06/23/2022 ISSUE 25

Chamber fetes 100th Anniversary
with gala. P14

New pastor coming
to Christ by the Sea. P8
Hole-some fun par for the
course at VNA Golf-A-Thon. P22

For breaking news visit

MY VERO New COVID-19PHOTO BY ROSS ROWLINSON
cases here still
BY RAY MCNULTY in high category

School Board will miss BY LISA ZAHNER
Schiff’s diverse views Staff Writer

Mara Schiff wants to be sure PHOTO BY ROSS ROWLINSON New COVID-19 cases locally
everyone knows that her deci- reported to the Florida Depart-
sion to not seek re-election to Rapid growth at community’s new ‘third hospital’ ment of Health increased at a
her District 1 School Board slower pace this past week, up
seat had nothing to do with BY STEVEN M. THOMAS tion as the community’s “third dure rooms and three brand 6 percent from 433 to 459.
the turmoil and hostility she Staff Writer hospital,” treating hundreds of new operating rooms with a
encountered during the past patients a day. full anesthesia team. That number does not in-
two years. Vero Orthopaedics and Neu- clude people who test positive
rology’s gleaming modernist The $22 million building “We have every sub-spe- via widely available home test
Nor does she feel her time facility on Indian River Bou- houses 15 fellowship trained cialty of orthopedics, includ- kits and then never seek med-
and efforts were wasted, de- levard is fast gaining a reputa- doctors, 68 exam rooms, three ing spine surgery, total joint ical attention, as home test-
spite the board being forced radiology suites, four proce- kit results are not reported nor
to address a constant stream CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 included in the state reports.
of culture-war distractions
launched by a small-but-vocal Indian River County, as well
fringe group that claims to ad- as the whole Treasure Coast and
vocate for parental rights but all of Florida’s southeast coast,
rarely mentions quality edu- remain in the high community
cation or improving student transmission and high COVID
outcomes. community level categories,
with 65 people on average per
To the contrary, Schiff, the day testing positive at a facility
lone Democrat to be elected to that reports to the Florida De-
countywide office, described partment of Health. That’s up
her nearly four years on the from 40 per day in May.
board as “one of the most exhil-
arating experiences” of her life. The Centers for Disease

“They’ve given me an op- CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
portunity to put my values
into practice and express who

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Shores may have long wait for new ambulance Inflation sending more pets to Humane Society
BY NANCY SAPEY
BY LISA ZAHNER Correspondent
Staff Writer
With runaway inflation and
Indian River Shores is getting the housing crunch making it
ready to replace a 10-year-old tougher for some local residents
ambulance, but even with cash to keep their pets, the Humane
in hand, supply chain woes Society of Vero Beach and In-
mean it could be two years be- dian River County is combining
efficiency and creativity to place
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

PHOTOS BY JOSHUA KODIS CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 Veterinary Technician Nicole Simonetti assists in a procedure.

June 23, 2022 Volume 15, Issue 25 Newsstand Price $1.00 Projects enlighten
at Team ORCA
News 1-12 Editorial 32 People 13-25 TO ADVERTISE CALL Data Jam. P18
Arts 41-44 Games 37-39 Pets 26 772-559-4187
Books 36 Health 45-49 Real Estate 59-68
Dining 54-57 Insight 27-40 Style 50-53 FOR CIRCULATION
CALL 772-226-7925

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

2 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero After spending the past 30-plus years other professional interests that would “Do I think I got enough done, or that
teaching, training, researching and demand much of her time. my presence impacted policy? I don’t
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 writing about issues in her field, Schiff know,” she added. “We are in tough
said she has reached a stage in life Schiff said she is seeking, or has times, but I think the district is better
I am and what I stand for,” she said. where she’s ready to pursue “new op- sought, U.S. Justice Department grants because I was there.
“My decision to not run again is not portunities.” to study school safety and has applied
because I think this isn’t an important for a Fulbright Scholarship that would “What I focused on were issues that
job. It is an important job, and I’d ad- Those opportunities, she said, would require her to spend nearly a year in Bel- wouldn’t have been addressed or fo-
vise anyone to do it.” require travel outside the county – and gium studying intercultural relations. cused on.”
possibly outside the country – which
For those who don’t know: Schiff, would make it impossible to “serve Her departure in November will di- As for the state of the local public
who is in her 60s, was the only board with integrity” and attend the board’s minish the board, where her sharp in- school system, Schiff said, “We’re not
member who held a full-time job – she’s meetings and workshops. tellect, respectful tone and progressive there yet, but we’re on our way,” cred-
a criminal justice professor at Florida voice will be missed. iting School Superintendent David
Atlantic University – while having a As much as she still believes she had Moore with providing the daily leader-
child attending school in the district. made a positive impact on the school “I have a lot of experience with boards, ship the district so sorely lacked under
district, she said “it wouldn’t be fair” and I’ve found that the best boards have his obviously overmatched predecessor.
So why is Schiff moving on? to seek a second term while pursuing representatives with different points of
view,” said School Board member Brian The COVID-19 pandemic, she said,
Barefoot, a former Indian River Shores was a significant disruption.
mayor and Babson College president
who has served on numerous business “When we hired Dr. Moore, we did
and education-related boards. so to transform the district – to take us
to the top of the state rankings,” Schiff
“Ultimately, you have to make a deci- said. “Forty-four days later, we were
sion, but the more diverse representa- hit with a pandemic that shut down
tion you have, the better chance you’ll the district. And we were in a pandem-
make the right one,” he added. “Mara ic for the next year-and-a-half.
has often brought different views –
some I didn’t agree with – but it’s always “What we were facing was unprec-
better to have them. edented,” she added. “We were hit by
a global pandemic with a new super-
“I often found myself agreeing with intendent and a pretty inexperienced
her.” board that included two members
who had been there for only a few
Barefoot praised the way Schiff repre- months.
sented her constituents without being
overtly political. He said she is always “Under the circumstances, I’d say
prepared, thoughtful and articulate. we did a phenomenal job, and the evi-
dence supports that.”
“One of the most overlooked skills
a board member can have is the abil- Schiff said she is pleased with
ity to listen, and Mara has been a good Moore’s performance, and expressed
listener,” he said. “Whether she agreed concern that if the district loses him –
with you or not, she was respectful. he has been criticized almost month-
ly by Rosario, who is aligned with
“I think she brings a lot to the party, the aforementioned parental-rights
even when I don’t agree with her, and group – “we’ll conduct a search and
our public education system will feel probably end up with a far-less-quali-
her absence.” fied superintendent.”

Both School Board Chair Teri Baren- She remains concerned about the
borg and Vice Chair Peggy Jones agreed. efforts of fringe groups that don’t rep-
resent anywhere near a majority of the
“Obviously, she and I have differ- parents in districts to seize control of
ent views on things, but I appreciate school boards by trying to intimidate
her professionalism,” Barenborg said. board members and candidates.
“School boards across the country are
dealing with a lot of hot topics, and we She finds the divisive, disrespect-
all have issues that are nearer to our ful and sometimes-hostile tone of the
hearts. She could be very passionate. public discourse at board meetings
troubling, fearing the adults are set-
“But Mara listens to the other side ting the wrong example for children.
and makes the decisions she believes
are best,” she added. “I voted with her Schiff also said the suggestion that
at times, too.” educators, including School Board
members and superintendents, are try-
Jones said she will miss Schiff’s con- ing to harm or indoctrinate children is
tributions to board discussions, call- “ridiculously frustrating” and an “insult
ing her a “very smart lady who cares to everyone who does the job.”
about all children in the district and
provides a diverse perspective.” She said it was “unfortunate” that
only one candidate, Gene Posca, qual-
School Board member Jackie Rosario, ified to run for her School Board seat
who often publicly disagrees with Schiff and, because he was unchallenged,
and is confronting a stiff challenge to already has been declared the winner.
her bid for re-election to her District 2
seat, did not respond to text and email But there are other opportunities to
messages seeking comment about her pursue, challenges to overcome, other
colleague’s decision to not run. dreams to chase.

Asked if she was satisfied with what “I’m not leaving because somebody
she has accomplished during her ran me off,” Schiff said. “I’m not leav-
term, Schiff replied, “I’m satisfied with ing because of the demands of the job.
the way I’ve given voice to the sector of I’m leaving because of my life.” 
the community I represented.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 3

NEWS

Vero Ortho nate” in the partners it picked for the “This is all we do. We are experts in “Natural light is critical in a health-
project. healthcare,” said Leo Salomon, princi- care setting,” Salomon told Vero Beach
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 pal and studio leader at the Boca Ra- 32963. “It is one of the main things we
Design was by Array Architects, a ton office. emphasize. It has been proven by sci-
replacement, hand surgery, foot and firm with five offices from Boston to entific research that natural light rein-
ankle, osteoporosis and bone health, Boca Raton that specializes in health- Array’s signature can be seen in the forces the healing process.”
and sports medicine,” said Vero Ortho care architecture whose work is well sleek, modern design, which includes
CEO Jennifer Davison. known in Vero. In recent years, Array a vast glass curtain wall that covers half Infection control was another cru-
designed Cleveland Clinic Indian Riv- the front of the new building, flooding cial consideration as the design came
Just this week, Vero Ortho began er’s Health and Wellness Center and the expansive foyer and waiting area together, resulting in a touchless entry,
conscious sedation, the “twilight anes- Scully Welsh Cancer Center. with light and letting in the green view.
thesia” used for operations that don’t CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
require general anesthesia, further ex-
panding its range of patient care.

There are even two overnight-stay
rooms for post-op patients who need
continued care for 23 hours or less.

The two-story building is about the
same size as the Health and Wellness
Center at Cleveland Clinic Indian River
and more than two-thirds as large as
the 90,000-square-foot expansion that
added 48 patient rooms and six oper-
ating rooms at Sebastian River Medical
Center in 2020.

Co-developed by Vero Orthopaedics
and Optimal Outcomes, a major health-
care real estate development company,
the facility employs 135 people, from
X-ray and MRI technicians to physical
therapists who help patients recover af-
ter treatment so they can “get back out
on the golf course or tennis court.”

“We wanted it to be a ‘one-stop shop’
for patients, where they can be diag-
nosed, treated and receive aftercare,”
said Davison.

Besides offering a complete spec-
trum of care, Davison’s goal as she
managed the design and development
process was to increase patient access.

And it seems to be working.
“If you call us by 4 p.m. [with an inju-
ry or other urgent need for treatment],
you will see a doctor that same day,”
Davison said, noting that the practice
sees 600 patients a day, on average, up
40 percent since 2019.
“Our motto is ‘hurt today, treated
today.’”
“A woman came in last week with a
dislocated elbow,” said Dr. Seth Coren,
president of Vero Ortho. “It had been
dislocated before and reinjured and
one of our doctors sent the patient
upstairs to the surgery center, put the
elbow back in place, and was back at
her office in 20 minutes to keep her af-
ternoon appointments.
“At the same time, the patient was
saved from going through a time-con-
suming and expensive hospital admis-
sion to get treatment.”
Davison, who colleagues credit with
being a driving force behind the new
building and business expansion,
served as interior designer on the proj-
ect, picking finishes and furnishings
aimed at creating a bright “coastal am-
biance,” in her words, with “extensive
use of blues and natural earth tones to
promote a healing environment.”
She said Vero Ortho was “very fortu-

4 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Vero Ortho player in healthcare development. The “Optimal was a fantastic partner on in more than 25 years,” Patrick Mar-
company was in the news last summer this project,” said Davison. “They were ston, a former banker and company co-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 when it sold a two-building medical of- superb throughout, a huge help with founder, told Vero Beach 32963. “Addi-
fice park in Port St. Lucie that it helped all the nuances of timelines, material tionally, during construction the rain in
hard, high-tech surfaces that are easy develop to Cleveland Clinic Tradition selection, making sure the move went Vero was excessive – seemingly inces-
to keep clean and carefully arranged Hospital for $52 million. smoothly.” sant – and more than double the aver-
seating areas. age rainfall for the area historically.”
The company has completed more Optimal earned that rave review de-
“Everything we design in this era of than 100 medical building projects to- spite some formidable challenges. And there was COVID to contend
viruses is aimed at [reducing conta- taling 2.5 million square feet – most in with, too.
gion],” Salomon said. Florida – since it was founded in the late “This project had some complicated
1990s, and has a dozen projects current- site conditions and the entitlement Davison and the doctors who own
Developer and building co-owner ly underway, according to its website. process with the county was by far the Vero Ortho started planning the project
Optimal Outcomes is another major most challenging we have encountered and purchased the 9-acre site in 2019.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 5

NEWS

They broke ground in 2020, as the per- industry and pushed labor and mate- “I can say without caveat that the the issues caused by COVID!”
nicious virus was first wreaking havoc. rial prices through the roof. physician partners and the entire ad- For Vero Ortho, the timing of the
ministrative team at Vero Ortho were a
Built by Precise Construction, a Tam- Marston estimated that if the proj- pleasure to work with. They knew what new building allowed them to ride the
pa company that works frequently with ect had been started a year later, costs they wanted and were professional and wave of covid immigrants arriving in
Optimal Outcomes, the project was would have been “20 percent to 40 per- positive throughout the process. Indian River County from around the
completed in July 2021, just as another cent higher,” and the job likely would country, continuing to expand and
covid wave was developing. have taken much longer. “Jennifer Davison, the chief execu- add new services and facilities.
tive officer, in particular was a cham-
Despite the difficulties, the timing “We were all exceptionally fortunate pion of the project and was fully com- Asked how the new building is bet-
turned out to be favorable, with ma- in the timing of the project ... and we mitted to making it a success. We wish ter than the old one, Coren smiled and
terials ordered and subcontractors could not be more pleased with the every project was similar to this one – said, “We don’t have enough time to
signed up before supply-chain snarls facility, which has won design awards even with the site work challenges and fully cover that.”
and inflation hobbled the construction locally and nationally,” Marston said.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

6 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Vero Ortho be leased out but that now may end up
being filled by the growing practice.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
“We are getting close to capacity
“Our old place was only 20,000 square downstairs, and with a 17th doctor pos-
feet and our waiting room was standing sibly coming by the end of the year, it is
room only some days,” Davison said. time to start thinking about it,” Davison
“Here we have much more room and said. “I’d like to get a CT scanner for up-
have grown our patient count by 100 stairs and that could be something that
patients per day in just the past year.” goes in the extra space.”

Vero Ortho has hired two new doctors There are several businesses involved
since its move and another hand sur- in Vero’s “third hospital.”
geon is slated to start in August, which
will raise the physician count to 16. Vero Orthopaedics and Neurology is
owned by the 10 doctors who are part-
The Advanced Center for Surgery ners in the practice.
opened on the building’s second floor
in March. It has the three operat- The award-winning building that con-
ing rooms, two of the four procedure tinues to turn heads as people pass by
rooms, 10 pre-op bays, 12 post-op bays on Indian River Boulevard is co-owned
and the two-overnight stay rooms. by Vero Ortho and Optimal Outcomes,
which also manages the building.
“We have two physical medicine re-
hab docs and a neurologist. We have The Advanced Center for Surgery is
four ultrasound machines and can do co-owned by several of the Vero Ortho
full-body X-rays. Our MRI machines doctors and United Surgical Partners
are going 12 hours a day, six days a International (USPI), part of Tenet
week. Our [9,000-square-foot] rehabil- Healthcare Corporation. USPI Tenet
itation suite with a staff of 20, includ- operates more than 400 surgical facili-
ing Ph.D. physical therapists, is full all ties across the country.
week long,” Davison said.
Vero Ortho has a second office in
Things are so busy, in fact, that Da- Sebastian. Its physicians operate at
vison is considering further expansion. Cleveland Clinic and Sebastian Medical
There is a 7,000-square-foot unfinished Center as well as in-house, and Davi-
space on the second floor adjacent to son said one of the spine surgeons will
the surgery center that was slated to begin seeing patients at Melbourne Re-
gional Medical Center one day a week
in the near future. 

Shores ambulance expenditure would come out of a cor-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 responding line item in the Public Safe-
ty Department’s capital budget for the
fore a shiny new Shores rescue vehi- 2022-23 fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.
cle rolls down A1A.
“This is just an authorization to make
Reports from cities and counties all the order and not for an actual pay-
over the country cite waits of many ment. The funds will not be expended
months or even years for delivery of in the current year, but this will be an
ambulances due to a global shortage of item for next year’s budget,” she said.
computer microchips, certain plastic
components and, scarcest of all, chas- Once the new ambulance is deliv-
sis – the cab portion of the vehicle with ered, supplies and life-saving equip-
the powertrain, plus the steel supports ment that’s still in good working order
that haul the portion of the ambulance would be transferred to the new am-
used for transporting patients. bulance, and the town would recoup
some value from the surplus vehicle.
The replacement the Shores is eye-
ing requires a $60,000 Ford F550 4-by- “Generally, the town will sell ve-
2 chassis to pull the patient transport hicles through auction. On occasion
compartment. The total cost of the there may be a trade in. This would in-
new ambulance would be $332,000. clude ambulances and other vehicles.
We would not keep vehicles for spare
Deputy Chief Mark Shaw said the parts,” Christmas said.
10-year-old ambulance is already be-
coming a maintenance issue, so he The Shores Public Safety department
wants to get the town’s order in. has also requested two 2022 model
SUVs to replace 2015 and 2016 police
“This unit has been taken out of ser- vehicles, each with more than 100,000
vice several times during the past year miles on the odometer. Piggyback-
due to mechanical failures and re- ing onto a statewide agency’s contract
pairs. Since March 2022 we have spent price, those SUVs would cost $33,000
$12,328.43 for repairs on this rescue and $36,000 for the base vehicle, plus all
unit alone,” Shaw said, adding that la- the lighting, communications and other
bor rates for on-site repairs just went up, upgrades needed, for a total of $92,000.
and range from $130 to $145 per hour.
That money would come out of the
Town Treasurer and Deputy Town current fiscal year’s funds, according
Manager Heather Christmas said that, to an agenda packet budget memo
if the order is approved, the $332,000 prepared for this week’s Town Council
meeting. 



8 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

New pastor at Christ by the Sea United Methodist Church

BY SAMANTHA ROHLFING BAITA “One thing that will always be etched
Staff Writer in my heart,” said Jo Parrish, “is when I
was in the office talking about the loss of
Transition and growth have been my two great-grandsons and he walked
up and put his arms around me.
vital to Christ by the Sea United Meth-
“That hug meant so much and I
odist Church since its founding in knew he was suffering with me,” she
said. “He suffered with all the congre-
1965, and next week its beloved Pastor gation as they grieved and shared our
joy when we were happy.”
Bruce T. Jones will retire, and Rev. Mi-
Rev. Pestel, who is succeeding Jones,
chael Pestel will take his place. recently moved here with wife Katie
and daughter Jordan after serving in
The little church with the glorious Clearwater, Orlando and most recent-
ly in Bradenton.
windows, tucked beneath oaks and
“Our family is thrilled to now live
palms along A1A in Central Beach, has in Vero Beach and be part of the vi-
brant community of faith at Christ by
weathered unprecedented challenges the Sea United Methodist Church,” he
said. Pestel will preach his first service
since “Pastor Bruce,” as he is known, in Vero on July 3.

succeeded Rev. Cliff Melvin in 2019. When the church was founded 57
years ago, services were held in the
“Soon after his arrival, we were hit homes of its 13 founding members. Land
was purchased and building was begun
by the world’s virus crisis, and we knew the following year. The first pastor was
Dr. Clifford Strang; Pestel will be the 11th.
God had sent us the perfect pastor to
As the years passed, the building ex-
lead our way,” said Director of Worship panded, the congregation grew and
the church became an active partici-
Arts Dr. Marcos Flores, who worked es- pant in the growing island community
and beyond, with numerous outreach
pecially closely with Jones. and youth ministries, including a
partnership with Beachland Elemen-
“Looking back over the last three Christ by the Sea United Methodist Church Pastor Bruce T. Jones set to retire. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS tary School, work with nursing homes,
a 20-acre flower and vegetable garden
years, I’m amazed at how God made a for the poor, and efforts in Cuba, Costa
Rica and Haiti.
way when there did not seem to be one,” ibility” in creating “beautiful outdoor of 2020 was especially lovely,” he said.
Through Flores, who joined the staff
Jones said. “COVID-19 changed the services that honored God, ministered Voicing what so many discovered dur- in 2005, the church has gained a com-
munity-wide reputation for superior
shape of our worship experience and to the needs of the congregation, and ing endless weeks of pandemic quar- musical programs.

challenged us to think outside the box.” offered a visible and joyful witness to antine, Jones said “on a steep learning “Now, as I transition into retirement,”
Jones said with quiet confidence, “I
Jones lauded church staff and vol- our neighbors. curve, we learned how to reach the leave the good people of Christ by the
Sea with fond memories knowing they
unteers for their “dedication and flex- “The outdoor Christmas Eve service community through live streaming and will be in good hands with their new
pastor.” 
Zoom meetings.

PROVEN LEADERSHIP “Finally, when we were able to re-

open, we did so carefully and incre-
mentally so as to minimize the possi-
bility of virus infection,” Jones said.

“Among his many gifts, his vast expe-

rience, creativity and ability to convey

deep Christian thoughts in a very ac-

cessible way were instrumental in suc-

cessfully leading Christ by the Sea into

safe grounds in this challenging and

unpredictable journey,” Flores said.

Church member June Steinburg was

among the many with fond memories.

“Pastor Bruce helped me get through

my husband Al’s interment,” she said.

“He called me when I was sick with

COVID as he had it at the same time.

He is truly the sun on a cloudy day.”

DERYL LOAR
★ FOR ★

COUNTY
COMMISSION

PAID BY DERYL LOAR, REPUBLICAN, FOR INDIAN RIVER COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT 4

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 9

NEWS

Humane Society es contain a variety of small breeds of
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 all ages. The canines lounge on beds
raised off the ground, have blankets,
as many animals as possible with water and food bowls, toys and treats.
good families. Volunteers assist in walking them and
provide attention until adopted.
Tracey Kinsley, chief communica-
tions officer for the Humane Society, On top of the animals surrendered
pointed to big changes the organiza- at the shelter, cases of animal neglect,
tion has made in recent years, which cruelty and illegal breeding farms have
resulted in a 90 percent “save rate” for added to the center’s population.
animals in 2021 – up 43 percent from
2016. The society cared for more than One feisty little, short-haired, tricol-
3,100 animals last year. or dog was left by himself in the home
of his owner who was hospitalized. He
The average canine stay in the shel- was at home alone for two weeks until
ter has been cut in half since 2016, with found and brought to the center. An-
the typical dog only spending about other 14-year-old terrier’s owner had
passed away. The senior dog just stares

Thirteen-year volunteer Tonya Martinez and PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS
Tracey Kinsley take time to play with some
kittens at the Vero Beach and Indian River
County Humane Society.

two weeks at the Humane Society now. down through the cage with his fore-
But a big component of the 3,100 ani- head leaning on the bars.
mals is cats and kittens, and they are
finding adoptive homes quicker, too. Kinsley said the Humane Society is
In 2016, the average stay for cats was 49 proud of its increasingly high rate as a
days. That was down to 24 days in 2021. no-kill shelter. Its Out-reach Program
So far in 2022, it’s even lower at 20 days. assures that animals will be provided
care and hospice services if necessary.
Presently the Humane Society is shel- It is important for people to be aware
tering 150 animals and is publicizing of neighbors living alone with pets
“Kitten Season” this month focusing on who are suddenly hospitalized. The
the plethora of rescue kittens. There are pets may be brought to the center un-
40 kittens available right now for adop- til the owner is ready to reclaim them.
tion. “Buy one, get one free is the motto
for the program,” Kinsley said. Kinsley said the Humane Society acts
as a depository for Indian River County
Helpless kittens are often left in the Animal Control, the county-run pro-
wild this time of year, and are brought gram which has no shelter of its own.
into the center by residents and by the
Indian River County Animal Control CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
who find them.

Kinsley noted that most cat moth-
ers return to their kittens, and said the
public needs to not be so quick to res-
cue babies in the wild.

Friday afternoon at the Humane So-
ciety center, a family with several chil-
dren came searching for their lost cat.
Their faces were glum as they searched
each cat room with no success. Finally,
it appeared they had decided to adopt
one of the kittens in the nursery.

Another area housing dogs for
adoption is the Small Dog Room. Cag-

10 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Humane Society “This is not a franchise and we are babies as young as six months old and Some families want to protect elderly
not affiliated with the national hu- the CDC agreed with this decision. or immunocompromised relatives by
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 mane society as seen on television getting babies and toddlers vaccinated,
commercials,” Kinsley said. “We col- “COVID-19 vaccines have under- despite the relatively low risk of serious
Once animals are brought into the Hu- lect no funds from these ads. We are gone – and will continue to undergo covid disease in young children, to al-
mane Society, they are examined and completely dependent on donations – the most intensive safety monitor- low safer family visits.
labeled. Animals are held for 5 days. If from our residents and local founda- ing in U.S. history,” CDC Director
no one claims them, they become the tions to operate.”  Rochelle Walensky said. “Parents and In Florida, out of nearly 22 million
property of the Humane Society and caregivers can play an active role in people and 6.3 million cases of CO-
may be put up for adoption. COVID-19 cases still high monitoring the safety of these vac- VID-19, children age 15 and younger
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 cines by signing their children up for – a much broader group than the lat-
Animal Control uses a scanner to v-safe – personalized and confidential est cohort approved for the shot – ac-
search for a microchip on animals re- Control and Prevention reported 22 health check-ins via text messages count for nearly 14 percent of reported
trieved. Most pets are found within one people were hospitalized locally last and web surveys where they can eas- cases, but only 6/100ths of 1 percent
mile from their home. A few pets have week with COVID-19 and that 5.3 per- ily share with CDC how a child feels (.06 percent) of COVID deaths, with
even been flown back to Oregon and cent of staffed hospital beds county- after getting a COVID-19 vaccine.” 46 cumulative child deaths since
Puerto Rico after finding owners via the wide are dedicated to caring for CO- March 2020.
chip. Pets can be lost while vacationing VID-positive patients. That’s up 10 But Florida’s top public health of-
or, worse, abandoned by owners. percent from 20 hospitalizations on ficial questioned whether the benefits Specific data on hospitalizations and
the CDC report one week ago. of vaccinating the very young under deaths in children younger than age 5 is
Euthanasia is reserved for extreme the FDA’s Emergency Use Authoriza- not available on state or CDC reports.
conditions only, such as an impend- “As of this morning we 19 patients tion outweigh the potential risks “for
ing death or imminent danger to in house with COVID, two of which are all children.” In contrast, adults age 50 and older
human beings – a last resort. Only 3 in critical care but not mechanically – a group for which public health offi-
percent of animals have to be eutha- ventilated,” said Arlene Allen-Mitchell, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Lada- cials recommend full vaccination plus
nized, Kinsley said. The determina- spokesperson for Cleveland Clinic In- po has urged federal officials to gath- periodic boosters – account for rough-
tion goes through multiple layers of dian River Hospital. That number was er years of data and then to consider ly 70,000 of the state’s 75,000 deaths
examination and a 15-staff member 15 at the same time last week. granting regular approval for use of the from COVID-related illness.
decision process. vaccine to inoculate the very young.
The uptake of vaccines remains very The age group statewide that has
The Humane Society of Vero Beach slow locally, as only 22 people got shots Dozens of countries had, until earli- been responsible for the largest num-
and Indian River County has served the countywide in the week ending June 16. er this month, required proof of COV- ber of reported cases is 16 to 29. But of
community for nearly 70 years, open- ID-19 vaccination to enter, which had the 1.38 million older teens and young
ing as a nonprofit in 1953. It’s supported The U.S. Food and Drug Adminis- limited travel destinations for families adults who reported having a case
by a foundation, directors and advisory tration approved COVID vaccines for with young children, but most restric- of COVID-19 since March 2020, only
board members, scores of volunteers tions have been dropped altogether 3/100ths of a percent (.03 percent) or
and generous benefactors. this summer, or replaced with proof of 499 people died with complications
a negative COVID test. from the virus. 





Xaque Gruber and
Sophie Bentham-Wood

CHAMBER FETES
SENSATIONAL CENTURY AT
100th ANNIVERSARY GALA

14 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Chamber fetes sensational century at 100th Anniversary Gala

Georgia and Robert Irish. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Helene Caseltine, Andi Smith, Dori Stone and Andrea Beam. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Dinah and Johnny Jennings.

Carla and John Michael Matthews. Jordis Kurz, Cyndi Conway, Eve Bednar and Lauren Frampton. Tracey Kinsley, Michelle Quigley and Kate Meghji.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF along with the 17th “Back in 1995, the board of directors
Staff Writer of the Indian River County Chamber
Street Bridge and of Commerce decided they would like
The Indian River County Chamber to recognize members of the business
of Commerce celebrated a century of I-95/State Road 60 community who not only conducted
supporting positive economic growth their daily business, but also chose to
with a fond look back at the past 100 interchange. volunteer, or shall we say, lend a hand,
years during its 100th Anniversary to help make Vero Beach a better place
Gala at the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Later, the cham- to live and enjoy,” said Loy in the video.

Guests were greeted by Charter ber supported the Kissner announced that the Alma
High School students garbed in out- Lee Loy Award was being presented in
fits of the Roaring ’20s, a nod to when construction of absentia to Ross Cotherman, who was
it all began, while posing for photo- unable to attend that evening.
graphs alongside a collection of clas- the Vero Beach
sic automobiles. Cotherman’s lengthy resume of giv-
Museum of Art, ing back to the community includes
During cocktails, guests strolled co-chairing, with wife Connie, the
through the museum taking in the was identified as Vero Beach High School Fighting Indi-
Vero Collects: Hidden Treasures Re- ans Band Golf Tournament and coach-
vealed exhibit before enjoying a din- the county’s tour- ing their children’s sports teams.
ner catered by Elizabeth D. Kennedy
& Co. in the Holmes Great Hall. ism agency, es- Cotherman has also served in one
capacity or another on the boards of
“It is amazing to look back and rec- tablished the Eco- various nonprofits, including Child-
ognize all the programs, projects and care Resources, the Boys and Girls
advocacy that the chamber has par- nomic Council, Clubs, the United Way, the Indian
ticipated in over the last 100 years,” River County Chamber of Commerce
said Dori Stone, chamber president. and opened its 21st and the Mental Health Association, all
while establishing himself as a CPA in
Utilizing a virtual photo album, Street location. the county, where today he oversees
Stone highlighted the chamber’s his- assurance services for Rehmann’s
tory, beginning with its founding in Angie Gaines, Liam Lewis and Melody Hope. “The chamber Florida offices.
1915 as the Board of Trade. Early ini-
tiatives included the creation of the continues to serve “We, along with our community,

Mosquito Control District, the de- the entire Indian River County com-

velopment of State Road 60, the Vero munity through its many programs,

Beach Airport and the Hospital Dis- causes and committees and volun-

trict. teers, in addition to its tourism and

“During the ’40s and ’50s, the economic development activities,”

chamber saw the construction of the said Stone.

first hospital, the Dodgers coming to Before Michael Kissner, IRCCC

town, bringing major economic im- board chair, announced this year’s

pact to our businesses, and Piper Air- Alma Lee Loy Community Service

craft relocating to Vero Beach,” said Award recipient, guests watched a

Stone. video made by the late Alma Lee Loy,

During the ’60s and ’70s, the Mir- who was the first woman elected to

acle Mile corridor was developed, serve as its board chair.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 15

PEOPLE

benefited greatly from [Cotherman’s] Reading a note from Steve Erickson, sociation, Ross offered a steady and ber has meant to them, which will be
thoughtfulness, wisdom and guid- MHA board chair, Kissner said, “All guiding hand through the effects of placed in a time capsule scheduled to
ance. I couldn’t think of a more deserv- nonprofit organizations go through the pandemic and extreme increase in be opened on May 13, 2122, heralding
ing person to receive the Alma Lee Loy their ups and downs, and Ross Cother- demand for mental health services in the next “100 years forward.”
Award for Outstanding Service in the man is the kind of person you want at Indian River County.”
Community,” said Phil Cromer, MHA the helm for either one of those times. For more information, visit indian-
CEO, in a letter shared by Kissner. Most recently at the Mental Health As- Before they left, attendees were asked riverchamber.com. 
to leave notes sharing what the cham-

16 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 Amy Wagner and George Morales.
Jim and Julia Keenan.

Sherri and Mike Kissner. Dr. Denise Tonner and Mike Lyster. Tori and Stephen Hume.

Tom and Gail Bonaminio, Christina Ballard and Vincenza Tremante.

Sandy Potter, Dr. Bruce Murray and Melissa Kutner.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 17

PEOPLE

Linda and Ray DuBose. Noreen Davis and Heather Dales. Andy and Amy Peace.

Kim Small and Donna D’Alfonso. Sheila and Lee Hunter. Jeff and Jenn Palleschi.

John and Helen Stefanacci.

Chasity Arensen, Lisa Cadiere and Audra Macon.

18 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Art/science projects enlighten at Team ORCA Data Jam

Hannah Sims and Bridget Gerovac. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Allison Bickel and Andrew Bickel. Scott and Ardi Schneider.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Contestants were invited to analyze figuratively, by these amazing art-
Staff Writer scientific datasets collected by ORCA works that we have here today,” said
Citizen Scientists relevant to projects Edith (Edie) Widder, Ph.D., ORCA
The worlds of art and science cre- specific to the Indian River Lagoon founder, CEO and senior scientist, of
atively collided during an inaugural ecosystem, including pollution map- the displayed artwork.
Team ORCA Data Jam at Tree House ping, environmental health assess-
Vero Beach hosted by the Ocean Re- ments, fish and shoreline monitoring. “I’ve worked with artists over the
search and Conservation Association. The participants were then tasked years to try to bring science and art
The celebration was the culmination with disseminating the data in a cre- together as a way to communicate im-
of a hybrid art-science challenge is- ative fashion. portant information. And right now,
sued to age groups ranging from upper what these kids are doing is helping us
elementary school students to adults. The final products included paint- communicate some of the important
ings, sculpture, digital art, drawings, things that we are figuring out at ORCA
about what we all need to be doing in
Sophia Galbraith and Lydia Galbraith. order to make it a more livable situa-
tion,” said Widder.
animation, video, and even an origi-
nal song. Their goal is to determine what is
negatively affecting the lagoon and
Missy Weiss, ORCA director of Citi- how to stop it, explained Widder, add-
zen Science and education, explained ing that the Data Jam was meant to
that the students had first graphed communicate ORCA’s findings “in a
and analyzed the data, before pre- way that doesn’t intimidate people. It’s
senting their findings visually, “to ex- got to make them want to learn more
press and illustrate what the science is about it.”
telling us.”
“I like art and science,” said Alex
“I’m just blown away, literally and Choi, whose animated video about mi-
croplastics won the Elementary School
WINNER BOX division. “I hope my animation helps
people understand the data better.”
ELEMENTARY DIVISION
1st Place – “We did a painting that shows how
fish are affected by garbage,” said So-
Alex Choi; Rosewood Magnet School phia Galbraith, whose piece with Lay-
2nd Place – lynn Comes and Alexander VanDalen
came in second in that division.
Sophia Galbraith, Laylynn Comes
and Alexander VanDalen; And after performing the song she
Rosewood Magnet School and her teammates wrote, Victoria
Lahey said that she is more confident
High School Division than ever that she wants to study ma-
1st Place – Victoria Lahey, Lily Gunter, rine biology.

and Andrew Bickel; Considered to be the nation’s first
Vero Beach High School and technology-based marine conserva-
tion organization, ORCA works to pro-
ORCA Citizen Scientists tect and restore aquatic ecosystems
2nd Place – Amelia Cole; and their inhabitants through the de-
Brevard County High School velopment of innovative technologies,
science-based conservation action,
Adult Division and community education and out-
1st Place – Mary Lou Martin; reach.

ORCA Citizen Scientist For more information, visit Team
2nd Place – Ardi Schneider; ORCA.org. 

ORCA Citizen Scientist

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 19

PEOPLE

Wheels & Keels team ‘checks’ in with even more charities

Vince DeTurris, Grant Mann and Sam Gagliano. Gavin Ruotolo, Karen Johnson and Gordon Sulcer. Kent Soukup, Stu Keiller and Annetta Gregg.

BY MARY SCHENKEL
Staff Writer

Representatives from local chari- Jim Gregg, Cathy De Schouwer and Antoine Jennings. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Vince DeTurris, Shotsi LaJoie, Amanda Ford and Paul Mokha.
ties left the Moorings Yacht and
Country Club with an extra spring in Vero Beach Rowing funding, a ben- sure Coast provides equine-assisted We had 50 volunteers that Saturday;
their step, the recipients of funding eficiary since 2016, provides financial activities for special needs individu- all Moorings residents,” said Ruotolo.
awarded to them by board members assistance to disadvantaged youth, als. “We’ve come a long way over the past
of the Wheels & Keels Foundation and programs for recovering cancer 12 years.”
of Vero Beach, raised during April’s patients and veterans. “We’re always on the lookout for
Wheels & Keels Antique and Exotic startup types of charities. That’s what “We will have the next event May
Car and Boat Show and fundraising The Navy SEAL Trident House we’ll be doing this summer. We will 14-15, 2023, the weekend after Easter.
dinner the evening before. Charities was also added in 2016, to be searching for startup charities,” It’s already booked, and it’ll be here.
support tranquil respite for SEALs said DeTurris. We hope to be as successful then as
“This is the most we’ve ever given and their families. we were this year,” said DeTurris.
out and it’s going to seven charities. Gavin Ruotolo, Wheels & Keels CEO, “The weather was great, the people
We only had five in the past, but we Lines in the Lagoon was added in said that they were distributing close were great, we maxed out with the
added two great charities for us – 2019, to fund supplies for its annual to $160,000 this year, adding that ad- dinner, and we maxed out with our
Crossover Mission and Special Eques- youth fishing tournament, and to de- ditional funds may be allocated this cars. It was a great weekend. We were
trians,” said board president Vince velop younger environmental stew- fall. He noted that they have raised very, very fortunate. Hopefully we get
DeTurris. “We go after charities that ards. and distributed more than $500,000 more like that.”
touch the lives of children and adults to local charities since its inception.
who need it.” Of this year’s additions, Crossover For more information, visit WKVero.
Mission offers year-round basketball “We are sponsored by the Moor- com. 
Recipients included the Youth Sail- and one-to-one academic mentoring; ings Yacht and Country Club. If it
ing Foundation, a beneficiary since and Special Equestrians of the Trea- wasn’t for them, we couldn’t do this.
2010, to support free sailing classes for
children and summer sailing camps.

Funding for the Arc of Indian Riv-
er County, a beneficiary since 2015,
supports the employment of special
needs individuals through the Arc
Oyster Mat Project.





22 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Hole-some fun is par for the course at VNA Golf-A-Thon

Ryan Zug, Pointe West Country Club.

Randy Hedgecock, Vero Beach Country Club. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Troy Pare, Grand Harbor Golf Club.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF body in this room is their devotion tient monitoring, community well- Killen, Indian River Club; Don Mead-
Staff Writer to the VNA,” said Kathie Pierce, VNA ness and a mobile health clinic. ows, Quail Valley Golf Club; Frank
board chair, thanking the pros and Mentzer, Oak Harbor Golf Club; Bela
Birdies and eagles took flight volunteers for their efforts. “This Pierce said she got involved with Nagy, Sandridge Golf Club; Troy
on a gorgeous May morning at the Golf-A-Thon is our sole fundraiser, the VNA, because it provides home Pare, Grand Harbor Golf Club; and
Moorings Yacht & Country Club golf and all of the money we raise from health and hospice care to everyone, Ryan Zug, Pointe West Country Club.
course during the 2022 Golf-A-Thon this goes for charity care.” regardless of their ability to pay. She
to benefit the VNA and Hospice said she believes that every single Steve Hudson and Troy Pare were
Foundation. Founded more than 40 years ago person deserves to have quality care, the overall tournament winners,
to help improve the quality of life for adding that the type of care the VNA with 66 birdies and eagles, and in
Golf pros from 13 local clubs patients in need, regardless of their offers her should be no different the post-game shootout, Matthew
played an impressive 135 holes in a financial resources, the VNA & Hos- from that given to a charity patient. Challenor took first place and Don
single day and, before heading into pice Foundation funds bereavement Meadows came in second.
the clubhouse, swung one last time support, the Camp Chrysalis chil- Volunteers from the pros’ respec-
during a VNA Shoot Out. dren’s bereavement retreat, Hospice tive clubs had solicited funds from “We’re just so pleased that you
House, music therapy, remote pa- supporters so that with each swing are so committed to wanting to take
“What I admire most about every- of their clubs, the golf pros could care of the people in our community
raise funds to support the mission of who desperately need us,” said Lun-
Orchid Travel the nonprofit. At the end of the day, dy Fields, VNA president and CEO.
more than $467,000 was raised to
Full Service Agency for ensure that everyone has access to “Today, we’re taking care of over
all of your Travel Needs. compassionate care. 1,000 people in the community. Be-
cause of the commitment and the
14 night Seven Seas Cruise “It’s always a pleasure to host an gifts and the dedication from the
New York to Miami with event like this,” said tournament people in this room, we can all come
pro host Bob Gruber of the Moor- together as a big team to take care of
Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao ings Club. “We know how much VNA the most vulnerable people in this
All Inclusive Regent Experience Hospice means to our county and county.”
what you all do for everybody.”
with many extras. He said their goal is to ensure that
This year Gruber hosted fellow patients have optimal quality of
[email protected]  772-226-5790 pros Matthew Challenor, Windsor care, and that they experience op-
Golf Club; David Champagne, Or- timal quality of life, whether that
chid Island Golf Club; Drew DiSesa, be end-of-life care or assistance af-
Riomar Country Club; Pat Gorman, ter being released from the hospital
Bent Pine Golf Club; Randy Hedge- post-surgery.
cock, Vero Beach Country Club; Steve
Hudson, John’s Island Golf Club; Ian For more information, visit vnatc.
org. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 23

PEOPLE

Margery Sparks and Barbara Gervais. Louise Schmitt and Barbara Morgan. Marg Collins and Jennie Hadsell.

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24 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Orchid Island 5K runs up $18K for Hibiscus Children’s Center

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Hibiscus Children’s Center.
Staff Writer “We’re very happy to have a suc-

More than 200 Orchid Island Golf cessful 5K again this year. It’s our
& Beach Club members and guests 20th year that we’ve done this, and
– some with their canine running every year we raise money to support
buddies – laced up in April for the organizations in need here in town,”
20th annual 5K Walk/Run, and an- said Rob Tench, Orchid Island gen-
other eighty members sponsored eral manager, before presenting the
the annual event, all to benefit the nonprofit with a check for $18,000.

“Like all of the donations we get,

Rob Tench, Michelle King, Loreto Murray, Danny Trennepohl and Bill Kennedy. PHOTO: STEPHANIE LABAFF

this is going to help our kids have a munity. This is a popular event, and
better future,” said Michelle King, it combines philanthropy and physi-
HCC chief development officer. She cal fitness,” said Bill Kennedy, who
added that the funds are especially chairs the racquets and fitness com-
needed at the end of the fiscal year mittee for Orchid’s board of gover-
to make up for budgetary shortfalls nors. “A lot of people here are very
and increases in the cost of living. fortunate, and they want to give back
to the community and give locally.”
“We’ll be doing summer camp for
all of our kids. Anything you do with He noted that the race is scheduled
your kids, we try to do for our kids, near Easter so that members can in-
and we have 40,” added King. clude their children and grandchil-
dren in the activity.
Danny Trennepohl, Orchid Island
fitness director, recalled that the “It’s a fun thing to do. There’s a
idea for the first 5K fundraiser was hardcore runner group, and then
the result of a wedding party that there are just people who go out for
Mr. and Mrs. David Sams held for a walk,” said Kennedy, adding with a
their daughter. smile that he wondered whether the
post-race breakfast might also be
“He [David Sams] gave the money part of the draw.
to Habitat for Humanity, which gave
me the idea to start our own 5K,” ex- Club members Peter Hauser and
plained Trennepohl. Emma Mani took top honors as the
fastest male and female finishers. 
“This is a very physically fit com-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 25

PEOPLE

Sophie Bentham-Wood and Ed Shanaphy.
Susan Keating and Charlie McGovern.

Jo-Anne and John Kennedy with their grandchildren.

26 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PETS

Bonz says there aren’t many sweeter than Skeeter

Hi Dog Buddies! popped back down, sat and sure do hope she comes back.”
I resisted the urge, as a dedi-
This week I innerviewed another looked up at his Mom. She said
good-size poocheroo, about one anna cated bachelor, to pass along
haff, 75 pounds. Skeeter Mastropi- “OK,” he popped back onto some words of wisdom, an instead
etro has a character-ISS-tick I see in asked, “Whaddya like to do when
so many of you rescue pooches who, the chair and she gave him a you’re off work?”
even though you’ve gone through
some really Soggy Dog Biscuits stuff, treat. “Well, I really enjoy Nappin’.
are happy an loving an eager for Bein’ safe an secure an just plain
What’s Next. That’s what humans call “I’m still learnin’ what Skeeter. ol’ Nappin’. Yep.
Ree- ZILLY-unce.
comes first,” he said. “I al- “Also, Me an Mom an Dad love
Skeeter is a neat an shiny black- trail hikin’ and kayakin’. We ex-
an-white terrier mixture, with a big ways try to watch Mom cuz I plore cool kibbles woodsy trails an
white bib, extra-large white paws, an jungle-y rivers. I DON’T, however,
black ears that stick up then flop over ALWAYS wanna be oh-BEE- SWIM. I do NOT like ackshully goin’
at the top. A hansome pupper, for IN the water. (I’m not a bath fan, ei-
sure. Me an my assistant met Skeeter DEE-unt. Mom says I’m Food ther.) I just sit in the kayak an ob-
at his workplace, South Paw Canine serve NAY-chur with Mom an Dad.
Country Club, where he is the Live- Motivated. Like, when she An admire the birds. Never chase
In Caretaker Assistant. It’s out in the ’em. It’s so peaceful.
country with lotsa trees, suites for says, ‘Give Paw’ and I do, I “At night, that’s the time for snug-
the guests, cage-free with speshull glin’. I sleep with Mom, of course. An
inside-outside doors, and Skeeter get a salmon treat. Some- I hafta be UNDER the covers. I mean,
makes sure everything is ship shape. I can’t go to sleep unless I am. An I
times, when I think it’s time usually slurp for a while on the edg-
We got settled on the nice porch, an es of my blanket before I fall asleep,
Skeeter joined us soon as he finished for a treat and she doesn’t probly cuz I didn’t get to stay with
his rounds. He came right up for the my pooch mama long enough. When
Wag-an-Sniff, a big ball of excitement say ‘Give Paw,’ I bop her Dad’s home, I am a Total Daddy’s Boy.
with a very smiley face. I’m so lucky to have my own Furever
hand to remind her. Famly, Mr. Bonzo!”
“Hi, Mr. Bonzo! It’s me, Skeeter, Headin’ home, I was picturin’ char-
an this is my Mom, Nicole. She’s the “Anyway, near as I can remember, I a pooch pal and the Humane Soci- min’ Skeeter all spruce in his pink
Head Caretaker. My Dad’s Nicholas. scarf, an so happy to have a Mom
An this is my Great Aunt Stacey, she’s think it was last Feb-you-wary, I was ety had Just The Dog For Her. We met anna Dad, a fluffy, snuggly blan-
The Boss. I saw your column with ket, an salmon treats. I smiled at the
pickshurs an stuff. Is My pickshur livin’ inna big ol’ metal sorta box in each other there in Feb-you-wary an thought.
gonna be in it, too? See, I’m wearin’ Till next time,
my speshull silky pink an black scarf Vero Beach, it’s called a DUMM-ster. That Was That. I was still A Lotta Dog
which looks good with my fur, don- The Bonz
cha think? Just in case.” The Animal Control humans scooped but Mom knew what to do. Now I’m
Don’t Be Shy
He did look exceedingly spruce and me up an brought me to the Humane Way Better. I love learnin’ stuff an I
I told him so. We are always looking for pets
Society. I was a skinny, hungry mess found out I’m ackshilly pretty smart. with interesting stories.
“I can’t wait to hear how you found
your Furever Famly and got such a but, when they got me all tidied up Who Knew? The only thing I still have To set up an interview, email
Cool Kibbles job,” I said. [email protected].
an ready for adop-shun, I was pretty trubble with sometimes is diggin’ in
Skeeter jumped onto the chair next
to my assistant, then said “Oops!” an cute, I guess. An I did get adopted. trash cans. But I’m getting’ Much

Two times. An both times I got re- Better. I’m learnin’ what’s mine and

turned.” what’s not. Now I only (mostly) chew

“Woof! Why, Skeeter?” I asked. my antler an my bully stick.

“I think it was cuz I was just Too “An now, workin’ here, I get along

Much Dog. I chewed pretty much great with the guests. I get tons of

Everything! An I bounced a lot. I exercise runnin’ with the big dogs.

was so happy to have food an wa- Mom says I must have some Cat in

ter anna safe place to sleep an stuff. me, or maybe a bunny, or a guh-zelle,

I just couldn’t HELP myself. But, I cuz I bounce when I run. I don’t even

didn’t get along with fellow pooches know what the Woof a guh-zelle IS.

back then, probly cuzza livin’ on the “Anyway,” Skeeter lowered his

streets an havin’ to defend my space voice, “just between us, Mr. Bonzo,

an whatever I found to eat.” I guess I’m what you’d call a Ladies’

“Oh, Skeeter. That sounds awful,” I Dog. There’s Miss Lucy, she’s a Boxer.

sympathized. Oh, an yesterday I met this Totally

“It was. I was wonderin’ If I’d end Cool Kibbles liddle terrier mix: She

up back inna DUMM-ster. But then, looked So Much Like Me, see!” (He

guess what? Mom had always hadda showed me a pickshur of the two of

dog but she didn’t just then. An when them an they totally did look alike.)

she got the job of being Caretaker “Her name’s Harlee. She was here

here she decided she really needed for spa day. She was Soo-oo cute. I



28 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

junglMeetxricaoin's
BY ANDREA NAVARRO has become AMLO’s white whale.
Bloomberg In the best-case scenario, it will end

The clear-cut through the forest in AMLO discusses the project up costing taxpayers billions more than
Mexico’s southeast is 75-miles long, at a press conference. was planned. In the worst, it could col-
about 130-feet wide, and as straight as lapse into the Earth.
modern engineering can make it.
The train route has seven distinct
It’s the right of way for a train—the sections, being built simultaneously.
Maya Train, or Tren Maya, which will The idea is to develop the small towns
run for 965 miles and connect five states where the train will stop and give tour-
in the Yucatán Peninsula. This is argu- ists a simpler way to travel between
ably President Andrés Manuel López magnet destinations such as Cancún
Obrador’s most ambitious infrastruc- and Tulum and lesser known gems like
ture project, and he’s vowed, repeatedly, Campeche and Izamal.
to have it ready by the end of next year.
AMLO describes it as transforma-
The project is running up against tive—as he’s pointed out, big indus-
construction challenges, cost over- trial investments rarely make their
runs, environmental lawsuits, street way to this part of the country. (He
protests, and supply-chain shortages. himself is from nearby Tabasco state.)
With less than two years to go before Polls show that a majority of Mexicans
this self-imposed deadline, the train approve of the train, and many critics
of AMLO’s plan acknowledge the ben-
efits of a rail line in the Yucatán. Just

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 29

INSIGHT COVER STORY

not this rail line, built this way. Jungle clearing advances
Old railways dating to the 1950s cover in Section 5.

about half the route, and they’re being principle as president, except when it
overhauled to handle modern rolling comes to two projects he sees as his lega-
stock. To lay track along the rest of the cy: Tren Maya and a refinery in the state
route, construction crews are tearing of Tabasco. The train is now expected to
through rainforest that’s home to hun- cost about $11.8 billion, an almost 65%
dreds of endangered jaguars, as well as increase from the original estimated
pumas, ocelots, and armadillos. budget of $7.2 billion. The refinery proj-
ect is up to $12.5 billion from an original
The route between Cancún and Tu- estimate of $8 billion.
lum, Section 5, is proving the trickiest.
The train will run atop a system of un- A poorly managed pandemic left Mex-
derground caves, rivers, and cenotes — ico with the fifth-highest Covid-19 death
beautiful water-filled caverns partially toll in the world, and rampant and violent
open to the sky. The tracks are being crime is hitting some of the same spots
laid on the roof of this underground AMLO is looking to connect with the
world. Experts say that in places it train. Yet every week, the president dedi-
might not be strong enough to survive cates a portion of his daily press confer-
the weight and vibration. ences to Tren Maya, delivering progress
reports and insisting the rail line will be
The president will have none of it, and inaugurated in December 2023.
his bulldozers are powering through.
When asked about any of the issues,
Austerity has been AMLO’s guiding challenges, and time concerns facing

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

30 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 INSIGHT COVER STORY

It's unclear how much of the
train's 965 miles of track will run
near or atop cenotes like this one.

A protester in Playa del Carmen,
south of Cancún. The sign says,

"No train on cenotes."

the project, his response is a variation of tions, but it takes time, and it takes de- The clearest confirmation that they proved too expensive. García says the
the same: The opposition is against his tailed geological and geophysical stud- didn’t carry out a careful study of the best option was to build it at ground lev-
attempts to transform the country. ies to know exactly where construction ground is that they keep changing the el. That would have required that some
can proceed safely, says Zenón Medina- route every few weeks,” said Ana Es- existing overpasses be elevated. The
The opposition, as AMLO sees it, is Cetina, associate professor at the Zachry ther Ceceña, coordinator of the Latin government now says it will complete
legislators, biologists, economists — Department of Civil & Environmental American Observatory of Geopolitics the entrance sometime in the future.
anyone, really — who’ve spoken out Engineering at Texas A&M University at National Autonomous University of Until then, tourists who want to take the
against the train, or for that matter any College of Engineering. Mexico’s Institute of Economic Investi- train to Merida will have to drive the fi-
aspect of his administration. gations. “It’s all so rushed.” nal 60 kilometers.
“One of the greater risks when talk-
“We’re not dealing with concerns ing about karst is collapse,” he says. His The route for the train has indeed “It’s about just getting it done, foolish-
about the route or about the environ- father, Zenón Medina-Domínguez, the undergone multiple changes. Grass- ly,” Ceceña says, “even if it doesn’t serve
ment,” he said in early April. “It’s not former head of the College of Civil Engi- roots campaigns carried out by local its original purpose.”
that people love cenotes and fauna. It neers of Yucatán, agrees: “One can never indigenous groups and other activists
has to do with money, with political op- trust the ground. You have to talk to it, have tangled the project in dozens of Mexico’s southeast lays claim to the
position. They’re against us.” have a dialogue, and let it tell you how lawsuits that have halted construction largest tropical rainforest in Latin Amer-
it wants to behave. You always have to in various places for stretches of time. ica after the Amazon, according to the
The Yucatán Peninsula has for de- think about possible failures.” Pressed for time, the government gave nonprofit Global Forest Watch. In ad-
cades attracted tourists who flock to its up on one of them and decided to skip dition to capturing carbon, the forest is
white-sand Caribbean beaches, or to Collapse is common around the pen- the city of Campeche. The train will home to hundreds of endangered jag-
visit the archaeological treasures the insula. The highways that connect Méri- now run adjacent to it. uars and a host of other animals large
Mayan culture left behind. The area da, Cancún, Tulum, and beyond have and small, including the Yucatán parrot.
is also a magnet for scientists looking seen their fair share of large and small In colonial Mérida, local engineers
to study the impact of a meteor that sinkholes over the years. The train’s spent nine months in talks with the gov- AMLO pledged emphatically when
smashed into Earth 65 million years ago, weight and dynamic load will put much ernment explaining why regular flood- promoting Tren Maya that the route
causing the extinction of the dinosaurs. more pressure on the ground than cars ing meant it wasn’t a good idea to build would go through land that had already
have ever done, says Medina-Cetina. the train’s entrance to the town under- been cleared. That has turned out to be
Even before the asteroid hit, most of ground. “It wasn’t until Mother Nature false. Anyone driving the train’s route
the peninsula’s ground was already pe- AMLO’s administration was widely came in and showed them,” says Miguel in Section 4 — 160 miles parallel to the
culiar and relatively fragile. Geologists criticized for beginning construction García, who at the time was the head of highway between Kantunil in Yucatán
estimate as much as 85% of Tren Maya without detailed studies to determine the College of Civil Engineers of Yuca- and Cancún in Quintana Roo — will see
will run through karstic areas. the train’s economic and technical vi- tán. Three tropical storms and two hur- the hundreds of miles of thick trees that
ability. One government document ricanes battered the city in 2020, proving have been torn up and cut down.
Karst is what becomes of limestone that analyzed the construction’s envi- how hard it would be to build the train
and other kinds of rocks when constant ronmental impact called for “exhaus- underground and keep it from flooding. Drone footage near the town of Val-
contact with water creates erosion that tive geophysical studies” to determine, ladolid shows a massive clearing in the
eventually leads to sinkholes and un- with precision, where it’s safe to build. Fonatur then explored building an rainforest that will presumably be used
derground cave systems. That’s why the Whether they were done is a mystery. elevated entrance to the train, but that for one of the train’s stations.
peninsula is famous for its cenotes. It’s
not impossible to build in these condi- “When he says they won’t cut any

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 31

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Roberto Rojo. simple idea to an operational project in Some critics of Tren Maya say the sense tracts to build Tren Maya agreed to
a little less than five years. of hurry is worryingly familiar. They’re comment for this story or to make ex-
trees to build this, I get confused, is he haunted by the tragedy of Línea 12, a ecutives available for interviews to
speaking metaphorically or is he just In September, Rogelio Jiménez Pons, 25-kilometer metro track in Mexico City. talk about their progress, studies being
living in another world?” says Pedro Uc, at that time the head of Fonatur, told the Almost from the moment service began carried out, and overall safety of the
a poet and activist who lives in the town newspaper El Financiero about the new in 2012, there were concerns about the construction, referring all requests to
of Buctzotz and is part of a group car- cost estimates. He partly blamed the in- quality of the construction; at one point, Fonatur. Fonatur declined several re-
rying out several lawsuits against the crease on the pandemic, saying Italy and most stations on the line were closed for quests for comments and interviews.
train’s construction. Germany, which were to provide rail- almost two years. In May 2021 the track
way sleepers, had closed their borders collapsed, killing 26 people and injuring In April, AMLO said he’d start visiting
At a time when threats to tropical rain- for lengthy periods. Prices for shipping 98. The primary cause was construction the Tren Maya route every month to make
forests across the world are imminent and raw materials such as steel had also errors and poor maintenance, including sure everything is on track. “I only have
and scientists point to deforestation as increased steeply, he said. By January, missing and poorly installed bolts, ac- two and a half years left in my mandate,
a major cause of climate change, AMLO Jiménez Pons was out of the job amid ru- cording to both an official report and the and I’m just thinking of leaving nothing
sees the threat to his project in envi- mors that the president had lost his pa- Mexico City prosecutor’s office. unfinished, nothing pending,” he said.
ronmentalists themselves. “We know tience with him. Jiménez Pons declined “I want to retire with a clear conscience
there’s a political campaign against the to comment for this story. None of the companies with con- that I helped the country transform.” 
train that’s being financed by interna-
tional organizations and Mexican busi-
nessmen and they’re using pseudo en-
vironmentalists to carry it out,” he said
one recent morning.

Among the many changes the train’s
route has undergone, one of the most
controversial is in the fifth section, the
stretch between Cancún and Tulum.
The initial idea was to expand a busy
highway that connects Cancún to near-
by resort towns in the south and have
the train run next to it, much like what
is happening in the fourth section. This
right of way for the train would have
been 50-feet wide.

Local hoteliers wouldn’t have it, say-
ing those 50-feet came too close to their
properties. In January, the train was re-
routed farther inland. Construction be-
gan almost immediately, even though
the change meant cutting through al-
most untouched rainforest and building
on top of the cenotes.

On May 30, a federal judge halted
all work being done from Playa del
Carmen to Tulum, citing a lack of ad-
equate environmental studies and the
“imminent and irreversible” damage
to the area if work continues. Fonatur
said construction will continue while
it fights the order in court.

“These are superfragile ecosystems,”
says biologist and activist Roberto Rojo,
who’s also a speleologist, an expert in
caves. “These caves will collapse when a
train goes above them, and we’ll see the
entire area’s water supply affected. The
entire region depends on this supply. It
really is a source of life.”

Infrastructure projects the size and
scope of Tren Maya take years to plan
and many more to execute. AMLO’s
timeline means the train will go from a

32 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT EDITORIAL

BY DIANA LEONARD dar, were killed by insects during those years, and months of 2022 were the driest on record for Cali-
the effects of the past two years of extreme drought fornia, according to data from NOAA. Parts of the
They are the largest trees in the world, living mon- are also becoming apparent. central and southern Sierra are now in exceptional
uments with massive trunks and towering canopies drought, the most severe category. The 2021-22 wa-
that can thrive for 3,000 years. But ancient sequoia Given record-setting dryness in 2022, another sig- ter year has been the third-driest on record in the
trees, which have been decimated by severe wildfires nificant die-off is possible this year. southern Sierra, behind 2020-21 and 1976-77.
around California’s Sierra Nevada, are struggling to
keep up with ever worsening conditions. And this “We are starting to see rapid mortality and elevated The dice are loaded for a well-above-normal wild-
summer, they could face their worst fate yet. mortality again, especially in pines,” Brigham said. fire season in the West, including in California, said
Ronnie Abolafia-Rosenzweig, a postdoctoral re-
The trees, which grow in a narrow band of the Si- Research has linked severe burning to swaths of searcher at the National Center for Atmospheric Re-
erra Nevada, are accustomed to frequent wildfires overly dense forest – a legacy of decades of firefight- search in Boulder, Colo.
– their tree rings show fire recurring every six to 30 ing – and high tree mortality, both of which have
years. But the worsening intensity of recent blazes helped to drive “mass fires” and firestorms. In a recent study, Abolafia-Rosenzweig and his co-
have been too much for them to handle. Since 2020, authors found that winter and spring climate is strong-
three fires have resulted in the loss of 13 to 19 per- Hardlund, who is also a graduate student at Uni- ly related to summer wildfire activity and to increases
cent of the entire population, said Christy Brigham, versity of California at Berkeley, said changes in in burned area over the past four decades in the west-
chief of resources management and science at Se- fuel, weather and climate conditions are leading to ern United States. Previous research has linked those
quoia and Kings Canyon national parks. changes in observed fire behavior. increases to human-caused climate change.

In August 2020, the Castle Fire killed up to 10,600 “When you don’t have any fire history in the last “We found that spring snowpack modulates how
trees. And as many as 3,637 sequoias were killed or century, you have 100 years of fuel buildup,” she said. dry and hot summers are, where early snow disap-
will ultimately die as a result of the September 2021 As a result, forests have an abundance of smaller trees, pearance favors hotter and drier summers,” he said.
Windy and KNP Complex fires in the southern Sierra where fires can start before spreading to mature trees.
Nevada, according to the National Park Service. Summer heat, in turn, is supercharging wildfires.
Hotter and longer fire seasons due to climate This year, the Sierra are “likely to have dry conditions
While fires at lower intensity have beneficial effects change are exacerbating already volatile forest condi- in late summer that enable large and fast-growing
for the giant trees by clearing out the flammable veg- tions. As climate warms, forests are becoming more wildfires,” Abolafia-Rosenzweig said.
etation and helping to release seeds from their sturdy flammable and increasingly dense due to a lack of
cones, Brigham said the main concern is the “large what experts call “good fire,” which can reduce fire That could signal a risky season for the gigantic
patches of high-severity fire.” fuels while maintaining forest health, such as the in- trees.
tentional burning used by Indigenous tribes for thou-
“The scale at which we are seeing high-severity fire sands of years. The Save the Redwoods League has called for emer-
right now – sequoias haven’t evolved with that,” said gency measures to protect sequoia groves from further
Linnea Hardlund, a giant sequoia forest fellow with Add a tremendous amount of dead and down ma- destruction, in addition to long-term policy changes.
Save the Redwoods League. “It continues to be sur- terial from the 21st-century megadrought and you The group is pushing to treat 2,000 acres of the most-
prising to a lot of people that giant sequoias are dying have the ingredients for extreme fires that can burn at-risk groves before the 2023 fire season to remove
at this rate.” for weeks and form pyrocumulus clouds, billowing unnatural vegetation buildup, including with care-
vertical smoke clouds that indicate a fire is burning fully planned prescribed burning.
Sequoias have thick bark that can withstand low- unusually hot as it consumes a forest. These intense
er-intensity fire, and their high canopies are usually blazes are capable of damaging or killing trees that “Both the land cover and the climate are factors
above the flames, Hardlund said. But recent fires are have historically thrived with frequent fire. – and we have control over both,” Abolafia-Rosenz-
reaching and consuming the canopy. weig said. “We’re able to consider how both relate to
Now in a third year of drought, Sierra forests and growing fire risks and manage both accordingly.” 
The southern Sierra, hard hit during the 2012-2016 giant sequoias face similar threats this summer.
drought, has become an epicenter for tree mortality. A version of this column first appeared in The
Drought-weakened trees, particularly pine and ce- Paltry snowpack melted out early this year, reach- Washington Post. It does not necessarily reflect the
ing zero percent in the southern Sierra on May 24 views of Vero Beach 32963.
— just two days later than last year. The first five

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

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 33

INSIGHT OP-ED

When Diane Ashton asks Ticketmaster and a Ticketmaster gift card to pay ANSWER: If this were a Jim Gaffigan routine, I
for a refund, it returns the money she $224. could imagine him doing an impres-
spent on her Jim Gaffigan event tickets, Jim Gaffigan is funny. Not getting your sion of a Ticketmaster representative.
but not her gift cards. Are the cards re- The show was scheduled for April 10, refund from Ticketmaster? I fail to see "Oh," he might say, "You want a reeeee-
fundable or not? 2020, then rescheduled to July 24, 2020, any humor in that. fund on that?" (OK, maybe it works bet-
and finally to Sept. 24, 2021. I could not ter on stage.)
QUESTION: attend, so on Sept. 8, 2021, I requested a Ticketmaster should have refunded
refund via email. both the credit card charges and the Ticketmaster doesn't always refund
I have been trying to get a refund value of the gift card. Its policy on can- tickets that are eligible per its policy.
from Ticketmaster for two tickets A few weeks later, I received a refund celed events is clear: "We will issue a I've advocated for a lot of customers
I bought almost three years ago. I of $74 on my credit card from Ticket- refund to the original method of pay- like you were left with worthless event
purchased two tickets for a Jim Gaf- Master, the amount I paid using my ment used at time of purchase, once tickets. You can blame the pandemic
figan show at Radio City Music Hall credit card. But Ticketmaster still owes funds are received from the Event Or- for some of it, but not all.
in October 2019. I used a credit card me $150, which is the amount I paid ganizer." There's no mention of gift
using a TicketMaster gift card. cards being nonrefundable. As I read the correspondence be-
tween you and Ticketmaster, I felt a
I have repeatedly asked Ticketmaster Why the delay? Part of the problem little frustrated. You were polite and
to issue a credit to my account. I have may have been that you discarded the brief, and it looks like Ticketmaster just
submitted numerous requests through gift card after you used the credit. But sent you form letters that didn't even
the Ticketmaster app and via email, to that's just speculation. Ticketmaster answer your question.
no avail. I've tried several phone num- could see that you paid for the tickets
bers, but none give the option to talk to with a gift card, and it could have eas- I publish the names, numbers and
a real live human. It's extremely frus- ily returned the credit to a new card – email addresses of the Ticketmaster
trating. if it had wanted to. executives on my consumer advocacy
site, Elliott.org. A brief, polite email to
one of them might have worked.

I contacted Ticketmaster on your
behalf. It sent you a new gift card for
$150. 

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





36 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

James Burrows is a man of many monikers. He DIRECTED BY JAMES BURROWS gested that before Niles and Frasier sit down at their
has been called the Sitcom Sorcerer, the Willie Mays table, Pierce take out his handkerchief, wipe off his
of Directing and the Obi-Wan Kenobi of Sitcoms, FIVE DECADES OF STORIES FROM THE LEGENDARY DIRECTOR seat and offer the handkerchief to his brother to do
to name a few. The credit of “Directed by James OF TAXI, CHEERS, FRASIER, FRIENDS, WILL & GRACE AND MORE likewise. It became a character-defining trait.
Burrows” is about the surest bet there is in enter-
tainment. He has shepherded some of television’s BY JAMES BURROWS WITH EDDY FRIEDFELD | 368 PP. $28.99 The shows on which Burrows put his inimitable
best series, including “Taxi,” “Cheers,” “Frasier,” REVIEW BY DONALD LIEBENSON, THE WASHINGTON POST stamp share heart, humor and humanity. The chap-
“Friends” and “Will & Grace” to iconic status. A stag- ter on “Will & Grace,” the Peabody Award-winning
gering 75 of the series pilots he directed, including script,” Burrows writes, “I want to think, ‘This is fun- series about the friendship between a gay man and
“The Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men,” ny, I can add to this.’” a straight woman, is a reminder, he writes, of how
advanced to series. at its best, “television is one of the most important
A case in point is the pilot episode of “Frasier,” platforms for creating awareness and advancing
It is a measure of his standing in popular culture which introduced David Hyde Pierce in his multi- understanding between people, race, gender, and
that in 2016, NBC broadcast “An All-Star Tribute to Emmy Award-winning role as Frasier Crane’s even culture.”
James Burrows.” When Steven Spielberg heard that more supercilious and neurotic brother, Niles. In his
Burrows was described as the Steven Spielberg of first scene, he and Frasier (Kelsey Grammar) await That show, in particular, benefited from the
Sitcoms, the Academy Award winner called Bur- a table at their favorite coffeehouse. The banter chemistry of its core ensemble. Chemistry, Bur-
rows and told him that he wanted to be known as between them sets the series’ rarefied comic tone rows states, is as important as the comedy. “When
the James Burrows of Movies. (“When was the last time you had an unexpressed I direct a television show,” he writes, “I try to reach
thought?” an annoyed Frasier asks. “I’m having one that sweet spot where the best script meets the best
Burrows’ memoir, “Directed by James Burrows,” now,” Niles grins to his pompous brother.) performance and the best chemistry between per-
co-written with Eddy Friedfeld, makes great binge formers.”
reading for comedy buffs and aficionados of Must It’s a funny scene, but as Burrows relates, he sug-
See TV. It’s as difficult to put down as a “Friends” Sometimes this can be challenging. Of Eng-
marathon is to turn off. lish actress Helen Baxendale, who portrayed Ross’
eventual fiancee on “Friends,” he writes, “She was
Burrows has directed more than 1,000 episodes nice but not particularly funny. [David] Schwim-
of television, but who’s counting? He is. “Four epi- mer had no one to bounce off. It was like clapping
sodes of ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’” he writes, with one hand.” (I respectfully disagree; I found her
“11 episodes of ‘The Bob Newhart Show,’ eight of character charming and funny, proving once again
‘Laverne & Shirley,’ 19 of ‘Phyllis,’ 75 of ‘Taxi,’ 243 of that comedy is subjective and that I am a sucker for
‘Cheers,’ 32 of ‘Frasier,’ 15 of ‘Friends,’ 49 of ‘Mike a British accent.)
& Molly,’ and 246 of ‘Will & Grace.’” Check out his
IMDB page for a complete rundown of this Pro- Speaking of chemistry, Burrows does reveal that
methean director’s credits. there was one actor he flat-out hated: Marcel, the
monkey on “Friends.” “I told everyone who would
Not that they were all hits, or that some classic listen, ‘When I come back to direct another episode,
series didn’t get away. “I passed on both ‘Seinfeld’ please, no monkey,’” he writes.
and ‘Designing Women,’” he writes. “I didn’t see the Burrows was born to the breed. His father was Abe
potential of either at the time. It happens.” He also Burrows, the celebrated comedy writer for radio and
moved on from “Friends” after the second season. Broadway whose stage credits include “How to Suc-
“One of my few regrets in my career is that I didn’t ceed in Business Without Really Trying,” “Guys &
stay with those six kids,” he writes. Dolls” and “Cactus Flower.” He feels the same way
about sitcoms as his father felt about his plays. Bur-
“Directed by James Burrows” is enlivened by script rows relates that someone once asked his father,
excerpts of memorable moments from Burrows’ “Abe, why don’t you direct drama?” Abe responded,
oeuvre. The reader’s ability to visualize the scenes is “I do direct drama – they just happen to be funny.”
a testament not only to the writers and actors who Perhaps the most valuable lesson Burrows learned
brought to life these indelible characters, but to Bur- from his father about comedy was one about per-
rows’ genius for finding the grace notes that get what spective. “He once pointed to his glasses and said
he calls “the best, smartest, character-driven laughs.” to me, ‘Most people look at the world this way,’” he
writes. “He then skewed his glasses on his face and
The book is brimming with great behind-the- said, ‘I look at the world this way.’ I wound up devel-
scenes stories about some of television’s most be- oping the same philosophy, even though I’ve never
loved series and the artists who created and starred worn glasses.” 
in them. But it is especially valuable as a primer on
what a comedy director does. “When I read a pilot

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 37

INSIGHT BRIDGE

NORTH

WHEN YOU SAY NINE, DO NOT THINK 10 —

By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist A Q 10

H.L. Mencken said, “The cynics are right nine times out of 10.” QJ87

When you are in the world’s most common contract, three no-trump, you are trying to WEST Q J 10 9 8 7
win nine tricks. Hoping for 10 instead is not a good idea when the necessary play puts J85 EAST
your contract in jeopardy. (Yes, if you are playing in a duplicate pairs event, and the 987543
chance for an overtrick is good, you should go for it. In that scoring system, overtricks K5 Q 10 9 3 2
can be very valuable.) K4
J2
In this week’s deal, South should be happy with nine tricks. What ought he to do after
West leads the heart nine? A63

Not many pairs would end in three no-trump, but five of either minor ought to fail. In this 652
auction, South ignored his diamond suit. Then, when North showed that suit, South
temporized with three hearts, suggesting that he needed some help in that suit for no- SOUTH
trump. North, with good hearts and the spade void, bid three no-trump; and South was
happy to pass. AK764

Declarer began with six top tricks: two spades, three hearts and one club. There K7
were four more winners available in clubs, but communications were iffy. If South had
immediately played the club ace and another club, West would have taken that trick and 10 9 4 2
led another heart to strand declarer in the dummy and leave him with only eight tricks.
A3
So, South carefully cashed the spade ace first, getting his ninth trick in the bank. Then
he played the ace and another club. But if he had greedily cashed both top spades, he Dealer: South; Vulnerable: Both
would have lost one club, two diamonds and three spades.
The Bidding:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
1 Spades Pass 2 Clubs Pass
2 NT Pass 3 Diamonds Pass LEAD:
3 Hearts Pass 3 NT All Pass 9 Hearts

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38 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (JUNE 16) ON PAGE 62

ACROSS DOWN
1 Neckband (6) 1 Cry bog (anag.) (6)
4 Leg joints (5) 2 Secret affair (7)
8 Copper/zinc alloy (5) 3 Various (8)
9 Normal; senior officer(7) 4 Type; generous (4)
10 Modesty; book (7) 5 Mistake (5)
11 Gratis (4) 6 Vendor (6)
12 Finish (3) 7 Accord (5)
14 Formerly (4) 13 Gardened (anag.)(8)
15 Deserve (4) 16 Practical type (7)
18 Quick swim (3) 17 Manage to find (6)
21 That hurt! (4) 19 Roost, sit (5)
23 Issue (from) (7) 20 Shooting star (6)
25 Pasty; spiritless (7) 22 Fad (5)
26 Muck (5) 24 Leave out (4)
27 Throw out (5)
The Telegraph 28 Press chief (6)

How to do Sudoku:

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

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 39

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 110 Leaves 60 Dull writer The Washington Post
1 Board, as the bandwagon 116 Actress-teacher Hagen 61 Masked
6 Many a star’s downfall 117 Deli query 63 Bible pronoun THE 4-H CLUB By Merl Reagle
11 Greek letter 122 See 57 Down 64 Largest volcano in Europe
15 Receiver of the action, 123 Word on a February card 67 Bowlers, e.g.
124 How to get information, old- 68 Spillane’s ___ Jury
in gram. 69 Mushroomed
18 Head wreath style 70 Citrus drink brand
20 “What’s ___?” 125 Behind the ship 71 Currently enthusiastic
21 Lime drinks 126 Penetrate the haze 72 TV oldie,
22 The varnished truth 127 British gun
23 Unfeeling vamp 128 Grace’s partner ___ Three Lives
26 Sot’s ailment 129 Word before nuts or drinks 73 Part of LCD
27 “Awake ___” 78 Award for Asimov or Zelazny
DOWN 79 Edition
(Isa. 26:19) 1 Routine reaction? 80 Bible verb
28 Where Ephesus was 2 ___ even keel 82 Ernst of number fame
29 Meditation teachers 3 Cowpoke’s chum 83 Jai ___
31 Creator of Meg, Jo, Beth, 4 Track quote 84 Sea swallow
5 Radar’s favorite soda 85 Realm destroyed by
and Amy
35 Canary island? brand, on M*A*S*H Napoleon: abbr.
37 Windmill part 6 Prickly seedcase 89 Actress Chase
38 Elephant’s tale 7 Elect 90 Polished
44 Actor Burton 8 An addition? 92 007 gadget, e.g.
45 Arizona county 9 Astrologer’s concern 93 ___ Itza
46 Still 10 Nymph who pined away 94 Sailing
47 Phone attachment? 11 Most like the Marx Bros. 96 Tom of Indy
48 Peaceful 12 ___ Vincent Millay 98 Nickname of football great
50 Novelist Bret 13 It’s in the bag
52 Sinbad’s bird 14 Like a grate Lou Groza
53 Short film? 15 Chestnut 99 Respectful work
56 Robin Hood’s weapon 16 Trenchant 100 Get down
58 Top secret 17 James Cleveland Owens 101 “Don’t you agree?”
62 Youth support group 19 Inventor’s Park 102 Law & Order, e.g.
65 Org. that was born in Bogota 24 Major pain 103 Author Terkel
66 Martin and 25 Year, to Yves 107 Feathered
Lewis’s debut film, 30 Again
32 “No way” mouse-hunters
My Friend ___ 33 “___ fine musician ...” 109 Totals
67 Magazine in which I solved 34 “Virtue ___ while vice is fed” 111 Macro or micro ending
112 Opposed to
my first (Pope) 113 Jurassic Park “star”
crossword (at age 7) 36 Kojak and Van Gogh 114 Rochester’s employee
74 Town near Penne, Italy 38 Han or Luke, e.g. 115 Email icon
75 1 of 16, in an old song 39 Pizza place? 118 In demand
76 A thousand grams, briefly 40 Pealed 119 Horse course
77 Which one is Ren? 41 Like some customs 120 Old Nick’s ’eadquarters
81 Parent-puzzling arithmetic 42 Actress Martha 121 It digs your bed?
86 Do the seam thing 43 Per unit
87 “Mileage” 44 Peanuts before
88 Little Miss Sunshine
Oscar winner its name change,
91 Vegas employee ___ Folks
92 Film ratings 49 E. follower
93 Tonto in Harry and Tonto 51 Cop-show signoff
95 Méditerranée sights 52 Fools do it
97 False alarm 53 Siamese sound
98 Come what may 54 “Woe ___”
103 “Get away!” 55 No. 1 Son or his pop
104 Discord goddess 57 With 122 Across, a Hoffman-
105 Hockey player, for one De Niro film
106 Conductor’s concern 59 Days of ___
108 Periscope panorama

The Telegraph

40 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

Wedding shower implodes over guest-list limitations

BY CAROLYN HAX a small one, to allow your mother possibly her only ing. (Your sister is behind them, for initially backing
Washington Post chance to celebrate with her granddaughter. And your plan and then withdrawing her support, it seems,
maybe if you had communicated that effectively, then when she saw it was unpopular.) All any of them had
Hi, Carolyn: When I heard my someone else in the bride’s orbit could have stepped to do was show up as invited instead of trying to re-en-
niece was getting married, I decided in to plan a second, more inclusive event – protecting gineer someone else’s party into one they liked better.
to host a wedding shower for her. My the tender thoughtfulness of your luncheon.
mother has been ill, uses a wheel- Even if we’re talking about a super-tight family in
chair and may not be able to travel But here’s the problem with leaving it at that: The which both excluding cousins and shutting up about
to the wedding. I thought it would three people who called to get their daughters includ- it were absolutely unheard of, then there was still a
be nice to have the party in my mom’s condo clubhouse ed, which was a manners failure from the start, and better way: a discreet, open-minded inquiry into your
so she could just wheel herself there. I planned a sit- then took “no” for an answer by pitching a classless, reasoning for the abridged guest list, followed by, “Oh,
down lunch, since it is difficult for her to talk to people intergenerational, party-boycotting hissy fit? They’re I get it, I’m so sorry I doubted you,” and maybe – just
who are standing up. the true failures here, the ones first in line for correct- maybe – an offer of a second event.
Due to the limited space, the guest list was quite
small. It was approved by the bride and the bride’s But here we are.
mom. I made the unfortunate decision to not invite Because you’re not the bride, existing instead a
cousins because there are so many of them. couple of circles out from the decision-making center,
When three of the guests asked me if they could bring it’s not for you to decide unilaterally how to fix this –
their daughters – the bride’s cousins – I said no. assuming it’s even fixable. The bride and your sister
Now none of the other side of the family will be at- might just want this behind them so the embers can
tending. Everyone is mad at me, including my sister, the start to cool.
bride’s mom.While I set out to do something nice, I have Do ask them, though, if they would like you to
instead caused a huge rift between the families. Is there address a letter to all affected parties. Something
anything I can do now to fix this? like: “In planning the shower, I regret not making
clear that my intentions were only to host a tiny
– Party-Planning Failure event that would allow Mom to celebrate without
feeling overwhelmed. The failure to communicate
Party-Planning Failure:You are not a party-planning that is on me. I never meant to hurt anyone’s feel-
failure! ings or cause a distraction for the bride at this ex-
citing time. Thank you for reading this and I look
You are a party-defining failure. A party-explaining forward to celebrating with everyone soon.”
failure, at worst. Meaning, you failed to articulate this Even the boycotters, if they deign to get over
wasn’t meant to be THE shower, merely A shower, themselves. 

Doris Lee’s art:
Treasure these ‘Pleasures’

at your leisure

ANKE VAN WAGENBERG, MELISSA WOLFE AND BARBARA JONES

42 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

Doris Lee’s art: Treasure these ‘Pleasures’ at your leisure

BY MARY SCHENKEL | STAFF WRITER PHOTOS BY BEN THACKER

If you’re planning to go to the “Simple charming depiction, in- it, a woman stands between two horses
Pleasures: The Art of Doris Lee” exhibi- cluding the red and white that have been frightened by a nearby
tion at the Vero Beach Museum of Art checked linoleum flooring. snake, powerfully holding each by the
– and you definitely should – be sure to Lee’s love of fishing could bridle as they threaten to bolt.
leave yourself lots of time. Even then, explain the mounted fish hung
you may need to return to fully grasp the over the hutch. “She uses women all the time to be the
enormity of Doris Lee’s work, displayed big, universal heroes. We usually think
in the Holmes and Titelman Galleries Another “fearless and capable” of men as gods and titans or whatever,
through Sept. 18. woman, a continual theme in
Lee’s work, pushes against con-
“She was one of the most well-known vention in “The Widow” (1935). In
artists of her time,” says Melissa Wolfe,
curator of American Art, Saint Louis
Art Museum, who co-curated the ex-
hibition with Barbara L. Jones, cura-
tor emerita, Westmoreland Museum of
American Art.

Lee (1905-1983) was a hugely prolific,
award-winning artist known for her fig-
urative paintings, drawings, prints and
illustrations. She was commissioned by
Life Magazine, the New Yorker, Satur-
day Evening Post and other commercial
projects for advertisements and designs
for fabrics, pottery and even menus. Her
artwork spans from the 1930s through
the mid-1960s when, Jones says, “be-
cause of Alzheimer’s she faded from the
scene. You wonder where she would have
gone from there.”

Lee, who resided summers in the
famed Woodstock artist’s colony with
longtime partner Arnold Blanch, meld-
ed a host of artistic movements into a
fashion all her own.

Wolfe says Lee “blew onto the art
scene in a big way” with her delightfully
detailed slice of American life, “Thanks-
giving” (1935), which won the Logan
Purchase Prize at an annual Art Insti-
tute of Chicago exhibition. The painting
caused a “huge ripple” when Mrs. Logan,
who preferred landscapes, was offended
by the choice. The museum and public,
however, loved it.

“Doris thought it was hilarious. I
mean, Doris had a very good sense of
humor, and she was quirky. I think
she would have been a ball to hang out
with,” says Wolfe.

Well-educated and known for march-
ing to her own drum, Lee was basically
a feminist at heart, and her women fre-
quently take center stage. In “Thanksgiv-
ing,” nary a man is in sight as generations
of women busily prepare the holiday
meal surrounded by toddler twins, safe-
ly out from under foot in their highchair,
two older siblings and the family pets.

Heat rises from the turkey, checked
on by an aproned matriarch, as pots
bubble on the wood-burning stove.
Other women are engaged in vari-
ous tasks, while a new arrival, still in
her warm coat, begins to remove her
hat. Shades of red run throughout the

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 43

ARTS & THEATRE

the Broadway mu- so she depicted a green wagon with red
sical “Showboat.” wheels. It’s piled high with vibrant yellow
tobacco leaves and driven from the farm
Another paint- by a man and his family, accompanied
ing, “Off to Auc- by their faithful dogs. However, soon
tion” (1942), was after, the tobacco company changed its
created for the packaging to white with a red circle.
American Tobac-
co Company for a A marvelous colorist, Lee utilized
Lucky Strike advertisement in the New hues to create depth in her depictions
Yorker. Jones explains that Lee was the of Florida seascapes and landscapes.
only woman in a group of 19 Associated Among examples in the exhibit, “Sunset
American Artists sent all through the in the Florida Keys” (c. 1960s) features a
South to document the tobacco industry, dazzling red sun against various shades
from growing it to selling it at auction. of blue. Another is “Causeway” (c. 1960),
When she got the assignment, the which clearly delineates a colorful cross-
packaging was green with a red circle, section of earth, sand and sea. 

but she always “This is very much a
puts the women commentary on women
in that position,” and on women in the
says Wolfe. arts,” says Wolfe. The
painting depicts a seat-
“New House” ed, nude model at work,
(1946) is a hu- facing unseen students.
morous painting
displaying what “So, it’s a job. It’s sort
Wolfe describes of bringing that elevated,
as the push-pull masculine definition of
tension of cub- women, of the nude or the female body,
ism within a folk- and really giving it back to a female to
art design. own it,” says Wolfe. She adds that Lee
believed women should be comfort-
The home’s slab is down, a doorway able in their sex.
lintel is up, and a man carries a hammer Commercially, Jones says Lee deftly
and a two-by-four. The woman, how- navigated the line between commer-
ever, isn’t waiting for walls; she’s already cial and fine art.
sweeping a little rug on the floor along- “Ads were the mainstay of magazines
side a couch, table and lamp. On one tree of that era,” Jones explains. “It was how
hangs a painting, and a piano, complete you experienced the world; every other
with sheet music, sits alongside another page was an advertisement.”
tree, where a child plays on swing. Life Magazine sent her around the
world as an artist-correspondent, includ-
The exhibit’s cover scene, “The View, ing to Africa and on a “tropic tour” to Key
Woodstock” (1946), depicts the view of West, Cuba and Mexico. Jones says she
a little backyard building from her stu- drew an actual map to document where
dio window, as evidenced by its frame of she went and wrote captions and stories
draped curtains. A man rests on a ham- about the places she visited.
mock as a woman toils in the garden, “A number of gouaches become al-
presumably Blanch and Lee. most like postcards of her trip, and
sometimes the paintings grew out of a
“This is so tongue in cheek, Grant gouache. You’ll see in the catalog the
Wood’s ‘American Gothic,’” says Wolfe, original gouache and it looks very differ-
pointing out the little building’s roof and ent. When she was in Africa, she didn’t
curtains, and again noting the sophisti- do gouaches, she did sketches, and she
cated mix of artistic forms. annotated with the colors that she want-
ed. Then, back in her studio, she’d create
“Actually, one critic says that it be- the painting,” says Jones.
gins with Grandma Moses and ends up “She was incredible. I always think of
with [Milton] Avery,” says Wolfe. “You her as an entrepreneur. Most all of these
have to give her paintings more time commissions came through Associated
than just going, ‘Oh, that’s so sweet.’ American Artists, which is a gallery she
You really just have to stop, tell yourself joined in 1941. I mean, she was a busy
to stand there, and just look for how- woman,” Jones adds.
ever many minutes.” The exhibit’s wonderfully vibrant
painting “Oklahoma! The Farmer and
Indeed, there is often considerable the Cowhands” (1943) was one of several
activity taking place in her work. An ex- commissioned by Life Magazine to com-
ample is “Alma Mater” (1947), which de- memorate that Broadway show’s one-
picts many of the various activities she year anniversary. Prior to that, in 1939
participated in at Rockford College, such Life commissioned her to commemorate
as darts, archery, drama, graduation
and lawn tennis. There is also a Maypole
scene in it, which alone was reproduced
as “Schoolyard Maypole Dance” on a
Saturday Evening Post cover.

“Art Students League” (c. 1950s) repre-
sents yet another style, with its reduced
palette and composition.

44 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

COMING UP! Curtain rises on Riverside kids’ ‘Into the Woods’

BY PAM HARBAUGH Center, 1590 27th Ave., Vero Beach. Free
Correspondent admission. Call 855-252-7276 or visit
SpaceCoastSymphony.org.

1 The big deal on Riverside The- 3 Head to 14th Avenue on Satur-
atre’s stage this summer are the day for “Burgers & Brews.” The

two “Into the Woods” productions by event serves up not only plenty of

Riverside Theatre for Kids. The first food and drinks, but also fun while

one, running this weekend, June 24- at the same time raising funds for

25, is the full production performed United Against Poverty. There will be

by young adults. The second one is live entertainment, street vendors, a

“Into the Woods Jr.,” which is the con- and their unfairly maligned adver- around the country. “Some wags scoff kids zone, food trucks and, of course,
saries. “Our older kids have been re- at junior shows … because it doesn’t
densed version performed by chil- ally responding to this material well, get into the dark stuff,” Quillinan said. burgers. Slider tastings will run from
and I know the younger ones will “But maybe they’d hold back their
dren. Both shows feature remarkable love it, too,” said director Kevin Quil- quips if they knew the master him- 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for the “Best Burger in
linan. “There’s something about self instigated the whole brilliant and
songs by the late, great Stephen Sond- Sondheim’s music that opens up your successful program.” The full version IRC Competition.” And, at 4 p.m., be
mind to new ways of thinking, and of “Into the Woods” performs 5:30
heim, a man who still looms large in ‘Into The Woods’ in whatever version p.m. Friday, June 24; and 1 p.m. and sure to check out the Apple Pie Eating
is a great show to both get the intel- 5:30 p.m. Saturday, June 25. The “Into
American musical theater. The story lectualism of Sondheim while thor- the Woods Jr.” performs 5:30 p.m. July Contest. If you want to participate in
oughly being entertained.” Quillinan 22; and 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. July 23.
reimagines children’s fairytales and said he’s especially thrilled to be do- Tickets for both shows cost $10. River- that, be at the Main Stage by 3:55 p.m.
ing both the full version and the ju- side Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Park
follows the Baker and his wife, Cin- nior version because it was Sondheim Dr., Vero Beach. Call 772-231-6990 or Live music will be held on the Main
who started the whole “junior series,” visit RiversideTheatre.com.
derella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding now so popular in children’s theaters Stage from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The street

Hood, Jack and his beanstalk, and, of festival runs 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The cost

course, a Witch and a Giant. Remem- is $25 for a slider punch card for five

ber, this is Sondheim, so don’t expect sliders and two beverages. The $100

kindergarten sensibilities. There’s VIP access pass gets you not only a

sophistication to the music and the slider punch card and complimen-

story in the full version has a second tary drinks, but also gets you into an

act, which explores the consequences air-conditioned lounge. For more in-

of the characters’ actions upon them formation, call 772-770-0740, ext. 204

2 Celebrate the Fourth of July a little or visit BurgersAndBrews.org.
early by heading to the Emerson

Center this Saturday afternoon for an 4 Organizers for Pride on the Block
2K22 expect this weekend’s event
“America the Beautiful” concert by the

Space Coast Symphony Wind Orchestra to be its most popular one yet. It runs

and the Space Coast Symphony Chorus. 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, June 26, in

The featured event at this concert will the Kilted Mermaid alleyway, 1937 Old

be the performance of “Across the Sea Dixie Highway, Vero Beach. There will

of Grass,” by Florida composer Mark be drag performers, music by Treasure

Piszczek. The concert also features Eric Coast bands, DJ Frank-O and vocal

Whitacre’s “Ghost Train,” which imag- performers from the LGBTQIA+ com-

ines the supernatural locomotive wind- munity. There will also be food and

ing its way through the western U.S. beverages available for purchase with

Also on the program will be music by proceeds from a charity liquor bar ben-

John Philip Sousa and Lee Greenwood’s efiting Vero Pride. All ages are invited

rousing “God Bless the U.S.A.” Espe- until 7 p.m. when it then becomes an

cially moving should be “Balmages, 18-years-and-over event. For more in-

Kyiv, 2022 – A Prayer for Ukraine.” The formation, go to Facebook.com/Vero-

concert begins 2 p.m. at the Emerson Pride.A1A. 

CARDIOLOGISTS CHEER HOSPITAL’S
NEW RADIATION PROTECTION DEVICE

46 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Cardiologists cheer hospital’s new radiation protection device

BY KERRY FIRTH Bill Ludwig RCIS, Dr. Carlos Gonzalez and
Correspondent Ryan Steadman RN demonstrate how the
new shield protects them from radiation while
In the hospital world where pa- working. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS
tients are always the priority, it’s
rare for a major investment to be
made that primarily benefits phy-
sicians. But what helps doctors
ultimately benefits patients, too.
Thanks to a gift from the Welsh
Foundation of Vero Beach, Cleve-
land Clinic Indian River Hospital
became the first hospital in the
state of Florida and the first with-
in the Cleveland Clinic worldwide
system to purchase a revolution-
ary “Rampart” device that protects
healthcare workers from radiation
exposure during catheter proce-
dures.

For decades, interventionalists
and staff relied on lead aprons to
protect themselves from radiation
in the cath lab. But over time, the
weight of the aprons can cause fa-
tigue and long-term injuries to the
back and neck.

The Rampart is a device specifi-
cally engineered for intervention-

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

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 47

HEALTH

alists and cath labs to give physi- to higher exposure. Denver, for ex- “We now get the protection we ships in cardiovascular imaging
cians and their teams the freedom ample, averages about 400 milli- need without the weight of the and interventional cardiology at
to work without the need for heavy rems per year. apron,” Dr. Gonzalez said. “Be- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount
lead aprons while protecting them cause our team is more comfort- Sinai, New York, and an additional
from radiation. The current federal limit of expo- able, we can focus on doing what fellowship in structural heart dis-
sure per year for an adult (the limit we do best and do it for longer than ease at New York University School
Inventor Dr. Bob Foster was one for a worker using radiation) is not before. We are very grateful to the of Medicine.
of the highest volume interven- to exceed 5,000 millirems above Welsh Foundation and Cleveland
tional cardiologists in the country. the 300 millirems of natural sourc- Clinic Indian River Hospital for Dr. Carlos Gonzalez sees patients
He had been wearing lead aprons es of radiation. this gift.” at Cleveland Clinic Indian River
nearly every day for 20 years and, Hospital primarily on a referral ba-
like 60 percent of intervention- Too much exposure can result in Dr. Gonzalez earned his medical sis. Talk to your primary care phy-
al cardiologists, he fell victim to radiation sickness which will cause degree at Universidad Nacional de sician or cardiologist if you’d like to
work-related back issues. He rup- vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. Colombia in Bogota, Colombia, and schedule an appointment. Or call
tured a disk which caused him to Devices like the lead apron and the completed his internship in Inter- the cardiothoracic surgery depart-
miss a month of work. Then he suf- new Rampart system are designed nal Medicine at Lincoln Medical ment at 772-563-4580 for more in-
fered another ruptured disk that to protect medical personnel work- and Mental Health Center in New formation. 
caused a month-long paralysis in ing with X-rays from unnecessary York. He also completed fellow-
one leg, three months of missed radiation exposure.
work and two years out of the cath
lab. Drawing on his own experience
he and a team of engineers created
the Rampart with one goal in mind
– to provide apron-free protection
for physicians.

“This device was launched about
a year and a half ago, and after do-
ing my research I felt it was a no-
brainer for our cardiac team,” Dr.
Carlos Gonzalez, a cardiologist
at Cleveland Clinic Indian River
Hospital, said. “Often our proce-
dures last for three or four hours
at a time and sometimes we’d wear
the lead apron for 12 to 14 hours
a day. It takes a toll on your body.
Imagine the difference of working
those long hours without the extra
20-pound lead apron on your chest.
It’s a huge difference and it makes
our job so much easier because we
are more comfortable.”

The adjustable and motorized
Rampart uses lead-equivalent
acrylic panels that can accom-
modate the access point and the
heights and widths of the doctor,
technician and patient, protect-
ing them from harmful radiation.
Healthcare workers behind the
panels get full body protection
from radiation. The lead apron
that was not only cumbersome but
didn’t protect the arms and hands.

“I’ve always been an innovative
thinker and when I was asked what
we needed for the cath lab, I imme-
diately knew that the investment in
this device for our doctors would
be a wise one. We’ve used the de-
vice for coronary angiogram, coro-
nary intervention, Coronary Inter-
vention of Chronic Total Occlusion
(CTO), Watchman and MitraClip
procedures.”

Occupational exposure to radia-
tion is limited by federal regula-
tions. According to a 2019 article
in MIT News, the average exposure
in the United States, from natural
sources like cosmic radiation and
radon, is 300 millirems per year at
sea level. Higher elevations equate

48 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

HEALTH

Study: Weight-loss surgery linked to lower cancer death rate

BY ERIN BLAKEMORE cer. with 4.9 percent of their counterparts; Control and Prevention, more than
The Washington Post And their chances of developing, 0.8 percent died, compared with 1.4 1.7 million new cancer cases were re-
percent of nonsurgical patients. The ported in 2019 alone. Additionally, 42
Body weight is considered a risk fac- or dying of, obesity-linked cancers effects were seen across the board and percent of U.S. adults had obesity as of
tor for cancer – but can losing it reverse such as ovarian and pancreatic cancer appeared to be independent of age, sex March 2020.
that risk? were significantly lower. During the or race.
study, 2.9 percent of patients who had “Given the growing epidemic of obe-
A study suggests the answer is an surgery developed cancer, compared According to the Centers for Disease sity, obesity-associated cancers are
emphatic yes, at least for those who a major public health concern,” says
lose significant weight through bar- Ali Aminian, director of the Cleveland
iatric surgery. Patients who had the Clinic’s Bariatric and Metabolic Insti-
surgery were 32 percent less likely to tute and the study’s lead author. “If we
develop cancer and 48 percent less help patients to lose weight, we can
likely to die of cancer than their coun- significantly mitigate that risk.”
terparts who did not have surgery,
according to research published in Bariatric surgery has gained steam
JAMA. as an obesity treatment in recent
years, with an estimated 256,000 such
The results came from a long-term procedures performed in the United
study of more than 30,000 Cleveland States in 2019, according to an indus-
Clinic patients between 2004 and 2017. try group. The researchers said “sub-
The patients all had a body mass index stantial weight loss” was required to
of 35 or greater – considered “class 2,” reduce cancer risk.
or “moderate risk” obesity by medical
professionals. Other factors might be at play –
it’s unclear whether the surgical pa-
Researchers followed up with about tients made healthier lifestyle choic-
5,000 patients between ages 18 and es or the nonsurgical patients were
80 who had gastric bypass or gastric hesitant to participate in cancer
sleeve surgery during the study pe- screenings. Few of the patients were
riod. None of the people studied had not Black or white, indicating a need
been previously diagnosed with can- for further research. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 49

HEALTH

CLEARING UP CONFUSION ABOUT CARDIAC ABLATION

BY FRED CICETTI pital by a specially trained staff. The experience some burning sensa- insertion site; blood-vessel dam-
Columnist procedure lasts three to six hours. tions during the procedure. age; a heart puncture; damage to
Some people go home the same day the heart’s electrical system; blood
Q. When doctors perform a cardiac as the procedure. Others need to be Your doctor may recommend cath- clots, which could lead to stroke or
ablation, what do they use to clean admitted for one or more days. Most eter ablation if medicine can’t control other complications; and narrow-
the heart? people return to their normal activ- your arrhythmia or if you are at risk ing of the veins that carry blood
ities in a few days. for a life-threatening type of arrhyth- from the lungs to the heart.
This question made me laugh be- mia or sudden cardiac arrest.
cause I had the same misconception Before the procedure, a patient is Although catheter ablation is of-
as the correspondent. We both con- given a drug intravenously for re- The risk of complications from ten successful, some people need
fused ablation with ablution. Abla- laxation. catheter ablation is higher if you are repeat procedures. You may also
tion is a surgical excision of tissue. older than 75 or have diabetes or need to take medications, even af-
Ablution is a cleansing with water The surgeon then numbs the kidney disease. These risks include ter you’ve had ablation. 
catheter insertion site. Patients may bleeding, infection and pain at the

or another liquid.
Cardiac ablation corrects heart

arrhythmias by destroying tis-
sue that blocks the electrical sig-
nal traveling through your heart to
make it beat. By clearing the signal
pathway of the abnormal tissue,
your heart can beat properly again.

Normally, an electrical signal
spreads from the top of your heart to
the bottom. As it travels, the electri-
cal signal causes your heart to con-
tract and pump blood. The process
repeats with each new heartbeat.

A surgeon makes a small cut into
one of the blood vessels of the groin,
neck or arm. Then a catheter is in-
serted into the vessel and guided by
X-ray into the heart. Flexible tubes
with electrodes are run through the
catheter. The electrodes locate the
problem area and destroy it.

Radiofrequency (RF) energy usu-
ally is used for catheter ablation.
This type of energy uses radio waves
to produce heat that destroys the
heart tissue. Studies have shown
that RF energy is safe and effective.
Alternatively, the energy used in the
procedure can come from extreme
cold (cryoablation) or lasers.

Cardiac ablation is done in a hos-

50 Vero Beach 32963 / June 23, 2022 Style Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

WOULD YOU BUY A $20K DRESS FROM AMAZON?

BY LAURA CRAIKO brands are responsible for their own shirt saying “Sinner,” the Porter’s $15 same-day deliv-
The Telegraph pricing and stock selection, backed up most expensive a two-tiered ery option.
by the site’s powerful selling tools and black chain dress priced at
Like all bad habits, an Amazon one is technology. Amazon says the concept $3,245. I’m tempted by a long On the plus side, my shorts
hard to break. I wouldn’t say I depend combines an elevated shopping expe- floral midi dress, reduced come promptly at 8:30 a.m.
on it, but it has definitely saved my san- rience with the trust and convenience from $2,095 to $1,466.50, a sav- the following morning. They
ity many a time. Last-minute birthday that customers have come to know and ing of 30 percent. But it’s still arrive without ceremony in
presents. Emergency lice shampoo. A love, such as fast and free shipping. out of my budget, although I a municipal brown package
clear plastic pencil case for an exam the do spy a pair of drawstring that some users might find
following day. Thanks to Amazon Prime This is incentive enough for me. I shorts in the same floral a let-down if they’re used to
(and no, this assuredly isn’t #sponsored- launch the Amazon app on my iPhone, fabric. At $395, they’re the lavish boxes, ribbons
content), these disparate items can be then decide that if I’m dropping three among the cheapest items
delivered to my doorstep while I carry figures on an item, I should at least look on the site, albeit still and surfeit of tissue paper
on with the onerous business of work- at it on a big screen. I go to my iMac. $383.01 more expensive employed by most luxury
ing full-time while managing a house, The first thing that appears is a video than my last Amazon e-tailers. It doesn’t bother
two children and a dog. of fifty-something model of the mo- purchase, an $11.99 pot me, and is clearly a more
ment, Kristen McMenamy, kissing a of eczema cream.
While I’ve bought many random marble statue in the grounds of a stately environmentally friendly
things from Amazon over the years, I home, a tableau presumably created to I double click. Six option, although if I was
have never bought a $20,000 ball gown. conjure up the idea of luxury. I click on images are brought spending $10,000 on a
This is chiefly because Amazon hasn’t “New Arrivals.” Up pops a grid of Elie up: one still-life shot, beaded Elie Saab cock-
stocked one. Until now. Saab gowns, including a floor-length four shot on a model.
coral one described as a “bead embroi- Unlike other high tail dress, I’d expect it
Brands who have so far signed up dered long dress.” The price? $20,335. A end e-tailers such to arrive in a box. And
include Elie Saab, Peter Dundas, Altu- three-pack of duct tape, this is not. as Matches I’m sure it would, to
zarra and Christopher Kane. Featuring or Net A Porter,
clothes, shoes and accessories from I search up Christopher Kane, my fa- there’s no video be fair.
current collections, all participating vorite designer in the lineup. 130 items of the item be- Bottom line? If
are for sale, the cheapest a $136.50 T- ing worn, nor
is there an op- you’re not a snob,
tion to zoom Amazon Luxury
in to study is as decent a
the fabric. way to shop de-

signer brands
as any, but it’s
offer needs to

be finessed.
Free next-day

Accepting
New Patients

Direct Primary Care Practice

Services Include:

• preventative care

Andrea Kaupas, DO • pediatric care
Board Certified
Family Physician • chronic disease management

• yearly skin mapping Where those sites “editorialize” their delivery should be offered to Prime
stock with fulsome elucidations and members – Bezos can afford it, and as
• skin lesion excision/biopsy styling tips, Amazon’s listing comes a billionaire himself, he should know
with the basic description: “Christopher that those wealthy enough to casually
• laceration repair Kane Summer 22 psych floral shorts.” drop four figures on a dress won’t want
You’d get more detail if you were buying to wait 7-10 days to acquire it. The user
• IUD placement/removal A4 envelopes or a phone charger. experience is no different from order-
ing a tumble dryer door hinge, the list-
• joint injections Hesitantly, I add them to my basket, ings bereft of the sort of style advice
reminding myself that at least the ship- that more cautious shoppers might ap-
• casting/splinting ping and returns are free. Wait, what? preciate.
The “fast and free” shipping promise
•...and much more Located in isn’t quite as it seems: It’s free if you Crucially, there aren’t nearly enough
don’t mind waiting 7-10 days for deliv- big names on board yet for Amazon
Vero Beach ery, but that’s not what most shoppers Luxury to be regarded as a serious fash-
would call “fast.” If I want the item the ion player. Will more be enticed to sign
Beachside following day, well, too bad. Matches up? I have my doubts. The site won’t
offers a $10 next-day delivery charge, damage their brands, but nor will it
(772) 268-9800 and is even more expensive than Net A burnish them. 

Visit our website at coast2coasthealth.com
and sign up today!