06/24/2021 ISSUE 25

June 24, 2021 | Volume 8, Issue 25 Newsstand Price: $1.00

YOUR LOCAL NEWS SOURCE FOR INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
For breaking news visit VeroNews.com

PAGE B6 5 8EYE DOCTORS TO PERFORM FOCUS ON READINESS PAGE B6
FREE CATARACT SURGERIES AT HURRICAN EXPO
COUNTY’S FIRST CRAFT B6
DISTILLERY IN THE WORKS

Man accused of killing Cleveland Clinic
his estranged wife now still bedeviled by
planning insanity plea phone problems

By Lisa Zahner | Staff Writer By Michelle Genz | Staff Writer
[email protected] [email protected]

Asbury Lee Perkins, charged MY Cleveland Clinic Indian River
with first-degree murder for TAKE has turned out to be a “long-haul-
shooting his estranged wife in the er” in its case of phone flu.
South Barrier Island home they Vero Council should say ‘No’ to pickleball at Riverside
once shared, hopes to convince a It’s been more than eight months
jury that a decade of false accu- By Ray McNulty | Staff Writer voted 3-2 earlier this month to peated loud popping sounds of since the hospital’s physician prac-
sations by victim Cynthia Betts [email protected] recommend to the council that pickleball paddles hitting plastic tices were suddenly stricken with
caused him to snap and kill her. four of the city-owned complex’s balls and the noisy chatter that phone problems. At first, they were
The Vero Beach City Coun- 10 tennis courts be converted to accompanies the game. thought tied to the implementation
Perkins, 63, who has been rep- cil should reject the Recreation as many as 12 pickleball courts. of new electronic health records
resenting himself in preparation Commission’s wrongheaded Converting four courts to software, which placed additional
of an expected trial later this sum- recommendation to destroy the But the result would be the pickleball would likely bring a demands on staff already stretched
mer, submitted a 31-page motion Riverside Park Tennis Complex. same: Nobody wants to play ten- lawsuit from unhappy neigh- thin by the COVID-19 pandemic.
to Judge Dan Vaughn requesting nis on courts adjacent to the re-
permission to use “reverse Wil- Officially, the commissioners CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Now, the pandemic has eased.
liams rule” evidence at trial. More people want check-ups
again. They are fighting cancer, or
Reverse Williams rule evidence afraid of a heart attack, and calling
permits the defense to tell the for a doctor’s appointment. But
jury about previous crimes with many still can’t get through.
the aim of proving the defen-
dant’s innocence by showing an- Last week, more than 150 frus-
other person’s guilt. trated patients responded to a
post on social media asking if peo-
Along with the motion, Perkins ple were continuing to have prob-
provided police reports and court lems reaching their Cleveland
documents from three different Clinic doctors.
Florida counties alleging that
Betts repeatedly falsified state- The question, posed by Vero
News on a local Facebook group,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 repeated the claim of the hospi-
tal’s top executive, Dr. Greg Rosen-
INSIDE crance, that call center metrics
show the situation is improving.
NEWS 1-7 ARTS B1
The fact that there were only 150
HEALTH 8 GAMES B13

PETS B12 CALENDAR B16 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

REAL ESTATE 15

To advertise call: 772-559-4187 WILL ELITE AIRWAYS FLY FROM VERO TO ASHEVILLE THIS SUMMER?
For circulation or where to pick up
your issue call: 772-226-7925 By Ray McNulty | Staff Writer flights connecting Vero Beach to Ashe-
[email protected] ville in coming months.
© 2021 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Vero residents hoping to hop on a “Judging by our numbers, the Ashe-
convenient Elite Airways flight from ville flights have been very popular with
Vero Beach Regional Airport to Asheville travelers here,” Vero Beach Airport Direc-
when they head north to the cool Caroli- tor Todd Scher said last week. “But Elite
na mountains this summer may have to hasn’t told us they plan to fly there this
make other travel arrangements. summer – and there’s nothing on their

As of Monday, Elite’s website listed no CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

2 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.com

CLEVELAND CLINIC PHONES intolerably long hold times. opt to get a call-back rather than wait in the monthly, publicly televised, open-to-the-
The metrics also didn’t account for the hold queue. The concept is hardly new. public Hospital District meetings, held in
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 County Commission chambers on the third
significant number of patients complaining “I didn’t want to interrupt the wrong per- Thursday of every month.
complaints in the span of one day may back of not having voicemails returned, including son’s workflow, but I felt I had no choice,” said
Rosencrance up: There were 250 comments for prescription refills. Their messages would the patient. She is now looking for another Those meetings always include a time for
to a similar post in April. have been left with physicians’ offices, not imaging center. “Especially if I need more public comment. To date, no one from the
the call center. follow-up for these lumps. This is frightening public has spoken up about the phone is-
Either way, there clearly is an ongoing is- enough without these roadblocks!” sues, a fact that baffles District Board Chair-
sue, with many of the posts referring to prob- And the numbers couldn’t include pa- woman Marybeth Cunningham.
lems last month, last week, and even one tients who since last fall have been driving to Even doctors can’t sidestep the phone
from “yesterday.” their doctors’ offices, so frustrated are they snags. One physician whose specialty prac- As to why the trustees themselves haven’t
with the ongoing phone issues. tice regularly requests records from Vero Ra- brought up the problems, Cunningham says
The metrics showing improvement that diology said hold times typically last 30 min- the new lease is a “more hands-off agree-
Rosencrance provided appeared to include One woman who ended up driving over – utes, far longer than normal. ment” with the district than the old Indian
only physician practices in the hospital’s twice – said she called Vero Radiology mul- River Medical Center had.
Wellness Center. tiple times over the course of three days, Still another patient spent more than six
including once when she put the phone on hours on the phone over the course of two And it may be too painful to admit that
In December, when appointment calls for speaker and stayed on the line two hours, days trying to schedule a PET scan for her such a simple-sounding problem can’t be
those doctors began being routed to a call and could not get anyone to answer. husband that was needed as soon as possible. solved by Cleveland Clinic. “We want them
center in Weston, Florida, some 70 percent Finally, she gave up on phones and emailed to succeed so badly,” she said. “We really
of calls were answered, and 21 percent were “Calling Vero Radiology is a NIGHT- “every person in a management position at don’t want to talk negatively about them in
“abandoned” – people hanging up when they MARE,” she wrote in her Facebook post. Vero Radiology,” she said. “That finally got a public meeting. That’s probably the hon-
got sick of waiting. By May, the “answered” Even after she went in person, she had to a response, and we got an appointment. It est truth.”
rate was up to 84 percent, and 11 percent of wait 30 minutes to talk to someone, she said. never used to be like this before Cleveland
calls were abandoned. Clinic took over.” Cunningham, an ex-officio member of
Just last week, a patient needing a mam- the hospital board, said she and the hospi-
Rosencrance said June numbers showed mogram after lumps were found in her A former employee of Vero Radiology tal’s chairman of the board, Wayne Hock-
even more improvement, with abandoned breast waited a half-hour on hold before fi- who retains close ties to management there meyer, who sold his home here last summer,
calls down to 5 percent. nally hanging up. said the number of schedulers is down have been holding joint telephone calls with
while patient visits are way up. Last Satur- Rosencrance every three weeks since March
But those numbers apparently did not “I can’t BELIEVE how neglectful that is!” day, schedulers worked at overtime pay – a specifically to discuss the phone issues.
include primary care physicians’ practices she wrote on Facebook. Eventually the pa- rare budget authorization, the source said –
acquired in January when Primary Care of tient called a different department and left “just to try to regain traction and get their “I have reached the level of, ‘Guys, this is
the Treasure Coast merged with Cleveland a message there. Someone got in touch with heads above water.” crazy.’ That’s how I feel,” Cunningham said.
Clinic. The metrics also didn’t include Vero the other department and that person finally
Radiology, now owned by Cleveland Clinic. called the patient back. “What is happening to patients and fam- Cunningham herself has fielded dozens of
ilies at CC is a travesty and an embarrass- complaints about Cleveland Clinic phones
Vero Radiology, which has its own As with many of the commenters, this pa- ment to the Vero Beach community,” said from residents she runs into in her social life.
schedulers and still uses its own electron- tient found the real-life people she dealt with Nick Liguori, a retired GM employee from “I also continue to get comments from peo-
ic health record software, was mentioned to be “very kind and accommodating.” But Ohio. “I have lived here 15 years and the last ple who are actually in the hospital and it’s
frequently in the Facebook posts as having she wondered why Vero Radiology doesn’t 12 months has been a complete nightmare nothing but praise [for Cleveland Clinic].
have the kind of phone system where you dealing with CC.”
“They’ve been treated well and gotten
NEWS OTHERS MISS, OR CHOOSE TO IGNORE | PUBLISHED WEEKLY Liguori finally switched to a non-Cleve- great care. But what I hear is that it’s just im-
land Clinic urologist last month after what possible to get hold of somebody. I have one
MILTON R. BENJAMIN he called a “nightmare” communicating person who told me she’s been waiting for a
with his Cleveland Clinic-employed urolo- callback from a doctor for four months. She
President and Publisher | [email protected] | 772.559.4187 gist. That included trying to ask some ques- ended up going to a non-Cleveland Clinic
tions about care after two procedures in doctor.”
STEVEN M. THOMAS March. He called it “an experience never to
be forgotten.” Among the torrent of negative Facebook
Managing Editor | [email protected] | 772.453.1196 posts was a possible solution. A poster had
Another patient is similarly at the brink of gotten a call-back from Cleveland Clinic ex-
DAN ALEXANDER changing doctors. She wrote about her effort plaining what could be at the root of some
a month ago to book an appointment with a of the problems.
Creative Director | [email protected] | 772.539.2700 Cleveland Clinic dermatologist. “I ask for my
dermatologist, get put in a loop for the ap- When you call a doctor’s office, the first
Assistant Managing Editor: Michelle Genz, Associate Editor: Paul Keaney, Staff Editor: Lisa Zahner, pointment department instead, and no one option on the recorded message asks if
Society Editor: Mary Schenkel, Reporters: Stephanie LaBaff, Ray McNulty, Samantha Rohlfing Baita, answers that line either. If I didn’t love my you’re calling in regard to an appointment.
George Andreassi, Columnists: Kerry Firth, Ellen Fischer, Ron Holub, Tina Rondeau, The Bonz, doctor, I would leave in a heartbeat.” Only in the second option are you asked if
Photographers: Kaila Jones, Brenda Ahearn, Graphic Designers: Robert Simonson, Jennifer Green- you want to speak “directly” with someone
away, Tania Donghia-Wetmore One patient who was having trouble at your doctor’s office.
getting responses to messages sent via My-
ADVERTISING SALES Chart, the Epic patient portal, called the The message says to “please listen careful-
JUDY DAVIS Director of Advertising hospital operator a week ago and asked to ly before making your selection.” But it does
[email protected] | 772.633.1115 speak to the patient experience ombuds- not say to listen to all the options first.
KATHLEEN MACGLENNON | [email protected] | 772.633.0753 man. The line went to voicemail, and she
MARIO CORBICIERO | [email protected] | 772.559.5999 left a message. So far, she has not been Furthermore, the Cleveland Clinic Indian
called back, she said. River website still has numbers that are not
LOCATED AT 4855 NORTH A1A, VERO BEACH, FL 32963 | 772.226.7925 active – including the hotline established to
Had such problems occurred under the help people unable to get through to their
management of Indian River Medical Cen- doctors. Another number on the Indian Riv-
ter, the elected board of the Indian River er website, reached after hours, directs you
County Hospital District might have inter- to call another number in Broward County.
vened. The district, on behalf of county resi-
dents, retained ownership of the hospital in The phone problems seemed to start last
the transaction that named Cleveland Clin- fall when hospital administrators decided
ic Florida tenants of the hospital and all its to go forward with a planned installation of
facilities in January 2019. new electronic health records software on
the out-patient, or ambulatory, side of the
But since the problems began last Oc- hospital system.
tober, the subject has not come up in the
The $15 million system that would al-
low the hospital to integrate with the entire
Cleveland Clinic system included the practic-

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS June 24, 2021 3

es of all the doctors employed by Cleveland PERKINS Then in February 2009, Betts accused instances of admitted false statements and
Clinic who had offices outside of the hospital Perkins of hitting her twice outside their strange behavior by Betts.
itself. Hospital-owned urgent care clinics and CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 place of business in Broward County. But
satellite offices were also included. she later recanted, saying she called po- Another bizarre aspect to the case is
ments to get Perkins arrested, then later lice only because she wanted to get some that Perkins very much wants his brother
Along with $2.1 million in IT upgrades, recanted. products out of the business, and he would William Perkins to testify at trial for the
the launch of the EHR software, called Epic, not let her. The charges were dismissed, defense, but it appears William does not
required intensive training that left fewer The cumulative effect of this, Perkins Perkins said. want to be found.
staff members available to answer phones. says, contributed to his temporarily insane
When the system went live on Sept. 15 the mental state at the time he entered the Next in April 2011, Perkins points to a Local officials in Polk County where he
situation got worse. home on Seagrape Drive and killed Betts welfare check called in to the Indian River lives have tried repeatedly to serve him
in November 2014. County Sheriff’s Office by Betts to find Per- with a summons to be deposed but have
With people trying to catch up on ap- kins, who she suspected was staying at the not succeeded. The court may issue a war-
pointments and others still concerned That November, when Betts’ father Costa d’Este hotel. rant to bring him in to be deposed, but ac-
about COVID-19 flooding the phone lines, could not reach her, he asked the Indian cording to the State Attorney’s Office, Per-
patients found themselves dangling on River County Sheriff’s Office to perform a The officer called Vero for assistance kins’ brother has not yet been taken into
endless holds. Calls would suddenly drop. welfare check. Deputies found Perkins in since the hotel is in the city, and then wrote custody.
Messages weren’t returned. the home, with open bottles of liquor and in his report, “While waiting for a response
a gun, and they found Betts’ body rolled up back from Vero Beach Police Department, Assistant State Attorney Chris Taylor
One nurse in the Wellness Center who in a rug in the utility room. the complainant Cynthia Betts said she had said the State Attorney’s Office is assisting
has since left Cleveland Clinic said calls for a life insurance policy on her ex-husband Perkins with gathering people he wants to
appointments were being routed to nurses The night Betts died seems to be the Asbury Perkins, and she wanted to know depose, since the defendant is preparing
and medical assistants who normally work culmination of more than a decade’s very how long her ex-husband had to be missing his defense from a cell at the Indian River
with charts and patients in the exam room troubled relationship, and Perkins wants before they would pay out on the policy.” County Jail.
area, not anywhere near the front office staff to show that the blame is not all his.
where calls used to be handled. Those are just three of the seven run-ins During the years since he was arrested,
In June 2004, Perkins alleges that Betts with police that Perkins wants admitted as Perkins has dismissed several attorneys
People who had barely left their homes and her father lied when Boca Raton po- evidence at trial, in support of his tempo- who were trying to defend him, or to help
since lockdown began driving in person to lice were called to a domestic disturbance rary insanity defense. him defend himself.
the offices to make their appointments. where Perkins was taken to the hospital for
eight staples in his scalp. Perkins says he Perkins attached to his motion 24 pag- With regard to the reverse Williams rule
In mid-December, a new wrinkle ap- was painted as the aggressor, but that Betts es of court documents and police reports evidence, Taylor said Judge Vaughn will
peared in the problems: The first COVID-19 and her father later signed sworn affidavits detailing more than a decade of the trou- rule on the admissibility of those docu-
vaccine became available. With cases begin- that they falsified information. bled relationship, circling by hand all the ments at trial, which may be set for later
ning to spike for the third time, even more this summer or this fall. 
calls poured into the hospital’s phone lines, MY TAKE father, Tom, the longtime tennis director at
adding to the chaos. Windsor. that accompany the sport would be an un-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 wanted irritant for residents in the quiet,
By March, with vaccine scheduling mostly And according to the foundation’s pitch to Central Beach neighborhood across Mock-
in the hands of the Health Department and bors, and end the city’s mutually beneficial the city, the tennis complex would be open ingbird Drive.
Treasure Coast Community Health, call vol- arrangement with St. Edward’s tennis pro- to the public when its facilities aren’t being
umes dropped, the hospital said in a state- gram – which practices and plays matches at used for the organization’s activities. Nathan Polackwich, who lives three hous-
ment Monday. the tennis center. es from the park on Iris Lane, all but prom-
But you can’t conduct a professional ten- ised neighborhood residents would file a
But phone problems were still occurring. Worst of all, it would kill any realistic nis tournament – such as the foundation’s lawsuit.
In late March, Rosencrance decided to dou- chance the Mardy Fish Children’s Founda- wildly successful men’s event, which has
ble down on the call center concept, adding tion would push forward with its proposal to been held in Vero Beach every spring since Another neighborhood resident who ad-
20 people to answer the phones. And there give the aging facility a facelift and transform the mid-1990s – with pickleball being played dressed the commission also warned of the
may have been more added since then. it into something special – a first-rate tennis only a few feet away. increased danger to pedestrians created by
center worthy of our island community. the additional traffic – 12 pickleball courts
“We have increased our call center staff- The same is true for high school tennis can accommodate 48 players at one time –
ing by 38 percent between March and June,” “It’s a big concern,” Fish Foundation Ex- matches. Pickleball courts could prompt and the likelihood of more drivers cutting
the hospital said in its statement. “We have ecutive Director Lynn Southerly said of the St. Edward’s to end its agreement with the through their streets.
also engaged a third-party vendor to assist as potential impact on her organization’s plan city, which allows the Pirates to use River-
necessary on days with high call volumes.” to raise money to renovate, expand and side’s courts in exchange for the Recreation Pickleball University, the group pushing
beautify the hard-court complex, which it Department’s use of school’s campus for its the court conversion plan, is a fine organi-
“Optimizing our call center is a process hopes to use for tournaments, exhibitions summer camps. zation and there certainly is nothing wrong
and we have made progress,” read a quote and other fundraisers, as well as for its youth with pickleball.
attributed to Rosencrance in the same programs. St. Edward’s uses all 10 courts for its
statement. matches. It is a good way to get exercise and a lot of
The Fish Foundation’s plan – which in- people love to play.
“At the same time, we know that there cludes construction of a clubhouse and Then there’s this: It’s difficult to imagine
has been dissatisfaction with patients who natural amphitheater that would serve as a deep-pocketed donors giving sizable sums But more than 75 percent of Pickleball
have had challenges connecting with us. small stadium court, as well as refurbishing of money to enhance a tennis complex University’s members live outside the city,
We recognize that and have teams working the courts and landscaping the surrounding where noisy pickleball courts create a daily and there are plenty of other locations in
every day to make connecting with our call property – was first presented to the city last distraction and, potentially, ignite clashes the county where additional courts could be
center and physician offices more efficient year. between tennis and pickleball players. built. Yet three City Recreation Commission
and user friendly. Improving this process is members, including chairperson Brooke
one of our highest priorities at Indian River The foundation used a $30,000 grant from While pickleball might resemble a minia- Malone, didn’t seem to care.
Hospital.” the United States Tennis Association to fund ture version of tennis, the two games simply
a site plan, artist rendering and cost esti- are not compatible, and their courts belong The City Council needs to.
At the same time, several doctors leaving mates for the project. nowhere near each other. Southerly and other Fish Foundation
the hospital to retire or set up private prac- leaders met last week to discuss the ramifi-
tices cited the hospital’s phone foul-ups for The foundation, a charitable organization In fact, pickleball probably doesn’t belong cations of the commission’s recommenda-
adding to their stress and infuriating pa- founded in 2007 by former top-10 tennis any place at Riverside, where the noise not tion. She said the foundation’s board of di-
tients, even though the problems were be- player and current U.S. Davis Cup Captain only would aggravate tennis players but also rectors was expected to consider the matter
yond the physicians’ control. Mardy Fish, began seeking donors for the rattle the tranquility of the city’s picturesque, this week.
$5.7 million project earlier this year. waterfront park, where many people enjoy The board should vehemently oppose
Last weekend, management authorized peaceful strolls along the shaded walking the recommendation and delay any further
overtime pay for schedulers at Vero Radiolo- For those who don’t know: Fish learned to trails each day. action on its Riverside Park plan to give the
gy to try to catch up with a backlog of calls, play and launched his career on the River- City Council a chance to do what’s right –
an attempt to “regain traction” lost over the side Park courts, where he was taught by his Converting those tennis courts for pick- and tell the Recreation Commission pickle-
past few months, said one former longtime leball also could land the city in a different ball courts at Riverside are wrong. 
employee who maintains close ties to man- type of court, as the loud pops and shouts
agement there. 

4 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.com

Acupuncturist Jaynes now selling LifeWave healing patches in N.C.

By Lisa Zahner | Staff Writer Jaynes was ordered by the court sentenced to two years of community North Carolina as a home care provider,”
[email protected] not to treat clients at her clinic, Abso- control plus three years of probation. her motion states.
lute Integrated Medicine on Indian River
Jill Jaynes, the Vero Beach acupunctur- Boulevard, and she gave up her license to Jaynes claims that the combination LifeWave sells pricey alternative medi-
ist convicted of insurance fraud of more practice acupuncture in September 2020, of restrictions before her trial plus two cine patches intended to treat various ail-
than $100,000, has moved to North Car- according to court records. months of community control after sen- ments. For example, a package of 39 Life-
olina and wants her court-ordered travel tencing satisfies the community control Wave X39 patches are currently on sale for
restrictions and probation ended ear- According to State Attorney Tom portion of her sentence. The next phase $449.50. The company claims the patches
ly so she can expand her new business Bakkedahl’s office and online court re- would be work-only travel restrictions are “designed to elevate a peptide known
selling pricey healing patches through cords, Jaynes has paid from the proceeds outside the home for one year, followed to enhance stem cell activity. Supports
a multilevel marketing company called of the sale of her Sebastian home $56,000 by standard probation for the final two relief of minor aches and pains. More en-
LifeWave. of the total she was ordered to pay to her years. ergy and better sleep. Supports natural
victims, a “payoff” amount given to the wound healing process and maintains
Court records show Jaynes was arrest- court by her primary victim, the Indian Judge Dan Vaughn has not yet sched- healthy inflammatory response.”
ed in August 2018 after a lengthy investi- River Board of County Commissioners. uled a hearing on Jaynes’ motion, which
gation found evidence to charge her for she filed herself as a pro se defendant. LifeWave is a global company that
filing false insurance claims from 2013 A satisfaction of judgment was filed, touts its training seminars as a valuable
to 2016 for acupuncture treatments for but it’s uncertain if that payoff deal will “Defendant has furthered her edu- part of the program, meaning Jaynes
patients, many of whom were county lead to the early end of Jaynes’ duty to the cation within the holistic healing com- would need to travel outside her new
employees on the county health insur- court for her first-degree felony crime. munity by taking online classes and home in North Carolina. Being off proba-
ance plan. In addition to the restitution, Jaynes was becoming an independent distributor tion would make that easier. 
with LifeWave and holding down a job in

School Board facing contentious curriculum issue as deadline nears

By George Andreassi | Staff Writer back will soon win approval from the ly motivated and inappropriate for young school year starting Aug. 10.
Florida Board of Education.
The School Board seemed poised to children. School Board meetings in May and
approve two K-5 English Language Arts Several parents have spoken out
curriculums for the 2021-2022 school against the K-5 curriculum published by Local political activist Susan Mehiel June have attracted crowds that over-
year at its meeting Tuesday, in the hopes Houghton Mifflin Harcourt of Boston as
the one that hasn’t triggered local push- containing lessons they feel are political- scheduled a “Save Our Students!” meet- flowed from the meeting room into the

ing at the Vero Beach Heritage Center on lobby of school district headquarters

June 21 to encourage parents to attend with dozens of parents and political

the June 22 School Board meeting to activists addressing the board for and

speak out against the Houghton

Mifflin curriculum.

“We need you to pack the

house!” Mehiel said in a pro-

motional email, calling for the

School Board to hold off on a

decision and/or select a differ-

ent K-5 English Language Arts

curriculum.

“We’ve found subtle and

not-so-subtle messaging about

systemic racism, gender iden-

tity, our founders and politics,”

Mehiel said about the Houghton

Mifflin curriculum.

School Superintendent Da-

vid Moore and Assistant Su- School Superintendent David Moore speaks at the Indian River
perintendent of Curriculum & County School Board meeting on June 8. PHOTO: BRENDA AHEARN

Instruction Richard Myhre have

repeatedly assured Mehiel and other against lessons seen as racially or polit-

parents that educators are not trying to ically sensitive.

sneak a political agenda or inappropriate School Board Chairman Brian Bare-

lessons into the district’s 13 elementary foot, who represents the barrier island,

schools. said he can understand the angst about

Administrators and the School Board the curriculum, but not the distrust for

could circumvent the dispute by choos- educators and board members.

ing a different curriculum, and they ac- “I understand the concerns, but I think

tually prefer the curriculum published by they’re over reading and overinterpret-

Amplify Education Inc., of Brooklyn, but ing,” Barefoot said. “Sometimes I think

it failed to win approval from the Florida they’ve got a little too much time on their

Department of Education, Moore said. hands and they’re trying to find stuff

Amplify Education’s appeal is pending that’s not there.”

and it is uncertain whether the issues If the board approves both curricu-

can be resolved by the school sistrict’s lums, it will have the option of using Am-

deadline for ordering a K-5 English Lan- plify Education Inc. material, should the

guage Arts curriculum for the coming state allow it. 

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS June 24, 2021 5

THAT’S THE SPIRIT! COMPANY
LFOIORKSITNGCRTAOFOTPDEINSTCOILULNETRYY’S

By Ray McNulty | Staff Writer be equipped with fermenters and a
[email protected] 300-gallon still.

Barring unexpected delays, the Though the facility will not include
owners of what would be the county’s a bar, Hooker said there will be a tast-
first craft distillery say they’re hoping ing room where customers can sam-
to begin making gin, rum, whiskey and ple the products, learn how they were
vodka in January on a commercial par- made and purchase them. Groups may
cel at the Vero Beach Regional Airport. hold events at the distillery.

The company, which plans to op- “We’re going to make and sell our
erate as Indian River Distillery, will spirits locally,” Hooker said. “Ultimate-
be based in a leased strip mall at the ly, we’d like to distribute nationwide,
northeast corner of Aviation Boulevard but distribution is tough, so we’ll start
and Airport Drive, if the City Council small. We’ll sell from our facility and,
approves an amendment to the airport hopefully, some of the local establish-
property’s zoning to include craft dis- ments will purchase our products.
tilleries as a permitted use.
“When that’s successful, then we’ll
The new wording would allow the try to expand.”
distilling of less than 250,000 gallons
of spirits annually on the property, CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
and permit the packaging of those
spirits for retail or wholesale distribu-
tion, on or off the premises.

Vero’s Planning & Zoning Board and
the city planning staff recommended
the zoning change last week, and the
City Council could adopt the amend-
ment and approve the lease as soon as
next month.

“We can’t apply for the state and feder-
al licenses we need until the City Coun-
cil approves the lease,” said Ray Hooker,
a third-generation county resident and
Sebastian River High School graduate
who co-owns the company with his wife,
Mandy. “Once that happens, we’re ready
to move and move fast.”

Hooker said the 4,000-square-foot
facility, which was built in the 1970s
and previously housed a beauty sa-
lon and spa, needs to be gutted and
converted to a warehouse that will

Ray and Mandy Hooker, the duo behind Indian River Distillery, which hopes to become the county’s

first craft distillery. At top, Hooker pours pure cane syrup into a jar. PHOTOS: BRENDA AHEARN

6 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS www.veronews.com

ORCA must vacate Fort Pierce headquarters, look for new home

By Sue Cocking | Staff Writer add to its current array of 18. turbidity, algae growth, and the nutrients impending pollution threats, measuring
Kilroys are custom-made devices load- nitrate, nitrite and orthophosphate. vertical migration of algae when it is not
The Ocean Research & Conservation visible on the surface before an actual
Association, a prominent local environ- ed with electronic and chemical monitor- The small but sophisticated stations, bloom occurs, and shows illegal discharg-
mental nonprofit supported by Vero res- ing devices that track and communicate which ORCA builds itself, originally num- es of fresh water that load the lagoon with
idents, has received both a big financial lagoon water quality in real time to help bered 25, but state budget cuts under harmful nutrients such as nitrogen and
boost and a major logistical setback in the research scientists, government officials then Gov. Rick Scott slashed the number phosphorus.
past several weeks. and environmental groups make in- to eight.
formed decisions about lagoon cleanup Local schools use the data to teach
At about the same time ORCA’s 15 staff- efforts. Since then, new local and state funding students environmental science, and the
ers learned the organization would re- has allowed ORCA to rebuild the network, public can check on lagoon water condi-
ceive $750,000 in new funding from the Falls said ORCA is considering two pos- which now includes 18 Kilroys installed tions anytime, day or night, at www.tea-
Florida Legislature for their mission to sible “areas of concern” in canals that flow in water bodies that feed the estuary, with morca.org.
clean up the Indian River Lagoon, they into the lagoon in St. Lucie and Brevard two more to come.
were told to vacate their longtime head- counties where there are no Kilroy units. “We’re always looking to expand the
quarters in the the old U.S. Coast Guard He said Indian River County is already Falls said measuring water quality pa- network,” Falls said. “Hopefully, the more
Station building in Fort Pierce. well covered by the sensor network. rameters in real time provides important information we have, the better the deci-
information to scientists and local natu- sions we can make, and the faster we can
Their landlord, Indian River State Col- “Our goal is to look at inputs into the ral resources managers. clean the waters.” 
lege, told them they have to move by July Indian River Lagoon, which canals may
8. College officials told Vero News the be contributing to [pollution in] the la- Kilroy data provides early warning of names such as “Hibiscus City Gin” and
landmark frame building on the shore of goon,” he said. “Treasure Fleet Rum.”
the Fort Piece Inlet, constructed in 1936, CRAFT DISTILLERY
is too old for continued occupancy. “We can look at conditions in the la- “We haven’t come up with a name for
goon all day long, but until we know CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 our vodka or whiskey yet,” Hooker said.
ORCA’s managing director Warren Falls what’s coming in from where, it’s a guess- “It takes time to make good whiskey, but
said the staff will decamp to the organiza- ing game.” There are fewer than 50 craft distill- we need a whiskey to start, and we’ll have
tion’s satellite laboratory on Airport North eries in Florida, where the niche business one. But it won’t be ours. So, we’ll call it
Drive in Vero Beach and do some work The Kilroy network, launched in 2015 is “10 years behind the craft-beer brew- NOW – Not Our Whiskey.”
remotely while looking for a new perma- with about $1.2 million in seed money eries,” Hooker said, adding that Florida’s
nent home in a central location along the from the Legislature, picks up more wa- alcoholic-beverage sales rank second in He said the distillery’s craft spirits will
156-mile-long lagoon. ter-quality information than aquatic sen- the nation – behind California – but that be made with all-natural ingredients
sors operated by state agencies, monitor- it is at the back of the pack in terms of found locally or in other parts of Florida,
Meanwhile, ORCA is deciding where ing temperature, depth, salinity, dissolved craft distilleries. including Florida-grown juniper plants
in the lagoon to erect two new Kilroy wa- oxygen, fluorescent dissolved organic that will be used in the production of gin.
ter-quality monitoring stations it plans to matter, oxidation reduction potential, Currently, there are no craft distilleries
on Florida’s Treasure Coast or in neigh- To start, Hooker said he and his wife
boring Brevard County, according to the will run the business by themselves, then
Florida Craft Spirits Association. add staff as needed. He predicted the dis-
tillery eventually could have as many as
Hooker said he and his wife have been 10 employees.
planning this venture for years, “probably
as far back as 2015,” and have spent the Prior to this venture, the Hookers
past four years researching the licensing owned and operated Other Side Services,
process, government regulations, distri- a local pest control and landscaping
bution and pricing. business, which they sold this past De-
cember.
They’ve also been educating them-
selves about the business, taking classes Hooker said he and his wife have in-
at the Institute of Brewing and Distilling vested “everything we’ve got” in making
in London, England, as well as at U.S. dis- their craft-distillery dream a reality.
tilleries in Kentucky.
“This is a big leap for us,” Hooker said.
Spirits the couple produce at Indi- “We’re super-excited about it, and we
an River Distillery will have a “distinctly hope the community will come out and
Florida flair,” as Hooker put it, with brand support us.” 

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | LOCAL NEWS June 24, 2021 7

GHO HOMES TAKES OVER DEVELOPMENT AT THE STRAND

By Steven M. Thomas | Staff Writer to-go subdivision in a phenomenal island PHOTO: KAILA JONES and Luke Webb at Premier Estate Proper-
[email protected] location in a sizzling hot housing market ties with prices starting at $1,095,000.
where inventory is historically low and a flash, but Handler said his build capac-
GHO Homes bought out mega-home- buyers exceptionally abundant. ity will limit to some degree the number Three of the units have been sold and
builder Lennar’s interest in The Strand of contracts he writes in coming months. another eight are under contract, accord-
subdivision this month, acquiring all the “I won’t speculate,” said Handler when GHO has numerous other subdivisions ing to Phil Sunkel, onsite agent for the
remaining lots in the second-largest new asked about Lennar’s decision. For his underway and with material and labor O’Dare/Boga Group.
home development on the island. part, he said the purchase made sense for shortages hampering the housing indus-
GHO Homes. “We’re always looking for op- try, the company can only build so many The four-unit buildings have single-sto-
“We closed on the lots a week or two ago portunities. We were already in there with homes at once. ry cottages on the ends and two-story
and just opened for sales and we already those first three lots and we had sold two homes in the middle. Sunkel said the
have many deals in the works,” said GHO homes. I’ve stayed in contact with Lennar “We don’t want to make a commitment to one-story “Hemingway” units have been
president Bill Handler. “If you look back six and the developer, and we ended up get- someone that we can’t keep,” Handler said. most sought after by buyers. They have
weeks from now, there will have been a lot ting all the remaining lots.” 2,335 square feet of air-conditioned living
of action.” Meanwhile, construction and sales are space, with 2,879 square feet under roof,
GHO will build 3-bedroom-plus-den, moving forward at the Seabreeze Cottages and include 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2-car ga-
Handler said his company will be offer- 3.5-bath homes that range from about at the Strand. rages, and a long list of high-end features
ing five models with base prices between 2,700 square feet to 3,000 square feet. and finishes. The two-story “Audubon”
$1,175,990 and $1,315,990, with 32 new Homes will come with “many upgraded The 21 townhome lots were put un- units encompass 3,078 feet of air-condi-
homes available for purchase. features, including swimming pools,” ac- der contract for purchase from Patten in tioned space with 4,121 square feet under
cording to Handler. 2018 and are owned by developer Joseph roof. They include 3 bedrooms and 3.5
The 36-acre Strand site north of Palm J. Rauenhorst. Construction began in 2019 baths and come with the same slate of lux-
Island Plantation in Indian River Shores In the current island market, it is easy and the fourth of five multi-unit buildings ury finishes, including shellstone floors,
was purchased for $5 million in 2017 by to imagine the subdivision selling out in is nearing completion. quartz countertops and Miele appliances.
the Patten Company, a national real estate
development firm with offices in Naples The Key West-style luxury townhouses Something about the style, ambiance or
and Boca Raton. are co-listed by the O’Dare/Boga Group location of the townhouse development is
attracting a younger demographic, with
Patten got a site plan approved by the buyers ranging from 33 years old to mid-
Shores in 2018 and installed roads, sewers, 60s, according to Sunkel.
water features and other infrastructure,
creating 47 single-family home lots and Low HOA fees – just $330 a month – are
21 townhome lots. The townhome section another draw, along with private beach ac-
is in front, visible from A1A, and the sin- cess a few steps away on the east side of A1A.
gle-family section extends west from the
townhomes to the Jungle Trail along the Buyers are coming from the Northeast,
Indian River Lagoon. the Midwest and other parts of Florida, in-
cluding a strong contingent from Naples.
Handler bought three of the single-fam-
ily lots before Lennar swooped in and Richard Boga said construction on the
bought the other 44, giving him a presence fifth building, which will include five units,
in the subdivision. will get underway, “as soon as we close a
few more sales.”
Lennar was slow to get going on the proj-
ect and had only sold seven or eight houses “Those units will be released within the
before turning the project over to GHO. next six months,” said Sunkel, adding that
prices for the final phase homes will be
Lennar executives declined to comment higher, starting at $1.2 million. 
when asked why they off-loaded a ready-

ELITE AIRWAYS flights to and from Portland, Maine. was canceled. normally have wound down.
Seasonal service connecting Vero Beach Scher said his only recent conversation Pearsall said Elite will continue its reg-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
and Asheville began in May 2017, with with Elite representatives was a month ago, ular commercial service connecting Vero
schedule through September – so unless I flights scheduled on Thursdays and Sun- when they wanted to know what he was Beach to Newark and Portland through
hear otherwise, I’m guessing they’re not go- days, which Pearsall said was “ideal for va- hearing about local interest in other mar- Sept. 6. Those flights then will be moved to
ing to do it.” cationers headed in either direction.” kets the airline should consider. Melbourne for six months to accommodate
the runway project.
But there is still a chance the popular The airline suspended all commercial He said it’s unlikely the scheduled re-
service will resume, according to Elite Pres- passenger service in March 2020 because surfacing of the airport’s longest runway Elite’s service will return to Vero Beach
ident John Pearsall, who said last week the of the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed – the one used by Elite’s jets – will impact when the project is completed, Pearsall
airline was “strongly considering” resum- flights from Vero to Newark and Portland the airline’s decision regarding Asheville, said, adding that he’s optimistic island
ing the seasonal flights, possibly as soon as two months later, but the planned summer because that project won’t begin until this travelers will continue to choose the con-
early July. service between Vero Beach and Asheville October, which is after those flights would venience of the airline’s non-stop flights to
and from the Northeast from Melbourne
“It’s early [in the season], and we’re still in the interim. “The timing is unfortunate
looking at it,” Pearsall said. “We should have because the holidays are big for us, but we
a decision in the next couple of weeks.” can’t operate without that runway, so mov-
ing the flights was the only thing we could
Elite began offering passenger jet ser- do,” Pearsall said when the relocation of the
vice from Vero Beach in December 2015, flights was announced last month.
becoming the first carrier to provide com-
mercial flights here since American Eagle Scher said he doesn’t expect the runway
in the 1990s. The initial flights were to and renovation to have any significant impact
from Newark Liberty International Airport on other aircraft – corporate flights, private
in New Jersey. The airline continues to offer planes and flight-school trainers – using the
service between Vero Beach and Newark on airport’s other runways, which will remain
Mondays and Fridays, along with Thursday open. 

8 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH www.veronews.com

‘New Vision’ doctors providing free cataract operations

By Kerry Firth Dr. Robert Reinauer and Dr. Dennis Saver. PHOTO: KAILA JONES incomes less than 200 percent of the pov-
Correspondent erty level – $25,520 for a single person and
$52,400 for a family of four.
We Care is not just a slogan for Dr. Robert
Reinauer, an ophthalmologist with New Vi- “A cataract is a clouding of the normally
sion Eye Center, and Dr. Dennis Saver, a re- clear lens of your eye,” according to Mayo
tired geriatric physician. It’s also the name Clinic. “For people who have cataracts,
of a medical nonprofit organization and seeing through cloudy lenses is a bit like
a promise and commitment to give their looking through a frosty or fogged-up
medical expertise to help the underserved window. Clouded vision caused by cata-
in our community. racts can make it more difficult to read,
drive a car (especially at night) or see the
Dr. Saver was one of the five doctors expression on a friend’s face.
who founded We Care in 1991, and he
continues serve as president of We Care “At first, stronger lighting and eyeglass-
of Indian River County, a nonprofit ded- es can help you deal with cataracts. But
icated to improving the health of county if impaired vision interferes with your
residents. It’s his mission to attract and usual activities, you might need cataract
organize volunteer doctors willing to surgery – generally a safe, effective pro-
provide free medical services for unin- cedure in which a highly trained surgeon
sured Indian River County residents. removes the lens of your eye and, in most
cases, replaces it with an artificial lens,”
Dr. Reinauer is one of the newest We Care restoring normal vision.
board members but is no stranger to pro
bono medical work, having completed sev- The current We Care effort will provide 26
eral ophthalmology missions to Mexico and patients with free cataract surgeries and fol-
Nicaragua as a volunteer doctor and board low-up care. This number is quadruple the
member with the Christian Ophthalmic average yearly number of cataract surgeries
Surgery Expedition Network. offered by the organization in the past and
has been made possible by the generosity of
The two physicians recently teamed Dr. Reinauer, New Vision Eye Center, the In-
up to offer free cataract screening clinics dian River County Health Tax District and
and surgeries for uninsured Indian River We Care donors.
County residents, 18 years or older with

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Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH June 24, 2021 9

Dr. Reinauer, who joined the board at We are able to fund 26 cataract operations. tal District and administrative services for we have the pilot program completed,
Care in 2020, is donating his services for a “Preliminary screenings were held by the clinic are provided by the Indian River that puts us in a good position to ask for
pilot group of six patients who will have County Health Department. The We Care their donations.”
cataract surgery later this month. An addi- primary care physicians at Treasure Coast Foundation of Indian River funds ongoing
tional 20 patients will have their surgeries Community Health and Whole Family supply costs and meets patient needs for Those who meet the financial criteria and
this fall with the help of Dr. Stephen Tate, Health Clinics and referred to We Care,” non-physician services. think they may need cataract surgery need
Dr. Sarah S. Khodadadeh and Dr. Mohamed said Dr. Saver. “These two federally qual- to get referred by a primary care doctor to
Sayed – all New Vision Eye Center doctors. ified health centers see county indigent “We Care matches up a patient with a We Care. There may be a waiting queue, but
people at zero charge and were able to as- doctor who will see the patient for free,” Dr. Reinauer and Dr. Saver hope the funds
“This is a great opportunity to change a sist with the laborious task of pre-screen- Dr. Savor explained. “There is no co-pay will be acquired to hold another large-scale
life in 10 minutes or less with cataract sur- ing. If they determined a patient may need and no sliding scale. The doctor is donat- cataract clinic in 2022.
gery,” said Dr. Reinauer. “I’ve been doing cataract surgery they referred them to us, ing his time and expertise for the good of
mission work outside the country since and Dr. Reinauer did the final screening. the community. We Care is run entirely by For more information about We Care,
2008 and I wanted to offer my services to He’ll be doing the first surgeries later this goodwill. Our organization ensures that visit www.wecareofirc.org or call 772-794-
those in my own backyard. I’d been vol- month and the rest with the help of his everything that needs to be done before 7422. 
unteering my services through We Care colleagues in the fall.” the evaluation is accomplished, so that
since I came to Vero in 2015, but now that when the patient shows up at the special-
I’m established, I wanted to do cataract We Care celebrates its 30th anniversary ist, he’s already had all his medical his-
surgeries on a larger scale. this year with a network of dedicated phy- tory documented and his bloodwork, CT
sicians including ophthalmologists, cardi- scans, X-rays and whatever else is needed
“I gathered support from my colleagues ologists, gastroenterologists, urologists, on- is already done. The surgeon just comes in
at New Vision Eye Center and presented cologists, radiologists, surgeons and other and does the procedure.
the idea to Dr. Saver. As ophthalmologists healthcare professionals. Their services are
we have a special opportunity to help valued at more than $1 million annually. “He gets to do what he does best without
people regain their sight with cataract all the backlog of the day-to-day prelimi-
surgery. I’ve seen grandparents see their But even with the free physician service, nary steps. Our goal is to have our volunteer
grandchildren for the first time after sur- there is still a need for medical supplies specialists feel so good and get so much
gery. It’s very rewarding.” and facilities and other patient services. pleasure out of helping people and they
The We Care Foundation of Indian River want to do it again and again.”
“Dr. Reinauer said if we could cover the was formed in 2011 to help with fundrais-
cost of the operating room and supplies and ing for the program. While this year’s cataract surgery pa-
the cost of buying the intraocular lens, he tients have already been screened and se-
would be willing to do the cataract surgery In 2015, We Care opened its own clinic in lected, We Care hopes to get community
for free,” said Dr. Saver. “Normally We Care a wing of the Gifford Health Center, funded and corporate funding for another expand-
pays for five or six cataract surgeries a year in part by an Impact 100 grant. The clinic is ed clinic next year.
out of our fundraising efforts, but because staffed with a full-time primary care physi-
we got a little more money for salaries from cian, and care coordinators with a mission “Our goal is to convince industry spon-
the Health District that we didn’t use, we to improve continuity of care. Salaries are sors to donate intraocular lenses and
funded by the Indian River County Hospi- supplies,” explained Dr. Reinauer. “Once

10 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | HEALTHY SENIOR

Cholesterol-reducing statins relatively safe for most people

By Fred Cicetti | Columnist walls of the blood vessels that feed your duce cholesterol by block- disease and stroke than medication alone.
brain and heart. When this build-up oc- ing the liver substance Statins can have potential side effects
Question: I’ve heard statins referred to curs, you have a condition called “athero- responsible for making
as wonder drugs that we should put in our sclerosis,” which is commonly referred to cholesterol. Statins may such as liver damage, pain in muscles and
drinking water. Do they deserve this repu- as “hardening of the arteries.” also help your body reab- joints, constipation, nausea and diarrhea.
tation? sorb cholesterol that has Those who take statins have their liver
If a clot forms in blood vessels narrowed accumulated on your artery function tested periodically.
Statins are relatively safe drugs used to by plaque, it can block blood flow, which walls. Statins are relatively
reduce high levels of cholesterol. Choles- can cause a heart attack or a stroke. safe for most people. [This column is part one of a two-part
terol is a fat-like substance in blood. You response. In our next column, we’ll discuss
need it to produce cell membranes, protect The recommended levels of cholesterol Some of the best-known additional benefits from taking statins.] 
nerves and make hormones, but too much are as follows: statins include simvastatin
of the wrong kind of cholesterol can cause (Zocor), atorvastatin (Lip-
heart disease. Total cholesterol level should be less itor), lovastatin (Mevacor),
than 200 mg/dL. (“Mg/dL” stands for mil- pravastatin (Pravachol), ro-
The body can make all the cholesterol it ligram per deciliter.) “Borderline high” is suvastatin (Crestor) and flu-
needs. Most cholesterol is made by your liv- defined as between 200 and 239 mg/dL. vastatin (Lescol).
er. You also get cholesterol from foods such You’re risking heart disease if your reading
as meat, eggs and dairy products. Too much is 240 mg/dL or more. Your cholesterol level is
cholesterol is dangerous because cholesterol just one number doctors
can lead to blockages in your blood vessels. LDL cholesterol level should be less than consider before prescribing
130 mg/dL. “Borderline high” is between a statin. If your only risk for
Cholesterol is transported through the 130 and 159 mg/dL. There’s heart-disease heart attack or stroke is high
bloodstream in packages called lipopro- risk if your reading is 160 mg/dL or more. cholesterol, you may not need medication.
teins. Low-density lipoproteins (LDL)
deliver cholesterol to the body. High-den- HDL cholesterol levels should be at 60 Other risk factors are lifestyle, age,
sity lipoproteins (HDL) remove cholester- mg/dL or higher to cut the risk of heart dis- family history of heart attack and stroke,
ol from the bloodstream. LDLs are often ease. You’re at high risk for heart disease if smoking, weight, blood pressure, diabe-
described as “bad” cholesterol; HDLs are you have a reading less than 40 mg/dL. tes, narrowing of arteries in your neck/ex-
called “good” cholesterol. tremities, and overall health.
Some physicians use the ratio of total
If there are too many LDLs in the blood, cholesterol to HDLs. The ratio is obtained by Changes to your lifestyle such as quit-
they will combine with other material in dividing the HDLs into the total cholesterol. ting smoking and exercising may have a
your bloodstream to manufacture plaque, The goal is to keep the ratio below 5 to 1. greater impact on reducing risk of heart
a waxy crud that builds up on the inner
Statins, which are also known as HMG-
CoA reductase inhibitors, are drugs that re-



12 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH www.veronews.com

First doctor’s appointment in a while? Make the most of it.

By Stacey Colino 20 minutes, you’ll want to make every mo-
The Washington Post ment of your allotted time count.

Now that coronavirus pandemic re- Here are tips to help you get the most out
strictions are easing up, people are madly of your in-person doctor’s appointment:
scheduling in-office doctor’s appoint-
ments that they had put on hold for a year Ask for a longer appointment. If you
or longer. That puts great pressure on you have a lengthy list of symptoms and con-
and your doctor to catch up on your health cerns to address, tell the receptionist that
status, which may have changed while you you have a lot to talk about, and that you’d
were doing your best to live through an like an extended appointment. “I think
unprecedented challenge. Given that the that’s very appropriate, especially com-
average doctor’s appointment is only about ing out of the pandemic,” said Michael

Hanak, an associate professor of family up on. A study found that from March 11,
medicine at the Rush University Medical 2020 through May 21, 2020, the average
Center in Chicago. weekly volume of imaging procedures de-
clined 54 percent at Massachusetts Gener-
Another option, Hanak said, is to ask if al Hospital and 64 percent at its affiliated
you can schedule a virtual visit first – “al- imaging centers; mammograms were the
most like a planning visit so you can make largest drop – 92 percent at all the locations.
sure there’s time for the most important is-
sues during the in-person visit.” If you can’t get all your screening tests
done before the appointment, don’t sweat
Take care of what you can ahead of it; you can follow up on the results later, if
time. Find out if there are any blood or im- necessary.
aging tests you can have performed before
the appointment so that you can discuss Record your latest health info. Use the
the results during the visit, Hanak said. You patient portal to update the list of medica-
may have several screening tests – breast, tions you’re taking – including prescrip-
skin, or colon cancer, for example – to catch tion and over-the-counter drugs as well

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PLEASE CALL 772-562-3960 FOR APPOINTMENT

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH June 24, 2021 13

Review your doctor’s advice about med- Formulate a follow-up plan. Before
ications, additional testing and lifestyle you leave the doctor’s office, discuss
changes. Then “repeat back what you’ve how you’ll implement any recommend-
heard to make sure you’re on the same ed changes, what you can do to prevent
page,” Zulman said. a chronic condition from worsening, and
whether you need any follow-up lab tests,
This last step is part of the “teach- imaging procedures or visits to a special-
back” communication technique, in ist or therapist.
which a clinician asks a patient to ex-
press in their own words the information “Every visit should end with some piece
they just heard. A 2017 study examining of anticipatory guidance such as when
the quality of communication with par- you should touch base again or what red
ents in pediatric clinical encounters and flags to watch for,” Hanak added. Follow-
found that the teach-back technique was ing up with your doctor should be easier
associated with more patient-centered than in the past, he said, with the options
communication, which enables the pa- of virtual visits or phone-based visits.
tient, or parent, to make informed deci-
sions about whether to act on the infor- “One of the silver linings of the pan-
mation that’s presented and how. demic has been opening up other areas
of access for healthcare.” 

as vitamins and nutritional and herbal population health at the Stanford Universi-
supplements – so that you won’t need to ty School of Medicine.
spend valuable time during the appoint-
ment doing this. Don’t limit your report to physical symp-
toms: In recent months, “many people have
If you take medication for hypertension experienced mental health symptoms such
or have diabetes, measure your blood pres- as depression and anxiety and some are re-
sure or blood sugar regularly in the days luctant to bring those up,” Zulman noted.
and weeks leading up to the visit and track Your physician wants to help you so it’s
the numbers in a log that you can take with best to engage in full disclosure, especially
you, advised Hiten Patel of Ohio State Uni- because “these are issues that affect other
versity Wexner Medical Center in Colum- aspects of your health,” she said.
bus. This way, your doctor will get a sense
of how these conditions are trending over Be honest about your lifestyle habits.
time, rather than simply getting a status In particular, describe how your diet, your
snapshot during the visit. use of alcohol and caffeine, and your ex-
ercise regimen have changed since the
Prioritize your issues. Before you go to pandemic began. It’s important for your
the appointment, create an agenda and physician to be aware of how these prac-
identify the top three to five concerns you’d tices may have evolved over the past year
like to address with your doctor, then start because they can influence your health
the conversation with those items, advised risks and conditions in many different
family physician Lou Edje, associate dean ways, Hanak said.
of graduate medical education at the Uni-
versity of Cincinnati Medical Center. Don’t be embarrassed if you’ve been
eating more or exercising less; you’ll be in
“It’s usually while the doctor has a good company on this front. Research has
hand on the doorknob and is about to found that especially early in the pandem-
leave that the patient brings up the is- ic, people’s intake of high-calorie or salty
sue they really want to address because foods, screen time and use of tobacco, alco-
they had to build up to it,” Edje said. “Be hol and cannabis increased considerably.
explicit about why you’re there and what Meanwhile, one study released this year
your chief complaints are.” found that the pandemic stay-at-home or-
ders led to a decline in physical activity,
If a problem – such as incontinence, vag- while another found that participants had
inal dryness or erectile dysfunction – is em- gained an average of 1.5 pounds per month
barrassing to you, write it down and hand they were sheltered in place.
the paper to your doctor, who will lead the
conversation from there. If you don’t get to Make sure you understand what you’re
all of your concerns during the visit, ask being told. Bring a pad and paper to the ap-
the doctor whether you should schedule a pointment so that you can take notes – or
follow-up or if you can discuss the issues ask a family member or friend to accompa-
through email or the patient portal. ny you and perform this task.

Be specific about what you’re expe- If you don’t understand something
riencing. When describing a particular your doctor says, ask clarifying questions
symptom, be sure to tell your doctor how until you get the picture. In particular,
it feels, when it started, what makes it bet- make sure you understand the diagnosis,
ter or worse and how it’s affecting or inter- including your doctor’s recommenda-
fering with your life, said Donna Zulman, tions for treating it and why they’re im-
an assistant professor of primary care and portant, Edje said.

14 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH www.veronews.com

Study: Hope for young adults
with poor cardiovascular health

For true independence this Fourth of July, By Erin Blakemore hospitalized for heart trouble. That isn’t
take control of your hearing health. The Washington Post surprising based on what scientists al-
Left untreated, hearing loss can affect ready know about the benefits of a heart-
your relationships, your physical health Scientists know plenty about heart healthy lifestyle.
and cognitive function. health in middle and old age. But data on
the cardiovascular health of young adults But you may be surprised by how big
New or upgraded hearing devices provide you with: is scanter. of an effect each cardiovascular health
factor had. A one-point increase in the
• More natural sound processing for improved speech A new study in the journal Circulation score was associated with a 42 percent
recognition and sound quality. sheds some light on this little-understood reduction in heart attack risk and low-
period – and shows it may be feasible to er risk of heart failure and stroke. And
• Bluetooth® connectivity to your devices. reduce the possibility of heart attacks patients who had lower scores but im-
• Long-lasting, rechargable batteries. and strokes even in people who start out proved them over time managed to re-
with poor heart health. duce their risk.

The study used insurance data col- That has important implications for
lected during routine health exams for doctors and patients. It suggests that
3.5 million young adults in South Korea while it’s best to start out with good heart
between 2003 and 2004. Many received health and healthy habits, gains are pos-
follow-up exams in the years that fol- sible even for those who don’t have good
lowed.

Experienced treatment by Aaron’s board-certified audiologist
will help you to find the best fit for your hearing and lifestyle needs!

Aaron’s Hearing Care

Trust your hearing to an AUDIOLOGIST with 30+
years of experience and make 2021 your best year ever!

Call (772) 562-5100

TO SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT

Only Doctor of Audiology owned office in Indian River County

Professional Care and Researchers from Yonsei University heart health scores in young adulthood.
Quality Service Since 1982 College of Medicine in Seoul gave each It also implies that it’s worth monitoring
patient a score based on six common heart health in young adults, even those
Dr. Aaron H. Liebman measures of cardiovascular health: low who don’t have a history of cardiovascu-
Doctor of Audiology cholesterol, a healthy weight, participa- lar events.
tion in physical activity, under-control
925 37th Place • Vero Beach, FL 32960 blood sugar and blood pressure, and Unsurprisingly, the study found that
(772) 562-5100 nonsmoker status. Then they looked to people who began with good heart
see how many people were hospitalized health and maintained it were least like-
AaronsHearingCare.com for cardiovascular events such as heart ly to be hospitalized or die of a stroke
attack or stroke. or heart attack. But even though young
adults are less likely to have cardiovas-
The higher the heart-healthy score, cular events, researchers say, it’s worth
the less likely participants were to be tracking them. 

Luxurious Pointe West home
with lake and golf course views

7895 14th Lane in Pointe West Central Village: 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 2,465-square-foot home
offered for $429,000 by Kimberly Keithahn of Alex MacWilliam Real Estate: 772-321-4656

16 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTATE www.veronews.com

Luxurious Pointe West home has lake and golf course views

By Samantha Rohlfing Baita | Staff Writer a standout feature of the entire Pointe West FEATURES FOR 7895 14TH LANE
[email protected] community. The sink is positioned so that
whoever draws the KP straw can enjoy a Neighborhood: Pointe West Central Village
Talk about curb appeal – the beautiful pleasant view of the lake and golf course. Year built: 2005 • Construction: Concrete block
residence at 7895 14th Lane in Pointe West
Central Village has it in spades. Star of the bedroom wing is the huge – Home size: 2,465 square feet
23-foot-by-15-foot – owner’s suite, glow- Lot size: Almost a quarter of an acre
With perfectly placed palms and tropi- ing with natural light and splendid hand-
cal foliage meticulously balanced for color scraped oak floors. A well-proportioned Bedrooms: 3 • Bathrooms: 2
and height, a wide brick drive and delight- crystal candelabra chandelier over the View: Lake and golf course views
ful little entrance path to the welcoming Additional features: All utilities run on natural gas; new ap-
veranda, four white columns, and a hand- pliances; interior paint 2018; custom woodwork throughout;
some roofline featuring a pair of gables 2-bay garage with room for golfcart, Cat 5 reinforced garage
with graceful millwork, this gracious home door, custom garage cabinets and workbench; attic storage
is a visual charmer even before you pass with pull-down stairs; paver driveway; permanent structural
though the elegant green entrance door. carport; professionally installed generator outlet; all windows
have rolldown, accordion or Bahama shutters; wood floors in
Inside, you’ll find light-filled space, love- bedrooms, tile in rest of home (no carpet); automatic sprin-
ly angles and lofty 9-foot ceilings, with easy kler system; curtain rods, blinds, shutters included; HOA fee
flow within well-defined living spaces. includes yard maintenance, annual tree trimming, fertilizer,
pest control; 4 heated community pools, pavilions, playground,
The broad foyer features the hand- access to private golf club facilities.
some millwork – 5-inch baseboards and Listing agency: Alex MacWilliam Real Estate
6-inch crown – that extends throughout Listing agent: Kimberly Keithahn, 772-321-4656
the home. There’s also white chair rail laid
against gentle blue walls. The foyer ceil- Listing price: $429,000
ing is painted as a faux blue sky with fluffy
clouds. The 9-foot ceilings and soft white
tile floors ground the entire central living
space, creating unbroken flow.

The central living area includes a dining
room looking out upon the lovely front ve-
randa and foliage; a spacious living room
area; the bright kitchen; and a wonderful,
wide bay sitting room – or breakfast nook –
with windows on three sides providing ter-
rific views of the fifth fairway. This appeal-
ing space is a favorite of the current owner,
who starts the day here, sipping coffee,
reading and taking in the tranquil vista.

Off the living room, a full wall of glass
sliders opens onto the large screen porch,
opening the interior-exterior flow to create
an absolutely fabulous and versatile space
with virtually endless entertaining possi-
bilities: parties large or small, day or night,
fancy or casual.

The smartly designed kitchen makes ex-
cellent use of space, offering lots of coun-
tertop, including a three-stool lunch count-
er, and an abundance of well-designed
custom cabinet storage. Here, as elsewhere
in the home, appliances run on natural gas,

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTAT E June 24, 2021 17

bed provides a romantic touch. A hand- An outstanding residential community Nearby, in the commercial centers along Vero Beach’s bustling downtown arts and
some antiqued white “barn door” slides along the West Vero Corridor, Pointe West State Road 60, you’ll find all kinds of shop- dining district and across the Indian River
open to the screen porch. offers numerous amenities on site, includ- ping opportunities, a grocery store, movie Lagoon to the city’s charming island village,
ing, swimming pools, a golf course and a theatres, drug stores, dozens of restaurants with restaurants, pubs, resorts, boutique
Through an archway, a hall leads to the health center. and more. Head east along State Road 60 to shopping and the sandy Atlantic shore. 
owner’s bath. On either side are a pair of
large, impeccably organized custom walk-
in closets you will absolutely love!

The bathroom features a private water
closet, and an angled cream-topped light
wood double vanity with dressing table in

the center and mirrors across the top. A
second delicate chandelier provides style
and soft light.

A big corner jacuzzi tub beneath a high
glass block window invites long, luxurious
soaks while the roomy glass shower ac-
commodates a faster pace to start the day.

At the front of the bedroom are the
two additional bedrooms, separated by a
cheery yellow and white full bath with tub/
shower. The bedroom at the north end fea-
tures corner windows, white millwork and
a custom-designed double bifold door
closet.

The center bedroom is accessed by
double French doors and has one of the
home’s coolest features, making this room
very flexible – a big, comfy Murphy bed,
flanked by custom shelving with storage
below. It can easily serve as an office or
for other use, to suit your taste and needs.
Both of these bedrooms have gorgeous
oak flooring.

Abundant, well-planned storage
throughout the home is another standout
feature here. Each and every drawer, shelf
and cabinet has been designed for maxi-
mum efficiency and optimal use of space.

18 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTATE www.veronews.com

MAINLAND REAL ESTATE SALES: JUNE 14 THROUGH JUNE 18

TOP SALES OF THE WEEK

Another solid week of real estate sales on the mainland saw 50 transactions of single-family resi-
dences and lots reported (some shown below).
The top sale of the week was in Vero Beach, where the 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom condominium
at 5380 W Harbor Village Dr. Unit #202 – first listed in April for $750,000 – sold for $620,000 on
June 15.
Representing the seller in the transaction was agent Tyler Fox of Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc.
Representing the buyer was agent Danette Dieffenbach of Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc.

SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES AND LOTS

ORIGINAL SELLING
PRICE
TOWN ADDRESS LISTED ASKING PRICE SOLD
$620,000
VERO BEACH 5380 W HARBOR VILLAGE DR #202 4/16/2021 $750,000 6/15/2021 $575,000
VERO BEACH 850 ROYAL PALM PL 4/29/2021 $549,000 6/15/2021 $575,000
VERO BEACH 7540 S VILLAGE SQ 3/26/2021 $625,000 6/16/2021 $499,900
VERO BEACH 707 43RD AVE 4/5/2021 $499,900 6/16/2021 $399,723
VERO BEACH 6370 NEVIS CT 1/18/2021 $408,888 6/15/2021 $399,000
VERO BEACH 706 WALL ST 3/25/2021 $429,000 6/14/2021 $395,900
VERO BEACH 4605 55TH ST 3/20/2021 $397,900 6/18/2021 $379,900
VERO BEACH 1756 WILLOWS SQ 5/11/2021 $379,900 6/15/2021 $375,000
VERO BEACH 2428 CORDOVA AVE 5/7/2021 $359,000 6/15/2021 $375,000
SEBASTIAN 1450 BARBER ST 5/13/2021 $389,000 6/14/2021 $342,000
VERO BEACH 3296 13TH PL 4/10/2021 $335,000 6/15/2021 $332,500
VERO BEACH 1954 GREY FALCON CIR SW 10/2/2020 $345,000 6/14/2021 $325,000
VERO BEACH 1415 CADDY CT 5/12/2021 $312,500 6/18/2021 $325,000
VERO BEACH 370 53RD CIR 3/22/2021 $325,000 6/15/2021 $320,000
VERO BEACH 3370 ROCKPORT ST 4/27/2021 $310,500 6/16/2021 $319,900
SEBASTIAN 322 QUARRY LN 4/23/2021 $319,900 6/15/2021 $319,000
SEBASTIAN 1241 GEORGE ST 4/19/2021 $325,000 6/17/2021 $306,000
SEBASTIAN 801 FOSTER AVE 4/28/2021 $289,000 6/14/2021 $303,000
SEBASTIAN 774 BELFAST TER 4/20/2021 $282,500 6/15/2021 $300,000
VERO BEACH 454 HIGH HAWK CIR 6/3/2021 $299,000 6/18/2021 $300,000
VERO BEACH 5045 HARMONY CIR #206 5/3/2021 $300,000 6/14/2021 $287,500
VERO BEACH 435 61ST AVE 4/20/2021 $270,000 6/16/2021 $285,000
SEBASTIAN 100 BELLAMY TRL 3/8/2021 $299,900 6/18/2021 $269,900
VERO BEACH 2153 HARWICK CIR SW 3/31/2021 $269,900 6/16/2021 $269,000
SEBASTIAN 117 LARCHMONT TER 5/7/2021 $274,000 6/15/2021 $257,000
VERO BEACH 4395 55TH ST 5/20/2021 $257,000 6/17/2021 $254,900
SEBASTIAN 165 DELMAR ST 5/11/2021 $254,900 6/14/2021 $252,000
SEBASTIAN 685 CAPON TER 4/12/2021 $252,000 6/16/2021 $250,000
VERO BEACH 9950 E VERONA CIR 5/6/2021 $250,000 6/14/2021 $250,000
VERO BEACH 1531 5TH AVE 6/1/2021 $250,000 6/18/2021

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTAT E June 24, 2021 19

HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOP RECENT INDIAN RIVER COUNTY REAL ESTATE SALES.

850 Royal Palm Pl, Vero Beach 7540 S Village Sq, Vero Beach

Listing Date: 4/29/2021 Listing Date: 3/26/2021
Original Price: $549,000 Original Price: $625,000
Sold: 6/15/2021 Sold: 6/16/2021
Selling Price: $575,000 Selling Price: $575,000
Listing Agent: Mazie Regan Listing Agent: Ashley Lombardo

Selling Agent: Daley & Company Real Estate Selling Agent: Keller Williams Realty

Kit Fields Steven Rennick

Alex MacWilliam, Inc. Rennick Real Estate

707 43rd Ave, Vero Beach 6370 Nevis Ct, Vero Beach

Listing Date: 4/5/2021 Listing Date: 1/18/2021
Original Price: $499,900 Original Price: $408,888
Sold: 6/16/2021 Sold: 6/15/2021
Selling Price: $499,900 Selling Price: $399,723
Listing Agent: Cheryl Michel Listing Agent: Liz Boley

Selling Agent: Daley & Company Real Estate Selling Agent: D R Horton Realty

Nathalie Frankel Brian Hamwey

Rennick Real Estate Keller Williams Realty

706 Wall St, Vero Beach

Listing Date: 3/25/2021 Furniture • Coastal Home Décor • Art • Gifts & MUCH MORE!
Original Price: $429,000
Sold: 6/14/2021 Don’t pay new prices when you can
Selling Price: $399,000
Listing Agent: Alex MacWilliam IV have quality preowned furniture and decor
for up to 70% off retail
Selling Agent: Alex MacWilliam, Inc.

Roger Myers

The Lafferty Group RE & Cnsltg

HUGE Selection - Lowest Prices In Area
Inventory Changes Daily

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Listing Date: 3/20/2021 Any One Item & Buy Estates!
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Sold: 6/18/2021 $500 or More Store Is Over
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Blue Heron Plaza, Vero Beach
kaleidoscopeconsignments.com

20 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | REAL ESTATE www.veronews.com

Is red-hot housing market starting to cool a little bit?

By Michele Lerner | Washington Post Northeastern metro areas and 1 percent ket may be returning to a more normal pandemic when the housing market was
in Midwestern metro areas. pace, such as the decline of pending sales nearly at a standstill.) Active listings fell
The fast-paced housing market of the by 3 percent for the four-week period 37 percent during that same four-week
past year may be slowing slightly in the The metro areas with the sharpest list- ending May 2, compared with a 2 per- period compared with 2020.
face of price spikes and a dearth of homes ing price increases in May were Austin cent increase during that same period in
for sale across the country. (32.2 percent), Riverside, Calif. (21.5 per- 2019. (Pending sales were up 38 percent Mortgage applications for a purchase
cent) and Las Vegas (18.5 percent). compared with that period in 2020, but declined during three of the five weeks
It’s too soon to say that the market is that was during the initial phase of the ending between April 30 and May 28, down
truly slowing, but data analysis from Redfin’s analysts pointed out a few by 3 percent to 4 percent each week and
both Realtor.com and Redfin real es- other indications that the housing mar- rising just 1 percent to 2 percent during the
tate brokerage recently found that while other two weeks, according to data from
home prices are still rising, they’re rising the Mortgage Bankers Association.
at a slower pace than in recent months.
In addition, while homes continue to sell
According to Realtor.com, the medi- in a record low of just one or two weeks on
an national price for active listings grew the market, that pace of sales has been rel-
15.2 percent in May 2021 compared with atively flat since the beginning of March,
May 2020 to $380,000, a record high. according to Redfin.
However, that pace of growth in May was
lower than the 17.2 percent increase in While these signs indicate a slight soft-
April year-over-year and is the first time ening of the housing market, Redfin’s
the annual growth rate has slowed in 13 data shows multiple record-breaking
months other than in February, which metrics that demonstrate just how hot
was affected by extreme weather. the market has been.

When drilling down to the largest In May, Redfin reported a median home
metro areas in the country, active list- sale price of $355,558, a record price that
ing prices grew an average of 7.4 percent was also a record 24 percent over May
in May 2021 compared with May 2020, 2020. More than half of homes (52 percent)
lower than the growth rate of 11.6 per- sold for more than their list price, up from
cent in April. Regionally, listing prices 26 percent in May 2020. Homes sold for 2
increased the most in Western markets percent above their list price in May 2021
(13.3 percent), compared with 8.2 per- compared with 1.5 percent below the ask-
cent in Southern markets, 5.9 percent in ing price in May 2020. 

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | YOUR HEALTH June 24, 2021 B1

POINTEWEST HOME HAS 16 B6 B12ATHURRICANEEXPO,
LAKE AND GOLFVIEWS ADVICE ON BEING READY
THREE BOXER BUDDIES
BIG HITWITH BONZO

Coming Up ‘OLIVERIAN FANTASY’:
BELOVED TEEN’S MUSIC
KICK-START YOUR AND LEGACY LIVE ON PAGE B2
FUN WEEKEND AT
DOWNTOWN FRIDAY

By Pam Harbaugh | Correspondent

1 Start your weekend off with
Downtown Friday. This is
a street party open to the public.
There will be music, demonstra-
tions, street vendors, food vendors
and a generally fun-filled atmo-
sphere at this free event. Orga-
nized by Main Street Vero Beach,
it runs 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the last
Friday of every month. So that
means tomorrow, Friday, June 25,
head to 14th Avenue in downtown
Vero Beach for the fun. For a start-
ing point, head to 2036 14th Ave.
For more information, call 772-
643-6782 or visit Facebook.com/
MainStreetVeroBeach for more
information.

2 For some big family fun this
weekend, it’s got to be “Burg-
ers & Brews,” which runs this Sat-
urday in historic downtown Vero
Beach. Go hungry, because this
free street festival will have the
Best Burger in Indian River Coun-
ty Competition and Burger Slider
Tasting, which will be held 1 p.m.
to 4 pm. along 21st Street. To par-
ticipate in that, you need to buy a
punch card/slider pass, which costs
$25 in advance or $30 the day of. The
punch card/slider pass will let you
sample up to five sliders created by
competing chefs from 10 popular
area restaurants including Barefoot
Café, Big Shots Golf, Captain Hi-
ram’s, Cobalt, Marsh Landings and
Wilke’s 14 Bones BBQ. An Apple Pie
Eating Contest begins at 4:15 p.m.
The Vero Beach Police Department
will conduct a K-9 demo from 4:30
p.m. to 5:30 p.m. There’s also going
to be live music by local bands, a
Kids Zone with giant board games,
vendors, food trucks and more.

CONTINUED ON PAGE B5

B2 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE www.veronews.com

‘Oliverian Fantasy’: Beloved teen’s music and legacy live on

BY BRENDA AHEARN | STAFF WRITER playing an instrument until after com- Composer Brian Balmages works with
pleting eighth grade, when he took a par- students at Vero Beach High School.
When Vero Beach High School students ticular shine to the cello. Despite the late
gathered for their annual Vero “Pops” Con- start, he would eventually meet his goal PHOTOS: BRENDA AHEARN
cert on May 6, the repertoire included the of earning a spot with the VBHS Philhar-
world premiere of “Oliverian Fantasy,” by monic Orchestra.
composer Brian Balmages. The piece was
based on a melody written by Oliver Bartel, a According to Mark Shuping, VBHS or-
VBHS sophomore who passed away last No- chestra director, Bartel had a strong work
vember, just 10 days before his 16th birthday. ethic and what he described as an “old soul.”

Bartel’s story was not that of the typical “From a teaching standpoint, Oliver was
high school musician. He had not begun the kind of kid you wish you could have a
thousand of. It didn’t matter how difficult the

challenge, he had this internal drive to learn Oliver Bartel
and to push himself,” said Shuping.

During his freshman year, Bartel perse-
vered with his goal, culminating in an au-
dition and acceptance into the orchestra in
May 2020. However, when COVID-19 altered
the school landscape, Bartel began his soph-
omore year of school virtually, and passed
away without ever having had a chance to

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE June 24, 2021 B3

Composer Brian Balmages. Grace Murphy.

Thomas Miller. ally powerful yet draining compositions that
had all touched on moments of great loss and
play with the orchestra. grief. His gut reaction at the idea of taking on
It made this recent concert especially poi- yet another such project, even a compelling
one, was to decline.
gnant for his parents, Scott and Sybil Bartel,
as their son would otherwise have been on “What did it for me was that Mark sent me
the stage, playing with his peers. the file of Oliver’s melody. I looked at the mu-
sic and thought, ‘Wow, I can really hear doing
Shuping said that Bartel had so looked for- something with this,’” said Balmages.
ward to being a part of the orchestra, adding,
“I believe it is all the more touching that we “They wanted this to be a light in the sea
get to honor him by playing his music.” of darkness that had been surrounding
the family, the orchestra program, and the
Those students who knew Bartel best are school. And I felt I could do something to
still struggling with their loss and grief. Shup- help, so I decided to take the commission.”
ing said that after he and several students
took part in his funeral, they were still left While “Oliverian Fantasy” will soon be
with a sense of wanting to do more. professionally recorded, the May concert
performed by VBHS students was its world
They eventually decided to commission premiere.
a piece that would honor Oliver; something
that would last forever and continue his leg- When Shuping offered the baton to Bal-
acy. As a result, Shuping reached out to Bri- mages to conduct his piece, he demurred.
an Balmages, an award-winning composer, Oliver’s parents suggested that the honor
conductor and music educator. should be Shuping’s.

Balmages recalled that he nearly said no. CONTINUED ON PAGE B4
When Shuping made the request, Balmages
said he was still reeling from three emotion-

B4 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE www.veronews.com

Mark Shuping conduciting
at the Vero “Pops” Concert.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B3 solos are traditionally performed by princi- Fifteen members of Bartel’s family were in
pal players, in this case they decided that the attendance at the concert, some from as far
The students themselves discussed and students who were socially closest to Bartel away as California.
decided upon the musicians who would play should play. The violin solo was performed
the two solos in the composition. Although It was a moment filled with significance
and hope for Oliver’s parents, who have a
Corbin Douglas. deep and abiding pride in their son, paired
with gratitude and a sense of humility for
by Graham Frankenberger, and the cello solo this gift.
by Thomas Miller.
“There are no words to describe this
The students also got a rare level of con- ruthless separation,” said Sybil Bartel. “I
nection with the Maryland-based Balmages, was apprehensive going into this concert.
who was able to arrange his travel schedule I thought, this is it. This is going to have
to rehearse with the orchestra in Vero Beach. a sense of finality. After this, people will
move on with their lives and forget Oliver.
As a result, the students had an opportu- But when I was in the auditorium listening,
nity to work directly with the composer, in- I realized the exact opposite is true. This
stead of simply playing music written, as Bal- concert was a beginning. His music will live
mages put it, by some “dead white guy who on. This young child, who was kindhearted
has no connection for a 21st century kid.” and driven and creative, he will live on.”

The students were also working with “That melody that he wrote, it’s short and
music that flowed from an experience in beautiful. It’s haunting,” added Scott Bartel.
their own lives; a tragedy that they could “The way those kids played it, and the emo-
connect with. tion behind their knowledge of Oliver – noth-
ing will ever be as powerful as what those
“This shows the power of music. It real- kids played last night. It was astounding.”
ly does allow us to get in touch on a deep-
er, more personal level. And in this case, to Shuping said the students had cherished
showcase beauty and to honor Oliver’s lega- the opportunity to honor their friend as a
cy,” said Balmages. class and to share his music with the world.

“All art is the result of life experience. “The moment was magical,” said Shup-
All art is the product of people who are ei- ing. “We felt that Oliver’s presence was really
ther trying to bring beauty into the world, on the stage with all the students last night.
to highlight the beauty that already exists, I always tell my students that when a piece
or to shine a light on injustice or tragedy finally ends, if nobody claps right away, then
in the world,” said Balmages. “Given the you’ve really done it. And you’ll know, be-
absolute intense nature of this experience cause no one wants to be the first to break
for each kid in the orchestra, this concert that moment. We had that last night.”
gives them a chance to explore those con-
nections for themselves.” In addition to the composition, an Oliver
S. Bartel Memorial Scholarship has been
arranged through Vero Beach High School
for an exceptional senor orchestra student
planning to continue with a music educa-
tion in college. 

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | ARTS & THEATRE June 24, 2021 B5

CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 and opening act Vien Phommachanh (re- Area and won Showtime’s “Funniest Person ear, nose and throat doctor in Sarasota. He
placement for Sheena Reagan). Rivera start- in America” competition. He taught middle was a finalist in the Clean Comedy Chal-
There are VIP package tickets for $100 ed doing comedy when he was a student at school civics for 13 years, which must give lenge in Nashville. Shows begin 7 p.m. and
which get patrons into reserved seating San Jose State University in California. He him plenty of comic fodder. Phommachanh 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 25-26, at
in an air-conditioned VIP lounge, com- has done stand-up in the San Francisco Bay not only performs stand-up, but is also an Riverside Theatre, 3250 Riverside Dr., Vero
plimentary cocktails, local craft brews, Beach. Tickets are all $20 plus a $2 process-
soft drinks and VIP outdoor seating at the ing fee. Get there early and enjoy a free con-
main stage performances. Funds raised cert outdoors at the Loop. The music acts
will go to United Against Poverty. Call 772- are Doo Wop City on Friday and Joe Reid
770-0740 or visit BurgersAndBrews.org. and Heartland on Saturday. Food and bev-
erages available for purchase.
3 Also on Saturday, the Space Coast
Symphony Orchestra will perform 5 Get this on your calendar ahead of
a patriotic concert – “Let Freedom Ring.” time: the Summer Film Program at
The concert includes popular Ameri- the Vero Beach Museum of Art. The pro-
can tunes like “Star Spangled Banner,” gram is called “Yes We Cannes” and is held
“God Bless America,” “Victory at Sea,” in conjunction with “A Tribute to Christo
selected marches by John Phillips Sousa, and Jeanne-Claude: The Tom Golden Col-
and the world premiere of “Semper Fi,” a lection,” which recently opened. The film
three-movement homage to the U.S. Ma- program schedule includes: “The Piano”
rine Corps, composed by Michael Daugh- and the short film “The Pistol,” 7 p.m. Tues-
erty. It features tenor Aaron Odom singing day, July 13; “Anna,” the 1987 feature film
Omar Thomas’ “Come Sunday,” “God Bless that will be preceded by the 2019 short film
the USA” and more. The concert, which is “Anna,” 7 p.m. July 20; and “Persepolis,”
performed under the baton of conductor preceded by the short film “12 Zioty,” 7 p.m.
Aaron Collins, also pays tribute to the late July 27. Each program will be preceded by a
Marion Scott, a longtime and devoted mu- brief introductory lecture by host and film-
sic leader in Brevard County. The concert maker Xaque Gruber, who will share his ex-
starts 2 p.m. Saturday, June 26 at the Em- periences at the famed Cannes Film Festi-
erson Center, 1590 27th Ave., Vero Beach. val. Tickets to the entire package are $48 for
Tickets are free, but you need to reserve museum members and $54 for non-mem-
one by going to SpaceCoastSymphony.org bers. Single tickets are $16 member, and
or by calling 855-252-7276. $18 non-member. The Vero Beach Museum
of Art is at 3001 Riverside Park Dr. Call 772-
4 Riverside Theatre’s Comedy Zone 231-0707 or visit VBMuseum.org. 
will present headliner Mike Rivera

B6 June 24, 2020 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | SEEN & SCENE www.veronews.com

Prep talk: At Hurricane Expo, expert advice on being ready

Vanessa Brooks, Lexi Nichols and Rachel Ivey. Eve Ballance and Stacy Benezra. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Mike Monk, Brian Konefal, Benjamin Dessart and Edward Buck.

By Mary Schenkel | Staff Writer resources because everyone is running formation about preparing for the hurri- “Additionally, one of our claims to fame
[email protected] out to go buy them.” cane season,” said Ivey. “When there’s an in 2020 is we helped The Source deliver
actual storm and we have an evacuation, 10,000 meals to residents here in Indi-
Since 2004, when Frances and Jeanne Emergency Management was one of we work with a lot of these nonprofits an River County who were sheltered in
paid an unwelcome visit to our shores, the many nonprofits and governmental and non-governmental entities. We all place in April and May of last year during
Vero Beach has mostly been spared the organizations, along with hurricane-re- come together as one team.” COVID-19,” said Miranda.
mighty wrath of hurricanes, compla- lated vendors, who were on hand to pro-
cency being the only downside. vide vital information about these un- The Community Emergency Response Sgt. Linda Nolan of the Indian River
welcome visitors. Team (CERT), a FEMA sponsored, volun- County Sheriff’s Department’s Community
“Prepare before,” advised Rachel Ivey, teer-led group, is part of that operation. Affairs Unit was giving out magnets with
an emergency management planner Officially, hurricane season runs their non-emergency number, and encour-
with Indian River County Emergency June 1 through Nov. 30. However, with Known as “ambassadors of prepared- aging people to download the Aware and
Management, at the 17th annual Hur- storms forming each May over the past ness,” potential volunteers (age 18 and Prepare Indian River app on their phones.
ricane Expo at and presented by the In- six years, the National Hurricane Center older) are invited to take a free, three-
dian River Mall. “Prepare now while it’s began forecasting Atlantic basin storms week course in emergency preparedness “Aware and Prepare Indian River pro-
blue skies and you have plenty of time on May 15 this year, which coincides and response. vides information about evacuation routes,
and you can do it gradually, versus all of with the start of the Pacific season. shelters and storm information,” Nolan ex-
a sudden a storm’s here, and there’s no “We teach you how to prepare your plained.
“We’re making sure people have in- house and your family for an emergen-
cy, what to do during an emergency and A comprehensive Official Disaster Pre-
afterwards, and how to help your neigh- paredness Guide for Indian River County,
bors,” said Marion Metakes. State Emergency Response Team hurricane
information, and hurricane tracking maps
“One of the big things we do is our ra- were also handed out.
dio system,” added Robert Homdal.
For more information:
He explained that, ideally, representa- • The IRC Disaster Guide can be
tives from each neighborhood call in to
the emergency response center, where downloaded at irces.com.
police, fire-rescue and other emergency • Subscribe to IRC emergency alerts
management personnel are situated.
at alertindianriver.com
“And then they decide which neigh- • Subscribe to the Aware and Pre-
borhood needs to be responded to first,
which is extremely important. It saves a pare app on the Apple Store or
lot of time,” said Homdal. “That’s key.” Google Play.
• Create an online Family Disaster
Carm Miranda, CERT program man- Plan at Floridadisaster.org
ager, explained that they solicit volun- • To register for CERT training,
teers through expos, public events and net- email certofindianrivercounty@
working. gmail.com. 



B8 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | DINING www.veronews.com

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Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | DINING June 24, 2021 B9

SUNDAY BRUNCH EVERY WEEEKEND 11:30 AM - 3 PM $5 Draft Beer
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CALL 772.410.0100 FOR MORE INFORMATION OR VISIT COSTADESTE.COM 

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B10 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | DINING www.veronews.com

NEW SUMMER HOURS
TUES – SAT 11:30AM TO CLOSE
Tuesday – Trivia  Wednesday – Bingo
Thursday – Karaoke  Live Band every Fri & Sat

Happy Hour every day from
4pm to 6pm and 9pm to CLOSE

Where Vero goes for a little piece of Ireland!

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Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | PETS June 24, 2021 B11

DINING ROOM OPEN “IT’S HUGE”
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B12 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | PETS www.veronews.com

These three Boxer buddies are a big hit with Bonzo

Hi Dog Buddies! Christmas tree. Didn’t knock the tree ChoctaPwHO,TOD: KoAIaLAkJO&NESBiscuit. ’Cept sis still gets a
over, either. An once he ate the squeak- liddle nervous.”
Woof, did I have a fun innerview ers outta two squeaky toys an hadda picked me from my litter of
with three super well-groomed, frenly, get his stomach pumped.” eight, all inna wiggly row. I was biggest, “How ’bout pooch pals,” I asked.
enthusiastic Boxers with lots of intrest- plus, I’m Very Intelligent! Took me one “There’s our next-door neighbors Calli
ing tails to tell. “Did you HAFF to share that?” Biscuit day to get potty trained, No Woof!” an MayMay; an Bodie an Utah across the
grumped. street,” Doak said.
They greeted me an my assistant in “Impressive,” I exclaimed. “Oh, an guess what?” chimed in Bis-
their yard, wearin’ harnesses cuzza all We moved inside and sat around a ta- “Me an Renegade were Besties. Then, cuit. “Bodie an Utah get Bark Boxes ev-
their energy an outgoin’ doganalities. ble. Biscuit, who had put his front paws not that long ago, she hadda go over the ery month, so now WE get ’em, too. Cool
Doak Campbell Gilmore is the oldest, 5, and big smiley face on my assistant’s lap, Rainbow Bridge. It was Very Very Sad. Kibbles, right?”
so he was Spokespooch, and trotted right nudged my notebook. “What’s THAT? Preddy soon, Mama an Papa found “Where do you all sleep?”
up for the Wag-an-Sniff. His coat was Are you gonna WRITE stuff? About US? Choctaw in Oak-luh-HOME-muh, which “With Mama and Papa, of course!”
golden fawn color with white trim. Doak said you were! About Me, even? is way far that way.” (He pointed.) they all replied.
LIke, I have a pawsome pooch sitter, “I helped Mama an Papa an Doak “At first they said ABSOLUTELY
“Howdy there, Bonz, it’s OK callin’ you Maddie! She’s 12. Mama says ‘It Takes feel better when they were Dismal Dog NOT!!!” Choctaw explained, “but, obvi-
Bonz, right? I’m Doak Gilmore. (We’re a Village’ to raise me, whatever that Biscuits cuzza losing Renegade,” Choc- ously, we disagreed. I mean, after all! So
Major FSU fans.) I’m from Air-uh-ZONE- means. What’s in that satchel? Is that taw said softly. we cried outside the door. We’re always
nuh. This liddle gal” (he nose-bumped a your pencil? Can I chew it?” Doak gave his sister a nuzzle. “You very careful to give them enough room –
pretty, shiny black Boxer, smallest of the were wonderful! Then, Mama was 17 inches just for them.”
three) “is our sister, Choctaw Lil Lady, When Biscuit turned his attention to lookin’ for an additional Boxer an found Heading home, I was smiling, pictur-
just turned 1. An this silly muffin” (an a Large, Durable Chew Toy, and Miss our lovable, goofy liddle bro Biscuit in ing three pooches and two humans all
ex-ZOOBER-ently bouncin’ brindle) “is Choctaw curled at their Mama’s feet, I Muh-ZOO-ree.” snuggled up, nice an cozy. An reminding
Buster the Biscuit Posey, he’s 11 months. addressed Doak. “How’d the three of you Biscuit popped up from munching myself to check out what a Bark Box is.
We mostly call him Biscuit. He goes UP find your Forever Famly?” his chewy bone. “I wanna tell this part,
a lot, jus’ so you know. An these are our OK? So, Mama flew out to get me in one Till next time,
Mama an Papa, Kris an Chuck.” “It wasn’t what you’d call a direct path,” of those big, funny bird thingys. It was
he smiled. “Back in 1990-ish, Mama and when that duh-zeez was everywhere, so The Bonz
“Welcome, Mr. Bonzo,” Choctaw said Papa were lookin’ for a boxer pup and me an Mama hadda whole row for just
sweetly. found one they loved. But when they us. I got to sit in an ack-shull seat next Don’t Be Shy
went to pick him up, their car wouldn’t to Mama ’cept at the start an the end,
“Miss Choctaw, Doak, Biscuit, it’s a start, and the pup got another famly. an everybody thought I was the cutest We are always looking for pets
pleasure to meet you all!” We followed Mama and Papa were bummed. So they pupper EVER! with interesting stories.
them into the open garage. On the wall had Pugs for a while. Don’t ask me why. “When we got to here an I met every-
was a fancy sign that said “Doak’s Gym: Anyway, in 2006-ish, their son Ryan got a body, I was SO HAPPY. I knew I’d found To set up an interview, email
Where Muscle Matters.” Boxer, Isabel, nicknamed Izzy. Whenever my Forever Famly. Papa says we were like [email protected].
Papa’d come home from work, Izzy’d do PB&J right off the bat. An guess what our
“Woof! You gotta GYM? Cool Kibbles!” the liddle dance lotsa us Boxers do when favrite thing is? Ridin’ in our Jeeps. Safely
“Yeppers! We train every day. I’m in we’re excited an happy, the Wriggly Bean. tucked in, lookin’ out the back. Lotsa hu-
charge. Mama an Papa retired from cuh- Papa totally loved Izzy’s greeting an, mans holler an wave to us. It’s way Fun.
rears in Law Enforcement, an we’re al- when Ryan an Izzy moved out, he Totally
ways goin’ on excitin’ ad-VEN-churs, so Missed it. Then, unbeknownst to Papa,
we gotta stay in shape, ya know?” Mama got another Boxer pup, Renegade,
“Totally,” I agreed, then saw what Doak as a surprise. When Papa came home
meant when he said Biscuit goes UP. Bis- from work, in full uniform an all his gear,
cuit put his front paws on my assistant’s there was Renegade, fluffy an adorable.
shoulders by way of greeting, an received Papa totally melted. He plopped right
lots of ear friffles an head pats in return. down on the floor an cuddled her an
“Yup!” said Doak. “Biscuit’s our that’s when they started havin’ excitin’
goofy liddle brother. Gets in trubble all Road Trips an ad-VEN-churs all over the
the time. Can’t be left alone for long. country, Mama, Papa an Renegade.
Took a whole string of lights off the
“Then Mama decided she wanted a
Boxer, too. She found me in FEE-nix an

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | GAMES June 24, 2021 B13

A FIT AND A VOID LIMIT THE OPPONENTS WEST NORTH EAST
742 J 10 6 3 —
By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist K Q J 10 87542 A963
— A94 876532
Dame Judi Dench said, “Work certainly does help fill a void.” K86542 3 J 10 9

She is such a good actress. If you haven’t done so already, watch her in the television SOUTH
series “As Time Goes By.” AKQ985
—
In a bridge deal, a void can help “fill” that side with extra tricks. The hardest part of K Q J 10
today’s deal is getting to the right final contract. How would you and your partner bid? AQ7

In the given auction, North had the ideal hand for a splinter bid. Over two spades, his Dealer: South; Vulnerable: East-West
jump to four clubs promised good spade support and a singleton (or void) in clubs.
The Bidding:
South now knew that he had no club losers because he could ruff the seven and queen
on the board. But who had the diamond ace? Using Blackwood would not have helped SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
when North showed one ace — was it the useless heart ace or the invaluable diamond 2 Clubs Pass 2 Diamonds Pass
ace? So South continued with a four-heart control-bid, which denied first-round 2 Spades Pass 4 Clubs! Pass LEAD:
diamond control (a suit skipped over) and showed first-round heart control. Then, when 4 Hearts Pass 5 Diamonds Pass K Hearts
North control-bid five diamonds, South confidently jumped to seven spades. 7 Spades Pass Pass Pass

After West led the heart king, South ruffed and cashed the spade ace, planning to claim
if both opponents followed. However, when East discarded, declarer cashed the club
ace, ruffed a club, played a spade to hand, trumped the last club, ruffed a heart high and
drew the missing trump.

Note that South did not try to return to hand with a diamond, because it carried the risk
that West was void in the suit.

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B14 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | GAMES www.veronews.com

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (JUNE 17) ON PAGE B16

ACROSS DOWN
1 Riding pace (6) 2 Very tired (3,2)
5 Leg joints (5) 3 In the news (7)
9 Thought 4 Balderdash (3)
5 Inuit craft (5)
communication?(9) 6 Absorb (7)
10 Mush (3) 7 Staffordshire city (5-2-5)
11 Mother’s ruin (3) 8 Actor’s aside (5,7)
12 Hard part of face (9) 13 Master of ceremonies(5)
14 Tiny (3) 15 Justify actions (7)
16 Pub (5) 17 Matter of chance (7)
18 Shiner? (3) 20 Glowing (complexion)(5)
19 Flawed (9) 21 Trust (5)
21 Some distance away (3) 24 Bite (3)
22 Small vegetable (3)
The Telegraph 23 Yellow‘clock’bloom (9)
25 Flowing (5)
26 Hitchcock classic (6)

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

Serving mainland Indian River County VeroNews/Sebastian River News | GAMES June 24, 2021 B15

ACROSS 97 Preemptive action by an 48 Some babies The Washington Post
1 Off the injured list electric company 50 Court promise
5 Crash-boom follower 52 “Make like ___ and leave” THE STEPHEN KING COUNTY FAIR By Merl Reagle
8 Archer’s asset 99 Florida-flattening 53 Picketer’s prefix
11 U.N. first name hurricane of 1992 54 Middle management?
14 Scornful look 55 Worthy of a People cover,
15 Wild West Show guy 100 Furry swimmers
16 Lukewarm 102 Grants org. perhaps
18 “___ get it” 103 Kids’s guessing game 56 Notorious “witch hunt” org.
19 The only snacks sold at the 105 1 Down’s hubby, Wallach 57 Mailing ctr.
106 How Fairgoers feel at 58 List of features
Fair? 63 Jane, for one
21 A, in Aachen day’s end? 64 One of 76
22 By way of 111 HAL’s disabler 65 Facility
23 Primo 112 Altdorf’s canton 66 Power companies
24 The two top-selling items at 113 Have the nerve 67 Gigi star
114 What Stephen King takes 68 Japanese carp
the Fair’s gift shop? 71 Livid
27 Play about Capote home from the Fair? 74 Beet variety
28 Sun-deprived 117 White House nickname 76 CD continuation?
30 Tavern 118 Toledo-Buffalo separator 77 Spiritless
31 Former minors 119 ___ d’oeuvres 78 Voice-over: abbr.
32 Brat 120 1972 creature feature 79 ___ speak
34 Like some roofs 81 Coldly inexpressive
39 Secret motive starring Ray Milland 84 Moo ___ pork
40 Most popular “game” at the 121 Golfer who won the 1994 86 Brooks
87 Cinderella’s deadline
Fair? and 1997 U.S. Open 88 Cry of pain
42 First name in fashion 122 Cut (off) 89 Supermarket section
44 Props for 121 Across 123 Global carrier, once 90 Type of pass
45 Org. 124 Boosters 91 Involves
46 Multi-family bldgs. 93 “I shot ___ ...”
47 Insensitive DOWN 94 It may widen
49 Big name in CD 1 Actress Jackson 96 Wear away
2 ___ for more 98 Food-packaging info
retrospectives 3 Creepy Christopher 101 Speak angrily
51 The Fair’s version of 4 Olivia’s Captain Blood 104 Overly formal
107 The Stooges, e.g.
information booths? co-star 108 Dickensian clerk
56 Scottish philosopher David 5 Nitwit 109 Throw ___ loss
59 On the ___ (precisely) 6 Confusing 110 It might come after “prior”
60 Nail site 7 1967 Petula Clark hit, “This 111 Face lickers
61 See 121 Across 115 Rifleman’s org.
62 Retrieve from the dustbin Is ___” 116 Scam
63 Fair vehicles that you 8 Sacked out
9 Hipbone parts
shouldn’t stand too close to? 10 Spiritual sustenance
69 Home of DFW 11 Reveal
70 Sleeping disorder 12 Slightly
72 Norma ___ 13 Part of the Clark Kent look
73 Chinese concept 14 Holes in your head
74 Newport or Salem, e.g. 15 Martha’s Vineyard entree
75 Entered a Stephen King 17 Louella’s rival
19 Incursions
version of one of those 20 Hotbeds of hedonism
“how many are in the jar” 23 Victory ___
contests? 25 Spectator
80 Like Joyce 26 Death Be Not Proud author
82 Fit again, as a window 28 Pip
83 Peace Prize city 29 102 Across issue
85 “Yummiferous!” 33 Cross home
89 “Not guilty,” e.g. 35 Whack
92 Attire 36 MIT, e.g.
93 What you shouldn’t be 37 The Time Machine race
surprised to see walking 38 Actress Laura
among the Fairgoers? 41 Copier company
95 Scope 43 Slangy job
47 Ink mishap

The Telegraph

B16 June 24, 2021 VeroNews/Sebastian River News | CALENDAR www.veronews.com

JUNE 25|26 Riverside Theatre Comedy 26 Burgers & Brews – An American Her- Contest, 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. VBPD K-9 demo,
Zone, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. show- itage Celebration, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. kids zone and vendors. Free event. $25 burg-
25 Riverside Theatre for Kids presents times, featuring Mike Rivera and Sheena Reagan. All in Downtown Vero Beach to benefit United er competition punch cards; $100 VIP Lounge
“Disney’s Frozen Kids.” 772-231- seats $20. Live on the Loop concerts 5:30 to 9 p.m., Against Poverty, with live music all day, slid- and punch cards. 772-770-0740 or burger-
6990 with Doo Wop City Fri., and Joe Reid and Heartland er tasting and Best Burger in IRC competition sandbrews.org.
Sat. Free but tickets required. 772-231-6990 (1 p.m. to 4 p.m.), 4:15 p.m. Apple Pie Eating
26 Unveiling of the ‘Words from War
Solutions from Games Pages ACROSS DOWN Monumental Sculpture’ honoring Iraq
in June 17, 2021 Edition 1 BLEW 2 LEDGE and Afghanistan veterans by members of the
4 BELLE 3 WRONG Next Generation Veterans, 10 a.m. at Riverside
9 WOULD 4 BATTLES Park, between the Vero Beach Museum of Art
10 OCTOBER 5 LABOUROFLOVE and the entrance to Veterans Memorial Island
11 ICEBERG 6 EARTH Sanctuary. 772-559-3146
13 LAUGH 7 OWNING
14 GUMMED 8 SUPERMARKETS 26 Space Coast Symphony Orchestra
16 ASHORE 12 RID presents Let Freedom Ring, a patriotic
18 VERSE 15 ENEMIES concert, 2 p.m. at the Emerson Center, a salute
19 RESULTS 16 ACE to the U.S. Armed Forces featuring tenor Aaron
21 SPECIES 17 EASILY Odom singing, a spiritual work by Omar Thom-
22 LEVEL 18 VISIT as, and the world premiere of Michael Daugh-
23 TUSKS 19 ROSES erty’s Semper Fi, dedicated to the U.S. Marine
24 STEM 20 SOLVE Corps. Free. 855-252-7276

Sudoku Page B17 Sudoku Page B18 Crossword Page B17 Crossword Page B18 (AH, LABOR DAY)

BUSINESS DIRECTORY ARE you turning 65 or new to Medicare?

Our directory gives small business people eager to provide ARE you looking to review Medicare Choices for 2021.
services to the community an opportunity to make themselves
I can help you with over 10+years of
known to our readers at an affordable cost. This is the only experience, the dedication and honesty of a
business directory mailed each week. If you would like your
business to appear in our directory, please call 772-633-0753. LOCAL INDEPENDENT agent that
This is also where we publish Fictitious Name or “Doing Business specializes in Medicare choices.

As” notices, Public Notices and Employment ads. MAKE IT YOUR CHOICE!
To place one, please email [email protected].
772-766-1558
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