09/01/2022 ISSUE 35

DeSantis‘ influence felt in
local elections. P10
COVID-19 cases

here hold steady. P12
Doctor brings groundbreaking
lung surgery technique to Vero. P44

Vero Council trying For breaking news visit
to get referendum
off November ballot US Judge rejects
Vero arguments
on water-sewer

BY RAY MCNULTY BY LISA ZAHNER
Staff Writer Staff Writer

The Vero Beach City Council A federal judge has shot

voted unanimously last week down all of the City of Vero

to ask a circuit judge to remove Beach’s arguments for a per-

from the November ballot a manent water-sewer service

citizen-authored referendum territory, putting the Town of

that would restrict plans to Indian River Shores one step

expand the municipal marina closer to being able to obtain

and limit the size of future im- utility service from Indian Riv-

provements to other park-like er County or another provider.

properties protected in the Vero Beach had filed a mo-

city charter. tion to dismiss a lawsuit filed

The council will challenge by the Shores which claims that

the referendum’s language, a 1989 territorial agreement

which City Attorney John Turn- A seven-vehicle crash with injuries at U.S. 1 and Aviation Boulevard in the City of Vero Beach in January. PHOTO: VBPD dividing Indian River County

er said violated state law be- Vero not immune from nationwide surge in accidents into two exclusive water-sewer
cause it is “unclear and ambig- service territories is a violation
uous” and “doesn’t fairly advise of federal antitrust law because

and inform the voters of the BY CAROLYN SCHILLER are currently experiencing on incidents involved pedestri- it prevents the town from seek-
consequences if it is approved Correspondent ing competitive proposals for
and adopted.” our roads and highways. ans and in 22 crashes, bicy- an essential service.

Traffic data just within the clists were involved in col-

Turner said the lawsuit could Vero Beach, much like par- Vero Beach city limits show lisions with motor vehicles, Federal Judge Aileen Can-

be filed by the end of this week, adise in so many ways, is not 2,350 motor vehicle acci- according to the Florida De- non dismissed Vero’s motion,

and he’ll request that the judge safe from the seemingly un- dents between Jan. 1, 2020, partment of Transportation. meaning the case will move

order an expedited hearing so relenting national crisis we and mid-August 2022. Forty CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 forward toward a trial, which

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

ORCA making Vero Beach its new headquarters Seaside Grill at Jaycee Park to reopen in a few weeks

BY STEVEN M. THOMAS BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA
Staff Writer Staff Writer

After searching for more A refreshed Seaside Grill is
than a year, sometimes des- expected to finally open in a
perately, the Ocean Research few weeks, under new manage-
and Conservation Association ment, after a six-figure renova-
has found a new home – and tion and with extended hours.
its new headquarters will be
in Vero Beach. The popular breakfast and
lunch restaurant overlooking
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

September 1, 2022 Volume 15, Issue 35 Newsstand Price $1.00 ‘Family Party’ at
Museum of Art big
News 1-12 Editorial 30 People 13-24 TO ADVERTISE CALL hit with kids. P17
Arts 39-42 Games 33-37 Pets 54 772-559-4187
Books 32 Health 43-49 Real Estate 61-68
Dining 55-57 Insight 25-38 Style 50-53 FOR CIRCULATION
CALL 772-226-7925

© 2022 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Vero fighting referendum faith in the process that we’ve estab- tional meeting’ of the City Council was Johannsen, Youth Sailing Foundation
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 lished as a community.” turned into a ‘Let’s sue the VBPA vote,’” executive director Stu Keiller, former
Larking wrote. “We were blindsided city council candidate Linda Hillman
a ruling can be made before the Nov. 8 In fact, the meeting brought together and dismayed to be so badly treated, and real estate attorney Barry Segal.
election. a group of other former city officials and especially owing to the fact that, ini-
civic-minded citizens who, as former tially, we weren’t invited to the meeting Segal said the referendum’s wording
If a ruling isn’t issued before voters City Council candidate Tracey Zudans and were turned down for an opportu- doesn’t meet the requirement under
begin casting ballots – and if the city said, “don’t always agree” – yet they were nity to present our facts. state law that ballot questions be written
wins the case – Turner said a judge has united in opposing the referendum. in “clear and unambiguous” language.
the authority to void the result. “It clearly looked to us like a set-up
And they wanted to know: How did to allow the opposition to have two free “I could sit and pull this apart for
The referendum cannot be reword- a neighborhood effort to stop or limit hours to take cheap and misinformed about 30 minutes,” he said, “and come
ed or withdrawn because it already the city’s marina-expansion plans be- shots at a citizen-supported initiative,” up with about 30 different interpreta-
has been submitted to the Supervisor come a take-no-prisoners movement she added. “And that’s what it turned tions.”
of Elections Office. to require referendums every time the out to be.”
council wants to noticeably improve a Council members Rey Neville and
“Our only option is to ask a judge to city park? City Manager Monte Falls denied her John Cotugno expressed disappoint-
remove it,” Turner said. allegation, saying the alliance was told ment that the alliance didn’t send rep-
Leaders of the Vero Beach Preserva- its members were invited to the meet- resentatives to the meeting.
The council decided to fight the tion Alliance, which gathered the nec- ing and would be allowed to go beyond
referendum at a special-call meeting essary signatures and authored the ref- the standard 3-minute limit placed on Cotugno wondered aloud if the
last week, after listening to a parade erendum, did not attend the meeting. speakers who address the council. stop-the-marina effort was “hijacked
of citizens who attacked the initiative’s by some people who want to keep Vero
wording, warned of its implications Instead, they sent an emissary, Vero The two-part referendum asks Vero Vero,” saying the council members
and questioned the motives of those Beach resident Anne McCormick, who Beach voters to amend the city char- will “look like the bad guys” because
who proposed it. said scheduling conflicts prevented alli- ter to: they’re taking the referendum to court.
ance board members from being there.
Many of those who spoke said they She then read a statement explaining  Add the land containing the ma- “I hate this, but it’s something that
opposed the referendum because, if the purpose of the referendum. rina’s dry-storage facility and former needs to be done,” Brackett said. “We
passed, the council would be required Waddell Insurance building to the need clarification, because I’m not go-
to go to the voters to make all but the Last weekend, the alliance’s attorney, charter’s list of protected properties. ing to be here after November. If I had
smallest improvements to city parks Lynne Larkin – a controversial former to work with this – not knowing what
and other charter-protected properties. Vero City Council member who no lon-  Restrict “any future structures” it meant – it would be a nightmare.”
ger lives in Vero – emailed a follow-up added to the charter’s protected prop-
“The consequences of changing the statement criticizing the council’s de- erties to no more than 500 square feet, Brackett won the Republican pri-
ability to manage your affairs by virtue cision to go to court. She also claimed and limit the expansion of existing mary for the Florida House’s District
of imposing a referendum process are the alliance members weren’t initially structures to no more than 20 percent 34 seat last week and is a prohibitive
enormous,” former mayor Tony Young invited to the special-call meeting. of their current footprint and volume, favor to defeat Sebastian Democrat
said, adding that it “shows a lack of unless approved by city voters in a ref- Karen Greb in November. 
“We were appalled that an ‘informa- erendum.
Judge rejects Vero arguments
The term “structures, under the CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
city’s code, can apply to improvement
that include restrooms, pavilions, is set for January.
playground equipment, parking lots, One by one, Cannon refuted each of
sidewalks and walls. The 500-square-
foot restriction would limit the size of Vero’s assertions justifying the perma-
those additions to slightly more than nent service territory, meaning that,
three parking spaces. to prevail at trial, Vero’s legal team will
need to come up with a new rationale
Currently, the addition of such ame- and strategy.
nities to city parks may be approved
by a majority vote of the City Council. Vero claimed that, according to the
If the referendum passes, however, 1989 agreement, Indian River County
improvements that exceed the afore- Utilities cannot serve Indian River
mentioned size restrictions would Shores customers without Vero’s per-
need to be approved by city voters. mission, and since Vero has not yet
refused to grant that permission, the
The charter amendment would dispute is not yet ripe.
cover not only the marina’s boat-barn
areas, but also would apply to more Cannon disagreed, noting that In-
than two dozen city parks and other dian River Shores is facing an Oct. 1,
waterfront properties, including the 2023, deadline to notify Vero whether
Three Corners parcels. or not the town intends to renew a wa-
ter-sewer franchise agreement which
Vero Beach leaders are hoping to expires in 2027, and the town needs
develop that 33-acre property – on time to plan for an alternative.
which the defunct municipal power
plant and current wastewater-treat- “The Court also finds that the Town
ment facility now sit – into a dining, has made a sufficient showing that with-
retail, social and recreational hub on holding court consideration pending
the mainland’s waterfront. further action by the City will cause hard-
ship” in light of the town’s 2023 deadline
Mayor Robbie Brackett has ex- to make a decision, the ruling said.
pressed concerns that the alliance’s
referendum, if approved, could derail Meanwhile, the City of Vero Beach
the Three Corners project. is planning to build an $80 million-
plus wastewater treatment plant at
In addition to Young and Zudans, the the airport, and to obtain financing
list of others who spoke in opposition to for that major project with looming
the referendum included: former may- uncertainty about how large its cus-
or Harry Howle, Indian River Neigh-
borhood Association chairman Mike

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 3

NEWS

tomer base will be in 2027 should the generations of Shores’ residents may Surge in accidents smaller scale, what’s happening nation-
city lose this lawsuit and Indian River freely choose who provides essential CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 wide. On Aug.17, federal transportation
County make a bid to provide the water services in the town,” Foley said. officials reported more than 9,500 peo-
Shores with water-sewer service. Eighty-four percent of the crashes ple were killed in traffic accidents in the
Indian River Shores is being repre- occurred in broad daylight and 97 per- first three months of 2022 marking the
Regarding the argument that Section sented by Bruce May and Kevin Cox cent in dry conditions, so poor visibil- deadliest start of a year in the country in
180 of Florida Statutes grants munici- of the Holland and Knight law firm ity and wet roads don’t seem to be to two decades.
palities the power to serve utility cus- and the City of Vero Beach’s legal team blame for the bulk of traffic incidents.
tomers outside their own city limits, so includes Thomas Cloud of the Gray According to the 2022 report, “Dan-
actions under this “state power” are im- Robinson law firm and City Attorney Vero’s reality reflects, albeit on a gerous by Design” issued by Smart
mune from federal antitrust law, Can- John Turner. 
non countered that the State of Florida CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
never intended for a municipality to use
the authorization to provide water and
sanitary sewer service to engage in “anti-
competitive conduct,” wielding monop-
oly power over another municipality.

“Upon review, the Court agrees with
the Town that state action immunity
does not insulate the City from poten-
tial federal antitrust liability arising
out of the 1989 Agreement as alleged
in the Town’s well-pleaded complaint.

“Florida law authorizes munici-
palities to develop public utilities for
water services, but that same source
of law also limits a municipality from
encroaching upon the boundary of
another municipality in the develop-
ment of such services,” the ruling said.

Vero also claimed that the decades
Indian River Shores has spent as a cus-
tomer of Vero Beach Utilities via two
franchise agreements executed by town
officials constitutes consent to the ter-
ritorial agreement, but the judge dis-
agreed.

Vero claims that the time the city has
served the Shores has been without
objection, but in reality, Indian River
Shores has had issues with Vero’s utility
rates for more than a decade, and Vero
and the Shores have tried through for-
mal mediation and informal negotia-
tions to resolve their issues, resulting
in not only the federal lawsuit, but also
in a separate breach of contract law-
suit in state circuit court.

“The City has made no showing that
such history precludes the Town from
seeking legal redress now for what it
has plausibly alleged is anticompeti-
tive conduct in violation of federal an-
titrust law,” the judge wrote.

Shores Mayor Brian Foley said on
Monday: “The federal court’s ruling
agrees with the Town’s arguments on
nearly all key legal issues. The court
rejected the City of Vero Beach’s argu-
ment that the city’s anticompetitive
conduct is immune from the antitrust
laws. In so doing, the court order sets
the stage for further proceedings to
invalidate the so called ‘permanent
exclusive service area’ claimed by the
City of Vero Beach.”

Foley said the ruling denying Vero’s
motion to dismiss the lawsuit, and the
upcoming federal trial are important
not just today, or in 2027 when the wa-
ter-sewer franchise agreement expires.

“The town looks forward to seeing
the case to conclusion so that future

4 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Surge in accidents deaths on a car-centric road design. lives lost; damage done; and for many, However, sadly, behind the data are
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Cyclists do not fare much better. In a lives forever changed. the names and faces of people who
make up our community.
Growth America, from 2016-2020, report issued by StreetLight Data, Flor- The overwhelming numbers have the
Florida had the unwelcome distinc- ida leads the list as having the most cy- potential to desensitize us to the near On Aug. 15, Indian River County
tion of ranking No. 2 in the country clist deaths per capita, and is the third daily damage occurring on our streets Commissioner and former Vero Beach
(behind New Mexico) for pedestri- most dangerous state for cyclists. and highways. Statistics, while stagger- mayor Laura Moss was hospitalized af-
ans at risk of being struck by vehicles. ing, have a way of making these acci- ter she was hit by a pickup truck while
The report largely blames pedestrian Nearly every day a barrage of head- dents seem impersonal – they are sim- crossing the street when leaving the
lines broadcasts news of another crash ply numbers and may not involve our Chelsea Market on Cardinal Drive, ac-
– a collision of vehicles versus vehicles, neighbors, friends or family members. cording to police. Moss was knocked
pedestrians or cyclists. A collision of

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NEWS

to the ground by the impact which left Further, Moss notes one possibility ter Officer Darrell Rivers, said the mo- Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.
her briefly unconscious. might be to use traffic data, including torist who struck Moss was cited for Shortly thereafter, 57-year-old South
statistics from particularly dangerous careless driving, but is not expected to
Moss said last week, “I hope to use intersections such as Aviation Boule- face criminal charges. barrier island resident Michael Gianfran-
my unfortunate personal experience vard and U.S. 1, to help develop public cesco and his dog, Molly, were struck
for the benefit of our community by service campaigns to inform the pub- Moss was not seriously injured, but and killed by a vehicle while walking on
working with county staff, local law lic of the hazards of distracted driving, the outcome of other local crashes the east grass shoulder near their home
enforcement agencies, and colleagues which is one of the main reasons for has been tragic. In May 2021, 63-year- in the Dunes community.
at the Metropolitan Planning Orga- such crashes. old John’s Island resident, Carl Cutler
nization to improve the safety of our was killed while riding his bicycle on Gianfrancesco and Molly were de-
streets for all road users.” Vero Beach Police spokesman, Mas- A1A near Wildlife Way southeast of clared dead at the scene after the

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6 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Surge in accidents Central Beach resident David Hunt- Town Councilman, notes that “the way being here. They will add to the syn-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 er, vice president of Bike Walk Indian cars are built these days allow drivers to ergy among our many hardworking
River County, stresses it takes about become easily distracted by their dash- environmental organizations.”
driver lost control of his vehicle, which 10 years from initial planning to com- board.”
had been traveling at a high speed. Fa- plete a road, and that is the time to “What wonderful news that ORCA
talities also occur as a result of vehicle plan wider bike lanes. While large vehicles protect the mo- has found a place in Vero Beach,” Peli-
against vehicle crashes. On Aug. 17, a torists, they are more likely to kill a pe- can Island Audubon Society president
fatal crash occurred at the intersection “It is very difficult and costly to in- destrian in a collision than a sedan or Richard Baker wrote in an email to
of 45th street and U.S. 1 in Vero Beach stall proper bike lanes after a road has compact car. A key feature of an SUV Vero Beach 32963. “Their data is so
when a van collided with a sedan. been built,” according to Hunter. is that it sits higher off the ground, and critical to our health and the health of
thus often hits a pedestrian’s rib cage our wildlife. They were close when they
The reasons for these crashes are To help improve road safety on the and vital organs. were in Fort Pierce but it is exciting to
numerous and include high speed; barrier island, the Florida Department have them even closer now, carrying on
poor road design; distracted driving; of Transportation will be making im- The COVID-19 pandemic also their research and education activities
driving under the influence; larger provements from south of Jasmine changed driving patterns. With fewer in Vero Beach.”
vehicles including SUVs, which can Lane to north of Beachland Boulevard cars on the road, people tend to drive
cause more bodily harm; and the CO- as well as intersection improvements faster and possibly more recklessly. As ORCA bills itself as “the nation’s first
VID-19 pandemic. at different locations on Highway A1A speed increases, so does the degree of technology-based marine conserva-
and on the mainland along U.S. 1. damage and the severity of injuries. tion organization.” With 18 fulltime
When referencing the report “Dan- staff members and five part-time, it
gerous by Design,” Beth Osborne, vice Upgrades will include repaving and A plethora of reasons can be given as does hardcore scientific research and
president of transportation and thriv- restriping the existing asphalt; widen- causes for the increase in traffic crash- related marine engineering focused
ing communities at Smart Growth ing the roadway to allow for a seven- es involving pedestrians and cyclists. mainly on tracking and eliminating
America notes, “In fact, the obsession foot buffered bicycle lane; and con- pollution in the lagoon.
with keeping traffic moving and avoid- structing a six-foot sidewalk on the Clearly, a collective effort by all stake-
ing delay at all costs in hopes of saving east or northbound side. holders is needed: Motorists need to It also conducts an exhilarating ar-
drivers mere seconds creates the very better understand how to share the ray of creative educational programs
dangers highlighted in this report. In addition to physical hazards and road with pedestrians and cyclists. Pe- to teach children and adults about
poorly designed roads, distracted driv- destrians and cyclists need to be more their connection to the marine envi-
“This is why crosswalks are miss- ing is to blame for the uptick in serious aware of motorists. ronment, the perils that environment
ing or too far apart, why lanes are too pedestrian and cyclist crashes. Accord- faces, and science-based ways to push
wide, why intersections are difficult to ing to a study published by the AAA Florida has adopted a statewide plan, back on the problems.
cross on foot, and why money can al- Foundation, on-board technology like “Florida’s 2021-2025 Strategic Highway
ways be found to widen a road, even GPS navigation, entertainment features Safety Plan,” which includes the intro- Widder is a world-renowned ma-
when adding sidewalks is deemed ‘too and integrated Bluetooth mobile phone duction of the Safe System Approach rine scientist and MacArthur Genius
expensive.’” and text notifications are increasingly to address safety issues in an integrat- Award-winner who has made impor-
causing more distracted driving. ed way. Florida’s safety vision aims to tant discoveries about the functions
eliminate all transportation-related fa- of bioluminescence in the oceans and
Bob Auwaerter, Indian River Shores talities and serious injuries on all public was first to film a giant squid in its
roads.  deep-water habitat.

ORCA moving to Vero She founded ORCA in 2005 using
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the cash proceeds of her MacArthur
award, establishing her headquarters
The relocation from Fort Pierce to at the old Coast Guard station on the
a 6,500-square-foot building on 16th south side of the Fort Pierce Inlet and
Street between Old Dixie Highway and raising the alarm about deteriorating
U. S. 1 that will be renovated into lab, conditions in the lagoon.
office and education space will add to
Vero’s scientific power and reputation For 15 years, she and her colleagues
for environmental awareness. operated from the picturesque but
cramped facility with docks and dol-
The acquisition of the Vero building phins out back, creating innovative
was fueled by a grant from island resi- pollution maps of the lagoon and engi-
dent Trudie Rainone in memory of her neering water-quality monitoring de-
son Donald “D.J.” Rainone, who she vices, fabricating parts with 3-D print-
said “was passionate about the lagoon ers. They taught school kids and adults
and loved swimming in the ocean.” how to conduct scientific research in
the marine environment and enlisted
ORCA’s new headquarters will be a battalion of 1,500 citizen-scientist
named the D.J. Rainone Research and volunteers.
Science Building in his honor. ORCA
hopes to move in by the end of the year. Then, suddenly, last June, their land-
lord told ORCA its lease at the historic
“It is an ideal location for us,” ORCA building would not be renewed be-
founder and chief scientist Edie Wid- cause the wooden structure was too
der told Vero Beach 32963 last week. old and no longer fit for habitation.
“It is midway along the 156-mile length
of the Indian River Lagoon where we They had just 60 days to move.
do so much of our research and right While scrambling to find a new
in the heart of town. I love that we are place, Widder and her managing di-
on a main thoroughfare. We will put a rector Warren Falls put some of their
big sign out front!” gear in storage and shifted most op-
erations and research to the organiza-
“Vero is the perfect place for ORCA,” tion’s small Citizen Science Lab near
said Laura Moss, a former Vero Beach the Vero Beach Airport.
mayor who now is an environmentally “We started looking immediately,”
minded county commissioner. “I am Falls said – but the search was chal-
very optimistic and happy about them lenging.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8



8 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

ORCA moving to Vero by Widder, Falls and others at ORCA, tor can bid the job out,” said Falls, who the most comprehensive we have ever
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 they finally found the building at 1235 is working with Vero architect Wendy done. Our citizen science program has
16th St., signed a purchase contract, Austin and Bill Bryant & Associates con- grown explosively and we are continu-
“At first we were looking for water- did their due diligence, and closed on struction. “We would like to be open at ing to develop new protocols and tech-
front property, both buildings and lots Aug. 17, working with commercial real the new location by the end of the year, niques for tracking pollution.” 
where could build,” Widder added. “We estate broker Kevin Lambert. but right now that is just a wish.”
were used to that beautiful waterfront Seaside Grill
spot on the Fort Pierce Inlet where we Located on a half-acre lot, the Widder said ORCA launched a qui-
were so grateful to come to work every building, which was built in 1970, was et $1.2 million capital campaign to CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
day. But it was right in the middle of this home to several radio stations before pay for a new headquarters building
huge escalation in property prices. it was put on the market. Lambert had in April and got a powerful response the beach in Vero’s Jaycee Park has been
the property listed for $895,000 but from its donors. closed since April 22 when longtime
“It was terrifying. We thought we ORCA was able to snag it for $825,000. operators Dan and Rose Culumber
would never find a place we could af- Trudie Rainone gave $500,000 from decided “18 hours a day, seven days a
ford. We looked at rentals, too, but it Falls said the building’s existing floor the estate of her son Donald “D.J.” week for 30 years” was enough.
was the same thing – prices through plan, which includes multiple offices Rainone, a Vero resident, Princeton
the roof that were out of the question. arranged around a large open central graduate and successful entrepreneur Locals who’ve been awaiting the
space, will work well for ORCA with and business consultant who admired next iteration of the beloved eatery
“At some point it dawned on us that relatively few modifications, keeping ORCA’s efforts to protect the lagoon, will appreciate the familiar look and
we didn’t have to be on the waterfront. reno costs down. according to Widder and his mother. feel, as the place exudes the same
That opened up many more possibili- easy, sand-in-your-shoes ambiance.
ties.” The biggest interior renovation will He died from cancer last November
involve retrofitting the central room as at age 44 and his mother gave the gift One major change will be the hours
ORCA’s boats are small – the larg- lab space, installing water and drain to serve a cause he cared about and of operation, previously open from
est is a 20-footer – and they typically lines, electrical lines and other fea- perpetuate his memory. 7 a.m. to mid-afternoon. As the city
trailer them to places along the lagoon tures needed for marine research. The looked ahead to the next lessee, City
where they do research. back wall of the reception space will be “I want people to remember him Manager Monte Falls had mentioned
opened up with a large interior window and be aware that he was a very car- “we’d like to see (it stay open) maybe
“Even if we had a facility with docks, so visitors will be able to see scientists at ing and loving man,” said Trudie Rain- later in the evening, maybe for a light
we aren’t going to travel 75 miles to work in the lab area as they arrive. one, who is now a member of ORCA’s meal,” adding that would be “well
one end of the lagoon and back by board. “He wanted his ashes scattered within” the city code parameters.
boat,” Widder said. Out front, along the busy road, Wid- in the ocean and I guess I feel that if he
der plans to plant mangroves and oth- is in the ocean, I want to do whatever I For the first week or two during the
They gave up the idea of building er native plants and have porch cover can to protect it.” soft opening, hours will be 7 a.m. to 5
new when architects advised them that columns that resemble mangrove p.m., then hours could be extended to
renovating an existing building would roots. And there will be that big sign. Other donors stepped up as well 9 p.m., depending upon demand.
be more environmentally friendly. and more than $900,000 has been
“Right now we are waiting for the ar- raised so far. The City of Vero Beach received four
After months of diligent searching chitect to finish the plans so the contrac- bids to take over the restaurant and
“I practically tear up when I think chose business partners Andy Stude-
about the generosity of our donors baker and Wylie Wong and their com-
and how welcoming the city of Vero pany, GC Ventures, awarding an initial
Beach has been to us. It is really won- 10-year lease, plus two 10-year renew-
derful and we are very happy to be al options, at a starting fixed monthly
here,” Widder said. rental of $8,000.

While waiting for the new building Both Studebaker and Wong grew
to be finished, Widder, Falls and their up in the restaurant business. “I’ve
staff and volunteers will continue their worked in restaurants since I was 14
wide-ranging research and educa- or 15,” Studebaker said.
tional activities from home offices and
the Citizen Science Lab at the airport As GC Ventures, the pair has oper-
where staff members have kept the ated several successful businesses,
organization operating despite being currently including The Nest Eatery
“jammed in on top of each other.” at Osprey Point in Boca Raton and the
Okeechobee Grill in West Palm Beach.
“Our team has been fantastic and we With staff able to handle their other
haven’t slowed down despite the disrup- ventures day-to-day, Wong and Stude-
tion,” Widder said. “We did a big pollu-
tion mapping study down in the south
fork of the St. Lucie that was probably

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 9

NEWS

baker plan to operate the Seaside Grill work in the newly equipped kitchen. Grill they were afraid they had lost. the keys in early July. “We decided to
themselves. Seated on the covered south pa- Studebaker said he already knew a keep the name. It’s iconic,” he said.

Last week Studebaker took a break tio, Studebaker waved as beachgoers lot about “what former customers or- As to the re-do, “we at first estimated
from interior renovations to discuss called to him, asking how the work was dered and where they sat” from con- it’d take about six weeks; now it looks
the project with Vero Beach 32963, progressing, already comfortable with versations with locals. like 11, as we found more we needed/
talking over the intermittent whir of the pleasant, outgoing young man, and wanted to do,” which, he added, is
power tools as his crew continued eager for the re-opening of the Seaside Work has been underway, he said,
since the day he and Wong received CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

10 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Seaside Grill MY
VERO
DeSantis’ influence felt in local electionsCONTINUEDFROMPAGE9

pretty normal for this kind of project. BY RAY MCNULTY of the Moms For Liberty, a hard-right come in this county, but that’s not go-
Studebaker expects cost of the reno- Staff Writer group that wants to seize control of ing to stop me,” Gibbs concedes. “I’ve
vation will exceed $100,000 when final Florida’s public schools. met with Republicans here who don’t
figures come in. The biggest winner in last week’s elec- want to see Rosario back on the board,
tions here was Gov. Ron DeSantis, who It was his support of the Moms’ ef- and I’m already reaching out to them.
The restaurant’s 2,500-square-foot wasn’t on the ballot but whose influ- forts, in fact, that prompted him ear-
footprint remains virtually the same, ence was felt in several of the high- lier this summer to formally endorse “I hope they get behind me.”
as will the seating capacity: 65 out- profile local races. 30 school board candidates statewide, Judging by the results of last week’s
side, 35 inside. One of the most obvi- ignoring the spirit of the Florida Con- election, however, a sizable majority of
ous changes will be the absence of the Not that anyone should be surprised: stitution’s mandate that school board local Republicans are loyal to DeSantis,
concrete tables and seats on the patio.  He’s the face of the Republican elections be nonpartisan. his agenda and, yes, his endorsements.
Party in Florida, and Republicans domi- Even Thomas Kenny, who unsuccess-
“The city was great. They helped us nate our local politics. Each of those candidates champi- fully challenged School Board Chair-
move them out,” Studebaker said.  Despite claiming to be conserva- oned DeSantis’ education agenda, and woman Teri Barenborg for her District 4
tive, he hasn’t hesitated to sign legisla- 25 either won their races or advanced seat, benefited from Rosario getting De-
More comfortable and colorful seat- tion or issue executive orders restrict- to a runoff. Rosario was one of them. Santis’ endorsement because they ran
ing will reflect the updated restaurant’s ing the authority of local governmental in tandem, both with the full backing of
nautical white-and-blue color scheme, bodies – especially school boards. It was DeSantis’ endorsement that en- the local Moms chapter and, by exten-
inside and out, the changes referred to The governor’s most obvious tri- abled Rosario to overcome an avalanche sion, the governor.
by Studebaker as more of “a facelift.” umph in our county was in the School of negative press she received during the Barenborg, by the way, is a Republican,
Board District 2 race, where incumbent final weeks of the campaign. too, and her husband serves as a legisla-
As in previous years, restaurant pa- Jackie Rosario received a better-than- tive aide to our state representative, Erin
trons will continue to have access to expected 46.8 percent of the vote in a Being among DeSantis’ chosen few Grall, a Republican who ran unopposed
the city’s nearby Jaycee Park restrooms. four-candidate race to advance to a No- also makes her a prohibitive favorite for election to the Florida Senate.
vember runoff against runner-up Cindy in November, when he will be on the The Moms, however, say she’s a
All the kitchen equipment is being Gibbs, who pulled in only 26 percent. ballot and the tribalism of our nation- “RINO” – a Republican In Name Only –
replaced, and everything is being done DeSantis has taken an active role in al politics will be at a feverish pitch. because she doesn’t march in lockstep
with local businesses and contractors. education since taking office, throw- with DeSantis.
Studebaker says Falls and the city have ing his support behind the controver- By then, Rosario’s Moms supporters Not only did the “Friends of Ron
been a huge help during the process. sial Parents Rights in Education Act – she has been the group’s lone voice on DeSantis” political action committee
and embracing the culture-war efforts the School Board – will have made sure
Former Seaside Grill operator Dan voters know that Gibbs is a Democrat. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
Culumber also shared priceless infor-
mation from his years of experience. Hey, if the governor can scoff at the
“He’s been terrific, helping us out state constitution, why can’t they?
along the way,” Studebaker said. 
“DeSantis will be difficult to over-

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12 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero Commission race, where Joann Bin-
ford received 26 percent of the vote in
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 a three-candidate race against former
three-term sheriff Deryl Loar (39.7
mail fliers touting Rosario and Kenny, percent) and longtime funeral-home
but the two candidates sent out some- owner and operator Tom Lowther (34
what-misleading fliers that gave the percent), who served on the commis-
false impression that the governor had sion from 2002 to 2006.
endorsed both of them.
Loar winning the District 4 seat and
Though Kenny, a 55-year-old political Lowther losing by fewer than 2,000
novice with no children, didn’t win, he votes wasn’t surprising; Binford’s show-
managed to get 42.5 percent of the vote ing was an eye-opener.
in his race against a lifelong educator
and effective board member. For the record: DeSantis didn’t en-
dorse county commission candidates,
In his post-election statement, Kenny but Binford was endorsed by the local
wrote that the Moms’ parental-rights We The People group, which has been
message “resonates.” He went on to closely aligned with the Moms.
thank the group’s leaders and Rosario.
Still, last week’s elections revealed
Another DeSantis-aligned Moms the governor’s political clout is grow-
supporter, Karen Hiltz, put up surpris- ing throughout the state – four years
ing numbers last week, garnering nearly ago, he defeated a weak Democratic
40 percent of the vote in her race against nominee by only 32,000 votes.
Vero Mayor Robbie Brackett in the Re-
publican primary for the District 34 seat Supervisor of Elections Leslie Swan
in the Florida House of Representatives. said the 32.5 percent voter turnout
last week could double in November,
Hiltz moved to Sebastian in 2019, when the gubernatorial race will be
and she was unknown in local political decided. There are more than 118,000
circles as recently as a year ago. registered voters in this county.

The governor’s influence also was “It’ll probably be upwards of 60 per-
felt in the only competitive County cent,” Swan said. 

COVID-19 cases hold steady; hospitalizations down

BY LISA ZAHNER cent of the county’s staffed hospi-
tal beds are being used to care for
Staff Writer Covid-positive patients.

The weekly number of new CO- The U.S. Food and Drug Admin-
VID-19 infections here remained istration’s vaccine panel is expected
steady last week at 256 cases county- to take up requests from Pfizer Bi-
wide, and hospitalizations were oNTech and Moderna early this
down slightly, but the number of month to consider the emergency
deaths locally continues to rise as at use authorization of booster shots
least 21 more COVID-positive people formulated to combat the latest
died in August, according to the Flor- Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvari-
ida Department of Health. ants, but some controversy arose
after the Wall Street Journal report-
Indian River County remained in ed on Sunday that neither com-
the “Low COVID Community Level” pany’s reformulated vaccines had
category at press time Monday, ac- been tested on humans.
cording to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, but the The data presented to the FDA
level of community transmission for the new boosters is based upon
based upon the raw case count is clinical trials on laboratory mice,
still considered high. rather than in people, but FDA of-
ficials say the mRNA technology is
The CDC reported 13 people the same that’s proven to be safe
were newly hospitalized with CO- in the original COVID-19 vaccine
VID-19 illness over the past week, a shots given emergency use authori-
number in line with what the coun- zation in December 2020.
ty’s largest hospital is seeing. Cleve-
land Clinic Indian River Hospital As of Monday no date had been set
spokesperson Arlene Allen-Mitch- for a public hearing of either Pfizer or
ell said on Monday, “There are 12 Moderna’s booster applications, but
patients with COVID in-house this the White House had hoped to roll
morning, one patient is in the ICU.” out the new vaccine around Labor
Day. Once the FDA vets the vaccine
That’s down 29 percent from the boosters, they must also be scruti-
17 COVID-positive people in the nized by the CDC before a rollout of
hospital one week prior. The CDC the new shots can begin. 
estimates that 5 percent to 6 per-

Lisa Cadiere.

TEAM SPIRIT!

ALZHEIMER/PARKINSON
WALK TO REMEMBER KICKOFF

14 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Team spirit at Alzheimer/Parkinson Walk to Remember kickoff

BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer

Committee members, team cap- Brent Atwell with Liz and County Commissioner Joe Earman. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
tains and sponsors gathered at Re-
gency Park last week for a kickoff Peggy Cunningham and Eileen O’Donnell. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS
event to energize their fundraising
efforts in advance of the 19th an- “For the most part, most of the The event drew some 120 support- good oldie goldies that have been
nual Walk to Remember to benefit sponsors and most of the committee ers, which she credited to building at my side, and we have a lot of new
the Alzheimer and Parkinson Asso- members have an event planned,” a committee with the ability to get faces on the committee that are re-
ciation of Indian River County. The said O’Donnell. “Everybody’s put- the word out. ally anxious to learn and give. It’s
event takes place Saturday, Nov. 12 ting something nice together.” all about community, too. When
at Riverside Park. Registration be- “The best part is, I’ve got some you look at it, everybody in this
gins at 7:30 a.m. and the noncom- room has been affected one way or
petitive walk begins at 9 a.m. another.”

“It’s all about getting out into the Peggy Cunningham, executive di-
community and building aware- rector of the Alzheimer and Parkin-
ness,” said Walk to Remember son Association, reiterated thanks to
chairperson Eileen O’Donnell, who Regency Park and Harbor Chase for
has served on the committee for 10 their “amazing hospitality and the
years, chairing it five times. delicious food. They have done this
for us in years past, and every year
“It has attacked me personally, they just make it better and better.”
as far as family members. I lost my
mother in 2015 to dementia, and She also praised O’Donnell for
I wouldn’t have made it through leading the Walk to Remember
if I didn’t have that support,” said committee, “the group that’s going
O’Donnell, referencing the free to make this event really happen,”
programs and services the local and her supportive staff.
nonprofit offers to those affected
by memory and motion disorders. “The reason you’re here is so that
“And then, of course, I’m in the you can help support our programs,
home care industry so it all kind of which are offered to all the families
ties in together.” in Indian River County who are try-
ing to manage the care of someone
O’Donnell’s company, Coastal with dementia or someone who has
Concierge Services, is one of the a movement issue. I want to thank
event’s presenting sponsors, along you. You are the reason that we can
with the Walter Borisenok Family offer 40 programs free of charge to
Foundation, and Este and Charles this county,” said Cunningham.
Brashears, and leadership sponsor
George E. Warren LLC. For more information, visit
AlzPark.org. 
Additionally, Regency Park
stepped up in a big way, presenting
a check for $5,000, hosting the lav-
ish kickoff reception and putting to-
gether a team for the walk.

O’Donnell said the commit-
tee was reintroducing many of the
fundraising techniques and ideas
first used about 10 years ago, add-
ing: “You can do anything to raise
money and be a team. People say, ‘I
don’t have the ability to put a team
together.’ Well, yeah, you do. You
can do absolutely anything.”

Accompanied by costumed vol-
unteers, Moreen Burkart, the VNA’s
Music Therapy manager, who also
coordinates music therapy classes
at the Alzheimer and Parkinson
Association’s Memory and Mo-
tion Center, sang a song she wrote
to highlight just some of the ways
teams could fundraise, such as bake
sales, 50/50 raffles, cocktails for a
cause, team sports and creative car
washes.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 15

PEOPLE

Jason Frandsen and Peggy Cunningham. Gretchen Ward, Tracy Giuffrida, Laura Hall, Caitlin Roush and Marylisa Alfalla.

Courtney Sanchez.

16 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 Kamryn Stambaugh, Jacquie Esterline, Dawn Redstone and Sunshine. Sena Black, Mary Donnelly-Keever and Susan Elliott.
Sean Mixon, Marta Wallace and Gifford Paul.

Elaine Jones and Susan Gromis. Joan and Gene Oestereich. Moreen Burkart and Meg Cunningham.

Beth Livers, Lisa Cadiere and Chasity Arensen.

Elizabeth Reed, Dyan Kurth and Jessica Nettles.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 17

PEOPLE

Museum’s ‘Little Things Family Party’ goes over big with kids

Sue Sharpe and Martha Phelps. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS Kim and Cora Bottalico. Denis and Diane Viola.

like to link the visual arts and educa- 18, and Masters in Black & White, tions from their mobile hot shop.
tion, which is part of our mission,” showcasing a selection from the Then from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
added Sophie Bentham-Wood, VBMA photography collection of Elizabeth Dec. 4, take the family to a Fire and
director of marketing and communi- Stewart of Vero Beach, is on display Ice-themed Holidays at the Museum,
cations. until Sept. 11. The exhibit, Picasso, and the weekend of Dec. 16 and Dec.
Matisse & Friends: Drawings from a 17, return between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The event drew all eyes to the “Sim- Private Collection, will open Sept. 17. for Art After Dark, an outdoor digital
ple Pleasures: The Art of Doris Lee” art display. All three events are free.
exhibition, on display in the Holmes New this year, from 11 a.m. to 2
and Titelman Galleries. From the p.m. on Saturday Dec. 3, an artist For more information, visit
1930s until the mid-1960s, Lee was from the Duncan McClellan Gallery vbmuseum.org. 
one of the most recognized artists in will give glassblowing demonstra-
the country.
PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
Docents helped the children take a
Colton and Kayden Chisholm. closer look at Lee’s work, while lead-
ing them through an art hunt where
BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF they searched for fruit, friends, the
Staff Writer ocean, colors, family, and even a
gong, which they then took turns hit-
At a recent Little Things Family ting so they could feel the vibrations.
Party, hosted by the Vero Beach Mu-
seum of Art, families were invited to After viewing Lee’s work, the fami-
explore the museum galleries and to lies visited the Laura and Bill Buck
enjoy all of life’s simple pleasures. Atrium, where they played games
and created their own works of art.
“Tonight we are having a family par-
ty celebrating Doris Lee, all the little They could put together tiny trav-
things in life that make us happy, and el art kits to use on the road, such
all the little things in her artwork that as those Lee used on her worldwide
make us happy,” said Catherine Es- travels. Mimicking other aspects of
rock, VBMA public programs manager. Lee’s life, children were tasked with
drawing still life bowls of fruit, and
“The museum is for everyone. We they could also contribute to a com-
want everyone to feel welcome here, munity mural. In 1938, Lee was com-
like they belong. Everyone likes to missioned (the only woman artist
make art. It’s a good creative outlet. asked to do so) to paint two U.S. Post
It grows children’s brains and helps Office murals during the Great De-
with problem-solving,” Esrock ex- pression: “General Store and Post Of-
plained. fice,” and “Country Post.”

“We’ve been very careful to do Afterward, so that they could feel
things in here that are different age like they were truly part of the mu-
group orientated – with dexterity, seum, the budding artists hung their
colors, learning the alphabet and lan- pieces of artwork in a tiny gallery.
guage. They’re learning while hav-
ing fun, and they don’t realize it. We The littlest of visitors and, truth
be told, some of the older set, also
enjoyed visiting the Art Zone, where
they could explore the interactive
area, play, create, read and watch
their artistic creations come to life on
the ‘aquarium’ wall.

Simple Pleasures: The Art of Doris
Lee will be on exhibit through Sept.





20 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 Susan Burns and Catherine Esrock. James Greco.
Greg, Anna Marie, Holland and Stephanie Zugrave.

Max and Finn Conforti.

Ivy Bailey.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 21

PEOPLE

Healthy Start Coalition programs address new challenges

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF STORY, PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 22
Staff Writer
Jeri Gonzales, Jessica Staudt, Ashley Watson, Bridgette Jerger, Andrea Berry with Caleb Koht,
The Indian River County Healthy Janay Brown, Jessica Cervantes, Jaelyn Baxley, Itze Cabral, Tiffany McPhail and Jennifer Lopez. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS
Start Coalition continues to initiate
new programs to optimize the health
of mothers, babies and families, while
at the same time meeting their ever-
changing needs, something the non-
profit has been doing for 30 years.

Among the programs they either
initiated or expanded this year are
Direct On-Scene Education, Bereave-
ment training, Perinatal Mental
Health training, the GROW Doula
program and Healthy Families.

By teaching expectant mothers
healthy ways of dealing with everyday
stress, goal setting, connecting them
with community services, educat-
ing them on the stages of growth and
development of the baby, providing
regular visitations, support groups
and community education, families
are better equipped to raise healthy,
happy babies.

According to Andrea Berry, Healthy
Start CEO, a Fetal and Infant Mortal-

22 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE As an example, she said, “one of the
ways that we lose infants each year,
ity Review helped shine a light on ar- Caleb Koht. unfortunately, is through sleep-relat-
eas of concern that new families face, STORY, PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 ed deaths.”
many of which were exacerbated by
the pandemic. To help prevent those deaths, they
instituted Direct On-Scene Education
Hoping to turn the tide, Healthy training of first responders with In-
Start used the FIMR process “to ex- dian River County Fire Rescue.
plore what we could do to assist the
families who have suffered a loss and First responders who are called to
prevent these deaths in the future,” a home, whether for an emergency or
explained Berry, adding that the another reason, have a unique oppor-
evaluation led to the formation or en- tunity to observe a baby’s sleep space
hancement of programs and services. and can inform families how to iden-
tify and remove potential strangula-
“It has given us a new way to priori- tion or suffocation hazards.
tize our offerings,” said Berry.
If they see a need, they can provide
These community-based fetal and the mother with a free, safe, co-sleep-
infant mortality reviews are aimed ing device, such as a Pack N Play, and
at addressing factors and issues that a pamphlet demonstrating that the
affect infant mortality and morbid- best way to lay a baby down to sleep is
ity, with the goal to enhance services, in an empty crib.
influence policy and direct planning
efforts, ultimately lowering infant An increased need for Perinatal
mortality rates. Mental Health – the time from preg-
nancy to one year after birth – was
Berry explained that the annual also identified.
review helps to identify areas of con-
cern, such as the rise in fetal deaths Berry said that through the South-
in 2020, which, according to Berry, east Florida Behavioral Health Net-
was “due to many causations related work, Healthy Start will host Peri-
to COVID-19 and the social determi- natal Mental Health training for up
nants of health caused by the eco- to 150 people from across the state,
nomic downturn and isolation. Our with 50 of those spots being offered
job at Healthy Start is to look at what to local community members at no
is going on in our community and re- cost. If interested, contact Healthy
spond to it.”

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 23

PEOPLE

Start to apply for a mini grant. end of this year. Healthy Start received
“Perinatal mental health is so im- a grant from the March of Dimes that
will allow HSC to offer 100 free seats to
portant right now, with everything train doulas across the state.
that is going on in the world,” said
Berry. She noted that pregnancy, as “We want to continue to educate
well as all of the life changes that arise our doulas. We want to make sure that
once a woman gives birth, are a lot for they have the most recent informa-
any new mother to deal with. tion,” added Berry, noting that they
offer a continuing education online
During the training, which often course to doulas, on Awareness in Ac-
focuses on areas such as anxiety and tion Disseminating Bias in Maternal
depression, participants learn to iden- and Infant Healthcare.
tify mood and anxiety disorders, look
for symptoms and diagnose issues. While the Healthy Families abuse
prevention program isn’t new, Healthy
Additionally, in October, the South- Start is once again managing it.
east Network is sponsoring free Be-
reavement training through Healthy A study conducted by the Child and
Start, to increase the number of pro- Adolescent Protection Center at Chil-
viders and community members dren’s National Hospital in Washing-
equipped to help families through ton D.C., indicated that the number
that challenging time in their lives. of child abuse victims tripled nation-
wide in the past few years; the rise is
“It is so heartbreaking to go over the attributed to increased stress during
stories with these families that have a the pandemic.
loss,” recalled Berry.
“We have seen the same rise in
She noted that very few families re- abuse issues locally. This program is
ceive counseling after losing a child. extremely important to our commu-
She explained that at the time, most nity. And, most importantly, the pro-
aren’t ready for it, and that even when gram works. Once a family completes
they are, they don’t know how to ac- the program, there are zero incidenc-
cess the services available to them. es of abuse reported to the Depart-
ment of Children and Families,” said
Moreover, said Berry, very few peo- Berry.
ple are trained in the area of infant be-
reavement counseling, so the intent is By looking at the parents’ adverse
to train every possible mental health childhood experiences, she said they
provider who has an interest, so that can better deal with the risk of gener-
they can either help the family direct- ational abusive behaviors. When the
ly or know where to send them to get parents participate in a high-intensi-
help. ty, fidelity-based program, it teaches
them how to become better, and lov-
One program Berry said she is par- ing, parents, explained Berry.
ticularly proud of is the GROW Doula
program, which supports, educates The weekly program is conducted
and empowers pregnant women to in the home, preferably during the
take control of their health by provid- pregnancy. Families needing addi-
ing education and support prenatally, tional mental health support are con-
during labor and postnatally. nected to services through the Mental
Health Collaborative.
“A doula is someone who helps a
family through prenatal, birth and “We couldn’t do all of this without
postpartum periods,” Berry ex- such great funders,” said Berry.
plained.
In addition to funding from OUNCE
The GROW Doula model trains and of Prevention Florida, the Agency for
recruits expectant mothers’ peers Health Care Administration, Depart-
in those community areas with the ment of Children and Families and
highest rates of poor birth outcomes. Florida Department of Health, local
Participants are trained to be doulas partnering agencies include the Chil-
– two free training sessions a year are dren’s Services Advisory Committee,
provided – and receive insurance, a Exchange Club of Indian River, Grand
uniform, a supervisor and clients. The Harbor Community Outreach, Indian
doulas are paid for their work. River Community Foundation, Indian
River County Hospital District, John’s
“We match the doulas with clients Island Community Service League,
who have shared life experiences with John’s Island Foundation, Quail Valley
them, and then they support these Charities and United Way of Indian
women through their pregnancy, River County.
birth and postpartum. When we cre-
ated the program, our main goal was To help raise additional fund-
to not have any women laboring alone. ing, Healthy Start aims to bring back
No one should give birth alone,” Berry Dancing with Vero Stars in 2023 and is
stressed. Since its inception, they have currently looking for local star danc-
seen a huge reduction in cesarean, pre- ers to help give babies a healthy start
term birth and low-birth-rate babies. in life.

Although the program was created For more information, visit
in Indian River County, it has been IRCHealthyStartCoalition.org. 
purchased by the state, and it will be
used in 16 communities before the





26 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK, shriveled into charred fists. When the whelmed many of the groves tucked And in this new game, the rules are in
Calif. – Every summer, Tony Caprio and KNP Complex Fire roared through last high in the California mountains. dispute.
his wife, Linda, hike into the Sugarbowl October, it burned so hot in some plac-
– a cluster of giant sequoias high in the es that Caprio expects few seedlings to Six of the seven largest wildfires in The question of how to protect the
Sierra Nevada – to admire the profusion rise from the ash. California history have occurred in the remaining sequoias, and more broadly
of wildflowers and walk among some of past two years, and in that period, up how to manage America’s remaining
the oldest and tallest trees on the planet. “These are all dead,” said Caprio, to nearly one-fifth of all naturally-oc- forests in an era of climate-magnified
the fire ecologist for Sequoia and Kings curring large giant sequoias on Earth megafires, has divided scientists and the
Now when he visits, he sees some- Canyon National Parks, wandering have been killed. public. The two wildfires that burned in
thing that, scientists say, has no prec- among the grove now closed to the pub- and around Yosemite National Park this
edent in thousands of years of history: lic. “So what’s going to be the long-term “What is new and shocking is these summer – including among the famous
vast acres of dead sequoias, killed by fire. prognosis for an area like this? Is it going large areas, one hundred acres or more, Mariposa Grove of sequoias – rekindled
to come back as a shrub field?” where every single sequoia is killed,” the debate about what humans can or
The Sugarbowl, an amphitheater of said Nate Stephenson, an emeritus sci- should do to protect these iconic trees.
solemn and enormous trees, part of Summer wildfires, in the era of cli- entist in forest ecology at the U.S. Geo-
the Redwood Mountain grove, one of mate change, mean something differ- logical Survey. “There is no evidence Across the parched West, the Biden
the largest collections of giant sequoi- ent now for giant sequoias. These trees anything like that has happened in administration and its public land
as on Earth, has become a graveyard. evolved with fire, and need it to repro- the past one thousand years, probably managers want to dramatically ramp
Trees that have lived since the Roman duce, but the scale of recent megafires many thousands of years. up controlled fires and logging as a
Empire stand as fire-blackened match- – burning in hotter, drier conditions way to thin out fuel-packed forests and
sticks, their once bushy green crowns across far greater areas – have over- “We’re in a whole new ballgame,” he avoid deadly wildfires. Earlier this year,
said.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 27

INSIGHT COVER STORY

In front of El Capitan, a patch of From September to December
forest in Yosemite National Park 2021, the KNP Complex fire
recently underwent a prescribed burned nearly 90,000 acres of
burn and logging, intended to forest across Sequoia and Kings
restore a historic view. Canyon National Parks.

Fire ecologist for the
National Park Service,
Tony Caprio, in a patch of

burned forest called
Sugarbowl in Kings

Canyon National Park.

Burned trees in the Sugar
Bowl in Kings Canyon
National Park.

A fire helicopter along the Red-
wood Creek trail loop in Kings
Canyon National Park.

the Biden administration announced They say the land management policy the University of California at Berkeley worry about prescribed fires escaping
a decade-long, $50 billion plan to use that prevailed during much of the 20th who studies giant sequoias. their boundaries and logging projects
logging and prescribed fire across 50 century – of putting out most wildfires that offer little resistance to flames
million acres in 11 Western states to – has led to overgrown forests. Dur- Extensive logging is needed to reverse fanned by a hotter and drier world.
manage wildfire. ing the past two decades, as climate that, she said, coupled with more fire.
change has intensified, drought in the Two prescribed burns set by the U.S.
Late last month, the U.S. Forest Ser- West has killed many of those trees, “We want to get a forest back to what Forest Service that grew out of control
vice said it would take emergency ac- leaving downed logs and dead snags a fire-resilient landscape would look earlier this year caused “unfathomable”
tion, including setting fires and cutting – the “fuels” that firefighters say create like,” she said. “You would have to take destruction in New Mexico, as Gov. Mi-
down trees, to try to protect a dozen hotter and more destructive wildfires. out a lot of these trees to do that.” chelle Lujan Grisham (D) put it, destroy-
sequoia groves over more than 13,000 ing hundreds of homes, displacing thou-
acres. Legislation proposed in June, Before colonists settled the West, Caprio said roughly 30,000 acres per sands, and threatening water supplies in
called the Save Our Sequoias Act, would forest fires caused by lightning, and set year used to burn naturally in Sequoia a burn area larger than Los Angeles.
fast-track environmental reviews for routinely by Native Americans, helped and Kings Canyon, while the park only
these types of logging-and-fire efforts thin out forests. Back then, it was typi- accomplishes about 3,000 acres in pre- Logging projects in the name of
in the name of fire prevention. cal to have about 50 trees per hectare scribed burning each year. “That gives thinning and fire prevention have also
in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cas- you an idea of the deficit,” he said. been challenged in lawsuits up and
The scale of what some foresters and cades, whereas now some forests have down the West Coast. Environmental
researchers are calling for in places 300 to 400 trees per hectare, accord- But some environmentalists and groups are fighting to preserve a rule
such as the Sierra Nevada amounts to a ing to Alexis Bernal, a researcher with residents are wary of escalating forest that prohibited cutting large trees on
wholesale re-engineering of the forest. management, and doubt that human
intervention can contain wildfire on the CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
scale and intensity it now rages. They

28 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 INSIGHT COVER STORY

A large sequoia tree was hollowed out from a high-intensity
fire in Kings Canyon National Park.

A patch of logged forest in Yosemite National Park. A view of Sequoia National Forest along the Freeman Trail.
The patch of forest was burned by a high-intensity fire

Wildfire ecologist Chad Hanson in Yosemite National Park.
Hanson and other ecologists recently sued Yosemite for
logging trees within a National Park.

A cross-section of a tree trunk Sequoia seedlings sprout along the Freeman Trail
is marked with tree rings that in Sequoia National Forest.
correspond to specific years.
Tony Caprio, uses the piece to
demonstrate how fires are an
integral and historical part of
forest ecology.

A patch of forest in
Yosemite National Park

recently underwent a
prescribed burn and
logging.

public land in Oregon. Local govern- in Berkeley, Calif. Last month, a judge “But running it along the road systems wildfires. He believes “thinning” and
ments in California, along with retailer temporarily halted what the park calls or running it in communities: That’s “fuel reduction” are euphemisms for
Patagonia, sued the Forest Service to a “biomass removal” project. the kind of compromise that we need- commercial logging – a point made
block logging for fire defense on Pine ed to do in order to get good fire on the in a letter last year to President Biden
Mountain, a popular recreation area. The architect of Yosemite’s prescribed ground and prevent the bad fires.” signed by Hanson and 200 other ex-
fire and thinning projects is Garrett perts warning against these practices
Climate change has caused hotter Dickman, a biologist and firefighter, Chad Hanson climbed onto a stump in the infrastructure bill. He also be-
and drier conditions that have pushed whose job is to protect the park’s famed that was more than five feet across. He lieves cutting trees does not slow or
the peak of U.S. wildfire season earlier sequoias. Forests in his jurisdiction are knelt down and ran his hand slowly contain fires and can accelerate them,
in the summer – July rather than Au- often densely packed with understory across the tree rings. All around him by opening the canopy and drying out
gust in recent decades. The season has vegetation and downed trees. were stumps, hundreds of freshly cut forests, and leaving behind flammable
also lengthened and fires have burned firs and pines in the Merced Grove in- debris and grasses.
more total acreage. Since 1983, when “It’s logs, and then logs on top of logs, side Yosemite. Logs by the dozen had
federal records began, more than 10 and then logs on top of logs,” he said. been stacked in piles, ready for removal “This is not a fuel break,” Hanson said
million acres have burned in only “We call them jackpots. There’s just to be sold for lumber or burned in pow- as he stood in the 200-foot-wide newly
three years; but all of them have hap- jackpots everywhere.” er plants for electricity. The churned up logged corridor in Yosemite. “This is ac-
pened since 2015. earth from the treads of heavy machin- tually a place where the fire will whip
The drumbeat of massive fires torch- ery stretched into the distance. through more rapidly and more inten-
Just last year, wildfires destroyed near- ing the Sierra Nevada and killing se- sively.”
ly 6,000 homes and other buildings; one- quoias led Yosemite to devise a plan to “The people who did this should not
third of those were in California. cut down trees along certain road cor- be running a national park,” Hanson A review of the scientific literature
ridors primarily to give firefighters more said bitterly. “They’re literally clear- on key questions about fire manage-
Yosemite and the giant sequoias room to operate. cutting large swaths of the Merced ment tools published last year found
have been a flash point in the debate Grove. This is unacceptable.” that thinning, removing fuels and us-
even before the Washburn and Oak “The thinning is right where the fire- ing prescribed fires can be effective at
fires, the two fires in and around Yo- fighters are going to stand,” he said. “If Hanson, a 55-year-old ecologist, is lessening the severity of wildfires under
semite, ignited earlier this sumer. An you don’t do that, you can’t stand there. co-founder of the John Muir Project, a certain conditions, although they’re not
effort to cut down trees across more It’s too hot.” subsidiary of the Earth Island Institute, appropriate in all types of forests and
than 2,000 acres inside the national which brought the lawsuit against Yo- if done incorrectly can aggravate the
park was challenged in a lawsuit in Dickman is aware that the cutting of semite. problem.
federal court by the Earth Island Insti- any trees in a national park is a serious
tute, an environmental group based decision. Hanson is primarily opposed to In environmental circles, Hanson is
cutting trees as a strategy to manage
“I don’t want to run heavy equip-
ment all over this whole thing,” he said.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 29

INSIGHT COVER STORY

a controversial figure. Other scientists A patch of forest in Yosemite prescribed fires since 1971, creating The Washburn fire scorched a few
have challenged his methodology and National Park that is showing a patchwork of forest where flames sequoias but killed none. Firefighters
accused him, in their own studies, of signs of regenerative growth have periodically cleared out under- said they watched as flames that were
misusing data on issues such as how a few years after a high- story bushes and smaller trees. Three dozens or hundreds of feet tall drop to
wildfires affect spotted owls and the intensity fire. times since 2017, Dickman and others a couple of feet when they hit areas re-
effectiveness of forest thinning. One had rushed to the grove for emergency cently treated with prescribed fire.
of those rebuttals described the work forest, where the fire killed most of the prep work – clearing logs and branch-
of Hanson and others as having “gar- trees, Hanson crouched on the ground, es away from the base of sequoias. At a community meeting, David
nered substantial attention and fos- excitedly pointing out all the sequoia Conway, the director of environmen-
tered confusion about the best avail- seedlings dotting the forest floor. As the fire closed in on the grove, tal health for Mariposa County ap-
able science.” Dickman and others did this work on proached Singer, the fire officer, to say
“This is sequoia regeneration. Se- about 100 sequoias. For the most fa- the work firefighters had done in pre-
“I’m not in favor of anything he does, quoia regeneration. Sequoia, sequoia, mous tree – the Grizzly Giant – staff scribed burns saved the community
or says,” said Bernal, the Berkeley re- sequoia,” he said. “I’d say at least 1,000 ringed it with sprinklers, supplied by a of Wawona, “as much as a pain in the
searcher, who has studied sequoia re- seedlings per acre in here.” 1,500-gallon water tank. a-- I was over most of that stuff.”
generation in some of the same groves
where Hanson has worked, calling it Stephenson agrees hot fires spur Conway gets complaints from the
“agenda-driven” and “biased.” reproduction, but said some portions public when smoke from prescribed
of the Castle Fire footprint burned so fires muddies the air. In the past, his
Hanson, for his part, defends his sci- hot that cones burned up and new office has postponed such fires be-
ence and says his opponents are often sequoias aren’t regenerating. In such cause of air quality concerns. But he
funded by pro-logging interests. He areas, the Park Service plans to plant “absolutely” believes the work saved
called the work of Bernal and others seedlings by hand. people’s homes.
“scientific fraud” that relies on early
20th century tree surveys that he claims Hanson believes government of- “When it came up against those old
lowballed density. ficials should not try to prevent wild- burn scars, where prescribed fire was
fires from passing through sequoia done or other fires have occurred, it
Hanson is among those who believe groves – including famous tourist at- slowed down dramatically,” he said.
extreme weather driven by climate tractions.
change – high winds, intense drought, Dickman believes the park’s treat-
punishing heat – drives wildfires, and “They’re treating them as museum ments saved the giant sequoias. The
those forces far outstrip our ability pieces. These trees are not our pets,” he Mariposa Grove, after being closed a
to prepare forests to withstand them. said. “What they should be doing is em- month, reopened on Aug. 3.
He feels government funds should be bracing the ecology of this area and tell-
spent protecting communities and ing that to tourists. That this is part of “That’s why we’ve been doing pre-
hardening homes, while letting fire the natural life cycle of giant sequoias.” scribed fire for 50 years. We’ve known
move naturally through forests. that would be the thing that’s going to
When theWashburn Fire broke out on save them,” he said. “But that was re-
Sequoia researchers, including Han- the afternoon of July 7, there were 2,700 ally the proof.” 
son, agree that fire is necessary and ben- people visiting the Mariposa Grove.
eficial for sequoias and their ecosystems The grove had always been a draw. It
more broadly. Fibrous, air-filled bark was photographs of these trees – some
that can be more than two feet thick has 500 towering sequoias – that convinced
evolved to help insulate the trees from Abraham Lincoln to conserve this land
flames. Heat opens up sequoia cones, in 1864, establishing protections that
releasing a flurry of oatmeal flake-sized helped launch America’s national parks.
seeds onto the scorched forest floor – a
newly cleared, mineral-rich ash that is There was no lightning that day;
ideal for germination. authorities suspect humans caused
the fire. When flames began roaring
Hanson differs from other scientists upslope toward the grove, Yosem-
in that he’s less disturbed by what the ite’s firefighters had two urgent tasks:
most intense wildfires are doing to se- Evacuate tourists, and save the trees.
quoias. He sees the recent megafires as Park staff raced to clear the trail and
a historical correction, something clos- herd tourists onto shuttle buses to es-
er to the pre-colonial state when Native cape out the only road into the grove.
Americans managed ecosystems with
frequent wildfire. He believes sequoia “They were in really tight, as many
mortality has been far less than official people as we could squeeze into those
estimates and that new trees can regen- shuttles,” Kelly Singer, the park’s dep-
erate despite fires’ rising intensity. uty fire management officer, recalled.
“They were driving right by the fire.”
On a recent day, Hanson hiked through
the Freeman Creek Grove, which burned In some ways, the park was well
in the 2020 Castle Fire. A study last year prepared for that moment. Within
by Stephenson, of the USGS, and Christy the grove, Yosemite has conducted 21
Brigham, chief of resources at Sequoia
and Kings Canyon National Parks, found
that the fire killed as many as 10,000
large sequoias – wiping out up to 14
percent of all large sequoias across its
natural range in the Sierra Nevada.

Hanson prefers to see the snag forests
as vibrant ecosystems of their own – the
charred trees a habitat for woodpeckers,
beetles and the veiled polypore, small
white mushrooms that appear after fires
on black trunks. In one portion of the

30 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT EDITORIAL

BY STACY TORRES With political penalties for reimposing covid re- times, face-shielded and triple-masked. I fly South-
strictions, I don’t expect elected officials to help me. west for the open seating and scan the aisles for my
This summer, I’ve played a new people-watch- Now I can only double down on my precautions. ideal seatmate: a solo traveler, not eating or drink-
ing game while walking New York’s sweaty streets: ing, wearing an N95 mask. Last trip, I parked myself
What’s the story behind the mask? As a lifelong wallflower, bordering on misanthrope, between N95 maskers.
I remain amazed at people’s desire to cluster. Who are
Who’s still adhering to covid-19 restrictions these folks who want to sit right next to me in a bus or Splitting my time between coasts, I’ve observed
when we’ve cast off nearly all public health guide- empty cafe? I don’t get them. But I must find a way to differences between California and New York. Cali-
lines in this era of pandemic apathy? coexist or else condemn myself to lifetime isolation. fornia’s lower density and larger spaces, coupled
with greater acceptance of public health measures,
My unscientific observations yield a few patterns. I juggle infinitesimal risk calculations. I size up give me extra breathing room. Downtown San Fran-
People over 60, people of color, women and those spaces, looking for open doors and windows. I don’t cisco is my haven, where I can work in a near-empty
with visible disabilities make up the majority of this sit at the bar. For outdoor dining, I consider table library and coffee shop, alone together.
dwindling minority of outdoor maskers. proximity, shelter for rain and wind, sun and shade.
Shadow living gives me a peculiar visibility. Fol-
I can only guess at the reasons behind their pre- My brain overflows with strategies for handling lowing guidelines that many consider “outdated”
cautions. Have they lost loved ones to covid? Are they tricky public interactions: The close talker. Large tour- has me confronting conformity pressures daily. I’d
trying to avoid first infection, or reinfection? Are they ist family. Children. I have my distancing tricks, such still rather look like a weirdo than risk covid, but I
unvaccinated? Do they have underlying health prob- as placing my supermarket basket behind me in line to often feel forced to explain myself, like the time I
lems or high-risk jobs? create a no-pass barrier. When possible, I climb stairs argued with a supermarket worker who wanted me
instead of riding elevators. I go to the gym at night and to move up in line, prioritizing a clear aisle over my
All I know is my own story and why I’m masking use whatever machines no one else wants. desire to avoid standing near unmasked strangers.
outdoors in a heat wave. Whenever I advocate for myself, I out myself as a
Traveling anywhere tests my nimbleness. I carry chronically sick person.
I have a systemic autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s, a variety of protective gear – a face shield and surgi-
that causes debilitating symptoms, including dry cal, KN95 and N99 masks – giving extras to anyone Is this a detour through Bizarro World or my
mouth, dry eyes and crushing fatigue. Given my who needs them. arm’s-length reality for the foreseeable future? My
condition and difficulty clearing past infections, I’m Magic 8 Ball says: “Reply hazy, try again.”
concerned about increased risk of severe covid, long Since July 2020, I’ve flown coast-to-coast several
covid and triggering another autoimmune disorder. I know I’m not alone in feeling sidelined by col-
lective decisions to “end” the pandemic. But having
For 2½ years, I’ve avoided contracting the virus. company doesn’t comfort me.
While it’s hard to tell in most of the United States that
there’s an ongoing pandemic, I continue to live a shad- During winter’s omicron surge, I fell into a severe
ow life in my effort to dodge infection. I’m not sure lockdown depression. I’m already bracing for future
how much longer I can retain my membership in this waves that will test the strength of my precautions.
exclusive club of the never-infected, but I’m trying. How many more masks can I wear and still breathe?
I guess I’ll find out.
I’m double-boosted and ingest a ridiculous amount
of vitamins daily. I don’t know how much my pre- Until then, masked even in sweltering heat, I’m
cautions or luck have prevented covid infection. I’ve basking in the sun and staking out what public spaces
known extremely careful people who’ve gotten it, oth- I can. You’ll find me alone on a park bench or at a side-
ers who tried to catch it and failed, and those infected walk cafe, enjoying my own “Hot Girl Summer.” 
multiple times who don’t seem to care.
A version of this column first appeared in The
Pre-vaccines, death and hospitalization fears Washington Post. It does not necessarily reflect the
consumed me. I still don’t like my odds. How can I views of Vero Beach 32963.
be certain I won’t be among the nearly 500 Ameri-
cans dying of covid every day?

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

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 31

INSIGHT OP-ED

Hertz sends Marcus Hall a 10-year-old that I get in touch with Toll Process- usual. But banning someone by add- So Hertz was going way, way beyond
bill. But it can't substantiate the $6 ing Partners about the outstanding ing them to the Do Not Rent list over normal business practices.
charge. Now he's on the Do Not Rent invoice. After keeping me on hold $6 is absurd. You're a frequent busi-
list. Can I help him untangle this? for 20 minutes when I called, the ness traveler, so Hertz stood to lose a And how about your banning? Hertz
company said it could not provide lot of money by putting you on the Do is, of course, free to put anyone it wants
QUESTION: an invoice. It's unfortunate their ac- Not Rent list. And yet it did. on its Do Not Rent list for any reason.
counting system allowed this issue to But sending you into exile for $6 seems
I recently received a $6 bill from Hertz occur, but it is their issue to resolve, It wasn't your responsibility to chase petty. Someone didn't check to see how
for toll charges from 2012. The compa- not mine. down a third party involved in the much business you were giving Hertz.
ny told me that a third party, Toll Pro- transaction. After all, you rented a car If they had, they would have quickly
cessing Partners, conducted an audit I just attempted to book a reservation from Hertz, not Toll Processing Part- forgiven the debt.
during which it discovered a previous through Hertz. It appears I am now on ners. If you don't get a valid invoice,
unpaid invoice. the Hertz Do Not Rent list. Hertz would you should not have to pay. I think you could have easily resolved
prefer to lose business rather than sim- this with a brief, polite email to Hertz. I
I contacted Hertz, and it suggested ply write off a $6 charge. Can you help How long can a car rental company list the names, numbers and email ad-
me get this straightened out? hold you liable for your toll charges? dresses of the Hertz executives on my
Most businesses write off a debt after consumer advocacy site.
ANSWER: two years. (The government requires
federal agencies to write it off after 24 I contacted Hertz on your behalf. A
Sending a 10-year-old bill is highly un- months under most circumstances.) representative contacted you by email
shortly afterward.

"Please accept my sincere apology
for the delay in this toll charge being
brought to your attention," the Hertz
representative said. "Due to this, we
have advised our Toll Processor to zero
out the balance and not attempt to
collect. We have also reinstated your
rental privileges." 

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

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32 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

In her 2018 bestseller, “Dopesick,” Beth Macy pre- their own demise.” The to the throwaway line – addic-
sented a staggering picture of the opioid catastro- lack of humanity was tion is a disease – and to treat
phe that continues to upend lives and communities exemplified when a Ki- it like one.” That means adopt-
across America. In “Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, wanis Club leader com- ing the stone-rollers’ tactics:
and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis,” she is mented at a community needle exchanges, HIV and
back with a portrait of the compassionate and practi- meeting that when peo- hepatitis C testing, safe places
cal people who have stepped in to help stem the tens ple relapse, “we should for people to take drugs when
of thousands of drug deaths that still destroy families let ’em die and take their they must, supportive assis-
every year. organs.”
tance when they are ready to
Macy uses a biblical story to capture the work of The book covers every try treatment – which should
the volunteers and outreach workers who are dedi- aspect of the crisis – the be “free and easily acces-
cated to aiding addicted people. She draws on the science of addiction, the sible.” She calls for a cabinet-
tale of Lazarus, who had died of an illness and was history of the problem, level drug czar and a nation-
entombed for four days until Jesus him brought back the justice system that, wide system of clinics that
to life. Before Jesus acted, he asked his followers to while acknowledging ad- provide mental health care
roll away a stone that lay across the tomb’s entrance. diction as an illness, treats along with addiction care.
In “Raising Lazarus,” Macy calls the workers she addicted people merely
writes about “stone-rollers.” as criminals. These are in- Treatment should not be
terspersed with accounts left to the “whims of local
It’s an image she borrowed from the Rev. Michelle of the legal battles to hold boards who subscribe to
Mathis, co-founder of the Olive Branch Ministry of the Sackler family (owners abstinence-only anti-med-
western North Carolina, one of the groups in the book. of opioid-maker Purdue ication models.”
As overdose deaths escalated in the United States – Pharma) accountable for
more than 1 million since 1996, according to the Cen- what Macy calls the “taproot Macy sees glimmers
ters for Disease Control and Prevention – these groups of the opioid crisis.” of hope – the Tennessee
stepped in to attempt “what officials have failed for judge who, after educat-
decades to do: keep people alive,” Macy writes. Shoe-leather reporting ing himself about the ben-
took Macy to cemeteries, committee meetings, hear- efits of bupe, now allows it along with recov-
Macy’s stone-rollers regard the people they treat as ings, court proceedings and protests. Death by drugs, ery housing for his addicted defendants. The Fairfax
equals of moral weight, respect and worth. They do she emphasizes, results from a devastating conver- County, Va., jail that refers addicted inmates to a bupe
not stigmatize, judge or shun these drug users. Their gence: Decline of meaningful work. High levels of oc- program and provides counseling. But these are lone-
work is called “harm reduction,” and it sometimes cupational injury. Failed War on Drugs policies. Lack ly outposts of progress.
ventures into illegal activity. of access to healthcare. Profound disengagement by If the addiction crisis is to end, we must create an
the recovery community from evidence-based, med- infrastructure that works. It must be at least as com-
“In the richest country in the world, treatment of ication-assisted treatment. The drug buprenorphine pelling and accessible as the opioid production and
the sickest, neediest people fell to volunteers risking (bupe), for instance, has been shown in multiple stud- distribution network. Those who die of drug overdose
arrest,” Macy writes. Out of their own pockets, they ies to prevent opioid deaths, but many in law enforce- in the United States typically come close to dying nine
purchase clean needles, naloxone and fentanyl test ment dismiss its use as just swapping one drug for times before the boulder irrevocably closes them off
strips. They test for hepatitis C, then treat it. All kinds another. in their tombs. There are many opportunities to roll
of weather finds them trooping out to homeless en- that stone away.
campments and drug “trap houses” to deliver food, In Mount Airy, N.C., the hometown of actor Andy In July, Teva and Allergan joined the list of pharma-
water, blankets and other first-aid supplies. They Griffith, which bills itself as the fictional and idyllic ceutical companies agreeing to billion-dollar settle-
provide safe places to shoot up. They deliver “uncon- Mayberry of the 1960s “Andy Griffith Show,” we meet ments for their roles in the overdose crisis. As opioid
ditional positive regard” – something Macy stresses Wendy Odum. “My husband and I are now raising our abatement and remediation funds trickle down to the
is essential for people struggling to get through each four grandchildren and so are all the grandparents we states, this is the task that “Raising Lazarus” sets us.
day. Their work is funded by bake sales, T-shirt sales know,” she says. “All our kids are dead.” Addiction has Who will join in rolling those rocks away? 
and GoFundMe drives. Often working underground, been taking lives there for three generations: Odum
they are what Macy calls “good criminals.” was addicted herself after being prescribed opioids af- RAISING LAZARUS
ter a fall. Her mother, too, died from an overdose.
Such strategies have hardly been embraced by a na- HOPE, JUSTICE AND THE FUTURE
tion where total abstinence, “tough love” or submis- What, then, is the solution? The “real magic wand
sion to a higher power is regarded as “treatment.” The is to give up on the rigid notion that a single fix ex- OF AMERICA’S OVERDOSE CRISIS
high costs of not doing harm reduction recur through- ists,” Macy writes. Her book is a call to “radically re-
out the book. Macy cites numerous “state and local think addiction care, to do more than give lip service BY BETH MACY | LITTLE, BROWN. 400 PP. $30.
politicians who wrongly blame suffering people for REVIEW BY NANCY D. CAMPBELL, THE WASHINGTON POST

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 33

INSIGHT BRIDGE

THE BIDDING PAINTED THE PERFECT PICTURE WEST NORTH EAST
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painting it, and is sure of his method and composition.”
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card, and is confident of his line. J7
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This was an interesting deal at Bridge Base Online that had lots of color choices. Two 852
Norths played in three no-trump. A couple of pairs bid a slam without first dipping their
brushes in the Blackwood pot. Three Norths were in four hearts, which failed after losing Dealer: South; Vulnerable: North-South
one club, one heart, a spade ruff by West and a club ruff by East. No North cleverly
dropped the club king under the ace at trick one, but after a spade shift, a heart to The Bidding:
East’s ace, and East’s lowest spade led for partner to ruff, if West had trusted that suit-
preference signal and returned a club, the contract would have lost all of its color. SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
Pass 3 Clubs Dbl. Pass
Three tables were in four spades. In this auction, North’s sequence showed two places 3 Spades Pass 4 Hearts Pass LEAD:
to play, hearts and diamonds, but South preferred to repeat his excellent spade suit. 4 Spades Pass Pass Pass 2 Diamonds

Two declarers misplayed and went down. The third used the bidding to guide his brush.
What did he do?

South won the diamond lead on the board and drew all of the trumps, pitching a
diamond and two hearts from the board. Then, knowing that clubs were 7-1 and that
East had the heart ace, declarer played a club to dummy’s king, returned a heart to his
jack and led another heart. He lost one heart and one club for the best score over all 14
tables.

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36 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (AUGUST 25) ON PAGE 60

ACROSS DOWN
1 American writer (3) 1 Terror (5)
3 Scientist’s workroom (3) 2 Feeling (7)
5 Successors (5) 3 Fibs (4)
8 Nobody (5) 4 Supported (6)
9 Contend (7) 5 Drunk (8)
10 Stylish (4) 6 Concepts (5)
11 Let go (8) 7 Thin (7)
13 Older (6) 12 Border (8)
14 Ruler (6) 13 Slid (7)
17 Meant (8) 15 Intentions (7)
19 Employs (4) 16 Show (6)
22 Corridor (7) 18 Jobs (5)
23 Keen (5) 20 Warts (anag.)(5)
24 Old-fashioned (5) 21 Nuisance (4)
25 Set afire (3)
The Telegraph 26 Spotted (3)

How to do Sudoku:

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

The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 37

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 97 Pedigree rival 50 Novelist ___ Mae The Washington Post
1 Secret rival 99 Profit extension Brown
6 Party boss? 100 What some NCAA INITIAL IMPRESSIONS By Merl Reagle
10 Personnel 51 Ship stabilizer
15 Dog-caller’s word teams have? 53 Mandela successor
19 Unit of paper 106 Mature
20 Grimace cause 108 Hair remover Mbeki (anagram
21 Entertainer Fields 109 “___ me” of BOTHA,
22 Summarily let go 110 Commotion coincidentally)
23 Last thing you might 111 Old car horns 54 Gomez portrayer
115 On 55 From Cuzco
expect to see on a 116 Last thing you want 59 Sol.
UFO? 62 Gray matter
26 Made a federal case to hear from an ICBM 63 Mayan ruins of
out of it expert? Guatemala
27 To-do lists 119 Role for Maureen 65 L’ils rube of the
28 Hardly cordial 120 Email icon comics
29 Football propeller 121 Victor’s cry 66 It has gnus for you:
30 Tea holder or bag 122 Root or Yale abbr.
holder 123 Heady requests 67 Listless
31 Commit a gaffe 124 “As old as the hills” 69 Side of a door
32 What many MGM 125 Nothing at all 70 Peter Fonda role
employees do? 126 New Yorker cartoonist 71 Ollie’s chum
35 Bark shrilly William 72 Gazing needs
38 Actress Swenson DOWN 73 Smart phone feature
40 Guy on the Wolf Man 1 Blue hue 74 Birth of a Nation
set 2 Level subject
41 With 60 Across, 3 Anger 75 Transmit
cornered 4 Cara or Castle 77 Outrigger canoe
42 1967 hit, “Kind of ___” 5 Absolutely correct 78 Dumb
44 Vague time 6 Diggers 79 Suit fabric
48 For fun 7 Surreal 80 Common viper
52 Exposed by a CBS 8 Bulgaria’s capital 83 Distress call
news crew? 9 Part of a fleet 85 Annuls
56 1969 hit, 10 Mo. city 87 Waimea wiggle
“And When ___” 11 Overly and then 88 Medicine bottle
57 Conceals, in the Bible some 89 Blown up: abbr.
58 Bewitch 12 Arthur Koestler 91 Actor who sang
59 Drop off classic, about courage
60 See 41 Across Darkness ___ 95 Leggy creatures
61 Class ___ 13 Put away 96 Upshot
64 Status of the NSA, 14 Whimsical 98 Compadres
some say? 15 Can prove one’s 100 Of birth
66 Bubbling hot whereabouts 101 Much discussed
68 Nativity critters 16 Ooze layer
69 How JFK played touch 17 Thin-voiced 102 Less brusque
football? 18 Swirl 103 Wee bit
76 Palindromic name 24 Sew 104 Commercial industry,
77 Galileo’s birthplace 25 “My ___!” for short
81 Rearrange 30 Manilow’s club 105 Lerner’s collaborator
82 Wrapped orders? 32 Oodles of Elevate
84 Deserved 33 Relief carvings 108 Indian prince
86 Lunch, e.g. 34 Artist’s inspiration 111 Name in Arizona
87 Start of an HMO story 35 Pleasure boat mission lore
that ends, “Sorry, your 36 Kentucky county 112 Haggard title word
policy does not extend 37 Bluenose 113 Soft drink brand
beyond the three-mile 39 Bluto, for one 114 Cozy
limit”? 43 Critic-novelist James 116 NYC subway
90 Three-nation European 45 Nippon finale 117 Alkaline solution
union 46 Brooks’s singing 118 Erstwhile space
92 ___ a tie partner station
93 Grazing land 47 With the bow, in
94 Actor Mineo music
95 Yossarian’s 48 Breathing bane
roommate 49 Bachelor No. 1?

The Telegraph

38 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

She has no hero worship left to give, and isn’t proud of it

BY CAROLYN HAX micro-generosity to yourself. Deep breathing. Open ing them up. But health care and realistic, teeny-tiny
Washington Post your chest and shoulders. A few times a day. Any time adjustments in self-care are not mutually exclusive.
your resentments surge, maybe. Settle yourself. For- Deep breath. One kind thing. “I can do this.”
Dear Carolyn: I am not proud give. If you feel no benefit, then keep practicing. It’s
of this. My husband’s brother is an a skill. Dear Carolyn:When my mother died, my much old-
emergency room doctor and his er brother (with whom I had always been close) was
wife is an elementary school teach- If you feel any benefit, then project that outward, in devastated and cut off contact with me without expla-
er. They are selfless people who are any increment you’ve got. A kind word, a small favor. nation. I reached out to him several times and was re-
sacrificing at the front lines of … ev- A mental correction of a negative thought: “They have buffed. I was incredibly hurt. Now over 15 years later,
erything. And I am so sick of hearing about it. I resent their [stuff] too,” is a helpful one for perspective. he is having health issues and suddenly wants to be
good people because I’m tired of hearing about them. in touch. I have such mixed feelings: I’m sorry he is in
I have not said this to my husband or anybody else As always, negative ruts are good cause to get evalu- poor health, glad he apologized, glad he said he loves
because I know it’s the equivalent of kicking a puppy. ated for depression and other stress-adjacent condi- me, and also confused. I still have no understanding of
But I need help getting over this. How do you stop re- tions; healthy people don’t resent angels for show- what happened; he has only said that he was upset by
senting people who did absolutely nothing wrong, but our mother’s death (as I was, of course).
you are just burned out on the hero edit?
Some friends and family expect me to just pick up
– Resenting Good People where we left off, but I no longer respect him and can’t
instantly get over the hurt. He does not live nearby.
Resenting Good People: Maybe you don’t need to What is the best way to handle this? – Little Sister
stop the resentment so much as start doing more
things you’re proud of. They don’t all require more Little Sister: I understand the impulse to hold him
school. There’s selflessness and worth in making your accountable. It’s natural. But before you do, remem-
household better, your community better, one per- ber, what hurt you most was his absence from your
son’s day better. Hold a scared person’s hand. Pick life – and if you act on your sense of grievance by turn-
up roadside trash. Let someone merge in traffic. One ing him away, temporarily or for good, then you’ll just
kindness a day. Fake it till you feel it. be doing to yourself more of what he did to you.

If you want to think bigger than that, and can, then And won’t time with him be worth more to you than
please do. Picture the thanks of a tired world as the any justice you get? You love each other. He damaged
wind at your back. If you’ve got nothing left in reserve that. Whatever unresolved anger you have is best re-
for even the smallest generosities – no judgment here, solved with him. Not in your separate corners as your
there’s been a lot of “… everything” – then start with time together runs out. 

PERFECT ‘TENN’!

THEATRE GUILD FEST WILL BE
WALL-TO-WALL WILLIAMS

40 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

PERFECT ‘TENN’! Theatre Guild fest will be wall-to-wall Williams

BY PAM HARBAUGH | CORRESPONDENT

Clear your calendars, theater lovers.
The Vero Beach Theatre Guild will def-
initely be the place to go in September
when it presents the “10 X Tenn The-
atre Festival,” a monthly long celebra-
tion of one of America’s very best play-
wrights, Tennessee Williams.

The festival, which runs Sept. 7 to
Oct. 1, will present plays and screen
movies, showcase artifacts, hold panel
discussions and offer acting classes.
There will also be a “Stella” yelling
contest, of course, as well as a grand
gala with drinks and dancing.

“Never, ever, ever, ever has the The-
atre Guild presented this large a festi-
val,” says artistic director Jon Putzke.

Putzke came up with the idea of the

At left, Benjamin Fadaymoi and Liz Keiner. Clockwise above,
Kasey McBride, Liz Keiner, and Jeffery Barkwell. PHOTOS BY JOSHUA KODIS

Jeffrey Barkwell and Katie Dempsay.

festival two years ago when he was plan- Worth Playhouse and Melbourne Civic Theatre, says a properly done staged the “Streetcar” staged reading. The con-
ning the 2022/2023 season. He knew he Theatre – to present staged readings of reading can be just as thrilling as a test is modeled loosely after the Stella
wanted to do a production of a serious Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie,” “A fully realized piece of theater. He says Contest created by the Tennessee Wil-
drama, so he chose “Cat on a Hot Tin Streetcar Named Desire” and “Sum- he is grateful that Putzke has invited liams & New Orleans Literary Festival.
Roof,” for which, in 1955, Williams was mer and Smoke.” MCT and the other theaters to partici-
awarded his second Pulitzer Prize for pate in the festival. It’s inspired by the famous scene in
drama. His first, in 1948, was awarded A staged reading brings the actors the movie of “A Streetcar Named De-
for “A Streetcar Named Desire.” and their scripts onto the stage to read “The way I coach the performers is sire” where Marlon Brando’s charac-
the play to the audience. The style of to think of it as doing radio,” Girard ter stands on the street in the middle
As Putzke began thinking about Wil- staged readings can include minimal says. “People are amazed at how com- of the rain and yells “Stella!” to his
liams’ masterpieces, his one-act plays stage movement and props, or simply plete a theatrical experience it is. They wife, who is upstairs in their tenement
and classic movies, the idea struck him. chairs and music stands. see the play unfold before them in apartment. Contestants should grab
their imagination.” their best torn T-shirts, summon all
“A light went off in my head,” Putzke Terrence Girard, who runs the their pent-up drama, discard any in-
says. “I said we can produce a festival. PlayRead series for Melbourne Civic The “Stella Contest” will occur after
We could show movies and produce
one-acts, have productions and staged
readings. I said, ‘Let’s do it all.’ It kept
developing and got bigger and bigger
and grew into the festival.”

The festival’s anchor production is
“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” which Putzke
directs – his fourth time doing so – and
which he claims is his directorial “swan
song.” Putzke started out his theater
career of 50-plus years as one of the
“no-neck monsters” (the children in
the play) and says capping his directo-
rial career with this “seems right.”

He has also reached out to three
other theater companies – the Char-
lotte Players (Port Charlotte), the Lake

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 41

Kasey McBride ARTS & THEATRE
and Liz Keiner.

hibitions and yell their most commit- by the “Stella Contest”). Melbourne
ted “Stella.” Civic Theatre will present its staged
reading of “Summer and Smoke” on
The winner gets a 24-case of Stella Sept. 28. Tickets to each are $30.
(Artois) beer. Second place gets an 18-
case, and third place gets a 12-case. Movie Nights take place 7:30 p.m. in
And yes, you have to be aged 21 or old- the main auditorium, beginning with
er to participate in that contest. “Sweet Bird of Youth” Monday Sept.
12, “The Rose Tattoo” Monday Sept.
The 10 X Tenn festival kicks off 19, “The Night of the Iguana” Monday
with a free wine reception at 6 p.m. Sept. 26 and “Suddenly Last Summer”
Wednesday, Sept. 7. At that opening Tuesday Sept. 27. Admission is free
event, Tennessee Williams Museum with a $5 beverage and/or popcorn
curator Dennis Beaver will open a lob- purchase from the Patio Bar.
by display of memorabilia from Wil-
liams’ life when he lived in Key West. Acclaimed acting teacher Michael
Naffziger will present a master acting
Beaver will also present a seminar class called “10 and the Will,” which
on the life and times of Williams while explores ten different ways to discov-
he lived there, which will be followed ering character. That class begins 6
by a screening of “Tennessee Williams’ p.m. Sept. 13 and costs $35. Class size
South,” a documentary in which the is limited to 35 students.
playwright discusses how he wrote his
plays and chose his characters. A Debate & Open Discussion on In-
clusive Casting in our Contemporary
Productions of two of Williams’ Times will be held 6 p.m. Sept. 20 in
one-act plays, “This Property is the Studio Theatre. Inclusive casting
Condemned” and “The Case of the refers to considering casting actors
Crushed Petunias,” will be presented you might not normally expect to see
in VBTG’s 35-seat Studio Theatre. in certain roles. It deals with what used
to be called “color-blind casting” but
“This is another charm about the is now referred to as “non-traditional
festival,” Putzke says. “Both shows are casting.” That opens up the subject to
fun, with ‘Property’ having been made issues beyond race, to include gender,
into a major motion picture. ‘Petunias’ age and ethnicity, to name a few. Ad-
is the only comedy Tennessee Wil- mission is free, but due to limited seat-
liams wrote.” ing, you must sign up through the box
office ahead of time.
Curtain for the two one-acts is 7:30
p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 8, Sept. 15, Sept. The festival closes Saturday, Oct. 1
22 and Sept. 29, and 2 p.m. Saturday, with a 6 p.m. Cabaret Gala held out-
Oct. 1. Tickets are $30. doors on the patio and under the big
top. Called “Booze & Blues at Moon
The fully staged production of “Cat Lake Casino,” it slyly refers to Wil-
on a Hot Tin Roof” opens Friday, liams’ own personal history and cer-
Sept. 9 and runs through Sept. 30 in tain lines in his plays.
the theater’s main stage auditorium.
The play is for mature audiences. It There will be New Orleans jazz and
performs 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Satur- blues by the Crescent City Crawdads
days, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sun- Jazz Trio featuring Jacob Craig on key-
days. Tickets are $35. board and top singers from the Theatre
Guild. Tim Shestak will host southern
The Staged Readings will be pre- bourbon tastings, and there will also
sented at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays on be a food truck with southern fare and
the apron (the front of the stage) in the a dance floor. Admission is $40.
VBTG’s main stage auditorium. They
begin Sept. 14 when the Charlotte The Vero Beach Theatre Guild is at 2020
Players present their staged reading San Juan Avenue. Call 772-562-8300 or
of “The Glass Menagerie.” The Lake visit VeroBeachTheatreGuild.com. 
Worth Playhouse will present their
staged reading of “A Streetcar Named
Desire” on Sept. 21 (followed outdoors

42 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

COMING UP! Walk the (art) walk at First Friday Gallery Stroll

BY PAM HARBAUGH muscadine wine, tours and a gift shop,
Correspondent also is a spot to stroll and enjoy the out-
doors, and to listen to music. The con-
1 Start your weekend by indulging certs this weekend feature the Beatle
in the First Friday Gallery Strolls. Guys Band performing “All Beatles All
Day” 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and Fon-
The monthly event runs 5 p.m. to 8 da Cash in a tribute to Fleetwood Mac
1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. On both days
p.m. and takes place in Vero Beach’s there will be food trucks and Summer
Crush Boxes serving up cheese, char-
Historic Downtown Arts District. You cuterie, seafood dips, chips and salsa,
ice cream and more. The concerts are
can amble along the sidewalks, dip held in an outdoor setting with tickets
starting at $5 for a lawn pass or gate
into art galleries and shops. Frequent- fee. Bring a lawn chair. You can bring
your own canopy with hold downs or
ly, gallerists will offer a sip of wine or

tasty tidbits to munch on while speak-

ing to some of the artists with works

on view. If all that strolling gets just

too much for you, then stop at some of

the lively restaurants in the area. The

Art Gallery Stroll takes you along 14th The event raises money for the Vero
Beach Lifeguard Association. Sign-in
Avenue. If you need a specific starting starts 8 a.m. Raffles begin 10 a.m. on
the beach. Prizes and awards will be
point, head to the Main Street Vero announced at the After Party begin-
ning 5 p.m. at Walking Tree Brewery.
Beach Studios & Gallery, 2036 14th Ave. Cost to participate in the Skim Jam is
$40 for non-pro and $100 for profes-
You can pick up maps for directions to sionals. Register at LiveHeats.com/
ShoreLB. If you hang a little while at
other participating galleries. For more Walking Tree you can enjoy music
by Live Bait, an acoustic duo from
information, call 772-643-6782 or visit

MainStreetVeroBeach.org.

2 Mulligan’s Skim Jam returns
for its 15th annual event in

Sexton Plaza on Saturday, Sept. 3.

Fort Pierce. Walking Tree Brewery is umbrellas. The venue has circulating
at 3209 Dodger Road, Vero Beach. To fans and water-cooled fans that help
reach Walking Tree, call 772-217-3502 keep it all cool. No coolers or off-prem-
or visit WalkingTreeBrewery.com. ises food or beverage. Those are sold at
the venue. Summer Crush Vineyard &
3 The Vero Beach Book Center Winery is just south of the Indian River
presents “Linda Hurtado Bond County line, at 4200 Johnston Rd., Fort
Pierce. Call 772-460-0500 or visit Sum-
in Conversation with Sophie Ju- merCrushWine.com.

lin” early Friday evening. Hurtado

Bond is an Emmy Award-winning

news anchor for Fox 13 in Tampa. 5 For something different, head
to Art on the Porch. The week-
Her book, “All the Broken Girls,” was

recently released. The novel takes ly event takes place 10 a.m. to noon

place in Central Florida and follows Mondays at Cool Beans Brew. The

Cuban-American crime reporter free event welcomes donations to

Mari Alvarez on a hunt for a serial help defray costs in its art proj-

killer. Hurtado Bond will sign cop- ects and crafts. The event is family

ies of her book. Social media influ- friendly and open to all ages. Cool

encer Sophie Julin will host the book Beans Brew is a coffee meeting-

signing. The book signing begins 5 house and art gallery in the Peacock

p.m. Friday, Sept. 2 at the Vero Beach Arts District in Fort Pierce. It’s got

Book Center, 392 21st St. Regular everything coffee, from espresso-

hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays based drinks (both hot and iced) to

through Saturdays. For more infor- cold brew coffee and points in be-

mation, call 772-569-2050 or visit tween. The establishment’s front

VeroBeachBookCenter.com. porch has rocking chairs to invite

you to stay a while. Cool Beans Brew

4 Kick back and cool off at Summer is at 1115 Delaware Ave., Fort Pierce.
Crush Vineyard & Winery this
Call 772-828-2355 or visit Cool-

weekend. The locale, which offers up BeansBrew.com. 

DOCTOR BRINGS GROUNDBREAKING
LUNG SURGERY TECHNIQUE HERE

44 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Doctor brings groundbreaking lung surgery technique here

BY KERRY FIRTH Dr. Luis Argote-Greene. And we have less invasive surgical
Correspondent techniques like video-assisted and
PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS robotic surgery. With all the new
It didn’t take long before Dr. Luis advances we can perform a less
Argote-Greene, the newly appoint- multimodality treatment improv- demic and until a few years ago a invasive surgery that offers bet-
ed Regional Director of Thoracic ing survival and quality of life for cure was rare. We now have bet- ter chances of survival and better
and Esophageal surgery at Cleve- women around the globe. ter detection techniques like chest quality of life.”
land Clinic Indian River Hospi- CT and screening, genomics and
tal, made important advances in “A similar evolution is taking proteomics that allow us to find Lung cancer has been called the
the treatment of lung cancer here. place in the treatment of lung can- the cancer in very early stages. largest epidemic of the 20th cen-
Just a few weeks after his arrival in cer. Lung cancer is a newer epi- tury, caused primarily from the use
June, he and his team performed of tobacco products. Some of the
the hospital’s first anatomic robot- earliest cases were treated with re-
ic segmentectomy for lung cancer, a moval of the whole lung, but as ad-
procedure that recently gained the vanced screening detected smaller
support of thoracic surgeons world- spots of lung cancer in early stages,
wide. the treatment was reduced to just
removing the infected lobe in a
Dr. Argote-Greene said the new procedure called a lobectomy.
treatment makes lung surgery less
traumatic and notes a parallel be- In 1995 a study compared surviv-
tween the evolution of lung surgery al rates of a lobectomy, which is the
and the evolution of breast cancer removal of the lobe where the can-
su rger y. cer is located, to a lesser resection
where just a section or wedge of the
“Historically, treating breast can- cancer infected area is extracted. In
cer used to be a deforming surgery that study they found that patients
that involved removing the breast who had the lobectomy lived longer
with underlying muscles. Later, than those who had the lesser re-
with advances in oncology, surgery section.
became a smaller, better tolerated
Therefore, the standard of care

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

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 45

HEALTH

since 1995 has been to do a lobec- that it usually has no symptoms until 1 pack a day for 20 years (1x20=20). National Institute of Health Sciences
tomy, which leaves patients with it’s too late. U.S. Preventive Services Getting a CT scan to detect cancer and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran in
reduced pulmonary function. Task Force (USPSTF) suggests yearly in its earlier stages increases the sur- Mexico City. He completed his Tho-
lung cancer screening for at-risk peo- vival rate for those at risk by 20 per- racic Surgery and Thoracic Oncology
But the Japanese continued to ple over the age of 50. cent. Clinical Fellowships at Brigham and
do lesser resections because they Women’s Hospital and Harvard Med-
had smaller cancers, and a new You are considered at risk if you “Two-hundred thousand people ical School in Boston. Prior to joining
trial was published last April after currently smoke or if you’ve quit die every year from lung cancer,” Dr. Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospi-
many years of collecting data. It de- smoking in the past 15 years and you Argote-Green continued. “We need tal, Dr. Argote-Greene was a thoracic
termined that – in very early lung have at least a 20-pack year smoking to take away the stigma of being a surgeon with University Hospitals in
cancers, less than 2 centimeters in history. smoker or ex-smoker and empower Ohio and clinical assistant professor
size – patients with a segmentecto- those at risk to seek help. Lung can- at Case Western Reserve University.
my had a better survival rate than This number is calculated by mul- cer is now curable if it’s found early
those who had a larger resection or tiplying the number of packs of ciga- enough.” He is now accepting new patients
lobectomy. The study found the less rettes per day by the number of years at Cleveland Clinic’s Health and Well-
traumatic surgery saved needed tis- smoked. For example, someone who Dr. Argote-Greene earned his ness Center, 3450 11th Court, Vero
sue that is useful in the longer life smoked 2 packs a day for 10 years medical degree at Universidad Na- Beach. To schedule an appointment,
of the patient, providing more lung (2x10=20) has 20-pack years of smok- cional Autonoma de Mexica and call 772-563-4580. 
function for a better quality of life. ing, as does a person who smoked trained in General Surgery at the

“Nowadays we have the robotic
platform which allows us to atomi-
cally dissect the bronchus (the
windpipe that feeds that segment
with air), and the pulmonary artery
branches,” Dr. Argote-Green ex-
plained. “It’s technically challeng-
ing but with the robotic platform
is like having your hands in there.
We inject a florescent dye though
the vein so it glows in the dark and
which creates an anatomic resec-
tion so we can clearly see the real
boundary of the infected segment.
Before we would estimate the
boundary of the segment because
we could see a slight change of
color, but it was a real leap of faith.
Now it’s safer and more precise.”

In robotic lung cancer surgery,
the surgeon operates through four
tiny incisions in the chest to remove
the tumor and a certain amount of
surrounding healthy tissue from
the cancerous lobe. During this
minimally invasive surgery, four
ports are inserted between the ribs
and connected to the robotic plat-
form. One arm holds a camera pro-
viding a three-dimensional view of
everything going on in the chest.
That leaves three ports for mechan-
ical arms with tiny hands. The sur-
geon can intricately manipulate the
robotic arms to dissect and remove
the diseased part of the lung. Most
patients are up walking the same
day and heading home the next.

The patient will return for a fol-
low-up visit two weeks after the
surgery for a new X-ray and the doc-
tor will review the pathology. If it is
negative, they’re done. Patients are
then screened every six months to
make sure the cancer has not reap-
peared or that another spot hasn’t
developed.

Removing one spot doesn’t mean
you won’t get another, but if you
do the procedure can be repeated.
Some patients may have two to four
segmentectomys in their lifetime if
needed.

The problem with lung cancer is

46 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Simple ways to stress less about going to the doctor

BY NETANA MARKOVITZ Tracy Richmond, an adolescent
The Washington Post medicine physician and director
of the Eating Disorder Program at
If you find yourself anxious about Boston Children’s Hospital.
going to the doctor’s office, you’re
not alone. A study from the Nation- Once the physician enters the
al Cancer Institute found that some exam room, it can sometimes feel
patients avoid going to the doctor as though you and the doctor have
because of concerns about commu- different agendas. Perhaps you’ve
nication with their physician. been mulling over that cough that
won’t go away, but the doctor is
If you are one of these people, asking a million questions about
behind-the-scenes knowledge may a mole on your arm. What can
help alleviate your concerns and you do? Richmond said it’s helpful
anxiety. Here are some tips to help to explain your goals and priori-
navigate a visit, courtesy of physi- ties upfront. She said patients can
cians who see patients daily. say, “Here are the things that are
top on my priority list [for this ap-
A doctor’s visit may unleash pointment]. … Are there things that
stressors that feel out of your con- you think should be on my priority
trol. For example, the routine of list?” That allows you and the doc-
stepping on the scale at the begin- tor to have a list of items that you
ning of every appointment trig- know will be covered.
gers anxiety for many people. Doc-
tors say patients can ask not to be Maja Artandi, a professor of pri-
weighed, or to hold off on the mea- mary care and population health at
surement. It’s OK to say, “I’d like to Stanford University School of Med-
not be weighed prior to seeing my icine, suggested going even further,
physician, and I’d like to be able to by bringing in a brief, organized list
discuss with them if knowing my of top concerns you’d like to cover
weight is necessary today,” said in the visit. “As a primary care doc-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 47

HEALTH

tor, l really want to understand front and explicit makes it so much University of Michigan Medical being provided or too much medi-
what the most important thing is easier,” Richmond said. School, said it’s OK for patients to cal jargon. Chang suggested tak-
for the patient before I start telling ask doctors to seek the opinion of ing notes during the visit – or even
them about what I think is impor- You can also help increase the ef- colleagues. “It’s the art of medi- bringing a friend or relative to take
tant. I think if the patient has a list fectiveness of the visit by bringing cine,” she said. “There’s very rarely notes for you. And you can always
and is prepared for the visit, that’s a in data. Have high blood pressure? just one, single path forward,” she ask your doctor to explain in sim-
good thing,” Artandi said. “I would Bring in a log of your home blood said. “And so I think empowering pler terms if you don’t understand
say if you want to bring a list, focus pressure readings if you have done patients means giving patients op- what they’re saying.
on your top three concerns.” them. Taking multiple medica- tions and hearing options from dif-
tions? Consider bringing in the bot- ferent points of view. Doctors don’t “It can be really complicated. And
When making the list, it’s possi- tles to review with your doctor. If work in isolation anymore.” so we should write things down and
ble you may need a second or third that’s too much of a hassle, be sure then if there’s any part that doesn’t
appointment to cover everything in to take a picture of the bottles that And you can seek a second opin- make sense either in the visit or
depth, especially if there are sev- shows the labels clearly or write ion. While patients may worry sec- after, the patient should never feel
eral major topics to get to. “We only down the names and the doses you ond opinions will upset their doc- uncomfortable calling for clarifica-
have a limited amount of time, and take to ensure they’re up to date in tor, a good physician should be tion,” Chang said. “As a doctor, I re-
we might not be able to address ev- your medical record. comfortable with the idea. If not, ally appreciate that.”
erything on the list,” Artandi said. it may be time to consider finding
“If someone really wants to address Physicians especially want to someone new. Under new federal rules, patients
everything … they need to be pre- know if you feel you might be hav- also have the right to view all doc-
pared to make another appoint- ing a harder time maintaining your “I always tell my patients that tor’s notes about their visits, often
ment.” health, so don’t sugarcoat things in they are the main person – it’s through online patient portals, so
the discussion. “It’s the patient’s their health that we are concerned you can read and review what was
Writing or stating your priori- health, not a report card,” Artandi about. So if they need to ask ques- discussed.
ties upfront can also help avoid the said. “It’s all part of the patient’s tions, get a second opinion, or need
disappointment of bringing up a health journey. We are there to help to clarify something – that should Chang’s takeaway is that navigat-
concern in the last few minutes of them, especially if they don’t do so be welcomed,” Artandi said. ing appointments can feel stressful
a visit, only to feel as though the well.” but going into a visit with informa-
physician does not have time to “If the doctor sees this as offen- tion and expectations of what you
fully address the issue. “The worst Of course, if you don’t feel like sive, then that is definitely a red want can help.
part for a clinician is having the you’re being heard or aren’t sure flag. We all work together as medi-
most important issue brought up at you agree with what the doctor pro- cal professionals to help our pa- “I think it’s good for patients to
the end … then they’re like, ‘Oh no, poses, you can ask your doctor for tients.” understand that it is really a col-
how am I going to address this ad- other options or to see if their col- laboration,” Artandi said. “We as
equately when I have other patients leagues might have other thoughts. Finally, some patients find that medical providers are there to help
waiting?’ [Stating concerns] up- it can be hard to follow everything our patients to have the best health
Tammy Chang, an associate pro- the doctor is saying – either because they can have, but it’s a partner-
fessor in family medicine at the there’s just too much information ship.” 

48 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Cognitive rehab could help clear COVID-related brain fog

BY JUDITH GRAHAM woman had been doing bookkeeping But this patient was lucky. Jill Jo- least one persistent symptom.
The Washington Post for a local business. Now, she couldn’t nas, an occupational therapist associ- Experts are enthusiastic about cog-
add single-digit numbers in her head. ated with the Washington University
Eight months after falling ill with School of Medicine in St. Louis who nitive rehabilitation’s potential.
COVID-19, the 73-year-old woman Was it the earliest stage of dementia, described her to me, has been provid- “Anecdotally, we’re seeing a good
couldn’t remember what her husband unmasked by COVID-19? No. When a ing cognitive rehabilitation to the pa-
had told her a few hours before. She therapist assessed the woman’s cogni- tient, and she is getting better. number of people [with long COVID]
would forget to remove laundry from tion, her scores were normal. make significant gains with the right
the dryer at the end of the cycle. She Cognitive rehabilitation is therapy kinds of interventions,” said Monique
would turn on the tap at a sink and What was going on? Like many peo- for people whose brains have been Tremaine, director of neuropsychol-
walk away. ple who’ve contracted COVID-19, this injured by concussions, traumatic ogy and cognitive rehabilitation at
woman was having difficulty sustain- accidents, strokes or neurodegenera- Hackensack Meridian Health’s JFK
Before getting COVID-19, the dis- ing attention, organizing activities tive conditions such as Parkinson’s Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in
ease caused by the coronavirus, the and multitasking. She complained of disease. It’s a suite of interventions New Jersey.
brain fog. She didn’t feel like herself. designed to help people recover from
brain injuries, if possible, and adapt to Among the post-COVID cognitive
ongoing cognitive impairment. Ser- complaints being addressed are prob-
vices are typically provided by speech lems with attention, language, infor-
and occupational therapists, neuro- mation processing, memory and visu-
psychologists and neurorehabilitation al-spatial orientation. A recent review
experts. in JAMA Psychiatry found that up to 47
percent of patients hospitalized in in-
In a recent development, some med- tensive care with COVID-19 developed
ical centers are offering cognitive problems of this sort. Meanwhile, a
rehabilitation to patients with long review in Nature Medicine found that
COVID (symptoms that persist sev- brain fog was 37 percent more likely in
eral months or longer after an infec- non-hospitalized COVID-19 survivors
tion that can’t be explained by other than in comparable peers who had no
medical conditions). According to known COVID infections.
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, about 1 in 4 older adults Also, emerging evidence shows se-
who survive COV ID-19 have at niors are more likely to experience
cognitive challenges post-COVID
than younger people – a vulnerabil-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / September 1 , 2022 49

HEALTH

ity attributed, in part, to older adults’ neuropsychiatric exams on patients getting physical exercise that main- Medicare usually covers cognitive
propensity to have other medical con- who come to its post-COVID clinic. tains blood flow and oxygenation to rehabilitation (patients may need to
ditions. Cognitive challenges arise About 67 percent have mild to moder- the brain,” Frantz said. “All of those contribute a co-payment), but Medi-
because of small blood clots, chronic ate cognitive dysfunction at least three impact our cognitive function and care Advantage plans may differ in the
inflammation, abnormal immune re- months after being infected, said Alba communication.” type and length of therapy they’ll ap-
sponses, brain injuries such as strokes Miranda Azola, co-director of Johns prove and how much they’ll reimburse
and hemorrhages, viral persistence Hopkins’ Post-Acute COVID-19 Team. Depression and anxiety – common providers – an issue that can affect ac-
and neurodegeneration triggered by When cognitive rehabilitation is rec- companions for people who are seri- cess to care. Still, Tremaine said, “not
COVID-19. ommended, patients usually meet ously ill or disabled – also need atten- a lot of people know about cognitive
with therapists once or twice a week tion. “A lot of times when people are rehabilitation or understand what it
Getting help starts with an assess- for two to three months. struggling to manage deficits, they’re does, and it remains underutilized.”
ment by a rehabilitation professional focusing on what they were able to
to pinpoint cognitive tasks that need Before this kind of therapy can be do in the past and really mourning Also, experts warn, while cognitive
attention and determine the severity tried, other problems may need to be that loss of efficiency,” Tremaine said. rehabilitation can help people with
of a person’s difficulties. One person addressed. “We want to make sure that “There’s a large psychological com- mild cognitive impairment, it’s not
may need help finding words while people are sleeping enough, maintain- ponent as well that needs to be man- appropriate for people who have ad-
speaking, while another may need ing their nutrition and hydration, and aged.” vanced dementia. 
help with planning. Yet another may
not be processing information effi-
ciently. Several deficits may be pres-
ent at the same time. Next comes an
effort to understand how patients’
cognitive issues affect their daily lives.
Among the questions that therapists
will ask, said Jason Smith, a rehabilita-
tion psychologist at the University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center
in Dallas: “Is this [deficit] showing up
at work? At home? Somewhere else?
Which activities are being affected?
What’s most important to you and
what do you want to work on?”

To try to restore brain circuits that
have been damaged, patients may be
prescribed a series of repetitive exer-
cises. If attention is the issue, for in-
stance, a therapist might tap a finger
on the table once or twice and ask a
patient to do the same, repeating it
multiple times. This type of interven-
tion is known as restorative cognitive
rehabilitation.

To address impairments that inter-
fere with people’s daily lives, a thera-
pist will work on practical strategies
with patients. Examples include mak-
ing lists, setting alarms or reminders,
breaking down tasks into steps, bal-
ancing activity with rest, figuring out
how to conserve energy, and learning
how to slow down and assess what
needs to be done before acting.

A growing body of evidence shows
that “older adults can learn to use
these strategies and that it does, in
fact, enhance their everyday life,” said
Alyssa Lanzi, a research assistant pro-
fessor who studies cognitive rehabili-
tation at the University of Delaware.

Along the way, patients and thera-
pists discuss what worked well and
what didn’t, and practice useful skills,
such as using calendars or notebooks
as memory aids.

“As patients become more aware of
where difficulties occur and why, they
can prepare for them and they start
seeing improvement,” said Lyana Kar-
danova Frantz, a speech therapist at
Johns Hopkins University. “A lot of my
patients say, ‘I had no idea this [kind of
therapy] could be so helpful.’”

Johns Hopkins has been conducting

50 Vero Beach 32963 / September 1, 2022 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

Mini or maxi: Which skirt is right for you?

BY LISA ARMSTRONG & MELISSA TWIGG Lisa Armstrong &
The Telegraph Melissa Twigg

With only two lengths on the cat-
walks this season, it’s time for the battle
of the hemlines.

‘It’s long every time’ Lisa Armstrong
While millennials have been gob-
bling up late-’90s/early-noughties
fashion – aka YK2 – for the past couple
of years, anyone old enough to have
worn crop tops and bumsters (pants
cut so low they reveal the top part
of the buttocks) last time round has
been wisely sitting it out.
But as of this fall, there is one long,
languid ’90s take-out we can all enjoy.
The maxi is back – at Burberry and
Brunello Cucinelli, and at Chanel,
Tod’s and Altuzarra. Other designers,
including Roland Mouret, have in-
cluded the maxi in their resort collec-
tions, which drop in November. This
one has legs. Speaking of which, I’ve
always felt more comfortable having
some kind of covering on mine.