02/21/2019 ISSUE 08

Seagrass beds relatively stable
in lagoon near Vero. P10
Golf event helps
‘Meals on Wheels.’ P18

Bond terms eased for accused
John’s Island healthcare aide. P9

For breaking news visit

MY VERO After long wait, more sand coming to Vero beaches Gifford rappers
BY RAY MCNULTY suspects in Vero
deputy’s slaying
School superintendent
under fire over finances

Don’t be fooled by the BY RAY MCNULTY
School Board’s unanimous ap- Staff Writer
proval last week of the budget-
fixing shell game Superinten- BY LISA ZAHNER for replenishment, the city’s PHOTO BY KAILA JONES Indian River County Sher-
dent Mark Rendell put forth Staff Writer oceanfront may finally start iff’s detectives believe the two
to push the projected general getting the promised $4 mil- Drive during the height of the Vero Beach-connected rap
fund balance above the 5 per- A decade after Vero Beach lion sand dump in November. 2019-2020 season. musicians charged earlier this
cent required by school dis- residents and businesses were month with first-degree mur-
trict policy. told their critically eroded That means more than The project was supposed der in Miramar were involved
beaches were next on the list 11,000 heavy dump trucks to begin last fall, and a great in the shooting death of an
Nobody was happy about it. staging along A1A and Ocean many things could postpone off-duty deputy in Gifford two
Not only did board members the start date again – the big- years ago, two high-ranking
voice concerns about Rendell’s law enforcement sources said.
money maneuvering, which CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
included the extreme measure The sources, who agreed to
of using the property-tax ac- speak only on the condition of
count intended for technology anonymity, said the fact that
expenditures to pay for per- Jamell Demons, also known
sonnel positions that should as YNW Melly, and Cortlen
be paid for out of the general Henry, also known as YNW
fund; they also expressed dis- Bortlen, were at the scene of
satisfaction and angst over the shooting of longtime dep-
the superintendent’s failure to uty Gary Chambliss was com-
prevent such a crisis. mon knowledge in the Gifford
Even Rendell, who over- community.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

State seeks to raise Tuesday’s City Council election: Old Vero versus new Vero
history of violence in
Jones murder trial BY LISA ZAHNER TONY YOUNG ROBERT BRACKETT LINDA HILLMAN be leveled over the next five
Staff Writer ROBERT McCABE LAURA MOSS BRIAN HEADY years after utility structures
BY FEDERICO MARTINEZ are removed, plus the old
Staff Writer What is Tuesday’s Vero postal annex property and a
Beach City Council elec- few other scattered parcels,
The State Attorney’s office tion about? Vero is virtually built out. So
last week asked Judge Daniel it’s not really about growth.
Vaughn for permission to use It’s the first election in
testimony they admit is “cir- a decade that is free from The power structure of
cumstantial evidence” during debate about the sale of Vero Beach is a constant
the upcoming trial of Michael Vero electric. Some say this tension between old Vero
David Jones, who is charged election is about “growth” and new Vero. Between
with murdering island resi- but other than the two people who were born lo-
large riverfront parcels to
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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2 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Beach replenishment lize on Nov. 1 at the end of sea turtle Vero is allowed to shore up its dunes bilize the city’s 3.1-mile shoreline from
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 nesting season. in an emergency situation, and the Tracking Station Beach in the north to
city has spent more than a quarter Castaway Cove in the south.
gest unknown being $2 million in state “These are only estimated dates,” million dollars in recent years to en-
funding that may not materialize. County Administrator Jason Brown sure its boardwalks don’t tumble into This endeavor will take months, and
said last week upon providing the the ocean. it will move from staging point to stag-
But if all goes well, the county will timeline to Vero Beach 32963. “Lack ing point up and down A1A and Ocean
have the final permit from the U.S. of state funding could potentially im- “The highest levels of erosion or Drive. All equipment must be off the
Army Corps of Engineers in hand by pact the projected timeline as well.” damage from the past two hurricanes beaches by April 1, 2020 when the ear-
the end of February and will approve a has been the southern portion of the liest-nesting species of turtles returns.
final sand source, obtain construction Vero’s beaches are some of the most Jaycee/Conn Beach boardwalk,” said
easements and surveys, and put the eroded in the county, but as the result County Public Works Director Rich Sz- “As always, we will try to limit the
project out to bid in July. of a 20-year-old referendum prohibit- pyrka impact to the public, but we need to
ing the city from spending tax dollars complete the project and we have a
By August the county commission on engineered beach projects, Vero But the county’s planned project is far limited time frame in which to do so,”
is expected to award the job to a con- had been forced to wait on repairs, at broader. It would truck in an estimated Szpyrka said.
tractor, who would be ready to mobi- the mercy of Indian River County and 200,000 cubic yards of processed sand
fickle state funding. from sand mines in dump trucks to sta- The Florida Department of Environ-
mental Protection’s Feb. 1 permit au-
thorization letter lists Tracking Station
Park, Jaycee Park, Conn Beach and Hu-
miston Park as the main staging areas.

County Szpyrka said the timing of
any beach closures would be deter-
mined by the contractor. When Wa-
basso Beach was closed for beach re-
plenishment, some businesses were
caught off guard, while others like Dis-
ney’s Vero Beach Resort were notified
of the timing of the work.

“I can’t speak to prior circumstanc-
es. For all of our beach projects, we
plan to notify everyone within each
sector at the time we advertise for
bid. This will give them about three
months’ notice,” Szpyrka said.

Scott Varricchio, owner of Citrus
Grillhouse at Humiston Park, said he’s
all for the shoring up of Vero’s beaches
if it’s good for the economy, but that he
would appreciate a courtesy heads-up.

“I would like to be able to notify my
customers, not to say they shouldn’t
come, but to let them know if they
were having a special event or a re-
hearsal dinner or a Christmas party,
that the beach would be under con-
struction,” Varricchio said, adding that
he would also need to possibly redirect
his front-curb supply deliveries to the
restaurant if dump trucks are using
that area of the parking lot for staging.

“We have to get trucks in there, too,”
he said. “But it doesn’t affect me as
much as it does the hotels and some of
the other businesses.”

Vero City Manager Jim O’Connor
said city officials, after his March 15
departure, would try to keep Ocean
Drive hotels and businesses informed
as well. “The issue there is that we’re
not always kept in the loop,” O’Connor
said. 

My Vero

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

saw the creation of this budget mess,
warned in his letter to the board:
“While we have transferred the costs
associated with some personnel to
revenue sources that are not recur-
ring, this is not a long-term solution.”

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 3

NEWS

“I feel like we’re putting a Band-Aid caught some of these things ahead of Zorc wants more accountability, to restore the projected general fund
on the problem,” School Board Chair- time. and she said she will get it. balance to 5 percent – his rocky run as
man Laura Zorc said, “but sometimes superintendent appears to finally be
you need a Band-Aid when you’re “That’s the frustration.” “In the coming months, we have eroding the board’s confidence in his
bleeding.” Rosario wasn’t alone in express- some difficult decisions that we are ability to manage the district.
ing dismay: To make sure the district going to need to make,” she said.
Zorc and three other board mem- doesn’t again get blindsided by bud- “Some are going to be popular, and The recent budget mayhem was
bers voted in favor of the plan because get woes, Barenborg told Rendell she some aren’t going to be so popular.” merely the latest in a long line of
the district’s general fund was bleed- wants the district’s new CFO, when headline-grabbing controversies that
ing money and they were left with no hired, to participate in monthly meet- Although Rendell accomplished his have occurred on Rendell’s watch. You
other practical, palatable option for ings with the board. mission – he was required by district
the district to get through the current policy to present the board with a plan CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
school year without violating its own
budget rules. Exclusively John’s Island

Tiffany Justice voted for it because, This remarkable 5BR/7.5BA riverfront retreat commands one of the most
well, she tends to embrace, support breathtaking views of the Intracoastal Waterway with 130± feet of river
and defend almost everything Rendell frontage. Sited on .85± acres, enjoy brilliant sunsets and a new Trex boat
does, at least publicly. dock. Quality construction and architectural details adorn this 8,306± GSF
retreat offering a living room with coffered ceiling and fireplace, covered log-
In fact, Justice dutifully attempted gia with retractable screens, elevator, gracious island kitchen, butler’s pantry,
to provide advance cover for Ren- library, luxurious master suite with a custom walk-in closet, and upper level
dell, who faces the task of building a guest suites. 71 Dove Plum Road : $6,700,000
2019-20 budget that returns all those
temporarily funded positions to the three championship golf courses : 17 har-tru courts : beach club : squash
district’s general fund without any sig- health & wellness center : pickleball : croquet : vertical equit y memberships
nificant influx of additional revenue.
772.231.0900 : Vero Beach, FL : JohnsIslandRealEstate.com
Saying the board can expect to have
“some difficult decisions to make re-
garding positions and services,” she
urged the other members to consider
reducing the district’s required cash
reserves to 3.5 or 4 percent, which still
would be above the state-mandated 3
percent.

“Do we need to have in excess of 5
percent?” Justice asked. “Do we need
to have even 5 percent? Is that the best
use of our money – in a bank account?
Or is it better being used to serve our
students and pay our teachers and
staff?”

Her suggestion, though, didn’t gar-
ner much backing from the rest of
the board. While Teri Barenborg was
open to further discussion, Mara
Schiff warned that the district needs
to maintain sufficient cash reserves to
be prepared in the event of hurricanes
and other emergencies.

Zorc flatly rejected Justice’s idea,
saying, “I have a lot of anxiety about
changing the 5-percent fund balance
... This is not something I want to even
consider. I feel it’s a last resort.”

It should be.
Rendell’s lack of oversight of the
district’s budget and his failure to suf-
ficiently monitor its spending practic-
es do not justify further recklessness.
His corrective actions these past few
weeks became necessary only be-
cause he didn’t do his job, at least as it
pertains to finances.
Then, when the budget mess be-
came public, Rendell tried to blame
his chief financial officer, Carter Mor-
rison, who has since resigned.
“It is incredibly unfortunate that we
are here,” board member Jackie Ro-
sario said, adding “we shouldn’t be in
this situation in the first place ... Had
we been budgeting correctly and re-
visiting our budget the right way on
a regular basis, we probably could’ve

4 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero nancial information from the board,” in the private sector, did not respond money on legal investigations and
Zorc said, offering what was at best a to the investigator’s attempts to con- consultants,” Zorc said. “Personally,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 tepid endorsement. tact him. But Pelletier, who has moved I’m beyond sick and tired of chasing
to New Hampshire and works for the our tails and wasting money.”
might remember he wrongly suspend- Rosario said that, while she accept- state Public Utilities Commission, was
ed Morrison in July, tried to demote ed the report’s conclusion that there eager to tell her story. She then uttered words that some
him in November and then reinstated was no evidence of unlawful behavior might construe as a warning shot across
him in December, after an investiga- or gross mismanagement, Rendell’s “I don’t believe this investigation Rendell’s bow: “If we have someone in a
tion by the statewide law firm of Allen, oversight of the district’s finance de- is complete, and I don’t think it’s ac- position who is not qualified – or who
Norton & Blue cleared the CFO of Ren- partment was sorely lacking, adding, curate, leaving her out,” Rosario said, continues costing us thousands of dol-
dell’s bogus allegations that Morrison “There certainly may have been ne- adding, “To not even acknowledge Mrs. lars because we have to keep hiring at-
tried to undermine him. glect of duty.” Pelletier in his report? That was a gross torneys and consultants, or use up dis-
injustice to her, to her reporting, to her trict staff time to clean up their messes
It was in November that Morrison Despite accepting its most signifi- attempts to tell us what was going on. – then I think it’s time for them to go.”
began to counterpunch, claiming cant conclusion, board members were
whistleblower protection under dis- highly critical of the investigator’s “I can’t wrap my head around that,” So don’t be fooled by the board
trict policy and submitting a com- report, which they said included no she continued. “Where did they get members’ talk of starting over, mov-
plaint alleging Rendell misrepresented statements from Morrison or his fi- their information from? I don’t under- ing forward and, as Schiff put it, “not
the financial condition of our schools nance director, Julianne Pelletier, who stand how we paid significant money creating more chaos.”
to the board and community. filed a second whistleblower com- for this investigation and that’s all we
plaint against Rendell in December received. I’m pretty disappointed with In July, they’ll vote on whether to
Morrison’s filing prompted a sec- and was so disturbed by the way her all of this.” extend Rendell’s contract. 
ond budget-related investigation, boss had been treated that she, too,
conducted by the Tallahassee-based resigned. Despite the board’s frustration, Jones murder trial
Sniffen & Spellman law firm, which though, it’s unlikely it will authorize CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
presented its findings to the board last Zorc called the investigation “in- any further investigations into the
month. complete,” which proved to be a rath- budget snafu. dent Diana Duve in 2014.
er mild assessment when compared to Chief Assistant State Attorney Tom
Zorc said board members were le- Rosario’s rebuke. “I don’t want to throw good money
gally prohibited from publicly discuss- after bad,” Schiff said, adding that this Bakkedahl and lead prosecutor Brian
ing the report until last week’s meet- “Do I agree with how this investi- experience should better prepare board Workman argued the evidence – testi-
ing, where she revealed that the firm’s gation was handled? Absolutely not,” members for future crises. “I want to get mony about an earlier altercation be-
investigator, Mark Logan, found no Rosario said, repeatedly blasting the the house in order and move on.” tween the couple during which Jones
evidence of criminal conduct or gross investigator for not reaching out to allegedly choked and threatened to
negligence by Rendell. Pelletier, who has since taken her com- Zorc agreed, saying she will insist kill Duve – helps establish the murder
plaint to the Florida Department of that the district’s next budget “signifi- was premeditated.
“I am confident that the superinten- Education’s Inspector General’s Office. cantly” reduces funds for fees avail-
dent did not intentionally withhold fi- able for attorneys and consultants.
Apparently, Morrison, now working
“We have spent more than enough

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 5

NEWS

Jones’ attorney, Assistant Public De- “There is so much emotion attached to A trial date has not yet been sched- “Williams Rule,” a Florida statute that
fender Stanley Glenn, who opposes the testimony they want to introduce, it uled for Jones in the now five-year-old allows relevant evidence of collateral
the prosecution’s efforts, said the testi- would unfairly prejudice the jury.” case. He is currently charged with first- crimes to be admissible at jury trial if
mony is based on “hearsay,” and ques- degree murder. If convicted, Jones it’s not used to try and prove the “bad
tioned its relevance to the case. Vaughn did not make an immedi- could face the death penalty. character” or “criminal propensity”
ate decision on the issue, and said he of the defendant. The rule allows the
“What the state attorney wants to in- would issue a written opinion “as soon Prosecutors are basing their argu-
troduce is hearsay, not facts,” Glenn said. as possible.” ment on what is referred to as the CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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6 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Jones murder trial was also in the house. When she ap- her friends that an enraged Jones had nurse and resident of The Moorings,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 peared at the door, she was wearing a gotten on top of her and began chok- at his Vero Beach townhouse on June
“tank-top” and “pajama bottoms,” and ing her, repeatedly telling her, “I’ll [ex- 20, 2014, then putting her body in the
introduction of evidence that shows “her demeanor appeared normal.” pletive] kill you.” trunk of her black Nissan Altima and
“motive, intent, knowledge, modus driving to Melbourne, where he aban-
operandi, or lack of mistake.” By this time a second officer had ar- Several people at the bar took pho- doned the car in a Publix parking lot.
rived at the scene and Kuehn said he di- tos of Duve’s neck, which appeared
During the hearing, Workman and rected Duve to speak to that officer. Duve to have large, red fingerprint inden- In earlier depositions, Jones has of-
Bakkedahl introduced several wit- told the officer that she wanted to leave tations on it – as if Duve had been fered several explanations for Duve’s
nesses, including Eric Corrigan, a the house and asked police to stay while choked, the friend testified. death, including that her death was
former neighbor of Jones. Corrigan she collected some of her belongings. accidental, due to “rough sex,” Bakke-
testified he had called 911 at 1:16 a.m. Those photos have already been sub- dahl said.
two months before the killing because Kuehn said he didn’t recall seeing mitted to investigators and were also
Jones was screaming so loudly at Duve any signs of injury on Duve that night given to the judge during the hearing. “More absurdly, he’s claimed that
that he became concerned about her but acknowledged it was dark, and he he also has memory loss and has mul-
safety. At the time, Jones lived at 1620 didn’t spend much time with her. Bakkedahl argued that the testi- tiple personality disorder – suggesting
42nd Square, # 103, in Vero Beach. mony of the police officers and Duve’s one of the other Michaels murdered
Kuehn said this his impressions were friends and other evidence from the Diana Duve.”
“Jones sounded very enraged,” Cor- different than the second officer, who earlier incident was relevant to Duve’s
rigan testified. “He was screaming so did not appear for the hearing, but death several weeks later. Jones has pleaded not guilty to the
loudly that it was difficult to under- submitted a written statement that charge of first-degree murder. 
stand what he was saying. I could hear was not shared publicly. Kuehn did say “Your Honor, you’ve heard testi-
Duve crying. Absolutely, I was very the other officer reported that Duve mony that the defendant was involved Gifford rappers
concerned.” appeared “upset.” in a vicious incident – so vicious and
threatening that a neighbor could hear CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Vero Beach Police Department Of- Two other witnesses, who identified it through his wall,” Bakkedahl said.
ficer Kyle Kuehn told Vaughn that he themselves as friends of Duve, testified “You have a defendant who tried to According to the source most knowl-
was the first officer to respond to the that she was very upset when she showed mislead officers and a woman, Diana edgeable of the case, the two rappers
scene. up at the Stamp Bar in downtown Vero, Duve, who definitely didn’t want to were standing in a group and firing
where they worked after leaving Jones’ stay there. gunshots when Chambliss, who was
Jones answered the door after sever- home. The bar is located approximately standing about 170 yards down the
al minutes and told Kuehn that noth- 10 minutes from where Jones lived. “She “We know that Michael David Jones street, was struck by a stray bullet.
ing was going on, that he had been was very hysterical,” one of the friends threatened Diana Duve, telling her
sleeping, according to Kuehn. Jones said. “She couldn’t talk at first, she was that “I’m going to [expletive] kill you” Detectives believe one of the rap-
eventually acknowledged that Duve almost hyperventilating.” and “I can kill you right now.” pers fired the fatal shot. Capt. Tony

After Duve calmed down, she told Jones, 36, is accused of strangling
Duve, a Sebastian River Medical Center

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 7

NEWS

Consalo, head of the Sheriff’s Of- Henry drove the gunshot-riddled, al- tion about the Chambliss shooting in Consalo didn’t say when his detectives
fice’s criminal investigations division, ready-dead bodies to a local hospital at hopes of getting a deal in Broward, planned to travel to Broward County.
would not say whether either or both 4:35 a.m. and gave a statement to po- sources said.
men are suspects, but he confirmed lice at the emergency room. However, Demons has had several run-ins
that detectives working the Chambliss a preliminary investigation uncovered They know the Gifford shooting was with the law, including a 2015 arrest
case will attempt to talk to them. inconsistencies in Henry’s story. ignited when someone standing in for firing a gun at a group of people
a group between the 4300 and 4400 near Vero Beach High School, though
“After that shooting in Miramar, our Only days later, detectives used fo- blocks of 28th Avenue at about 9:30 not on the actual campus. 
detectives will be following up for pos- rensic evidence to determine that the p.m. on Feb. 17, 2015, threw a bottle at
sible information in connection to the drive-by had been staged and Demons a passing car. Vero City Council election
Garry Chambliss homicide,” Consalo had shot and killed his friends. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
said. “Perhaps, given their current situ- The car’s driver began firing gun-
ation, they might be able to shed some Demons turned himself over to au- shots, prompting some in the group to cally and have deep roots, and people
light on the case.” thorities on Feb. 12. A day earlier, Hen- return fire. who made their living and raised their
ry was arrested in Texas and extradited kids somewhere else and who now
He declined further comment be- to Florida. Both are being held at the Witnesses who came forward said as offer up their own ideas about how
cause the investigation was “active.” Broward County Jail without bail. many as three people in the group were things should be done. If anything,
shooting and none of the bystanders that is what this rather dull election is
Demons, 19, and Henry, 20, were in- Considered a rising star in the Flor- was able to identify the gunman who probably about.
dicted by a Broward County grand jury ida rap world, Demons, who grew up killed Chambliss, the source said.
on two counts of first-degree murder in in Gifford, recently collaborated with NEWS ANALYSIS
connection with the shooting deaths of Kanye West on a music video that has Hours later, deputies arrested
two friends – Christopher Thomas Jr., received more than 17 million views on 21-year-old Makhail Chambliss, who On the old Vero side there’s Council-
19, of Gifford, and Anthony Williams, YouTube. was a distant relative of the deceased, man Tony Young. Young not only wants
21, of Fort Pierce – in the early hours of and charged him with “discharging to get re-elected, but to preside as may-
Oct. 26 in Miramar. Demons’ most famous song, “Mur- a firearm from a vehicle,” which is a or during the city’s centennial year, 100
der on my Mind,” has attracted more felony under Florida law. years after his grandfather, A.W. Young,
If convicted, they could face the death than 88 million views, and he has more was the first mayor of the city.
penalty. Henry also faces two counts of than 1 million social media followers. The bullets from his gun, however,
being an accessory after the fact. A CNN report cited a Billboard profile did not match the caliber of the bullet It’s poetic and it’s appropriate.
that noted an “undeniable voice” that that struck Chambliss.
According to the indictment, which was “raw, emotive and haunting.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
was handed down on Feb. 7, Demons “The detectives know that when the
and Henry orchestrated the killing Back in Indian River County, detec- other shooters returned fire, that’s when
and then attempted to make it appear tives are hoping Demons or Henry, Garry was killed,” one of the sources
their friends were killed in a drive-by confronted by the possibility of death said. “Makhail used to run with those
shooting. by lethal injection, will offer informa- individuals, but then got into some kind
of disagreement with them.”

8 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Vero City Council election als.” Brackett has also inherited a cilwoman Laura Moss and Vero Beach founded by former Vero councilman
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 staunch tradition of philanthropy in a Chamber of Commerce CEO Robert Charlie Wilson in January 2014.
family that gives back and re-invests in McCabe.
Young has done a good job represent- the community that has been good to McCabe knows corporate America.
ing Vero’s established families and its them, and he chairs the Brackett Fam- Moss, simply by being everywhere He worked for General Motors for 32
veterans, and he’s a likeable guy – often ily Foundation. and meeting everyone, has managed years, with responsibilities spanning
a consensus builder. He’s raised more to make friends with a wide variety of six continents. But despite his busi-
than $20,500 for his campaign, only The Vero native’s campaign materi- people and adopt an interesting col- ness acumen and reputation as a turn-
$1,600 of which was his own money, als say Brackett wants to “Overhaul lection of positions on issues, but her around expert, McCabe’s fundraising
and he enjoys a broad base of sup- our budget and keep taxes low,” but number one goal at this point seems efforts have limped along like a flat
port. In other words, Col. Young will also that “We can count on Robert to be staying in office. Moss loaned tire. McCabe, like Moss, put a lot of his
be pretty tough to beat. Young says this Brackett to protect our parks and city her own campaign $7,500 for this race. own money into his campaign. Of the
election is about “leadership, pure and owned land and respect our rich his- Why? Because she obviously wants a $9,461 McCabe reported in contribu-
simple.” He says Vero needs a council tory because he already has.” say in what direction Vero takes going tions as of Feb. 1, $8,500 came from his
that is informed, engaged and will keep forward. Moss appears to be trying to own pocket.
the city’s priorities properly aligned. Brackett as of Feb. 1 reported $34,185 compete with Brackett, but she does
in campaign contributions, which in- not have the Vero heavy hitters behind Then there are the two in-between
Also representing the Vero estab- cludes $2,650 he donated to himself, her financially. candidates – Brian Heady and Linda
lishment is Robbie Brackett. Unlike about $200 of which was lumber for Hillman – who grew up elsewhere but
Young, who got out of Vero to become signs and postage. Brackett’s donor list In a recent television interview, Moss have been in Vero Beach for decades.
a combat medic in the U.S. Army and reads like an Indian River CountyWho’s said of herself, “I was smokin’ hot” for Heady and Hillman are both outsiders
travel the world in service to his coun- Who. Just about every local elected offi- being the top vote getter in the No- in many ways. Heady lobs grenades at
try, Brackett grew up in his family’s cial is there, plus many of the attorneys vember election that did not count – a just about anyone in power, staking
various real estate, development and and small business owners. Brackett is showing that she recently said gives out his permanent spot as the vocal
investment businesses, where he is being supported by the more moderate her a “mandate” to push her positions. opposition. Hillman does not have big
now a partner with his father, Robert Republican establishment, people like Moss took entirely too much credit for business experience or influential so-
Brackett Sr., and other family mem- Tax Collector and former Vero first lady completing the sale of Vero electric, cial circles. The retired Publix cashier
bers. Carole Jean Jordan, and also by the Tea and sadly, she seems to have fallen represents the average person work-
Party contingent, namely builder Toby into the trap of previous Vero council ing in Vero’s service industry and liv-
According to the paperwork in his Hill and County Commissioner Bob members who inflate the importance ing in one of Vero’s modest mainland
campaign packet on file with the city, Solari. Councilman Val Zudans and of their office. neighborhoods.
Brackett has interests in seven differ- wife Tracey are also big supporters of
ent companies that own dozens of Brackett’s candidacy. McCabe is the least known of the Hillman earned some credit and
properties, plus he lists 78 different six candidates; he only moved to Vero grassroots support from Vero’s old
addresses as “Brackett Family Rent- Representing those who forged their from Michigan and in 2016 took on guard who don’t like the direction the
careers elsewhere and moved to Vero the task of heading up the Vero Beach city is going when she filed suit for al-
rather late in life are incumbent Coun- Chamber of Commerce, which was leged election violations last fall. The

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 9

NEWS

city settled, and that’s the reason this Heady has run for office so many
slightly screwy election is taking place times we lost count. He does not raise
in late February. Of the nearly $10,500 money or post yard signs or send mail-
Hillman raised this election cycle, she ers. He’s got name recognition from
contributed only a couple hundred one two-year term on the council, and
dollars worth of in-kind donations. from more than two decades of be-
ing a professional contrarian. Heady’s
The donors who support Hill- mission is to ask the questions nobody
man are a total throwback, with the else asks and to challenge most every-
spouses of three former Vero officials thing the City of Vero Beach does, ei-
– Debra Fromang’s husband David, ther from the podium or in court.
the late Sabe Abell’s wife Karen and Jay
Kramer’s wife Alla – on the list, as well The three people elected will join
as former mayor and county commis- Mayor Harry Howle, and Councilman
sioner Caroline Ginn. Hillman’s motto Val Zudans. Vice Mayor Lange Sykes
is “Vero Strong” and she calls herself did not run for re-election. There is
a fighter for Vero’s historic neighbor- no early voting this time around. City
hoods and parks. Her campaign video residents who haven’t already voted
says residents can “save Vero” by vot- by mail can go to the polls on Election
ing for Hillman. Day, Tuesday, Feb. 26. 

JBoohnnd’stIesrlmasndeahseeadlftohrcaacrceuasiedde

BY FEDERICO MARTINEZ mit crimes, using credit cards for un-
Staff Writer authorized expenses and “fraudulent-
ly” obtaining checks they used to buy
A home healthcare aide charged high-end jewelry, clothing and a car
along with another woman with swin- engine and to pay for cosmetic dental
dling an elderly John’s Island couple and work and plastic surgery.
credit card companies out of more than
$500,000 has been released from house McGee and Shepherd, both certified
arrest after nearly a year. nursing assistants, had been working
for Alfred, 89, and Michelina Martinel-
Circuit Court Judge Daniel Vaughn li, 87, since at least 2017, according to
on Feb. 11 approved a request by Chiq- court reports.
uita McGee, 30, that her ankle moni-
tor be removed and she be allowed to Both Martinellis suffered from de-
begin attending her children’s school- mentia, cognitive impairment and poor
related functions. health, according to reports from the In-
dian River Shores Department of Public
But while he released her from house Safety.
arrest, he imposed a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
curfew on McGee. The Martinellis filed a police report
in January 2018 after family members
McGee and Sophia Shepherd, 31, discovered the caregivers had used the
both face two felony charges of exploit- Martinellis’ personal information to
ing an elderly adult and scheming to obtain several credit cards.
defraud a financial institution. If con-
victed, the women could face up to 60 McGee and Shepherd, who were ar-
years in prison. rested on March 13, 2018, have plead-
ed not guilty to the charges. Shepherd
Investigators say the two Vero Beach earlier was allowed to remove her an-
women “willfully conspired” to com- kle monitor. 

10 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Seagrass beds in Indian River Lagoon
near Vero found to be relatively stable

BY SUE COCKING a just-completed study by Vero Beach
marine scientist Dr. Grant Gilmore
Staff Writer that found unprecedented sea trout
spawning activity in the Vero Beach-
When Dennis Hanisak, organizer of Fort Pierce area last summer. Sea
the annual Indian River Lagoon Sym- trout are considered an important
posium, was asked last week about the bellwether of water quality and sea
state of the lagoon today compared grass health in the lagoon.
to its condition after the outbreak of
the catastrophic 2011 algae "super- On the second day of the sympo-
bloom," his response was not upbeat. sium Friday morning, representa-
tives of the five counties border-
"In eight years, has the lagoon got- ing the lagoon described what their
ten better or worse? It has not gotten agencies are doing to help save the
better," he answered. "It's at a pret- waterway – long considered the
ty low level. It's going to take a fair most biodiverse estuary in the Unit-
amount of time to do the restoration ed States – and answered questions
that needs to be done.” from the audience.

But Hanisak also had some good Indian River County utilities direc-
news. Among many gloomy scientific tor Vincent Burke discussed several
reports at the symposium, one of the projects going back to 2010 aimed at
few bright shops came from his own removing nitrogen and phosphorus
study of seagrass near Vero Beach. from stormwater before it enters the
lagoon such, as the Spoonbill and
He found that over the past 10 years, Egret marshes. He said a new project
seagrass beds in the south-central la- – the Osprey Acres Floway and Nature
goon from north of Vero Beach south Preserve – is slated to be completed in
to Fort Pierce have remained relatively the next month or two.
stable, despite pollution, algae blooms
and other environmental stressors. Bordered by Oslo Road to the south
and 5th Street SW to the north, the 83-
This stretch of the lagoon is "an im- acre project is expected to filter more
portant refuge for seagrass beds and than 10 million gallons of untreated
the organisms they support – an Ark," canal water each day, removing harm-
he told the symposium, in an appar- ful chemicals, and polish treated water
ent reference to the biblical Noah's from the South County Water Treat-
Ark that protected biodiversity from ment Plant before sending it back to
deadly floods. "Sea grasses are resil- the lagoon. 
ient when given the chance."

Hanisak's findings correspond with



12 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Pilot study gets underway on horseshoe crabs in the lagoon

BY SUE COCKING contamination, and their young are is now being extended to the Trea- line near the St. Sebastian River Bridge
Staff Writer valuable in the aquarium trade. sure and Space coasts and scientists and Sebastian's Riverview Park, as well
recently gave the volunteers a half- as in Merritt Island and Titusville – from
Horseshoe crabs – those dark hel- But nobody knows how many there day of training at the Environmental Feb. 19 through April 5 at high tide on
mets with spindly legs and a sharp tail are in the lagoon or whether the popu- Learning Center in Vero Beach. the full and new moons.
you sometimes see lying in the wet sand lation is healthy. To answer these ques-
near the water line – have been around tions, marine scientists have enlisted "This entire program is based on citi- The teams will look for breeding
for hundreds of millions of years, and about 20 Indian River and Brevard zen participation," Claire Crowley of the pairs and groups laying and fertilizing
live in the Indian River Lagoon. county residents as volunteer field re- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation eggs in the wet sand – weighing, mea-
searchers in Horseshoe Crab Watch. Commission (FWC) told the gathering. suring and tagging as many as 12-15
Today, their blood is critical for test- animals per trip. They will note those
ing vaccines and other injectables for The pilot program, which began The volunteers will be divided into with previously-implanted tags and
in 2015 in Florida's Big Bend region, teams of two – walking the lagoon shore- keep meticulous records. They are also
expected to be knowledgeable enough
to educate curious beachgoers about
what they're doing.

Some of the questions scientists want
answered: How far do individual crabs
move; do they come back to the same
beach every year to mate; are their num-
bers increasing, decreasing or stable in
Florida; what are their sex ratios and av-
erage sizes; what are the environmental
conditions that stimulate breeding?

The data citizen scientists collect will
be crunched by researchers at the U.S.
Fish &Wildlife Service as part of a multi-
year study of horseshoe crabs through-
out their range along the East Coast.

A volunteer from Vero Beach identi-
fying himself only as "Rick" said he got
involved because "I'm concerned about
the ecological balance of the Indian River
Lagoon. It's intellectually stimulating."

As for Thomas Mauro, a volunteer
who divides his time between Mel-
bourne Beach and New Jersey: "I was
fortunate to grow up on the water and
watch these [crabs] as a little kid. As
you get older, you start to appreciate
these things you took for granted."

“Each year, the medical industry
catches around 600,000 horseshoe
crabs,” according to an article pub-
lished in Business Insider in Sep-
tember. “The crabs are drained of 30
percent of their blood and up to 30 per-
cent of the crabs don't live through the
process. The survivors are returned to
the water, but no one really knows how
well or if they recover.”

A product known as LAL made from
the creatures’ blue-colored blood sells
for $60,000 a gallon. “Drop a minus-
cule amount of it onto a medical de-
vice or vaccine, and the LAL will en-
case ... bacteria in a jelly cocoon. While
it can't kill the bacteria, the jelly seal is
like a fire alarm, alerting [medical per-
sonnel] to the presence of what could
become a potentially lethal infection
and prevent it from spreading.”

“In 2016, the International Union for
the Conservation of Nature bumped
the American horseshoe crab up to
vulnerable on its red list, one step be-
low endangered,” according to Busi-
ness Insider. 

12,000 GUZZLE AND GOBBLE AT
‘CRAFT BREW & WINGFEST’

14 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

12,000 guzzle and gobble at ‘Craft Brew & Wingfest’

Roger Twill and Ann-Marie Jennings. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Charlotte Simmons and Brent Grindstaff. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Ayden Andrews.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF hard ciders thrown into the mix. from one end to the other, and at- Manatees received this year’s Spirit
Staff Writer Samplers were drawn in to learn tendees could enjoy the entertain- Award.
how beers with names like Sweet ment while eating their way down
Sticky fingers and froth-coated up- Tater Pie, Cherry-Ish the Moment the grassy median lined with tents Other competitions included a
per lips were de rigueur last Satur- and Orange Mango tasted. With and tables. Wing Eating Contest, which ended
day afternoon on Royal Palm Pointe, necklaces of pretzels to cleanse pal- in a tie, and a Root Beer Tasting con-
where an estimated 12,000 wing and ates between beer tastings, attend- There was no winging it as a mix- test for children.
beer enthusiasts were packed shoul- ees sipped their way along as they ture of professional and individual
der to shoulder at the eighth annual waited in line for the next cold one. chefs sauced, rubbed and sautéed “The event keeps growing and
Florida Craft Brew & Wingfest, host- a multitude of wings and drums, growing. This year’s advanced tick-
ed by Sunrise Rotary Vero Beach. The family-friendly event drew adding secret sauces and spices that et sales have surpassed all previous
a varied crowd of everyone from tantalized taste buds. There were years,” said event food coordinator
More than 200 brew varieties stroller-pushing couples to senior mild and hot, sweet and savory, Arthur Hodge. “You’re the reason
flowed from the taps of area beer drinkers toting their pooches with hints of honey, garlic, blue- we’re out here. What you give to us,
zymurgists and a brood of 20 wing- in puppy pouches. Groups of friends berry, mango and even kimchee fla- we give back to the community.”
masters infused their grilled, fried gathered at every shady spot to de- vors.
and smoked chicken wings with bate over favorite brews and wings, Proceeds from the Brew & Wing-
every flavor imaginable. each claiming that they’d just tried The Chef’s Award in the Individu- fest support local Rotary Club proj-
the best. al Division went to The Source, and ects and scholarships; in the past
Brew-loving festival-goers took ad- in the Restaurant Division, Hur- five years, they have donated more
vantage of tasting bracelets, giving Music by Souljam, Blue Cypress ricane Grill & Wings received top than $275,000 to local and interna-
them unlimited beer samplings of all Bluegrass, Slip and the Spinouts honors. The People’s Choice Award tional projects.
the craft beers, with wines and a few and Humdingers could be heard was presented to Hodge Podge, and
For more information, visit sunri-
serotaryverobeach.org. 



16 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 Shantelle Melendez, Peter Vella, and Amanda Alley.
Steve and Terry Tillman.

Susan McDaniel with Ron and Maureen Bristow. Ann-Marie and Jake Matzinger with Sarah Felten. Julia and Jim Keenan.

Kathy Lindsey. Front: Fallon Jennings, Avonti Jennings, Shernett Ossai and A.J. Jennings. Back: Keera Brabham and Antoine Jennings.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 17

PEOPLE

Lynn and Allan Zanotti with Brian and Ellen Fox. Atreyu, Shannon and Tyler Andresen enjoy the Rotary Club’s pretzel necklaces.

Sandy and Steven Campbell with Vicki Potter and Rocky. Michelle Vasallo and Mikelle Petersen with Bentley. Debbie and Tim Slade. Kennedy Currey.

Soul Jam.

18 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Course of action: Golf event helps ‘Meals on Wheels’

BY MARY SCHENKEL Sassy and Mike Smith. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Smith said that although his father Smith handed Karen Deigl, SRA
Staff Writer had delivered Meals on Wheels for president/CEO, the keys to a Dodge
productive live auction and paddle- nearly 10 years, he himself had not Caravan fully equipped with a
“Our theme tonight is very simple – raise to help fund the $3,000 per per- done it until two weeks ago. “I have to handicap package.
it’s thanks,” said Mike Smith, chair with son needed to provide meals to seniors tell you, it was an amazing experience,
wife Sassy of the fourth annual Pro- on the waitlist; that number currently and one that I would say to all of you “When it comes to having vehicles
Am Charity Golf Classic Tournament stands at 212. that have any time available, you may for seniors, it’s very limited, so this
last Monday at the Riomar Country want to think about doing.” is just an amazing gift,” said Deigl in
Club to benefit the Senior Resource appreciation.
Association, before enumerating and He had joined a woman who began
giving thanks to all involved for their delivering meals following the death Deigl reiterated thanks to all
generous support. of her husband 10 years ago, and it has involved in putting the event
become a near daily event for her. Smith together, including the Smiths,
The sold-out event, which pairs four- spoke of the significant connections Trudie Rainone, the pros and the
somes with PGA golf professionals for she has made with the six seniors they committee, as well as SRA and
a spectacular day on the links of Vero’s visited, saying he overheard two of the Riomar staff, saying “there are just no
100-year-old club, raises funds to sup- recipients telling her that day, “You’re words; not enough thank-yous to get
port the Meals on Wheels Waitlist Re- my best friend in the whole world.” it across how important this event is.”
lief program. The program provides
hot, nutritious meals to eligible seniors “Think of that impact,” said Smith. She stressed that most people
languishing on a waitlist, who would “It’s people like Denise who really make reach out to Senior Resources with
otherwise not be served due to a lack of Meals on Wheels go. And I can’t thank one common goal – to keep their
public funding. you enough for giving our delivery aging loved ones in their homes for as
folks your continued support through long as possible. In addition to Meals
Prior to his welcome, guests had sharing your hard-earned dollars. I on Wheels, the SRA offers a wealth
mingled over cocktails and hors want to thank God for the dedicated of programs and services, including
d’oeuvres, before sitting down to enjoy people who care for the hungry here in Adult Day Care at facilities in Vero
a delicious gourmet meal and the pre- Indian River County.” and Sebastian, and a door-to-door
sentation of tournament awards. The Community Coach for eligible riders.
evening also included another hugely Thanks to the generosity of Art Ryan
and his daughter, Kelly Donovan, For more information, visit
seniorresourceassociation.org. 

IS YOUR ADVISOR Craig Phillips
A FIDUCIARY?
Chances are you CEO/Managing Partner
have no idea.
Please contact me
for the answers.

736 Beachland Blvd.  Vero Beach, FL 32963
(772) 231-3122  www.c1ag.com

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 19

PEOPLE

Barbara Diemer, Ken Wessel and Trudie Rainone. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
Karen Deigl with George and Elke Fetterolf.

Ted and Dawn Michael. Roger Haines. Sue Tompkins, Nikki Arner, Denise Battaglini and Mary Sue Brown.

Laura McDermott, Maude Aimee LeBlanc, Dawn Michael, Rick McDermott and Ted Michael.

Larry Laoretti, Dennis Straw, Joe Corr, Michael Barbosa and Mike Mersky.

20 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 Jean and Ray Oglethorpe.
Alice and Wallace Cole.

Kelly Donovan and Tom Atchison with Heidi and Chuck Stewart. Ann and Tom Piper. John and Marilyn McConnell.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 21

PEOPLE

Pamela and John Halvorsen. David Fay, Bob Severud and Bruce Carson. Kathy Mulvey, Art Ryan and Mary Finn.

Jim and Linda Campbell.

Rachel and Trent Leyda.

Laurie and Bill Stewart.
Hap and Liz Schroeder.

22 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’: Stepping up for SafeSpace

BY KERRY FIRTH Capt. Milo Thornton, Hamp Elliott, Rachel and Maj. Eric Flowers, Karen and John Franke, and Bob Soos. programs empower victims to
Correspondent create independent, violence-free
said that a Sexy Leg Challenge was “There’s still time to go and do- lives by offering free services such
Bright red stilettos, sexy leg chal- added this year. About 20 men have nate to the man you thought had as emergency shelter, legal and
lenges and tutus elicited smiles committed to raising $1,000 each, the best legs to show off in sexy high financial support.
of support at the Walk a Mile in their fundraising efforts continuing heels,” said Borowicz.
Her Shoes fundraiser to benefit throughout the month. In 2018 there were 2,546 reported
SafeSpace, which provides services The valiant men are ready to incidents of domestic violence in
to victims of domestic violence in demonstrate that while walking our tri-county area, equating to
Indian River St. Lucie and Martin in women’s heels may not be easy, about seven incidents per day. Even
counties. it does get the community talking more disturbing, roughly half of
about a difficult subject. domestic violence incidences are
Balancing precariously on their unreported.
4-inch-high stilettos, roughly 75 SafeSpace is the only certified
men and women strutted down domestic violence center on the Nationally, four women die every
Ocean Drive during a recent Sunset Treasure Coast, serving as the day at the hands of their intimate
Saturday Night to raise awareness of ultimate safety net for victims and partners, and one in three women
the thousands of women who suffer their children by providing safety, will become a victim of domestic
from verbal and physical domestic support and education. Their violence in her lifetime.
abuse each and every day.
“Today there are 35 women and
This ninth annual event, with its children safe in our emergency
Power of Love theme, was moved shelter, four women in our
from October to February to better supportive living program, and
reflect that message. Two couples hundreds of other women, men
– John and Karen Franke, and Maj. and children working with our
Eric and Rachel Flowers – chaired advocates on an outreach basis,”
the event, assisted by dozens of vol- said Tracy Levy, SafeSpace
unteers, staff and supporters. development director. “Abusers are
deadly serious, and we must break
“This event is staged to raise the silence to stop the violence.”
awareness for domestic abuse,” said
Karen Franke. “Many times, the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes events,
victim is blamed for not leaving, but which are held in all three counties,
we don’t really know what someone is raised roughly $50,000 for SafeSpace
going through until you walk a mile last year.
in their shoes. The men here today
sporting red high heels are drawing “This is more of an awareness
attention to the abuse happening in campaign than a fundraiser, but we
our own backyard. It’s time to stop sure have fun and we have about 500
it, and it starts with our male role men participating,” said Borowicz.
models putting it out there.” “It takes a real man to put on the red
stilettos and strut for a cause.”
Jill Borowicz, SafeSpace CEO,
For more information, visit
safespacefl.org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 23

PEOPLE

Laurie and Rick Wykoff with Karen and Jeff Williard. Bob Schlitt and Jill Borowicz. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Ashley Fennell.

Christopher Sweeney and Ashley Franke. Kaylee Stebbins and Sandy Stebbins.

24 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

The Source celebrates the essence and power of ‘Hope’

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Mary Fordham, Eric Smith and Cynthia Patterson. PHOTOS: STEPHANIE LABAFF where they served 200 children in an
Staff Writer orphanage.
“We’ve had some amazing things have consistently taken first place
The Source celebrated a Night of happen at The Source over this past in area cook-offs, including United “Through the Dining with Dignity
Hope at Northern Trust Bank last Mon- year,” said Anthony Zorbaugh, exec- Against Poverty’s Burger & Brews, program we were able to put 49 out
day evening – hope for the countless utive director, sharing news of their and two Rotary Club events – the of 55 students back into employment
men and women who are homeless in facility’s renovations. Centennial Chili Cook-off and in the community,” said Zorbaugh.
Indian River County and in need of as- Cheers and Beers. Additionally, par- Of those, 36 individuals were able to
sistance. He noted that in addition to ob- ticipants made their international obtain permanent housing.
taining regular catering contracts, debut during a mission trip to Haiti,
A faith-based outreach ministry, The Dining with Dignity participants The Source hopes to convert their
Source, the only cold-weather refuge former 4,000-square-foot thrift
in the county, has provided support shop on 16th Street into a shelter, to
to the homeless and those at-risk of provide a safe sleeping space for the
becoming so since 1995. They offer homeless and downtrodden.
emergency hunger relief, clothing,
counseling, support groups, hygiene “There is no shelter for the masses
items, showers, mail and telephone that come into our community. The
services, benefit referrals and spiritual biggest need we have at The Source
guidance. right now is an overnight shelter. I
can get people jobs, I can clean them
Benefactors chatted over cocktails up and get them nice clothes, but
and hors d’oeuvres catered by Adrienne if they sleep on a park bench what
Drew and enjoyed sweet treats really have I done?” asked Zorbaugh.
baked and served by participants in
the nonprofit’s Dining with Dignity Long-range goals include the
program, all while entertained by construction of Dignity Village in
Vero Beach High School Philharmonic western Indian River County – a
members Bethany and Brittney tiny-house community for limited-
Johnson. income clients, with a central facility
for services.

Steve Turner, now the nonprofit’s

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 25

PEOPLE

Anthony Zorbaugh and David Paladin. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
Charmaine Caldwell and Lou Ann Lindsay.

transportation manager, was Paladin.
recognized with the Restoration Smith shared that his life had
Award. Having turned his life around,
Turner says he’s ready to return to his spiraled downward after an injury
family. while playing as a professional athlete
at the top of his game, to becoming
David Paladin flew to Vero from a crack addict living on the streets,
his home in Oklahoma to introduce saying that he turned his life around
keynote speaker Eric Smith, a former through the grace of God and help
NFL football player. Paladin related from his friends at The Source.
that he had stumbled over the then-
homeless Smith lying in the doorway “All this could not be possible
of the Vero Beach Church of Christ, without your love and your support for
and was moved to help him. The Source,” said Smith. “Tonight is
about hope.”
“He told me, ‘I think if things don’t
change, I’m gonna die,’” recalled For more information, visit
iamthesource.org. 

26 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 Margaret Anne Evans and Jan Lauffer. Maureen Archer, Anthony Zorbaugh and Steve Turner.
Mark and Trish Mulvoy with Diantha and Bill Harris.

Fr. Richard Murphy and Debbie True. Emmett Evans. Larry Lauffer and Rev. Richard Demsick. Gene and Jean Cravens with Lisa and Chad Morrison.

Danell Knutson and Mark Moore. Eric Smith with Evelyn and Don Mayerson.



28 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Flush with class at Exchange Club’s ‘Healing Hearts’ party

BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer

Members of the Exchange Club of John and Carla Matthews with Victoria and Corey Kerkela. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE
the Treasure Coast showed some love
for the most vulnerable among us, “We hope to make this an annual which made its debut last October, a “We decided to name it Healing
hosting an inaugural Healing Hearts event; it replaces Night of Lights,” said springtime golf tournament and, of Hearts through Exchange because
through Exchange Valentine’s Day Spurlock, referencing a fundraiser course, the hugely popular Vero Beach even though we’re raising money
Party last Thursday at the Indian they previously hosted around Air Show featuring the Blue Angels, for children this year, we do have
River Club to raise money to benefit Christmastime. “We’ve definitely from which proceeds are shared Americanism, which helps veterans,
nonprofit programs targeting child encouraged singles to come.” with other local Exchange Clubs and and we do all kinds of community
abuse prevention. the Veterans Council of Indian River service,” said Spurlock. “So we thought,
The club’s other fundraising County. well, that could apply to just about
Love was in the air at the clubhouse, efforts include a Sporting Clay Shoot, anything in the future.”
which, in keeping with the theme,
the Healing Hearts committee had
decorated with hearts and red roses.
Guests enjoyed delicious passed hors
d’oeuvres as they perused some envi-
able silent-auction items, including
several last-minute Valentine’s Day
gifts – a necklace donated by John Mi-
chael Matthews, a ring from DuBose
Jewelers and a round of golf for four
at Indian River Club. There were also
lavish food stations, and to work off all
that wonderful food, dancing to music
from a DJ on the patio overlooking the
golf course.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 29

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 30
Janean Barrows, Joe Walsh and Leslie Spurlock.

Eric Menger, Joy Walsh and Vanessa Brinkerhoff.

Dave and Teresa Wonka with Jodi and Mike Zorc.

The youngest of the local Exchange “We just like to have fun,” said
Clubs, this one was founded in 1989 Spurlock with a laugh. “We do fun
and, in addition to fundraising, things in order to provide dollars for
provides services to various local the prevention of child abuse. Every
nonprofits. year we do something a little different.”

Spurlock said they help build homes Janean Barrows said she was
with Habitat for Humanity, and host introduced to the club by Sam LaFevers
a Seniors’ Tea at resident facilities, and joined in November. She said she
sitting and chatting with the residents has enjoyed learning about various
and giving them goody bags filled with aspects of the community through
items donated by members. their twice monthly meetings, which
feature guest speakers representing
“It’s just really rewarding,” she said. local nonprofit organizations.
At Youth Guidance, they work with
teens in the Excel Club – a junior The Exchange Club of the Treasure
version of the Exchange Club started Coast meets at noon on the first and
by Kim Prada for middle school and third Thursday of the month at CJ
high school students, and they also Cannon’s.
volunteer at neighborhood and beach
cleanups. For more information, visit
TCExchangeclub.org. 

30 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 Heath Barrows with Kelly Menger and Sam LaFevers. Donna and Doug D’Alfonso with Kathy Kragh.
Gail and Tom Bonaminio with Jade Deibert.

Kenny and Paula Darnell with Tonya and Todd DuBose.

Robin Dapp and Richard Baptiste. Brendan and Karen Maughan.

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32 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Cat mystery author highlights purr-fectly lovely luncheon

BY MARY SCHENKEL by the Vero Beach Branch of the not just at this
Staff Writer American Association of University
Women. event, are to serve
The affable Diane A.S. Stuckart,
New York Times best-selling author Prior to the delicious lunch, the the citizens, espe-
and current president of the Flor- prolific author, who has also penned
ida Chapter of the Mystery Writ- under Ali Brandon and Anna Ge- cially the women
ers of America, delighted guests at rard, chatted and signed copies of
the Vero Beach Country Club last some of her works, including “Fool’s and girls, in Indi-
Saturday afternoon at the 37th an- Moon” the first book in her “Tarot
nual Book Author Luncheon, hosted Cats Mysteries” series. an River County,”

Attendees also purchased raffle said event chair

Sally Fitzgerald.

Among other

things, they pro-

vide scholarships

through the In-

dian River State

College Founda-

tion and support

nonprofits such

as Girls on the

Elaine Spooner, Dee Sattler and Linda Barker. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE Run.

tickets for a ‘choice’ auction, des- Stuckart, whose
ignating which of the wonderful
items donated by local businesses books fall into the Cozy mystery
they wished to win. Proceeds from
the event support the AAUW mis- subgenre – think G-rated versions
sion to “promote equity for women
and girls through advocacy, educa- of crime fiction – said she got her
tion, philanthropy and research.”
start writing historical romances,
“Our efforts throughout the year,
before switching to action/adven-

ture. After eventually “coming

home” to mysteries, beginning with

her “Leonardo da Vinci Mysteries”

series, her publisher asked if she

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 33

PEOPLE

Diane A.S. Stuckart and Sally Fitzgerald. Jonnie Mae Perry and Joyce Burkett. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
Gail Helgeson, Martha Kucinsky and Ursula Duguid.
would write cat mysteries.
“I started my life as a crazy cat

kid; I didn’t even have to wait to be
a crazy cat lady. I started early,” said
Stuckart, who penned six books in
the “Black Cat Bookshop Myster-
ies” series as Ali Brandon. However,
her new series, the “Georgia B & B
Mysteries” coming out in July, will
feature a dog.

“I love dogs; I have three dogs and
four cats,” said Stuckart, adding
with a laugh, “I’m bipetsual, is what
they say.”

She spoke about the enormous
popularity of Cozy mysteries and
their fervent readership, noting,
“the grandmother of Cozy myster-
ies is Agatha Christie.”

Citing some of the differences be-
tween “cozy vs. crazy,” she said the
protagonist, aka the sleuth, is gen-
erally a plucky female or a clever
animal, and the action takes place
in a closed setting. Most impor-
tantly, there is no “in-your-face”
violence, gratuitous sex or bad lan-
guage. There is always a reason be-
hind the murder, and no child or
animal is ever hurt.

“There are probably a hundred
different mysteries series out there
that feature cats,” said Stuckart,
stressing that while the books can
be read by anyone, they are not chil-
dren’s books.

Why cats? “As far as I’m con-
cerned, cats would make very good
detectives,” said Stuckart, citing
that they can see in the dark, can
quietly sneak around, they’re very
smart and they seem to have a built-
in GPS to get them home if they get
lost.

Upcoming AAUW events include
a Senior Expo, March 28 at the In-
tergenerational Center, an April 9
Red Luncheon at Vero Beach Coun-
try Club focusing on equal pay ini-
tiatives, and an inaugural Mah Jong
Fundraiser April 12 at Bent Pine
Golf Club.

For more information, visit vero-
beach-fl.aauw.net. 

34 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 Jackie Jacobus and Joanne Miculinich. Jane Howard, Charlotte Jones and Linda Molleo.
Kathy Hodges and Suzanne Wise.

Carole Strauss and Barb Spelman.

Avalon McGann and Cate Wenzing.
Gail DeGioia and Carla Calwell.

MAYO MAKES IMPRESSION AS ARTIST
AND ARTIST’S ASSISTANT

36 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Mayo makes impression as artist and artist’s assistant

BY ELLEN FISCHER Liz Mayo. ist landscape painter named William
Staff Writer McCarthy as a client.
PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES
Some people know her as a painter Mayo met McCarthy through an in-
of simple landscape scenes, many of troduction by pastel artist Dawn Mill-
them inspired by recent trips to Italy. er, one of her Vero-based clients, when
Others know her as the founder and Miller and McCarthy had neighboring
sole employee of Artfully Managed, an booths at the Vero Beach Art Club’s
enterprise that frees artists who would annual Under the Oaks Fine Arts and
rather be in the studio from at least Crafts show at Riverside Park.
some of the desk-bound drudgery of
their profession. The effervescent Liz McCarthy, a Connecticut resident
Mayo finds time to be both artist and and regular exhibitor at the juried
artist’s assistant, a feat she discusses show, recalls that at the time, Mayo
with her characteristic sparkle. was a volunteer booth-sitter – a per-
son who temporarily watches an art-
Mayo’s recent paintings, atmo- ist’s booth when the artist needs to
spheric oils on paper and canvas, can step out for a while. Over the course
be seen through the end of this month of several shows, Mayo consistently
on the guest artist wall and in the win- handed McCarthy her Artfully Man-
dow of the Main Street Vero Beach Stu- aged business card when he returned
dios and Gallery on 14th Avenue. And, to his post. One day, McCarthy says,
if you are an artist who needs organiz- he took a good look at the card.
ing, her fliers for Artfully Managed are
also available there. From there McCarthy’s and Mayo’s
stories intertwine.
Serendipitously, Mayo’s business of
managing artists’ marketing and com- “He asked me if I could help him,
munication needs intersected with even though he is based in Connecti-
her desire to paint about seven years cut. I said, ‘Absolutely,’” Mayo recalls.
ago, when she took on an impression-
“She does everything that I don’t
want to do, like anything that involves
a computer,” McCarthy says.

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(772) 465-0630

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 37

ARTS & THEATRE

In the beginning, McCarthy gave Says Mayo: “My art is a loose interpre- neer husband Brian and their son Zach- go unnoticed there. She soon came
Mayo the task of sorting through and tation of what the landscape should be, ary, came to live in Vero 18 years ago. But to the conclusion that artists, notori-
organizing a backlog of emails he had in my mind.” it was not the Massachusetts native’s first ously unorganized when it comes to
received over the years. Today, when glimpse of our ocean side community. the business aspect of their careers,
he has an exhibition or a workshop on She estimated that about half of her needed her help. That’s when she de-
the horizon, McCarthy’s graphic de- paintings on display at Main Street “My uncle had a place here when I was cided to start Artfully Managed.
signer sends Mayo the art and ad copy Vero Beach were either painted in, or little, and my mom and dad would bor-
for the event, and Mayo makes sure it inspired by, Italy. Evidently, her paint- row it for a cheap family vacation. I’ve At the same time she has continued
gets to everyone on McCarthy’s email- ings have the power to transport others been coming to Vero my whole life.” on her own creative path, learning first-
ing list. She posts it to social media to that magical place; as of this writing hand about the challenges an artist faces
platforms, as well. she has sold three Italian landscapes Although Mayo had tried her hand in getting work before the public.
from the exhibition. time and again at painting as a young
For the past five years, McCarthy wife and mother, “nothing ever stuck.” “The last time I had a show was two
says, Mayo has organized a paint- Back home in Vero, Mayo has been That is, not until after settling in Vero. summers ago at the Emerson Center
ing workshop he conducts annually helping artists do what they do best for In 2006 she began taking classes and with two other artists,” she says, and ad-
at First Presbyterian Church in Vero nine years. Immediately after found- painting with the artists at Palm mits, “I’m very good at getting my clients’
Beach. Not only does she perform the ing Artfully Managed she worked for, House. Her talent for organizing work out there, but not so good at getting
behind-the-scenes work of promot- among others, artist Emily Tremml’s events, as well as her palette, did not my work out there.” 
ing such an event, but Mayo is also Palm House Gallery and Studio. To-
present during the workshop to en- day Mayo has about 15 steady clients HOT GLASS AND COOL JEWELS
sure that needs such as “Where is the whom she has assisted in one capac-
cadmium yellow?” or “Quick! A paper ity or another throughout the past de- The Treasure Coast’s largest collection of
towel!” are met. cade. Over the years she has worked on contemporary glass and one of America’s
short-term projects for many others. Coolest Stores, right here in Vero Beach.
In a round-about way, Mayo’s work
for McCarthy led to his upcoming “What I do for each client is individu-
March 2019 exhibition at Gallery 14. alized to them. I start by sitting with
Through her effective promotion of his them and talking about what they need.
workshops in Vero, a couple of the gal- I ask what made them call me, how they
lery’s member artists were introduced had heard about my services.”
to McCarthy’s paintings, which led to
an invitation from Gallery 14’s exhibi- For some artists, Mayo designs and
tion committee. sends out a quarterly e-newsletter that
keeps the artist’s followers up to date
About three years ago, Mayo’s du- on available work, upcoming shows
ties for McCarthy expanded to include and class offerings. For other artists,
traveling to Italy to help with an an- she creates and maintains websites.
nual week-long painting workshop he Maintaining a mailing list is a peren-
conducts each September at a villa in nial chore for artists, some of whom
the municipality of Farnese (about 60 engage Mayo to keep their lists current
miles northwest of Rome). and make sure everyone on it gets an e-
card about their latest show. Other cli-
“Liz has become my right-hand gal ents want her to assist in hanging their
for a lot of things,” says McCarthy. “She exhibitions and logging sales at the
makes sure the students have every- reception. She also photographs and
thing they need, so I can concentrate frames art, too.
on teaching.”
“I do whatever they need me to do,”
In addition to being McCarthy’s studio she explains.
assistant, Mayo has had the opportunity
to paint in his workshops. “In a past life I worked for a market-
ing company, and also as a paralegal,”
“He has you work from your mem- says Mayo, who has an associate de-
ory and imagination. You might drive gree in paralegal studies. For several
down the road and see a vista you like, years before her marriage, she worked
and take some sketches. Back in the for law offices in Boston that special-
studio, you may peek at those sketch- ized in patent, trademark and copy-
es, but then you close your sketchbook right infringement litigation.
and you begin to paint.”
Mayo and her family, computer engi-

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Symphony in C
El amor brujo: Ballet Suite

Tara Curtis, mezzo - soprano Rossini

Eva Conti, flamenco Overture to L’Italiana in Algeri

Thursday, March 14 Community Church
7:30 p.m. Vero Beach

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DAVID AMADO www.AtlanticClassicalOrchestra.com 2910 CARDINAL DRIVE, VERO BEACH • 772-234-6711 • THELAUGHINGDOGGALLERY.COM
Music Director & Conductor

38 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

‘May Darkness Restore’: Sexton’s poetry, ‘all grown up’

BY MICHELLE GENZ years. And it was the day before Valen-
Staff Writer tine’s Day, when he read to a packed
room at the Vero Beach Book Center.
Last week, as rain pelted his hand-
built house and the 600-acre ranch it Sexton, who is a talented painter
faces, Sean Sexton settled in at a harvest and clay artist in addition to working
table piled with books of poetry, includ- his sizeable cow-and-calf operation,
ing his latest, “May Darkness Restore.” It was designated the county’s first poet
was two days after Sexton’s return from laureate in 2016. By then, he was al-
the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering ready known as the local poetry am-
in Elko, Nevada, where he had been in- bassador, staging and wrangling top
vited to read for the eighth time in nine national poets to read here at the an-
nual Laura Riding Jackson Poetry and

An Unforgettable Musical Saint Patrick’s Day
Celebration!

Irish Culture Abounds Through Sean Sexton. as; Joel Nelson of Al-
Traditional Music, Song & Dance pine, Texas; and Randy
PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES Reiman of Cascade,
Tuesday, March 12 • 7 p.m. Montana, will be read-
Barbecue event for the past nine years. ing here that Sunday.
VERO BEACH HIGH SCHOOL Last year, tornado warnings drove
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Sexton also gets the
the reading and its catered barbecue credit for recruiting
1707 16th Street, Vero Beach indoors for the first time; this year’s talent for the Lenten
April 7 event will again be at the Heri- Organ and Poetry Se-
The brilliant performance by tage Center. It will include three of the ries, begun two years
The Young Irelanders brings Irish tradition to top poets from Elko; headliners who ago at Community Church of Vero
Vero Beach just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day. helped draw the crowd of 15,000 to the Beach. Nelson will arrive two days ear-
annual event, Sexton says. ly to read April 4; Alfred Corn of Rhode
Their extraordinary talents will long be Island, a poetry barbecue alumnus
remembered. “I just called and asked them,” says and one of the poets who wrote a blurb
indianriverschools.tix.com or an elated Sexton. Here, there will be a for Sexton’s new book, will read on
maximum of 250 seats. Already at least March 7; and two other barbecue al-
TICKETS Call the Box Office at one fan at the book center was anxious- ums, Gianna Russo of Tampa and Mi-
772-564-5537 ly inquiring as to when the Laura Riding ami’s Mia Leonin, will read March 14
This show is brought to Vero Beach by Jackson Foundation website would offer and April 11 respectively.
NOW Walsh & Palmer Promotions, LLC tickets. (The answer: soon.) “May Darkness Restore” is his sec-
and is a partial fundraiser for ond collection of poems, following
Poets Andy Hedges of Lubbock, Tex- 2010’s “Blood Writing,” which has sold
ON SALE! HALO-Animal Rescue in Sebastian. 2,000 copies.
For more information call: 772-532-9184 Two days before the Book Center
signing, he slipped a copy to folk-rock-
er David Crosby, whose sold-out con-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 39

ARTS & THEATRE

cert at the Emerson Center Sexton was barbed wire, among other things. “The cow’s tooth fragment/ I found, dens’ Pollinating with Words poetry
still euphoric over the next morning. His efforts as a painter earn at least glittering in the grass,/ on a walk in series April 13 in Lake Wales, where he
He had Crosby’s latest album cranked the field – is keen/ to the touch as a will be joined by his longtime friend Bill
loud over the rain; turning it down to one poem. Titled “Scraping an Old Pal- risen sun in the eyes,” he writes in Maxwell, the renowned opinion writer
read a poem or two, allowing the low- ette: On the occasion of painting a self- a poem. The tooth, “stained of the with the Tampa Bay Times who got his
ing of a nearby cow to drift through portrait at 60,” he cleans an old palette land’s grassy teas,” is “the essen- start at the Fort Pierce Tribune.
open windows. of its 25 years of paint, taking first a tial accessory” to chomp enough for
chisel and finally a hammer to find a three: “calf at her side, the unborn In Orlando, Sexton has helped
“This is like Volume 2,” he said of the “dismal heat and softness inside,” as and her daily portion.” curate Lay of the Land: The Art of
book. “We’re getting old. Our parents the pigments that were the “makings Florida’s Cattle Culture, an exhibit
are gone, our children are grown and of grass, bark, leaves,/ sunlit rises, On Friday March 1, Sexton will share sponsored by the Florida Cattlemen’s
the horizon is now about here,” – he lifts and hammocks of trees,/dark ravines, readings from his book at the Laura Association at the Albin Polasek Mu-
his hand to chest level – “instead of way whole tablesful of subjects/ crumble (Riding) Jackson Foundation Writing seum and Sculpture Gardens in Win-
out there.” into the can beneath. Intent unbinds, Center on 14th Avenue during the First ter Park. Sexton, who has paintings in
cascading with each stroke …” Fridau Art Walk. the exhibit, will join poet Hedges for
Since “Blood Writings” was published a reading at the show’s closing recep-
in late 2010, Sexton lost his father Ralph His workday in the fields is packed Elswhere in Florida, he has been tion April 12. 
Sexton, then his mother Hildegarde. He with treasures for the painter poet. asked to inaugurate Bok Tower Gar-
saw daughter Julia have her first baby,
and his son Mike take the reins of the
family cattle operation.

And as he approached the distal edge
of middle age, Sexton managed to fall
even more deeply in love with his wife,
artist Sharon Sexton, a relationship he
examines in his recent poems.

“The first book really did comprise
that early married life. This book is my
poetry all grown up.”

The poems of “May Darkness Re-
store” reflect what Sexton calls “an ed-
ucation” delivered by his new editors
at Press 53, the Winston-Salem-based
imprint he discovered after leav-
ing Anhinga Press, which published
“Blood Writings.”

The young assistant editor at Press
53, Christopher Forrest, worked tire-
lessly and enthusiastically with Sex-
ton, he says.

“We had 14 separate hour-long con-
versations on the phone. He never once
said, ‘Look, man, I don’t have time for
this stuff,’” Sexton says with a laugh.

The editors wanted all the poems
Sexton gave them, but asked for eight
to be revised. It was during those dia-
logues with Forrest that Sexton said his
writing skills noticeably advanced.

“The great thing is he loves my poetry.
Having somebody who’s not only telling
you what’s wrong but telling you what’s
right – that’s the rare thing.”

Sexton finds much of his subject mat-
ter for paintings and poetry in the vista
he looks out on, though it’s the house
itself that charms visitors even on ap-
proach. A few of the architectural de-
tails, including an elaborate iron door,
were supplied by his grandfather Waldo
Sexton, himself a dairy farmer from In-
diana, who built the Ocean Grill and
similar Vero landmarks. Others details
of the home, like the colorful mosaic
stepping stones embedded in the front
walkway, are the work of wife Sharon,
well-known for her ceramics and sunny
naive paintings.

By contrast, Sean Sexton paints
in the realist style. The cover of his
new book is taken from a massive
72-inch-by-84-inch oil painting, “Al-
legory of Work,” a still-life of rusted
tools, a slab of steak and a roll of

40 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Coming Up: Space Coast Symphony set for 10th B-day blast-off

BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA music, based on Weber’s piano works 2 Couldn’t we all use a few good and 9:30 p.m.; Live in the Loop, 6 p.m.
Staff Writer and a melody from his overture to the laughs right about now? We’re in to 9:30 p.m. Tickets: Comedy Zone,
opera ‘Turandot.’” The concert will side seats $12, table seats $16 and $18;
conclude with the romantic and hero- luck, because this very weekend, Feb. Live in the Loop, free. 772-231-6990.
ic “Symphony in D Minor,” described
1 Happy 10th, SCSO! No surprise, by Wikipedia as “the most famous 22-23, it’s Riverside Theatre’s Com-
the Space Coast Symphony Or- orchestral work by the 19th-century
Belgian composer Cesar Franck” and edy Zone, with a load of bi-coastal
considered one of the most significant
chestra is celebrating a decade of French symphonies in the repertoire. laughs and the usual let-yourself-go 3 A trio of popular works will
But wait. There’s more. To commemo- launch the Vero Beach Cham-
terrific music-making with … more rate this auspicious occasion, Miami- Live in the Loop music. Bringing the
based artist Christopher Maslow will
terrific music-making, and their Ten- reveal a newly commissioned paint- funny this week will be Valerie Storm, ber Orchestra’s 11th season this
ing (valued at $4,000). It is a large oil-
Year Anniversary Gala concert is going and-acrylic-on-canvas portrait of the a Florida girl, and L.A. native Johnny Sunday, Feb. 24, at the VBHS Per-
maestro himself, says Maslow, “in my
to be a musical doozy you won’t want signature ‘exploding’ style. My paint- Lee Dam. According to her bio, Storm forming Arts Center, and you’ll like-
ings are inspired by movement and
to miss this Sunday, Feb. 24, at Trin- synergistic energy. This particular got her comic calling early: when, as a ly find at least couple of them famil-
portrait is based on a photograph of
ity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach. Aaron in his element, doing what he 5-year-old contestant in the Little Miss iar: Felix Mendelssohn composed
does best.” Make the celebration last
Always innovative and fearless, the – enjoy complimentary dessert and Fort Myers Beauty Pageant, she was his “Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s
wine and schmooze with the musi-
orchestra has chosen to mix a pre- cians at the post-concert reception. asked by the interviewer if she liked Cave),” says Wikipedia, following
Time: 3 p.m. Tickets: $25 in advance,
mier of new music with established $30 at the door, 18 and under or with going to school, she replied, “Hell no, a trip to the British Isles, which in-
student ID, free. 855-252-7276.
pieces which, says Conductor Aaron I’d rather stay home and watch car- cluded an excursion to the Scottish

Collins, “represents who we are as an toons.” The audience exploded and island of Staffa, and its basalt sea

organization.” Take a look at what the she had found her calling. Dam says cave known as Fingal’s Cave; next is

concert promo reveals Collins and he got his start when he took a six- one of Beethoven’s most celebrated

75 Space Coast Symphony Orchestra week stand-up class at a community works, which many feel outstrips

musicians have in store for you: lead- college, delivered his first five-minute anything he had previously written,

ing off, the world premiere of “Aue!,” set at the end of the course, “and was his defining Symphony No. 3, “Ero-

a Samoan-inspired piece “by the or- hooked for life.” I hear you’d better be ica”; and, finally, a piece by Charles

chestra’s favorite contemporary com- on your toes, because this guy sure Ives entitled “The Unanswered

poser, Christopher Marshall.” Next will be. As usual, the comedy is of the Question.” This will be a diverse

there’ll be Paul Hindemith’s 1943 mas- 18-and-up variety. This week’s Live in and fascinating musical afternoon.

terwork “Symphonic Metamorphosis the Loop music will be delivered by Time: 2 p.m. Admission: free. Dona-

of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber,” oldies rock and party band Doo-wop tions are always much appreciated.

described as a joyful, “fun piece of City. Time: Comedy Zone, 7:30 p.m. 772-562-6125. 



42 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY IN

BY PETER MILLARD, CINDY HOFFMAN, MARISA GERTZ AND JEREMY C.F. LIN | BLOOMBERG

THE RISE AND FALL OF

Venezuela’s economic fortunes have light. Decked out in his trademark red the island nation’s most relevant po- corruption and economic decline. He
been tethered to the price of oil for paratrooper beret, he was allowed to litical alliance. Chavez’s rise to power won with 56 percent of the vote and
most of the country’s modern history, a go on national television at the end of coincided with the collapse of Cuba’s began his term in 1999 with a strong
dependency that only worsened after a the first coup to call on his followers to main patron, the Soviet Union. The alli- mandate for change.
charismatic former paratrooper named surrender. He said he had failed only ance was a huge victory for Castro, who
Hugo Chavez took office in 1999. “por ahora” (“for now”), a phrase that had been attempting to gain influence 1999 One of his first moves as
later became a rallying cry. in Venezuela since the 1960s, when president was to visit fel-
Chavez, who came to power in the Cuba supported insurgent groups in low OPEC nations and promote uni-
wake of an oil crash that decimated 1994 Perez was impeached in the oil-rich country. fied action to reduce global oil sup-
Venezuela’s traditional parties, ramped 1993 for embezzling from plies and lift depressed prices. Chavez
up political patronage to a degree the a presidential discretionary fund. Short- 1998 Oil prices tumbled in 1998 visited Saddam Hussein in Iraq during
country had never seen when crude ly afterward, Chavez and other insur- in the wake of the Asian the OPEC tour, drawing ire from the
prices suddenly began to soar again. gents were pardoned to soothe unrest financial crisis, worsening Venezuela’s U.S. and positioning himself as one of
while a domestic banking crisis ham- economy in an election year. Washington’s most vocal critics.
The windfall temporarily masked mered the economy. Chavez’s bare-knuckles presidential During Chavez’s first months in of-
the economic devastation caused by Fresh out of jail, Chavez traveled to campaign demonizing Venezuela’s two fice, when low oil prices made his gov-
his version of socialism – a toxic mix Cuba to meet President Fidel Castro for traditional political parties was well re- ernment reliant on international capital
of expropriations, subsidies, and cur- the first time in what would evolve into ceived in a country weary of endemic markets, he often displayed pragma-
rency and price controls. By Chavez’s tism and political moderation. During a
final years, Venezuela’s economy was 1989 (LEFT): A STANDOFF BETWEEN SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS AMID RIOTING IN CARACAS. trip to the U.S., he rang the closing bell
starting to buckle, even with prices 1994 (RIGHT): HUGO CHAVEZ SPEAKS TO REPORTERS AFTER HE IS FREED FROM JAIL. at the New York Stock Exchange, and
north of $100 a barrel, and then they his administration even held formal
crashed. 2000 (LEFT): PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO OF CUBA VISITS VENEZUELA ON HIS 75TH BIRTHDAY. talks with the IMF until oil prices rose
2008 (RIGHT): A LOADING COMPLEX FOR OIL TANKERS AT PUERTO JOSE. enough to let the government rule out
His chosen successor, Nicolas Mad- the need for any financial assistance.
uro, replaced patronage with repres- 2011 (LEFT): CHAVEZ HUGS HIS DAUGHTERS AFTER SPENDING THREE WEEKS IN CUBA FOR TREATMENT. Venezuela held a referendum to ap-
sion and persecution. Maduro’s iron- 2013 (RIGHT): NICOLAS MADURO ADDRESSES A CAMPAIGN RALLY IN SAN JUAN DE LOS MORROS. prove a new constitution extending the
fisted rule has allowed him to remain president’s term to six years and reduc-
in charge of what’s become a failed 2014 (LEFT): LEOPOLDO LOPEZ, AN OPPOSITION LEADER AND FORMER MAYOR OF A CARACAS MUNICIPALITY WITH A NATIONAL ing Congress to a unicameral National
state. His days may be numbered. GUARD ESCORT AFTER TURNING HIMSELF IN. 2017 (RIGHT): DEMONSTRATORS CLASH WITH RIOT POLICE IN CARACAS ON MAY 1. Assembly. Chavez was re-elected in
2000 under what he called a new Magna
Here’s a chronology of how Venezu- Carta, and members of his MVR party
ela – which enjoyed relative prosper- won a majority in the nascent National
ity for much of the 20th Century – has Assembly.
wound up mired in poverty, hyperin- The rewriten constitution gave Chavez
flation and political chaos. an opening to glorify his hero, Latin
American liberator Simon Bolivar, by
1985 Oil prices crashed, and tacking the word “Bolivarian” onto the
exporting countries came name of the country, which became
under economic strain, after Saudi Ara- the Bolivarian Republic of Venezu-
bia unleashed pent-up production to ela. Chavez went on to tinker with the
punish OPEC members that had con- country’s flag several years later, adding
tributed to a glut in the oil market by an eighth star and replacing a subdued,
producing in excess of their quotas. almost pensive horse with a more mus-
cular colt galloping at full sprint – this
1989 With Venezuela’s oil-de- time to the left, instead of right.
pendent economy in a
tailspin, the newly elected administra- 2000 Chavez strengthened ties
tion of Carlos Andres Perez implement- with Fidel Castro by pro-
ed IMF-backed austerity measures viding Cuba with 53,000 barrels a day
that included the removal of gasoline at cut-rate prices. Years later, when oil
subsidies that were long considered a prices were on a tear, Chavez started
birthright in the oil-rich country. Riots offering oil to Caribbean nations at
broke out across the country and lasted preferential terms under a program
a week, and the government respond- known as Petrocaribe to gain influence
ed by imposing martial law. Hundreds, in the region. He went as far as accept-
if not thousands, died in the rioting, ing local products such as bananas or
crippling Perez’s political capital and sugar in exchange for oil.
inspiring Chavez to plot an overthrow.
2002 Distrustful of state-owned
1992 Two coup attempts in oil company PDVSA’s top
1992 further weakened management, Chavez began stacking
Perez and set the stage for his im- the board with loyalists, prompting an
peachment a year later. Hugo Chavez outcry from the company’s existing
led the first attempt and, while in
prison, inspired the second attempt
months later. Though unsuccessful,
the events thrust Chavez into the spot-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 43

INSIGHT COVER STORY

VENEZUELA

management. Venezuela’s biggest busi- 2013: A HEARSE CARRYING THE LATE PRESIDENT LEAVES THE MILITARY HOSPITAL ON MARCH 6. side in an open jeep with Oscar-win-
ness federation of labor unions called a ning actor and fellow Bush critic Sean
general strike in April to support the oil The government pegged the local er that year, giving Chavez’s party near- Penn. Chavez’s initial success at using
company’s autonomy. currency to the dollar and set price con- total control of state governments. the oil windfall to reduce poverty made
trols for basic goods in an attempt to him popular throughout the develop-
An opposition march on April 11 contain capital flight and inflation fol- 2006 Fresh off a landslide re- ing world and a darling among left-
turned violent after it changed course lowing the two-month strike. The result election victory and with wing celebrities, including Danny Glov-
and headed toward the presidential was a booming black market for dollars an oil boom bankrolling social programs er, Oliver Stone and Michael Moore.
palace, where Chavez supporters were and shortages of the basic goods being at home and oil diplomacy abroad, a confi-
holding their own rally. Shots broke sold at a loss under price controls. dent Chavez traveled to the United Nations In his first electoral defeat in nine
out, and by evening 19 people were and positioned himself as Washington’s years, Chavez lost a referendum that
dead, including both supporters and 2004 Political persecution ac- leading critic among global leaders. Speak- would have amended the 1999 consti-
opponents of the government. celerated after electoral ing a day after George W. Bush, Chavez tution to abolish presidential term lim-
authorities published a list of more than grabbed the international spotlight by its and end the central bank’s autono-
Prominent businessman Pedro Car- 2.4 millionVenezuelans who had signed insulting Bush and accusing him of per- my. Chavez did manage to remove term
mona, who had helped organize the a petition to recall Chavez. Tascon’s List, petuating a system of global domination. limits through a more limited referen-
general strike, named himself presi- named after a ruling party lawmaker “Yesterday, the devil was here, right here, dum approved by voters in 2009.
dent, detained Chavez, and dissolved who was instrumental in making it pub- and it still smells like sulfur,’’ Chavez said.
the National Assembly. But much of lic, was used to deny government jobs, 2008 The global financial cri-
the military and the population were benefits and even documents for the 2007 Chavez took his first ma- sis sent oil prices plung-
still with Chavez, and a countercoup opposition’s rank and file. The recall ref- jor step at censoring me- ing at a time when Venezuela’s influ-
was quickly launched. Chavez was re- erendum went ahead, and Chavez pre- dia critics when the government let tele- ence in OPEC had faded. Venezuela’s
stored to office shortly after his ouster, vailed. While international observers vision station RCTV’s license expire after oil industry had never fully recovered
and Carmona fled the country. Chavez including the Carter Center endorsed 53 years. Chavez cited RCTV’s support from the extended oil strike; for years,
took advantage of the episode for years the results as fair, opposition leaders for the opposition during the 2002 coup the country had been producing below
to effectively paint his political oppo- claimed fraud and went on to boycott as justification for taking it off the air. its official production quota. Venezu-
nents as terrorists and coup-mongers. elections for governors and mayors lat- Chavez cruised Venezuela’s country- ela regularly called for larger produc-
tion cuts than other OPEC members
2003 Opposition to Chavez re- were willing to embrace.
mained strong at PDVSA, Russia offered Venezuela $1 billion
even after the coup, with career pro- in credit to purchase weapons in a sign
fessionals accusing the government of of its growing influence in Caracas.
undermining the company’s history of
meritocracy. Military officers who had 2010 Chavez fired his electricity
been dismissed for participating in minister amid a mount-
the April coup began organizing street ing crisis in the country’s highly subsi-
protests, and a general strike began on dized power industry, which had been
Dec. 2 to demand that Chavez resign. suffering blackouts. Sporadic power out-
After Chavez stood firm, he eventu- ages in the capital and other major cities
ally regained control of the oil compa- were increasing just as the worst drought
ny and gradually restored production. in 50 years was curbing output at the na-
Venezuela’s oil production never fully tion’s biggest hydroelectric dam.
returned to pre-strike levels of 3.3 mil-
lion barrels a day. STORY CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

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46 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43 INSIGHT COVER STORY

2011 Chavez announced that triggered protests that turned violent 2019: JUAN GUAIDO SINGS THE opposition and contributed to escalat-
Cuban doctors had re- and claimed seven lives. NATIONAL ANTHEM DURING A ing unrest and street protests.
moved a cancerous tumor from his RALLY IN CARACAS ON JAN. 23.
body just a week after government of- 2014 Leopoldo Lopez, an oppo- 2017 Amid rising turmoil, Mad-
ficials denied reports that he had can- sition leader and former Assembly as recession and a collapse in uro called for a Constitu-
cer. Chavez went on to undergo four mayor of a Caracas municipality, turned the currency turned the public against ent Assembly to rewrite the constitution
rounds of chemotherapy in Cuba and himself in to authorities who accused Maduro. The following year, the Na- in a blatant effort to undermine the op-
Venezuela, and in October he declared him of arson and inciting crimes for his tional Assembly called for a recall ref- position-controlled National Assembly.
he had beaten cancer. role in protests that had broken out on erendum and a constitutional amend- With the economy in disarray and
Feb. 12 against rampant crime, inflation ment to shorten term limits in an effort oil production collapsing, Maduro an-
2012 Chavez began campaign- and shortages of food and medicine. The to remove Maduro from office. nounced a restructuring of foreign debt at
ing against Henrique protests intensified with dozens killed a time when U.S. sanctions against Ven-
Capriles at a time that polls showed the during the first few months of the year. 2016 The National Electoral ezuela made it difficult to negotiate with
two contenders in a dead heat. Saying Council announced pro- creditors. The bonds went into default.
he was “totally free” of cancer, he started 2015 The opposition won a cedural delays to a recall referendum
holding campaign rallies across Venezu- majority of the National against Maduro; balloting would be 2018 Maduro’s election to a
ela. Chavez ramped up social spending pushed into the next year, which would second six-year term was
during the campaign, helped by billions allow Maduro’s vice president to take marred by the jailing and disqualifica-
of dollars in oil-backed loans from Chi- office instead of needing to hold new tion of opposition politicians and had
na, and won by a comfortable yet nar- elections. The decision enraged the the lowest turnout for a presidential
rower margin than in previous elections. election in decades. Most of the opposi-
tion joined a boycott of the vote, while
2013 Chavez died at a mili- government workers were coerced to
tary hospital in Caracas. turn out amid reports of fraud. The re-
A sobbing Nicolas Maduro, Chavez’s sult was dismissed as illegitimate by
chosen successor, announced he would the U.S., the European Union and the
carry out Chavez’s legacy of socialism 14-nation Lima Group that had been
for the 21st century. formed to help restore democracy to
Maduro defeated Capriles by the Venezuela. More than 60 nations re-
narrowest margin for a Venezuelan fused to recognize the results, setting the
presidential election since 1968 and stage for National Assembly President
inherited a country crippled by gal- Juan Guaido to declare himself the head
loping inflation and shortages of con- of state when Maduro’s first term ended
sumer goods. The disputed results in January 2019.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 47

INSIGHT COVER STORY

The number ofVenezuelans fleeing es- 2019 Guaido declared himself ment until new elections can be held. in power with the support of the mili-
calating crime, hyperinflation and food interim president at a ral- The U.S., Canada and Brazil swiftly rec- tary, the country will likely continue its
shortages reached 3 million in what be- ly in Caracas just weeks after Maduro ognized Guaido as the legitimate head descent into a pariah state – a tropical
came the world’s largest migration crisis began his second term. Claiming that of state, while Russia, China and Cuba version of Syria under Bashar al-Assad.
in recent years. The mass exodus has Maduro was elected in a flawed elec- voiced support for Maduro.
created social tensions in neighboring tion, Guaido invoked a constitutional On the other hand, if Guaido and his
countries, including Colombia, which is amendment allowing the head of the So where do things go from here? foreign allies manage to force Maduro
hosting more than a third of the migrants. legislature to lead a caretaker govern- The bad news: Things can still get from office, the task of rebuilding the
worse. If Maduro manages to remain broken nation will be monumental. 

48 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT OPINION

Fake news on social media threatens businesses as well as politics

The problem of online disinformation is not lim- dump” schemes – in which traders unscrupulously they do. Imagine a foreign cyberoperation attacking
ited to the political sphere. It poses a threat to corpo- promote a stock and then sell it quickly to benefit from the reputation of a U.S. company with a disinforma-
rations, too. Fake news threatens the boardroom as the price change – profiteers can use fake tweets and tion campaign to damage its brand and induce busi-
well as the voting booth. news releases to boost stock prices with relative ease. ness to a foreign company instead.

Today, the threat of fake news comes from at least In November 2015, the Securities and Exchange What might Russian cyberspies do, say, to help
three categories of actors capable of spreading disin- Commission said it had “filed securities fraud charges Gazprom win a close bidding war against Western
formation via social media far more efficiently than against a Scottish trader whose false tweets caused energy companies for oil exploration rights in a
most people anticipated just a couple of years ago. sharp drops in the stock prices of two companies,” a developing nation? What might Chinese propagan-
semiconductor manufacturer and a medical research dists do to spread rumors about alleged weaknesses
The first group, trolls, is motivated not by profit firm. In another case, a Canadian couple used their in American microprocessors?
but by spite or dogma to harm specific corporations. website and social media accounts to inflate the stock
In August 2017, for instance, someone on the anony- of companies with small capitalizations and then pock- To preempt and eventually overcome these threats, a
mous online message board 4 Chan said he wanted eted $2.4 million by selling shares of those companies. corporation needs communications and litigation strat-
to inflict pain on a “liberal place” and cooked up a egies – it needs to be ready to respond to incidents on-
campaign against Starbucks, posting bogus tweets And in 2014, the SEC charged two men with issuing line, through the press and even in the courtroom. Com-
that advertised “Dreamer Day,” when the coffee false, rapid-fire news releases hyping a small biotech panies should plan for these events, assign roles and
chain would supposedly give out free drinks to un- firm and causing its stock price to balloon eight-fold responsibilities to senior managers, and conduct simu-
documented immigrants. in a month. Fake news releases and social media posts lations like the ones they run for cybersecurity breaches.
threaten to be all the more influential on markets now
The Seattle-based company had to move quickly that many investment firms rely on algorithms to Companies also need to stay abreast of what is be-
to counter seemingly legitimate social media adver- scour press releases to inform trading decisions. ing said about them online and communicate regu-
tisements that carried the hashtag “#borderfreecof- larly with customers and business partners to build
fee” and were adorned with the company’s logo, sig- Profiteers can benefit whether a stock rises or falls confidence, so those partners will know whom to
nature font and graphics. because of false information. In one example, in 2015 trust in the face of false information.
a website designed to resemble Bloomberg.com, with
Other recent lies held that Coca-Cola was recall- a similar-looking web address (“bloomberg.market”), Finally, while free speech rights protect opinion,
ing Dasani bottled water because it had been infest- published a phony story that Twitter had received a corporations have legal recourse, particularly when
ed by “clear parasites,” that an Xbox console killed $31 billion takeover bid, sending shares surging – pre- third parties benefit from spreading lies. State and
a teenager, that Costco was ending its membership sumably for the benefit of whoever prepared the trick. federal laws bar many kinds of online hoaxes. Stat-
program and that British pub chain JD Wetherspoon utes prohibiting defamation, interference with future
had banned staff from wearing Remembrance Day And in October 2018, a few months after Broadcom business and trademark theft, among others, can all
poppies because of the “multiculturalism” of its cli- announced its intention to acquire CA Technologies be used to vindicate the rights of fake-news victims.
entele and employees. for $19 billion, a memo circulated online, supposedly
from the Defense Department, saying that the Com- It is no small irony that corporate America is some-
Some prank websites with names like Channel- mittee on Foreign Investment in the United States, times imperiled by the free flow of information that
23News allow users to create their own genuine-look- which reviews foreign investments for national secu- it cultivates and benefits from. Like the nation’s po-
ing fake-news articles and post them directly to social rity risks, would scrutinize the acquisition. litical institutions, businesses must learn to combat,
media, lowering the cost of entry for propagandists mitigate and ignore such threats in some combina-
and subjecting even small businesses to such dangers. The shares of both companies dropped before the tion for the foreseeable future.
markets realized the letter was a fake. It is not known
After one such site produced an article falsely ac- who authored the memo, but short sellers could have The honest truth is that while fake news may seem
cusing a London Indian restaurant of serving human reaped a windfall from this legerdemain, which one like a purely political problem unique to our current
meat, the business said its revenue dropped by half. writer called “a new phase of short-seller espionage.” circumstances, successful malevolence breeds imita-
It was one of at least six Indian and Asian restaurants tion. 
in Britain targeted by similar counterfeits. The third group, foreign flags, is strictly theoreti-
cal at this point. But rival powers and state-backed A version of this column by Matthew F. Ferraro and
The second group, profiteers, seeks financial advan- groups could target private companies with fake Jason C. Chipman first appeared in The Washington
tage from a well-calibrated con.While corporate Amer- news, and it may be merely a matter of time until Post. It does not necessarily reflect the views of Vero
ica has long experience with traditional “pump and Beach 32963.

PROSTATE CANCER � Continuous incontinence sparing procedure but that is not always © 2019 VERO BEACH 32963 MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Fortunately, continuous incontinence, the possible. Radiation therapy may also
Part X, Life After Treatment inability to control urine at any time, is not damage erectile nerves.
very common. If both nerves were not destroyed, there is
When prostate cancer treatment is over, it’s Treatment for incontinence depends on the type a chance erectile function will return between
natural for men to feel emotional. They should and severity of the problem. four and 24 months. Men under age 60 have
share their feelings with their physician who can � Kegel exercises can strengthen bladder a better chance of regaining erections than
help deal with these emotions, or help them control muscles. older men. Even with no erection, or a weak
find a counselor. � Lifestyle changes, such as modifying diet, erection, men can orgasm.
quitting smoking, losing weight and schedul- Medicines and devices that treat ED include
The two most common and distressing physical ing visits to the bathroom, can decrease pills, vacuum pumps, urethral suppositories,
side effects for men who have undergone treat- urination frequency. penile injections and penile implants. Som
ment for prostate cancer are urinary inconti- � Medications can help maintain better times a combination of treatments is beneficial.
nence and erectile dysfunction (ED). bladder control. In a future column, we’ll provide a thorough
� Neuromuscular electrical stimulation can review of the causes and treatments for
 URINARY INCONTINENCE strengthen bladder muscles. erectile dysfunction.
After prostate cancer surgery or radiation � Surgery can be used to tighten the bladder Men, discuss your personal history, family his-
therapy, some men experience one or more sphincter by injecting collagen, to implant a tory, risk factors and lifestyle with your physi-
problems controlling their urine. urethral sling to tighten the bladder neck, or cian to develop a personalized screening plan
� Stress incontinence to control urination using an artificial for prostate cancer. The 5-year survival rate
For some men, especially those who have sphincter device. for most men with local or regional prostate
had a radical prostatectomy, urine may leak  ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION (ED) cancer is nearly 100 percent. Ninety-eight (98)
when they cough, laugh, sneeze or exercise. Many men experience ED after prostate percent are alive after 10 years. For men di-
� Overactive bladder (urge incontinence) cancer since nerves involved in the erection agnosed with prostate cancer that has spread
Men with this type of incontinence, the process surround the prostate gland. Surgery to other parts of the body, the 5-year survival
most common form after radiation treatment, may damage nerve bundles that control rate is 30 percent. 
feel a sudden need to urinate even when blood flow to the penis. Sometimes these
their bladder is not full. nerves may be removed with the cancer.
� Mixed incontinence Most surgeons will try to perform a nerve
Some men suffer both.

Your comments and suggestions for future topics are always welcome. Email us at [email protected].

50 Vero Beach 32963 / February 21, 2019 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

In 2011, Kyle Swenson was a that allowed this travesty to in hopes of winning parole, but by the time he became
25-year-old cub reporter for the eligible, a tough new practice of adding 10 more years to
Cleveland Scene, a small alternative happen. former death sentences, which prisoners called “super
newspaper, when he received an flops,” had taken effect. Ronnie Bridgeman finally got
unexpected phone call. It was from On a hot Monday after- out in 2003 and discovered that a prison clerical error
a former convict named Kwame had altered one digit in his new Social Security num-
Ajamu who claimed that he and two noon in May 1975, a white ber. With a clean ID and a Muslim name, Kwame Ajamu
other local black men who were still started over with a steady job and new wife. He could
in prison had spent decades behind money-order salesman have walked away from his past as Ronnie Bridgeman,
bars for a murder they didn’t commit. but he refused to give up on proving his innocence and
Originally, Ajamu had approached named Harry Franks made getting his brother and friend out of jail.
Terry Gilbert, a crusading civil rights
lawyer. But Gilbert was swamped the next-to-last stop on his A hellish fate, ironically, also awaited the accuser, Ed-
with other cases that involved DNA ward Vernon. As an increasingly troubled teen, Vernon
evidence, the most convincing path to rounds to collect commis- sampled booze and pot, then graduated to harder stuff
proving wrongful convictions, and this just as crack cocaine began flooding America’s inner cit-
case had none. So Gilbert suggested sions from convenience ies. Soon he fell down a 20-year well of living in crack
that Ajamu contact Swenson, figuring dens and sleeping in cars on the street. Finally Vernon
that if there was anything to the story, stores on Cleveland’s East found religion and got sober, but that only made it hard-
a newspaper investigation might help er to escape the prison of a guilty conscience. At late-
his cause. Side. It was too late to go night prayer vigils at his church on the East Side, Vernon
would suddenly break into loud, unexplained wailing,
When the skinny white reporter from to the bank to deposit the but he refused to discuss what was tormenting him
the Cleveland suburbs met the burly with his worried pastor, even after he suffered a stress-
product of the city’s predominantly black East Side, he $429.55 cash payment, so induced stroke.
was skeptical, despite the thick file of supporting docu-
ments that Ajamu brought to their first encounter at a Franks headed straight to Swenson’s investigative odyssey took an unexpected
downtown Starbucks. But Swenson needed fresh copy, turn, too. After months of digging, he hoped that his
and once he dug into the story he became convinced his last stop with the mon- scoop would break the case wide open again. But when
of the three men’s innocence. He wrote an exhaustive it was published, nothing happened. Swenson became
exposé that eventually helped to exonerate Ajamu, who ey in a leather briefcase. so depressed and angry that he left Cleveland for a
had converted to Islam and changed his name from new job in Florida. (He now works for the Washington
Ronnie Bridgeman, and to win freedom for the two As Franks was leaving the Post.) Yet unbeknownst to Swenson, once Jackson read
other defendants, Ronnie’s older brother, Wiley, and his the article in prison, he started working with lawyers
best friend, Rickey Jackson. Fairmount Cut-Rate, two for the Ohio Innocence Project. Those lawyers tracked
down Vernon and got him to recant his false testimony
Now Swenson has produced a compelling, beautifully young black men jumped and to provide details of how he had been coerced and
written book that goes well beyond that initial journal- coached by police. Based on that new evidence, Jackson
istic probe into a grave injustice. “Good Kids, Bad City” him. When Franks re- and Wiley Bridgeman finally walked free in 2014, after
is another powerful addition to the growing literature serving what at the time were the longest terms of exon-
on the failures of America’s criminal justice system, par- sisted, they attacked him erated prisoners in U.S. history. 
ticularly in dealing with African-American men. But it
is also a gripping, novelistic account of what happened with a pipe and threw GOOD KIDS, BAD CITY
to the three defendants and their lone accuser after the
convictions, a frank confession of the methods and acid in his face, and one youth fired sev- A STORY OF RACE AND WRONGFUL CONVICTION IN AMERICA
emotions of an obsessed reporter, and a poignant medi-
tation on the dark side of Cleveland and what became eral shots, leaving the salesman to bleed to death as they BY KYLE SWENSON | PICADOR. 289 PP. $29
of that once-proud embodiment of Midwestern virtues REVIEW BY MARK WHITAKER, THE WASHINGTON POST
ran away and jumped into a green car driven by another

man.

Several witnesses agreed on those details. But only

one, a quiet, near-sighted 12-year-old neighborhood

kid named EdwardVernon, identified Jackson, 18, as the

shooter and Wiley and Ronnie Bridgeman, 21 and 17, as

his accomplices. Never mind that the three had alibis,

that Vernon’s story had inconsistencies and that several

tips pointed to other suspects.

Police and prosecutors built an entire case around

the boy’s testimony, winning double murder and rob-

bery convictions that put the three other youths on

death row.

But the Dickensian saga of cruel twists and provi-

dential turns was only beginning. Two years later, Wiley

Bridgeman won a retrial but was convicted again based

on Vernon’s single say-so. Wiley was slated for execu-

tion by “Old Sparky,” the state’s electric chair, but on the

scheduled date it was announced that the U.S. Supreme

Court had struck down Ohio’s death penalty statute,

and its pending capital sentences were converted to life

with a 15-year minimum. Jackson kept his head down

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