11/18/2021 ISSUE 46

Robbie Brackett to stay on as
Vero mayor. P6
Cattle rustler’s

criminal past. P18
Nursing aides set to go
on trial for theft from seniors. P8

For breaking news visit

MY VERO Hospital workers
now facing covid
BY RAY MCNULTY vaccine mandates

Local media community
is suddenly not so local

Two longtime members of PHOTO BY KAILA JONES BY MICHELLE GENZ
the local media community Staff Writer
aren’t going to be as local as Vero Beach Bridge Club finds new players knocking on its doors
they were. Workers at Cleveland Clin-
BY PIETER VANBENNEKOM this month after being closed was somewhat disappoint- ic Indian River Hospital and
In separate news releases last Staff Writer Emeritus almost two full years because ing. The club still runs some Lawnwood Medical Center are
week: of the COVID-19 pandemic, a online games for late-arriving now facing separate corporate-
 The Gannett-owned Trea- When theVero Beach Bridge couple of things happened – snowbirds and for those who wide COVID-19 vaccine man-
sure Coast Newspapers, which Club cautiously resumed in- one bad and one good. prefer to play from home on dates after Cleveland Clinic in
include the Press Journal in In- person play and classes for their computers, but even the Ohio and Lawnwood’s parent
dian River County, announced fully vaccinated players earlier The number of people show- company, HCA, set nationwide
the company will close its ing up for in-person games CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 deadlines for the shot.
printing and packaging plant
in Port St. Lucie in mid-Jan- Cleveland Clinic Indian Riv-
uary and produce the paper er Hospital’s parent company
more than 100 miles from Vero announced it is implement-
in Deerfield Beach. ing a vaccine mandate with a
 The Palm Beach Media deadline of Jan. 4. That would
Group, a wholly owned sub- put the hospital in compliance
sidiary of Michigan-based with the Biden administration
Hour Media, announced it deadline for vaccination of all
had acquired the assets of Vero healthcare workers in compa-
Beach Magazine from Beth nies participating in Medicare
Moulton, an island resident or Medicaid.
who founded the publication
24 years ago. “Under the CMS rule, em-
ployees who are not fully vac-
Predictably, the new own- cinated by Jan. 4, 2022 and
ers assured local readers the who do not have a religious or
changes will have no nega- medical exemption that can be

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

New home building boom ramping up at John’s Island Shores introducing police body cameras

BY STEVEN M. THOMAS BY LISA ZAHNER ument, which may be updated
Staff Writer Staff Writer as questions arise during train-
ing, states that the cameras are
When 32963 readers think of new devel- The Town of Indian River to be turned off in areas where
opment on the barrier island, few picture Shores Public Safety Depart- a person has “a reasonable ex-
John’s Island. They more likely think of the ment plans to spend $75,000 pectation of privacy” includ-
luxury homes and condos going up on the over the next five years on a ing inside a residence – unless
ocean at Surfsedge and or the condos ris- body camera system to be a crime has been committed
worn by its officers starting – and that people interacting
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 in January. with an officer can request that

The Shores’ draft policy doc- CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

November 18, 2021 Volume 14, Issue 46 Newsstand Price $1.00 As McKee flourishes,
garden’s ‘Gatekeepers’
News 1-18 Editorial 38 People 19-32 TO ADVERTISE CALL feted. Page 22
Arts 47-52 Games 41-43 Pets 74 772-559-4187
Books 40 Health 53-61 Real Estate 77-88
Dining 66-72 Insight 33-46 Style 62-65 FOR CIRCULATION
CALL 772-226-7925

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

2 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero more than 40 years in the business, attempt to sell regional news to Vero ficer, Stan Wanczyk, crediting Moulton
working at newspapers of all sizes in Beach readers who don’t care about for building a “respected publication
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 markets across America: The farther what’s happening in Stuart or Port St. that has been part of the Florida pub-
from home newspapers are printed, Lucie – has contributed mightily to lishing landscape for decades.”
tive impact on their products. the earlier the deadlines. the Press Journal’s dwindling circula-
“We have long admired what Beth tion and dissipating impact on our But this is no longer Mouton’s baby,
The handful of reporters and edi- community. even though she said she remains the
Moulton and her team have creat- tors who work for the Press Journal “landlady” of the building in which
ed with this excellent publication,” will need to move up their already-too- The hard truth is that the Press Jour- the magazine operates.
Terry Duffy, group publisher of the early deadlines to allow for the time re- nal, which in the mid-1990s was deliv-
Palm Beach Media Group, said in the quired to truck the papers from north- ered to 70 percent of the households It’s a corporate acquisition.
company’s announcement. “We look ern Broward County to Vero Beach, so in Indian River County, is no longer a The Palm Beach group and its parent
forward to continuing their model of they can be delivered locally. must-read newspaper here. company will expect Vero Beach Maga-
success.” zine to produce profits as well as a glossy
The Press Journal also will find it- So Neal might be right: Printing the publication. If they’re not satisfied, you
Two days earlier, Treasure Coast self competing for press time not just paper at a plant four counties to the can be sure they will move people in
Newspapers/TCPalm.com Executive Ed- with the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Senti- south probably won’t make much of a and, if necessary, push people out.
itor Adam Neal said readers shouldn’t nel – which built the Deerfield Beach difference. Gannett’s decision to close the Port
experience any delivery delays or printing plant – but with the Miami St. Lucie printing plant – and put the
decline in service, and they can ex- Herald and the Palm Beach Post, who Vero Beach 32963 has for some years facility up for sale – will result in the
pect a “seamless transition” – despite for some years have also printed their been THE local newspaper on the is- elimination of 46 full-time and 27
the fact that the Press Journal will be papers there. land, and its sister paper, Vero News, part-time press and packaging jobs.
printed starting in January just out- THE local newspaper on the Indian That decision wasn’t made locally.
side of Fort Lauderdale. That means even less late-breaking River County mainland. Nor will any future decisions regard-
news will be found in your morning ing Vero Beach Magazine, now that it’s
“We are committed to continuing to Press Journal, except in rare circum- As for the sale of Vero Beach Maga- owned by the Palm Beach group, which
serve the Treasure Coast with quality stances when deadlines are pushed zine, there’s more reason for optimism, is owned by Hour Media, which has
local journalism and impactful adver- back to accommodate special events given the impressive track record of more than 300 employees and offices in
tising,” Neal said in a story the compa- deemed worthy of the additional ex- Palm Beach Media Group, which also Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia,
ny published in its print editions and pense. publishes Palm Beach Illustrated, Na- Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.
on its website last week. “Where the ples Illustrated, Fort Lauderdale Illus- So while supporting the community
newspapers are published does not But that’s fine with the Treasure Coast trated, Jupiter Magazine, Stuart Maga- and serving the public interest are ad-
affect how our local journalists cover Newspapers brass, which operates as a zine and Florida Design. mirable pursuits for the local magazine
the communities.” web-first news outlet that often posts its and daily newspaper, their fates will be
content on TCPalm.com days before it The group’s parent company, Hour determined by their profitability.
Actually, it does appears in print editions. Media, is the nation’s largest publish- The same, of course, applies at this
Especially at daily newspapers. er of city and regional magazines, in- newspaper.
Take it from someone who has spent Embracing that philosophy, how- cluding high-profile publications in That decision, though, will be made
ever – along with the company’s failed Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit and Los in ZIP code 32963. 
Angeles.
Vaccine mandate for hospitals
And according to Moulton, the new CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
ownership has embraced Vero Beach
Magazine’s “mission to support the lo- accommodated will no longer be able
cal community” by providing the staff to work for us,” said Dr. Greg Rosen-
here with the resources of a larger, crance, president of Cleveland Clinic
more sophisticated publishing group. Indian River.

“This will take the magazine to a The CMS rule states that employ-
whole new level, and it’ll be done with ees under the mandate must have the
the same staff we have now,” Moulton first of a two-shot vaccine by Dec. 6,
said in a phone interview Monday. “The or the single shot Johnson & Johnson
new ownership isn’t moving anyone in.” vaccine “prior to providing any care,
treatment or other services.”
I’m sure that’s the plan – for now,
anyway.

Certainly, the Hour Media folks are
saying all the right things, with the com-
pany president, John Balardo, calling
Vero Beach Magazine a “20-year-plus
success story” and its chief executive of-

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 3

NEWS

Cleveland Clinic has 68,000 em- VID-19 dropped into the single digits COVID-19 per day on average, and a the variant is accelerating – won’t be
ployees around the world, with more in Indian River County last week, as the case positivity rate of 1.72 percent. At clear for another few weeks at least.
than 2,000 in Vero Beach. Delta surge that hit early and with fe- the height of the Delta surge, the lo-
rocity in Florida receded to levels seen cal case positivity rate spiked higher The downward trend in cases and
News outlets in Ohio published a in early summer. than 25 percent; 70.9 percent of Indian hospitalizations was enough to cause
statement that said Cleveland Clinic River County adults are now fully vac- the local pro-mask, pro-vaccine Mask
had already implemented a vaccine As of Monday the Centers for Disease cinated, according to the CDC. IRC Facebook page to temporarily sus-
validation program across its U.S. fa- Control and Prevention Data Tracker pend its posts, with an announcement
cilities to compile the vaccination sta- categorized Indian River County as Whether that trend continues – or last week that it was archiving all in-
tus of all employees. an area of “low community transmis- whether the holidays bring an influx of formation and bidding #farewellCovid
sion,” with fewer than 10 new cases of infections from northern states, where
The health system said 80 percent CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
of its workers nationwide are already
vaccinated. Rosencrance said 76
percent of its workers here have got-
ten the shots, up 2 percent from two
weeks ago.

Last week, the CEO of HCA sent an
internal email to staff telling them they
needed to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4.
HCA said most of its 280,000 employ-
ees were already vaccinated. HCA has
200 hospitals, 49 of them in Florida in-
cluding Lawnwood in Fort Pierce.

The Biden healthcare worker vacci-
nation mandate allows for medical or
religious exemptions but does not in-
clude an option to be regularly tested
in lieu of vaccination, as the adminis-
tration’s mandate for business does.
The mandate also does not recognize
natural immunity gained by front-line
healthcare workers who have gotten
sick on the job from the virus and re-
covered.

The science is still inexact on how
long vaccine protection lasts, as studies
by the vaccine makers show the dura-
tion of protection can be different for
each individual – but the mandates are
one size fits all. How long will health-
care workers vaccinated in the first
wave of the vaccine rollout nearly a year
ago be considered “fully vaccinated?”
Will booster shots be federally mandat-
ed soon for early adopters of the COVID
vaccines? These are questions which, as
of today, have no answers.

There has still been no word on a
mandate from Steward Health, op-
erators of the much smaller Sebastian
River Medical Center. Steward operates
more than 40 hospitals in the U.S. and
Malta, including two hospitals in Bre-
vard County.

Requests for information about Stew-
ard’s vaccine policy were not responded
to by press time Monday.

The federal vaccination mandates
come as the Florida legislature is in a
special session called by Gov. Ron De-
Santis to deal with a mostly watered-
down slate of anti-mandate bills.

The move for a special session was
also opposed by many large companies
in Florida that have already imposed
vaccine mandates, including Disney
and Walmart. And LeadingAge Florida,
a organization representing long-term
care businesses, asked that facilities be
carved out of any ban on mandates so
that workers in that sector would still
fall under the federal mandate.

Meanwhile, hospitalizations for CO-

4 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Vaccine mandate for hospitals refused vaccines get sick and get some neglected during the pandemic. With rest of his or her shift, at that time the
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 immunity? a staff that is already 100 percent vac- camera would be taken off.
cinated, vulnerable patients can feel
to its 2,000 members. Some, including Seldes, say case more secure going to a doctor’s visit at “Medical calls would be exempt,
“We’ve reached the point again numbers may be unreliable due to the the clinic. meaning they would not be record-
increased use of home tests. “Those ed,” Shaw said, and if an officer inad-
where all really useful information has positives are never recorded,” he said. That security should be the case in- vertently captured images of some-
been shared, and the virus is retreat- creasingly as the vaccine mandate for one receiving medical treatment at an
ing,” posted the Facebook group’s co- Still others point to changes in the healthcare workers approaches its Jan. emergency scene, those images would
founder, Tess Whelan. “Hopefully we state’s COVID reporting last June that 4 deadline. be protected by HIPPA and exempt
don’t see you here again.” The site’s us- stopped including cases in out-of- from disclosure as a public record.
er-generated Dining Out Guide is still state residents. That includes young children com-
searchable, with tips on which res- ing in for vaccinations. Pierone was Funding for the batch of 19 body
taurants have the safest scenarios in Snowbirds are coming down in expecting his first shipment of pediat- cameras was in last year’s budget but
terms of outdoor dining and masked droves as temperatures fall and CO- ric vaccines this week. the money was rolled over to this year
servers. VID counts rise in states to the north. as the cameras were not purchased.
The upcoming holidays, on top of For parents wanting their children
Another volunteer admin on the mild weather here, could make for a protected, the vaccines can’t arrive Through a lease arrangement with
MASK IRC site, Paul Seldes, said the busier – and riskier – season in Vero. soon enough. Nearly 3,000 children the Axon company, the cameras will
Facebook group could easily be re- aged newborn to 14 have tested posi- be replaced individually under war-
vived should COVID numbers re- Regardless, visitors aren’t the only tive for COVID in the county.  ranty if something goes wrong, then
verse their decline as people become ones wanting to take advantage of all the cameras will be replaced with
increasingly lax in habits like hand- lower numbers. Police body cameras a newer version every 2.5 years. The
washing and mask wearing. He cites a CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 system features cloud storage and
particularly active flu season as a sign At Whole Family Health Center, real-time GPS monitoring so public
those changes in behavior are already practitioners are hoping to pack their the camera be turned off. Officers will safety supervisors know where offi-
happening. appointment books with people get- not wear cameras on medical calls, on cers are while on duty.
ting treatments and tests they have fire calls, or during casual contact with
It was only August that Florida was been postponing. residents. Town Manager Jim Harpring said
considered the worst hot spot in the the effort to introduce police body
nation. Three months later, the state “We are trying to move into a more “They would only wear the body cameras in Indian River Shores has
has the lowest case rate in the coun- normal phase and play catch-up on cameras when assigned to road pa- been going on since before he joined
try. Explanations abound, but have yet regular medical care,” said Dr. Gerald trol,” said Deputy Chief Mark Shaw. If the town, as different brands and
to be ascertained: Did the virus burn Pierone, the clinic’s medical director an officer works a few hours on road models of camera systems were eval-
itself out? Did enough people get the and an infectious disease specialist patrol and then goes on-duty in the uated before the cameras ended up in
vaccine? Or did enough people who who has been very involved in COVID fire station as a paramedic for the the 2021-22 town budget.
care locally.
“Body-worn cameras in law enforce-
Pierone lists mammograms, cancer ment have become standard operating
screenings, diabetes care and preven-
tive care as among the medical needs

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 5

NEWS

equipment in many jurisdictions. This sure their use in the field is consistent and the provisions of Ch. 119, F.S. as it town rights of way, and private property
technology is a natural extension of in- with the law and cognizant of privacy relates to the exempt and confidential such as within the gates of a private club,
car cameras and serves to protect the concerns.” nature of certain recordings that may be Harpring said as long as public safety offi-
public and law enforcement officers sought for public release,” Harpring said. cers have a reason to be on private prop-
by documenting citizen interactions,” “We are finalizing the operational, erty in their role as a law enforcement
Harpring said. “The policy and law sur- retention and release policy. It will be When asked if there would be differ- officer, use of the body camera within
rounding body worn cameras will en- consistent with s. 943.1718, F.S. as to the ent rules for use of the cameras on pub-
training and use of body worn cameras, lic property such as Highway A1A and CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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6 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Police body cameras Resource Officers in school settings.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 The Vero Beach Police Department is

the department’s guidelines, would be also in the process of launching its own
appropriate – just like dash cams record body camera program with training of
when officers respond to a call. officers on the technology and the rules
and cameras expected to be deployed
The Sheriff’s Office did not have body department-wide in early 2022.
cameras when Harpring served as gen-
eral counsel and then undersheriff, but In addition to the body cameras, the
Harpring said he’s done significant re- Shores is converting to a new plate-
search into their use due to his involve- reading system. On Thursday’s agenda
ment in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a request to purchase six mobile
Public Safety Commission as the com- license plate reader cameras that can
mission looked closely at the appro- be used in patrol cars to replace the
priate use of body cameras by School existing L3 plate-reader system which
has been less than reliable and is lack-
ing software support. 

BNeraviclkleetttotsoersvteayagoaninasaVs evriocemmaayyoorr;

BY LISA ZAHNER Now that he’s seated on the dais,
Cotugno will likely be aligned with
Staff Writer Brackett on most matters of policy.
That’s a good thing because Brackett
Vero Beach got lucky this past Mon- views city business in a very common-
day when the City Council decided sense way, and is involved and invest-
to continue with Robbie Brackett as ed in the community on a daily basis
mayor for the next 12 months. as a business owner.

“Thanks for having faith in me,” Despite having a busier schedule
Brackett said after being returned to the than most of the retirees who serve on
mayor’s seat for a second term, adding council, Brackett remains accessible
that he was honored and looked for- and open to opposing viewpoints. He
ward to serving. answers his cellphone and fields ques-
tions about most anything – without
Brackett has done a fantastic job this checking with the city staff first.
past year in corralling the strong person-
alities on the council and channeling all NEWS ANALYSIS
that energy into mostly good decisions
for the city.When the decisions were bad, The two council members to watch
like the imposition of a new stormwater over the next year are Minuse, and
tax, Brackett made his best argument in Councilman Bob McCabe.
opposition and voted a lonely ‘No.’
McCabe nominated himself for
Had the council brushed Brackett mayor on Monday but got only one
aside and chosen Honey Minuse or vote – his. But McCabe already plays
Rey Neville as mayor, that would have an important role as the council’s
signaled a very different direction – swing vote.
that adherents of the once-influential
Indian River Neighborhood Associa- Should a contentious issue arise,
tion are creeping back into power. with Minuse and Neville pulling one
way and Brackett and Cotugno pulling
But Neville nominated Brackett as the other, McCabe will cast the decid-
mayor and, in turn, Brackett nomi- ing vote and he’s tough to predict be-
nated Neville as vice mayor so basi- cause he seems to not have any over-
cally nothing changed from last year, arching agenda.
except former mayor Dick Winger was
replaced on the City Council by new- That’s where Minuse comes in as
comer John Cotugno, a Central Beach the other person to watch. Minuse is
resident who has served on both the a formidable woman, smart and al-
city’s Utilities Committee and the ways prepared. She is intimidated by
Three Corners Steering Committee. no one. And it seems like she’s been
holding back the past year, maybe
Cotugno won on his third run for even biting her tongue instead of tak-
council and this time around he toned ing her opponents on the way she’s
down his ties to hard-boiled conserva- more than capable of doing. She didn’t
tives like former mayors Harry Howle really need to assert herself too much
and Val Zudans, who endorsed him in after Winger got appointed to fill the
previous years. His platforms and pol- seat vacated by the resignation of Joe
icies were middle of the road, so when
voters checked off their “pick two” bal- CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
lots, Cotugno could be paired with any
of the other candidates.



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

NEWS

Vero City Council The council has two big projects on NURSING AIDES TO GO ON TRIAL FOR
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 its plate – the riverfront development THEFT FROM JOHN’S ISLAND COUPLE
and moving the city’s sewer treatment
Graves, as she, Neville and Winger operation off the Indian River Lagoon BY LISA ZAHNER “We’ve had some witnesses from
formed a comfortable voting majority. to a new plant at the airport. out of state who could not travel due
Staff Writer to COVID, and getting some of the
Minuse let Winger take the lead when Apart from that,Vero must determine records has been a real pain,” Evans
a stand needed to be taken, and an im- how much money it’s willing to tax its A felony theft case involving two said. “They were in lockdown, people
passioned speech needed to be deliv- citizens in the name of stormwater home-health nursing aides accused of were working from home and couldn’t
ered. management – a cause very close to Mi- charging more than a half-million dol- get to the documents.”
nuse’s heart. Then there’s the matter of lars worth of fraudulent purchases to
Now that Winger is gone, when it resolving multiple utility disputes with an elderly John’s Island couple’s credit For example, getting records of the
comes down to an important vote about Vero’s neighbors, the Town of Indian cards in 2017 will likely go to trial in hotel charges from The Plaza in New
something she’s passionate about, Mi- River Shores and Indian River County. January, according to one of the attor- York – where the women allegedly stayed
nuse will still want to win. That means neys prosecuting the case. during a shopping spree on their clients’
being persuasive enough to get the All of these issues combined poten- credit cards – has taken a very long time
swing vote. tially put hundreds of millions of taxpayer Chiquita LaShae McGee and Sophia to negotiate, Evans said. Those receipts,
dollars in play over coming decades.  Monae Shepherd (aka Sophia Brown) plus other documentation such as cos-
face charges for stealing from their el- metic dental records and before-and-
derly patients, Alfred and Michelina after photos of plastic surgery fraudu-
“Aline” Martinelli, by conspiring to de- lently charged to the Martinellis, are
fraud their banks and using more than expected to be shown in court.
$543,000 of the Martinellis’ money or
credit for luxury purchases. Town of Indian River Shores Public
Safety detectives who investigated the
Both McGee and Shepherd were set case say McGee and Shepherd also
free on bond after being arrested in the bought clothing and jewelry items at
spring of 2018 and formally charged Neiman Marcus and Ralph Lauren
with the first-degree felony of Exploi- stores, rented a Rolls-Royce Ghost for
tation of the Elderly and the second- transportation, enjoyed cruises and
degree felony of Scheme to Defraud a casino outings, charging all the bills to
Financial Institution. the unsuspecting Martinellis.

The victims’ family is not looking for The Martinellis’ daughter, who reg-
financial restitution, according to As- ularly dealt with Shepherd and McGee
sistant State Attorney Lev Evans who while they were employed as caretak-
is prosecuting the case – only for ac- ers, is expected to be a key witness in
countability for the crimes committed. January when she will finally be free to
travel to Florida. Unfortunately for the
With Alfred Martinelli deceased and state, 89-year-old Michelina Martinelli
his widow Michelina in a long-term is no longer well enough to testify in
care facility, Evans has been pushing person or by video, Evans said.
for more than two years to get some
timely justice for the elderly couple, Shepherd and McGee are being tried
but circumstances and the COVID-19 and represented separately, so there
pandemic did not cooperate. may be two trials – or just one trial if
either of the women accepts a plea
In financial crime cases, it’s custom- deal and testifies against the other.
ary for some business records such as
receipts for purchases to be admitted Court records prepared for a March
into discovery via a formal affidavit of 2018 bond hearing state that Officer
the official custodian of those records, Ken Barrett of the Shores “was able
usually a manager, bookkeeper or fi- to specifically attribute $344,422.23
nancial officer of the business, store
or bank. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10



10 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Alleged theft by nursing aides But the two defendants are related
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 by blood, according to longtime Vero
Beach defense attorney Bob Stone, who
as having been fraudulently acquired represents Shepherd, so that might pre-
from the victims by Chiquita McGee,” clude turning one against the other.
so presumably the state has a stron-
ger case against McGee and may try McGee had been represented by a
to entice Shepherd into a plea deal on private attorney, but Assistant Public
lesser charges. Defender Christopher Walsh is now
handling the case since McGee quali-
fied for indigent status in May 2019. 

Bridge Club Vero Beach did not lose any mem-
bers directly to COVID-19, but it lost
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 several notable members to age-relat-
ed causes.
combined table count for in-person and
online games didn’t match the numbers Now that the club has reopened,
for face-to-face bridge two years ago. there seems to be pent-up demand
in the community for learning how to
However, signups for beginning play duplicate bridge, which has been
bridge classes were strong – beginners called “social insurance for the rest of
teacher Christine Matus had two full your life.” Soaring home prices show
tables of people seeking to get into the people are still moving into the area,
game, one of the largest classes in the and when new arrivals ask around for
five years that she’s been teaching it. what there is to do, in addition to golf,
tennis, boating, the theater and the
So while some of the “old guard” still museum, bridge is often mentioned.
seem reluctant to return to the bridge
tables for a variety of reasons, new play- Most people signing up for the se-
ers are knocking on the doors to get in. ries of eight beginners’ classes said
they had been exposed to the game
Perhaps neither development should before, but had not been able to pur-
be much of a surprise. Bridge clubs sue their interest during the pandemic
around the country have been deci- and get serious about it.
mated by the pandemic. The American
Contract Bridge League (ACBL), which “I took a course once a while ago, but
oversees the competitive game in North I wasn’t ready to start playing dupli-
America, reports that only about half cate,” said one woman taking the class.
of the over 2,000 affiliated clubs of pre- “I realized I needed to start over.”
pandemic times still have games today.
“I knew there was bridge online, but
Bridge players are mostly retired, that was a little too intimidating for
with an average age over 70, and many me with my limited knowledge of the
have underlying conditions that make game,” said another. “When I make a
them especially vulnerable. Most play- mistake, there’s no one there to explain
ers, vaccinated or not, are still extreme- things to me.”
ly cautious about venturing out.
“I thought I’d give it another try,” said
Additionally, a lot of bridge has shifted another student. “The last time it didn’t
online, where you can play for less mon- stick with me, but it’s going much bet-
ey without leaving your house. But there ter now.”
are negatives to playing online as well
– players miss the social aspect of the After completing the beginners’ class,
game, and rampant cheating scandals the players are ready to enter a so-called
have given the online game a bad rep. “student game” on Friday mornings at
the bridge club on 15th Avenue where
Before the pandemic shut down all bidding help and coaching is still avail-
face-to-face bridge, the Vero Beach able, but players can start to earn Mas-
Bridge Club was the fourth largest in the terPoints en route to becoming a regu-
country by table count. No one knows lar duplicate player.
where the club will rank this year and
next, although Vero Beach may well The club also offers a number of
stay in the top 10 since other clubs have other classes for intermediate players
suffered in attendance as well. or advanced players on specific sub-
jects. 

John’s Island housing boom new construction and redevelopment
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 where dozens of top builders, devel-
opers and architects from Vero, Naples
ing at Blue at 8050. and South Florida are tearing down dat-
John’s Island – the largest and most ed houses and building beautiful new
multimillion-dollar spec homes, many
renowned club community on the of which sell for more than the list price
island – seems to many like a staid, the day they are put on the market.
established place that’s been more or
less a done deal for a long time. As the overall Vero home market
continues to sizzle with a flood of new
But it’s actually a dynamic hub of
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12



12 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

John’s Island housing boom with a builder, architect and a one or
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 more investors. Once a property is pur-
chased, the group sits down with Gibb,
buyers competing for scarce listings, Robinson and their agent – all of whom
there has been “an exceptional up- live in the community and know it in-
tick in new construction home sales” side out – to figure out the best product
in John’s Island, according to Mandy for the location and market.
Robinson, director of marketing at
John’s Island Real Estate Company. “Our knowledge of the club and
community is quite unparalleled,”
“October used to be a dead month said Robinson. “We provide input that
for us, the time when people sched- helps the home live and sell better.”
uled vacations, but this year we had
already set an unbelievable sales re- “We always consult with them,” says
cord for October by the middle of the Darling. “They have great insight that
month,” said owner/broker Bob Gibb. helps us tailor the product to the mar-
ket.”
“There’s definitely been a ramp-up
in building at John’s Island this year “Bob and his team are our partners
and new homes are selling faster,” in the process,” says Croom. “We have
said Charles Croom, who oversees a good feel for what people want, but
building and remodeling in John’s Is- we seek their expertise as well. We are
land for Croom Construction, which good listeners and stay open to sug-
was founded there 40 years ago by his gestions, such as including a dedicat-
father, David Croom, and continues to ed office in the design since people are
be the most active builder in the com- working at home more than ever.”
munity. “We have five new home proj-
ects underway right now.” Next, the project is turned over to
an architect like Howle, who estimates
And a bunch more in the pipeline. he has designed 300 homes in John’s
Harry Howle, the dean of John’s Is- Island.
land architects who designs most of
Croom’s homes, says he and the build- “They hand me the survey and I do
er have “30 projects on the books,” all the calculations for size and lay-
including spec homes, custom homes out, keeping in mind our budget and
and major remodels that create new the architectural review committee
homes out of old ones. requirements,” he said. “Every project
“It is incredible what has been hap- is highly site-specific, designed to take
pening in John’s Island,” said Ramie best advantage of the views and meet
Darling, owner of Darling Construc- building code criteria for lot coverage,
tion in Vero Beach. “We tore down five green space and square footage.
homes in there this year. We’re build-
ing some of the new homes this year “Right now, the market is looking for
and some next year. We actually have four or five bedrooms and an outdoor
jobs lined up already that we won’t area with a fire pit or barbeque, among
start until 2023.” other things, which we provide, but we
“I have two homes under construc- also bring unique design elements to
tion currently,” said Cathy Padgett, a each home. We are known for that.”
John’s Island member who has done a
number of projects in the community. Once plans are finalized and ap-
“I love developing properties in John’s proved, the development group de-
Island. It is one of the top clubs in the cides when to put the project on the
country and there is huge demand. It market. Padgett prefers to wait un-
is a wise place to do development.” til late in the process, going so far as
Bob Gibb and his team are the main- furnishing her home in some cases to
spring of the upsurge in new home de- provide a complete lifestyle design.
velopment in John’s Island. More often the product is offered as
They put the development lots on soon as the plans are complete.
the market, close the deals, consult
with builders, architects and develop- Many projects sell at that stage,
ers about the type of product the mar- based on floor plans, renderings and
ket is hungry for, list the projects for the builder’s reputation, all with mul-
sale and bring most of the buyers. tiple offers and almost all over ask, ac-
“Ninety-nine percent of the trans- cording to Gibb.
actions flow through John’s Island Real
Estate,” said Darling. “It is a very fair “That was not typical in the past, but
process where everyone has an oppor- the market is amazing right now,” said
tunity to bid on the properties.” Robinson. “We’ve sold specs recently
Gibb said most builders team up based just on the floor plan – before
with John’s Island members to do spec I even had time to create a rendering.
homes. “We very seldom see a builder People are that eager, and they can see
on their own. They need the financing from the floor plan that the house will
of the member.” suit them perfectly.”
Most development groups are small,
John’s Island Real Estate doesn’t list
properties on the MLS but has a highly
effective marketing setup with its web-
site and agents’ networks, along with
a built-in clientele of people waiting
in the wings who specifically want to
be in John’s Island, which Forbes just

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14



14 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

John’s Island housing boom Padgett, who inherited the develop- $28,000 Sonos sound system with con- Padgett built her Coconut Palm
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 ment bug from her father, famed Vero cealed speakers, an $8,000 mirror tele- house on a lot she acquired years ago
developer Kenneth Padgett, listed an vision and a wet bar paneled with the as part of a 1031 exchange, but most
named the sixth best country club in $8.6 million house last week. Located finest pecky cypress. specs going up in the community are
the U.S. for 2021-2022. at 210 Coconut Palm Road, the wa- built on teardown lots.
terfront home was co-designed by “We had three price increases on the
“People are queueing up for a home Padgett and her longtime architect An- cypress since we started but I will only use Even though homes in John’s Island
in JI and staying in the queue for drew Kirschner and built by Ed Reilly of the best, widest boards,” Padgett says. are high quality and well-maintained,
years,” says Howle. Reilly Construction. the club is ripe for teardown activity
She justifies pushing the John’s Is- because many of the houses built in
Spec homes currently for sale in Begun pre-pandemic and slated land spec home price limit by citing the 1970s and 1980s are below FEMA’s
John’s Island include water and golf for completion in January, the house the house’s quality and availability. mandated flood elevations, which
course view homes ranging in size comes with a range of distinctive fea- makes it challenging to successfully
from 4,468 square feet to 5,728 square tures and finishes including entry gates “It is going to be spectacular,” she remodel and modernize them.
feet priced from $5.15 million to $8.6 reminiscent of the gates at the original says. “I am very hands on, and I did not
million. Square foot prices range from John’s Island beach club, custom gas cut any corners. And it is the only spec If the cost of a renovation goes over
about $1,000 to $1,500 a foot. lamps illuminating the half-acre lot, a that will be done by January. There is half the value of the house, the en-
nothing else like it in JI and I guaran- tire structure has to be brought up to
tee there will be multiple offers.” code, including having a higher eleva-
tion above sea level. Rather than try to
CRISTELLE CAY raise and rebuild an old house, devel-
opers find it easier and more profit-
One must not wait until dusk to see how splendid life can be able to tear down and build new, giv-
ing buyers the style and features they
Oceanfront Cristelle Cay is entirely surrounded by preserves in perpetuity are looking for in 2021.
Find matchless quality and value in a wide pristine beach setting
Each condominium has a 32’ x 8’ direct oceanfront patio balcony Gandy says John’s Island architec-
ture has evolved over the past decade
All windows and sliding glass doors exceed the Florida Building Code or so from the strictly Georgian style
Custom design ceilings~Marble Bathrooms~Engineered wood floors~Painting that prevailed for many years to a
more transitional style that incorpo-
Custom Gourmet Kitchen rates Georgian elements but is simpler
4-unit SAILFISH has four 3-bedroom & 3-bathroom condos remaining and more casual.
6-unit MAHI-MAHI has six 2-bedroom & 3-bathroom condos remaining
Garage parking - AC storage units - Gym - Gated Entry - Dog Walk - Barbecue “The architectural review commit-
tee has allowed us to peel off some
Design-Developed by Cardinal Ocean Development LLC of the heavier formal elements,” he
52-years Florida oceanfront condominium development said. “The trend is toward more open-
ness inside and more usable outdoor
Peer-reviewed engineering integrity space, blurring the transition between
indoors and outdoors.”
Now Under Construction
“I have seen a real transition in style,
especially in the past 10 years,” said
Croom. “It is exciting to see the grad-
ual change, which is bringing a more
modern flair.”

Besides spec homes, many custom
homes and major remodeling projects
contribute to the flurry of demolition
and building permit applications rain-
ing down on desks at the county build-
ing department.

“It is running flat out,” said Howle of
construction activity in the John’s Is-
land, which fills up each morning with
pickups, concrete trucks and cranes.
“I have never seen anything like this in
my 40 years.” 

4804 Atlantic Beach Boulevard (A1A) North Hutchinson Island, Florida With contractor belly up,
Fifteen minutes south of Vero Beach 17th Street Bridge two bridge projects for
Email: [email protected] Tel: 772.321.9590 barrier island at a halt
from $1,025,000

Sailfish Mahi Mahi

BY SAMANTHA BAITA
Staff Writer

Since work on two of the bridges
that carry people on and off Vero’s
barrier island was halted because the
contractor announced it was ceasing
operations, the Florida Department of

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 15

NEWS

Transportation has been “seeking new in Vero Beach and the Wabasso Cause- the shutdown occurred. The work, Work on the westbound side of the
contracting methods” to get the im- way Bridge after the contractor on the all under the bridge, includes strand- bridge is finished, and the eastbound
pacted projects back on track. jobs, DBi Services, announced on Oct. splicing or reenforcing the beams, a side will be closed to traffic until the
22 that it was ceasing operations. maintenance project which, Kehres project is complete.
FDOT Treasure Coast Operations En- states, does not compromise the safe-
gineer Kris Kehres was unable to pro- According to Kehres, Vero’s 17th ty of the bridge either during the work “The department is currently in
vide any immediate solutions to the Street bridge repairs were about 65 or while the work is on hold. the process of working with other
work stoppage on the 17th Street Bridge percent to 70 percent complete when
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

16 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Bridge repairs at standstill last week had no more information Most relevant to local projects is from local residents, FDOT quickly
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 than FDOT’s public statements. “DBi that DBi had served as FDOT’s chief re-evaluated the project, and found a
was the maintenance contractor for maintenance contractor for bridge more aesthetically pleasing solution to
contracts to ensure service is not in- FDOT in our area and they were always maintenance. the safety problem.
terrupted. This will be covered by in- responsive to our service requests. We
house and other existing contracts. In look forward to learning how FDOT will The Wabasso Causeway bicycle/ The new plan was presented at
the near future, FDOT will advertise replace DBi and how the current proj- pedestrian safety project was already an MPO Bicycle Advisory Commit-
for a new contract, but will also en- ects will be affected,” Falls said. in pause mode when DBi announced tee meeting, and it was approved by
force the existing one,” an FDOT state- it was closing. Bridge work had pro- all concerned. However, at that same
ment said. The collapse of the multimillion-dol- gressed no further than vertical posts meeting, Kehres was not pleased to
lar DBi Services Company last month is installed east- and westbound across announce that DBi had just informed
In reality, that likely means Vero having a huge impact across the coun- the high span last month, before resi- FDOT of its immediate work stoppage.
Beach and Wabasso can get in line try: according to its website, DBi holds dents became aware of the project de-
with all the other cities DBi Services contracts with some 400-plus cities and tails and realized the chain-link fence The east- and westbound vertical
has left in a lurch. counties in 45 states, and Canada, cov- design would significantly obstruct posts from the original, now-discard-
ering 4,000 structures and bridges, and the iconic river views. ed project will be removed when a new
Vero Beach City Manager Monte Falls 50,000 miles of railroad track. contractor is in place and the new de-
After receiving a flood of complaints sign is prepared. 

Strunk Funeral Home legal battle gets more complicated

BY RAY MCNULTY Glenn Strunk owned and operated The Strunk siblings applied for the said. “My opinion is that they cannot
Staff Writer the business for 47 years before he required approvals, but withdrew their lawfully operate the business without
died in February 2020. Shortly before application after it was challenged by the board’s approval of the change of
While the lawsuits stemming from his death, Strunk gave the funeral their stepmother of 40-plus years, ownership, but they will continue to
the disputed sale of the Strunk Funeral home business to his three adult chil- Strunk’s widow Dorothy. operate until the state takes some ac-
Home & Crematory properties in Vero dren. His daughter Mary Kopchak tion to prevent them from doing so.”
Beach and Sebastian crawl through took over as the company’s president. In July, as the board was set to take
the court system, one regulatory board up the matter of the application, Dor- Reached via text message last week-
member asked the state to investigate However, 21 months after Strunk’s othy Strunk’s Tallahassee-based attor- end, Kopchak’s brother, Kevin Strunk,
the legitimacy of the funeral homes’ li- death, the Florida Board of Funerals, ney successfully argued that her hus- said the board initially recommended
cense to operate its business. Cemeteries and Consumer Services still band’s death made it impossible for the approval of the siblings’ appli-
hasn’t approved the change of ownership. the “current owner” to sign the docu- cation, but the members backed off
ment, which is required by law. The when Millennium “created a stink.”
board, though, allowed her stepchil-
dren to continue operating the busi- He said the board agreed to post-
ness under their existing license. pone any action on the application
“until the matter was settled in court.”
That same lawyer, Wendy Wiener,
now represents James Young Jr., whose Wiener said “at least one board mem-
Millennium Funeral Home & Crema- ber” last week raised the possibility of
tory in June paid Dorothy Strunk $3.1 revoking the Strunk siblings’ license, but
million for the land and buildings the panel’s attorney warned that, since
where the Strunk business operates. the item wasn’t on the meeting’s agenda,
any vote on such an action would de-
Wiener believes the board erred in prive the Strunks of due process.
2020, when it permitted the Strunk
siblings to continue operating the “The board needs to give the affect-
business without an approved trans- ed party an opportunity to prepare a
fer of ownership, and she said their response,” Wiener said.
license should be revoked.
Instead, a board member asked the
“They’ve been operating without the Florida Department of Financial Ser-
board’s approval, and they should not vices to investigate the circumstances
have a license, but they do,” Wiener surrounding the ownership change

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18



18 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Strunk lawsuits an investigation or when the board,
which meets monthly, will revisit the
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 Strunk siblings’ application.

and the status of the Strunk license. “What happened at the last meeting
According to the minutes from last doesn’t necessarily trigger another ap-
pearance for me at the next meeting,
week’s meeting in Tallahassee, the so I don’t know when they’ll put this on
board member wants to “ensure that the agenda again,” she said. “But I be-
there is not unlicensed/illegal activity lieve after the last meeting, the board
underway now under the originally is- will proceed with more urgency.”
sued Strunk entity licenses.”
Meanwhile, the legal battle between
During the meeting, the board denied Young and the Strunk siblings continues.
Millennium’s application for a license to
operate on the properties currently oc- Circuit Judge Janet Croom earlier
cupied by the Strunk business. this month consolidated all the claims
and counterclaims in the parties’ law-
Wiener said she didn’t know if the suits into one case that isn’t expected
department will follow through with to go to trial “any time soon.” 

ACCUSED CATTLE RUSTLER’S CRIMINAL PAST

BY LISA ZAHNER bany County, Wyoming, Smith was al-
ready planning his move east.
Staff Writer
Smith told police he was hired by
A Western bad guy arrested for steal- Bhakta Farms over the phone during
ing more than $300,000 from a ranch COVID-19 lockdowns, and worked re-
west of Vero and from a major regional motely. Before showing up at the ranch
livestock market started his career in here in June 2020, Smith spent more
crime posing as a hunting guide be- than $500 at Western boot stores – pre-
fore moving into modern cattle rus- sumably to look the part for his new job.
tling, according to court documents.
Toni Linke, finance director for Bhakta
Scott Eric Smith, who is currently Farms, said in a deposition the company
awaiting trial in both Indian River ran a background check on Smith but
and Okeechobee counties for selling neither his conviction in California nor
cattle belonging to Bhatka Farms and an arrest warrant from Wyoming on 31
pocketing the money, booked two felony counts was discovered. Smith
California businessmen for a guided was given a position of trust at the ranch
Wyoming hunting trip in the spring of – but his written employment agreement
2011 and charged them $2,900 each, stated he was not permitted to enter into
but when the hunters showed up at contracts on behalf of Bhakta Farms.
the meeting place, they were stood up.
The Indian River County Sheriff’s
“The victim stated he feels the de- case against Smith accuses him of sell-
fendant set them up from the begin- ing livestock without authorization five
ning and did it for monetary gain,” times in August and September of 2020,
court records of a police interview and pocketing the $47,000 proceeds.
with one of the businessmen show.
The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s
Smith was arrested on Christmas Eve case against Smith is more serious and
2012, and the hunting-guide scheme will be tried first. Police say Smith sold
earned him 90 days in jail, plus three $279,000 worth of cattle to a buyer using
years of probation, starting in June 2013. the Okeechobee Livestock Market as a
broker. When two months went by and
Near the end of his probation, Smith the check had not been cashed, Smith
skipped town, according to court re- arranged for a new check to be cut to his
cords. California charged Smith with own business account, Smith Livestock
violating his three-year probation and Services, and signed paperwork saying
in 2017, police finally took him into he was authorized to do so.
custody and an L.A. County judge sen-
tenced him to 16 months in jail. Smith cashed the replacement check
from the livestock market, spending
After his release, Smith left California $146,000 on a 2016 Chevy Corvette and
behind, moved to Wyoming and got a a 2021 Chevy Tahoe deeded to his wife
job at a family-owned ranch near Lara- Denise Lynn Smith. Smith told Denise
mie. The ranch’s owner discovered that the money he got was “a bonus” for all
Smith had sold cattle, expensive farm his hard work, and that his supervisor
equipment and even baled hay from told him to buy something nice with it.
the ranch and kept the money. He also
allegedly presented forged receipts for The couple spent more than $15,000
purchases never made and got reim- at Seminole Hard Rock Casino in
bursed for funds he’d never put out. South Florida, and took several trips
by airplane. They went shopping for
By the time the full extent of Smith’s electronics at Best Buy and for luxury
theft from that ranch was known and goods at Louis Vuitton. 
a case was finalized against him in Al-

Claudia Owen
and Bob Formisano.

McKEE FETES ‘GATEKEEPERS’ AS
GARDEN’S POPULARITY FLOURISHES

P. 22

20 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Jake Owen Foundation honored at oh-so-sweet fundraiser

Michael Mesley and Stacey Watson-Mesley. Ed and Susan Smith. Emilie and John Brady. Richard Schlitt and Debbie Pennock.

Alice and Rene Donars. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Ashley and Rick Lombardo. Alan and Deborah Polackwich. Kitty Mountain and Mary Ellen McCarthy.

BY MARY SCHENKEL Steve Donovan and Cynthia Palmer. being honored, adding, “I’m really been prepared by local chefs, fol-
Staff Writer proud to be able to use my voice and lowing a delicious dinner by Quail
soundtrack of my life. So to sit here my platform to be able to help people Valley Executive Chef Joe Faria and
Emotions ran high at the 13th an- and honor the Jake Owen Founda- raise awareness and funds for organi- his team. Anna Valencia Tillery in-
nual Chocolate, Champagne and tion, that not only projects this beau- zations like Big Brothers Big Sisters.” troduced this year’s talented choco-
Chefs fundraiser to benefit Big Broth- tiful country music, but believes in latiers – Chefs Travis Beckett, Wild
ers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian the children right here at home, was Event co-chairs Kristi White and Thyme Catering; Brenda Maerkle,
River and Okeechobee counties. This everything to me,” said Watson-Mes- Lindsay Yencho presented the award Quail Valley; Matthew Piscitelli, Fla-
year’s affair, held at the Quail Valley ley, before quoting from the hit song, to Jake’s father, Steve Owen, and twin vored Fork Catering; Scott Varric-
River Club, paid tribute to the Jake ‘Angels Among Us.’ brother Jarrod Owen, who now serves chio, Citrus; and Kitty Wagner, Blue
Owen Foundation, for their “continu- as president of the Jake Owen Foun- Star Brasserie.
ous dedication to the children of In- She said the event celebrated and dation.
dian River County.” championed the work of mentoring Watson-Mesley spoke about their
and what “each and every one of you “My dad started this 11 years ago Big Mission initiative, launched in
“We believe that every child has has given to make this work possible, with my brother. Growing up in a 2020 with funding from Impact 100
potential, and we will stand beside I just want to say, you are the angels great family and coming from a great and overseen by Army veteran Ryan
them as mentors, as allies, as they among us.” background of people that love you, Meeks, to recruit veterans, law en-
reach that potential,” said BBBS CEO you don’t realize how much other forcement and first responders as
Stacey Watson-Mesley. In a video presentation, Jake Owen people out there are suffering,” said mentors.
said he was honored and flattered Jarrod Owen. With heartfelt emotion,
Watson-Mesley shared that she that the Jake Owen Foundation was he said the greatest part for them was Despite needing all programs to be
was raised in the mountains of Vir- empowering children to grow and revamped overnight due to the pan-
ginia by parents who were basically prosper. “It means a lot to me; it really demic, they have all been successful
blue-collar workers, and yet she went does. There are so many people who and additional features were created
on to obtain a master’s degree and have supported us over the years, and to engage littles and their families.
now runs a three-county mentoring without your help we could not con-
agency. tinue this.” “Everybody came together to make
certain that no matter how hard we
“My parents weren’t lacking in any- Steve Owen added his thanks, say- personally were being hit, because
thing except a college education, but ing that he was proud that Jake was all of us were being personally af-
I didn’t know how to do that part of using his talents to help others less fected, that our littles were cared for,”
life. I didn’t know how to make good fortunate, and seconded Jarrod in said Watson-Mesley, reiterating her
grades, and it was mentors who got thanking all their supporters. thanks.
me there,” said Watson-Mesley.
As a signature feature of the event, For more information, visit bbbsbigs.
“Country music is, for real, the scrumptious chocolatey desserts had org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 21

PEOPLE

Beth Livers with Steve and Mitzie Owen. Ann Marie McCrystal, Dennis Hunt and Helen Robertson. Gerri Smith, Dr. Bill Cooney and Sandy Divine.

George and Elke Fetterolf.

Garrett Rosenbaum and Alyson Ryall Rosenbaum.

Jarrod Owen and Victoria Henson.
Chefs Joe Faria and Kitty Wagner.

22 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

McKee fetes ‘Gatekeepers’ as garden’s popularity flourishes

BY MARY SCHENKEL Bill and Kate Freeman. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES it would be fitting to focus on our Introducing Sacks, Hobart said he
Staff Writer greatest asset: our 18-acre botanical has been involved in the restoration
“Our fiscal period ends June 30, and paradise. As with every garden, McKee and enhancement of McKee since
McKee Gatekeepers, donors affec- on June 30 we were just a few heads is an evolving oasis that must be curat- 1994.
tionately regarded as McKee Botani- shy of 100,000 annual visitors to the ed and maintained to ensure its natu-
cal Garden’s “living endowment,” were garden. Our endowment is robust, our ral beauty continues to thrive for gen- “His areas of expertise include his-
feted at an invitational cocktail recep- admissions are great, and you were erations to come,” said Hobart, noting toric and cultural landscapes, parks,
tion in the picturesque Spanish Kitch- great,” said Morgan, adding that Gate- that the revitalization project will en- botanical gardens and other educa-
en to thank them for their generous keepers help to preserve and expand hance two key areas. tional and interpretive landscapes,”
and vital support. its tradition of quality. said Hobart. “His design work at
“We will be adding bursts of color McKee has always sought to honor the
Roughly 100 people attended ‘Cock- “This is actually our first official in- and diversity throughout the garden’s vision of the garden’s founders and
tails at the Kaleidoscope,’ sponsored by person event that we have had in a year lush jungle, while creating more invit- original designers while bringing forth
Wilmington Trust, where they learned and nine months, so welcome,” said ing spots to discover for small gather- a contemporary public garden of com-
about McKee’s 20th Anniversary Re- Christine Hobart, executive director. ings or solitary enjoyment of the gar- pelling beauty and dynamic interest.
vitalization Project and enjoyed cock- den’s beauty. This significant project And David always says, McKee is his
tails and hors d’oeuvres by Elizabeth “As you know, we are celebrating would not be possible without your favorite garden.”
Kennedy Catering. the 20th anniversary of reopening as support, so thank you so much,” said
McKee Botanical Garden. To celebrate Hobart. “Thank you to all of you Gatekeepers
Guests heard from historic land- this important milestone, we thought for being here tonight and for support-
scape architect David Sacks and kalei- Anderson spoke briefly about the ing McKee, which truly is my favorite
doscope artist Bob Anderson, whose creation of his unique kaleidoscope de- client,” said Sack. He took guests on a
delightful sculpture will be a perma- signs; interactive, living sculptures he walk down memory lane with a slide-
nent installation in the Royal Palm has been creating since 1997, which are show presentation of the history of the
Grove, near the Folly area, which is be- installed in public places and private garden, from its early days as McKee
ing totally revitalized. homes across the country. The garden Jungle Garden to its transformation 20
sculpture features three eyepieces of years ago as McKee Botanical Garden
Earl Morgan, board president, said varying heights, that look down into and plans for the future.
that despite COVID, they saw record colorful plants in a rotating bowl, cre-
attendance last year, and he predicted ating wonderful kaleidoscopic images. For additional information, visit
this season would be even better. mckeegarden.org. 

Join us for Sunday Worship
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Quality discipleship, fellowship, music,
youth programs, and more - for all ages!

Sunday, November 21st
This week’s message:
“Christ is King”
Revelations 1: 4b-8
Rev. Dr. G. Timothy Womack, Senior Pastor

Thanksgiving Day, November 25th, 10:00am

“How do we give Thanks?”
Luke 17: 11-19

Rev. Dr. G. Timothy Womack, Senior Pastor

520 Royal Palm Blvd First Presbyterian Preschool
Vero Beach, FL 32960 www.firstpresbyterianpreschool.org
(772) 562-9088
www.FirstPresVero.org PRIMO School of Performing Arts
www.PRIMOMusic.org

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 23

PEOPLE

Elizabeth and Earl Morgan with Lisa O’Brien. Jean Ueltschi, Christine Hobart and Karen Meyer. Kaleidoscope artist, Robert Anderson.

Stephanie Hurtt, Nancy Briggs and Katie Heins. Susan Schuyler Smith with George and Sheila Marshall. Nick Geeslin with Shelley and Garnett Sweeney.

Dorothy Sprague and Debbi Peniston. Nat Jackson and Kitty Kennedy.

John and Kathy Schumann with Mary and John Kurtz.

24 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

John’s Island Foundation ‘Zooms’ in to fund vital needs

BY MARY SCHENKEL agencies toward capital expenses.
Staff Writer “We did it all by Zoom, so it was chal-

Understanding that so many of lenging,” said Margie Wheeler, grant
our local nonprofits have been strug- co-chair with Francie Cramb. The two
gling to keep up with the increased were also among the nine captains
demand for their services, mem- who led some 40 site team members in
bers of the John’s Island Foundation evaluating the grant requests.
stepped up on an even greater scale
during its 2020-21 giving season, “We did it quite successfully, but at
granting more than $915,000 to 23 the same time our volunteers clearly
missed going to the nonprofits and sit-
ting down with the executive directors

STORY, PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Don Steiner, Betsy Smith, Jack Murphy, Andy Nickle, Francie Cramb, David Harris,
Margie Wheeler, Herb Aspbury, Don Blair, Molly Hart, Binkley Shorts, John Hamill.

and other people at the agencies. You any medical appointment; they pick
can’t see peoples’ body language and them up and take them back home,”
it isn’t quite the same feel-good experi- said Wheeler.
ence. It’s not as personal,” Wheeler ex-
plained. “So people were creative, try- The all-volunteer nonprofit had re-
ing as much as they could to do their quested funding for a wheelchair van
work on behalf of our foundation and that could be accessed from the back,
the agencies.” rather than the side, to accommodate
two at one time.
“A lot of the agencies went out of
their way to produce videos. Someone “When you think of people, espe-
in one agency actually held a phone cially in wheelchairs, who don’t have
as she walked through all the offices,” any access to get to their appoint-
said Cramb. “Whole Family Health ments, this is a remarkable service for
Center, for example, did this amazing this community,” said Wheeler.
video and they weren’t the only ones. A
number of them put a lot of effort into “Another new one was SafeSpace,”
producing something to make the site said Wheeler, noting that SafeSpace,
team feel, as much as possible, a sense which provides services to domestic
of being there in the middle of COVID.” violence victims and their children,
had previously experienced some per-
Although many of the agencies were sonnel and funding difficulties.
past grantees, others were either new,
or hadn’t received funding in a long “They now have a very strong execu-
time, such as the Indian River County tive director, so we felt we wanted to
Volunteer Ambulance Squad. take a risk and fund them to renovate
the facility in Indian River County. We
“They’re a wonderful organization were very happy about that one as well.”
that provides door-to-door transport
at no cost to anyone in Indian River to A couple of nonprofits received
funding at a level above their standard
$50,000 cap.

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 25

PEOPLE

One was a $78,000 grant to the Sub- their clients,” said Wheeler. “We felt that matched that amount to get the job all good things,” said Wheeler.
stance Awareness Center, which focus- it was so important, particularly during done. The John’s Island Foundation rais-
es on substance misuse and programs COVID, to give the entire amount.”
for adolescents. “So it was very nice that we could do es its funds through an annual report
Another was a $75,000 grant to the that for Youth Guidance. They do such and from appeals that are mailed
“They needed a new electronic medi- Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy, good work. We think they have a won- throughout the year.“We want to get
cal records system that would comply which needed a new roof. John’s Is- derful director; he has energy, ideas, people enthusiastic about donations
with the state and also keep track of land residents Jeff and Shari Wampler enthusiasm and passion, and those are and the agencies and their needs,”

26 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

STORY, PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
Gifford Youth Achievement Center.

Childcare Resources Redlands Christian Migrant Assoc.
of Indian River
to the Hope for Families Center to
Crossover Mission purchase new mattresses, pillows
and mattress covers.
Gifford Youth Achievement Center
“When you think of the number of
Hibiscus Children’s Center people that arrive absolutely home-
less, desperate, and they have turn-
Hope for Families Center over a lot. To have everything clean
and fresh can make a huge differ-
IRC Volunteer Ambulance Squad ence, especially in this era of COV-
ID,” said Cramb.
Literacy Services of IRC
Other nonprofits’ COVID-related
Mental Health Association requests involved additional space,
indoors and out, for meetings, dining
Redlands Christian Migrant Assoc. facilities and client interactions.

SafeSpace After working with the United Way
to see if there were other agencies
Samaritan Center they might assist, Wheeler said they
sent out a 2021-22 letter of intent in-
Senior Resource Association viting a larger number to apply. Re-
quests are already starting to come in
Special Equestrians of from the 29 agencies moving forward
the Treasure Coast in the application process.

St. Francis Manor “We’re also in the process of final-
izing team captains and team mem-
Substance Awareness Center bers.

The Arc of IRC “It’s actually a big process. I think
that because we are one of the only
Treasure Coast funders who meet the capital needs
Community Health of nonprofits, we play a unique and
distinctive roll in the community,”
Treasure Coast Homeless said Wheeler.
Services Council
“We have so many wonderful do-
United Against Poverty nors. It’s a special community but
we’re able to do this and it’s so im-
Veterans Council of IRC portant, it really is. And we have
great relationships with United Way,
Visiting Nurse Association the John’s Island Community Service
League, the Community Foundation
Whole Family Health Center and other funding groups that are
doing wonderful work as well. It’s re-
Youth Guidance Mentoring Academy ally nice.” 

said Cramb, hoping to encourage
contributions to the 2021-22 grant
cycle.

“Last year we were very concerned,
and it turned out we raised more
money during COVID. So it just sort
of speaks to people’s philanthropy
and their concern about the commu-
nity,” said Wheeler, who would like to
continue that momentum to enable
larger, impactful grants when war-
ranted.

“But sometimes smaller grants can
be just as impactful,” said Cramb. “A
smaller amount can be just as big a
bang for the buck.”

For example, they granted $26,000



28 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Full of swim and vigor at Float Hope Fall Invitational

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF
Staff Writer

Cheers floated across the pool at the Marley, Dakota, Calleigh and Jayla. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Holly McClain and Jeff Powers.
North County Aquatic Center recently,
as competitors gave it their all during American students. Historically the GYAC, we could have 70. Unfortunately, Powers would like to see a commu-
the annual Float Hope Fall Invitational Black students can’t swim. This affords almost all of our county’s children do nity pool built in the South County
Swim Meet, with participants from the them the opportunity to learn how to not know how to swim.” area, which would not only increase
Indian River County Boys and Girls swim but also have fun,” said Perry. the number of early childhood swim-
Clubs and Gifford Youth Achievement According to a 2021 CDC report, ac- ming programs but would offer more
Center. Powers said they would love to en- cidental drowning for children ages 1 opportunities for high school students
gage more students but are limited due to 14 is the second leading cause of un- to compete competitively.
Jeffrey Powers founded Float Hope to transportation, adding, “I am heart- intentional injury death after motor ve-
of Indian River County with Scott Bar- broken over this. If I had another bus for hicle crashes. The nonprofit funds new swimsuits
low, head coach of Treasure Coast Swim
Club, to provide free swim lessons to
low-income elementary and middle
school-aged children, giving them a
life-saving skill set that also boosts con-
fidence and can help them compete in
life.

A record number of GYAC students
now participate, from upwards of 20
over the past four years to 50 today, with
others waitlisted, said Angelia Perry,
GYAC executive director.

“We are grateful for the opportunity
that Float Hope has provided for our
students, most of whom are African-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 29

PEOPLE

Kyle, Erica and Taelor Beatty. Ezekial Moore, Ekklesia Anderson, Cedric Anderson, Liz Lind, Melissa Bing, Mike Zajac and Joe Glennon.
Derrika McClendon, De-Asia McClendon and Denim McClendon.

Jessica Castano and Gabriel Roman. Serenity Marsh and Michael Marsh.

and goggles for their growing number Michael Marsh echoed that senti-
of participants, and also funds swim- ment, saying his 11-year-old daughter,
mers competing in out-of-town meets, Serenity Marsh, has shown “tremen-
but their biggest need is finding fund- dous growth.”
ing for transportation.
“I would not be able to afford some-
“To grow the program, we will need thing like this. I’m just so happy,” said
buses and drivers and more coaches Marsh.
and pool time. All doable if we continue
growing and don’t have the hiccups we “They’ve had some great guest speak-
had during COVID in funding,” said ers, and for her to see other female role
Powers. models out there and realize, ‘Wow,
someone like me can do that,’ is pivotal.
Liz Lind said that the enthusiasm her I want her to stay with this all through
12-year-old daughter, Ekklesia Ander- high school and into college.”
son, has had in the program enticed her
little brother, Cedric, to join as well. Elizabeth Thomason, BGCIRC execu-
tive director, said more than 500 of their
“We live in Florida; there’s always wa- students have gone through the pro-
ter around,” said Lind. “The children gram to date, adding: “The important
learn water safety, and it builds confi- thing is that they learn how to swim. I
dence in them. They say, ‘Hey, I can do love to see the family participation.”
anything!’ and it carries over outside
the pool.” For more information, visit float
hopenow.org. 

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JEWELRY & ACCESSORIES IN TIME

FOR HOLIDAY GIFTING!
Friday, November 26
11 AM to 5 PM

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30 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

All in on inclusiveness at Vero Pride ‘Hallo-Queen’ benefit

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Cheryl Profitt with Jasmine and Jordan Brittain. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES bring back the scholarship
Staff Writer program for high school stu-
my worst nightmare. I was coming and their friends and families. dents.
More than 500 guests donned their back to the trauma.” “The underlying goal is to create a
most festive Halloween costumes “The message that there
and made their way to Walking Tree In the meantime, Vero Pride had safe space, a resource for those who are others like you means the
Brewery to attend the Dr. Frank-N- been founded by a group of like- need it within the community,” said world to people who think
Furter’s Hallo-Queen fundraiser, minded individuals to support Vero Pride co-founder Stephanie there’s something wrong
based off the “Rocky Horror Picture members of the LGBTQ community LeBlanc. with them,” said LeBlanc.
Show,” to benefit Vero Pride.
LeBlanc said they have never “I want people to be seen,
“As one of the most iconic cult had trouble drawing crowds to cel- heard, listened to, accepted,
classic movies, ‘Rocky Horror’ was ebrate Pride. Instead, they have had supported and highlighted.
the perfect marriage or connector to turn people away because they That’s what Vero Pride is all
to drag,” said event organizer and couldn’t accommodate additional about to me. I’m proud to live
board member Pat Schlitt. attendees. in a place where people are
changing their minds, and
“It was hard for me as a young kid LeBlanc said their goal is to create people are becoming more
to not have any resources. I wanted an “inclusive co-existence among accepting,” added Schlitt.
to come out, and I wanted to be my- everyone, without any bigotry. This
self, but there was no group here is a night where everybody comes “Straight people, you are
that I felt could help me,” shared together to celebrate who you are free to be yourself tonight.
Schlitt, who had been “bullied tire- and love. Whatever stigma people You can be proud. Don’t let
lessly” growing up in Vero Beach might have, surely if they come, it’s anyone tell you you’re any
and finally found a community erased. And they’re leaving smil- different just because of who
while away at college. ing and laughing at the end of the you love,” declared famed drag per-
night.” former Shelita Taylor, welcoming
“I felt a change and a shift. A be- the raucous crowd.
longing and an acceptance. I’ve To increase the footprint of the The evening was chockful of li-
never felt this in my entire life liv- grassroots organization, they plan bations, food and entertainment,
ing in Vero. Moving back here was to hold additional fundraisers and including performances by Vero
Beach Burlesque and aerialists,
who provided a graceful dance from
above. Between acts, guests could
take selfies at several photo booths,
outfitted with ‘horrifying’ props
donated by Riverside Theatre.
A highlight of the evening fea-
tured a gaggle of drag queens from
near and far, who kicked up their
stilettos in a showstopping musical
revue of songs and dialogue from
the “Rocky Horror Picture Show,”
telling the story of sweethearts
caught in a storm who find them-
selves in the mansion of transves-
tite scientist, Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

For more information, visit vero-
pride.com. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 31

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 32
Kate Demsick with Kyle and Emmy Parfitt.

Stephanie LaBlanc and Brooke Malone. Anthony Tarantino and Tina McCurry.

Mark Kelly.

Emily Fretwell and Andy Dillon. Rae Beth and Gina Ashton.

32 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 Skip and Saskia Fuller. Aled Griffiths and Norbi Chrapowicki.
Stacey Calloway and Jennifer Poore.

Ed Nissen, Amanda Nissen and Lynn Nissen. Jason Elder, Nicole Capra and Richard Giessert.



34 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

A CERBERUS robot navigates
the cavern during the DARPA
Subterranean Challenge.

One afternoon in late September, a million Pentagon robotics competi- the proposition that someday teams ing roboticists to compete. Months
yellow four-legged robot called Spot tion – something bad has happened to of robots could help first responders later, they gathered in a gold mine
pranced and pirouetted on a replica humans underground, and the robots assess disaster zones before risking near Denver for an introduction to the
of a dingy subway platform that had are coming to the rescue. human lives. It also marked an au- SubT Challenge, as it’s known.
been constructed inside a vast lime- dacious step toward robot indepen-
stone cavern burrowed beneath the Spot and its robo-teammates and dence, since the robots would have to Until then, robots’ limited role in
Louisville Zoo. competitors – dozens of walking, do their work mostly beyond human disaster zones or on bomb squads
driving and flying robots – were on a control. had typically required a human con-
Spot snooped around the platform, scavenger hunt for “survivors” (man- troller guiding a single robot with a
inhaling data through cameras and nequins giving off body heat and vo- Eight teams, comprising more than joystick or a tether. And while robots
sensors arrayed on its vacuum-clean- cal sounds) and objects such as cell- 100 of the world’s top roboticists, fol- are increasingly common in retail and
er-size torso. The robot’s little feet kept phones, backpacks and helmets. lowed the action remotely (and some- manufacturing, they tend to perform
darting perilously close to the edge of what helplessly) from underground preprogrammed routines or operate
the platform, then back to safety. Fi- The robots scored points by send- staging areas. They’d been lured not in pristine, structured environments.
nally, apparently satisfied by what it ing the objects’ locations back to their just by a $3.5 million prize purse – $2 Rarely, if ever, had teams of robots
had learned, Spot nimbly descended human teammates. Finding all the million for first, $1 million for second, been asked to collaborate autono-
a staircase to make further investiga- objects meant exploring a trap-filled $500,000 for third – but also the poten- mously and explore rugged, unknown
tions on the track bed. Back on the labyrinth with a half-mile of passages, tial for professional bragging rights. terrain.
now-deserted platform, a poster on featuring three made-from-scratch
the wall declared: “The Future Is Now.” environments: urban, with a subway, All of this was a science fiction fan- There would be no GPS in the SubT
storeroom and offices; a tunnel (a tasy just three years ago. That’s when Challenge, so the robots would have
And what a future. In this scenario, mock mine shaft); and a cave, a claus- the Defense Advanced Research Proj- to make and share their own maps
meticulously constructed for the fi- trophobic mash-up of spelunking’s ects Agency – DARPA, the Pentagon with one another. Plus, there would be
nale of the DARPA Subterranean Chal- greatest hits. division dedicated to driving break- spotty WiFi, so the robots would have
lenge – an elaborate three-year, $82 through technology – invited lead- to build their own communications
The competition was a major test of

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 35

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Team CERBERUS uses a robot
to map the course during a
practice run.

networks. No single robot possessed DARPA hit on the prize-competition clear war and now features zip lines company founded during the chal-
all the capabilities required, so squads model of sparking innovation in the and a holiday lights show. DARPA spent lenge.
of different types of robots would early 2000s, with a series of self-driv- more than a month transforming it into
have to be equipped with perception, ing-car grand challenges, which are a temporary underground civilization Another favorite was CoSTAR, the
mobility, decision-making and net- credited with kick-starting that evolv- that was part research lab, part slickly team led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab-
working abilities that had never been ing sector of the auto industry. For produced robot faceoff. oratory, in collaboration with marquee
deployed together in real-world sce- the robot contest, DARPA’s timeline of engineering players like Caltech, MIT
narios. three years had arguably forced tech- Pressure was on Carnegie Mellon, and other partners. CoSTAR had won
nical solutions to emerge faster than a Pittsburgh-based robotics power- the 2020 urban circuit and planned to
“We had no technology for this they would have if left to private enter- house. CMU was a favorite at SubT, deploy four-legged robots, wheeled
three years ago when DARPA started prise. having won the 2019 preliminary event robots and drones.
this program,” says Steven Willits, a – featuring a tunnel course – by a huge
member of a team from Carnegie Mel- Preliminary competition circuits margin. Its team was called Explorer, in Like a handicapper playing the field
lon University. “Nobody in the world were held in a Pittsburgh coal mine alliance with researchers from Oregon at a racetrack, DARPA was already
was able to do anything like this.” in 2019 and in an unfinished nuclear State University. backing six of the eight teams, includ-
power plant southwest of Seattle in ing CoSTAR and Explorer.
The research problems DARPA tack- 2020. Now, over four days in the 100- Unlike most of the other teams,
les are so fundamental that they tend acre cavern in Louisville, stunning which had bought existing robots and The competition was a major test of
to have relevance far beyond warfight- breakthroughs would emerge amid souped them up with unique algo- the proposition that someday teams
ing. (Several years before the corona- horrendous breakdowns. rithms and unprecedented explora- of robots could help first responders
virus pandemic, DARPA was already tion abilities, the engineers from CMU assess disaster zones before risking
funding research into speeding up The Louisville Mega Cavern, with its had built their rugged, tractor-like ro- human lives.
production of vaccines and antibod- thick rock walls, dirt floor and roughly bots and some of their collision-proof
ies, including work that led to the 30-foot ceilings, was once designated drones from scratch, while other dura- DARPA also backed an Australian
Moderna vaccine.) to house 50,000 people in case of nu- ble drones came from a CMU spinoff lab’s team, called CSIRO Data61 – a
collaboration of the Commonwealth

CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

36 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 INSIGHT COVER STORY

The CERBERUS team after A member of one of the
winning the competition. robotics teams holds
a drone.

Left: Members of the Explorer A technical liaison on inline
team, from Carnegie Mellon skates watches as members
University, working on one of of CERBERUS work on their
their robots in the staging area
during the competition. machines.

Scientific and Industrial Research Or- they realize they have killed the only be- and customized them to explore au- dent roboticist Kevin Knoedler, along
ganisation, a Brisbane-based compa- ings who know how to make robots.) tonomously – except one. Team CER- with a professor and undergraduates
ny called Emesent and Georgia Tech BERUS built its strategy around ANY- from California State University Chan-
– and a team called MARBLE, a proj- Near one end of the garages, a quar- mals, made by ANYbotics in Zurich. nel Islands.
ect of researchers at the University of tet of fire-engine-red quadrupeds
Colorado in Boulder and Denver, and crouched in repose. I couldn’t help CERBERUS, also funded by DARPA, He scrounged security robots on
other partners. thinking of the robot hounds in “Fahr- was a partnership of the ETH Zurich Craigslist, which the team rebuilt for
enheit 451,” though these creatures research university, the Norwegian the competition. Unable to afford
I shouldn’t have been surprised that were unarmed. They were called ANY- University of Science and Technology, fancy communications nodes to drop
there were two teams from the Czech mals, a leading rival of the yellow Spot and others including Berkeley, Oxford from the robots, the team repurposed
Republic. After all, the word “robot” walking robots. and the University of Nevada at Reno Raspberry Pi computers – credit-card-
was coined by Czech playwright Karel size devices for beginners to learn
Capek in his 1920 play “R.U.R.” (In the Every team in the SubT challenge Every competition needs plucky un- programming – and devised a deploy-
play, the robots are exploited, so they re- that could afford to buy Spots (com- derdogs, and I found them at the other ment mechanism that involved a pa-
volt. They kill most of the humans, until mercially available from Boston Dy- end of the garages: the self-funded Co- per clip, a twist tie and shotgun pellets.
namics for about $75,000 each) did so ordinated Robotics, led by indepen-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 37

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Strolling among the blinking and the time and the number of correctly the human supervisor, they stomped cavern. Then Chung announced the
buzzing robots being worked on by the identified objects. Each team had 60 into action. results. The members of CERBERUS
feverish humans was Timothy Chung, minutes to find as many of the 40 sur- leaped from their folding chairs and
DARPA’s program manager for the chal- vivors and artifacts as possible and re- In the end, the team lived up to its bounded to the stage to accept their
lenge. He was the game master, port their location within five meters name and explored 93 percent of the oversize check for $2 million.
of accuracy. A point would be scored labyrinth – more than any other team.
“Grand challenges are really great for each correct report, with 40 being Still, the fact that the top scores were
when you know that there’s innova- a perfect score. The last run of the day was by CSIRO, only 23 out of a possible 40 was a bit
tion to be had, you know that there the Aussies. CSIRO created the most humbling to the roboticists, if not the
is a breakthrough waiting to happen, Sitting off to the side of the staging accurate map of the labyrinth by any robots. That meant nearly half the sur-
but it’s not abundantly clear which di- area, I watched the four red ANYmals team – and scored 23 points. vivors or artifacts weren’t located.
rection that breakthrough is going to of the Swiss-Norwegian alliance CER-
happen,” Chung had told me. “We’ll BERUS come to life. Spotlights on. Sen- That night, it was clear MARBLE had “It’s not clear that we will move hu-
build the arena and the sandbox, and sors spinning. The robots rose from a won the $500,000 third prize. But CER- mans out of that picture, ever,” Chung
you get to come and propose your so- crouch and stepped to the entrance, BERUS and CSIRO were tied. Chung in- said. “You will never have the ‘robot
lutions.” toeing the starting line like sprinters. voked the tiebreaker: The team that iden- rescue squad’ because there’s still a lot
On command from Marco Tranzatto, tified its last artifact earliest would win. that I think you would want humans in
When we met inside the cavern, he the loop for.” 
pointed out the ways the competi- The roboticists assembled in a meet-
tion was calibrated to yield practical ing hall DARPA had constructed in the
results and theoretical breakthroughs.

While the Pentagon would surely
benefit from any discoveries, there
was an idealistic element of knowl-
edge-for-all to the grand challenge. I
wanted to know if it was worth the $82
million that DARPA had budgeted for
the project.

The course designer, Viktor Orek-
hov, led the press corps on a tour of
the labyrinth. The course stretched a
little more than a half-mile and con-
sisted of the three interconnected un-
derground worlds – urban, tunnel and
cave – constructed within the larger
underground of the Mega Cavern.

Some sections included features de-
signed to challenge the robots’ agility,
like a water hazard, mud, loose gravel,
stalactites, three staircases and two
sets of rails. There was at least one fog
machine to confound robot sensors,
and three places where heavy gates
would swing down behind the robots
so they would have to find a different
way back.

Forty survivor mannequins and oth-
er artifacts, like cellphones, were scat-
tered throughout. In addition to giving
off heat, the survivors said, “Welcome
to the SubT Challenge Final Event!”
while the cellphones played DARPA
videos and emitted wireless signals,
all of which were detectable by robots
equipped with cameras and sensors
for heat, sound and signals. In the ur-
ban section, a mock office was flood-
ed with carbon dioxide that could be
picked up by a gas sensor.

The whole thing was hard enough
for humans to negotiate. How would
robots do?

After the preliminary rounds, CSIRO
was at the top of the leader board, fol-
lowed closely by Explorer, CERBERUS,
CoSTAR and MARBLE. Each team
went into the finale with a clean slate
and all the money on the table.

The staging area was a platform
with room for a team’s robots and a
small human pit crew. Only a few de-
scending feet of dusty ground were
visible through the entry arch. Above
was a scoreboard to keep track of

38 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

BY DOM ARMENTANO at the wound, described it as approximately 5mm in the throat was an entrance wound from a bullet? Not
The recent decision by President Biden to delay size with blood excluding from its edges. Perry then really. No bullet or bullet fragments were ever found in
for another year the full release of some still-secret used his scalpel to enlarge the wound somewhat to ex- the throat area either by Dr. Perry or by doctors at
JFK assassination documents is a testament to the plore for damage in the throat and to accommodate a the official autopsy at Bethesda later than evening. Yet
fact that governments are not transparent by nature tracheotomy procedure to help the president breathe. if a bullet had entered the throat where did it go? No one
and that they can keep secrets. has ever answered that question in a definitive manner.
But what is the intelligence community hiding af- At a press conference later that day, Dr. Perry said
ter 58 years? that he thought the hole he observed was a wound None of the Secret Service agents in the presidential
The Warren Commission Report concluded in of “entrance;” yet when he testified under oath be- limo saw or heard a shot from the front hit the presi-
1964 that JFK was shot at three times from the 6th fore the Warren Commission, he hedged that opin- dent in the throat. No one in the follow-up Secret Ser-
floor of the Texas School Board Depository by Lee ion somewhat. vice car (8 agents) saw or heard any throat shot from
Harvey Oswald. But critics and conspiracy theorists the front; after hearing shots, most looked back over
have always argued that Kennedy was killed, in- Under intense questioning by Arlen Specter, Dr. their right shoulder toward the School Depository.
stead, in a deadly crossfire by bullets fired from both Perry acknowledged that “there was no way to deter-
the front (grassy knoll) and from the rear. mine from my examination, as to exactly how accu- There were several Dallas police officers in close
Now the significance of any frontal shots cannot rately I could depict an entrance wound from an exit proximity to the grassy-knoll and picket fence; none
be overstated. If there were any frontal shots, it would wound without ascertaining the trajectory;” which, saw or heard shots from that area. The two motor-
confirm that the killing was not the act of some “lone of course, he never did. Perry then admitted to Spec- cycle cops riding closest to the presidential limo did
nut” (Oswald) but was, instead, some sort of a conspir- ter that the wound he briefly saw could have been ei- not see or hear a shot from the front.
acy whose aim (perhaps) was regime change, i.e., to ther an entry or an exit wound.
alter the direction of U.S. domestic and foreign policy. In short, there is no physical evidence, no credible
But were there any shots fired from the front? The Is there any corroborating evidence that the hole in eye-witness testimony and no reliable photographic
“head shot” that killed Kennedy (that monstrous ex- evidence (of any shooter) that would support a fron-
ploding wound depicted in frame 313 of the Zaprud- tal shot in the throat. None.
er film) could well have originated from the front;
but that controversy is far too long and complicated Conspiracy theorists have had almost 60 years to
to be discussed here. present convincing evidence that JFK was shot from
On the other hand, there was also a small hole in the front. In the case of the throat shot, however,
the front of JFK’s throat just below his Adam's apple. they have convincingly failed. That wound more
Now if that hole was, in fact, an entrance wound, than likely relates to a pass-through bullet hole in
then a conspiracy to kill the president would be con- the president’s upper back just below his collar and
firmed, regardless of the controversy surrounding not to any frontal shot.
the origins of the head shot.
There is no question that there was a small wound Now it is possible that there might still be crucial
in JFK’s throat when he arrived in the ER at Park- evidence buried in secret files – the files that President
land Hospital minutes after the assassination. Sev- Biden is withholding – that would establish frontal
eral Parkland doctors, including Dr. Carrico and Dr. shots and a conspiracy to kill JFK.
Jones, said they observed a hole in that area that was
about the size of a finger tip. My judgment is: Probably not. It is far more likely
Dr. Malcolm Perry, who probably had the best look that what the intelligence agencies are (still) hiding
is embarrassing information concerning the precise
nature of their historical relationship with Lee Har-
vey Oswald. 

Dr. Armentano, Professor Emeritus in Economics
at the University of Hartford in Connecticut, is a resi-
dent of Vero Beach.

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

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 39

INSIGHT OPINION

When Scenic River Cruises cancels Win- upgrade. We also bought a travel insur- ANSWER: You kept a great paper trail.You could
ston Bateman's Danube river cruise va- ance policy. have also escalated your complaint
cation, his travel agent offers a refund. So much went wrong with your cruise, to a company executive. I publish the
But it's been months and he's still wait- Scenic River Cruises canceled the it's hard to know where to begin. But names, numbers and email addresses
ing. cruise in early May of 2020. We received maybe we should start here: If your of the Scenic River Cruises executives
an option via email for a cruise credit or travel agent promised you a refund, you on my nonprofit consumer advocacy
QUESTION: refund from Member Travel Privileges, should get one. Period. site, Elliott.org.
our travel agency. In a follow-up email,
My wife and I have been trying to get our travel agent advised us we would re- You booked a trip with a reputable I contacted Scenic River Cruises on
a refund from Scenic River Cruises ceive a refund of $13,338 for the cruise cruise line and took out a travel insur- your behalf. It said that its policy after
for more than eight months. We paid and an additional $1,572 travel credit. ance policy. When a travel company the pandemic was to offer a credit, not
$14,910 for a Danube River cruise from However, they also advised that the re- cancels a tour, a cruise – really, any- a refund. "It seems their agency gave
Bucharest to Budapest scheduled for fund might take up to 90 days. thing – it should offer either a full re- out incorrect information regarding
May 2020. That included airfare and an fund or a credit. Your travel agent said refunds," a spokesman for Scenic River
After 90 days, we filed a claim with you could get a credit or refund. You Cruises told me. "If the agency offered
our insurance company. Our claim was chose the refund. But when the money a refund, it falls on the agency to make
denied. The reason for the denial was wasn't forthcoming, you filed a travel such a refund."
that COVID-19 was not a covered rea- insurance claim.
son for cancellation. I contacted your agency, which re-
I would have contacted your travel viewed your case. "We sent out a com-
Since then, we have gone back and insurance company as soon as your munication to you asking if you pre-
forth with Scenic Cruises. We get cut cruise line canceled your trip. Ask ferred a cash refund or a future cruise
off each time we call. In one of the if you are covered at that point. You credit for your canceled booking, only
emails from Scenic Cruises, they wrote probably aren't, since most travel in- to later find out that Scenic would only
that we would have to work with the surance assumes you'll receive a full be able to offer future cruise credits to
booking agent. We would like to get the refund if your cruise line cancels. But its passengers," your agency said in a
promised refund. Can you help? it's worth asking. letter to you. It subsequently agreed to
issue a full refund of $14,910. 

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

40 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

The story of Natalie’s Wood’s death has been replayed Wagner embarked on a cruise that “they’d heard a female
countless times in tabloids, interviews and on television. to Catalina Island on their screaming for help around
Police and autopsy reports can be read online, and there yacht, Splendour. Also onboard midnight.” The husband
have been numerous books, including last year’s “More were Christopher Walken, Nata- said the woman sounded
Than Love” by Wood’s daughter Natasha Gregson Wag- lie’s co-star in what was to be drunk. His wife thought she
ner, which accompanied a splashy HBO documentary. her final film, “Brainstorm,” and sounded hysterical. After
Still, 40 years after Wood’s body was found floating in the skipper Dennis Davern, later de- Natalie’s body was recov-
water near her yacht off Catalina Island, the circumstanc- monized by the tabloid press as
es of her death remain unresolved. the “death yacht captain.” “Little ered, it was Davern who
Sister,” written with Lindsay Har- identified it, rather than
Lana Wood, Natalie’s younger sister, has jumped into rison, presents the various, often her husband. The para-
the mix with a book whose title – “Little Sister: My Inves- contradictory narratives of what medic who pulled Nata-
tigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood” – happened that Saturday night, lie’s body from the water
promises some answers. Now in her 70s, the onetime ac- compiled from witnesses and po- was never interviewed.
tress and producer feels compelled to break her silence. lice reports.
“Telling this story is the bravest thing I will ever do,” she “This was definitely
pronounces in the book’s opening pages. Lana’s storytelling can be more complicated than
confusing, with its crosshatch ‘an accident,’” Lana de-
Lana Wood begins with the gossipy backstory of Nata- of conflicting and recanted ac- cides, and wonders why
lieWood’s rocky marriage to RobertWagner in 1957. Lana counts, family memories, and her the case was immedi-
is very sour on that relationship, focusing on a pivotal own familial woes, which include ately closed. In 2009,
moment: “It seems she’d come home early from some- the death of her daughter, Evan,
where, poured herself a glass of something, and walked in 2017. But the upshot is clear: Davern published a
into her and [Wagner’s] bedroom to find him in a very Lana Wood blames Robert Wagner new account of what he
compromising position with his butler.” Lana, who al- (known as R.J.) for her sister’s death. says transpired on that
ready shared much of this material in her 1985 memoir “I have no trouble imagining R.J., Thanksgiving weekend.
“Natalie, A Memoir by Her Sister,” dishes about Natalie’s five-foot-eleven, two hundred pounds, and Natalie, five- In large part inspired
relationships with Warren Beatty (her co-star in “Splen- foot-two, one hundred twenty pounds, fighting back, first by Davern’s book, a crowdsourced petition calling for
dor in the Grass”), Michael Caine and others. Natalie then in their stateroom, where Dennis heard enough yelling a new investigation was sent to the Los Angeles County
married British producer Richard Gregson, father of her and banging to knock on the door and be told by R.J. to Sheriff’s Department, and in 2011, 30 years after Natalie’s
daughter Natasha. They divorced in 1972. Later that year, ‘go away,’ and then on the back of the boat.” Lana, who death, the case was reopened. A year later, a supplemen-
Natalie and Wagner remarried. is estranged from Wagner and Natasha Gregson Wagner tal autopsy report changed Natalie’s cause of death from
and refused to participate in the HBO film, says it pains “accidental drowning” to “drowning and other undeter-
Lana Wood was enraged about her sister’s reconcili- her to believe that R.J. would hurt her sister: “What possi- mined factors.” In 2018, the sheriff’s department named
ation with Wagner. “I hit the roof,” she recalls. “She was ble pleasure could I take in thinking that the last thing my Robert Wagner “a person of interest” while making clear
remarrying a guy who had cheated on her with another sister saw in this life was the furious face of her husband, that “This is not a murder investigation, so he’s not a sus-
man? I’d been through something similar when I walked hovering above the dark water that terrified her?” The pect. This is a suspicious death investigation.”
in on one of my ex-husbands trying on my favorite pei- answer, alas, comes shortly thereafter when she accuses Lana has consulted with a retired LAPD detective
gnoir.” (Lana, who played Plenty O’Toole in the Bond film Wagner of shutting her out of the family and “allegedly who she says agrees that much of the initial investiga-
“Diamonds Are Forever,” doesn’t hold back.) Natalie’s re- blacklisting me in the business,” among other things. tion was mishandled, in particular the fact that no fo-
sponse was more ominous. “Sometimes the devil you rensics were done. Still, despite the promise of Lana’s
know is better than the devil you don’t.” Still, “Little Sister” lists persuasive circumstantial evi- title, she doesn’t really deliver any new information re-
dence that Natalie’s death might not have been an acci- lating to her sister’s death, and her estrangement from
In her book’s one real bombshell, Lana alleges a trau- dent. In 1992, Lana was contacted by Davern, who inti- Natalie’s family results in a constant background din
ma from Natalie’s teenage years: how 15-year-old Natalie mates thatWagner harmed Natalie before her death. This of axes being ground. Discovering the truth seems an
was assaulted by Kirk Douglas during what was said to be news galvanizes Lana into turning amateur detective. She impossible task even now. 
an audition, while her mother and little sister waited in obtains a copy of the police report and is struck by wit-
a car near his hotel. Lana says their mother told Natalie ness statements that appear to have been dismissed by LITTLE SISTER: MY INVESTIGATION
to keep it quiet or it would mean the end of her career. “I the police. The manager of the restaurant where theWag- INTO THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH
was more enraged at mom than I was with Kirk Douglas,” ner party dined that night “thought at the time there were OF NATALIE WOOD
Lana writes. “She’d sent her fifteen year old daughter into some possible problems between Robert Wagner and his
a hotel room alone with an incredibly powerful man … wife.” A harbor patrol officer stated receiving a call from BY LANA WOOD WITH LINDSAY HARRISON | DEY ST. 238 PP. $27.99
and then done absolutely nothing when he violated her.” a couple onboard a vessel near the Splendour reported REVIEW BY ELIZABETH HAND, THE WASHINGTON POST

Lana then delves into the oft-treaded material of the
fateful 1981 Thanksgiving weekend when Natalie and

Vero's Largest Book & Specialty Toy Store

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 41

INSIGHT BRIDGE

NORTH

THE BIDDING OFTEN INFLUENCES THE PLAY J2

By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist K Q J 10

Salvador Dalí said, “The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret.” Q643

It is a secret from some bridge players that the bidding influences the play. They forget A85
the auction when trick one begins.
WEST EAST
In this deal, East can find the winning defense if he asks himself what key clue the K53
bidding supplies. West leads the heart nine against four spades. How should East 96 64
defend? 875
K 10 7 6 2 A82
After North rebid one no-trump, showing a balanced hand with 12-14 points, South
plunged into the contract that he hoped he could make. K J 10 9

West might have led a low club, but it would not have worked here. Declarer would J943
have won with dummy’s ace, run the spade jack and banked five spades, three hearts,
one diamond and one club. But the heart nine was a logical lead. Unless the spade ace SOUTH
unexpectedly appeared on the board, West was going to have at least one trump left
when in with his spade king. A Q 10 9 8 7

The key decision then is East’s. Has West led a singleton or from a doubleton? 7543

East should ask himself how West’s holding would have influenced the bidding. If West A2
has led a singleton, that would leave South with five hearts. Surely he would have
mentioned the suit in the auction. Maybe not, but it was highly likely. So, West has led Q
from a doubleton. East should encourage with his heart eight.
Dealer: North; Vulnerable: Neither
When West gets in with his spade king, he continues with his heart six and receives a
ruff. East’s diamond trick will then defeat the contract. The Bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
1 Diamonds Pass
1 Spades Pass 1 NT Pass LEAD:
4 Spades Pass Pass Pass 9 Hearts

42 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (NOVEMBER 11) ON PAGE 72

ACROSS DOWN
1 Automobile (3) 1 Chefs (5)
3 Small cake (3) 2 Get better (7)
5 Short nails (5) 3 Naked (4)
8 Happen (5) 4 Numeral (6)
9 More jolly (7) 5 Awful (8)
10 Rescue (4) 6 High-quality porcelain(5)
11 Fragile (8) 7 Roads (7)
13 Buccaneer (6) 12 Tries (8)
14 Permits (6) 13 Worships (7)
17 Aroused (8) 15 Commanded (7)
19 Tots up (4) 16 Distant (6)
22 Hair cleaner (7) 18 Once more (5)
23 Filthy (5) 20 Elan (5)
24 Posts (5) 21 Thought (4)
25 Period (3)
The Telegraph 26 Female deer (3)

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 43

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 107 Cereal for short people? 45 Protected bay The Washington Post
1 Shot from guns? 111 Ms. Taylor, familiarly 46 Cries of discovery
4 Albert Einstein’s wife 112 Berle’s pearls 47 Clarence’s role on The Mod HOME SWEET HOMOPHONE (3) By Merl Reagle
8 Returns pro 116 A size: abbr.
11 Tree’s relief 117 Billionaire Buffett Squad THE Art & Science
16 Place for rowdy kids? 118 With 124 Across, not the 49 Palm ___
18 Popular citrus drink 50 Psychic Edgar of Cosmetic Surgery
19 Country star Twain best thing you want to see 51 Reaper man McCormick
20 Willard Scott before he after a doctor’s name? 52 Norris film, SPECIALTIES INCLUDE:
122 Skeptical valley girl’s • Minimal Incision Lift for the
dieted? comment A Force ___
22 Back-exposing top 123 Naughty ___ nice 55 Dryly amusing Face, Body, Neck & Brow
23 Place with a keeper 124 See 118 Across 56 Drops on the grass • Breast Augmentations
24 Snippy comeback 125 Choice cuts 58 Turkish Republic founder
25 Where tabasco sauce is 126 Amts. of milk 59 Blood letters & Reductions
127 Entertainer-turned-legislator 61 Froth • Post Cancer Reconstructions
mfd. 128 An impressive degree 62 Ayurvedic remedies • Chemical Peels • Botox
26 Result of a catapult 64 Macbeth, for one • Laser Surgery • Tummy Tucks
DOWN 67 Chinese concept • Obagi Products • Liposculpture
accident? 1 Bird’s perch 68 Time abbr. • Skin Cancer Treatments
27 Fantastic flyers 2 Genuine risk on Genuine 69 Steak ___
70 Author Seton
29 “Guitar Town” singer Steve Risk 71 Pastry bag handler
32 E. follower 3 Biol. amd med. 72 Hotbed
33 Where politicians should 4 Throws wild, e.g. 76 Jaguars’ org.
5 Uses a hoe 77 City near Provo
spend more time? 6 Helios, in Rome 78 Wild
41 Rhode Island point 7 I love, in Rome 79 Wild
8 Sculptor’s tool 80 Tony-winner Judith
famous for its huts 9 Where Fermi went 82 Skelton’s Kadiddlehopper
42 All-purpose exclamation 86 Sea bird
43 Stupefied state to college 88 Sean Lennon’s middle name
45 Peace pipe 10 Get involved 89 McCartney’s title
48 Spore sacs 11 Zhivago portrayer 91 A.Y.L.I. playwright
51 Bug-building game 12 Joke answer to “How many 92 Dress feature
53 Paul Newman’s birthplace 94 81 Across player
54 Like 1, e.g. people work in your 95 Stuff (oneself) with
57 Result of a margarine spill? company?” 97 Coals
60 Wind up like Bierce 13 Tiny crawlers and haulers 98 The Searchers star
14 Whom les fidèles worship 99 Toys (with)
or Earhart 15 Masterson contemporary 100 Slow flow
63 Hear anew, as a case 16 Devo’s question 101 Wise
65 River of Spain in the 1970s, 102 “Letters, ___
66 Not a good thing to hear “Are ___ men?”
17 New Zealand parrot letters ...”
from your getaway driver? 19 Storage space 106 Like a brick
73 River of Russia 20 Salyut 7’s successor 107 Do the crawl
74 The end of ___ 21 Panicked reaction, 108 Unexciting
75 Medium effort? in cartoons 109 Major or Minor preceder
76 All Bambi ever hears in 26 In no time at all 110 Very dry, as champagne
28 Tall timber 111 Boor
casinos? 30 Hotshot 113 “Alice’s Restaurant” guy
81 LDS HQ 31 Educating ___ 114 1960s Pontiac
83 Certain breads 32 Jeff Davis’s grp. 115 Communicate at Gallaudet
84 Rounds of bowling 34 Word from “The Little 118 Rib joint letters
85 Part of Mark Twain Drummer Boy” 119 Officially declare
35 Spawn shop offering? 120 ___-Magnon
or Tom Wolfe attire 36 Passionate about 121 Hale and hardy
87 Letter writing, 37 Kuwaiti kahuna
38 Teen scream
some say 39 Forum foe of Caesar
90 Kids’ building set 40 Bass Pinza
91 That girl 44 At any time, poetically
93 A girl’s name or an

evergreen tree
96 1937 film about Little Miss

Muffet?
103 Form of address
104 Ungregarious one
105 Water pitcher

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46 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

How to respond to a child who lies to cover mistakes

BY CAROLYN HAX comes out when the milk does. But these are still the Dear Carolyn: I have a 15-month-old, and because
Washington Post right goals to set – never to yell at a child, and never to of the pandemic, none of my family have met my son
treat an oops as a choice. in person yet. As you can imagine, this has been in-
Hi, Carolyn: I am interested in credibly difficult.We video call with my parents once a
your approach when responding to As for your example, the milk spill wasn’t worth a week and are looking forward to the vaccine becoming
a child who knows he made a mis- correction, but the lie was. “‘No one’? Well, please tell available for young children.
take. No One that it’s OK, spills happen – but telling the
truth is the best way to fix a mistake.” Raise eyebrow. Both my sister-in-law and her mother made com-
Example: My nephew walks Wait for a response. ments on a recent video call that I found very insensi-
through the kitchen and says, “No tive. I like them both and generally have a good rela-
one spilled their milk outside.”Naturally,he had spilled This is another area where 1.000 is unrealistic, but tionship with them. One, a doctor, said she didn’t think
his milk outside. He didn’t actually break any rules or gentle responses to truth-telling, repeated over a a vaccine for kids younger than 5 would ever be re-
disobey me, he just had an accident. That doesn’t both- childhood, send the message that you’re a safe place leased. The other said any screen time for kids younger
er me at all because it’s outside. for truths to be told. than 2 was bad for their development. I countered with
Is it necessary for me to respond? I picked up his cup reasons video calls with friends and family do not have
and put it with the dirty dishes. Obviously he felt bad the same negative effects as watching passive content.
for not being careful with the milk, thus his lie. If any- She dismissed this.
thing, that makes me wonder whether I overreacted to
accidents in the past. Does the situation require more I feel that this was insensitive. They know the only
from me? contact my parents have with my son is by video, and
they know we are waiting to get him vaccinated before
– Anonymous traveling.

Anonymous: So the accident would have bothered Should I let these comments go? If not, how best to
you if it had happened inside? It was an accident ei- broach them? I was really hurt.
ther way. Even a careful person can spill.
– Far From Home
I think that’s the path to your answer: Yes, respond
gently to accidents. Reflect the intent, not the out- Far From Home:You’re doing your best under awful
come. circumstances. You know that.

Note too the use of “respond” vs. “react”: Generally, So give yourself some grace by declining their in-
we’re not at our best when we’re reacting.We also can’t vitations to a political proxy war and just extending
reasonably expect ourselves to bat 1.000 on respond- some grace to them: They think they’re helping. Bless
ing thoughtfully in every moment; sometimes a yell their hearts.

Keep doing what you need to do. 

‘NUTCRACKER,’ SWEET!
VERO CLASSICAL BALLET READIES

HOLIDAY TREAT

48 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

‘Nutcracker,’ sweet! Vero Classical Ballet readies holiday treat

Vero Classical Ballet dancers
practicing for “The Nutcracker.”

PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF | STAFF WRITER Barry Trammell, founder and artistic
director, explains that the program is
The dancers at Vero Classical Ballet based on the Vaganova method, a train-
are readying their pointe shoes for their ing system that stresses clean, virtuoso
annual performances of the perennial techniques devised by Russian dancer,
holiday favorite “The Nutcracker,” tak- choreographer and teacher Agrippina
ing place Nov. 27 at the Vero Beach High Vaganova.
School Performing Arts Center.
Trammell says his own interest was
Since 2005, the nonprofit ballet school piqued after watching John Travolta in
has offered classes, with a focus on Rus- the movie “Saturday Night Fever.”
sian Classical Ballet, to budding danc-
ers ages 3 through adulthood at Leisure “Something clicked for me. I thought,
Square. I want to do that,” he recalls.

Lest you think it’s a grand jeté [big

Barry Trammell
and Natalia Colon.

leap] from disco to classical ballet, His natural affinity for history drew
Trammell says that as he looked into the him into story ballet, which incorpo-
ways Travolta had prepared for the film, rates a plot and characters.
he discovered that the film star had in-
corporated ballet into his training. He danced professionally throughout
the United States for 20 years, working
“Well, if John Travolta is taking ballet, with Ballet Florida, the Oregon Ballet
then I have to take it too,” thought Tram- Theatre, City Ballet of Houston, and the
mell at the time. Memphis Ballet, and performing prin-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 49

cipal roles in such ballets as “Sleeping ARTS & THEATRE
Beauty,” “Giselle” and “The Nutcracker.”
When she dances, Green says, all her
After retiring as a professional dancer, problems just disappear, and she loves
Trammell turned his talents toward de- the camaraderie of working with the
veloping and teaching ballet to aspiring other dancers. As a homeschooled stu-
dancers. dent, it is where she does most of her so-
cializing.
“Ballet piques their intellectual curi-
osity. Performing alone increases your “Ballet brings me a lot of satisfaction.
self-confidence and self-esteem. You Whenever I start dancing, I forget every-
feel an enormous sense of accomplish- thing else. Before a performance, you’re
ment,” says Trammell. “Whether it’s mu- standing in the wings waiting for your
sic, ballet, visual arts or plays, perform- cue to go on, and you’re freaking out in-
ing increases intellect. It’s just going to ternally. Then, once you’re on stage for
make you a smarter, better person.” five minutes, you’re like ‘Wow!’ Then
you start smiling from your heart.”
Trammell comments on the consid-
erable transition that occurs with stu- Carla King says her daughters danced
dents who participate in magnet school
CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

arts programs offered in rough neigh- phy helps when you’re teaching; it sticks
borhoods. more. When I’m teaching these girls to
point their toes in the next class, I’m on
“They’re no longer interested in join- top of my toes even more.”
ing a gang. They’re interested in play-
ing a musical instrument, doing a play
or ballet. It has transformative effects
across socioeconomic lines,” he ex-
plains.

Trammell’s current protégé is Rylee
Green, who will soon turn 18. Over
the past 12 years, she has flourished
in cabriole leaps, from playing the
Lead Mouse and Party Girl at age 6, to
the role of Sugar Plum Fairy two years
ago, and to now dancing as the Snow
Queen. Green has also assumed the
position of assistant director and cos-
tume director.

Green, who plans to pursue dancing
as a profession, says she loves the struc-
ture of Russian Classical Ballet because
of its grace and elegance. She adds that
taking a directorial role has given her a
unique perspective and a greater appre-
ciation for how productions are man-
aged, and says teaching the choreog-
raphy to the other dancers has helped
develop her own character.

“Because you’re put into a leading po-
sition, you become more aware. It sparks
something,” Green explains. “Directing
and remembering all this choreogra-

50 Vero Beach 32963 / November 18, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE ibility but also strength,” says King,
noting that the girls had their start in
Natalia Colon. gymnastics. “As they moved over to do
more in ballet, they already had those
core skills, so it was really just a great
way for them to continue to develop
their skills.”

Vickie Colon says ballet has helped
her daughters, 11-year-old Natalia and
8-year-old Katarina, build confidence
and become more outgoing.

“Natalia dances around the house
all the time. She enjoys that move-
ment, but she’s a wallflower,” says
Colon. “She likes to blend into the
background. She doesn’t like a lot of
attention on her. With ballet, I see it
bring them out into the front and cen-
ter. This year she is going to be Clara.
That’s every little girl’s dream.”

Meg Whalen says she was pleas-
antly surprised to find a professional
ballet program for 6-year-old Rosie,
who started at the school at age 4
when she performed in a spring per-
formance of “Swan Lake.”

“The way the classes are structured

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49 ting their way across the stage.
Like Green, King says her daugh-
in their first Nutcracker six years ago,
after her youngest, Soraya, wanted ters’ ballet roles have increased over
to try ballet, and big sister Lindsey the years, as they matured and honed
joined in as well. Now ages 10 and 17, their skills.
the girls continue to enjoy pirouet-
“It’s a lot of grace and a lot of flex-

Elissa Piere.