recep- Council of Indian River County, the
that it is as important to assist mem- tion for donors on the eve of the Sat- mission of Next Generation Veterans is
bers of the Armed Forces once they urday morning unveiling, Bruce Cady, “to create a network of next generation
return home as it is to support them project lead, commented that it had of veterans, provide a venue for social
while they are on active duty. been a collaborative effort, supported support, combat misconception about
by more than 250 individual donors, the returning veterans and represent our
The monument was constructed to City of Vero Beach, various veterans or- generation by positively engaging the
represent the sacrifices made by the ganizations and community partners. community.”
men and women of our military ser-
vices, a concrete representation of the “The community has touched this In addition to connecting veterans
community’s support of veterans from project,” said Cady. “The words, the with services and social gatherings,
all conflicts. Power said he designed sentiment, the art that Ross created, the group runs a PTSD support group
the monument to resemble a T-Wall, speaks to everyone that’s wearing a in partnership with Dogs for Life and
symbolizing the concrete walls used as uniform.” Gold Star Mothers of Indian River
County. Through Operation React and
TIRED OF ZOOM MEETINGS? SO ARE WE. “Words are important,” said Power, Recovery, they provide shutter assis-
Clients are ALWAYS welcome in our office. who had interviewed veterans and ex- tance to veterans in need and are work-
trapolated their words to convey their ing to create an extreme weather bun-
Covid-19 has driven most investment firms to an online-only service model. experiences, memories and thoughts. ker of emergency supplies and recovery
We’re NOT most firms. We’re a boutique practice with decades of experience Among the 48 words etched or written equipment.
in relief are duty, honor, protect and
in offering customized portfolio management. courage. Membership is open to veterans in all
Besides, how can you build a meaningful relationship on Zoom? branches of the U.S. Armed Forces who
Investment Management • Trust & Estate Services • Financial Strategies He explained that the bullet-riddled served honorably from 1990 to the pres-
metal hangings under a dome connect- ent. They meet at 6:30 p.m. the second
Barbara E. Magee, Alexander S. Batt, Charlene Padgett Tucker ed to the walls are meant to represent Wednesday of every month at in the Fe-
Thomas J. Rollando and Sue M. Tompkins the ugliness of war and the total de- lix Poppell American Legion Post or via
struction that our veterans encounter. Zoom. For more information, visit ng-
772.494.7660 l 3055 Cardinal Dr, Suite 305, Vero Beach, FL 32963 virc.org. 
www.warrencapitalmanagement.com “How can you expect a veteran to
come back from war and ever be the
Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (WFAFN), same?” asked Power. “We need to not
Member SIPC. Warren Capital Management is a separate entity from WFAFN. only love and support and honor our



20 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 Bruce Cady with Mary Ellen and Jeffrey Cowhey. Nicole Haagenson gives Skylar Jenkins a Keesler Air Force Base coin.
Members of the Haagenson family.

Gloria Cutting and Leah Cady. Diane and Jim Romanek with Vero Beach Mayor Robbie Brackett.

Nicole Haagenson and Ingrid Hernandez.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 21

PEOPLE

Brucy Cady and Ross Power. Tammy Grant, Patrick Williamson, Chris Clement, Caroline Clement and Gracie.

22 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PETS

Bonz grins and gladly bears it with Smiley around

Hi Dog Buddies! I watched the viddy-o on around ‘Dogs Like Us,’ whatever
that ackshully means, but me an
This week’s innerviewee has The Smiley’s Mom’s CELL-you- Gabby do lotsa other fun stuff.
Perfect Name! Smiley Taylor is a res- Like the beach. An goin’ to Home
cue, purebred Staffordshire Terrier. ler. I was uh-GASSED! There Depot. An leash walks, when we
Her short black-an-brindle coat an greet our neighbors.”
Cool Kibbles black spots on pretty Smiley was, being dragged
pink skin are SO On Trend. But the “Well, you an Miss Gabby are
coolest thing is her Huge, Frenly, out from under this car. The very stylish an FEM-uh-nun,” I re-
LIT-trully Ear-to-Ear Smile. The only plied. “I couldn’t help noticin’ your
smile I’ve ever seen that was bigger humans weren’t bein’ rough bright red toenails.”
was onna Cow. If there were Smile
Olympics, she’d grab the gold, paws or anything, but poor liddle Full disclosure: I had noticed
down. them when we arrived but, being
Smiley. an occasionally dorky guy, I decided
Anyway, Smiley an her big sis Gab- not to risk a fox paw and mention it
by (a longtime pooch pal of mine), an “Oh, Woof! Smiley!” right then.
their Mom Debra met me an my assis-
tant at the door. Following Wag-an- “I KNOW. I thought I was “Why thank you, Mr. Bonzo!” Smi-
Sniffs and greetings, we got settled ley smiled sweetly. An largely. “We
on the pool padio. Smiley explained DOOMED. But I WASN’T. started getting mani-pedis last year.
their PopPop Scott was at work. We try to be Fashion Forward.”
The Furever Bully Love hu- “Where do you sleep?”
“A pleasure meeting you, Miss Smi- “We have beds in Mom an PopPop’s
ley, an seeing you again, Miss Gab- mans rescued me from The Smiley.PHOTO: KAILA JONES room. But I sneak onto their bed a lot.
by!” I said, remembring the liddle bit Pound, an that’s how Mom Just for comfort. I’m still scared some-
of a crush I had on Gabby back in The found me. So Mom and times. Of sharp noises. An brooms. I
Day. Sigh. don’t think they’d even notice me if I
PopPop an Gabby drove didn’t snore. Real Loud, Gabby says. I
I opened my notebook. “I’m ready just wanna be close to my Mom, you
to hear how you joined your Forever to Mouse Town to see me. know?”
Famly,” I told Smiley, who flashed her Heading home, I was thinking
big happy smile an began. They wanted to be sure me an Gabby called Muffin or something, an sa- about how sweet Smiley just wants to
be near her Mom as much as possible.
“First off, our Mom is a Big Ol’ Softy would get along an, evenshully, we yin’ goodbye so offen is Dismal Dog I always felt the very same about my
when it comes to pooches, ’speshully Mom, and I’m pretty sure most of you
Pooches In Need, an ’speshully Bul- did. It didn’t take me long to ree-lize I Biscuits. Gabby agrees. When Mom’s Fellow Poocheroos can say the same
lys, which is what dogs like us are thing about your human BFF. It’s in
sometimes called. So Mom was On was Safe an Suh-CURE.” home, I wanna be right next to her. our DogNA.
The Line, casually browsin’ through Till next time,
pickshurs from the rescue place, Gabby spoke up. “We kinda ignored Plus, she gives me The Best Tummy
Furever Bully Love, which is in that The Bonz
Mouse Town and where she found each other for a while, till I ree-lized Rubs Ever. I always go into The Zone.”
Gabby. Well, guess what? There was Don’t Be Shy
a viddy-o of ME. I’d been dumped it was Cool Kibbles havin’ a Liddle In between talkin’, Smiley had been
on a street in My-Ammy, and I was We are always looking for pets
huddled under a car, totally terrified, Sis, AN bein’ a Big Sis, which means playin’ with a Green Ball with holes in with interesting stories.
an two humans from The Pound were
draggin’ me out. They were bein’ I’m In Charge. So then I was, ‘Oh. OK!’ it. It was way too big for most pooch- To set up an interview, email
careful, but I was still scared out of [email protected].
my fur. Here, look!” I must say, she was under my paws all es, includin’ me, to wrap our mouths

the time, sometimes still is. Like, she around, but Miss Smiley had no prob-

always wants what I have. Sometimes lem whatsoever. All I could see above

I hafta set her straight.” Gabby gave the ball were her eyes.

Smiley a sisterly nose-bump an Smi- “Is that your favrite toy?”

ley responded with a Huge Smile. “Yeb! I habba lobba toiz, bud thiff id

“I have The Best Life, Mr. Bonzo! I by FABE!”

love snugglin’ with my famly. I might “Do you swim? Any BFFs? Whaddya

possibly be just a teeny bit needy, do for fun. An exercise?”

but Mom says it’s cuzza my scary She peetooied the ball out and re-

puppy days, and she loves cuddlin,’ plied. “Swim? No! I don’t like the wa-

too. When Mom takes a bath, I sit ter. At. All. My Kong’s cool. So are my

right there on the mat with my paws stuffies, but they don’t last that long. I

an chin on the side of the tub just to love hangin’ with my human brother

be sure she’s OkeyDokey. Mom says Brad, ’specially at mealtime cuz he

I don’t get the concept of Personal drops stuff on the floor for us. Then

Space. I’m pretty sure that’s a human there’s Miss Debbie. She takes care of

thing. Brad. She’s sorta like a sister. An Gran-

“Then, about a year-anna-haff ago, ny Janette, an our neece an neff-yew

Mom found out she has that scary Haley an Jarrod. We love their visits.

human duh-sees she calls Big C. She “We don’t do the dog park cuz Mom

goes back an forth to a hoss-piddle knows some humans are nervous



REGIONAL INVESTMENTS

Josh Lapp drives on Interstate 71 so erful ally in the White House, where
frequently that he knows to give him- new priorities in Washington laud rail
self extra time to get from his home in and alternate modes of transporta-
Columbus, Ohio, to clients in Cincin- tion. The proposal comes as the nation
nati or Cleveland. Sometimes, traffic targets infrastructure investments to
congestion is the culprit that length- exit a coronavirus pandemic-induced
ens a two-hour drive and sometimes economic crisis, while state and local
it’s a crash – unless it’s both. officials increasingly are open to op-
tions that address highway conges-
The 31-year-old urban planner tion and climate change.
spends upward of $100 on a rental car
for each business trip, an expense that President Joe Biden, who rode Am-
grows alongside his hours behind the trak for more than three decades dur-
wheel. ing his time in Congress, is calling for
an unprecedented boost in federal aid
“I lose a whole day of productivity for trains – a turnaround for a railroad
when I drive, but the highway is my that for decades has struggled to draw
only option,” Lapp said. A proposed financial support and, until recently,
alternative would bring a different set faced funding cuts under the Trump
of wheels through the corridor. administration.

The nation’s passenger rail service is “We have a once-in-a-generation
eyeing the 250-mile swath across Ohio opportunity,” Biden said recently at
for one of 39 proposed new routes. Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station to
Using its success in the populous mark 50 years of Amtrak service. In-
Northeast Corridor as a model, Am- tercity rail, he said, can “play a central
trak is pushing a $75 billion expansion role in our transformation in transpor-
to bring trains to dozens of cities and tation and economic future, to make
towns across the nation. investments that can help America get
back on track – no pun intended.”
The ambitious plan coincides with
the passenger railroad gaining a pow-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 25

Expanding the nation’s train net- INSIGHT COVER STORY
work in 15 years, as the passenger rail
proposes, rests on Amtrak’s ability to tered around the Northeast, as well as
secure billions of dollars both for the Chicago and in the Pacific Northwest.
service and for costly improvements The Washington-to-Boston corridor is
to an aging and inadequate rail infra- the spine of Amtrak’s operations.
structure – and on multiple states be-
ing willing partners. Opponents say Before the pandemic, trains between
there is insufficient demand to war- the nation’s capital and New York car-
rant the proposal’s hefty price tag. ried three times as many riders between
the two cities as airlines did.
Even if those goals are conquered,
Amtrak would still need a nation in Amtrak’s 28 short-haul routes, which
love with cars to come back to the rails. are funded by the states they serve,
carry about half its passengers. The
Amtrak aspires to connect major city growth strategy relies on increasing
centers in the American heartland, the state-supported service alongside an
South and portions of the West, where infusion of federal dollars.
it says it can replicate the service mod-
el of the Northeast – its busiest and By 2035, new rail corridors would
most lucrative corridor – into areas of connect major metropolitan areas
the country with significant growth within 400 miles, with Amtrak seeking
and little or no rail service. to replace a portion of the vehicle and
airline trips between them. Its blue,
The expansion is long overdue, Am- white and red trains would reach 160
trak and its supporters say. new communities and 20 million more
passengers a year.
“It’s our responsibility to provide ser-
vice in places where 50 years ago there The expansion of the passenger rail
may not have been a need for service, network would return trains to cities
but today there is a crying need for ser- where none have picked up passen-
vice,” Amtrak Chairman Tony Coscia gers in decades, such as Phoenix – the
said in an interview. “As the nation’s nation’s 10th-largest metro area – Las
national rail network, we should be Vegas and Columbus. It would en-
providing it.” hance service in places like Cleveland
and Charlotte, served only by long-
The railroad’s service map has re-
mained nearly unchanged in its five CONTINUED ON PAGE 25
decades, even as the nation’s popula-
tion has grown by more than 120 mil-
lion. Texas and Florida, two of the fast-
est-growing states, are underserved by
passenger rail though a private compa-
ny, Brightline, is currently building out
a high-speed rail network that will run
from Miami to Orlando and Tampa.

Intercity train operations are clus-

Josh Lapp travels for business and said he would like to
ride the train instead of driving to Cincinnati or Cleveland.

26 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 INSIGHT COVER STORY

Then-Sen. Joe Biden speaks to an Amtrak conductor while Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, left, and second gentleman Doug Emhoff listen Stu Nicholson, executive director of All Aboard
disembarking a train from Wilmington, Del., in D.C. in 2005. as Amtrak President Stephen Gardner speaks at Union Station in Raleigh, N.C., Ohio, near a railroad track in Columbus, Ohio.

An Amtrak train leaves 30th Street Station
moving parallel to motor vehicle traffic
on Interstate 76 in Philadelphia.

distance trains that arrive overnight. In an annual grant request to Con- vice would be too expensive for the state. But Robert Puentes, president and
It would connect busy corridors such gress in April, Amtrak sought federal At the time, estimates put Ohio’s annual chief executive of the nonprofit Eno
as Atlanta-to-Nashville, and Houston- support to fund the proposed new share of operating funds at $17 million Center for Transportation, cautioned
to-Dallas – offering an alternative to routes over a five-year period. for a service that would have carried that not all of Amtrak’s proposed
traffic-clogged highways. 500,000 passengers annually. routes are likely to get support.
“Then we can transition states into
About 25 Amtrak routes would have sharing more of the costs once they “Because Amtrak is coming forward “Just because a rail line exists in a
more trains. In corridors with growing stabilize and once the service is a suc- and saying, ‘Look, we not only want to certain place doesn’t necessarily mean
demand, such as Los Angeles-to-San cess,” said Amtrak President Stephen provide the service, but we’ll do this people are going to take it,” he said.
Diego and Seattle-to-Portland, Ore., Gardner. on our own dime,’ I think that’s perked “You’ve got to make sure that you’re
the number of round trips would more up a lot of ears among public officials,” actually making these investments in
than double. In Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeW- said Stu Nicholson, executive director places where people really want to go.”
ine has not committed to the propos- of the nonprofit advocacy group All
Plans for new service corridors al- al, citing concerns about the cost to Aboard Ohio. Others are critical of an expansion
ready are advancing in Virginia, North the state, and his office didn’t respond plan that calls on the government to
Carolina and between the Chicago- to multiple requests for comment. Many cities along the proposed Cin- spend more for a service that never
Milwaukee region and the Minneapo- cinnati-to-Columbus-to-Cleveland has been self-sufficient.
lis area. Amtrak is pushing for a restart His predecessor, Republican Gov. route have passed resolutions in sup-
next year to a route from New Orleans John Kasich, turned down $400 million port of bringing back the rail line that The $75 billion price tag, spent over
to Mobile, Ala., where service was dis- in federal funds for a Cincinnati-to- was discontinued in 1971, the year 15 years, would cover the cost of sta-
continued after Hurricane Katrina. Cleveland rail project during the Obama Amtrak began operations. tions, train cars, locomotives and
administration because he said the ser- infrastructure, Amtrak says. Biden’s
Federal law says states must fund proposed funding is viewed as critical
passenger train operations on routes to kick-start the program, but other
shorter than 750 miles. Amtrak wants federal funding programs would be
to change the policy, which it says is a needed.
disincentive for some states – unwill-
ing to take on the financial burden – to Randal O’Toole, a senior fellow at
embrace rail. the libertarian Cato Institute, who
questions Amtrak’s existence because

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 27

INSIGHT COVER STORY

of the government funding it requires, land and a $11.6 billion plan to build railed those prospects as ridership and take just under five hours with trains
said building rail ridership would be new tunnels under the Hudson River revenue plunged 97%. Ridership has making seven stops and topping
difficult in a nation that is highly de- to replace a structure more than a cen- rebounded to one-third of pre-pan- speeds of 70 mph. Amtrak officials said
pendent on cars. tury old. demic levels after the worst economic it would be competitive with driving,
hit in Amtrak history. considering that travelers often make
“Spending more on extending new Amtrak receives about $2 billion of fuel and food stops while encounter-
lines to little towns, which is what Am- federal subsidies annually to cover In addition to money, expanding ing traffic delays. The downtown-to-
trak plans to do, is not going to revolu- operations in its national and North- Amtrak’s territory also would depend downtown trip via I-71 takes about 3
tionize travel,” O’Toole said. east networks, as well as other grants on the willingness of freight railroads hours 46 minutes.
and funding for state-sponsored ser- to share their tracks. Amtrak operates
Because funding would be required vice. mostly on tracks owned by other rail- Lapp, the Columbus urban planner,
at the state level, advocates say one roads and the process to secure us- said he would board a train if he had
challenge is striking a balance be- Amtrak’s financial health had im- age can take years, even though fed- the choice.
tween pursuing new corridors while proved in recent years. In November eral law requires railroads to prioritize
not distracting from projects in states 2019, months before the pandemic passenger travel. “I would be able to enjoy myself by
already invested in rail. Virginia is began in the United States, it was reading or doing work,” he said. ”That
among the states leading the way with projecting positive earnings in 2020 Back in Ohio, Amtrak projects the would be a lot better than staring out
a $3.7 billion rail program that seeks for the first time. The health crisis de- Cincinnati-to-Cleveland trip would the windshield of a car.” 
to double passenger trains within the
decade.

“Can we get 48 different states to
start working together on a national
passenger rail program across mul-
tiple election cycles? I don’t think so,”
said Sean Jeans-Gail, vice president
of the Rail Passengers Association.
“So we need to make sure to invest
in states like North Carolina, Virginia,
California, New York, Pennsylvania,
and some in the Midwest [who are]
putting their own money in and are
ready to go, so we don’t hold up their
progress trying to get the other 40
states on board.”

When Congress created Amtrak
in 1970 after the demise of for-profit
passenger railroads, the nation’s rail
infrastructure already was aging. De-
cades of underinvestment and neglect
have created a system that is at capac-
ity and falls short of modern railroad
standards.

Amtrak and the federal government
in recent years have identified dozens
of projects that would rebuild and ex-
pand tunnels, bridges and tracks that
are near or at the end of their useful
lives.

Biden’s infrastructure plan, which
includes $80 billion for rail over five
years – mostly benefiting Amtrak –
would address the passenger rail’s
repair backlog, modernize the North-
east Corridor and extend service to
more cities, all in line with Amtrak’s
vision.

Republicans in the Senate offered
their own infrastructure bill that in-
cludes $20 billion for rail. House Dem-
ocrats followed with a transportation
funding bill that calls for $95 billion
for rail, including a tripling of funding
to Amtrak.

Amtrak and its supporters are
cheering the president’s plan, but
Biden’s proposal still would fall short
of the money Amtrak needs for repairs
and expansion. The company esti-
mates it has a backlog of $60.2 billion
in projects, with about $45 billion of
that in the Northeast Corridor.

Among those is the $4.5 billion re-
placement of the Civil War-era Balti-
more and Potomac Tunnel in Mary-

28 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

Five months into his administration, President Havana Embassy In the meantime, the administration is confining
Biden’s promise to “go back” to the policy of engage- itself to asking Cubans what they want, and trying to
ment with Cuba remains unfulfilled, lodged in a low- “takes steps to restore and respect” the rights of its determine how to support them.
priority file somewhere between “too hard” and “not citizens.
worth it.” “Artists, entrepreneurs, journalists, and environmen-
During the campaign, Biden’s pitch was that allow- tal activists as well as religious, minority, and human
“I would say that 2021 is not 2015,” when then ing Americans to travel, send money and sell things to rights advocates represent some of the many groups
President Obama reestablished full diplomatic rela- Cuba was the best way to erode support for the regime. in Cuba with a voice and a desire to be heard,” said a
tions with Havana and opened the door to increased State Department spokesman. “We seek to empower
U.S. travel and trade with the communist-ruled is- Amid initial high hopes, Cuban Foreign Minister the Cuban people to determine their own future.”
land, only to see President Trump close it again, a se- Bruno Rodriguez tweeted before the election that
nior administration official said. “political and ideological differences are no impedi- Havana has charged that such “empowerment,” in-
ment to a respectful and civilized relationship with cluding $20 million in the Administration’s new budget
So for the moment, non-Cuban Americans are still our neighbors. We’ve shown that we can develop co- for unspecified democracy promotion in Cuba, is mere-
prohibited from sending money to the island. Cruise operative relations on many issues, to the benefit of ly a continuation of U.S. support for counterrevolution.
ships are banned from sailing from the United States both countries and the region.”
to Cuba, and the dozens of scheduled U.S. commer- The Cubans “are disappointed, obviously,” said
cial flights to Cuban cities have largely stopped. By a year later, it has become clear there will be no William LeoGrande, a senior administrator and pro-
cooperative relations anytime soon. fessor and Cuba expert at American University. “They
Cuba has done itself no favors in seeking a new rap- listened to what Biden said during the campaign and
prochement, with recent crackdowns on dissident Last month, the U.N. General Assembly voted, as it expected, like a lot of people, pretty quick action on
artists, journalists and academics, and ongoing sup- has annually for decades, almost unanimously in oppo- some basic things. And there’s nothing.”
port for repressive regimes in Venezuela and Nicara- sition to the ongoing U.S. economic embargo of Cuba.
gua. At the same time, new attention is being paid in “It reminds them that they still think the United
Washington to a mysterious brain malady – believed The U.S. Embassy in Havana is down to a skeleton States is an imperialist power,” LeoGrande said.
to be the result of targeted attacks – that struck Amer- crew, and the consulate remains closed, with Cuban
ican diplomats and other officials in countries across visa seekers required to travel to a third country. So where are U.S.-Cuban relations like to go in the
the globe, including many in Cuba. months ahead? The Biden administration is con-
With political repression on the upswing and the templating what the traffic will bear, a senior official
But if the current state of the world and other na- economy in dire straits, more Cubans have set sail said. Lifting restrictions on remittances, travel and
tional security demands on the administration make for Florida in rafts and small boats. According to U.S. the processing of visas in Havana are likely to be first
addressing the relationship with Cuba one hard Customs and Border Protection figures, 35,738 Cu- on the list, but there is no timetable.
problem too many, what makes it not worth the ef- bans attempted to cross U.S. land borders during the
fort is a purely domestic matter. For the most part, it first five months of this year, compared with fewer “If we can find a way to open the consulate again
comes down to two words: Robert Menendez. than 20,000 in the 12 previous months. safely, we will do so,” the official said. “We’re conscious
of the fact that if we open it again and something hap-
The Democratic senator from New Jersey, the pow- pens, then we’re not opening again for a very long time.”
erful chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee,
is a key player in issues the administration sees as far The reference is to what Trump called Cuban gov-
more important than Cuba. The U.S.-born son of im- ernment “attacks” that sickened U.S. diplomats and
migrants from pre-communist Cuba, he is strongly intelligence officials and led to the evacuation of the
against reopening the door to Havana. embassy and consulate in 2017.

The administration has no business reaching out Cuba has denied responsibility for the undefined
to Cuba, Menendez has said, unless its government brain injuries, and U.S. intelligence officials now say
they suspect Russia is responsible, perhaps through the
use of microwaves or other forms of directed energy.

But amid new rounds of investigations, “we have
to make sure we get it right,” the senior administra-
tion official said. 

A version of this column by Karen DeYoung 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 office is closed to visitors. We appreciate your understanding.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 29

INSIGHT OPINION

Iberia damages Helene Rosenthal's but I haven't heard anything from Ibe- an airline passenger rights regulation. ber state airline regulation body via the
checked luggage on a flight to Madrid. ria. Can you help me with my claim? Under EC 261, if your checked-in European Consumer Centres Network.
Why is it taking Iberia so long to pay her Like the U.S. Department of Transpor-
damage claim? ANSWER: luggage is lost, damaged or delayed, the tation, these government organizations
airline is liable. You're entitled to com- have the power to light a figurative fire
QUESTION: I'm sorry about your damaged lug- pensation up to an amount of approxi- under an airline like Iberia, and they of-
gage. Iberia should have taken better mately 1,300 euros. But if an "inherent ten do.
I was flying to Madrid, on Iberia, and care of your personal belongings. And defect" caused the damage, then you're
the airline damaged my checked bag, if it damaged your bag, it should have not entitled to any compensation. I know what you're thinking, dear
a soft-sided upright bag, tearing a side acknowledged the problem and fixed it readers. What about the pandemic?
corner out. promptly. It didn't. Unfortunately, EC 261 doesn't give the Shouldn't we cut Iberia some slack
airline a firm deadline. But I think we about a delayed refund? After all, the
I filed a claim for $129 in damages. I Airlines that toss your luggage around can all agree that three months is long airline industry has suffered so much.
provided Iberia with a receipt for the lug- really annoy me. How hard can it be to enough to wait for an airline to respond. But this damaged luggage incident
gage. It's been more than three months, treat your belongings with care? And happened before the pandemic – so,
that's particularly true if you're paying You could have reached out to one the pandemic is not a valid excuse,
the airline a luggage fee to transport of the executive contacts at Iberia. I I'm afraid.
your stuff. Come on! list the names, numbers and email ad-
dresses of Ibera's managers on my con- Why do airlines drag their wings on
Since you were flying within the EU, sumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. a damaged luggage case like this? Be-
you were covered by EC 261, the Europe- cause they can. There's no regulatory
You can also contact the EU mem- body policing the claims process. If pas-
sengers give up and go away, that's one
less claim an airline like Iberia has to
pay.

I contacted Iberia on your behalf,
and it processed your claim in full. 

Get help with any consumer prob-
lem by contacting Christopher Elliott at
http://www.elliott.org/help

30 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

In most accounts of the tu- a member of the leader (and later congressman) John Lewis remarked
multuous 1960s, Robert Ken- Congress for Racial that after King was assassinated, “I transferred all the
nedy plays a supporting role. Equality, Jerome loyalty I had left from Dr. King to Bobby Kennedy.”
He was President John F. Ken- Smith. Kennedy Instead of pandering to bigots, Kennedy insisted that
nedy’s younger brother. His did not impress Black lives matter. He challenged the nation to reject
work as attorney general in the group: At one “the vanity of our false distinctions among men. Our
the Kennedy administration is point Hansberry own children’s future cannot be built on the misfor-
seen as supporting the presi- lamented that tune of others.” He chastised white voters who op-
dent’s agenda. His campaign “you and your brother represent the best posed social welfare programs and civil rights, often
for the presidency in 1968 is a white America has to offer. If you’re insensitive, alienating them. Campaign strategists today would
often framed as promising the there’s no alternative to the streets and chaos.” Later, consider such language political suicide. Yet despite
continuation of the Kennedy Baldwin joined other progressives such as Paul New- – or perhaps because of – this moral courage, Ken-
legacy. Even his violent death man and Gore Vidal in backing Kennedy’s Republican nedy was poised to win the Democratic nomination
that year is typically mentioned rival Kenneth Keating in the Senate election of 1964. and the presidency when he was fatally shot in Los
as one of a trio, overshadowed by Kennedy grappled with the violence surrounding Angeles in 1968.
his brother’s assassination and the civil rights struggle in the Jim Crow South, and
the aura of conspiracy that sur- he worked to understand the distinctive indignities “Justice Rising” ends on a plaintive note, inviting us
rounds it and by the murder of and deprivation of Black life in Northern cities. As to wonder what might have been had Kennedy lived
the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., attorney general, he developed the Kennedy White to beat Richard Nixon, whose punitive “law and or-
with its profound implications House’s positions on civil rights and the nation’s re- der” politics metastasized to become today’s crisis of
for race relations and effect on the sponse to the recalcitrance of Southern politicians mass incarceration and abusive policing. In the de-
civil rights movement. bent on maintaining segregation. His efforts both cades after Kennedy’s death, examples of inspiring
shaped the civil rights legislation of the 1960s and political leadership have been rare, overshadowed
In “Justice Rising: Robert Kenne- helped to make it law. He was a powerful advocate for by a pervasive atmosphere of corruption, cynicism
dy’s America in Black and White,” racial justice, both in office and on the campaign trail and incompetence. But alongside a profound sense
Patricia Sullivan corrects this and as he ran for senator and later for president. After the of loss, the book also contains a hint of optimism in
puts Robert Kennedy near the cen- Watts uprising in 1965, while President Lyndon John- chronicling a moment when this nation came close to
ter of the nation’s struggle for racial son compared Black “looters” to “the night riders of fulfilling its promise. Kennedy’s personal growth and
justice. She offers a moving and enlightening account the Ku Klux Klan,” Kennedy insisted that “just saying his political triumphs are reminders of the transfor-
of a life of public service marked by ambition and ‘obey the law’ is not going to work. … We have a long mative potential of American democracy. 
marred by serious errors in judgment, but more than way to go before the law means the same to a Negro
redeemed by a sincere, powerful and enduring com- as it does to us.” JUSTICE RISING
mitment to social justice. Kennedy was a political in- Kennedy became a trusted ally of the civil rights
sider who became a fierce critic of the status quo; a movement and one of the most popular and effective ROBERT KENNEDY’S AMERICA IN BLACK AND WHITE
son of privilege who came to sympathize deeply with politicians of his day. Sullivan notes that civil rights
the least fortunate. Sullivan describes how Kennedy BY PATRICIA SULLIVAN | BELKNAP. 515 PP. $39.95
grew from an idealistic but naive young man into REVIEW BY RICHARD THOMPSON FORD, THE WASHINGTON POST
a passionate and sophisticated advocate for racial
justice. Near the beginning of the book, Kennedy is
shocked and bewildered when a civil rights activist
says he would not willingly defend his country in war-
time. Near the end, Kennedy berates white college
students who sought draft deferrals for themselves
but were indifferent to the plight of the Black service-
men who took their places on the front lines.

Sullivan reminds us that many civil rights activists
were initially skeptical of Kennedy. Some never for-
gave his early backing for Joseph McCarthy’s House
Un-American Activities Committee, support that
Kennedy later deeply regretted. Sullivan recounts a re-
markable meeting in 1963 where Kennedy hosted the
essayist and novelist James Baldwin, the actress Lena
Horne, the playwright Lorraine Hansberry, the singer
Harry Belafonte, the sociologist Kenneth Clark, and

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 31

INSIGHT BRIDGE

IT IS ALL IN THE RUFF TIMING WEST NORTH EAST
6 K943 A72
By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist Q 10 9 6 5 4 83
J7432 A85 Q 10 9
Pierre Trudeau said, “The essential ingredient of politics is timing.” J4 AQ652 K 10 9 8 7

He should have concentrated on bridge! In our game, timing is often critical for winning SOUTH
as many tricks as you elected to take during the auction. Q J 10 8 5
AKJ72
In this deal, how should South play in six spades after West leads a low diamond? What K6
was West’s more effective opening lead? 3

When South responded one spade, North added two points for his singleton and rebid Dealer: North; Vulnerable: Neither
three spades, promising 15-17 support (high-card plus shortage) points. He also had
six losers (two spades, one heart, two diamonds and one club), which is the number for The Bidding:
the jump rebid. South used 14-30 Roman Key Card Blackwood to learn that his partner
had either two aces and the spade king or three aces. SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
1 Clubs Pass
South realized that his basic plan had to involve ruffing hearts on the board. So, needing 1 Spades Pass 3 Spades Pass LEAD:
hand entries, he won the first trick with dummy’s diamond ace, a key play. Declarer 4 NT Pass 5 Diamonds Pass 3 Diamonds
continued with a heart to his ace, a heart ruff low, a diamond to the king and a heart ruff 6 Spades Pass Pass Pass
high.

If East had discarded, South would have trumped a diamond in his hand, ruffed the
heart jack high and, if East threw a club, led dummy’s last trump. Instead, when East
overruffed with his ace and returned a trump, declarer won in his hand, ruffed the heart
jack, ruffed the diamond eight, drew East’s last trump and claimed.

Then West wondered if he should have found the killing trump lead. Two rounds of
trumps would have defeated the slam.

SALES • SERVICE • INSTALLATION Professional Cabinet
DRYER VENT & DUCT CLEANING Design Available

Passionate About Customer Service CARPET ONE Creative Floors & Home has more for your
CREATIVE FLOORS entire home from the floor up! With Flooring,
772-785-8080 Tile, Cabinets and even vacuum cleaners!
MILLERSCENTRALAIR.COM & HOME
772.569.0240
673 SW CARTER AVE
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL 34982 1137 Old Dixie Hwy • Vero Beach
creativefloorscarpet1verobeach.com
LICENSE CA - C058675

32 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (JULY 1) ON PAGE 58

The Telegraph ACROSS DOWN
1 Fail to hit (4) 2 Briefly (2,1,4)
4 Effigy; man (3) 3 Long meat pin (6)
6 Achieved (3) 4 Joy (4)
8 Pastry cake (8,4) 5 Color; Coldplay song (6)
10 Flower; bluish-purple (6) 6 Play (5)
12 Soft wool (6) 7 Resolute (10)
13 Pick up again (5) 9 To an unnecessary
14 Impolite (4)
15 Sparkling wine (4) degree(4,3,3)
17 Namely (2,3) 11 Singing voice (5)
19 Comedy; go along with (6) 12 Deserve (5)
21 Prosper (6) 16 One attempting to lose
23 Commencing
weight (7)
hostilities(6,2,4) 17 Root vegetable (6)
24 For each (3) 18 Beat soundly (6)
25 Chum (3) 20 Manufacturer (5)
26 Male deer (4) 22 Attraction; tug (4)

How to do Sudoku:

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

The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 33

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 100 ___ long way 39 ___ buco The Washington Post
1 Risk Santa’s disapproval? 101 Pointless org. for Bart and 41 Authority
5 Recede 42 Pound sound A DEEJAY DRIVES HOME By Merl Reagle
8 Not a piece of cake Homer 47 No later than
12 ___ good deed 104 Solidarnosc name 49 Solidify
15 Zombies hit, 106 Deejay’s thought after 51 Onyx or opal
53 Author Ferber
“Tell ___ No” the light’s been red for 15 54 Cozy spot
18 Goofball seconds? (1965) 55 Toy truck maker
19 The witching hour 110 They can hear you 56 Treats tawdrily
20 “ ... sting like ___” 112 “So there!” 57 Hill crest
21 Disgusting 114 Physicist Georg 59 Example
23 Deejay’s problem after 115 Muffet mouthful 63 QB’s pass, completed or not
116 Deejay’s thought after 65 Chrissie of the Pretenders
flooring it? (1969) passing a cop with a flat? 66 Co. that puts out the SATs
26 Rock ’n’ roll’s Little ___ (1955) 68 ___ Fox
27 “Scram!” 122 Author Rita ___ Brown 69 Jim (Carrey) role
28 Deejay’s thought as a driver 123 Explain 70 Painter Chagall
124 Deejay’s thought about 71 Actress Swenson
tries to pull in front of him? when rush-hour traffic might 73 Prelude to day
(1957) actually rush? (1969)
30 Butter-flour sauce 129 Bette in Ruthless People, or year
32 Slinky squeezer e.g. 74 Tall tale
33 Purpose 130 ___ Morgana (mirage) 75 “They said you was high-
34 Buster Brown’s dog 131 Frasier’s
35 Deejay’s thought one call-screener class ... well, that was just
second after the light 132 Scoreless tie ___” (from “Hound Dog”)
changes? (1958) 133 Age abbr. 78 Birdie beater
40 Actress Bonet 134 Veteran vote-getter 80 Respectful rejection
43 Writer Buntline 135 Sched. visit 83 After all
44 First Republican pres. 136 Nashville to D.C. 84 Scratch the surface?
45 Teachers’ org. 137 See 27 Across 85 Go after a fly
46 Must 88 The ___, Netherlands
48 Curved path DOWN 89 Popular brand of hand soap
50 ___ cod 1 Clifford or Arthur’s home 90 Acheson or Rusk
52 Deejay’s thought 2 Comic-page Alley 92 Hardly
about how soon all these 3 Action-film gun 93 Post-ER stop
potholes will 4 Shoe part 94 Spirogyra, e.g.
be fixed? (1967) 5 Departure 99 Hosni’s predecessor
58 Cockchafer, e.g. 6 Hopper 101 Dandy
60 “What ___ win?” 7 Sizable digit 102 Old sew-and-sew?
61 Medleys 8 “Made ya look!” 103 Dillon portrayer
62 Much of the Old World 9 Help, in a way 105 Wedding setting
64 Love letter to a stranger 10 Fishing prop 107 Alaska gold rush city
67 Antony’s superlative 11 “Don’t You Know” Reese 108 “___ playing our song”
for Brutus 12 Musical trio? 109 Roaring decade
69 Fishy 13 Final farewell of a sort 111 ERA or GNP
72 Deejay’s thought about AM 14 Novelist Sholem 113 Israeli port
stations nowadays? (1958) 15 One way to park 117 Setup
76 Slated anew 16 Infuriate 118 Justice Black
77 GI rec center 17 Colored anew 119 Give way suddenly
79 Shipping routes 22 Guitarist Atkins 120 Internet site abbr.
81 Thus 24 Oliver Stone film 121 At the drop of ___
82 Jefferson or Jackson 25 “Come again?” 122 Hedge puzzle
preceder 29 City in a Neil Simon title 125 Long time
86 3/8 of Ceylon today 30 Givens or Quivers 126 Self-incrimination
87 Hobbyist’s flower 31 Signs amendment
91 Deejay’s thought after 32 Bereft of zest 127 CC
being rear-ended? (1963) 35 Colombian city 128 Indy miles
95 Overhang 36 Salamanders
96 Cockney’s underworld 37 Sunni’s counterpart
97 Find the source of 38 School of whales
98 Bush’s org., once

The Telegraph





36 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

Galpal thinks it’s OK that her parents call 5 times a day

BY CAROLYN HAX About that criticism. A parent who calls his
Washington Post daughter a “slut” is not overbearing, he’s abusive.
That she still grants her abuser(s) such extensive
Dear Carolyn: I have been dat- control over her life suggests she needs compan-
ions who stand up for her, not to her. Even then
ing a woman for six months. she could use professional help to sort through
this. Whether you recognize it or not, you’re dan-
While we get along pretty well, gerously close to pushing for your definition of
“right” to displace Mommy’s and Daddy’s.
we often argue about her parents.
Since you and she argue “often,” she’s not the
They call her at least five times only one getting a regular wake-up call: Your ar-
guments are pointless. They will remain so until
per day. Once to wake her up, in- she recognizes and deals with the damage her
parents have done.
stead of an alarm, once when she’s on the way to
But she’ll probably never do that as long as you
work, once driving home, once when safely inside, keep forcing her to defend her family. I suspect
she’s heard, all her life, that she’s wrong about
and once when she is going to bed. My girlfriend, this, blind about that. You’re just the latest to take
up the cause – and you’ll soon be the next person
31, believes this is normal. I could not disagree she’d rather lie to than confront.

more. So I doubt she even hears you. It’s a long shot,
but she may hear someone who listens to her,
Her parents routinely stop by, let themselves in, who sees her, and respects her for who she is.
That’s someone who can build her confidence – if
with or without permission, to stock groceries or not enough for her to start connecting the dots
on her own, then at least to seek counseling.
drop off a work uniform that my girlfriend couldn’t
Whether you want to be that someone, you
get the stains out of. have to decide. Either way, she has an entrenched
problem she may never face. Don’t make the mis-
If she stays over with me, her father calls her a take of thinking she has to just because the audi-
ence agrees she should. 
slut. Her parents don’t like me, and my girlfriend

just goes along with what they tell her, or she makes couple. My reason is in your letter, verbatim; I’ll let
you figure out which phrase it is, so it really sticks.
up another guy’s name just to get them to back off. Hint: It starts with “My girlfriend, 31,” and it ends
with “believes this is normal.”
Could you please address this overbearing cou-
Without her complicity, there is no overbearing
ple? Not only do they make my relationship with couple. There are just two people who leave obnox-
ious voice mail and whose daughter may fly in to
their daughter tough, it makes their daughter de- see them once a year. Maybe.

pendent on them. What would happen if they sud- To create these monsters, though, the adult child
needs to answer the phone, copy her key, surrender
denly died? her uniforms and tiptoe around parental criticism.

– J.F.

J.F.: She’d oversleep and you’d need an alibi.
Beyond that, I won’t address this overbearing

VECRROEPAATIINVETEPRASGSLEIONNBEONTDTAULRIECSO’S

38 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

Vero painter GlenARTS&THEATRE Bottalico’s
creative passion endures

Glen Bottalico.

PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES

BY STEPHANIE LABAFF | STAFF WRITER with a friend in their band, June Apple.
“I was always doing something. I
Glen Bottalico says she began her
love affair with art at an early age and did pottery for a while and always
has directed that passion into an ar- painted and studied with other art-
tistic career that has spanned more ists; private sessions. After that, I just
than 30 years. Bottalico credits her kept learning any way I could; books,
parents for creating an environment videos, local artists who had classes.
where she felt comfortable express- Anything I could get my hands on is
ing herself through the arts, whether what I did,” recalls Bottalico, add-
via music or with a paint brush. ing that she also took some classes
at Rhode Island College and Rhode
She is the daughter of Roy and Do- Island School of Design.
ris Murray, two creative individuals in
their own right. Her father, an inven- Bottalico first entered the Vero
tor, is credited with inventing a valve Beach gallery scene in 1980, moving
actuator apparatus (to open and close here to design jewelry for a shop that
a butterfly valve), and her mother, a some friends had opened on Ocean
confectionist, created tasty sculp- Drive. However, when the shop
tures out of sweets. closed within a year, she was left job-
less and decided to return to Rhode
“She was a master with marzipan,” Island.
says Bottalico. When asked about
her unusual first name, she says she “I was making Pre-Columbian and
doesn’t know its history, but knows Egyptian jewelry, which I discovered
that it’s a name shared with a great- wasn’t real popular in Vero Beach at
grandmother. that time,” she says.

Although born in Manchester, Eng- The lure of Vero Beach soon beck-
land, Bottalico says “we moved 23 times oned her back, though, and she re-
before I was 18.” turned within a year.

At the age of 3 the family moved “There was something magical here,
from England to Canada, then back to and there was a lot of opportunity for
England where at age 14 she studied at my art,” says Bottalico.
the Rochdale College of Art, and even-
tually to Rhode Island during her high She took a job working at the Ocean
school years. Grill, where the murals she painted all
those years ago still grace the walls.
While in high school, she wrote mu- The cards and prints that she contin-
sic and played the acoustic guitar, and ues to create can be purchased in the
after graduating toured New England Ocean Grill gift shop.

Bottalico soon opened a gallery next

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 39

ARTS & THEATRE

ing at exactly what makes the subject are you’ll find her there most week-
who or what they are.” day afternoons.

Bottalico’s studio gallery is open by For more information, visit bottalico-
appointment or by chance; chances gallery.com. 

to Corey’s Pharmacy on Ocean Drive, work at an art show in North Carolina
and over the past three decades here and was so impressed with a tropi-
has had a presence at several locations cal mural she had painted, seemingly
around town. looking out from French doors, that
it was purchased by the U.S. govern-
She currently relishes the peace and ment for the American Embassy in
quiet of being off the beaten path at Somalia, where it continues to be dis-
her latest studio gallery in South Vero played today.
Beach, and she says that the solitude
has given her the opportunity to try Bottalico says her medium of pref-
new things while continuing to grow erence is acrylics because of their
as an artist. flexibility.

While she has tried her hand at a “You can get nice textures; they
variety of mediums and styles, Bot- mix well, and you can add things to
talico says that her work is firmly them. I can get it to look like water by
rooted in her love of trompe l’oeil, adding more water. I can get it to look
meaning to deceive the eye. The like oils, I can use a palette knife, and
technique relies heavily on realistic I can make it look like oil by adding a
imagery to create the optical illusion nice glaze,” she explains.
of objects appearing to exist in three
dimensions. Readily admitting that she has a fas-
cination with Master Artists such as
She explains that forced perspec- Gauguin, Bottalico says she is drawn
tive is an illusionistic technique of- to their ability to “make one brush-
ten used in murals that seemingly stroke do a thousand things. They
feature views looking out through know exactly where to put a brush-
windows, doors or hallways. It’s a stroke to get the perfect effect.”
technique that works perfectly with
her preference for working on a large She considers herself a realist paint-
scale with canvas and wood pieces as er – artists who precisely represent
well as on walls. their subject matter – and spends a
great deal of time getting to know her
Bottalico says she has been com- subject, whether it is a family pet, a
missioned to hand-paint murals and child or a still life.
fire screens for department stores,
and in the 1980s she became the first “I spend a lot of time looking at
artist whose work painted on fur- whatever I’m getting ready to paint;
niture was juried into the Laguna looking at the color, researching and
Beach Festival of Art in California. getting to know its personality if it’s
a pet. My process is really analyzing
A government official once saw her what I’m going to be doing and look-

40 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

COMING UP! Popular writing workshops cover multiple genres

BY PAM HARBAUGH visit VeroBeachTheatreGuild.com.
Correspondent

1 Writers, and those who have 3 Carnival Cruise Lines’ “Enter-
dreams of writing, may want to tainer of the Year” will headline

this weekend’s Comedy Zone at River-

consider the series of writing work- side Theatre. Al Ernst takes that award

shops offered by the Laura (Riding)

Jackson Foundation. The founda-

tion’s mission is to not only preserve

the home of the celebrated writer

Laura Riding, but also to nurture

writers. To that end, the foundation adult group meeting 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ing experience, from novice to those
Tuesdays to discuss their poems, who have been published. Group
offers a handful of writing groups essays, memoirs and creative non- size could be from as few as 10 to up
fiction; “Porch Poets,” which wel- to 30 people. Each group has its own
and expects to expand those of- comes poets 10 a.m. to noon on the “ethos” and “vibe,” Kennedy said.
porch of Jackson’s historic home, and The poetry workshops frequently
ferings. During the pandemic, the 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the fourth collaborate with local photographers
Thursday at the writing center; “Pole and artists for powerful exhibitions
popularity and appeal of the writing Barn Poets,” the sister group of the at area galleries. “People really want
Porch Poets, which meets 10 a.m. to to write,” Kennedy said. “They’re us-
groups grew, said executive direc- noon on the first Saturday in the Pole ing it as a way to express themselves
Barn (a barn without walls); and a and connect with other people … We
tor Louise Kennedy. “We had people “Teen Writers Studio,” which just fin- can’t keep up with the demand.” To
ished a series and will start up again meet this demand, the foundation
calling, asking ‘Where can I write? I in the fall. The people attending the has initiated a $50 annual member- pretty seriously, especially when con-
adult groups range in age from 20s to ship, which will let members access sidering that the ships fill more than
need to write,’” Kennedy said. “It was 80s and include a wide range of writ- any or all of these programs. More 5,000 entertainment gigs annually.
member benefits will be announced Ernst has also performed at corporate
definitely healing and we knew we at a later date. The Laura (Riding) gigs, is an announcer for professional
Jackson Foundation is at 1914 14th wrestling, and has appeared on nu-
needed to expand our offerings.” The Ave., Vero Beach. Call 772-569-6718 merous television networks, includ-
or visit LRJF.org. ing A&E, HBO and Comedy Central.
groups offered currently include: He was recently featured in a “Wall
Street Journal” story about clean com-
“Write Life,” which meets on Zoom edy. The Comedy Zone’s opening act

from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the

second and fourth Thursdays to dis-

cuss their novels, journaling, blogs

and more; “Tuesday Writers,” an

2 The Vero Beach Theatre Guild
begins its new season with the

comic drama “One Flew Over the

Cuckoo’s Nest.” The play is by Dale

Wasserman, who also wrote “Man

of LaMancha.” It is adapted from

the Ken Kesey 1962 novel and re-

volves around Randie McMurphy, a

charming con man who is sentenced

to prison but finagles his way into Comedian
Brian Aldridge.
something he thinks will be better
will bring rising comedy star Brian Al-
– a mental institution. McMurphy dridge to the stage. A Chicago native,
Aldridge has worked with big names
quickly takes over, pumping new including Dave Chappelle, Carlos
Mencia, Chelsea Handler, Bill Burr
life into people long thought lost to and Damon Wayons. The fun begins 7
p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday, July 9 and Sat-
their illnesses. The patients want to urday, July 10. Tickets are $20, plus a $2
processing fee. Cash bar and bar menu
see the World Series, but stern Nurse foods available for purchase. Arrive
early and enjoy a free outdoors concert
Ratched refuses to let them watch “Live in the Loop.” Friday, it’s Jesse &
the Thieves covering the Beatles, Ma-
the TV. Ratched and McMurphy have roon 5, Bruno Mars and more. Satur-
day, it’s Solparty, covering Pink Floyd
a struggle of wills. The play debuted and classic rock. Riverside Theatre is
at 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach.
on Broadway in 1963 and starred Kirk Call 772-231-6990 or visit Riverside-
Theatre.com. 
Douglas as McMurphy, Joan Tetzel as

Nurse Ratched and Gene Wilder as

Billy Bibbit. The Vero Beach produc-

tion is directed by Michael Naffziger.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”

opens 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 14 and

runs through July 25. Performances

are 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sat-

urdays, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and

Sundays. Tickets are $15 to $30. The

Vero Beach Theatre Guild is at 2020

San Juan Ave. Call 772-562-8300 or

‘WORLD-CLASS’ GLAUCOMA TREATMENT
NOW AVAILABLE IN VERO

42 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

‘World-class’ glaucoma treatment now available in Vero

BY KERRY FIRTH to be performed here prior to my ar- Dr. Mohamed Sayed. or have cardiovascular disease.
Correspondent rival and that of my fellow surgeon The two most common forms are
Dr. Sarah Khodadadeh. Now, any- PHOTOS: KAILA JONES primary open-angle glaucoma and
To say Dr. Mohamed Sayed is one with glaucoma can get world- angle-closure glaucoma.
proud of New Vision’s Glaucoma class care without ever leaving Vero nerve, the health of which is vital
Institute is an understatement. Af- Beach.” for good vision. This damage is of- Open-angle glaucoma is often
ter all, the fellowship-trained glau- ten caused by an abnormally high called the ‘sneak thief’ of sight
coma surgeon left his position as Glaucoma – one of the leading pressure in your eye,” according to because it has no symptoms un-
an assistant professor of ophthal- causes of blindness for people over Mayo Clinic. til significant vision loss occurs.
mology at the prestigious Bascom the age of 60 – “is a group of eye It develops slowly and without no-
Palmer Eye Institute to join the conditions that damage the optic You have a higher risk of devel- ticeable sight loss for many years.
New Vision practice with the in- oping glaucoma if your parents or In open-angle glaucoma, the angle
tent to help establish a top-notch siblings have the disease, if you in your eye, where the iris meets
glaucoma treatment facility com- are African American or Latino, the cornea, is as wide and open as
parable to ones at major academic and possibly if you are a diabetic it should be, but the eye’s drainage
medical centers. canals become clogged, causing an
increase in internal eye pressure
“When I joined New Vision in July and subsequent damage to the op-
2020, we set out to build a state-of- tic nerve.
the-art glaucoma institute and pur-
chased the latest, most advanced “Open-angle closure is a tricky
glaucoma equipment on the mar- condition because there are no
ket,” said Dr. Sayed. “New Vision symptoms,” Dr. Sayed explained.
Eye Center had grown and expand- “Blind spots in peripheral vision go
ed to the extent that they needed unnoticed because the central vi-
more physical space to accommo- sion is very good until the very last
date our addition, so they built the stage of the disease just before the
institute just across the street from patient goes blind. The only way to
the main campus. get control of this is to have check-
ups on a yearly basis.”
“A lot of procedures were not able
Angle-closure glaucoma, com-

$79 COSMETIC DENTISTRY
GENERAL DENTISTRY
NEW PATIENT SPECIAL

COMPREHENSIVE EXAM DENTAL IMPLANTS
FULL SET XRAYS GUM SURGERY
WALK-INS WELCOME
TREATMENT PLAN FINANCING AVAILABLE
CLEANING* DENTAL LAB ON PREMISES

*Not in combination with any other offer. Offer
good for new patients only and cleaning in absence
of periodontal disease. Xrays are non transferable.

(D0150) (D1110) (D0210) (D0330)

Locally Owned for 25 Years

Call 772-562-5051

CromerAndCairnsDental.com

The patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse to pay, cancel payment, or be reimbursed for
payment for any other services, examination, or treatment that is preformed as a result of and within 72 hours of responding
to the advertisement for the free, discounted fee, or reduced fee service, examination, or treatment.

1225 US HWY 1, VERO BEACH, FL 32960 JULIE A. CROMER, DDS

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 43

HEALTH

monly known as narrow angle management. computer scientists, data scientist surgeries for advanced and com-
glaucoma, presents itself suddenly “This is very exciting research and federal institutions,” he said. plex glaucoma including re-oper-
and painfully. The angle is closed “Machine learning is the future. ations and combined cataract and
in many or most areas, causing in- where we use artificial intelligence glaucoma surgery.”
creased eye pressure, which could to predict features of progressing “We’re also researching and de-
lead to optic nerve damage and glaucoma in the future by identify- veloping surgical techniques and Dr. Mohamed Sayed completed
possible vision loss. Symptoms of ing features in the visual field based we’re part of developing two shunt fellowships in glaucoma as well as
acute angle closure glaucoma in- on the machine learning algorithm implantation techniques reserved pediatric ophthalmology at Bascom
clude severe pain to the eyes and signs. for the most advanced cases of glau- Palmer Eye Institute.
head, blurred vision or sudden loss coma. We modified the technique
of sight, nausea or vomiting from “We are studying data points of to make the surgery less expensive and is one of only a few surgeons in
the eye pain, and starbursts around visual fields from thousands of pa- and more minimally invasive than the country who are dual fellowship
bright lights. tients and trying to identify those it was, and surgeons around the trained in these sub-specialties.
features that predate the diagnosis. world have already adopted some
“Angle closure can be a chronic It’s really all about prediction. of the techniques we developed. At He also holds fellowships from the
problem or an emergency prob- the Glaucoma Institute we do all International Council of Ophthal-
lem,” Dr. Sayed continued. “If you “This is a huge research project cutting-edge surgery from mini- mology and the Royal College of Sur-
experience any of the symptoms that is not fully developed yet. mally invasive to the most complex geons in the United Kingdom.
you should see a doctor immediate-
ly. If it’s caught early, sometimes all “I’m spearheading the efforts and He can be reached at the Glauco-
we have to do is take out cataracts working with computer engineers,
to fix the problem. Not only does
removing the cataracts relieve the
pain, but the new lenses will cor-
rect your vision at the same time.”

All types of glaucoma can prog-
ress to blindness, and early inter-
vention is the only way to diagnose
and arrest the progression. Certain
types are associated with more se-
vere vision loss, including a genetic
strain called pseudoexfoliation.
This form of glaucoma is an inher-
itable condition that also causes
other eye diseases that make cata-
ract surgery difficult. The earlier
you find out if you have this condi-
tion, the better the treatment and
long-term outcome.

Treatment for glaucoma is all
about precision medicine, accord-
ing to Dr. Sayed. “The latest tech-
nology at the Glaucoma Institute
allows us to give individualized
diagnosis and treatment to the pa-
tient. One very useful modality that
we have is called optical coherence
tomography. This advanced tech-
nology uses rays of light to measure
a cross section of the retina and
has been very effective in detecting
early glaucoma.

“Our toolbox is full of techniques
for every type and stage of glau-
coma, and new advances are com-
ing all the time. Still, most cases
are detected in the annual checkup
where the ophthalmologist notices
something in the optic nerve that
looks suspicious.”

Nearly 80 percent of Dr. Sayed’s
patient are referred by local optom-
etrists. “Optometrists are trained
to notice changes or suspicious fea-
tures when they are customizing
your glasses. They are your first line
of defense, and we work as a team.”

Dr. Sayed is a noted researcher
who recently received a grant from
the American Glaucoma Society
to conduct cutting-edge research
on the use of novel artificial intel-
ligence technologies in glaucoma

44 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Perk up: Coffee may reduce risk of chronic liver disease

BY LINDA SEARING and 20 percent less likely to develop On the plus side, coffee has been much caffeine can cause jitters,
The Washington Post fatty liver disease (steatosis) or liver linked to a reduced risk for Type 2 nausea and headaches; boost blood
cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). diabetes, heart disease, endometrial pressure and heart rate; and lead to
Drinking coffee – ground or in- cancer, Parkinson’s disease and de- insomnia.
stant, caffeinated or decaf – may be These findings are based on about pression, according to the American
good for your liver, reducing your a decade of data on nearly a half- Heart Association and Harvard’s Also, coffee of any sort can lose
risk of chronic liver disease by 21 million people that was recently School of Public Health. some of its benefits if too much
percent, compared with those who published in the journal BMC Public cream and sugar are added. The lat-
do not drink coffee. In addition, Health. The numbers are in sync with But coffee is not for everyone, es- est research also notes that lower
those who drink three to four cups research in recent decades that has pecially caffeinated coffee, which risks for liver problems were linked
of coffee a day are roughly half as found a variety of health benefits for can be risky for children, pregnant to all types of coffee, even instant –
likely to die of chronic liver disease coffee drinkers, although coffee con- women and people with panic or but ground coffee, including espres-
sumption can still come with risks. anxiety disorders. For anyone, too so, had the biggest effect. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 45

HEALTH

Sepsis prediction tool used by
hospitals misses many cases

BY ERIN BLAKEMORE
The Washington Post

When it comes to sepsis, the body’s Epic Sepsis Model. But they found that
often-deadly response to out-of-con- although the model generated predic-
trol infections, time is of the essence. tive scores every 15 minutes, the scores
According to the Centers for Disease didn’t necessarily match up with the
Control and Prevention, 1 in 3 patients patient’s condition. The model gener-
who die in a hospital had sepsis. ated alerts on 1 in 5 patients, but the
study suggests it did not identify two-
Treating the life-threatening condi- thirds of the sepsis cases, and only
tion can be tricky, however, and it isn’t identified 7 percent of patients whose
always clear whether a person has the sepsis had been missed by a clinician.
deadly condition.
The researchers say the disconnect
Hospitals increasingly rely on pre- lies in the way the model was created.
dictive tools to help them recognize They say developers relied on billing
sepsis cases. But according to a new data that might not reflect accurate
study in JAMA Internal Medicine, a sepsis diagnoses and used the time a
sepsis prediction tool used by hun- doctor intervened – such as ordering
dreds of U.S. hospitals may miss many tests or prescribing antibiotics – to de-
cases. fine the beginning of sepsis. But doc-
tors often don’t recognize sepsis, the
Epic Systems, which developed the researchers say.
tool, disputed those findings.
“In essence, they developed the
“The authors used a hypothetical model to predict sepsis that was rec-
approach,” Epic said in a statement. ognized by clinicians at the time it was
“They did not take into account the recognized by clinicians,” said Karan-
analysis and required tuning that deep Singh, assistant professor of
needs to occur prior to real world de- learning health sciences and internal
ployment to get optimal results.” medicine at Michigan Medicine, in a
news release. “However, we know that
The study used retrospective data to clinicians miss sepsis.”
examine the widely used tool, which
according to Epic has an 80 percent ac- He says the study shows the need for
curacy rate. The company says more more oversight and open-source mod-
than 250 million patients in the United els that can be validated more easily. 
States have a current medical record in
its system, and its products are used in
hospitals around the country.

Epic developed its mathematical
model based on data from over 400,000
patient encounters, but researchers at
University of Michigan Medical School
at Ann Arbor wondered how the tool
performed in real life.

The researchers used hospital data
from over 27,000 patients, all of whom
had been evaluated for sepsis using the

HARBOR PRIMARY CARE

THET L. TUN M.D.

Board Certified Internal Medicine

• Accepts Medicare

• Dr. Tun is an active member of
the medical staff at Cleveland Clinic

Indian River Hospital since 2011

1300 36TH ST, STE 1G • VERO BEACH, FL 32960

Medical Arts Center West of Hospital Emergency Department

PLEASE CALL 772-562-3960 FOR APPOINTMENT

46 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Massage – used since antiquity – has many benefits

BY FRED CICETTI Deep tissue massage: This form of to increase flexibility. The American Massage Therapy
therapy employs patterns of strokes Trigger point massage: This is also Association (AMTA) has a national
Columnist and deep finger pressure on parts of service to locate qualified therapists
the body where muscles are tight. known as pressure point massage. near you. You can access this service
Question: Does massage do anything The therapist applies deep focused by going to the online locator at: https://
besides make you feel relaxed? Swedish massage: The therapist pressure on knots that can form in the www.amtamassage.org/find-massage-
uses long strokes, kneading and fric- muscles and cause symptoms in other therapist/
Massage therapy – or simply mas- tion on the muscles. Joints are moved parts of the body.
sage – was first employed thousands of The following are some tips from
years ago. Ancient writings include ref- Massage has been found to be ef- AMTA to get the most out of a massage:
erences to massage in Greece, Japan, fective for patients with low back pain,
China, Egypt and the Indian subcon- cancer, heart bypass surgery, anxiety,  Don’t eat just before a massage.
tinent. migraines, carpal tunnel syndrome  Be on time. If you arrive in a rushed
and high blood pressure. state, it may take longer to relax.
Massage first became popular in the  Take off only as much clothing as
United States during the 19th century. Researchers at Ohio State University you are comfortable removing. Make
In the middle of the 20th century, ad- tested the benefits of massage. Here sure the clothing that you leave on will
vances in medicine overshadowed are some findings: allow the therapist to massage you.
massage treatment. Then, massage  If you are allergic to any oils, lotions
started a revival in the 1970s.  Muscles massaged after exercise or powders, tell your massage thera-
recovered faster than muscles that pist, who can use a substitute.
There are more than 80 kinds of were simply rested.  During the massage, report any
massage that manipulate soft tissue. discomfort.
The purpose of massage is to relax the  Muscles massaged after exercise  Relax your muscles and your mind
tissue, increase the flow of blood and had fewer damaged fibers and almost during the massage.
oxygen, and decrease pain. no sign of white blood cells, compared  Breathe normally to help you relax.
to rested muscles. The absence of white  If you’re dizzy or light-headed after
The following are some common blood cells indicates that the body did the massage, do not get off the table
types of massage therapy: not have to work to repair muscle dam- too fast.
age after exercise.  Drink extra water after your mas-
Shiatsu massage: The therapist ap- sage. 
plies varying, rhythmic pressure from  The massaged muscles weighed
the fingers on parts of the body that are about 8 percent less than the rested
believed to be important for the flow of muscles, indicating a reduction in
a vital energy called qi. swelling.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 47

HEALTH

New details on internal FDA debate over Alzheimer’s drug

BY LAURIE MCGINLEY ing she was “fairly confident” that re- early-stage patients. They argue that neurology that thinks this makes
ducing amyloid would help patients’ the field needs a jump-start because sense and wants to see [effective-
The Washington Post cognition. She noted that under ac- of the huge unmet need of Alzheim- ness] demonstrated” in a confirma-
celerated approval, officials can ap- er’s patients. tory study.
The Food and Drug Administra- prove a drug based on a surrogate
tion released fresh details on why it endpoint – in this case, a reduction in James E. Galvin, an Alzheimer’s re- A handful of drugs have been ap-
approved a controversial Alzheimer’s amyloid – if it is “reasonably likely” to searcher at the University of Miami, proved for Alzheimer’s, but they are
drug in hopes of quelling a fierce de- produce a clinical benefit. said he believes accelerated approval designed to relieve symptoms, not to
bate over whether the agency should was the right decision. change the course of the disease, as
have cleared the costly treatment. “I feel it is a very solid accelerated Aduhelm is. About 6.2 million people
approval,” she said. “It would have been nice if the sec- in the United States have Alzheimer’s,
But the new information, included ond study had been positive,” Galvin a progressive, terminal disease. 
in interviews with agency officials Woodcock said there had been “a said. “But I think there is a camp in
and 83 pages of internal documents, lot of despair” over amyloid-reduc-
might not quiet a furor over the drug ing drugs after multiple failures in
Aduhelm that has drawn in Alzheim- clinical trials, but that recent data is
er’s doctors and patients, members providing a “clearer picture,” which
of Congress, Medicare officials, and is a correlation between the clearing
the agency itself. out of amyloid plaque and a slowing
of cognitive decline. While the drug
The FDA approved the drug, also class isn’t a cure, she said it is not
called aducanumab, on June 7, eight correct to deem it a failure, either.
months after a harsh rejection of the
treatment by an FDA advisory com- Stein added in an interview that
mittee. Inside the agency, there were the agency’s pharmacologists con-
disagreements about how to handle cluded that patients experienced
the drug, which was designed to slow clinical improvement from the drug
cognitive decline but had confusing when amyloid was reduced by a
data on effectiveness. significant amount, but scant ben-
efit when not much amyloid was re-
Eventually, the agency decided duced.
against full approval. One of the
main clinical trials did not show a Matthew Schrag, an Alzheimer’s
benefit to patients, but another late- researcher at Vanderbilt University
stage trial and an early-stage trial Medical Center, expressed skepti-
showed the drug helped, agency of- cism about the argument, saying the
ficials concluded. They opted for an FDA had not produced convincing
“accelerated approval” for the drug, new data that reducing amyloid ben-
saying its success at reducing amy- efited patients.
loid beta plaque in the brain made
it “reasonably likely” the treatment “The arguments are well-trodden
would slow cognitive decline in pa- and don’t account for the fact that the
tients. trials have not demonstrated a repro-
ducible clinical benefit,” he said.
Peter Stein, director of the FDA’s
Office of New Drugs, explained in Three members of the advisory
one of the memos why the FDA de- board quit after the FDA approved
cided to approve a drug whose ben- the drug, saying the FDA did not
efits are far from certain. listen to their advice. One of them,
Aaron Kesselheim, a Harvard Medi-
“FDA has heard the voices of many cal School professor, said the ap-
patients afflicted with [Alzheimer’s proval was the “worst drug approval
disease] who express a desperate de- decision” in recent history.
sire for an effective treatment,” Stein
said. “… In summary, the medical But Patrizia Cavazzoni, director
need for new therapies to treat [Al- of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evalua-
zheimer’s disease], especially ones tion and Research, rejected the idea
that target the underlying disease that the agency had ignored the out-
pathology, is substantial and urgent.” side committee. She said officials
had listened to the panel and agreed
That decision has drawn fire from the drug did not warrant a standard
some scientists who say even a con- approval.
ditional approval based on amyloid
reduction was not warranted be- The monthly intravenous treat-
cause numerous studies have shown ment is the first new Alzheimer’s
that amyloid-targeting drugs don’t treatment approved in almost 20
help patients. Amyloid beta plaque years, but its approval has been shad-
is a sticky substance that many sci- owed by a debate over its effective-
entists believe can damage and kill ness and how it will be paid for. The
brain cells. drug has a list price of $56,000 a year
per patient.
But in an interview, acting FDA
commissioner Janet Woodcock, who Some have praised the FDA for ap-
said she was not involved in the ap- proving Aduhelm. They say the drug’s
proval, defended the approach, say- data contains signals that it will, in-
deed, help slow brain deterioration in

48 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

The history of America’s first ladies in Vogue

BY EMILY CRONIN longstanding tradition. Nearly every
The Telegraph first lady over the last 100 years has ap-
peared in Vogue, either with an inside
After a four-year hiatus, a first lady profile or, more recently, a cover.
is back on the cover of Vogue. Dr. Jill
Biden appears on the cover of the style The first first lady to ever feature on
bible’s August issue, looking at ease on the cover was Hillary Clinton, in 1998.
a White House balcony. Apparently Clinton’s longtime friend
Oscar de la Renta convinced Vogue Ed-
She wears a blouson-sleeve dark flo- itor-in-Chief Anna Wintour to feature
ral dress by Oscar de la Renta, no doubt the first lady – a show of support Clin-
selected for its resonance with the ton repaid by wearing a gown of his de-
dress she wore for her first appearance sign. Clinton cancelled a second cover
as a future first lady. The de la Renta shoot, planned for November 2007, out
dress she chose for then President- of concern that “she would appear too
elect Joe Biden’s victory speech in No- feminine.” Despite the slight, which
vember 2020 was also floral, with cap Wintour addressed in a subsequent edi-
sleeves and an asymmetric hemline. tor’s letter, the magazine would go on to
endorse Clinton for president.
That dress was seen as a symbol
of her support for American-grown During her eight years in the White
brands and immigrant success stories House, Michelle Obama graced three
(the fashion house’s founder and name- covers. Later, Wintour said the decision
sake moved to New York from the Do- to feature her so many times was easy,
minican Republic; its current designers given how she “redefined” the role of
are also both immigrants to the U.S.). first lady. “She was the best ambassador
It also offered the first hint of her po- that this country could possibly have
tential power as a style leader: after Dr. in many ways, obviously, way beyond
Biden appeared in the dress, it sold out. fashion,” she said in 2019.

Jill Biden’s cover turn is part of a Before 1998, first ladies received in-
side features, starting with Lou Henry

Vernon Hoover in 1929. Their Vogue shoots in a formal dining room.
Scott amplified aspects of each first lady’s Jacqueline Kennedy, meanwhile,
style and personality that became their
reSort WeAr defining characteristics. In her May didn’t have to wait until she became
1981 shoot, Nancy Reagan is all glam- first lady to be featured in the pages of
BIG SUMMER SALE our, wearing a one-shouldered beaded Vogue – she won an essay competition
white evening gown with opera gloves and was photographed for the August
JULY 8-13, 2021 1951 issue, aged 22 and already wearing

20-70% OFF STOREWIDE Dr. Charles Celano
will return to
Men’s and Ladies
$25 racks and tables • $100 sport coats private Cardiology
practice on
50% off sport coats 7-1-2021.

Some Exclusions Apply. Both routine insurance and
Medicare will continue, as well
818 Beachland Blvd
772-231-3733 • Mon - Sat 10 to 5 as hospital privileges and
services. Concierge services

will also be available.
Location and telephone number

will stay the same.

3607 15th Avenue, Suite A., Vero Beach, FL 32960

772-562-8522

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Style Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 49

Oval Office (she’s wearing a fern-
green sweater and skirt outfit by
Michael Kors).

And then there’s Biden in work
mode: glasses on, pencil in teeth,
leaning over a laptop keyboard
in a Ralph Lauren blouse and
skirt. That image offers a visual
reminder that Biden is a first lady
who kept her day job as an educa-
tor (“Teaching isn’t just what I do;
it is who I am,” she’s said).

The profile focuses on Biden’s
commitment to education, her
relationship with President Biden
(he misses their “romantic time”
at Delaware B&Bs) and even her
thoughts on Melania Trump’s
alterations to the White House
Rose Garden (“I think she made
it better”). It touches only briefly,
and only at the very end, on Jill
Biden’s thoughtful approach to-
ward her fashion choices, and her
focus on American designers and
emerging brands.

“I think that’s important: You
try to lift up other people,” she
said. “I like to choose from a di-
verse group of designers. When
I was planning my Inauguration
outfits, that’s one of the things I
considered.” All the way to the
cover of Vogue. 

her signature strands of pearls. on the February 2005 cover in her
First Lady Pat Nixon posed in the wedding gown, a version of the finale
look from John Galliano’s autumn-
same heavily beaded mimosa silk-sat- winter 2004 Christian Dior haute cou-
in gown by Harvey Berin that she wore ture collection.
to the 1969 inaugural ball, making
the most of a significant dress. Laura The cover line read, “Donald Trump’s
Bush looks relaxed and all-American new bride: the ring, the dress, the wed-
in a crisp navy blue shirtdress, re- ding, the jet, the party,” and inside, the
clining on a mustard-yellow sofa; her magazine’s then Fashion News Director
mother-in-law Barbara Bush struck a Sally Singer chronicled the shopping
more relatable note, hugging one of trip on which Melania Knauss chose
her beloved dogs. The Dress. (It required more than 98
yards of material and 1,500 crystals and
There is one exception to the first-la- pearls, and took over 550 hours to cre-
dies-in-Vogue rule: Biden’s predecessor. ate. And cost upwards of $110,000.)
In her four years as first lady, Melania
Trump never received an invitation to Biden’s cover, combined with Vice
appear on the cover of Vogue – an in- President Kamala Harris’ February
vitation that apparently she coveted. 2021 cover, makes Wintour’s decision
In a recording of a July 2018 phone call not to offer Melania Trump a cover
obtained by NBC News in October last turn look increasingly like a snub. But
year, the first lady could be heard ex- then, there was never any requirement
pressing surprise that Wintour “gave” that she should feature Trump. As she
the September 2018 cover to Beyoncé, explained in her April 2019 interview
rather than to Trump. with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, the
selection of cover stars is entirely at the
“Anna [Wintour] gave the Septem- editor’s discretion. “Obviously these
ber issue of Vogue cover – complete, are women that we feel are icons and
complete, complete, everything – to inspiring to women from a global per-
Beyoncé,” she allegedly said in former spective,” she said.
friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff’s
covert recording. Women like Jill Biden, it seems.
Of course, the cover is not just a cov-
Trump then went on to predict that er – the August issue of Vogue also in-
she would never receive a similar in- cludes a warm to effusive 6,000-word
vitation. “They would never do it,” interview and more photos from Annie
she said. Leibovitz’s shoot at the White House.
In them, we see the Bidens enjoying a
Of course, Trump had her Vogue quiet moment on a terrace outside the
cover moment years before she moved
into the White House – she appeared

50 Vero Beach 32963 / July 8, 2021 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

Goodbye Gap – where it all went wrong

BY LISA ARMSTRONG
The Telegraph

The story of Gap’s demise – from Americans in affordable and well-
the cherished child of two Californian designed iterations of American sta-
visionaries called Doris and Donald ples: T-shirts, chinos and denim. In
Fisher, to an unloved problem, is an less gifted hands, that could be mun-
all too familiar one of bean-coun-
ters, initially triumphing uber alles
but ultimately tripping spectacularly
over their own arrogance and incom-
petence and bringing everyone else
down with them.

The last of its European branches
shuttered last year. The fall of a brand
as globally resonant and formerly suc-
cessful as Gap should send tremors
through other flailing companies.
There but for the grace of furlough …

The Fishers weren’t designers, but
two aspirational property developers
made good who loved art and spotted
the need for accessible, well-fitting
jeans. They opened their first store in
San Francisco in 1969, launched the
Gap brand in 1972, and by 1973 had
already IPO’d.

For the next 15 years, Gap dressed

Doris and Donald Fisher.

dane, but with the combination of the Vogue to revive Harper’s Bazaar, and
Fishers’ taste and the exacting eye of Grace Coddington, the British fashion
Micky Drexler, who joined the compa- director of American Vogue.
ny in the early 1990s, it became part of
the cultural zeitgeist. Those posters, on the sides of every
bus, also featured a perplexing tagline
Gap was sensationally different when at the bottom: “www.gap.com.” Hard-
it became popular. Gap zeroed in on the ly anyone knew what that strange
tiny details that make a difference be- configuration of letters and punctua-
tween meh and magical. Gap became tion meant. But if it was Gap, it must
the fount of democratic design, which, be cool.
as the excess of the 1980s melted into
the minimalism of the 1990s, began to That was how confident Gap was
seem highly desirable. back then. It talked up, not down, to its
customers and, boy, did we respond.
Early marketing campaigns starred In 1992, Anna Wintour put nine super-
fashion insiders such as editor Liz Til- models of Vogue’s centenary cover in
beris, shortly before she left British white Gap shirts – Gap! – on a maga-